Chapter 9: Who Leads? (Pt 2)
REDISCOVER CHURCH • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
INTRO—
INTRO—
[[Last week = “To the Pastors;” This week = “To the People”]]
Aspects of God’s Discipleship Plan (PP. 126-127):
Ephesians 4:12 “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,”
Ephesians 4:15–16 “But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.”
Hebrews 13 (vv. 7, 17…24) — “Leaders” (Spiritual & not Civic in focus in these verses)
Guides…Supervisors (this one makes much sense to me; Jesus is the head, the boss; Pastors are supervisors)
To be clear—(13.7) Spoken God’s word & exemplified the Christian life; (13.17) Watching over the peoples’ souls.
Sooo, definitely pastor/elder…but possibly also to include deacons.
…TO THE PEOPLE…
REMEMBER & IMITATE [Hebrews 13.7]
REMEMBER & IMITATE [Hebrews 13.7]
[Sooo…as we start down this road of Four Words to the People, we need to know that all these words are verbs (therefore actions) and all these verbs are imperative in nature (musts).]
REMEMBER
= recall; keep thinking about (regularly…)
…them, especially for speaking God’s word to you (teaching you the truth)
Hebrews 2:1 “For this reason, we must pay attention all the more to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away.”
[[Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”]]
To be remembered, acknowledged is an honor (to be honored in such a way)…[I think this should be limited to our actual pastors and not heroes of the faith (like Luther, Keller, Stanley, Rodgers…)
For me…[Those gone] Sam Cathey, Tommy Higle; [Those here] Roger Brumley;
For you…Previous pastors (here or wherever you previously connected); I would count it an honor to be named among an list of pastors you would compile like this.
IMITATE
Someone once said, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”
[[like at one of the early “not a Halloween Parties” at the Winquists’ house…Jamie showing up in an orange OSU t-shirt and navy NY cap…]]
= copy; emulate (“To strive to equal or excel”)
Exactly!…imitate me better (like I hope for my kids, etc.)
Hebrews 6:12 “so that you won’t become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance.” (actively imitating righteousness is the opposite of laziness!)
Hebrews 6:9–12 “Even though we are speaking this way, dearly loved friends, in your case we are confident of things that are better and that pertain to salvation. For God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you demonstrated for his name by serving the saints—and by continuing to serve them. Now we desire each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the full assurance of your hope until the end, so that you won’t become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance.”
OBEY & SUBMIT [Hebrews 13.17]
OBEY & SUBMIT [Hebrews 13.17]
[When it comes to the two words we find in this verse, I really desire and believe it should be a ‘want-to’ thing rather than a ‘have-to’ thing…though I believe the scriptural imperative to still be quite clear here…it should never be a compulsion nor a manipulative demand.]
OBEY
= be persuaded; trustingly follow (not…what I say about ANYTHING you MUST unquestioningly do…nope, nope, nope.)
Galatians 5:7 “You were running well. Who prevented you from being persuaded regarding the truth?”
Relating to the word explained and applied. No venturing beyond “thus says the Lord”…& therefore we must…essentially lets you off the hook.
It’s about keeping watch over (watching out for) your souls. [[The older I get, this watching out for involves the feeling, ‘Don’t do this…because when I did, this is what happened…’]]
SUBMIT
= yield; defer to; give way (Only used here in the Bible; totally different word from the one used for ‘submit’ in Ephesians 5 regarding wives and husbands)
One commentator said, “It is a stronger and more specific word than the preceding “obey” and carries with it the implication that one is to yield when the leader’s rule is at variance with the reader’s wishes.”
This is the picture of deference…a needed quality in our lives to open the door for carrying on in our life—and life together as a church.
[[This correction could relate to the admonition of Hebrews 10:25 “not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.”]]
This call to submission, is the most challenging and most needful for all of us. We learn many important lessons about the total scope of being a Christian. Like Charles Spurgeon wrote in context of this verse:
There are some people who would be excellent Christians if Christianity consisted in having their own way, and gaining honor for themselves. But as to making themselves the servants of others for Christ’s sake, or watching over others for their good, and being content to be made of no reputation in order that other people might be uplifted, they do not go in for that sort of thing. Clearly, they have not learned obedience.
CONCL—
CONCL—
[P. 138, Par. 2] “If every Christian is called to work to maintain the unity of the church, why formally recognize an office of deacon?…”
Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.””
[PP. 134-136] — The Oil of Trust
These pages struck a chord with me. Throughout my ministry life, I have been on one end of eventually having to leave a church as a ministry staff member due to broken trust from wrong, unbiblical actions of a pastor…to having parted ways with church members who could not countenance (agree with; handle) stands I have taken, as I believe based on God’s word, but didn’t line up with their perspective on the issue.
All of this has at times been heartbreaking and frustrating. I understand that these things happen…even though we don’t want them to happen. My pledge to you is to always be forthright…uncompromising in calling us to understand and apply God’s word to every aspect of our lives (through both encouragement and correction)…while also being approachable and teachable—open to my need to be corrected.
Soooo, let me test what we’ve talked about today with a current example…
On social media (namely Facebook), I posted a concern, corrective for a particular kind of statement, attitude circulating after the election this week. I have taken issue with the following meme/statement “making the rounds”:
To think that God ordained a filthy minded, adulterous, wealthy man with evil in his heart to preside over a nation challenges my self-righteous understanding. But He did, and that sinful man by grace gave us the Psalms. #KingDavid
Here’s what I have to say about this…and in this context, as your Pastor, I implore each of you to hear me—hear my heart—and heed this warning and encouragement to live the biblical instruction I reference as being applicable to this situation:
Hey, Everybody…Posting the statement in the picture below is not the clever ‘gotcha’ you believe it to be.
No equivalence nor direct comparison exists between King David and President-Elect Trump. Yes, all of us are sinful, fallen people…but that’s the end of the comparative equivalence between these two men. David was chosen by God to lead the people of God as King. His sinfulness, confronted by a prophet, led to repentance and a life—described by God—as “after God’s own heart.” Donald has—consistent with the biblical assertion of God’s sovereign control over all of creation and history—been established by God as the next President of the United States. By his own words he is a man who has never needed to repent, “ask forgiveness of God” for anything. His leadership is as a secular man to a nation which is not exclusive to “the people of God.”
So, to my fellow Christians, please stop with the posting of theology-twisting, Scripture-twisting statements to make political ‘points.’
Let us follow to the fullest the Holy Spirit inspired encouragement/admonition…First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior (1 Timothy 2.1-3)
[Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Ti 2:1–3.]
Interestingly what I said has been appreciated, ignored, misrepresented, and mocked. As I have repeatedly said about our lives as Christians regarding our political privileges and responsibilities…I am as (more) concerned about how we treat, talk to, and talk about each other—especially those with whom we find disagreement on these matters—as I am about what we vote for (or against) consistently living a biblical life and witness in the public square.
So, I hope you hear my heart on this example. I hope we will all continue to work, strive together as Jesus’ church to live out our Great Commission and Great Commandment calling for the glory of God and the blessing of furthering his Kingdom purposes— “on earth as it is in heaven.”
[[Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”]]
INVITATION:
Salvation
Active Participation in Jesus’ Discipleship Process
Praying for Each Other
Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.