Be Persuaded by Those Leading You
First B Jackson
2020-03-08

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Good morning, everybody. How are you? Alright, would you stand and we're going to glad that you're here. Glad that you're here. Would you stand and we'll sing em in from the vestibule.

We're going to sing holy, holy, holy to begin with.

Holy, holy, holy, God almighty early in the morning our song shall rise to thee holy holy merciful and mighty God in three persons blessed holy holy holy all the saints adore thee casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea. Cherubim and Cherubim falling down before thee. Which word and evermore shall be holy holy though holy the darkness hide thee, though the eye of sinful men, thy glory may not see. Only thou art holy there is none beside the perfect in power in love and purity holy holy holy Lord God almighty all thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea holy holy holy merciful and mighty God in three persons blessed trinity Amen.

Thank you. Uh-oh How I Love Jesus. Hymn number 92. Y'all remember this chorus?

There is a name I love to hear I love to sing its word it sounds like music in my ear the sweetest name on earth oh how I love Jesus oh how I love Jesus so how I love Jesus because he first loved me it tells me of a savior's love who died to set me free it tells me of his precious blood the sinners perfectly oh how I love Jesus oh how I love Jesus so how I love Jesus because he first loved me. It tells me what my father hath in store for everyday. And though I tread a darksome path yields sunshine all the way oh how I love Jesus oh how I love Jesus so how I love Jesus because he first loved me It tells of one whose loving heart can feel my deepest woah, who in each sorrow bears a part that none can bear below oh how I love Jesus oh how I love Jesus so how I love Jesus because he first love me Amen. Y'all can have a seat.

I have a few announcements to go over this morning. One of them is Monday nights at First B is happening tomorrow night. That's a home sweet home for a lot of people. If they work on the weekends, they can come this Monday night service. There's always a meal, music, and a message every Monday night at six down the hall in the fellowship hall.

Happens at the same time as Awana that happens in this room. They get together in here to begin with and then spread out all over the church. Kids having scripture poured into their minds by volunteers who love Jesus and reaching the hearts through the minds of the kids. There's an age group there from two to fifth grade, middle school and high school boys, middle school, high school girls, and children's Sunday school happens during the first service. Usually about 09:25 or 09:30.

We have a precept study that's happening on Thursdays at nine. Jeremiah part one, they're working their way through the book of Jeremiah. You've forsaken me, repent, and return. I've actually heard a lot of positive things about this lamentation, about this particular study. People are saying it it mirrors what they're seeing around them and it's very helpful.

Thursday morning, nine to about 11:30? Thank you. Women read the Bible and pray in Teton Valley that Kurt and Cecilia Connell have folks meeting at their house, 08:30 to ten on in Driggs, Idaho. If you're over there and you want to be a part of that, that's a great time to read the Bible together and pray. T the turning point, Pregnancy Resource Center has their baby bottle campaign and there are some empty bottles still left out there and if you want an empty bottle to fill with funds to help out, Turning Point Pregnancy Resource Center, you can do that and if you bring em back here, we'll get em to them.

Actually, they'll come get em. They're pretty good about that. Community groups, I'm gonna throw a challenge out there. If you are a part of a community group and we have about four or five that have started in the past month but if you're a part of a community group or if you just as a family would like to, would you consider signing up to make a meal for the Monday nighters? We do meal music and a message every Monday night.

The meal, the church will pay for the meal. You don't have to pay for it just because you're the one cooking it or preparing it or organizing it. You can use the church card and you'll be able to afford it, I guess. If you can take the time and do that, your community group, maybe your family, it'd be a real blessing to Monday night and I promise you, it'd be a real blessing to you too. This is a good time.

Community groups are up and running this side of the hill and the other. It's good to see that working. Nursery volunteers, the slot is still up there. Thank you for signing up. There are a few of those that have signed up and thank you for it.

Very good. That's wonderful, Blake. Do you know what that day is? I don't have the bulletin. Sorry.

The April April 5, is there anybody here? Can I look for a hand like an evangelist right here? Yes, I see that hand. No. April 5, if any of y'all could help out with the specific date of April 5, that would be great.

I'll leave it up to your conscience and the sermon to work that in. We had the Women's World Day of Prayer hosted it here Friday from noon to one. It was a fun, fun time. It was a really good time for the ladies of the community to get together from the various churches come together and pray specifically for the ladies of Zimbabwe. The food was good.

The fellowship was good. The music was I mean, the band, we were the band. I'm just kidding. It was okay. The music was good too.

It was fun. Are there other announcements that I've forgotten? Alright, seeing no hands. Maybe there's one. Yes, Tanya.

Connect hour. Yet, that community groups, connect hour. That's what I meant to say. Did I say Monday night? Oh, I meant connect hour, people.

Sorry. I just have gotten in the pattern of saying these things. So, the connect hour between services is at 10:00 from ten to eleven. We do a connect hour down there to keep the two services connected and breakfast basically is what we're it's the same deal though. If you will prepare it and put it out, it can be donuts or fruit or it could be like this morning with sausage biscuits and a and a casserole.

It was great. If you want to do that or your community group wants to do that, that would be a way of blessing the church. Sam, would you stand up for just a second? Not to call you out. That's Sam.

Sam knows the process and she is the one that's in charge of this. She does a great job whenever she does it and she did the biscuits and gravy this morning. So, if you would like to know more about how to make that happen, that's Sam right there. Thank you, Samantha McVeigh. Appreciate that and I think that's it.

So, would you greet one another? You do not have to shake hands, okay? I know you're hearing it all around you. We don't want to create mass hysteria. Some of you have been looking for this opportunity for years not to shake hands but you can greet with one another from a distance if you would like but would you stand and we'll bring you back together with a song.

Alright, we're going to sing Surely the Presence of the Lord is in this place.

Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place I can feel his mighty power and his grace I can hear the brush of angel wings I see glory on each face surely the presence of the Lord is in this place. Let's sing it again. Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place I can feel his mighty power and his grace I can hear the brush of angels wings I see glory on each face surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.

Amen. We've come into his house and gathered in his name to worship him. Hymn number two twenty four.

We have come into his house and gathered in his name to worship him we have come into his house and gathered in his name to worship him we have come into his house and gathered in his name to worship Christ the Lord Worship him Christ the Lord. Let's forget about ourselves and magnify his name and worship him let's forget about ourselves and magnify his name and worship him let's forget about ourselves and magnify his name and worship Christ the Lord worship him Christ the Lord

Y'all can have a seat. Thank you, Kristen for playing. Thank you. Would y'all pray with me? Lord, we thank you this morning for just being who you are, for being our God, for being so steady and faithful and the same no matter what changes in society, no matter what changes around us, you are the same yesterday, today, and forever.

May we be unwaveringly optimistic in your goodness, in your faithfulness. May we seed control to our own lives over to you. In a way, lord, that brings you glory and is for our good. Would you show us the way that you would have us go and give us the strength to walk in it. In particular, this morning, right now, at this time, when we are taking up the offering and tithes.

Lord, we pray that you would bless and multiply this to do your kingdom's work. May more come to know who you are and how you are and what you have done in Christ. May more learn and understand and accept the gospel because of the obedience of your servants who are sitting here this morning. Lord, we surrender to your truth. In Jesus name, would you do your will and your way amongst us and spreading out from here to the very ends of the earth.

Amen. This morning, we're up to Hebrews thirteen seventeen. How's that? Thirteen seventeen and you see it's just thirteen seventeen. I've just got one verse that I'm planning on covering today but I'm planning on covering it fairly thoroughly, okay?

We've been building up to this for the last couple of weeks with the practical advice of the last chapter of the book of Hebrews. So, we've gone through the first 16 verses which have been very practical advice and this continues in that vein but I'm gonna share just this one verse because it's not easy, okay? Not easy for you but it's really not easy for me. This passage has been used to beat people up and to keep em in line. In some dangerous and difficult situations and I don't ever wanna do that and so, Imma lay it out there as best I can, as close as I can to exactly what it says and give the nuances.

I hope that'll help all of us together but Hebrews thirteen seven, in the context, it's seven through 19, especially, seven starts off like this. Remember those who led you. Technically, it's be remembering those who were leading you. They're not leading you anymore. They led you and they are no longer leading you.

Maybe because they've passed on. It was the first generation of leadership possibly. Hebrews was written around '66 or sixty seven AD by best we can tell. So, remember those who led you could have been anytime from the time that these folks heard about Jesus and accepted him. The recipients of the letter up until about '66, '67.

So, probably, seventeen, eighteen years and if you think about hearing the word of the Lord and you're hearing it and accepting it and then, these folks were being tempted to go back in the first century Judaism. Something that they knew, the persecution was less and these shadows as the writer presents some of what was the truth to come, Jesus. So, all of those things were pointing towards Jesus and now that they were here, they were tempted because of social pressures around them to go back to their first century Judaism. That's the thing. This author says, remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you, those who are faithful to preach God's word and his son and considering the result of their conduct and the result of their conduct is your faith.

Is you coming to know who Jesus is and all of those prophecies that led up to him. Remember those who were leading you and spoke the word of God to you and considering the result of their conduct, y'all be imitating their faith. Let it move you. Be imitating their faith. That's an imperative.

It's a command and then it just says, out of the blue, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. No matter how much society changes. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever and so the message that is good for them in '67 or in thirty three AD or in '67 or at 2020, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, forever. May we never stray from that. Actually, it goes on to say, Jesus Christ same yesterday, today, and forever.

Do not be carried away. Don't get carried away by various or strange teachings. There are plenty of various and strange teachings out there and they run the gamut from extremely legalistic to extremely licentious and you can go wrong in a lot of different ways but there's one truth, Jesus Christ is the same. Yesterday, today, and forever and that's an absolute thing and we live in a relative society. The case for absolute truth is that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

He's the word of God and does not change. So, don't get carried away by various or strange teachings but because of Christ, because you're saved by God's grace and you're sanctified by God's grace, do be ready to go outside the camp. For them, that camp was probably this manifestation of first century Judaism. Be willing to step away from that and proclaim to the other side, proclaim to everyone that Jesus is the Christ, The Messiah and do continually be given to God what he deserves and he desires that is praise and thanksgiving. If any of us deserve, I mean, if any of us desire praise or any of us desire Thanksgiving, that's kind of a self centered thing.

God actually deserves it and he actually desires it that we agree with what is absolutely true. He is good. He is love. Continue to be giving God the praise and the thanksgiving that he deserves even when we don't understand, even when we don't understand it and don't forget to be doing good to one another and be sharing, taking care of one another. When someone is lacking in this body, we all lack.

So, let's help out. Do good to one another and share. That reminded me of Psalm 50. Where God says, call upon me in the day of trouble. And he will rescue you and you will honor him.

Call upon God in the day of trouble and he will rescue you and you will honor him and he loves it when we do that. He loves it when we praise. He loves it when we give thanks. He loves it when we act in holiness and do good and share and he loves it when we call upon him. He loves that.

The very next thing is this, Hebrews thirteen seventeen. It says, obey. This is what I think of these days when I hear that. Y'all, yep, have y'all seen this sticker? There were stickers all over Southern California.

They spread all over the world. This is a representation of Andre the Giant by an artist named Fairly and he just says, obey the giant. I don't know why but I've had to put it up there. Obey is such a strong word especially since I'm the guy delivering this message. I don't I don't I honestly the reason I go through scripture in order is to take the agenda out of my hands.

I don't want to think what shall I preach today? This is the problem they have. This is what I'm going to say. I don't like that kind of power, really. So, this message for you is obey.

It says, obey. This is what it, the word, I'm gonna give it to you straight as I can. In Greek, it's is the second person plural, present passive imperative. So, it's a command but it's a passive command. For you grammar nerds, you're going, how does that work?

Second person present, passive, plural, imperative from patho, the root word, patho is the root word of pistis which is faith or belief. It's about what you believe. Obeying is fall or obeying is related to what you believe. Belief precedes action. That's another way of saying that.

So, when it's used in the passive, it means to be persuaded of what is trustworthy. Patho involves obedience, yes, but it's properly understood as the result of God's own persuasion. So, the Holy Spirit is active in the world and in the life of the believer, he indwells the believer. So, God's presence is with you if you're a believer in Christ. The Holy Spirit is with you.

This saying obey, it is saying to you for y'all to be persuaded of that which is true. Be persuaded of that which is true. The Holy Spirit is speaking within you and I'm speaking in front of you. The message that God has for us from the writer of Hebrews. So, this is the two other places that I thought of immediately from the Bible, Galatians five seven uses the same word for obey.

You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? You had accepted what was good and true and for some reason, in the Galatians, oh foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, you took it by grace and now you're trying to add works to it. You are running well. Who hindered you from being persuaded of the truth?

It's easy to go back to what you know but this is what that was pointing to, the gospel. James three three, very early book, I believe, written very early. Now, if we put bits into the horse's mouth so that they will be persuaded by us. We direct their entire body as well. It's obedience but it's obedience by persuasion particularly.

Persuasion towards that which is true. So, obey. Be persuaded. Y'all be being persuaded technically. That's the way that is and obey who?

Oh, goodness. Your leaders. Obey your leaders. This could be a very heavy message for y'all but it is a very heavy message for me. Obey your leaders.

Your leaders technically is this right here. Hate to be pedantic but I have to get back to grammar whenever I'm doing something that's this heavy. Toys, hey, guminos, humon. Those leading you. Be persuaded of the truth by those who are leading you.

Y'all. Plural. This is about a church office. It is about the role of an elder, probably most likely a teaching elder because it's talking about obedient and submission is next. Obey your leaders and submit to them.

Oh, another sermon about submission. It's there. It's in the New Testament. Obey your leaders and submit to him. Be persuaded of the truth of those who are leading you and submit to them.

Submit is in this, it's the second person plural. It's present active imperative. So, the focus is on the continuous action of the verb. Continuously be like this. Now, this is the only time that this is used in the Bible.

So, we don't have a lot of other biblical examples of this word is a softer form of submission than in some other texts but from Homer, the Iliad and the Odyssey Homer, that Homer, all the way on down throughout classical and into Corne Greek, it means to resist no longer but to give way and yield properly of those who are combatants. If somebody is combating and fighting and continually fighting, it's saying, yield. The cop shows would say, there are two ways we can do this. There's the easy way and the hard way. Which way do you wanna do this?

It's better for you if you take the easy way. So, yield. Metaphorically, it's to yield to authority and or admonition. So, it's not just to the office but also to the advice. If it's good and biblical advice and can be demonstrated as such from the text, then, certainly, it bears paying attention to metaphorically is yield to authority and or admonition and like I said, it's only used one time and it's in this verse.

There are couple of words, two or three words here that are only used once in the New Testament. It's pretty classical Greek. Very erudite language. Obey your leaders and be yielding to them. Why?

As good old Americans, we do not like to be told what to do, do we? No, we don't. We are incredibly individualistic. We don't wanna be lumped in with anybody else. I am the master of my fate.

I can do whatever I want. That's a typical American attitude and you can't tell me what to do. You're not my mama and who listens to their mama nowadays, you know? So, why should we submit to them? This says flatly, for they, those who are leading you, they keep watch over your souls.

Oh, Now, you know why it's a heavy message for me. It's not saying, listen to them because I said so. It's saying that they actually are keeping watch over yourselves. The word for that, third person plural. So, this is the they are.

In my case, it's I'm part of the team who is in leadership over this church. One out of 11 elders. Our group, Nuison. Our group, Nuison. It is from two words, ah, not, and hypnosis, sleep.

Not sleeping. That's what it means. For they are properly not sleeping. Figuratively, it means they're staying vigilant. They are alert and attentive to what's going on in society but also what's going on in the word of God.

IE, this is straight dictionary definition. I did not make this up. I'm not adding to this. IE, without any unnecessary time off, they always are awake. Actually, in the modern vernacular, stay in woke.

Stay woke. Like, once you get something, hold on to it and stay alert to the possibilities that you might have missed it before. Literally, they are not sleeping. When I looked at my clock this morning at 03:14, I know it was 02:14 night before last but 03:14 this morning while I was awake, I was thinking, they are literally not sleeping. And I was thinking, the Lord grant sleep to those he loves.

Lord, Why not? Why are they not sleeping? Well, the they are those who will give an account. There are those who will give an account. The leaders who are leading them.

Now, I will say this, this was written by a specific person or persons. I think it was multiple people. That were writing to a specific church at a specific time and the the church leaders were known by the person writing this epistle and knew that they were trustworthy and following after the Bible. There are instances these days where if you follow after a cultic leader or a dictatorial leader or some autocrat who's taken upon himself the prerogative of God, then, you will go astray. This person knew these people that were leading and said, obey them and submit to them.

They're keeping watch over your souls as those who will give an account. After I get finished with my study, I I'll listen to other pastors sometime and one thing that I think Piper, John Piper was really made a point on this. He did several sermons on this verse. A couple of em and one of them emphasized this, you're saved by God's grace. Now, that comes by hearing the word of God.

So, usually there's someone who presents that to you and if you accept that word, that person might not be the same person but somebody will continue to share with you that sustaining grace. The instruction for life that comes from knowing the word and presenting it articulately, accurately, and getting that before you so that you can make course corrections. That it's actually keeping watch over your souls. It's soul care and I have learned something in this job. I have learned that you can't help anybody who's not asking for help.

Have you all found that out? When somebody does ask, then, I can say, yes, I can help with that because God says this and this and this and this. There are some things we just mourn together on but I can give you direction on how to go forward and trust God. I I can't understand it for you. I I can explain to you but I can't understand it for you but that's what my task is because I'm one of those who will have to give an account before God.

Now, I'm saying, the Holy Spirit's active in your life if you're a believer. It's active in mine. I have to deliver the message that God has for me and I can't deviate from what he has said. Because I have to give an account. Log on says, someone who is about to give or who someone who will shortly give.

It's a it's a future tense but it's in the relative short term. Someone who's about to give a word, a statement, a speech, a report that is required and do of them. Part of accepting a call to pastor a church is that I do have to report for what I've done. That's heavy. I should be faithful to the text.

The reason that I present the way that I do is because I need to be faithful to the text for my own sanity. It is not tattletale, tattletale. I know that spelled wrong but the bridge is on a nail always makes me think of tail. Sorry. Tattle tale, tattle tale.

It's not that kind of account. I'm not going to God and say, God, you wouldn't believe what those people are doing. He knows what you're doing. It's not that kind of account. It's this kind of account.

This is Old Testament and I've already said, you got the Holy Spirit in the in the in this dispensation, in this time period, we've got the Holy Spirit that indwells but listen to this, this is God's instruction for Ezekiel. It comes up again in chapter 33. It comes up again in chapter 34 but in Ezekiel three, it says, at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me. That's Ezekiel saying, son of man, I've appointed you a watchman. This is someone who stays up at night, who is doing soul care.

Similar concept to this New Testament when we just covered. At the end of seven days, the word of lord came to me saying, son of man, I've appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, warn them from me. When I say to the wicked, you will surely die and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity but his blood I will require at your hand. He's saying, Ezekiel, you must be faithful to what I say, when I say it, and to whom I say it.

Yet, if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity but you have delivered yourself. You have to be faithful to the call, Ezekiel. And again, when a righteous man, so this is not an outsider, this is not a wicked person. This is when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness as we are all want to do. Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and I place an obstacle before him, he will die.

Since you have not warned him. He shall die in his sin and his righteous deeds which is done shall not be remembered but his blood, I will require at your hand. However, if you've warned that righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took the warning and you have delivered yourself. So, faithfulness to what God has said is part of this task. No matter what happens out there, what happens from the delivery standpoint has to be faithful to what God has said.

So, taking that warning very seriously. I wanna say right now, I'm thankful for the new covenant because this is hard. This is extremely hard. Some of the burden is lifted for me because you have the Holy Spirit active in your life if you're a believer and you can tell what is true from the word and whether someone you should be able to tell whether someone is distorting it. So, obey your leaders and submit to them for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account.

New American standards to let them do this with joy and I wanna say right now, I love this job. I enjoy it. I enjoy the first service. I enjoy the second service. I enjoy the time between.

In general, I love getting the call. Now, I mourn with you when it's a difficult call and I mourn with you when it's a funeral for a dearly beloved one but I'm still glad to be getting the call. It's part of this and it is a joy for me to go and say, God, your your word was helpful today. Thank you. That's a joyful report.

Paul does this in Thessalonians. It says, for who is our hope and our joy and our crown of exaltation? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus that is coming? You listen to the word. You heard the gospel and you responded to it.

That's joyful for the guy who's presented. That's fantastic. For you, Thessalonians, are are glory and joy. There wasn't a whole lot of sin going on in Thessalonians. They just needed a little course correction on some theology and Paul wrote concerning that.

They were getting some strange and varied teachings and Paul was writing to say, this is Orthodox and good. You won't miss it when Jesus comes back. Philippians, he's encouraging them to return to joy and be able to laugh again and he says, I thank my God in all my remembrance of you for always. I'm offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all. In view of your participation in the gospel from the first day till now, for I am confident of this very thing that he who began a good work in you, this is a joyful report right there.

It's a joyful accounting by the apostle Paul when he's considering the churches and his care for the churches that God has had him to plant. Good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus for it's only right for me to feel this way about you all because I have you in my heart. Let him do this with joy. And not with grief. So, this is not talking about the grief from spending time mourning with those who mourn.

It's talking about when given the word and sharing the word. Planting the word, continually putting it out there, and then having it be rejected out of hand. That is a grievous moment. It's a grievous moment not for me. It goes on to say, actually, I don't have any examples of this one.

There are several that I can think of but Galatians is one of em. Oh, foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? That's gotta be a grievous thing to have to write down, right? Y'all, we're with grace and you've gone back to work. This is crazy.

Why are you doing this? God, help em. Help em. Help em. It's grievous to think about that.

Because it's unprofitable not for me but for you. As long as I'm faithful to the text and loving, faithful to the text, my presentation of it to you is what I'm responsible for. Your reception or rejection is on you. And it's unprofitable if the report is grief. It's not a tattle tale that's God help me to know how to do this easier, better.

Help me know what to say. Actually, this word is an adjective. It's profitless, unprofitable, ruinous, or detrimental. Properly, it is not being able to hold together. So, for their report to be grievous because it's been rejected.

Can you think of Jeremiah, right? Jeremiah in the

Old Testament says, I told him what you

said exactly the way you said it and they rejected it. They tied it around rocking through it in the river. They burned it up. They listen, they didn't listen to me. They wanna listen to these other prophets that are telling me all these good things that are gonna happen but God says, alright, Jeremiah, write this down and he gives them exactly the same message.

Over and over and over it happens. Properly, it is not being able to hold together, not profitable because they're lacking cohesion, falling apart would be a good translation. Missing benefit because of not being complete. Unprofitable is used only once. It's in Hebrews thirteen seventeen.

It describes the lost benefits for making a poor choice and it actually since we just hit Esau about two or three weeks ago and it talked about Esau's trading in for what he could see and taste and smell, hear the senses. He was living by sight and not by faith. That's a poor choice. Ollie Sedolace is used in classical Greek in Hippocrates. You remember the oath of Hippocrates?

As a technical medical term for unfavorable symptoms, things that are not good for you, detrimental, bad stuff. This is the R McD version. So, this is the Ray McDaniel version of this. Y'all be being persuaded, please. This is just a straight translation as best I can in my own hand.

Y'all be being persuaded by those who are leading you. That's not limited to just me. It's people who for whatever reason God has put in your life to lead. I think church office is specific here but if you're the head of a household or if you're in a household and you have somebody that's over you, listening to their example, as they follow after God is in your best interest. Y'all be being persuaded by those who are leading you and be being yielded actually probably a better translation.

Be yielding yourselves. Be yielding yourselves. Have it be a willful submission to the will of God through the messenger. For, they are watching out over your souls as ones who will soon give account before almighty God. So, that they might do that thing with joy and not with groaning.

Actually, I didn't mention this. So, the grief is the feeling of being squeezed. It's literally this. Having your having everything that's in you squeezed out. Groaning or sighing.

It's that that sound is what that means. So, that they might be doing that with joy and not with groaning. Indeed, that would prove to be unprofitable for you. Not because they tattle told on you to God that you're not doing the right thing but because you're not listening to good and godly advice. Somebody sent this yesterday to me and I thought it was perfect.

Do y'all watch television? Any of y'all watch television? You watch Chopped? You know what Chopped is? It's on the the Food Network and Chopped will get to it.

Going to seminary is I think a lot like going to culinary school. You learn some basic foundations and some cool party tricks and by the end, you can prepare a gourmet meal. Pastoring, however, is waking up every day into a new episode of Chopped. Where the ingredients are completely random. They give em a basket and they've got like five ingredients and some of em are ridiculous.

You know, it's like eyeballs and grape jelly, ketchup, and you know, kumquats and make something beautiful out of this. Pastor and Howard is waking up every day in a new episode of Chopped where the ingredients are completely random and you're expected to do something beautiful with whatever you're handed while everyone watches and provides running commentary and occasionally something blows up. That's fun. I'm going to go to several other places from the New Testament where the sentiment is the same. Some of em are, it looks like the onus is on you and some of em the onus is on me.

I want to share the onus, alright? That is on us. But we request of you brothers and sisters that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you. This is Paul to the Thessalonians. There was no overt sin in Thessalonica.

He's not saying, listen to them because they know best. He's saying, listen to them because God's put em there for you. We request of you brothers and sisters that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. Oh, beautiful.

The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. There are other elders and other leaders outside of the guy standing upfront whether it's a Sunday or a Monday or Wednesday night or whatever. We have 11 elders. I'm one of em. Carl's one of em.

We're equal in that. I am the teaching usually elder on Sundays and Carl lives on Mondays. The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honors especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. Corinthians, now, there was a lot of sin in Corinth and there was a lot of factions that had developed and towards the end of this first letter to the Corinthians, he says, now I urge you brethren, brothers and sisters, you know the household of Stephanus that they were the first fruits of Achaea and that they have devoted themselves for ministry to the saints. These are people who have taken it upon themselves after God has called to minister to the saints so that you also would be in subjection, subjection to them, such man and to everyone who helps in the work and labors.

Philippians again, holding fast the word of life so that in the day of Christ, I will have reason to glory because I did not run -in vain nor toil in vain. You know how hard Paul worked? Steady all the time, right? For years and years and years until he was old and decrepit. He worked and worked and then gave his life for the cause and he wanted to know that what he was doing was not in vain.

Actually, I like his list. I don't put it up here but in in the eleventh chapter Corinthians where he says, I've been shipwrecked and snake bit and beaten with rods and beaten with lashes, lowered down over a wall, all these different things and then at the very end of the list, he says, and on top of that, my concern for all the churches. He was still concerned. He had joy and he had some grief from that. Peter, this is the onus is on the young man in this one but you, younger folks, likewise, be subject to your elders and all of you.

Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another. For God is opposed to the proud but he gives grace to the humble. Submitting is a humble position and God gives grace to the humble. He's opposed to the proud. Now, that comes the fifth verse of chapter five from first Peter and the four verses leading up to that are on the elders and this is this.

This is from Peter. Peter is saying, therefore, I excel, I exhort the elders among you. Peter says, as your fellow elder, he did not set himself up to be anything more special. He considered himself a fellow elder. Therefore, I exhort the elders among you as your fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed.

Be shepherding the flock of God that is among you. Exercise in your oversight. This is to be the watch person. Watch watching. Losing sleep if you wanna put it that way, keeping up, keeping staying woke.

Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, not because you got to but because you get to voluntarily. According to the will of God and not for sorted gain. Yes, there are people who preach for money but yes, there are people who are charlatans, who are shysters, who are looking to gain from peddling the gospel. There were when Paul was around and there are now. He says, don't be doing it for sordid gain but do it with eagerness, joy, nor yet as lording it over those who are allotted to your charge and this is what I fear.

This verse has been used for often is to beat people into submission and say, you must obey me because I'm your leader. Nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge but proving to be examples to the flock in the way that you live your life and when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. So, this is the verse for today. Y'all be being persuaded by those who are leading you and be being yielded or be yielding yourselves. For they're watching out over your souls as ones who will soon give account.

So that they might be doing that with joy and not with groaning. Indeed, that would be unprofitable for you. James says this and I'll end with this. He says, let not many of you become teachers, my brothers and sisters, my brethren. Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such, we will incur a stricter judgment for we all stumble in many ways.

That's a statement of humility right there. Would y'all pray with me and we'll stand and I think Kristen's gonna come forward when we're gonna play a closing hymn, hymn of invitation, I guess. Would you pray with me? God, I pray that in those ways that I do stumble, you would gently and lovingly correct me. Please use those who are in this room right now to do that.

I open myself up to have them share any biblical conviction where they feel like I'm off base but God, would you allow for me and for Carl and for the elders of this church to bow the knee first and to humble ourselves first and to exercise eldership with fear and trembling before you as those who will give account. I also pray lord that we would continually be sharing life together in such a way that it would be edifying and building up for those who are struggling in the right now. May we be good to one another and good for one another. In Jesus name and for his cause. Amen.

Just as I am, hymn number four eighty eight. Altar is always open for prayer but if you'd like to come talk to me, I'll turn the microphone off and pray with you.

Just as I am without one plea but that thy blood was shed for me and that thou bids me come to thee oh lamb of God, I come, I come, just as I am and waiting not to rid my soul of one dark blood to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot oh lamb of God I come I

I come hope that y'all get this from Sunday to Sunday that I love this. I enjoy, enjoy, enjoy this and there is not a whole lot of grievous time here. Y'all love one another well and I think that you're serious about the gospel. I am prayerful and hopeful that we'll be able to to keep on doing what it is that we're doing together. I love y'all and I'm thankful thankful for you and today, the benediction is this, taste and see that the Lord is good.

Blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Lord, hide us behind the cross. Hide us behind your word. Let us take our refuge there. The lions may grow weak and hungry but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Would you give us that desire for you? In Jesus name, we pray. Amen. Amen.