Authority Of Pastors

Well, we have been, for the last few weeks here in the afternoon, delivering messages on authority in the

Church. Authority in the Church. God has not left us to our own devices,

God has not left us to figure it all out, though some of it, by wisdom and by attendance to His Word, to figure some of it out, but not all of it.

He has designated, He has decreed certain parameters, certain regulations, if you will, for the

Church. And there is authority within the Church, well -documented in Scripture, meant for our good, your good, my good, all of us together, and given to us in very clear passages that have been presented to you.

We started with the authority of Jesus Christ, that it was a given authority for a determined purpose, for a concrete, was the word we used, purpose.

Jesus was given authority, and that authority then to the

Church. Jesus working through us, through human means, means of grace as we call them, to build up His Church, which

He promised to build, and then sent the Apostles to build that Church by founding it on the testimony of His death, and burial, and resurrection, by completing the

Word of God, delivering it to us, and in that Word of God, we find Jesus Christ's authority, then brought to the

Church. You heard a sermon on the authority of the congregation, the authority of the members.

Jonathan Lehman, in his books on Congregationalism, in the Nine Marks series, speaks of membership in the

Church as a third office, so you have pastors, deacons, and members. And so, a balancing of the authority that Christ has given to the

Church. So there was Christ first, Christ primarily, Christ given the authority by His Father, and then to us, to you, the congregation.

And this afternoon, I want to speak about a very difficult topic, one that is really hard for me to bring to you this afternoon, the authority of pastors.

I spoke quite a bit about that, actually, this morning, as I spoke about Nehemiah this afternoon, to this body here, specifically, as the subject of this afternoon's text, the authority of pastors.

If you would look at Hebrews chapter 13, and verse 17, Hebrews 13, 17, this will be the one verse we attend to.

And the apostle says, "'Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.

Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.'"

This book coming at the, this verse coming at the end of this, what I call a magisterial book, a majestic book, a wonderful book, full of truths.

This comes at the end of this book, one of the last commands from this unknown author, though ultimately, we do know who the author is, the

Holy Spirit of God. Now, most scholars would hold this letter to the

Hebrews to have been more of a sermon, more of an oration, than what we normally call an epistle or a letter.

I mean, the same thing, epistle is simply a formal word for a letter. I think of how glorious it would have been to hear this from the lips of the man who, by God's inspiration, originally composed it.

But the apostle's passion is for God's people to persevere in the faith of Jesus Christ, to persevere in the faith of Jesus Christ.

So one of the good ways to break up this book, if you ever study it, or if it's ever preached, is by the warnings it gives.

As we can divide up into a series of warnings, or a series of exhortations, all of which center on this idea, continue in the faith, stay true to the gospel, stay true to each other, stay true to Jesus Christ.

A few weeks ago, I spoke about how important it is to look at how books end, especially books in the

Bible, and how the author's resounding point is often found in the closing paragraphs, or sentences, or even the last verse.

But in there, what is really most important to him, or a summary of the theme of the whole book.

So in the book of Hebrews, when you close this book, this letter, this epistle, after reading all 13 chapters, what is it that God, by the

Holy Spirit, would have be the resounding thought that you leave with?

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

Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. This is a difficult passage for me to preach, and that's wrong, that's sinful on my part.

I am to give you the whole counsel of God, and yet I shy away from passages like this, just as I do in confessing this to you.

I'll tell you, it came to me as I studied to deliver to you this passage. I also have a hard time preaching that you must tithe to the church, that your resources and your bank accounts are to be freely given over to this place.

And the reason I shy away from that, something in me that says that that's just so self -serving, and I repent of that because we're in this together.

I'm not some overlord. I'm your pastor. Many of you have known me for a long time.

You know that I think of myself as your friend. We've known each other a long time. We've been through a lot together, and yet I have avoided preaching things because I'm the focus of this, and it feels egotistical.

It feels wrong, and yet to feel that way because it's so plain in God's word is wrong.

So as a fruit meet with repentance, I preach to you that you are to obey your leaders.

At this time, we have one in the position meant by the apostle, pastor, you to obey and submit.

And the reason for that is because I'm keeping a watch over your soul. I will have to give an account, and that is to Jesus Christ himself, who's going to place each one of you before me as it were.

And we're going to go through my stewardship of you. That aspect of your being that separates you and me and all of the humanity from all other life, that part of your being that will go on forever, that part of you that distinguishes you as human.

That part of you where you commune with God. I will give an account to Jesus Christ for that stewardship.

Therefore, let me do it with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Obey your leaders and submit to them. Who is to be obeyed? That's the first question.

I've answered it. It's pastors. It's your pastor. Not specifically named here, but the context allows for no other conclusion.

It is pastors in view that the command is given to the church, to whom Christ, among the many gifts he bestowed, included pastors for the church.

That's Ephesians chapter four and verse 11. Speaking of the gifts that Christ gave to the church, when he ascended on high, quoting of the

Psalm, when he ascended on high, he gave gifts to men. He gave some to be pastors, some to be teachers, some to be evangelists, some to be apostles, some to be prophets, and so forth.

Interestingly, Ephesians 4 .11 actually reverses the order of things from the Psalm that it quotes. The number of the

Psalm escapes me, but the Psalm says, when he ascended on high, men gave him gifts.

But the Apostle Paul says, when

Christ ascended on high, he gave us gifts, and then speaks specifically about the supply to the church, including pastors.

That is who is in view here, pastors. Ephesians 4 .11,

again, pastors among those in the church, those resources the church is given for the good of the church.

We could even say, defining the church. Acts chapter 20, verse 28,

Paul speaking to the Ephesian elders in his departure speech to them. He tells them of the flock, which means the church, you, one of those shepherding metaphors that they use.

The flock over which the Holy Spirit has made you, the elders, the pastors, the overseers.

The flock over which the Lord has made you, the elders, the pastors, the overseers. So who is to be obeyed here? Who's to be obeyed?

We'll speak a little bit in a little while about this word obeyed, but who's to be obeyed? It's a man whose voice you recognize as your shepherd.

Not a trained up professional, but an under shepherd of our great shepherd, Jesus. You see,

I call for obedience with many of you who

I've been friends with for many, many years here. We've rejoiced together, we've wept together, and then when your children were sick and when they were born, we've had to rebuke one another, we've had every aspect of friendship, which we should have, and there's nothing wrong with that.

But here I am, I am your pastor, not a professional, not a slick performer,

I'm the pastor here who doesn't run at the first sign of trouble.

I'm the pastor here, raised up by you, the congregation, some fifteen years ago, to take care of this church, to have custody of this church, to have stewardship over your souls.

And in this regard, to be obeyed, because if Christ gave me a responsibility for which

I will answer, is it possible, I ask rhetorically, is it possible that he gave me this responsibility and the scripture clearly says

I will answer to him for my execution of that responsibility and didn't give me the authority to carry out my responsibilities?

In my secular life, I had one job which I loved very much, it was a fun job, a challenging job,

I got to work a lot with statistics and finances, it was just a great place to be. And yet a great amount of the information that came to me, that I had to have in order to produce these financial and statistical reports that I did,

I had no authority over. I was responsible for it, every jot and tittle, but I had no authority over its accuracy, which led to a lot of trouble, gave me a lot of stress.

Christ is not such an employer, because Christ doesn't give me a responsibility for which

I will answer that does not come with appropriate and corresponding authority.

So who are we talking about here? Who's to be obeyed? It's me. It's your pastor.

Lord willing, as I said this morning, someday we'll be able to say pastors. That's who's in view here.

Your pastor, your pastor who stayed here. Your pastor, like Jesus said in John chapter 10, not that I'm anywhere close to that, but the picture is the same, where he says the hireling runs at the first sign of trouble.

This pastor, your pastor, this one to be obeyed and submitted to here in Hebrews 13 .17

didn't and is still here. So the verse before us makes clear that Christ and his care for you, he being, as Peter calls him, the shepherd, the overseer of your souls.

Just as he delegates the building up of his church, which he is building, and he is doing it through the means of human effort, so here.

So don't, let's err too much on the side of my work, because my work is a delegated work from Christ.

Christ is the overseer. Christ is the shepherd of your souls, a responsibility, again, like the

Great Commission, delegated to be carried out by men. So what is this obedience? What does the obedience look like?

If I'm the one who should say, based on Hebrews 13 .17, you need to obey me and submit to me, and even saying it now, even after my apology up front, those are hard words for me to kick, to spew out to you.

But that's what it says. What is this obedience? What does it look like for you? Well not a blind obedience, of course, the

Bereans in Acts chapter 16 would prevent any of that. It's an obedience that is willingly and gladly given.

It's an obedience of choice in terms of where will you bring about this obedience, in other words, which church are you going to belong to.

But the fact of the obedience is not a choice for you. The fact that you are to have a pastor over you, who has this authority over your soul, this responsibility, this stewardship, that's not a choice, because the scripture is so clear about it in many places.

Where you wish to place yourself in that custody, you have freedom, as long as you're talking about a true church, a gospel -preaching church, a

Bible -believing church, an ordinance -practicing church. I hope for all of you

I'm speaking to this afternoon, we're defining this church in this place. What does this obedience look like?

It looks like having a man who you yourselves raised up, though there's very few who were here when that vote was taken so long ago, a man who can give you directions, give you counsel, and with all of it, overlay it with imitate me as I imitate

Christ. Nothing is more humbling or warming than when someone comes to me and says, you've been a good example in something, in any way, you've been a good example and show me a clearer path to Christ.

And that's what it's about. That's where this authority comes from, it's delegated from Christ, it is to be obeyed, it's for a man who is here, a man who is committed to this place, to you, and who says, with credibility and with history to back it up, imitate me as I imitate

Christ. What is it to obey? You're called to obey, you need to know what it means.

Again it's not a blind obedience, it's not an all -encompassing obedience. As I studied the pastorate many years ago, when

I was raised up to this, I realized that pastors have great authority, it's a deep authority, but it's not an over -wide authority.

I don't have authority over everything in everybody's life, clearly not, that would be a cult, that would be unbiblical, that would be too much, but it wouldn't do you any good, it wouldn't do me any good.

But where the scriptures give the pastor's authority, and for that matter the deacon's, and for that matter the body, which is you, that is a deep and profound authority that is given.

What is this obedience that I expect from you? What does this authority look like from you towards me?

Well the word for obey means to be persuaded by, be persuaded by your elders.

It's an ear that's ready to be convinced. It's a spirit that says, this man is the pastor, he is at this church, he has stayed in this place, he has gone through the good times and the hard times, he has shown me the way to Christ, and therefore when he speaks, what do we call it today?

The benefit of the doubt? An immediate assumption of credibility? When we speak of love, love hopes the best?

That would be saying, well, he is speaking to me, even if the blows of a friend are hurting pretty bad and I'm getting some smarts from them, he's speaking for the good of my soul over which he has custody and responsibility and an answer to give.

That's what it means to be persuaded by. Then when I say something about your spiritual condition, when

I give counsel, what we were talking about this morning and what we had in the business meeting a few weeks ago, when

I say to the church, this is the way to go, it doesn't mean

I'm prescient, it doesn't mean I suddenly turn brilliant or anything like that.

It means that you are ready to be persuaded because of my demonstrated love for you and my

Christ -delegated authority over you to believe and to trust and to put shoulder to the plow and to go, well, follow,

I should say. That's what it means to be persuaded by. Be persuaded by your leaders.

Leaders has a sense of something that is first in priority, that is the chief among concerns.

Matters of spiritual concern, matters of spiritual direction for this church, brought to the man designated by the church and in the church for them, which is the pastor.

Now, does this mean that you cannot seek any advice or counsel except from me? Well, of course not.

Of course not. It doesn't mean that at all. Not so long ago, someone came to me and said, would you be offended if I go to this brother or sister about this problem instead of you?

My answer was immediate. He said, of course not. God has provided all of us for each other,

Romans 15, 14. Paul says, I'm confident about you brothers, that you are able to admonish one another.

That word admonish means admonish, encourage, rebuke, edify, all those nuances in that one word.

Speaking this morning about God's provision, well, that's you. So it doesn't mean that my authority demands that you come to me for everything, even if it's a deep spiritual matter.

But it means that the first place to go is to the spiritual leadership in the church.

It's to trust what I would say, because it's for your good.

Few men can handle everything that comes, but your pastor's direction should be sought first.

Why can you put yourself under authority like this? Because authority like this would say, this is too much for me.

I don't have this answer. But I so much love you. I so much care for you. I am so concerned to honor

Jesus Christ in my custody for your soul, that I will find someone who does. There's a brother or sister here in the church who's been through it, and I have not been through that experience.

Let's go that way. Something like that. That's what it means to submit yourself, to be persuaded by, to trust this one, to come to this one for these spiritual matters, to trust me enough, to love you enough, to give you the right answer, to lead you to Christ.

Or to say with all honesty and humility, I don't know this. We need to find someone who does, because I care for you so much, that we will look outside.

Not outside the church at large, but outside me, outside the resources that I can't provide.

That's what it means. It's not an absolute, not an all -encompassing command, but one of care, administered with wisdom.

And I don't know everything, and I'll say it before you can volunteer it for me.

I don't know everything. I cannot command you anything that goes against Christ or his word. We know that. I can command you that at work you are to work hardly as unto the

Lord. But I can't command you as to how to write computer code. My authority that is to be obeyed is here in the church, is delimited by Jesus and the apostles as to what is needful, and the care for your soul.

It's not everything. It's not every aspect of your life. But where the scripture gives this authority, what

I will answer for to Jesus Christ, there's a deep and abiding and profound and important authority.

At our last business meeting, it was asked, and very politely and rightly, I must add, rightly asked, why are the choices given in this direction that I'm so stirred up about, why are they yes -no when we used to collaborate about things and talk about them?

The answer is that your authority is to discern the gospel. The pastor's authority is to discern how we do the gospel.

The pastor sets forth the London Confession of 1689, and the body votes and says, yes, this is how we understand and explain the gospel.

The pastor sets forth an afternoon service. The body votes and says, well, yes, the gospel is honored by that.

And we didn't vote with a meeting and hands raised and not, but it was done differently than that, and I think

I would do it a bit more efficiently and collaboratively next time, but we didn't.

I said, this is the way we're going to do the gospel. We have people staying here.

We're going to have an afternoon service as now. And the vote then is voting with the feet and staying and reveling and rejoicing and worshiping

God in the afternoon. But that's how this authority works, and this is the back and forth, and this is the check and balance of it.

You discern the gospel. You discern the gospel. I discern the how of it.

So how is this good for your pastor? How is it good for me to have this obedience, submission, this willingness to be persuaded, this command from the apostle that you be persuaded by your leaders?

It was right there in the verse that was right before you. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

So where's the advantage found? Well, first of all, it's just what it says.

Just on the surface of it, joy is better than groaning, is it not? Joy is better than groaning.

Groaning comes from a word that means, this is kind of a long definition, but I want you to get this, a sighing that takes place by reason of a condition of oppression under which man suffers and from which he longs to be free because it is not in accord with his nature, expectations, or hopes.

It's just sort of a letting out the breath from deep down. It's like, ugh! As opposed to, praise

God. It's that different. So that's something that you are to see eliminated from my spiritual affair.

You're to see that eliminated from me. You are responsible to me, to the scriptures, to Christ, that I do this job of taking care of your souls from which

I would give an accounting with the joy and not with groaning. Now, our previous pastor, as he was training me up in the ministry, he had a platoon, really, of groan makers, some who would come charging at him as soon as he said amen, and just demanding that they be persuaded that he hadn't erred here and there and everywhere else.

And we could say, is that joy? No. No, from deep within his soul, where his wound was ultimately born, he groaned.

How do you avoid causing that? How do you engender joy in me for my work? The questions are very singular.

What can you do to ensure that groaning is foreign to me? How do you give me joy?

The first answer would be what I said earlier. It's just a willingness to be persuaded. It's the demeanor with which you come to me, and a willingness to come to me.

We can stretch it out a little bit and ask of the scriptures, what should my joy be? What should my joy be?

I'll just give you two verses, and I'll just give quick, quick comments on them from Philippians. The apostle Paul speaks of this pastoral joy that we should be seeing in me, seeing in your pastor.

Philippians chapter 2, verse 2. Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Behold how good and pleasant it is when brethren dwell together in unity. How much it makes a pastor's heart swell when he sees not just no animosity, but active love amongst the brothers and sisters in good and pure and right

Christian love together. Unity brings joy to a pastor's heart. A love permeated church makes his job a delightful job.

A joy that virtually eliminates groaning. Philippians chapter 4, verse 1.

Therefore my brothers whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown stand firm thus in the

Lord my beloved. There's so much here in just those few words. Know how much I love you and know how much

I long for you to be formed in the image of Christ. Come to see me as one anxious to see

Christ formed in you. Tell me how Christ is being formed in you.

How a word or a message or a counsel brought you closer to his image.

Gave you encouragement, as I said this morning, to not give up hope that you can't be more like him.

But you could actually take that leap. My joy and my crown. Know that you are my joy and crown also.

Be that. Be my joy and crown. More than friends, treat me as one who looks upon you as a precious trust from Christ himself.

Standing firm in the face of trials. When you stand firm in the face of trials. And Christ will tell me that anything

I said or did had any little part in giving you that endurance, that faith, that confidence.

My heart swells. And I think that's part of the well done good and faithful that I might get from Jesus.

I'll have to give an account to him. I'm going to account to him for my care for you.

I have kind of a long parable I want to read to you. It's familiar so I'll read it very quickly. But it bears on this.

It's Matthew chapter 25 verses 14 to 30. Matthew 25, 14 to 30.

Jesus speaking. Speaking of the kingdom of heaven this way. For it will be like a man going on a journey who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.

To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them and he made five talents more.

So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money.

Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with him. And he who had received the five talents came forward bringing five talents more saying,

Master you delivered to me five talents. Here I made five talents more. His master said to him, well done good and faithful servant.

You have been faithful over little. I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. And he also who had two talents came forward and said,

Master you delivered to me two talents. Here I have made for you two more. His master said to him, well done good and faithful servant.

You have been faithful over little. I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.

He also who had received the one talent came forward saying, Master I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seeds.

So I was afraid. And I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours. But his master answered him, you wicked and slothful servant.

You knew that I reap where I have not sowed and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers.

And at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.

For to everyone who has will more be given.

And he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away and cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness.

In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. You see the

Lord has entrusted me with something infinitely more valuable than talents of gold.

He's left me to care for your souls. He's left me to care for your souls and I'm going to answer for them.

If I'm a wicked and a lazy and a slothful servant and I care for you, well, I tell you now before I meet the

Lord, I need to know now. I need to know this now. Because I'm not going to be able to say back to Jesus, well, yes, that lamb was left flea bitten and his coat entangled with nettles, but boy, he was difficult.

I'm not going to be able to say, well, that one over there, Miss, what's her name? She took away my joy by reading Your Best Life Now instead of the good books

I gave her. She made me grown so I took little care of her, Lord. I'm not going to get away with that. I won't get away with that.

We're in this together. We are a congregational church. I am the leader. I am the pastor.

And yet, I'm not alone in this. I do need that feedback.

I do need to hear where I'm doing good. If I'm doing good and otherwise, it's good for me to have obedience and submission within my defined realm of authority because of the sheer weight of the work that I do.

I care for you in the name of Jesus to whom I must answer for my stewardship. And I'll tell you with no complaint at all, this work's hard enough already.

This work is hard enough already. And I love it. It's a joy. My wife will tell you

I get up early and I get up enthusiastically because I get to go to the office, this office, and open the

Bible and study and ponder and work. Whatever ability I have, the best I have, I put into it and give you the word as clearly as I can.

And I love it. I consider it a blessing. It humbles me.

But it's hard. It's hard enough without the groaning. And as I read this,

I do have to say this church gives me very little cause for this kind of groaning, if any.

I do find it easy just by telling the truth to make my pastor friends fairly jealous of this body.

But this is why it's good for me to have obedience and have submission, because of the work that I do.

How is it good for you that your pastor be found full of joy and a stranger to groaning? Well, again, because I'm keeping watch over your souls.

I'm keeping watch over your souls. Philip's paraphrase says on this verse,

Obey your leaders and recognize their authority. They are like men standing guard over your spiritual good, and they have great responsibility.

Try to make their work a pleasure and not a burden. By so doing, you will help not only them, but yourselves.

You will help yourselves. Ultimately, it's submission to the

God -given order of the church. Christ did not make me accountable over something over which

I have no authority. Thank you. You see, you have advantage in my calling.

You have profit. It's a commercial word that the apostle there uses. Advantage is commercially profit.

You have no profit in what I do if I'm groaning while I do it. In fact, the way the verse is written, we could say the opposite.

We could positively say the negative. It would be unprofitable for you. It would be disadvantageous to your soul.

It would slow, if not stunt, your growth into the image of Christ Jesus, which is the point of all that we do here.

It is your soul that seeks the blessing of a joyous pastor, a pastor who looks out on a congregation who's anxious to be persuaded by God's word, who trusts what he says, either from the pulpit or in conversation or at business meetings even, that what he's saying is for their good.

That it's been prayed about. That it's been thought about. That it's been studied in the scripture. And that it's right.

Because I'm somehow holier than anybody else? No. But because I've been given this charge to do good for you.

And by doing good for you, do good for Christ. And by doing good for you, by doing good for Christ, expanding this kingdom, this slice of the kingdom here in this place.

It's good for you. That your pastor is administering the gospel with joy and not with groaning.

Just a verse up from where we were in Hebrews 13. Just one verse up. Another one of those commands.

Another one of those admonishments that you get as this book closes, that when you shut the book, the apostle would have you, the

Holy Spirit would have you, keep in mind, do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

And right after that, obey your leaders. So how is it good for you to obey the authority of your pastor?

To be persuaded by your leaders and submit to them? For they're keeping watch over your souls.

And they will have to give an answer. Why is it good for you to do that?

How is that advantageous or profitable to you? How does that grow you into the image of Christ?

And it was right there in verse 16 that I just read. For such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

For such sacrifices are pleasing to God. The profit, the advantage is obvious.

To please God, what could be greater? What could be more important in this life?

If the end of man is to know God and to enjoy

Him forever. Don't we start that now? Here in this life?

Enjoying Him by following His commands? Pleasing Him now as we're going to revel before Him forever?

Such sacrifices are pleasing to God here and now in this world, in this life. And I say to you that when you obey

God and it pleases God, you are advantaged. You have profited by that.

In Deuteronomy 28, 47. One of the causes of the coming curse that God prophesies to them is because you did not serve the

Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart. Now I'm not taking this verse upon myself directly because to serve me in any way, even with joy and gladness, would be blasphemous.

And that's not what we're suggesting. But you obey this warning in Hebrews 13, 16.

When you make my service to God a matter of joy and not groaning. Because that's the way

God would have us serve one another. That's the way God would have us serve Him. And therefore each other, serving with joy and gladness of heart, has always been

God's goal for the men who would lead His people. There's a gospel to this authority.

There's a gospel to this authority. You know, if Israel was punished for not serving God with joy and gladness,

Jesus died for that sin. Jesus died for that sin. If you find yourself one who can look into your own soul and say, yes,

I've been unwilling to be persuaded. I haven't thought the best. I haven't trusted. I haven't hoped. I haven't looked at the history

I've had with this leader, by whom I'm to be persuaded. Christ died for that sin.

As I repent of having shied away from verses like this one, the verses where I stand and I have to point my finger at you, so to speak.

I don't think I could do that, really. But so to speak, from the Scripture. I've avoided those, and that's been sinful.

I had the hardest time preparing myself to tell you that it's for your good to obey and submit to me.

Christ died for that sin, too, as I repent of it. And what is the work that is meet with repentance is preaching this to you, as near as I can make it out from Hebrews 13 .17,

just what it says. He died for your unwillingness to be persuaded, just as he died for my unwillingness to command you to be persuaded and to submit and to obey and to make sure

I don't groan but have joy. When Jesus ascended on high, he gave gifts to men.

Ephesians 4 .11. Teachers to instruct, evangelists to spread, apostles to found the church on the death, the burial, the resurrection of the

Lord Jesus Christ, and pastors to guide this slice of Jesus' kingdom as we proclaim this gospel to the nations, to a dying world outside of this place, to lost souls all around us who we can reach.

It is to your good, your advantage. It's to your profit when your leader, your pastor is able to take joy in his work rather than groaning deep within himself out of sorrow for resistance.

And it is your duty to profit by making this job joyous in your willingness to be persuaded, your obedience and your submission, and your determined efforts towards my joy.

It's a hard one to preach, brethren. Even giving you my heart and telling you how

I repent of not being willing to preach these sorts of things is still hard.

It just feels wrong to me to stand up and say, you are supposed to give me joy.

But you are. And for me not to have said it before was disadvantageous to you.

And I repent of that, and I do ask forgiveness for that. But I tell you now, in God's providence,

God's timing, I was finally able to screw up my courage high enough, whatever the case may be.

You hear this now. Your advantage, your profit, your growth as a church, your growth as an individual is to be found, at least partially, by God's decree in making my job a joyous one.

And I pray that you will do so. I pray that you will give me joy. I pray that you will actively and positively find ways to take away any groaning you may perceive and give me joy because you do it for your own good.

And that in accordance with this scripture. Amen. Heavenly Father, again we thank you for this day.

We thank you for bringing us together, for putting these words before us. I thank you, Father, for giving me finally the courage to preach them rightly.

I pray, Father, that we would work together as a church body, the way your word would have it to be.

That I would take hold, even more strongly, of the authority that your word grants. That the church would take hold of following that authority insofar as I use it rightly and godly.

And, Father, that you would, just out of all bounds that we could think, far beyond what we could hope or even ask for, grow this place,

Lord. Bring your gospel to us with such an excitement, such a fervor, that we can hardly stand not pushing it outside these four walls.

And may we do so in a way that brings honor to your name. May we do this in a way that follows your scripture for the administration of this place, all things being done decently and honorably, and of the glory of our