How To Encourage Your Pastor

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Father in heaven, we thank you for this day that you've given us. We thank you for the sunshine father we thank you for this opportunity to gather together once more as your people and We just pray that you would bless this day before us bless the service this morning and Sunday school this morning father.
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We Pray that you grow and equip this body here at BBC through The very simple and yet profound means father that you've laid out in your word
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Through the prayer and preaching of your word through singing and giving Serving and fellowshipping with one another and building each other up father
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Just this this evening as well father as we share the Lord's Supper God I just pray that you work through these means and that you help us to become more united as a body and And that we grow into maturity father as your word says we pray that you be with our pastors as they come home this week from the shepherds conference, we pray that that was a good time for them father that they
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Were refreshed by the fellowship and teaching that they became that they were relaxed that they were arrested father
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They had a good time just being out in California father in the sunshine, and we just Pray that they were rejuvenated by seeing old friends and acquaintances that maybe they lost touch with or that They've kept touch with but distance has separated them father
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We just pray that you be with them on the way home be with Tim and Jonathan as well Continue to pray for Tim that you would
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Do the continue to do the work of healing through his doctors and of his headaches father that he has relief from those
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Again, we pray for this morning for the the worship services in Christ's name. We pray. Amen so Today is going to be a very kind of topical lesson definitely not exposition, but I hope it's practical and helpful and You know as I think at my time here at BBC some of the more
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Practical tips, you know the little tips that you get on the side from pastor Mike pastor Steve have been the most helpful
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I know in pastor Mike's preaching class. He'd always have some little tip, you know when you're reading scripture men
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Keep keep the finger in the in the Bible, you know, so you don't lose your place as you're as you're looking up Things like that, you know how to check your fly without anybody noticing the simple simple practical tips
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So we're talking about how to encourage your pastor and The idea for this is not my own by any stretch and most ideas are not our own
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I got it from I was kind of leafing through this book this week and I Think this was given out several years ago to the entire body life in the body of Christ It's an excellent book.
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I don't know if we have any more about that upstairs, but Just a ton of small little chapters with all these little practical things about Life in the body of Christ how to Encourage one another encourage your pastor our responsibilities as members and who has this book
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Who's read this book It's a good book and so I was leafing through it and I came to a chapter and the chapter is called
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Ways to discourage your pastor, so I tried to flip that around and we want to be encouraging
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We want to here's how you discourage them. But here's how let's flip it around how you can encourage them In day -to -day week to week so that's what we're gonna look at and if you don't have this book
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I encourage you to look for it and read through it or borrow our copy. And again, there's just lots of great tips
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I'll read a few of the Few of the chapters for instance from my section one Our first responsibility, what would that be as members?
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Salvation salvation's our first is it's not our responsibility But the first requirement is she talks about that our second responsibility.
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I believe is membership and then personal Bible study family worship guarding our minds attitude a most important ingredient be a
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Barnabas and encourager prayer private and public church finances our part Friendship with the world, etc.
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So it's just lots of good practical chapters, so Grab the book and take a look at it.
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But I was leafing through it and I came across The ways to discourage your pastor and I thought hey, that would be good for Sunday school.
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So decided to look into that further and That's what we're gonna go through so When we think about our relationship to our leaders, what's one of the first verses that we think about?
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I'm just gonna ask you all just perk up and be right. I'm gonna ask for a ton of participation I want I want your input and what's one of the first verses we think about when we talk about our relationship to our leaders?
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submitting to them Okay, and that's a good one, how about Hebrews 13 17
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Somebody look up Hebrews 13 17 and read that please Hebrews 13 17 and that's how he begins actually this chapter
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I'm talking about encouraging your leaders. He talks about Hebrews 13 17. Does anyone have that Brian?
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All right, so When you read this passage what stands out to you?
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What immediately jumps off the page as a church member as a lay person in person the pews what jumps out to you?
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Obey your leaders and submit to them. That's kind of your action item. That's what you're gonna do is you're to obey them you're to submit to them
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Anything else jump out to you when you read the passage? All right
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Exactly so when you'd read it from when your elders read this that was the next question what jumps out to them and that's that they
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Give an account for your souls your eternal souls. I mean, so they have a huge responsibility in light of what their responsibility is our
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Responsibility of obeying submitting It seems to pale in comparison, you know
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They're their responsibility of our souls and give an account and what does James say James 3 about? those who teach
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They bear a greater responsibility and they'll have to give it an account by one one day before God is how they taught us and how they
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Led us as shepherds So again our action items obey your leaders submit to them
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And again when you're your elders they read this they keep a watch over your souls And so that's just a huge responsibility
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As we get into I want to read the first paragraph from this chapter to talk a little bit more about that and it says
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Gives the verse Hebrews 13 17 and then says more and more good men are leaving the ministry their reasons may include a lack of commitment a serious sin in their lives a feeling of inadequacy the pressure of public responsibilities
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Erratic and long hours or some other issue But often the main reason is discouragement caused by church members something which
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Hebrews 13 17 says should not occur How do we discourage our pastors? That's how the chapter starts again.
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We're talking encouragement. We're gonna flip that around What we're for will be known for what you're for not what you're against, right?
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So we're gonna turn that around and talk about some practical things positive things To encourage our pastors
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The first one and If somebody can find Galatians 4 18 and 19, we're gonna read that The first one is encourage your pastor by listening to and obeying the scriptures being taught
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Encourage your pastor by listening to and obeying the scriptures being taught. Does anyone have a Galatians 4 18 and 19?
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Pretty So Paul he was said he was in the anguish of childbirth
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Easy for him to say right ladies. He's in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you the passage says
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So Paul desired to see growth in those. He was teaching he desired he was You know with the Galatians and and he wanted to see growth.
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And so when he saw What was going on there? He was hurt He was saddened and he was hurt in his heart and like any pastor would be they would they desire to see growth and when?
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maybe people aren't Growing or aren't responding and obeying to the preaching and teaching they get week to week.
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I'm sure It hurts them. It hurts them. They they're disheartened To see that and surely the
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Galatians had bigger issues. There was just rank heresy there Paul was angered in some ways with them and I I don't think anyone's
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Really falling into this rank heresy here And if they are I'm sure they're being brought along and brought out of that But Paul looked at looked at them and he said what what's going on?
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I labored over you I toiled over you taught you the scriptures and now what? What's going on?
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And so he must have been disheartened So again, I'm not accusing anyone here falling into you know, heretical teachings or anything like that what
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I am saying is that when we are slow to obey we hear the scriptures week after week and We don't obey we don't respond properly our pastors.
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I'm surely they're discouraged to see that and you know,
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I Don't know if I'm talking out of turd or talking for anyone, but I think that's true. And I think they felt what
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Paul felt another verse that I actually got an email this week about You know the endgame for pastors what they want to see in us is maturity and there's a couple verses that speak to that one of them is
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Ephesians 4 11 we'll start there For 11 through 16 and I can read that one
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Let's give a minute to find it Ephesians 4 11 through 16 and he gave the
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Apostles the prophets the evangelists the shepherds and teachers To equip the
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Saints for the work of ministry for building up the body of Christ So there you see the pastor's job is to equip those under him to build them up Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the
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Son of God to mature manhood Again, and we grow into maturity Spiritually to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ so that we may no longer be children
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Tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine by human cunning by craftiness and deceitful schemes
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Rather speaking the truth in love. We are to grow up in every way into him who is the head into Christ From whom the whole body joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped
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When each part is working properly makes the body grow so to build itself up in love and so a pastor's job again huge responsibility is to mature to see you mature teach you the scriptures and hope that by Filling your mind with scripture filling your mind with what it means and what
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God's Word demands of us that you'll grow up into maturity and God gave us the gifts of pastors and teachers to do just that And Again, Colossians 1 28 and 29.
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We don't have to look far for that one. That's right on our bulletins And it says him we proclaim warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom
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That we may present everyone mature in Christ for this. I toil struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me
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So there you have it. Paul uses that word a lot. I toil I struggle I He just wants to see so badly that the
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Saints mature and to and he knows it's not his Work that necessarily does he knows it's the
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Holy Spirit working through him and the Holy Spirit working in individual lives But he took it upon himself just like when we parent our children
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You know, I know I can't save my son But I'm gonna parent like I can
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I'm gonna parent like I can just give him the word whenever I can Teach him show teach him life lessons as we go about the day.
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So Paul knew that he couldn't give salvation to these people But he acted like he it was his job
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He acted like he was just gonna toil and labor and struggle to try to see Christ formed in them So hope that that was helpful, you know
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So in this verse Colossians makes it very explicit Maturity is the goal maturity is the goal of any pastor is to see his
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Saints grow and Getting back to the Galatians passage.
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There was pain. There's sorrow. There's disheartening feelings when it doesn't come about and You know, that's where Paul was there when he was writing that Galatians passage again, there was a sense of anger and that they had totally
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Gone back abandoned certain Fundamentals of the faith, but there's also sorrow sorrow when he thought of them so What are some practical things and this is where I'm gonna ask you guys to participate
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What are some practical practical things we can do to encourage our pastors in this area of obeying the scriptures hearing the scriptures obeying the scriptures
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What's one thing we can do When you hear on Sunday morning Charlie Yeah, I mean surely agrees them and you know, you know the doubt it's gonna grieve
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Christ whose name is being profane when like you said somebody's Living a life.
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What was the phrase? Regrets, you know and so Christ's name is profaned when when we do that and so it's not only just our pastors that are grieved
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But but Christ himself who is grieved with us for sure This morning, what can we do we can listen intently, right work on our listening skills concentrate
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Listen to what's being said. I think you know, and maybe too much is made of this. I don't know but I Know personally that over the years as you have more electronic devices.
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This is in my notes So I'm getting in trouble more electronic devices email text phone calls this that constantly accessible
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Internet click here click there check this article check that article what happens to our attention spans.
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I've noticed in myself Attention spans just get worn down and listen into a 45 50 minute sermon becomes difficult.
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So I think as Christians Knowing that this is the God -ordained means by which we receive the word and are transformed by the way
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You have to work on our listening skills We have to work with our children on their listening skills that they can hear the word and be and learn that way and Focus intently
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Focus intently on on what's being said You know, I think of again, it's not my nose
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Puritans they would teach their children to read their main purpose of teaching their children to read and teaching them to Concentrate on that was to learn the scriptures
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To learn the scriptures God gave us his revelation how? Through the written word and so how are we gonna learn that is to teach your children to focus on and concentrate on scriptures?
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And so same deal with listening so we should learn to listen intently I think one thing we can do is think about the implications and applications
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Not only as you're sitting here, but throughout the week, you know, and if I can encourage anything note -taking being able to take those notes during the week and look back and say
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Hey, you know pray over that pastor. Mike said this pastor. Steve was preaching about that. How does that apply to my life?
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What are the applications of my life? What are the implications for my life and praying through that and just asking the
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Holy Spirit's help in our day -to -day walk and applying those things? Like I said pray pray for understanding
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That the Holy Spirit would show us how to apply those things and just strive to obey just as Paul was
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Toiling and struggling and laboring to see Christ for it. We should toil and struggle again I had a question this week sent to me and the person wanted to know about Maturity and if we're in Christ and Christ has chosen us and he's already glorified us that one day will be in heaven
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Do we really have to do this is just let go let God is that no no we struggle we toil we we work hard to understand the scriptures and to Move towards maturity.
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Don't don't be content with saying. Okay. I'll just you know, hang out here. It's it's easy. It's The life of least regrets or the path of least resistance.
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No, we stroll toil and struggle towards maturity and that is the goal and maturing
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Saints Everything else I'm going to say here today is kind of builds off of that maturing Saints give maturing
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Saints Serve maturing Saints. They work to build up the body and in unity and in those things and so everything kind of flows from there
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Is there any questions about that? That point anything anyone want to contribute to add
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And It's not just once they he makes it clear that what what the purpose of I mean we just read three
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Ephesians Galatians and Colossians three
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Epistles where he's saying this is the end. This is the endgame. This is what we're working towards this maturity maturity in this life and one day, you know will be
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Fully mature when we see him, you know death equals instant maturity But that's what we're striving towards here.
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He made it clear there, but he also made it clear in Timothy, you know, Timothy This is your job is to you know, bring them up and mature these people through the preaching of the word.
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So Very good So that's first one number two encourage your pastor actually,
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I'm gonna I'm not gonna read it yet Yeah, we'll encourage your pastor by worshiping
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God in the way you listen to Teaching and preaching, you know, we should worship through our listening. So we just kind of touched on that And the author in the book.
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He puts it as negatively that how can we discourage our pastor? We can show irritation when an important point in the pastor's message
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Lengthen the pastor's sermon five or ten minutes beyond its usual length I don't think we have that problem you generally when
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Pastor Mike says, oh, you know, I'm gonna go five more minutes You hear amens, you know people like to hear the preaching of the word and so I don't think that's necessarily an issue here
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But again getting back to how we listen Are we are we focused are we concentrating or we locked in when the pastor's preaching and are we thinking about the applications for our lives?
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And and how we're gonna apply that during the week So, yeah,
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I think you know, we should encourage our pastor by worshiping God in the way we listen What are some practical steps we can take to to be better listeners anyone have anything the
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Things you I don't have anything necessarily But anything anybody do something to help them focus when they're at service to help them concentrate on what's being said.
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I take notes. I Think notes is the best way to have you know written notes. He some of you have your iPads and Other devices, but I take notes and I think that helps me focus
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That's later, but that's good that that's that's a later point but absolutely is that I'm gonna be talking about how do we prepare and How do we get ready for?
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You know our preparation starts on Saturday, and I just I think last Sunday night. I talked to pastor Mike briefly He's like, yeah, we we have our whole routine laying out clothes and being ready
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And I noticed that you know that you have to be disciplined about it Excuse me,
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I'll tell my wife on Sunday night, you know, we'll have we should start laying out the kids clothes What time we getting up who's first in the shower?
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What's your plan? Is lunch ready for tomorrow, can
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I help you get lunch ready for tomorrow? What what do we have to do so that the day is smooth, you know?
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What you guys don't help with lunch Get back in the kitchen woman
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Yes, I I helped by So Yeah, we just plan our day and we try to we strive to get here for Sunday night.
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So we just try to Not only plan Sunday night for Sunday morning getting the clothes laid out getting everybody get our plan in place, but also
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We want to be back on Sunday night. And one of the things I do I'm Count the offering every week.
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I'm the church the financial secretary's I have to count that and so that's just another kind of step And so how is our afternoon gonna go?
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How can we make sure we're back here at 6 p .m So we can be at a at night service because we just love p .m.
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Service with the fellowship And the preaching and again, the teaching is usually more Interactive, you know, he asked questions from the pulpit.
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So we just love it and we want to get back And so we have to lay out our schedule.
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So they want to again have any other Advice for us as far as how you prepare yourself for Sunday to listen
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That's a great way to put I I have in my notes being active listener thinking about what you're doing how we're worshipping and how and also prayer try to just You know five -second prayer, you know as we're getting ready for the sermon
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God focus my mind put put other things out of my mind So I think those things are helpful being being active as a listener and also being prayerful about It and again being conscious that we are worshipping
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God as we listen There is a whole chapter in this book About listening and so that that's just another
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Other reason to get it is to read about how we listen to a sermon There's some great tips in there that he gives and most of what we've talked about and again being prepared and preparing yourself beforehand to to worship
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So that's point number two encourage your pastor by worshipping God in the way you listen to Teaching and preaching he knows when you're paying attention.
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You can see everything from up there preach very few times but I was amazed how much you could look down and see who was nodding off and who was not paying attention and Believe me and that is not an encouragement we don't
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Pastors don't preach certainly. I don't believe our pastors preach to get any sort of a claim or to Seek the approval of man and to see this place packed out
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That's not why they do it, but certainly it is a discouragement to look down and see people Nodding off not paying attention not engaged in what you're doing
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So if I can exhort you that would be it is just be engaged in what is being said from the pulpit
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And again thinking about what you're doing. You are worshipping God and how you listen and again This is how we receive the word.
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This is the God ordained ordained means how we receive the word in each Sunday The voice of God speaking from from the pulpit through his messenger so Number three
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And this one was tough he said Stated negative negatively. He said fear men rather than God and I put here encourage your pastor by fearing the
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Lord more than men Took me a while. I had to think through it. What do you think? He's saying there fear men rather than God How can that be a discouragement to our pastors?
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I just know how I would he would meet not to be result oriented whether you're
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Evangelizing that he should feel like he's being obedient to the
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Lord Jesus Christ and that I appreciate he's being Obedient with the boldest not the results of if someone's sleeping if someone's obeying or nothing
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But he's a folk focused on obeying the Lord God. Almighty. Okay, thank you saying that you know, we
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Not being results oriented that you know, we are interested. We have an audience of one
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We're really preaching for God and teaching for God and doing those things for God and when you're down there worshiping you're singing for God You're listening for God.
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You're worshiping in that way and so fearing God rather than men By not being worried about results, but being faithful.
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And so that was what she said. Does anyone else have? What do you think? He means by fear men rather than God how that can be?
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discouraging to your pastor Right All right.
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I just tried to think of where we see this concept in the Bible at one time. We see it is in acts 4 where Peter and John they were out boldly proclaiming the truth boldly proclaiming the gospel and Actually, we'll open up acts 419 is where they
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Turn that quickly Acts 419 but Peter and John answered them so they were brought before certain leaders for Preaching and Peter and John they were told to knock it off Peter and John answered them whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God you must judge
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And so we'd rather obey God we'd rather fear God and what he commands and fear you In earthly power telling us to do exactly opposite what
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God tells us to do So that's one place where it talks about that. The next is right in the next chapter acts chapter 5
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Verse 29 Same thing.
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I think this point they were brought before the Sanhedrin and they said it was a
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In 529, but Peter and the Apostles answered we must obey God rather than men So we're gonna obey
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God. We're gonna choose to fear him rather than than you and so I think from these two examples It gets back to a little bit what
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Peggy said as far as not worrying about results, but also not worrying about I'm gonna give you the truth, you know unbelieving co -worker unbelieving friend
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I'm gonna give you the truth and The truth is going to offend But as long as I do that faithfully and lovingly and I lay that out for them
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I can't really be worried about how they're going to react and I think him
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I Don't know if you think that's right If I'm if I'm getting it again, I don't know what nobody meant.
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There's no notes on these things He just said fear men rather than God. So I think maybe if we if our pastors see us
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Backing off the truth or not giving it as as they so faithfully try to do every week But maybe that's a discouragement to them
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What are your thoughts on? Yeah Yeah, John was saying that Maybe it gives them the feeling they're preaching in vain to see again people backing out the truth not not being faithful to it
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So, yeah, I think from those two stories that's kind of how I took it if I look for two places Does anyone know another place that maybe
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I'm missing? I didn't really think through as far as men Other people and And it happened especially those who are in workplaces where there's no
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Christian influence or there's it's a very rough place to be where there's a lot of profanity and things like that and just complaining and grumbling and It becomes difficult to think rightly and act rightly and respond rightly to those things
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That's that's kind of what I was thinking when I read that is like, yeah, you know, and we all are guilty of Gotcha It's a good point to not just with our unbelieving friends, but also
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Other believers who may not share certain convictions. I mean do we back off do we? for the sake of some perceived unity do we back off of truth claims what the
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Bible clearly states So that's a good point. I'll just read one verse actually if somebody wants to read it first Peter 3
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Verses 14 and 15 first Peter 3 14 and 15 15 is Very well known somebody wants to read that 14 and 15
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Okay, was that 3 14 15 3 chapter 3
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To anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect.
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So end of verse 14 have no fear of them nor be trouble When you're speaking the truth, you can't be thinking about how
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Their reaction would be as long as you're doing it with gentleness respect. You're lovingly presenting the truth. We shouldn't fear them we should just ask
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God to be faithful and Trust him for the results. So How will fearing
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God more than man play on our daily lives and I Think knowing the truth getting back to what we've already talked about listening and hearing and obeying scripture so that we know the truth that we can give an answer that we are able to Engage those around us whether they believers or unbelievers
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Charlie That's a perfect segue into point four
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Point three Standing so knowing the truth standing boldly forward Even if we're not popular standing boldly, even if it costs us in the workplace, even if it costs us something monetarily or anything else so point four
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Thank You Charlie Encourage your pastor by prioritizing the Lord's Day Encourage your pastor by prioritizing the
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Lord's Day. I've been thinking a lot about the Lord's Day lately I want to look at it rightly.
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I want to see it biblically. I want to see it Graciously Deal with others graciously when it comes to I don't want to be because what's the danger whenever we talk
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Lord's Day? Legalism, you know, we want to be legalistic and I actually passed
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I promised pastor Steve that I would be super careful talking about Lord's Day and because that is the the danger is that we would be legalistic and Many sermons that I've heard on that have not been helpful
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They are rules they are You do this don't do that. You can't do this. You can't do that certainly in the last
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I Don't know 40 50 years. You don't see as much as that of that, you know stores or I remember
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I'm only 33 when I was a kid. I can remember if you didn't have stuff at home
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For dinner you you know, it was Sunday. You didn't Go shopping and everything was closed and that wasn't that long.
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I was 80s So things have changed quite a bit even in the last 30 years as far as that goes
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Yeah, I can remember Sunday afternoon if you if you don't have anything in the house Grew up the proverbial
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Creek so Certainly society has changed and also attitudes within the church have changed where I listened to a sermon or read it read through a sermon last night by John MacArthur.
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We was talking about When he was a kid it was you got home, you know, everybody be playing ball they'd you know, you throw the ball against the steps and everybody up and down his row apartments would be doing that and He'd be sitting on his steps with his suit, you know, and that was it.
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They would just watch everybody play because they weren't allowed to Engage and weren't allowed to play and certainly that's not what we're getting at.
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We're not saying there's no work to be done and there's No fun to be had on a Sunday that that would be totally
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Legalistic so it's not a list of do's and don'ts but Just I guess to start the discussion what's the verse
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I asked this to be I would said as well with another verse But what's the verse we commonly think of when we talk about the Lord's Day and we talk about meeting together
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What verse comes to mind? Yeah, okay anyone else
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Do not forsake the assembling so remember the Sabbath would be the old covenant verse and then
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New Covenant Hebrews 10 24 25 it says and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works
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Not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some But encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near so We see there that that's you know, we're to meet together and it's for a good purpose for a great purpose and that were to Encourage one another to love and good works and we do that by fellowshipping being here on Sundays and hearing the preaching but also you know encouraging our brothers and sisters and You know getting together with them and how can we serve others how can we help others and so There's really no explicit mention of the first day of the week there, which is interesting that that's always the one quoted
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When we're talking about it, but it tells us why we meet And again in that sermon by John McArthur's listen to you just kind of going through the history and the biblical reasons why we meet on Sunday Christ rose on First day of the week, right
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Pentecost, which is 50 days after The Passover Sabbath day.
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So 49 days would be another Sabbath, but 50 days would be
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First day of the week the Lord's Day. So the church was essentially founded on Pentecost, which is first day of the week
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Christ rose on the first day of the week John Talks about the
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Lord's Day in Revelation and everybody agrees that he's referring to the first day of the week He was in the Spirit on the
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Lord's Day. He says We have the example of church history. We have Modern practice all over the world.
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I mean People meet on Sundays right here Churches in Africa churches in Europe churches in Asia we meet on Sunday which is again just accepted.
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And so that's a just an example from history Why were people neglecting the meeting together here in Hebrews?
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I didn't really find too much in commentaries Why why was it why was that happen, but maybe for many of the reasons we neglect busy work
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You know family issues, whatever They think sometimes some may have neglected.
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So some Jews that were Steeped in the Old Testament and in the law. Well, they were throwing off that that restriction maybe and they were saying
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We just we're not gonna be bound by that. You guys meet on Sunday, but don't don't
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Obligate me or who knows but that was one of the reasons I found as well was going through commentary.
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So But I read an interesting quote by Simon Kistemacher he said one of the
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First indications of a lack of love toward God and the neighbor is for a Christian to stay away from worship services he forsakes the communal obligations of attending these meetings and displays the symptoms of selfishness and self -centeredness where you could have the joy and the pleasure of building up your brother of striving for unity of serving others
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Instead you retreat and you say I'm gonna neglect that all together And that that's a sign of selfishness
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This is probably the last thing I'm just gonna read a lengthy quote here from from John MacArthur from that sermon And we'll finish with that He was preaching.
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He said this is the Lord's Day because this is Resurrection Day. This is Holy Spirit's Day It's not the
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Lord's morning. It's not the Lord's afternoon. It's not the Lord's evening. It's the Lord's hour It's not the
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Lord's hour. It's the Lord's Day So he goes through some of those biblical and historical reasons why we celebrate the
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Lord's Day on the first day of the week on Sunday Then he says what does that mean to you?
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There's a reason we don't have a Saturday night service. Would it be wrong? No, not law not necessarily wrong.
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I don't want to be the guy that breaks the tradition I don't want to be the guy who breaks this marvelous glorious tribute to the risen
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Christ Christ should be exalted 24 -7 Right and he should be exalted
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Saturday morning and Saturday night and every other day But it just seems to me that God has placed his almighty hand on the first day of the week and said this is my
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Day, this is my day Sunday night services are disappearing all over the place if they exist at all
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Much anymore, you'd be hard -pressed to find one. But as I said, it's not the Lord's morning It's the Lord's Day and we want to make sure that we do not
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According to Hebrews 10 25 forsake our assembling together but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day approaching as We get closer to the return of Jesus Christ.
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We ought to ramp up our fellowship not diminish it, right? We're going in the wrong direction folks services are shorter more superficial and fewer at the time when they ought to be deeper longer and longer and more frequent
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What does the Lord expect of us on his day? All I can say is that What he would expect of us would be obvious wouldn't it that we would celebrate him as Savior That we rejoice in his cross that would rejoice in his resurrection that we would pray together fellowship together break bread together
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Around his table and that we would listen to the Apostles doctrine and hear the preaching of the word and embrace its glorious truth
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I'm not talking about legalism. We're not talking about some kind of old covenants covenant Sabbath laws imposed upon us
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But grace certainly doesn't require less than law does it? So I thought just didn't interject with all that God has done for saving us in saving us
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Isn't the natural response worship getting together hearing the word singing together doing all these?
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Means that God has ordained just to finish the quote. I guess the question is not how much do you love Christ? I guess the question is how much do you love
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Christ? How strong is your desire for worship? We're not going to drop any external rules on you Everything about the new covenant is better than the old covenant everything including the day
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Including the day because this day is not burdensome and is joyous I never want to see people come to a service as a stop -off point on the way to whatever else they need to do
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That doesn't mean you can't do some work in the afternoon That doesn't mean you can't enjoy some recreation some fellowship and do some other things
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It just means is the day that God himself has ordained for you to focus primarily on the glory of your salvation
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Take every opportunity you can to fill it with worship and praise and fellowship and divine truth We're not under some old covenant regulations
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We're not under a system of condemnation. We don't need shadows We have the reality the true rest in Christ and this is the day to rest not to rest in the sense of celebrating creation
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He was talking early in the sermon about Sabbath was a day to recognize God as creator Since the beginning
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God ordained the Sabbath as his day of rest. He rested from creation. So he's referring to that He says but we're to rest in the sense of celebrating new creation salvation
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So that rather than ask what shouldn't I do on Sunday ask what should I do What is my love for Christ asked me to do?
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What does my heart for him asked me to do? I'm not forbidden to work I'm not forbidden to play but the high ground is to say that this is a day of all days in which
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I will find my greatest delight and What is my greatest delight? My greatest delight is to worship and fellowship with God's people and you can't and you can't do that If you just bring your body here without your heart search your heart.
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Is this really the Lord's Day for you? I hope so so I decided to go with a long quote because I don't want to get myself in trouble, but It's not what do
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I have to do? It's what I get to do I get to worship together with the Saints I get these opportunities to come here on Sunday Sunday morning
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Sunday school Sunday night To be together with the Saints in light of all that Christ Jesus has done for me.
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I get to come here and You know the King of Kings has summoned us to come and to worship and to be with his people and Again do these ordinary means of just fellowshipping and we're gonna end but Fellowshipping and taking the
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Lord's Supper and those sort of things. So I just pray that today we gather joyously We gathered not out of obligation that this not be burdensome, but it that be our greatest delight
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Fellowshipping and hearing the word and that we encourage our pastors by the way We approach the Lord's Day and we didn't even get to the practical things that David pointed out earlier preparing yourself on on Saturday and preparing yourself throughout the week.
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I read several quotes from Spurgeon and Ryle who may have been a little legalistic, but Throughout the week we have one focus and that's moving towards worshipping and fellowshipping on the
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Lord's Day. And so Let's pray I've gone over can someone pray and pray specifically