The NXR Podcast - SUNDAY SERMON - Gospel Fruit in Pastors and Congregations ｜ Hebrews 13_17-19

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00:00:40 Good morning, Covenant Bible Church. It's good to be here with you all this morning.

00:00:46 For those of you who don't know me, my name is Connor, and I serve as a lay elder here at the

00:00:50 church. Many of you may be familiar with me when it comes time to lead worship through song,

00:00:55 and it's such a great joy to me to do that. It's been a while since I've last preached

00:01:00 and I'm excited to get to do so this morning. My family and I consider it a great pleasure

00:01:06 to have gotten to know so many new faces and families and to worship alongside you all each

00:01:11 Lord's Day as our church has grown. Without further ado, we'll jump right in. If you have

00:01:17 your Bibles in front of you or a copy of the notes, please direct your attention to the text

00:01:22 at hand. This week's text is Hebrews chapter 13, verses 17 through 19. Once more, that's Hebrews

00:01:30 chapter 13, verses 17 through 19. And as is our tradition here at Covenant Bible Church,

00:01:36 would you stand with me as I read the text? When I conclude reading it, I will say, this is the

00:01:46 word of the Lord. And as a congregation, I'll ask that we respond by saying, thanks be to God.

00:01:53 And so this is once more Hebrews chapter 13, verses 17 through 19.

00:01:58 The Bible says this,

00:02:00 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account.

00:02:08 Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

00:02:14 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things.

00:02:20 I urge you the more earnestly to do this

00:02:22 in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.

00:02:26 This is the word of the Lord.

00:02:28 Thanks be to God.

00:02:29 Please be seated and join me now as I pray.

00:02:35 Father, we thank you.

00:02:37 We thank you, God, that we are gathered here this morning

00:02:41 to worship you.

00:02:43 As Pastor Joel just said,

00:02:44 that every Sunday is a lowercase Easter,

00:02:48 a resurrection Sunday, God.

00:02:49 We come to you joyful and grateful, knowing that our King has risen from the dead as a firstfruits.

00:02:57 And we look to him, we praise him, and we honor him, and we thank you for giving us to your church.

00:03:03 Father, as we consider your word this morning, I pray first of all for myself, Lord.

00:03:08 I am a weak, fickle man.

00:03:11 Please help me to preach your word faithfully and honorably to your church this morning.

00:03:16 Please feed your church through your word.

00:03:18 I pray for the members of Covenant Bible Church

00:03:21 and those who will hear the sermon.

00:03:22 Lord, please bless them with ears and with eyes

00:03:25 to hear and to see all that you have purposed

00:03:27 your word to do this morning.

00:03:29 Help them to hear and give glory to your son,

00:03:32 whom your word points toward.

00:03:34 And we pray as well, Lord, just that through the preached word

00:03:37 that you would be honored and blessed this morning.

00:03:40 Let you receive all the glory, God.

00:03:43 We pray these things in your name.

00:03:45 Amen.

00:03:48 If you've worshiped with us over the last few weeks, you may recognize this is the fourth week

00:03:52 that we will be spending in Hebrews chapter 13. Pastor Joel mentioned it last week and this

00:03:58 morning, but as this chapter draws to a close, so too does the book of Hebrews. Next week will

00:04:04 be the final week that we spend in the book of Hebrews before we conclude the epistle.

00:04:08 I pray that our time in the epistle has been as enriching and encouraging to you as it has been

00:04:13 to me and to my family. If you haven't noticed it up until this point, the apostle changes his

00:04:19 focus in the epistle in chapter 13 in comparison to the rest of the letter. Having laid out the

00:04:25 primary theological and doctrinal matters over the prior 12 chapters, the apostle begins to

00:04:30 apply these matters to Christian living in chapter 13. This isn't to say that he hasn't done so

00:04:36 elsewhere or at other times in the letter, but this closing chapter is especially concerned

00:04:42 with the various applications of Christian theology and doctrine.

00:04:46 Like any faithful preacher of God's word,

00:04:49 the apostle is not content with leaving the matter settled at the 10,000-foot level,

00:04:53 where only the pietist or the seminary-educated could understand

00:04:57 or grasp the truth of the matter and its implications.

00:05:01 Instead, out of love for Christ's sheep,

00:05:03 the apostle seeks to bring about a deep understanding of God's truth

00:05:07 for each member of the body of believers

00:05:09 and how it ought to be adopted and applied in every theater or arena that the Christian may

00:05:15 find himself or herself in. This is uniquely apparent in the text before us today because

00:05:21 this text, more than any that we have seen, I might argue, reveals the apostle's pastoral heart.

00:05:28 In fact, I'm convinced that this text reveals to us that the apostle is himself a pastor,

00:05:33 a shepherd of sheep. And I think that will become more apparent to you as we continue in our study

00:05:39 of this portion of God's word this morning. If we needed any more evidence to bolster the case

00:05:45 that the Apostle Paul is the author of the book of Hebrews, we could add to it this. In these words,

00:05:51 the author reveals to us that he is, in fact, a pastor with a unique love for the Hebrew

00:05:56 Christians that he writes to. If that doesn't sound like the Apostle Paul, then I don't know

00:06:00 what does. But anyway, I digress. So if you were here with us last week, you may remember that

00:06:07 Pastor Joel preached from Hebrews chapter 13, verses 7 through 16. Much of that sermon focused

00:06:14 on the apostles' appeal to God's grace in Christ, which strengthens the heart of the believer,

00:06:20 unlike the diverse and strange teachings which have no benefit in the new covenant.

00:06:26 By these diverse and strange teachings, the apostle primarily refers to the traditions

00:06:30 and doctrines of men which were added to the true laws and observances which were fulfilled

00:06:35 in Christ.

00:06:37 Pastor Joel helped us to see that the apostle again warns his hearers of the dangers of 1.00

00:06:42 returning to Judaism, especially those practices and observances which had no root in Christ 0.87

00:06:48 but were instituted by hypocrites, as he taught us. 0.99

00:06:52 The echoes of our Lord's words ring here.

00:06:55 For the sake of your tradition, you have made void the word of God, Matthew chapter 15, verse 6.

00:07:02 In this warning, we see the particular danger of returning not to the Old Testament observances,

00:07:08 which would lead any true follower of Christ to see their fulfillment in him,

00:07:12 but in those that were rooted in sin, in hypocrisy.

00:07:16 Here, the apostle reminds his hearers of the grace that is theirs in Christ Jesus,

00:07:20 the one who their prior leaders and all the types and shadows of the old covenant pointed to.

00:07:27 At the end of that text was the admonition that was found in Hebrews chapter 13 verses 15 and 16

00:07:33 and I endeavor to read these to you once more to bring them to your remembrance.

00:07:37 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God that is the fruit of

00:07:44 lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such

00:07:51 sacrifices are pleasing to God. Christ, having fulfilled all old covenant sacrifices once and

00:07:59 for all in himself, bids his sheep here to partake of gospel sacrifices. Through faith in Christ,

00:08:06 we yield to him our obedience, namely our praise and acknowledgement of his glory in both word

00:08:13 and deed. As we have said, these deep realities will result in love for God and love for neighbor.

00:08:20 A Christian, the apostle says, will be a doer of good and quick to share his possessions in

00:08:26 continuing the brotherly love and hospitality which were mentioned at the beginning of chapter 13.

00:08:32 These verses are foundational and they undergird the way that we are to understand the verses that

00:08:37 follow, namely the ones that are before us today, verses 17 through 19 in chapter 13.

00:08:44 When God saves a sinner, the gospel of Jesus Christ takes root in that person's heart

00:08:48 and transforms him or her from the inside out. That person begins to look more like Christ

00:08:55 in the realm of thoughts, affections, desires, and actions. This will have a lasting effect

00:09:02 on the way that person perceives the world, the manner in which he carries himself,

00:09:07 and the attitude that he adopts in his relationships. One such application of the

00:09:13 gospel's outworking the apostle states is found in the church, particularly in their relationship

00:09:19 between a pastor and his congregants. What sorts of gospel sacrifices is the minister called to

00:09:26 make out of love for his congregation? And moreover, what sorts of gospel sacrifices

00:09:31 is the congregation called to make out of love for their pastor.

00:09:35 These are the sorts of questions and applications

00:09:38 that the apostle seeks to address to us in these verses.

00:09:43 Although only three verses,

00:09:45 I believe this text is of incredible value to us.

00:09:49 Through this sermon, I will seek to highlight

00:09:51 three primary points found in the scriptures before us.

00:09:55 The first is humble submission and joyful oversight

00:09:58 found in verse 17.

00:10:00 The second is prayer from a clear conscience, which is found in verse 18.

00:10:05 And the third is the urgency of the matter, found in verse 19.

00:10:11 As we consider what the scriptures have to say about this relationship between a pastor

00:10:15 and his congregants, I pray that you will recognize what a gift from God faithful shepherds

00:10:21 are to the church.

00:10:23 Grateful, gospel-cherishing hearts will motivate us to action on behalf of our pastors.

00:10:31 And lastly, before we begin, I would be remiss if I failed to mention how thankful I am

00:10:35 to be the one preaching this sermon this morning.

00:10:38 This is somewhat of a pastor appreciation sermon for me.

00:10:42 As I was writing it and preparing it this week, I couldn't help being reminded of how

00:10:46 thankful I am to be a student under Pastor Joel's teaching and a product of his pastoral

00:10:50 ministry.

00:10:52 When I first moved to San Diego as a young man in 2013, I would have never imagined being

00:10:57 here almost 10 years later.

00:10:59 Our Lord is gracious and wise in his providence, and he certainly has been to me and now my family

00:11:05 through all that Joel has courageously and humbly taught me from the pulpit, in his home,

00:11:11 and through many other meetings and teaching opportunities. There's been quite a bit of solid

00:11:16 material and teaching available to us as citizens of the technological age, and I know that no doubt

00:11:22 many of you have benefited greatly from these types of ministries. God has used many faithful

00:11:28 pastors to help me grow over the course of my Christian life, and yet many of these are men

00:11:33 that I have never met. While I thank God for these men and their ministries, it is quite another

00:11:39 thing entirely to be faithfully shepherded by a godly pastor week in and week out. I cannot think

00:11:45 of a better way to frame this sermon than to highlight how much I and my family appreciate

00:11:51 being under Pastor Joel's ministry. So without further ado, let us dive into the text before us.

00:11:58 Let's consider the first point that I've highlighted. The first is humble submission

00:12:02 and joyful oversight, and we'll read again verse 17. The text says, obey your leaders and submit

00:12:10 to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account.

00:12:16 Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

00:12:24 The apostle here begins with two simple admonitions to his hearers.

00:12:29 He urges them to obey and submit to their new leaders in the faith, not merely giving

00:12:35 a listening ear, but to be diligent to heed their warnings and follow their instructions.

00:12:41 But who were these leaders who the apostle urges the Hebrew Christians to obey?

00:12:45 we would do well to consider the words of John Gill, who writes here, quote,

00:12:51 not the ecclesiastical rulers among the Jews, for to these they were no longer obliged,

00:12:57 they being no longer under such tutors and governors, nor civil magistrates, though it 0.88

00:13:03 was their duty to obey them, even heathen ones. For as for Christian magistrates, as yet there 0.98

00:13:10 were none, but their spiritual guides and governors, end quote. Here Gill distinguishes

00:13:17 between a sample of leaders who may potentially hold sway over the Jewish Christians. They were

00:13:23 first of all, or there were first of all, leaders of the synagogue, who the apostle expressly states

00:13:28 no longer held any authority over the converted Hebrews. Being members of an entirely different 0.93

00:13:35 church, the one true church even, such Hebrews reminded that their baptism into Christ was a 0.99

00:13:42 baptism into his church, his body. Despite still sharing the Hebrew bloodline, they were to 1.00

00:13:48 recognize that Christ's claim over them was greater than any ethnic heritage, especially 0.99

00:13:54 when that heritage denied Christ and perpetuated the religious practice of diverse and strange

00:14:00 teachings, which we saw in verse 9. These, said Gil, had no governance over them any longer.

00:14:08 In addition, Gil illustrates that though the Hebrew Christians whom the apostle wrote to

00:14:12 were subject to civil authorities, even heathen ones, this is not what was meant by these verses.

00:14:20 In these verses, it is to be understood the new spiritual guides and governors whom the Hebrews

00:14:25 gained through becoming members of Christ's church. Do you remember Ephesians chapter 4?

00:14:32 The apostle Paul wrote there that he, God, gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists,

00:14:38 the shepherds, and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the

00:14:45 body of Christ, Ephesians chapter 4 verses 11 and 12. The Hebrew Christians were to understand that

00:14:52 God himself provided these various officers to his church to edify and to train them for the work

00:14:59 of ministry. If you remember from last week, we were introduced to a group of leaders that were

00:15:06 mentioned in verse 7. I'll read verse 7 again so it's fresh in your minds. Remember your leaders,

00:15:12 those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate

00:15:19 their faith. These leaders here may have been the same ones that are mentioned here in verse 17,

00:15:25 but there are subtle differences in these two verses that may lead us to believe that these

00:15:30 two groups of leaders were in fact distinct groups. Pastor Joel faithfully taught us that

00:15:36 the leaders mentioned in verse 7 were leaders who preceded the current group of Hebrew Christians

00:15:42 being addressed. We know this because the apostle urges his listeners to remember them and to

00:15:48 consider the outcome of their way of life. On the other hand, the leaders who are mentioned here in

00:15:54 verse 17 are likely to be understood as holding current authority in the church of God. This is

00:16:01 evident because the Hebrew Christians were urged not only to remember them, but to presently obey

00:16:07 and submit to them. In addition, the apostle writes that these leaders were currently keeping watch

00:16:13 over their souls and would one day give an account. These would have been the office holders that we

00:16:19 just highlighted in Ephesians chapter 4. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers

00:16:25 who were given to the church for its continued upbuilding. And so having this established who

00:16:32 these leaders are, the apostle urges his leaders to obey and submit to them. The ones who he states

00:16:40 are held responsible for keeping watch over their congregation souls and will ultimately have to give

00:16:46 an account for their work. The apostle continues this thought with the second half of verse 17 as

00:16:52 he writes, let them do this with joy and not with groaning for that would be of no advantage to you.

00:17:00 The second half of the verse is particularly interesting to us because it encourages us

00:17:05 and propels us to see the inherent blessing and gift that the church is to us and to our families.

00:17:12 The modernists would look at such a text as this and see great violence done in the commands to

00:17:19 obey and submit. How hierarchical, how domineering, they might say. But here the apostle helps his

00:17:26 hearers to see that proper obedience and submission to ecclesiastical officers is of

00:17:33 an advantage to you, our text says. In other words, it provides great benefit. A faithful pastor is

00:17:41 used by God to make his congregants wiser, kinder, more courageous, etc. In a word, a believer becomes

00:17:50 more godly through his obedience and submission to his pastor's teaching and ministry, provided

00:17:56 his pastor fears God and teaches the truth. Similarly, the apostle helps us to see that

00:18:03 the pastor is to complete this work with joy and not with groaning. The minister's work and

00:18:09 calling is surely a weighty one. He is called to watch over souls, and yet this is a work that he

00:18:15 is to do with joy and delight. Stated plainly, these truths that are laid before us in these

00:18:21 scriptures lend towards a mutual satisfaction and unity in the church, joy on the part of the

00:18:29 minister, and a maximization of every advantage for the congregation, God's chosen people.

00:18:35 The gospel sacrifices which we have mentioned here are clearly displayed and display the

00:18:41 gospel's transforming power in the dealings of the minister and his congregation.

00:18:46 So how might we ask is the congregation to obey and to submit to their pastor?

00:18:51 If there's anything that we have learned over the last three years, we are to obey our leaders in

00:18:56 all lawful forms of authority, and this includes our pastors. We have to first recognize that powers

00:19:03 are given by God to each form of authority, and this would include fathers, civil authorities,

00:19:10 and pastors. Each authority must take its cues from scripture in order to learn how to rightly

00:19:15 apply the authority given to it. In doing so, the authority glorifies God and causes those who are

00:19:22 in submission to it to flourish. This is true of pastors. When pastors righteously wield the

00:19:29 authority given to them, our text says that this leads to the congregation's advantage.

00:19:34 On the other hand, when a pastor is domineering, this will likely lead to abuse, while an abdication

00:19:40 of pastoral authority will likely lead to a wayward and abandoned congregation.

00:19:46 So this leads us to ask then, what authority is given primarily to pastors? In Acts chapter 6,

00:19:52 we see the first elders devoted to prayer and to the ministry of the word. In 1 Peter chapter 5,

00:19:59 Peter writes to elders exhorting them to shepherd the flock of God that is among you,

00:20:05 exercising oversight, and to be examples to the flock. In our text for this week, we see that

00:20:11 pastors are to keep watch over their congregation's souls and guard them through the teaching of sound

00:20:17 doctrine and the refutation of false teaching. These are but a few examples taken from scripture

00:20:23 of authority that is given to a pastor. So pressing forward then, in what ways might a

00:20:30 congregation be called to obey and submit to their pastor. The congregant must first hold the

00:20:37 ministry of the pastor with great esteem, so long as he upholds his ministry in a godly fashion.

00:20:43 This is how one should regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God,

00:20:50 1 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 1. The Christian must joyfully and humbly submit to his teaching

00:20:57 out of love for Christ and not seek to constantly nitpick and find disagreements with his preaching

00:21:02 when he exercises lawful authority as a steward of the mysteries of God. This means that the

00:21:10 congregant must also seek to diligently attend to his teaching and desire to apply it to his

00:21:15 or her life. Another point worth considering is that a congregant must esteem his pastor

00:21:21 as one worth imitating. Brothers, join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who walk according 0.92

00:21:29 to the example that you have in us. Philippians chapter 3 verse 17. First of all, this means that

00:21:37 the pastor's character must be worthy of imitation, but it also means the congregant should be eager

00:21:43 to listen to and follow the pastor's way of life. If you were someone who often has had the thought

00:21:49 at church. I wouldn't have said it that way, or I wouldn't have done that. It may be worth examining

00:21:54 if that thought is one that truly esteems your pastor. Are your eyes set on your pastor's good

00:22:00 and on imitating him, or are they clouded by your own pride? Again, this presupposes that the pastor

00:22:07 is wielding his God-given authority lawfully. As congregants, though, we must labor to be

00:22:14 patient and make our pastor's work abound in joy, as our text states. In addition, a congregation is

00:22:22 to ensure that their pastor is adequately compensated for his work. Let the one who is

00:22:26 taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. Galatians chapter 6, verse 6.

00:22:33 And let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who

00:22:38 labor and preaching and teaching. For the scripture says, you shall not muzzle an ox when it treads

00:22:44 out the grain, and the laborer deserves his wages. 1 Timothy chapter 5 verses 17 and 18.

00:22:52 If you are not seeking to fairly compensate your pastor within your means through the tithe,

00:22:57 then you have means to repent. This is but one example of what it means to submit to God

00:23:02 and the leaders that he has placed over us by compensating them fairly. Again, this is not to

00:23:08 guilt you into going beyond your means or causing you to neglect your financial obligations to your

00:23:13 family, but the Lord commands you to adequately compensate the one who labors over you and keeps

00:23:19 watch over your soul. The last application I endeavor to make in this regard is that the

00:23:25 congregation is to show loyalty to their pastor in the manner of one Cipherus. May the Lord grant

00:23:32 mercy to the household of one Ciphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my

00:23:38 chains. But when he arrived in Rome, he searched for me earnestly and found me. May the Lord grant

00:23:45 him to find mercy from the Lord on that day. And you all know the service he rendered at Ephesus.

00:23:51 2 Timothy chapter 1 verses 16 and 18. How the words of a loyal congregant make for a joyful

00:23:59 minister. One way to ensure that our leaders do their work with joy is to stand by them in their

00:24:05 trials, make their burdens light, and refresh them when the going gets tough. With these applications

00:24:12 in mind now, we can now begin to ask the question, what gospel sacrifices is the minister to make on

00:24:18 behalf of his congregation? Primarily, the minister's gospel sacrifices are the works of ministry

00:24:24 that he performs on behalf of the church he pastors.

00:24:28 As we have said, the minister is responsible

00:24:30 to care for the church of God, Acts chapter 20,

00:24:34 to teach what accords with sound doctrine, Titus chapter 2,

00:24:38 and to be examples for the flock, 1 Peter chapter 5.

00:24:43 In these duties, shepherds, like the chief shepherd,

00:24:46 are to protect and provide for the flock they pastor

00:24:50 and to do so with boldness, courage, humility, and joy, our text today says.

00:24:58 Unfortunately, over the last few years, many pastors have failed to exercise godly oversight

00:25:03 and to boldly teach and stand on sound doctrine.

00:25:07 For this reason, congregations have suffered from a shallow biblical understanding,

00:25:11 have been stagnant in their sanctification,

00:25:14 and have been catechized by the world and TikTok influencers

00:25:18 more than they have from those who have been charged to keep watch over their souls.

00:25:23 Other congregants have righteously left such churches to seek out faithful pastors

00:25:28 and churches to be ministered from, sometimes miles away from their home and their communities.

00:25:34 Where the gospel is neglected, its outworkings and implications too will be affected.

00:25:40 But it doesn't have to be this way.

00:25:42 When we return to the scriptures and embrace all that God has spoken for us there,

00:25:48 We see the gospel take root, as we have said, and work from the inside out.

00:25:53 It transforms the hearts of believers, families, and churches, including the relationship between pastors and congregants.

00:26:02 Let's move on now to our second point, and this point is prayer from a clear conscience.

00:26:08 And in so doing, I'll read for us again verse 18.

00:26:10 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably

00:26:18 in all things.

00:26:20 Having thus explained the outworkings of the gospel in the church between ministers and

00:26:25 congregants in verse 17, the apostle now stresses the importance of prayer.

00:26:31 This is crucial because the work of ministry is of great significance.

00:26:36 Ministers cannot expect to be effective in their preaching and shepherding, and congregants

00:26:41 cannot expect to be guided and cared for apart from the sanctifying grace of God.

00:26:47 If we go back yet again to verse 10 of chapter 13, we remember that the apostle reminds his

00:26:53 hearers that it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace.

00:26:58 And one of the chief ways that God strengthens the heart of a believer is through the regular

00:27:02 attendance to the means of grace, especially those that take place on the Lord's Day, namely

00:27:08 preaching, singing, and praying the word, as well as partaking of the sacraments, baptism, and the

00:27:15 Lord's Supper. These means of grace are gifts from God and are administered in the church, most often

00:27:22 by pastors and elders, for the upbuilding of Christ's sheep. Here in verse 18, the apostle

00:27:28 urges his listeners to pray on behalf of these leaders he mentioned in verse 17. He reminds the

00:27:34 Hebrew Christians of the preciousness of their leaders and all they were called to do on the

00:27:39 behalf of their congregations, and urges them to pray that God might grant favor to their leader's

00:27:46 work. So we see, first of all, that the work of pastoral ministry is of significant importance.

00:27:53 Remember verse 17, which states that the ecclesiastical leaders were responsible for

00:27:57 keeping watch over souls as those who will have to give an account. God considers the work of

00:28:04 pastors and ministers of the utmost importance, and here the apostle urges his listeners to grasp

00:28:11 that truth and pray to that end, that God would grant his ministers courage, humility, and success

00:28:19 in the pulpit and in the church. This is because a faithful Christian pastor's success will be

00:28:25 measured by the condition of his church? Are his congregants growing in grace? Are they becoming

00:28:31 more like Christ in their private as well as their public lives? Are the members of a church becoming

00:28:37 more repentant and obedient to his word? These are the things that God grants to his church

00:28:43 through faithful leaders, and the apostle here urges his hearers to pray to that end.

00:28:48 prayer also makes for a joyful and a content heart having previously commanded his leaders

00:28:56 to obey and submit to their new leaders in the faith the apostle reminds the hebrew christians

00:29:02 that these acts of submission to church authority were to be done in faith as we have said when

00:29:09 pastoral ministry is conducted lawfully it leads to the upbuilding of the church because of the

00:29:15 temptation to grumble, complain, or covet, the apostle reminds his leaders to pray, not only for

00:29:23 their pastor's growth in wisdom and godliness, but also for their own. So I ask you this morning,

00:29:30 are you praying for your pastors? Are you praying that they might have courage and find success in

00:29:36 the discharging of their God-given duties? Are you praying that you might grow in gratefulness,

00:29:41 joy, and sanctification under their pastoral ministry. These are things that God desires.

00:29:48 Consider Paul's words in 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. Finally, brothers, pray for us that the word

00:29:55 of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered

00:30:01 from wicked and evil men. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, verses 1 and 2. At this point, it's important

00:30:09 to note that success in the church is not equivalent to what many pastors or churches

00:30:14 would consider a success today. By many today, a church would be considered successful if it was

00:30:20 conducted in a packed auditorium or if it attracted many high-end donors. Successful churches today

00:30:26 boast of thriving ministries for children, seniors, pet owners, middle-aged singles, and adrenaline

00:30:32 junkies. Churches are considered successful by how many decisions for Christ were made and how

00:30:38 engaging the professional worship band is. These markers of success are the aims for which their

00:30:43 programs and methods are tailored towards. But consider what the Apostle Paul asks the

00:30:49 Thessalonians to pray for here, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored as happened

00:30:56 among you. When we pray for our leaders and for our churches, we are praying that God's word may

00:31:01 take root and cause his people to look more like Christ. As we pray to this end, we must recognize

00:31:08 that the Lord has purposed that our pastors and our leaders would be foundational in our pursuit

00:31:13 of it. One more aside about this phrase, pray for us, is the fact that the author of the letter to

00:31:21 the Hebrews is asking his hearers to include him in their prayers. He is associating himself with

00:31:27 this group of leaders mentioned here in verse 17. This gives us, as I've said earlier, a strong

00:31:32 reason to believe that he himself is a pastor and has a unique love for the Hebrew Christians that

00:31:37 he writes to. He continues this trust with the following phrase, giving the reason why such

00:31:43 prayers are to be made. He writes, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience desiring to act

00:31:51 honorably in all things. The apostle appeals to his own conscience before God and before his church

00:31:58 and asks for their prayers on behalf of it. In doing this, he seeks to encourage his listeners

00:32:04 in their prayers as they strive for him and the other leaders. The Hebrews were to understand

00:32:11 that the weighty work of ministry and the keeping watch over their souls was a duty that their

00:32:17 leaders were determined to discharge with honor. Their leaders were emboldened by their faith in

00:32:22 Christ to glorify God in the work of ministry, and this was meant to be a great assurance

00:32:28 to their congregants. Consider what our Lord says in Matthew 24.

00:32:34 Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has set over his household to give

00:32:40 them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing

00:32:46 when he comes. Matthew chapter 24 verses 45 and 46. These servants you see whom Christ has set

00:32:55 over his household are meant to be understood as ministers of the gospel. Our Lord has clearly

00:33:02 charged them to feed his sheep at the proper time and to do so continually until he returns.

00:33:09 In these verses, the apostle reminds the Hebrews of this charge and his earnest desire to fulfill

00:33:15 his ministry as a good steward of God's mysteries, John Gill writes. In this, the apostle states that

00:33:22 he was not beholden to some outside power or authority, but to God alone, and urged the Hebrew

00:33:29 Christians to use this as fuel for their prayers on his behalf. Before we move on to the last verse

00:33:36 in our text for today, I believe this is an important application we would do well to linger

00:33:42 on. As members of Christ's church and of this local body, we would do well to pray for our

00:33:48 pastors. We must first thank God for those pastors who serve with a clear conscience

00:33:54 and a desire to act honorably. They are those who faithfully preach the word,

00:34:00 courageously stand on it, and give their lives to feed Christ's sheep. They remember the charge

00:34:06 given to them by Christ himself and are faithful to do their work in the fear of God.

00:34:12 Praise the Lord.

00:34:13 There are pastors who serve in this manner today.

00:34:17 And I wholeheartedly believe the pastor that we are under, Pastor Joel, is a good example.

00:34:22 What a joy it is to be shepherded by these men who truly do serve with honor.

00:34:27 In our prayers, let us continue to pray that God would grant our state, our land, and our world more men who pastor his church with this same conviction and a regard for their work.

00:34:38 I fear that there are too many pastors who are beholden to their own paycheck, to their

00:34:43 Instagram followers, to the fear of their civil authorities, to the CDC, you name it.

00:34:49 May God grant us wise and resolved leaders who remember their duties and are committed

00:34:54 to honoring Christ and his word.

00:34:56 The health of our churches and the state of our land depends on this.

00:35:03 And so let us close with the third point that we consider today, the urgency of the matter.

00:35:08 And this will focus on verse 19. I'll read it once more for us.

00:35:13 I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.

00:35:20 This last verse is short, but it ties together all that has been said thus far.

00:35:25 The apostle charges his listeners to obey and submit to their leaders and continue striving

00:35:30 in their prayers on their behalf because of the current circumstances they found themselves in.

00:35:37 From this verse, we can tell that there was a considerable distance between the Hebrew

00:35:41 Christians and the author of the letter, as the reason he gives for these urgent intercessions

00:35:46 to be made was in order that he may be restored to them the sooner.

00:35:52 From the text itself, we don't learn much about the nature of why the two were distanced

00:35:56 from each other, but we could presume that a physical barrier was the most likely culprit.

00:36:01 At the time of the writing of the letter, persecutions for the faith, especially for

00:36:06 leaders, were not uncommon. Think of the apostles' imprisonments, riots, and trials, accounts of which

00:36:13 we have in scripture that remind us of the challenges faced by the early church. Persecution

00:36:20 aside, there is also the restraint of the body, of being in one finite place and time, and of being

00:36:26 prevented from being in all places that we may desire to reside. In Romans chapter 1, Paul wrote

00:36:32 of his intent to visit the Romans face to face and lamented that he had been prevented from

00:36:37 fulfilling that earnest desire. He writes again in Romans chapter 15, I appeal to you brothers by

00:36:44 our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit to strive together with me in your prayers

00:36:51 to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for

00:36:57 Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that by God's will I may come to you with joy

00:37:03 and be refreshed in your company. In all truth, the New Testament is full of examples like these,

00:37:11 epistles that were written to churches because the author, apostle, whoever it may be, was absent

00:37:16 in the flesh. I'm always reminded of the meeting between Paul and the Ephesian elders in Acts

00:37:22 chapter 20, in which many tears are shed on the beach because Paul is leaving yet again

00:37:27 and headed towards suspected threats in Jerusalem. In the case of the letter to the Hebrews,

00:37:34 whatever the source of distance may be, the author and his hearers were found to be separated from

00:37:40 one another. And it is in response to this that the apostle asks that fervent intercessions be

00:37:45 made, that the two may be reunited. If you've listened well over the course of our study

00:37:51 through Hebrews, you've heard Pastor Joel's case that the book of Hebrews was written just prior

00:37:56 to 70 AD, and therefore just prior to the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.

00:38:03 These events were significant in Hebrew and church history, and most certainly I am convinced

00:38:08 were in focus throughout all that was written in this letter to the Hebrews.

00:38:14 Having been warned by Christ of the temple's coming destruction, the apostle instructs his

00:38:20 audience, Hebrew Christians who would have likely been raised in temple worship and Jewish tradition,

00:38:26 to offer these urgent and earnest prayers. He does this pastorally, that they might be preserved

00:38:32 despite the coming trouble, and look to Christ for their newfound hope in him. Although it would

00:38:39 appear that dark days would be ahead. This was the basis for a hopeful eschatology. Instead of being

00:38:46 driven to despair, they were to follow their new leaders, pray they may be reunited with others,

00:38:53 and pray that God would do all of this for his glory and their good. There's great wisdom for

00:38:59 us this morning here in this verse, in verse 19. Our current situation as Christians in America

00:39:05 in 2023 may look dire today. Since 70 AD, we have no doubt seen significant advances for God's

00:39:14 kingdom and for Christendom, but even today it can be troubling when we survey the landscape

00:39:20 of our society and the times in which we live. Some have indicated that we may be in for financial

00:39:26 hardship, and I know some of you may have experienced this. The attitudes towards

00:39:31 Christianity appear to be more openly hostile as of late, and there are many reports of Christians

00:39:36 being persecuted in Western countries of all places. Younger generations have an appetite 0.98

00:39:42 for wanton craving and have little respect for prior generations. Older generations have

00:39:49 abdicated their responsibility to teach and train younger generations and have allowed their

00:39:54 children to be shaped by the television, social media, and the public school system. These are

00:40:00 symptoms of a deeper root cause, we need to repent, return to God's truth, and take the same sort of

00:40:06 actions that are prescribed here in Hebrews chapter 13. Our frustrations and our lamentations

00:40:12 with the current landscape should lead us back to God and his promises, chiefly in our attendance

00:40:17 to the means of grace and patient, hopeful prayer. We do this because of our eager expectation that

00:40:25 God will be glorified and that nothing is insignificant or too difficult for him. We have

00:40:32 this same unwavering hope expressed here by the apostle, that through obedience to his word,

00:40:39 submission to our pastors, and patient prayer, that God may perhaps show us favor and bless

00:40:46 our land. In verse 19, the apostle expresses that earnest prayer would lead to his being restored to

00:40:53 you the sooner. And so I ask you this morning, are you attending to the means of grace with joy?

00:41:01 Do you see the benefit of worshiping with God's people? Do you see God's grace in submitting to

00:41:07 your pastor's ministry? Is your home filled with prayer? And are you doing all of these things

00:41:13 earnestly? As Christians, we should be marked by a spirit of eagerness, of earnestness in our

00:41:20 attendance to these means. No matter what situation or hardship you may find yourself in,

00:41:27 you have been given a precious gift in Christ Jesus, that is faith in his name. And as we live

00:41:33 our lives by faith, the times in which we live should cause us not to be slack in our obedience,

00:41:40 but to abound all the more in earnest hope that we may be restored to Christ the sooner.

00:41:46 So as we conclude our sermon this morning, I want to read one more text from 2 Timothy chapter 2.

00:41:53 2 Timothy chapter 2 verses 8 through 10 says,

00:41:57 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,

00:42:04 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal.

00:42:08 But the word of God is not bound.

00:42:10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

00:42:21 As we consider these verses in light of our text today, in Hebrews chapter 13, verses 17 through 19,

00:42:28 we see the words of a man, a godly pastor, who is resolved to endure everything for the sake of the elect,

00:42:35 that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

00:42:42 As I mentioned at the beginning of this sermon, when the gospel takes root in a person,

00:42:47 it transforms that person from the inside out. As the gospel takes root in our own lives,

00:42:53 the Holy Spirit bears the fruits of the Spirit in us. Love, joy, peace, patience, etc.

00:43:01 This will transform the way that we live as men, women, husbands, wives, mothers, and fathers,

00:43:11 employees, business owners, pastors, and congregations.

00:43:16 No area is left untouched.

00:43:19 As we consider the fruit of faith in a pastor's life,

00:43:23 I thank the Lord for godly men like the Apostle Paul and Pastor Joel,

00:43:27 who truly seek to endure everything for the sake of their congregations, that we may too obtain the

00:43:34 salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. In the same respect, as we become more

00:43:41 transformed by God's sanctifying grace, our congregations, our churches will grow in obedience

00:43:47 and submission to an earnest prayer for our pastors. No pastor is perfect, but may God grant

00:43:55 us humility and thankfulness to support them, stand by them, pray for them, and give him the

00:44:03 glory for those who watch over our souls. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for your word.

00:44:13 Lord, your word is, your law is a light unto our feet and a lamp unto our path, Lord, and your word

00:44:19 is what guides us, directs us, shapes us, and transforms us, oh Lord. And we thank you that

00:44:26 we receive your word as those who have been enlightened by your grace to trust Jesus Christ,

00:44:33 your son, by faith. Would your word have blessed your people this morning? Would it have glorified

00:44:38 you, oh God, and let it lead us to action, we pray. Help us to be those who love Christ,

00:44:44 love our neighbors, and to do all for the glory of your name. We pray these things in Jesus's name.

00:44:51 Amen. Can I be frank with you for just a second right here at the end? Look, some of you guys,

00:44:56 you're financially supporting this ministry, and from the bottom of my heart, I say thank you. I

00:45:01 cannot thank you enough. However, some of you, you just, you can't afford it. In fact, some of you,

00:45:09 you shouldn't afford it. Let's be honest. I mean, we're living in Joe Biden's ridiculous economy.

00:45:16 Our nation and our totalitarian political elites lost their minds over the last three years 0.91

00:45:24 due to COVID. We have written checks that we simply cannot cash. It doesn't matter if people

00:45:31 change the definition of a recession. We are living in a recession right now regardless.

00:45:37 Some of you are struggling to afford a carton of eggs at the grocery store.

00:45:42 You cannot support financially this ministry at this time, nor should you, but you could

00:45:49 still help us tremendously.

00:45:51 I am asking you, please, if you're willing to do so, take one minute of your time.

00:45:57 Leave us a five-star review on your favorite podcast platform, iTunes, Spotify, whatever

00:46:03 that might be.

00:46:04 This is the way the system works.

00:46:06 We want to be innocent as doves, but shrewd as vipers.

00:46:11 We need to be strategic.

00:46:13 You leave us a five-star review, and our podcast shows up for more people.

00:46:18 And the Word of God and courageous theology applied in practical ways to every realm of

00:46:24 life gets out there.

00:46:26 Help us get it out there.

00:46:28 Thanks for tuning in.

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The NXR Podcast - March 05, 2023

SUNDAY SERMON - Gospel Fruit in Pastors and Congregations ｜ Hebrews 13_17-19

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