How To Bless Your Pastor

[0:00] It's certainly a joy to be with you tonight on this special day, your anniversary of your church. And as a guest preacher, I guess I've got more liberty than I would have in my own church at times to exhort you in some hard truths.

[0:17] And it's a subject that would be hard for me to deliver to my own church. I'm talking today of how to bless your pastor. Amen. Who wants to do that? How to bless your pastor and the pastor's wife, of course.

[0:31] Bless the man of God and you will bless the work of God. And in turn, you bless yourself, don't you? As the people of God. And as an example of a man of God, I'd like us to look at the man Moses.

[0:43] I've been reading through his life in the Bible lately. And some things really jumped out at me about how there's some similarities between the man of God, Moses, and I suppose your local pastor in your church.

[0:55] And thoughts about that. How the people treated the man of God? The mischief that people got up to, for one thing. So first, some just introductory comments about the man Moses.

[1:09] Think of what he did. He gave up the pleasures and the position, the palace of Egypt, to take on the pain and the pressure of leadership. Moses had been born into slavery in Egypt.

[1:21] God, by his grace, had saved Moses from Pharaoh's judgment. But he was then forced to flee to Midian after killing an Egyptian overseer. God appeared then to Moses in Exodus 3, where we're going to take a look now, in the burning bush.

[1:36] And he called Moses to lead the people out of Egypt. Moses felt inadequate. Yet Moses determined to answer God's call. Moses knew his weaknesses.

[1:46] Exodus 3, verse 11. We'll take it up from there. And it says, And Moses said unto God, Who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

[1:58] Moses felt weak. Who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh? And then Exodus 4, verse 1, it reads, And Moses answered and said, But behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice.

[2:10] For they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. So Moses felt unable in so many ways. And then Exodus 4, verse 10, it reads, And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I'm not eloquent, neither heretofore nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant.

[2:24] God said, Just trust me. Even though you're feeling weak. Even though you're feeling inadequate. Unable. And I'm sure you're preaching here, as I do, as any pastor does, feels weak and inadequate.

[2:37] Unworthy. And there's so many reasons why it's hard. And why, as Moses even felt, someone else could do the job. God gave Moses, Aaron then, to work alongside him to share the burden of leadership.

[2:50] Aaron, his brother's strengths, helped Moses overcome his own weaknesses. So we see then Moses, accompanied by Aaron, they face Pharaoh. And we know that Pharaoh had enslaved the Israelites.

[3:03] He refused to let them go again and again, despite God's command. In Exodus 5, Moses confronts Pharaoh and says, Let my people go. But Pharaoh doesn't free Israel.

[3:14] He actually worsens the oppression of their slavery. So this doesn't make Moses very popular with the people. Moses' leadership was questioned over and over again.

[3:26] Threatened. And it's the same with the pastor these days too. A subject of criticism. It's easy for others to point the finger. That's what Moses counted all the time.

[3:37] Moses led the Israelites. God intervened with the plagues of Egypt. And then we see God's judgment falling down upon the Egyptians. And God's deliverance through the blood of the Lamb.

[3:49] And God delivered his people graciously through the exodus from Egypt, through the passing of the Red Sea. And Moses led the Israelites through the Red Sea on dry ground.

[4:01] Then we start to see some of the problems Moses faced. Now, these are the kinds of people who don't bless the pastor. All right. These are the kinds of people that don't bless the Moses, as it were, murmurers.

[4:13] Murmurers. We see that in Exodus chapter 16. If you'd like to take that up there in Exodus 16 from verse 2. And the whole congregation, the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

[4:27] Verse 3. So here were the children of Israel criticizing Moses and Aaron.

[4:49] And it says the whole lot of them were grumbling. If they put it to the vote, they'd have sacked the man of God. If they could have voted Moses out, they would have. The Israelites grumbled and they murmured and they complained in the wilderness.

[5:03] And the people questioned Moses' leadership over and over again. And God's provision. Despite the miraculous provision of God, the deliverance from Egypt, they even questioned God's provision.

[5:16] They lacked food and water. What did the man of God do? He prayed. I'm sure that your pastor prays for you. And that's what we need to do, isn't it? In any kind of ministry, he interceded for them.

[5:28] And he reminded the people of God's faithfulness. Moses sought God's guidance and the Lord provided manna and quail for the people. Moses shows us how we should trust in God's provision.

[5:39] We should not complain or grumble, even when things might be hard. God met with Moses in a very real close relationship. And God gave the Ten Commandments and the law. Next up, we see what happened next.

[5:52] Another challenge for Moses. She came down from the Mount, Mount Sinai. Next up, we see the golden calf incident. We see the Israelites' idolatry and disobedience.

[6:04] And what's more, it was Aaron who led them in this evil. So here's Moses, right-hand man. And the people called on Aaron to make them some gods. And he did.

[6:15] This is Exodus 32. Read from verse 2. Exodus 32, verse 2. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, of your daughters, and bring them unto me.

[6:28] And all the people break off the golden earrings that were in their ears and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand. And he fashioned with it a graving tool after he had made it a molten calf.

[6:41] And they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. What an offence to God. What an offence to God.

[7:13] And so Moses came down and he saw all of this. What a spectacle. He was grieved. What did he do? He made intercession. He made intercession.

[7:23] He prayed for the people. And the people of God made a grave mistake here. They rebelled against God's authority and plan. Another occasion of such a thing is on the occasion of the rebellion of Korah.

[7:37] Korah was another one who rebelled against Moses' leadership. God acted in judgment and vindication of Moses against the rebels. We take that up in number 16. If you want to turn there.

[7:48] Number 16, verse 32. So here's Korah mustering some opposition to Moses, to Aaron, causing this stirring up against their authority.

[8:00] And Moses went to prayer. And then number 16, 32. We see that God's judgment fell. And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up in their houses. And all the men that appertained unto Korah and all their goods, they and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit.

[8:17] And the earth closed upon them. And they perished from among the congregation. Again, judgment was necessary against those who were so contrary to God's authority, invested in Moses.

[8:34] So what's all this got to do with the subject that I tell you I'm telling you about tonight? How to bless your pastor. How to bless your pastor. Now, it's a subject, you know, I can't preach about that in my church because people think I'm puffing myself up or wanting some, you know, extra pandering or comforts from the congregation.

[8:53] But as a visiting preacher, I can tell you this tonight. How to bless your pastor. And I'm serious tonight. It's important. It's important that you bless your pastor. It's important that you stand with the man of God, with this ministry that they have.

[9:07] I think we can make some comparisons about Moses as the representative of God's man, as effectively representing like a pastor figure, and the people as the assembly of God's people, God's church.

[9:20] And we see, as we've read, some of the ways they failed to follow the leadership of Moses. And they got into all kinds of trouble. They got a whole lot of them at one time there.

[9:32] And then Korah, you know, they ended up suffering great judgment, as we just read. And the Bible records the failures of the people of God time and time again in their wilderness wanderings.

[9:44] You know, just reading through it, as I did in the last few weeks, I've been reading through these parts of the scripture that talk about the wilderness wanderings. And it's like a repeated theme. The people murmured.

[9:54] They complained. They grumbled. And they were playing up, arcing up all the time with negativity and criticism. And look, I can relate as a pastor.

[10:05] You know, you get people come and they think that they can do better, that they can improve the church by adding some this or that. They can do better than the ministry of the church.

[10:18] But really, they just cause trouble at times. And it's really undermining and damaging when such people come with a critical heart, a critical kind of spirit. And really, they lack faith.

[10:29] And it's unbelief. And it's idolatry and backsliding, as it was back in Moses' day. We see their carnality. For example, you can turn to Numbers 11. We see their carnality.

[10:40] Now, we've got some food cooking here. So this might help you to capture the thought of this verse here. Numbers 11, verse 5. As they were getting a bit hungry.

[10:51] Now, you might be getting a bit hungry with the thought of supper here tonight. But we remember the fish. It says in Numbers 11, verse 5. I don't know if you've got some fish cooking out there in the kitchen.

[11:01] But here's where the people are hankered after the cucumbers and the leeks and the onions and the garlic. We take that up in Numbers 11, verse 5. It says, They were fleshly.

[11:43] We see that again in Numbers 14, verse 2. Numbers 14, verse 2. And all, there's that word again. All of them, all the children of Israel, murmured against Moses and against Aaron.

[11:54] And the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt. Or would God we had died in the wilderness. Their murmuring against Moses was really a murmuring against God.

[12:05] As we read in verse 27 there, Numbers 14, 27. It reads, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation which murmur against me? This is the Lord talking. I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel which they murmur against me.

[12:19] So to undermine the faithful godly ministry of the man of God is to speak against God.

[12:30] That's a very serious thing, isn't it? I know, look, in times past I've been guilty of that. Before I was a pastor I was a bit critical of the pastor I've had at the time. And I look back in shame about how I acted really and think that was not good of me to do that.

[12:46] I should have been more understanding and thoughtful. It's in all of us to at times think critically and act critically. And it's a shameful thing really. Looking back I'm ashamed that I acted like that myself to some degree.

[13:00] And so rather than be a critic, be a supporter of the ministry. What did the man of God do? Moses prayed. He prayed for mercy and forgiveness for the Israelites.

[13:13] He asked God to spare the Israelites from his wrath. He asked God to spare them. You don't know the burdens that your pastor has to bear. Much of the burdens that the pastor carries are unknown to others.

[13:28] As a pastor I've seen these things. The hurts, the attacks, the weight, the critics, the wounds. And the pastor's wife too gets to know about it because we're one flesh.

[13:41] So pray for your pastor and the pastor's wife. It's a constant battle and they're right in the heat of the battle. They're sticking their heads above the trenches. They're on the front line. And we need to stand with the pastor.

[13:54] And I'm not meaning to inflate Athlon. I know that he wouldn't take it that way because he is a meek man. But it's important that you think of the ministry of your church.

[14:05] And they're at the forefront of it. And I honestly, I can relate because I'm there too. We need to pray and trust in God and seek his guidance.

[14:17] Support the ministry as much as you can support it. Because they're representing you. They're standing in the gap for you. We see Moses' steadfast faith and his relationship with God.

[14:29] We see Moses' humility and his servant heart. He interceded. He had compassion. So what can we learn? What can we learn as a church from Moses and his life?

[14:39] How can you bless your pastor? I'm going to put to you six things. Six things. You might want to note it down. Six things. Six ways that you can bless your pastor tonight.

[14:51] One thing about the Israelites is the people were together. First thing you can do is show up. You've shown up here tonight. Show up to the meetings.

[15:02] Show up. The Israelites were together. They were one camp. There wasn't Moses' camp over here and two or three other camps. There was one camp. They camped together in one place.

[15:13] And they showed up. They were people that were there. They were present. And I put to you, as God's people here in this time, in this place, in this assembly, this congregation, show up.

[15:25] Be faithful. Be loyal. Be reliable. Be a willing servant. Apathy will kill a church. When people say, oh, someone else will do it or I'm not necessary. I'll just stay at home and miss this or that.

[15:38] Some people will show up to the supper. But how many people will show up to the prayer meeting? To show up to the soul winning? To show up to the Bible study? Show up.

[15:49] It's important. Find what you can do and do it well. Of course, there's limitations for all of us. We can't always get to every meeting. That's understood. But how many people will show up?

[16:03] It's a great encouragement. I'm sure there are numbers here tonight. And visitors too. It's a great encouragement when people show up and turn up to church. And the people of God were together.

[16:13] They camped together. They went over the Red Sea together. They went to worship together. There were people that were together. As much as they grumbled together too. But they went to war together. It was a unity there amongst them.

[16:25] That was a good thing. And so here's one thing you can definitely do. Show up. Show up. Another one. Number two, you could say. And we saw that, as we read earlier, one of the negative things, one of the problems that the people of God had was a tendency to be murmuring.

[16:44] So here's another way to bless your pastor. Zip up. Zip it up. If you feel like saying something critical, feel like saying something negative, zip it up.

[16:55] Close the lip. Shush up. I could say it's stronger. Some people could do with doing that, couldn't they? To just zip up. Don't say something negative if you don't have something good to say.

[17:05] If it's not a good edifying thing, the Bible says, let all things be done unto edifying. So one of the problems Moses faced was people whinging. Negative Nellies.

[17:16] Instead of being a negative Nelly, Julie gave me this one. Instead of being a negative Nelly, be a positive Polly. So that's a good thing, isn't it? So be one who has a can-do attitude.

[17:28] Like Joshua and Caleb. They're in the good camp. They're on the good side. Be a Joshua and a Caleb. Don't sit in the camp of the critics. Don't sit in the seat of the scornful.

[17:40] Don't hang around with the gossips. When someone starts to gossip, say, I'm not going to enter into that. Just walk away from it. Don't join in. Stop it. Zip it up. Rather say nothing than join in with the whingers and the grumblers.

[17:54] Because we're seeing it was infectious, wasn't it? It was contagious like a virus. The whole congregation started murmuring. I'm sure it started with probably one who was starting to murmur.

[18:04] And then everybody else jibber-jabber joined in and it multiplied. So zip it up. Another thing that happened with Moses was one time where we could see he was getting very weary.

[18:19] Now some people would think, well, the pastor is superhuman. And his wife. Of course we are, aren't we, Athol? And Sharon, you know. People would say, well, the pastor has got these supernatural powers.

[18:31] No, the pastor is human. We're still flesh. We're still human beings. And I want to tell you that the pastor can sometimes get tired. Gets tired. There's a constant draw on his time.

[18:43] And if he wants to do it well, there's people calling all hours of the day and night. There's a constant draw on his time and energy. So here's another thing that you can do to bless your pastor.

[18:55] Step up. Step up. Jethro noticed that Moses was overloaded. We see that in Exodus chapter 18 from verse 13. And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses sat to judge the people.

[19:08] And the people stood by Moses from the morning until the evening. So the people kept coming to him with every little thing that wanted to have some decision made. And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, noticed this and offered some wise counsel and advice to Moses to help him manage the people.

[19:24] And Jethro advised Moses to call for the people to share the load. Jethro said to Moses when he told him all of this about him working from morning until evening, this is no good.

[19:38] See that in Exodus chapter 18. Pick it up from verse 18. Verse 18. The pastor alone can't do everything.

[19:55] Now it's encouraging to see the choir tonight and the people ministering in song and music playing and preparing, giving out songbooks, helping, set up the meeting, people in the kitchen readying the supper.

[20:09] That's what church is. It's everybody working together. It's mutual ministry. Everybody's got a job to do. And everyone can help the pastor. So it doesn't all fall on one man's shoulders.

[20:20] That's what was happening here with Moses. It was all falling on his shoulders. And Jethro said, you're going to surely wear away doing all of this. It's too heavy for you.

[20:30] And so Moses acted in humility when he heard this and he was willing to learn from Jethro. And Moses was able to appoint captains and leaders over various groups. We see that in Exodus 18 from verse 21 through 22.

[20:44] Now that's what we need.

[21:14] In church ministry, I'm sure there's different people serving in lots of capacities within their abilities. Jethro tells Moses, find out some people able, people who fear God, men of truth, and place them over the people in these different roles.

[21:38] And so there's a sense where delegation is a good thing to find capable leaders and authorize them to take various responsibilities. There's need for the church to be alert to supporting the pastor, helping to ease his burden.

[21:54] And when the pastor needs help, notice it. Sometimes in my own church, I'm there vacuuming the floor when there's many other people that could do that. And I think to myself, I'm robbing them of a ministry.

[22:07] If the pastor's heaving chairs around and you've got your hands in your pockets, then help, you know. Be a willing servant.

[22:17] The pastor's got other things he could be doing in ministering to visitors and encouraging in godly counsel and prayer. We should have a mind to that and be, as Jethro advised Moses, to spread the load, share the load.

[22:36] It's important as a church. And be willing to stand in the gap. Roll up your sleeves as a volunteer. You that are willing, pray that God will make you able.

[22:51] And you that are able, be willing. Because it's about being willing and able. I sometimes think of this myself. There's some people that are willing, but they're not able. There's some people that are able, but they're not willing.

[23:03] They could serve, but they're not willing to serve. And then the son, I'm willing to serve pastor, but we know they're not quite ready yet. They need training. For you to be able, you need to sit under some training.

[23:17] Receive some instruction so that your church, your ministry, your pastor can train you so you can learn and grow. So you might say, oh, I really like to do this. Well, this is what you need to do.

[23:28] To learn, to study, to grow so you can step up. Here's another way you can bless your pastor and your church, men and women. And you've done it here tonight.

[23:40] Sing up. Sing up. It's encouraging, isn't it? As Brother Brad was saying, the blessing of people joining in and worshipping. Lift up your voice and sing. Everybody can do that.

[23:50] And don't hold back your praise and rejoicing. It's a good thing. And you encourage yourself when you sing. You're singing to one another. You're speaking to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.

[24:02] You're admonishing one another, encouraging one another. We see that in Exodus 15, verse 1. It says, Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord and spoke, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously.

[24:16] The horse and the rider hath he thrown into the sea. The devil wants to take away your song. It's kind of a feature of modern, so-called modern contemporary style churches, where it's just a platform with entertainers and the congregation is just an audience.

[24:33] Of course, there's time for specials and such presentations. But when the whole service is like that and the whole congregation is not joining in into worship, that's a problem, isn't it? But we see that the people of God entered into praise.

[24:46] They entered into worship. So when there's that time of congregational singing, you want to enter in and give it some gusto, like Miriam did. We see in Exodus 15, verse 20, it says, And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dancers.

[25:06] And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously. The horse and the rider hath he thrown into the sea. It blesses your pastor. It blesses your soul.

[25:17] It blesses your church when you sing unto the Lord. It is a blessing. Sing up with your voice and give God the glory. Be appraiser. So come to church with joy and let it show.

[25:30] Let it sing out from your voice. Be a communicator of that joy in worship. Another way you can bless your pastor is lift up. Lift up.

[25:40] Aaron and Hur lifted up Moses' arms. We see that in Exodus chapter 17. It was the occasion of the battle of Rephidim. And it says, verse 8 of chapter 17, Exodus 17, verse 8.

[25:54] Then came Amalek, you know, the arch enemy of Israel, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men and go out, fight with Amalek.

[26:04] Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. The rod of God representing God's authority and blessing. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him and fought with Amalek.

[26:19] And here was Moses here, it says. And Moses, Aaron and Hur, they went up to the top of the hill. And here was Moses holding up the rod of God. Verse 11. And it came to pass when Moses held up his hand that Israel prevailed.

[26:31] When he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy. And they took a stone and put it under him. And he sat there on. And Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands.

[26:42] One on the one side and one on the other side. And his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. So it's another picture really of the pastor's limitations. I've got to tell you tonight, I'm very limited.

[26:55] I've got limitations. I've got weaknesses. I've got frailties. I've got lack of strength. I feel weak and tired. Oft times as the pastor. And it's every pastor has that.

[27:07] The pastor has only got so much capacity. And he is subject to human limitations. Believe it or not. It says that Moses' hands grew heavy. Amen. My hands get heavy sometimes.

[27:18] But think of what you can do to bless your pastor. Lift up your pastor's arms. Be like Aaron and Hur. They got alongside him. And the battle was won. There was victory there when the people of God did that.

[27:29] Undergird him. Esteem him. Honour him for his work's sake. He is interceding for you. The thing about the pastor, and people don't always catch this either, is watching over your souls.

[27:42] The Bible talks about the pastor, the shepherd, watching over the souls of people. And so I'm constantly, I've got this list of people, and I think, well, so-and-so wasn't here today.

[27:52] Are they backsliding? Is there a problem? Are they hurting? Are they sick? Is there some tragedy? And you want to reach out because you're watching over their souls.

[28:05] You've got this constant, they're always on your mind and heart. And I'm sure that's true for your preacher here. They've got that constant thought to the shepherding of the sheep and the interceding for you.

[28:17] He's entering into spiritual warfare for you. And the arms of Moses holding up the rod is symbolic of that role that he plays. So stand with him. Help him to shoulder that load and that spiritual responsibility.

[28:33] He's as weak and as frail as you, as the rest of us. The church will have spiritual victory as we lift up the arms of the man of God, as he stands in that place of spiritual authority.

[28:44] He's just a frail, weak man, just like all of us, but God's given him that responsibility. We should honour that. Here's another way you can bless your pastor. Rise up. Rise up.

[28:56] When you face the giants, as they entered into that, well, they're about to enter into that promised land, they had the promises of God saying to enter in, to enter into that promised land.

[29:06] And there was a load of spies sent out. Twelve men were sent out to spy out the land. And they saw these giants in the land.

[29:19] And you read of the 12 who went to spy out the land of Canaan, the report that they brought back in Numbers 13, if you want to turn there.

[29:30] They went out to spy out the land of Canaan. It was the land of promise, the promised land. And they came back and they gave report in Numbers 13, verse 26 through 31.

[29:43] It says, And they went and came to Moses and to Aaron and to all the congregation of the children of Israel unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh, and brought back word unto them and unto all the congregation and showed them the fruit of the land.

[29:56] They had these great big massive grape vines with all these clusters of grapes. And they told him and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey, and this is the fruit of it.

[30:11] Nevertheless, the people be strong that dwell in the land. And the cities are walled and very great. And moreover, we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south, and the Hittites and the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains, and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and by the coast of Jordan.

[30:30] And Caleb stilled the people before Moses and said, Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it.

[30:43] But the man that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we. Verse 33, it reads, We saw the giants.

[30:55] The 12 of them saw the giants. But Joshua and Caleb, we're willing to face the giants in faith. Be like Joshua and Caleb tonight, brothers and sisters.

[31:09] Believe God. Have the faith and the courage to enter in to the promises of God. You know, there's a whole region here of Adelaide that this is your mission front.

[31:22] This is your mission field. And we've got to enter into the promises of God. God wants you to be reaching out to souls in this city.

[31:33] And we could be like the 10 who said, There's giants. It's just too hard. We just have to give up. It's just, we'll just sit back and not believe God's promises.

[31:46] Or we can be like Joshua and Caleb. They believed God and they had the courage of their convictions. So which camp are you going to be in? The ones who say, We be not able? Or the ones who say, We are well able.

[31:59] We are well able by God. So, friends tonight, the pastor needs men and women of faith to rise up like Joshua and Caleb. This work of God has got more to do.

[32:12] 11 years is just the beginning. There's a lot more time ahead, God willing. While we've got time, we should make the most of it. And so let's be those men and women of faith who are going to rise up and answer the promises.

[32:24] God promised the land. Caleb and Joshua, they acted in faith, believing the word of God. God said, That's the land that I promised to you. That's the land flowing with milk and honey.

[32:35] The ten people, the majority report was, It's too hard. We're not going to be able. There's giants in the land. We're just like grasshoppers compared to them. But we see Moses' example.

[32:48] We see the example of these ones who are rock solid, standing with him. We see his example of humility and compassion and intercession. Moses was still flawed.

[32:59] He was weak. He failed. Moses himself did not enter into the promised land as he disobeyed God. Now, that's kind of that little blot on Moses' record, really, isn't it?

[33:09] He got so frustrated, I think, with the complainers, that he struck the rock. You know, he got, he did it wrong. He didn't obey God's word fully.

[33:21] But otherwise, Moses does show us the faithfulness here of the one serving and leading others with grace. And likewise, we could think, and again, it's that analogy I put to you.

[33:32] I think it's a proper analogy that pastors likewise need that same grace and that faithfulness, that perseverance that I see in our brother Athol as a man who's faithful, he's meek, and he's pressing on.

[33:46] He's been through some battles, and Sharon, over the years, I've known them. And as a church, stand with the man of God. Stand with him. Encourage him.

[33:58] May we, as God's people, enter into God's promises, into that land of milk and honey, as it were, and trust God to help us, to see us through. Trust in his provision and protection.

[34:11] Believe God. Have faith, like Joshua and Caleb had faith. Trust in God's leading. Through the godly authority, he's appointed.

[34:23] Pray for your pastor. Encourage him. The people had to learn to trust in Moses' leadership, to help him with overload. Believe me, pastors face much discouragement.

[34:35] It's constant. Constantly getting discouraged when people make some fuss and leave the church over some trivial matter, really, in the scheme of things, rather than praying it through and being spiritual about some difference.

[34:49] God didn't promise Moses that it would be easy. Yet God can use anyone who's willing to obey him and trust in his power and plan. And we see in the example of Moses, he had that close relationship with God.

[35:01] Even when all these troubles came, he went to prayer. He went to prayer. And that's all I can do. That's all any pastor can do. The pastor is praying for you and pray for your pastor also.

[35:12] So I started off by saying I'd address the question, how to bless your pastor. Hopefully I've given you some tips here tonight. Some six ways to bless your pastor. Just to recap again, six ways.

[35:25] Show up. Attend. When there's a meeting, attend. God helping you when you're possibly able to attend, show up. Show up. It's really important. Zip up.

[35:35] Stop the negativity. When there's people jabbering, this and that, there might be words that are not edifying. The Bible says, let all things be done into edifying. If it's not edifying, then clam up.

[35:46] Zip it up. Stop the negativity. Don't feed it. Thirdly, step up. Carry the load. There's much work to be done. We see, as we saw the example, as Jethro counseled Moses to delegate, to share the load, be willing to be one he shares the load to.

[36:05] And be prepared. Prepare yourself so that when pastor says, look, I need someone to do this, you're going to be ready. You're going to say, yeah, I know what to do. I'm ready. I'm ready to serve. I'm ready to be used of God.

[36:18] Sing up. Keep praising. People were praising. They kept on praising. They praised that they crossed the, as they entered the, the other side of the Red Sea, they were praising.

[36:30] And Miriam praised. We could do well to be joyful in God's work. Lift up. Uphold the man of God. Even, there's times of spiritual warfare. I've heard it put that there's, there's covens praying against churches like this.

[36:45] The, the devil's crowd are praying to the devil to see churches like this fold. And we're seeing, sadly, many churches are, are not strong. The devil's having a field day.

[36:58] It's the people of God are not realising the spiritual war we're in. We've got to keep holding up the rod of God, the, which you could represent the word of God, really, isn't it? The rod of God, the word of God, the authority of God's word and his will.

[37:11] So, uphold the man of God, uphold the word of God and rise up, go forward in faith. Be like Joshua and Caleb. Don't listen to the 10 who said, well, there's lots of giants, we be not able.

[37:21] Be like Joshua who says, we are well able. We are well able. Why? Because God's with us. There's, there's a whole lot of territory ahead for this church and we are well able, God helping us.

[37:32] You are well able. You've got a faithful ministry here. You've got much blessing already as you look back and see the history of your church and really, this is just, just a little bit of the journey.

[37:45] There's more to come and God helping us, God, God giving us more time until he come. We've got time until we give up our breath. We can keep doing his will and so I exhort you that way tonight.

[37:59] Amen. Let's pray.