You may be seated, kids. You are excused to your King's Kids class if you would open up your Bible to Hebrews 13.
We are coming in for a landing in the book of Hebrews. Two more sermons.
So we are in Hebrews chapter 13 verses 7 through 19 this morning.
And I'm going to read this. It's on page 1197 of your pew Bible.
So hear God's Word.
Remember your leaders.
Those who spoke to you the Word of God.
Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings.
For it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods which have not benefited those devoted to them.
We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat.
For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp.
So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.
Therefore, let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.
For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
Through him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God that is the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have.
For such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
But obey your leaders and submit to them.
For they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account.
Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience desiring to act honorably in all things.
I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.
May God bless the reading of his word.
We are living in an age of skepticism towards leaders.
It's just kind of where we're at right now.
Whether political leaders, local, national, whether business leaders, whether educational leaders, even church leaders.
Church leaders have come into some rough times of late.
Sexual scandals.
Spiritual abuse scandals.
Financial scandals.
It seems like every week we got a new scandal.
Couple that with the internet.
And there's been a rise of skepticism to church leaders.
In some degree, it's understandable.
You may find yourself in this sanctuary skeptical of church leaders.
Maybe even cynical of church leaders.
Or maybe even you're done with church leaders.
You're done with the church.
I'm so glad that you're here this morning.
Church leaders can be pointed to as the reason why people leave the church.
And maybe you've lost faith in church leadership.
Or maybe you're relatively new to the church and you're just kind of like,
I've never heard anything on church leadership before.
I'm glad you're here too.
I'm going to ask you to give me a yes and amen on two questions.
And I'm guessing it may be a resounding yes and amen.
The foundations of this building may shake.
You ready?
I am an imperfect man.
I am an imperfect leader.
Yes and amen.
That is true.
So let me ask you, church.
In light of verse 17,
why would you ever obey and submit to your imperfect leaders?
Well, here's the answer.
God gives godly leaders for the good of his church.
He calls up those men, those overseers, elders and pastors
who are holding fast to Christ themselves
so that they can help others hold fast to Christ as well.
So three points this morning.
Our past leaders.
Second point, our present leaders.
And our third point,
our timeless and unchanging Christ.
God gives godly leaders for the good of his church.
And as they hold fast to Christ,
they're going to help others hold fast to Christ.
And there lies your confidence.
Christ.
So let's look at point one,
our past leaders.
Look at chapter 13, verse 7.
Remember your leaders.
Now this could be this reference to leadership.
These influencers could be a reference to like Paul or Apollos or Timothy.
But most likely,
the writer of Hebrews is referring to local church leaders.
Men who regularly spoke to you the word of God.
What's being alluded to here is the primary teaching office of the church.
It's the office of elder.
It's the office of pastor, of overseer.
If you just kind of fall,
let your eyes fall to verse 17,
you see the basic job description.
Those who will keep watch over your souls.
The focus here is on past leaders
who in order to watch over souls,
speak the word of God to them.
And in their speaking of the word of God,
they will have been proclaiming Christ.
Because Christ, Hebrews 1, 1 and 2,
is the final word of God.
So the connection we have here
is a connection between Christian leaders
speaking God's word
and the care of souls.
And we're to remember them.
Now I would be in agreement
with a number of Christian scholars
who believe this reference
to remember your leaders
is actually to leaders who have already died.
Past leaders.
Past leaders who are faithful to Jesus
all the way to the end.
And that's why we're called to remember them
in verse 7,
but we're not called to
obey and submit to them.
We're to remember them.
And we're shown three ways we're to remember.
They remember how they spoke the word of God to you.
How they constantly spoke to you God's word.
Pointing to you to Christ over and over again.
When he wanted to hear it
and when he didn't want to hear it.
They spoke Christ to you.
They led with God's word.
We're also to consider the outcome of their faith.
Their legacy.
What they leave behind.
The leaders that the writer of Hebrews has in mind
left quite a legacy.
If you would flip back into your Bible
to chapter 10, Hebrews 10,
verses 32 through 34.
We've looked at this passage numerous times
because this was a suffering church.
The writer says,
Do you know what is required
for a church to go through a season of suffering
rejoicing, enduring?
They need leadership to do that.
What a legacy.
The leaders being spoken about here in verse 7
are the men that led this church early on
through a really hard season of suffering.
Remember the outcome of their way of life.
They endured to the end.
They held fast to Christ all the way to the end.
Remember that.
Consider that.
What did that require?
They were faithful.
We're also told to imitate their faith.
A faith that endured to the end.
We've been called to imitate quite a number of people
here in the book of Hebrews.
Chapter 11 is the whole kind of passage
of the heroes of the faith.
Over 20 people named.
These saints of the Old Testament
who by faith endured all the way to the end
because they were looking forward to a better country,
a heavenly homeland,
a city whose architect and builder was God himself.
We are to imitate that kind of faith.
12, 1, and 3,
the ultimate example of endurance,
Jesus himself,
who suffered the cross
in order to accomplish our salvation
and give us an example of endurance
all in one shot.
And here in 13.7,
we have one more group
whose faith we are to imitate
Christian leaders who have died,
who were faithful,
who didn't stray from Christ,
who were willing to suffer for Christ,
who were constantly offering up
the new covenant sacrifice of praise
to God through Christ.
God gives godly leaders
for the good of his church.
He gives godly leaders
who hold fast to Christ
in order to help the church
hold fast to Christ.
Do you have past leaders
who you can look to,
who you can remember
and consider the outcome of their faith
and you can imitate,
do you have them?
Thank God for them.
Thank God for those models
of faithfulness.
Perfect?
No.
Faithful?
Yes.
Maybe when you look back
and think about
men who've given leadership
to churches you've been part of,
that ended with scandal.
Consider the outcome of their faith.
But don't imitate it.
Or maybe you're saying like,
hey, I'm pretty new
to this whole Christianity thing.
It's not like I've got examples.
I'm new.
Read Christian biographies.
There are some great missionary biographies
that point to men and women,
but the three I'm going to give you
are excellent stories of men
who are faithful.
Adoniram Judson to the Golden Shore.
Hudson Taylor,
Spiritual Secret.
John Patton,
the missionary
to the New Hebrides.
These,
you read these stories
and they're stories
of men
who have endured so much.
It's,
it's really quite encouraging.
But I would say
one,
one other thing.
I'm going to make a transition
from point one,
our past leaders,
to point two.
you have present leaders
that you can look to
who are imperfect,
yes and amen,
but faithful.
God gives godly leaders
for the good of His church.
Let's move to,
point two,
our present leaders.
We move from leaders
who have died,
verse seven,
to leaders who are alive,
in verse 17.
And look at the job description.
We're told to obey your leaders
and submit to them.
Here's the job description.
For they are keeping watch
over your souls.
In the original language
of the New Testament
in Greek,
Koine Greek,
that word keep watch over,
keep watch,
it literally means
to go without sleep.
Like a night watchman
who works the third shift
he's on guard,
making sure the property
he isn't taken advantage of.
Like a shepherd,
keeping watch over his sheep
by day and by night,
making sure no wolves come in.
This idea of keeping watch over
carries this sense of vigilance.
A leader, an overseer,
a pastor or an elder
prayerfully keeps his eye
on those God has entrusted
to his care.
To protect from wolves
and false teaching,
to provide healthy doctrine
and intervene when sheep are hurting.
Christian overseers,
watch over that part of you
that matters most,
your soul.
That part of you
that is eternal,
that part of you,
your inner being,
that worships God.
It all starts there.
We're to watch over your souls.
First and foremost,
a Christian leader,
elders, pastors,
overseers,
are entrusted
with a sacred responsibility
by God himself
to see to the well-being
of the Christians
entrusted to their care
in their church.
It is weighty.
In Acts chapter 20,
if you want to turn there with me,
it's on page 1105
of your pew Bible.
In Acts chapter 20,
the apostle Paul,
in verse 17,
sends for the elders
of the Ephesian church.
And he says,
hey, meet me in my latest.
It's a poor city.
He was on his way back
to Jerusalem.
And it's there,
in my latest,
that he meets them.
And in verse 25,
we read this.
And this is Paul speaking,
and now behold,
I know that none of you
among whom I have gone about
proclaiming the kingdom
will see my face again.
So in other words,
he's like,
this is the last time, guys,
I am going to see your face
as long as I live.
So immediately,
you know,
this is serious,
a serious moment.
The apostle Paul
is about to charge
these elders
with something weighty.
In verse 26,
therefore I testify to you
to this day
that I am innocent
of the blood of all.
He has a clear conscience.
For I did not shrink
from declaring to you
the whole counsel
of scripture.
He spoke to them
the word of God,
Christ.
And then in verse 28,
he says,
pay careful attention
to yourselves
and to all the flock.
So to elders,
he's saying,
pay careful attention
to yourselves
and all the flock.
Flock, shepherd.
He's calling them
to a shepherding task.
And not only are they
going to pay attention
to the flock,
to themselves.
Our elder team,
we have Les Martin,
Steve Bickle,
John Tippin,
myself,
and Zach Melgren
is going to be put in,
Lord willing,
as an elder this January.
We care for each other.
We look out for one another.
This isn't a good old
boys club.
We pay attention
to ourselves
and to the church,
his flock,
in which the Holy Spirit
has made you overseers.
The Holy Spirit
has made you overseers.
And so this chapter 20,
we have elders
pastoring as overseers.
It's all one group of words
describing one office.
It's a weighty call
to care for the church
of God
which he obtained
with his own blood.
The blood-bought flock
of God.
And Christian leaders
were under shepherds
of the chief shepherd,
1 Peter 5.
And so this responsibility
given to us by God
carries an authority
but it's a derived authority.
It's not our own.
It's God-given.
We exercise it
with God's word.
It's a word authority.
And we call people
to obey God
from his word.
God has given
his under shepherds
the right to intervene
in Christians' lives
out of care
for his flock.
In verse 17,
in the middle of it,
there is a phrase
that any church leader
finds very sobering.
As those who will have
to give an account,
according to 2 Corinthians 5,
all of us will have
to stand before
the judgment seat of Christ
and give an account.
But Christian leaders
uniquely will need
to stand before Jesus
and give account
for all of their teaching,
all of their leading,
how they led,
cared for the flock of God.
It is a weighty thought.
How we shepherd
matters to Jesus.
and it's sobering
and motivating.
We want to do it well.
Do you know why leaders lead?
We lead for the name of Jesus.
We lead God's people
unto Jesus
for the glory of God
that you would hold fast to Christ.
And you know what it begins with?
It begins with us
not straying from Christ.
It begins with us
being willing to suffer for Christ.
It begins with us
offering worship to God
through Christ.
It's called integrity.
It's a clear conscience.
And this is why God
insists on certain qualifications
being met by the men
who serve as elders
and overseers
and pastors.
I want you to see something.
If you turn in your Bibles
to 1 Timothy 3,
this is on page 1178
of your Pew Bible.
These are the qualifications
for an elder,
a pastor,
an overseer.
I'm just going to read it through.
This saying is trustworthy.
If anyone aspires
to the office of overseer,
he desires a noble task.
It is a good thing.
Therefore, an overseer
must be above reproach,
the husband of one wife,
sober-minded,
self-controlled,
respectable,
hospitable,
able to teach,
not a drunkard,
not violent,
but gentle,
not quarrelsome,
not a lover of money.
He must manage
his own household well
with all dignity
keeping his children submissive.
If someone does not know
how to manage
his own household,
how will he care
for God's church?
He must not be
a recent convert
where he may become
puffed up with conceit
and fall into the condemnation
of the devil.
Moreover,
he must be well thought of
by outsiders
so that he may not
fall into disgrace,
into a snare
of the devil.
we are entering
into the fall
and we've moved
our nomination process
for elders and deacons
into the fall now
and I just want to get
this in front of you
because this matters
in terms of
who leads our church.
Man of character,
perfect,
no,
trustworthy,
yes.
Do you know why
these qualifications
are in place?
because the Lord Jesus
loves his church.
He's not just going
to hand his church
over to anybody.
But men who are
proven characters,
perfect,
no,
faithful,
yes.
So let me ask you,
knowing this
about a New Testament
leader,
a pastor,
how do you respond
to them?
What's your response
to an elder,
an overseer?
Well,
in verse 17,
we're shown,
we're told,
obey your leaders
and submit to them
for they're keeping
watch over your souls.
That word obey
means to do
what they say
insofar as it's
God's word.
We lead with God's word.
Our authority is derived.
We're going to call you
to things
from God's word
for the glory of Christ.
What's interesting
is that word obey,
there's a couple
different words
in the original language
for obey.
This one
carries a nuance
of trust.
To trust
your leaders.
To be confident
in them.
That they're not
going to mislead you
or take advantage
of you.
They're not in it
for themselves.
They're in it
for Christ
and for your welfare.
You are to obey
to your leaders
and remember,
we,
our leadership team,
our elders,
we're looking
to care for each other
and just as we
are giving oversight
to the church,
the church
submits
to the oversight
of its elders.
do you see
the correspondence?
Oversight is responded
to through submission.
You're essentially
allowing your elders,
your overseers
to watch over your soul.
It is not a forced
submission.
This is voluntary.
This is something
where you're opening
yourself and say,
okay,
love me to Jesus.
Help me to hold fast
to Christ
all the way through.
And we know
from last week
in 1228,
therefore let us
be grateful
receiving a kingdom
that cannot be shaken
and thus let us
offer to God
acceptable worship
with reverence
and awe.
This is a way
we worship God
and how we
respond to
our leaders.
this isn't blind
obedience
or submission.
In so far
as your overseers
call you
to hold fast,
to trust Christ,
follow them,
obey them.
But if your overseers
are requiring
something of you
that obviously
grieves God,
it is your
responsibility
to not obey,
to not submit.
it's a worship
of God.
But man,
that's not
what any of us
want.
There's that
little phrase,
let them do this
with joy
and not
with groaning.
By the way,
let me just
let them,
your overseers,
your leaders,
do this,
keep watch over
your souls
with joy
and not
with groaning.
maybe you're
thinking,
well,
here it comes.
Let me just
help you understand
what is being
said here.
Don't think
of this as
your leaders
taking something
personally.
No,
here's the joy.
This is the context
of the book.
The joy
of leaders
of a church
is when they
are watching
their church
hold fast
to Christ
all the way
to the end.
That's where
the joy is.
1 Thessalonians
3.8,
Paul says to
this Thessalonian
church,
he says,
and now we
live
when you are
standing
steadfast
in the Lord.
Joy.
1 John 3.4,
maybe you're
familiar with it.
John says it
this way,
I have no
greater joy
than to hear
that my children
are walking
in the truth.
It is a huge
joy
when your
overseers,
pastors,
and elders
hear of
bold steps
of obedience,
of owning
sin,
of seeking
Christ,
of worshiping
him.
That is
huge joy.
And the
back side,
the flip side
of that is also
true.
The groaning.
The groaning
is when
you are trying
again and again
to help
a brother,
sister,
and the Lord
to follow
the Lord,
but they
arch.
They resist.
They get
defensive.
They make
it very
difficult.
And
often times
you can
watch them
walk away
from the
Lord.
This task
of leadership
is full
of heartache,
but it's
full of joy
as well.
it's no
advantage
to you
if you
are arching
under the
leadership
of your
church,
because what
that means
is you're
arching
under
Jesus.
It's no
advantage
to you.
The best
thing that
your leaders
can do
for you
is for
themselves
to hold
fast to
Christ.
to
not
straight,
to
draw
near,
to
be
willing
to
suffer,
to
offer
sacrifice
of praise
through
Christ.
That's
the best
thing that
we can
do.
Your
present
leaders,
God
gives
godly
leaders
for the
good of
his
church.
Last
point,
our
timeless
and unchanging
Christ.
when you
have a
church
whose
leaders
are
holding
fast
to
Christ
and
the
church
is
holding
fast
to
Christ,
do you
know what
that means?
Jesus
Christ
is the
controlling
center
of that
church.
He's
the
sun
and
everything
is
orbiting
him.
It's
a
beautiful
thing.
What I
love about
this
passage
is that
it's
book-ended
with
leaders
past
leaders
who
have
died
verse
7
and
then
present
leaders
who
are
living
verse
17
and
what
you
have
in
between
in
8
through
16
is
the
timeless
and
unchanging
Christ.
The
one
who
connects
past
leaders
and
present
leaders
and
future
leaders.
It's
all about
him.
Verse
8
is
one
of
my
favorite
verses
in
the
Bible.
Jesus
Christ
is
the
same
yesterday
today
and
forever.
I'm going to have you say that with me.
You ready?
Jesus Christ
is the same
yesterday
today
and forever.
He's the one that never changes.
Christ is the last and final word of God.
Hebrews 1.
Christ is the creator and upholder of the universe.
Hebrews 1.
Christ after making purification for sins
he sat down at the right hand of God
in glory.
He's on the throne.
He's a giver of grace
right now.
Christ is greater than the angels.
Christ is greater than Moses.
Christ is greater than the little biblical priesthood
because he's from the line of Melchizedek.
Christ through his once for all sacrifice
shedding his blood
he inaugurated the new covenant
which is better than the old.
He's made it obsolete in passing away.
Christ is built on better promises.
There's no changing
in the eternally existent
second person of the Trinity
from everlasting
to everlasting.
He is God.
Totally God.
Totally man.
He is
our great
salvation.
Timeless and unchanging.
He's at the center
of it all.
salvation is found
in no one else
and we must not neglect
this great salvation.
That's why Christian leaders
must hold fast to Christ
because he's at the center
of it all
and when we're holding fast
to Christ
we can help others
hold fast to Christ.
So he's at the center
of it all.
So in light of who Jesus is
he's at the center
of it all.
Let me just point you
to a few ways
we keep Christ central
together.
How we hold fast
to Christ.
The first is in verses
9 and 10.
Godly leaders
keep their church
from being led astray
from Christ.
Verse 9
Do not be led away
by diverse and strange
teachings
by false teachings
and false teachers
leaders
stand in the gap.
We say no
you don't want to go that way.
You don't want to follow that.
You don't want to digest
that bad stuff.
In this context
it had to do with
the teaching
under the old covenant
on food
and former altars
and sacrifices
of animals
and the writer of Hebrews
is saying
no no
that's all gone.
it has no benefit
for your heart
only God's grace does.
And so your leaders
what we're aiming
to do is this
we're aiming
to
lead you to Christ
through his word
again and again.
Not
get in the way
of people leading you
away from Christ.
Christ
we want you
to hold fast
to him
all the way
to the end.
So we're going to
tell you
don't go down
the way of legalism
don't go down
the way of licentiousness
worldliness
has no benefit
long term benefit
for your soul
only God's grace
from the throne does.
Godly leaders
keep their church
from being led
away from Christ
into false teaching.
Godly leaders
the second thing
help their church
suffer for Christ.
In 11 and 12
we read
for the bodies
of those animals
whose blood
is brought
into the holy places
by the high priest
as a sacrifice
for sin
are burned
outside the camp.
It's being talked
about as the day
of atonement
when the high priest
would slaughter
an animal
on an altar
outside the tabernacle
and he would
bring the blood
into the holy of holies
sprinkle it
on the mercy seat
and then the body
of that animal
sacrifice
would be brought
outside the gate.
It wouldn't be eaten
by the priest
it would be brought
outside the gate
because it was seen
as unclean
and burned.
Outside the gate
outside the camp
means something
that is defiled.
And if you look
at verse 12
so Jesus
also suffered
outside the gate
the once and for all
sacrifice
for our sins
for salvation
he was seen
as being
outside the camp.
It's a picture
of suffering
it's a picture
of being
kind of like
made an outsider
outside the gate
of Jerusalem
on Calvary.
Christ's death
the death
of the Messiah
on the cross
is scandalous.
To the Jews
it was
it was just
utter weakness
to Greeks
it was just
foolishness
but for those
who are being
saved
it's the power
of God.
God the leaders
help their church
go outside
the gate
to where
Jesus is
to bear
his reproach
to suffer
with him
and you know
the one of the ways
we do it
look at verse 14
for here we have
no lasting city
but we seek
the city
that is to come.
Our job
is to keep
reminding you
again and again
hey
life isn't here
it's not here
we're passing
through
we're aliens
and strangers
we're on our
way
we're Zion
bound
godly leaders
help their churches
go outside
the gate
finally
godly leaders
help their
churches
offer
new covenant
sacrifices
to God
through Christ
we read here
in verse 15
through him
Christ
and let us
continually
offer up
a sacrifice
of praise
to God
not food
not animals
no Christ
is our once
for all sacrifice
do you know
what we offer
up
praise
lips
that acknowledge
God's name
Zach
Melgren
keep giving
us
great songs
that we
would be able
to offer
up to
our God
Sunday
after Sunday
just
sacrifices
of praise
with our lips
together
to give him
the glory
that's a new
covenant
sacrifice
brothers and
sisters
that's the
result of
Christ's
sacrifice
but there's
another
sacrifice
here
do not
neglect
to do
good
and to
share
what you
have
for such
sacrifices
are pleasing
there is a
horizontal way
of offering
praise to
God
of acceptable
worship
and that is
not neglecting
to do good
and to share
what you have
and given
that this is a
passage
about leaders
there's probably
some dimension
of this
is don't neglect
to do good
to your leaders
to share
what you have
with them
these are
ways that we
are keeping
the timeless
and unchanging
Christ
center to
our life
together as
a church
by not being
led astray
from him
but rather
we draw near
by be willing
to suffer for
him outside
the gate
by offering
sacrifices
to God
through
Christ
we together
hold fast
to him
God
gives
godly
leaders
for the
good
of his
church
let me
wrap up
by saying
this
we are
to remember
our past
leaders
who held
fast to
Christ
I've got
some
we obey
and submit
to our present
leaders
who are
holding fast
to Christ
so that they
can help
us hold
fast to
Christ
and we
keep the
timeless
and unchanging
Christ
central
together
not being
led astray
being willing
to suffer
giving him
praise
we live
at a time
when
there is
growing
skepticism
over leaders
even church
leaders
but church
that doesn't
need to be
true of
us
of Christ
the King
church
God
God gives
godly
leaders
for the
good of
his church
would you
repeat
after me
Christ
is my
risen
and reigning
priest
and king
the anchor
of my soul
the same
yesterday
today
and forever
that's
kind of
like in
those moments
when you're
marrying a
couple
and you're
walking through
the vows
and they
kind of
jump in
let's try
that again
the same
yesterday
today
and forever
to whom
we hold
fast
together
hey
why would
you
obey
and
submit
to the
leaders
of
Christ
the
King
church
here's
why
God
gives
godly
leaders
for the
good of
his
church
not
perfect
but
trustworthy
in order
to hold
fast
to Christ
to the
end
let's
pray
God
in
heaven
we
thank you
so much
I thank
you for
Steve
and for
Les
and for
John
I thank
you for
Zach
and God
as I
thanked you
this morning
thank you
for this
calling
this
sacred
responsibility
of giving
leadership
to your
people
your blood
bought
people
God
thank you
that we
are in
this
together
Zion
bound
God
would you
grow
us
would you
keep us
from straying
from Christ
would you
make us
willing to
suffer for
Christ
outside the
gate
and God
would you
cause there
to be
in us
growing
joy
as we
offer
sacrifices
of praise
to you
Sunday
after Sunday
in Jesus
name we
pray
amen
Thank you.