Stand Firm with Your Pastor

Introduction: I am not your faith

There can be an unhealthy adoration of pastors.

The Roman Catholic Church calls the pope an alter Christus.

The Catholic Priest sits as an intercessor between you and God.

He serves as a barrier between you and the Lord.

This is not what Christ envisioned for His Church.

Hebrews teaches that Jesus is the better high priest.

Jesus broke down the wall of separation between God and man.

He sent His Spirit, so that you have direct access to God the Father.

No longer needing a priest, a human to be your intercessor.

Paul made sure that though he was an apostle, he was not their ruler.

He was not their Lord.

That is reserved for the place of Christ.

False religion loves to rule over people.

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees.

They loved their power.

They loved the admiration.

They loved standing in front of people and being recognized.

But Jesus called for something different.

Matthew 20:25-26 says, “But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,”

Yes, there are leaders in the church.

Yes, they have authority.

But their goal is something different.

It’s not power.

It’s being a servant.

The leader’s motivation is different from the world’s view.

I Peter 5:1-3 says, “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.”

Where the world looks for power, prestige and prominence.

The church leader, recognizes that we are only under-shepherds of Christ.

Christ is the true shepherd.

Elders are under a charge from God to care for the flock of God.

Additionally, Paul makes it clear that he does not lord it over your faith.

Your faith isn’t my faith.

I am not your relationship to Christ.

I cannot repent for you.

I cannot save you.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation, could be with a family member, or a friend -

And it goes like this.

They are not a believer, but they know you are a believer.

They’re going through a hard time.

And are at their whits end.

So they come to you, because you’re the religious person.

You’re the one who goes to church.

You’re the one who prays.

And they ask you to go to Lord and ask Him to fix things.

And you probably say you’ll pray for them.

But do you realize that they are asking you to do what they could do themselves, if they’d only repent and trust in the Lord.

Essentially, they are coat-riding on your faith.

We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, but it’s the individuals faith.

Christ is Lord.

He is who we confess.

He is Who we look to.

Hebrews 12:2 says, “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

I don’t want you to look to me, I want you to look to Christ.

I am just an under shepherd, He’s the Shepherd.

In contrast to the world’s idea of leadership, the pastor has goals for the church’s success.

Paul gives us 3 goals for the pastor.

These are 3 ways that the pastor serves you.

The first goal of the pastor is to work with you.

Paul says, “but we work with you ...”

This is the word for synergy.

It means to work along side.

So you work, and the pastor works.

This means that in your Christian walk, you aren’t in this alone.

The Lord has provided people over you, who’s goal it is to work with you.

Ephesians 4:11-12 says, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,”

The plan that God has established for the church is for you to be taught.

Sometimes there’s this idea, that you just need you and your Bible.

No teachers.

No history.

Each person reads his Bible and decides what is real or not.

But the reality is that God has provided men over the years for the purpose of teaching and equipping His body.

This is the pattern that was established for us in the 1st century by the apostles.

Then it was meant to be continued in the following generations.

For example, Paul was an apostle.

He was taught by Christ.

But Christ doesn’t appear to people anymore, just doesn’t happen.

The pattern that was established, was the apostles taught people within the early church.

Then those who were taught were expected to teach others.

Paul did this with Timothy.

II Timothy 2:2, “and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”

How do we apply this hear?

By being under teachers.

Learning is much more than a sermon on Sunday mornings or Sunday nights.

The early church met daily.

And when they met, they studied Scripture.

They learned together.

My goal for you is to grow.

Please take opportunities for growth.

Next, the pastor’s goal is your joy.

There is joy in Christ.

In fact joy is one of the goals of walking in Christ.

That’s why Paul says, “but we work with you for your joy”.

Joy is a defining characteristic of the Christian.

It’s one of the fruit of the Spirit,

This joy is centered around Christ.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love … joy, peace, patience - “ and the list continues.

How do we get this joy?

When I read through the Gospels, I see joy mentioned frequently.

On that first Christmas, an angel appeared to the shepherds.

Luke 2:10 (ESV) — 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

The magi found the house with the toddler Jesus -

Matthew 2:10 (ESV) — 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

Jesus sent out 72 disciples on the first short-term mission trip.

Luke 10:17 (ESV) — 17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

The Sunday after Christ’s death, the women came to the tomb, and found it empty.

An angel informed them that Jesus was alive.

Matthew 28:8 (ESV) — 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

Are you picking up the pattern here?

Upon seeing God actively working, there was joy.

Joy is the product of living under the reality of the Living God, who alone can be trusted in.

My goal is for you to have joy.

Not happiness.

Not a good time.

But joy, that is rooted in a God who works.

And this joy happens at all times in all times.

You will encounter difficult times in life.

Sicknesses.

Illnesses.

Hardships.

Trials.

And my goal for you is that you would have joy.

To have a joy that is rooted in Christ Jesus.

You may wonder why we like to talk about theology so much.

It’s not so that you can learn new and interesting facts.

But so that you can get better acquainted to the God who saves.

When you learn about theology, you are learning about God.

You are learning about the:

Attributes of God.

The actions of God.

The affections of God.

People wonder if there is a God.

They wonder what He’s like.

When you study theology, you are learning about this God.

Who is praise worthy.

And finally, the pastor’s goal is for you to stand firm in your faith.

I know some of you have coached your kids sports teams.

When you coach a team, you practice different plays and scenarios.

In baseball, a lot of time is spent practicing:

Double plays

Or relay throws from the outfield.

You spend hours teaching kids the essential fundamentals to the sport, so that when the situation happens, the team responds right.

So they get the out.

So the team wins the game.

If you’re the coach, as much as you love the game, you’re not on the field.

It’s those kids who are on the field.

It’s their game.

They’re the ones playing it.

As you go through life you will face different scenarios.

Some of those scenarios will be unpleasant.

You will face temptation.

You will face heartache.

You will face loss.

And there are times of plenty.

You will face good times.

At times prosperity.

Pleasure.

Happiness.

Just like the little league teams I’ve coached, I want you to be prepared for those moments.

Because as much as I love you, and teach you and love you … it’s your faith.

This is your life.

We are talking about your fight against sin.

I want you to stand firm.

We often talk about enduring difficult times.

But there is also living rightly through the great times.

And this is something you learn.

It doesn’t come naturally.

Paul describes this in Philippians 4:11-13.

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Ultimately, this is your faith that we are talking about.

This is about your understanding of Christ.

The standing that we have is not on our own.

Paul says he wants them to stand firm in your faith.

Faith is the truth of Christ.

This is how we stand.

This is the summary of your life.

Your strength, ability, and accomplishments are owing to Him Who your faith is rooted in.

Life is completely unpredictable.

It’s shakey.

We don’t know what’s coming.

And the only way we can stand is if we know that we have an immutable God who is sovereignly ruling over His creation.