In this sermon titled 'Elders and Authority, Part 3,' Jeff Pollard explores the complex relationship between church members and their elders, drawing from Hebrews 13:7-17. He outlines four major reasons why submission to authority is challenging: the inherent sinful nature of humans, the cultural addiction to individualism, the influence of the 1960s' 'do your own thing' philosophy, and the abuse of authority by some church leaders. Pollard emphasizes that elders are appointed by Christ to lead, teach, and model godly behavior, holding them accountable for the spiritual well-being of the congregation. He warns against the satanic doctrine of self-authority and highlights the role of elders in guiding the church according to God's Word. The sermon stresses the importance of mutual responsibilities, where church members are encouraged to obey and submit to their elders joyfully, facilitating the work of the church for the glory of Christ and the benefit of the congregation.

Morning our sermon text this morning is from Hebrews chapter 13 verses 7 down to 17. Hebrews 13 verse 7, remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines, for it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.

For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned outside the camp. Therefore, Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to him outside the camp bearing his reproach. For we have, for here we have no continuing city but we seek one to come. Therefore, by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Obey those who rule over you and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. Let's pray. Oh Lord, we thank you.

We thank you for our great high priest, the captain of our salvation, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. And Lord we thank you for the way that you have ordered your church. Lord we thank you for the government of the church and the fact that your church will endure until the end, oh Lord, even though there may be many trials and struggles and tribulations Lord you have promised that you will build your church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it and Lord we are so happy and so glad to be a part of this work that you are doing in the earth Lord. Thank you for making us a part of it. And we just ask you today Lord to give us ears to hear, make us attentive to your voice.

Father, we do pray for our brother Jeff Pollard as he comes to deliver this message here to us, O God. May you correct us and change us through it. Help us, O Lord, to rejoice and see so much more clearly as a result of this preaching now, O God. So be with Him and be with us also. In Christ's name we pray.

Amen. It is a very great privilege and always an honor to be with you all. I am delighted that I can stand here with you today. And I know that in great measure that is because of your very kind prayers on my behalf. I'm very thankful from day to day, though my health is fluctuating, that there are more good days than bad ones.

And I'm glad that thus far it's a good one. Thank our great and holy God. Unite with me again in prayer as we take up this text. Holy and righteous Father, blessed and almighty God, how we praise and thank Thee for the mercy Thou hast showered down upon us today in Jesus Christ, thy blessed Son. How we thank thee for our prophet, our priest, our king, our surety.

How I thank thee, O righteous God, that He is our propitiation and our very reconciliation unto thee. We thank thee that every good gift that cometh down from above cometh, O Lord, from thee as the Father of lights. But it always comes through that golden conduit, our Lord Jesus Christ. Holy Savior, there are lost people here today. And even though our subject is not one focused primarily on evangelizing, it is still of Christ.

It is still Thy living Word, and we pray that Thou would speak to their souls and draw them out of darkness into the glorious light of Jesus Christ. O God of grace, pour out thy grace. Pour out thy regenerating grace today. And Father, I pray with all of my heart that thou wouldst pour out thy sanctifying grace, that thy people would be built up, that their hearts would be established in the faith, that they would be encouraged and strengthened. And I pray, O God, according to Thy eternal will and Thy mighty power, that we would know Thy presence here in this place today.

Fill us with the mighty power of Thy Spirit. Give illumination to the hearts of all Thy dear children, and make we be drawn out of ourselves to see the glory and the beauty of our God in Christ and the importance of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. And now we ask it, O Christ, in Thy blessed and holy name. Amen. The sacred text that we have just read is essential for the spiritual health of the churches of Jesus Christ and more importantly for the glory of Jesus Christ, the head of the church.

Our text is a clear word from God's Holy Spirit about the Lord's people and their relationship to their elders. The clear and direct language of the text undoubtedly sounds foreign to modern American ears for at least four reasons. Number one, our inherently sinful condition. We are fallen. In the Garden of Eden, Adam And Eve cast off the authority of God's Word.

That's what it was all about. Because of this, all Adam's descendants, Christ excluded, are born with a natural opposition to external authority. Everyone here. This sinful condition makes us vulnerable to number two, our culture's addiction to radical individualism. A self-worshipping culture like ours simply cannot and does not prepare the human heart to respect and submit to another human being.

Submission to authority does not resonate with contemporary Americans, Christian or non-Christian. And this is one of the results of number three, the effect of the 60s upon subsequent generations. In 1904, an English occultist, Alastair Crowley, known as the wickedest man in the world, his heart's desire was to be the beast. And he signed many of his photographs 666. He was given a book by a spirit entity, which we would call a demon.

This spirit channeled the contents of the book through Crowley's wife, as Crowley wrote it down, entitled The Book of the Law. Its primary precept is, Listen carefully, do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law, which became the slogan of the 60s. Do your own thing. And no doubt you've heard people say that. I doubt that many of them understand that that simple phrase is the doctrine of Satan.

Do your own thing is satanic doctrine, high doctrine. Doctrine, high doctrine. While most people have no idea who Crowley was, his do-your-own-thing life and writings influenced numerous musicians, celebrities, filmmakers, college professors, and others. You've been influenced by them all at one level or another, everyone here, unless you have lived in a cave away from all of American civilization. I don't think you have.

Attractive as that might be sometimes. These people in turn intoxicated our culture with, do your own thing in various ways. By its nature, do your own thing is the antithesis of anything other than self-authority. You understand that that doctrine is simply a clever and pop way of saying ye shall be as God's. Life is according to your will, not God's will.

As one writer puts it, quote, what Crowley stood for ultimately was self gratification, no mere aimless indulgences, but the healthy and liberating pursuit of one's deepest will and desires against, this is important, against the soulless and shallow expectations of authority. In other words, you're your own authority. Seek your own will, whatever. That is Satanism, And that is the religion of our culture. And so far as your life is in harmony with that thinking, that far you are a functional Satanist.

It is the reigning philosophy of a modern of modern American people, Christian or otherwise. It's one of the problems in our churches. And they call it freedom. Now, finally. Number four, the abuse of authority by church leaders.

This is an unfortunate reality, far too common, but consistent with fallen human nature and our culture. And when any of us suffers under the abuse of illegitimate authority, it subtly turns us against the use of legitimate authority. Because of the searing pain that abuse produces in our hearts, we will do almost Anything. Listen carefully. If you're not living this now, sooner or later you will.

Unless the Lord just wonderfully preserves you. Because of the kind of pain that authoritative abuse produces in our hearts, We will do almost anything to avoid being abused by a church leader again. You will. It is human nature. When we're hurt, we'll do anything we can to get out from under being hurt again.

Now, that's problematic on one level. When indeed we're doing what we can to escape pain, we can to escape pain. That can lead churches to very bad attitudes, very bad decisions, and very bad actions on biblical, as well as promoting a life of suspicion and distrust. Now because of these four reasons and others, certainly not exhaustive, We do not like to submit to another's human authority. Nevertheless, in the churches of the Lord Jesus Christ, our risen Savior, is the head, the sovereign Lord and reigning monarch of His people.

He appoints elders. The reigning sovereign Lord appoints elders to teach and to lead his people authoritatively according to his word and spirit. That's the key, according to His word and Spirit. So our message is entitled this morning, Elders and authority. This is part one.

We'll try to finish it. Operative word there is try. In part two, after lunch. So may our loving Heavenly Father, and He is loving, and He's gracious, and He's good, Grant us the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit so that we might hear the voice of Christ, the head of the church, with clarity. Now the sacred text begins with a command.

Now let us consider that command carefully. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the text says, obey them. Obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves." Now it is important for God's blood-bought people to realize that this is neither a suggestion nor an option. This is not open for discussion. Obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves.

That is a divine imperative, a command. This holy command is comprised of two verbs, obey and submit. Now the basic meaning of the Greek word translated obey is to persuade. This is not the word used in Greek throughout the New Testament that is the New Testament that is usually translated obey. The idea is to persuade or to be won over as the result of persuasion.

However, in this context, grammatically, it does mean obey. Again, the idea is very important. This is an obedience that arises from having been persuaded. It's voluntary. It is a command from God to voluntarily obey, having been persuaded.

This is not simply fiat authority, just do what I say. The idea is that we hear something, we hear truth, it's presented to us, it is presented in a way that persuades our minds and we give ourselves to obey. This word, the tense of this particular word means continuous action. This isn't a one-time deal. This is a continue to obey kind of command.

And next the text says, obey them that have the rule over you. Them that have the rule are church leaders. The Apostle first mentions these leaders in verse 7, which was also read this morning. Again, it says, remember them which have the rule over you. Now who are these rulers?

John Calvin observes, quote, I doubt not but that he speaks of pastors and other rulers of the church, for there were no Christian magistrates. And what follows, for they watch for your souls, properly belongs to spiritual government." Close quote. And most agree with that. The English words, them that have the rule come from one Greek word that means to rule over with the implication of providing direction and leadership. So these leaders or these rulers here are pastors and elders.

So the Word of Christ set before us in this command is that believers are to receive the ministry of God's Word from the elders of their congregation and persuaded that they have handled the word faithfully, obey them. Now I want to be clear about this. By the way, If this is making you uncomfortable, you may be in one or more of the four reasons I gave at the beginning. Let's give our attention very carefully to this. I want us truly to be clear.

God's people are to submit themselves to the authoritative Word of God, not the whims of men. Elders have no authority in themselves. They're not a special race. They're made of the same stuff you are. They exercise delegated, representative authority as they deliver God's authoritative revelation to his people.

Is that clear? Is that helpful? I want you to make sure you get that. In other words, we're not being commanded by Scripture to just bow down to some people. We're being told as we look through this text that God qualifies, gifts, and makes certain men His administrators of His Word.

And because of that, they are to be heard and they are to be obeyed. It's nothing inherent in them. They are simply delivering God's authority to God's people. Again, Calvin says, quote, It ought at the same time to be noticed that the apostle speaks only of those who faithfully performed their office, For they who have nothing but title, nay, who use the title of pastors for the purpose of destroying the church, deserve but little reverence and still less confidence." Close quote. Next is the word submit.

It means to yield to someone's authority. I mean, the very words chosen by the Holy Spirit make abundantly clear what's being said here. Obey and submit. And it has to do with the issue of authority. And the authority for God's people from beginning to end is his Word, but delivered by God-chosen and God-appointed men for that work.

Christ's command is clear then. And I say Christ because he simply uses the mouth of the apostle here to deliver that truth to us. We have an example of what's going on, except this happens to be inspired and no pastors are. God's people are to obey and submit to the elders that have, God's word, not mine, the rule over them. Every single word is very clear from the Greek into any faithful translation what's being said here.

So then let us consider the relation between church members and elders, their elders. Let us hear verse seven again. Remember them which have the rule over you who have spoken unto you the word of God whose faith follow considering the end of their conversation apparently the Apostle here was refuel a referring to elders who once governed them, probably those whom Christ used to establish that congregation. Some suppose that they may have been martyrs, whether that's the case or not. The issue is that the words have the rule are crucial, have the rule.

They tell us that elders are to lead and that members are to follow. The verse commands us, however, to follow the example of their faith, to follow the example of their faith, considering the end, that is, the outcome of their way of life. Conversation here in the authorized version does not mean day-to-day exchange of news and ideas by spoken words. This is not chit chat. Rather, it means way of life.

Consider their faith, Follow their faith considering the way they live and what fruit it bears. There is more. The apostle wants us to consider, that is, the word means to give careful thought to. Every one of us here that professes to be a Christian, we need to take heed to this command from God. Every one of us needs to give careful thought to, to continue to think back on the way in this context those elders lived.

For elders to preach sound doctrine without corresponding lives is a corruption of the biblical pattern and dishonoring to the crucified and resurrected Lord that they preach. So then if we take verses 17 and seven together, It is very clear that elders are to teach, to model, and govern Christ's blood-bought people by Christ's Word and Spirit, not their own whims, not their great ideas, not their personal convictions for which they cannot make compelling reason from the Scriptures of God. And having been persuaded by God's Word, Christ's people are to obey and submit themselves to their pastors. That's a lot to consider, isn't it? It's very important.

Well, that brings us to our second thought, and it's this. The sacred text then gives two reasons for this command. These are number one, the elders' accountability to Christ, and number two, the believers' spiritual well-being. The elders' accountability to the head of the church, and the well-being of God's people. Well, first, under this thought we want to consider this.

Christ will hold elders accountable. The text is clear. They watch for your souls as they that must give account. They watch for your souls as they that must. It will be that way.

They will give account. Every elder, every professed elder that ever bears the title will give account to the head of the church. The elders of the church are answerable to its head, the Lord Jesus Christ, who sits at the Father's right hand. God's elect, his eternally loved people, are not the property of the elders. They are Christ's elders.

They are Christ's blood-bought property, the apple of His eye, His dearly beloved bride. Christ's churches do not now, nor will they ever belong to any man or group of men in this world. Pastors must always beware that they are accountable for what they preach to and how they live before God's people. Every bit of it. Christ did not appoint them to model their clothes, their style, their brilliance, their opinions or their education.

The head of the church appointed them to preach his word and model it for his people. That's the work of an elder. This is what Christ did, And the elders are His representatives. Let's consider the meaning of they watch for your souls. First, we need to grasp what that clause means.

The word watch means to keep oneself awake. So in this context, it means to be alert, to be vigilant. It also means to care, to take the care of, or to look after with the implication of continuous and wakeful concern for. In other words, Luke chapter two verse eight says, And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And in these words, we see the shepherds denying themselves sleep and rest to protect the flock.

That is the elder's calling. If he's got to wear himself out in the care of Christ's people, that's his work. I hate to hear people use the word job. I don't ever like that applied to pastors. Well, preacher, that's your job.

No, I'm not your hireling. I've been appointed by the living God to preach the Word of God. That's not a job. That is a ministry given by the head of the church. I didn't come here for a package, which I've said to Mount Zion.

I didn't come here for, okay, what's my vacation? You know, what's my retirement? That was never in the picture. Because God didn't send me for a paycheck. He sent me to preach His Word.

And that's the work of every pastor. And it means if you've got to lose some sleep to wash over that flock, that's exactly what you're there for. Pastors must know and care for Christ's people as a shepherd does his sheep. Only in this case, it's somebody else's sheep. They are not to micromanage them, nor are they to coerce or manipulate them.

However, elders must make a continuous watch over the flock's spiritual lives so that they may appropriately apply God's Word to them. And for this they'll give account. This is part of being an overseer, watching over souls. The soul is the seat and the center of life that transcends the earthly. It's that part of us that is immortal, And that part of us powerfully images our Creator.

To watch for someone's soul then means that a God-appointed elder preaches the Word, models preaches the Word, models the Word, and corrects according to the Word to help believers continue in the faith unto eternal life. I don't know. North Carolina is kind of the north compared to where we live. And down south, pastors very often are just called preacher. Well, it's true that pastors are preachers.

But that's not all. And unfortunately, that's what a lot of fellows think. He just somebody gets up, does his sermon. What a life. How easy is that?

Get up and talk to people for 30 minutes to an hour and a half if you're in Florida. And then what else do you do? Work on your golf game? Do a few weddings, maybe funerals? No.

Not the elders that Christ appoints. They're always at the work, sometimes starving themselves asleep for the well-being of God's sheep and making sure that they can say with Paul, I'm willing to spend and be spent for you. Men that only want to preach should resign the ministry as soon as possible. They are neglecting the vital work of applying the Word to the lives of God's people. That's full time.

The souls of believers will live for eternity. And for professing Christians, because not all are regenerate, for professing Christians, they will spend eternity in heaven or in hell. God appoints elders to take all those who say they're believers and to preach and model and correct according to the Word of God in the hopes that Christ will be fully formed in them and that they will finish their journey. And pastors have the sobering task, the accountable task of caring for sinful, fallible, sometimes stubborn, sometimes arrogant. You always have at least a half a dozen in a congregation that are utterly certain they know more than the pastor, and helping them reach eternity in Christ.

We see this in Paul when he said to the Galatians, My little children of whom I travail in birth. Women ought to appreciate that passage. Women that have had children understand the travailing he's talking about. And inspired by the Spirit of God, Paul is saying, I travail like that for God's people. Why does he have to do that?

If you just walk the aisle, say the prayer right in the front of your Bible when you made your decision and you're going to heaven no matter what, don't doubt that? Well, that doesn't exist in Holy Scripture. It does exist in some denominations. This book talks about loads of people that think they're on the path that finished their course in hell. And Paul didn't have a meter that would tell him, oh, okay, that one's one of the elect and, ooh, That one's not.

It's not there. So the fact is, he says, I am travailing because I want to see Christ formed in you. That's the elders work. And the tragedy is that the sheep very often are not willing for much of what goes into that travail and work for their souls. They of course have been listening to Preacher X on the radio and are ready to correct their pastor as quickly as possible.

Now there aren't any perfect elders anywhere except for Jesus, the bishop of our souls. So all of your days and I don't care what congregation you're in you're going to have fallible elders, fallible men, fallible authorities. And you're gonna have to live with that. There is a place where they cross the line and they must be removed because their actions make very plain that while at once we thought that they were qualified, their lives now say they're not And they must be removed So This travail that Paul is talking about is not something that's merely apostolic This is the life of elders that Christ chooses. Now, you might elect somebody to be an elder, and Christ's stamp might not be on him.

That's why you have to know the qualifications. More of that in part two. So this terravale is often arduous, thankless, exhausting, and sacrificial labor. The day of my ordination, the pastor that oversaw it came to me. After the service was over, I was left in the building and kind of thinking about the event that had just taken place.

And he took me by the shoulders and utterly surprised me. He leaned over and kissed me, and he smiled and he said, Welcome to the most thankless work on the planet. I thought that was kind of a downer. This is the day I'm ordained and I get a word like that, but he's right. But here's the deal.

If Christ has appointed you, it's not about the thanks. That's not what you're in it for. You're in it to be faithful to the one who appointed you. That's it. And you're going to get every kind of reaction from people that love you and people that don't.

Even though the word commands us to love them for their works' sake. And The main thing about this travail is that it always has to be Christ's way. It's not to be salted with our great ideas. It's always Christ's way. That's why James warns, my brethren, be not many masters, which means teachers, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

We will be held to a higher standard when we stand before the Savior. The day of judgment is coming. So pastors must pray earnestly for Christ's sheep and feed, guide, reprove, rebuke, exhort, and comfort them from Christ's Holy Word in the power of Christ's Holy Spirit all along the way to the celestial city. They're not imperious authorities who are simply there to tell you how to live. They've been appointed by the head of the church to walk that path before you.

Follow their faith. Look at the fruit their life is bearing and follow. If a guy just likes to preach, you're not going to see much fruit. You might be fooled how bright he is. You might be fooled by how much theology he knows.

He can make you feel like a complete spiritual pygmy. But that's not what you're following. You're following a man who is embodying what he's saying to you, Lord's Day after Lord's Day. If not, don't follow and work on ejecting Him soon. Now, that's why the Lord's people are to obey and submit to their elders.

They're God-appointed, feeble, weak, limited, and fallible guides who, in their fallibility, are doing what they can to feed to you the infallible Word, an impossible task without the power of the Holy Spirit. And they do this as those who must give account. What does that mean? The meaning of they must give account is very weighty. Pastors are shepherds and watchmen and they are accountable to God.

They are appointed to their work by the living God. Paul said to the Ephesian elders, take heed, watch out for yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood. Every elder needs to have seared into his conscience. These are God's blood-bought people. The blood of the Son of Jesus Christ was the redemptive price for their souls.

They belong lock, stock, and barrel to Him, And in his mysterious will, he appoints fallible men to say, I'm here to guide you. I'm here to feed you with what our Master says. Could that be dangerous? As dangerous as it gets. That's why you need to know something about what elders are and what God gives us in His Word to help us see our qualifications, and don't take one of them lightly.

Paul again said in his letter to the Ephesians that Christ gave some, as we read earlier, apostles, some apostles, some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. And you hear this? It doesn't say, and he democratically voted in. No. Here's the way it works.

God equips the man and the congregation who has yielded itself to this book examines him by the qualifications in this book, and what they do is acknowledge that Christ has done a work in that man. You don't vote for an elder under any other circumstance, period, or you're asking for the fruit of your rebellion. So those Holy Spirit and Christ appointed men, Do we get that? It's the Holy Spirit made them overseers. Not you, not any other man.

The very living God made them overseers. And you have to recognize whether that's the case or not. If that doesn't throw you entirely upon Christ, I don't know what would. Well, these men have been prepared and gifted by God to administer God's Word to God's people, manifesting the rule of Christ by the Word and the Spirit of Christ, so that their lives will bring glory to God and do much good to themselves. Consider what Paul said to the Thessalonians.

We beseech you, brethren, to know them. By the way, here's another command. As I understand, you have two elders here right now, considering more. Do you know them? It's a command from God.

Do you know them? If you made it your purpose to get to know them. Know them which labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you." Notice that the sheep of the flock should know the elders of the flock and Paul then says that the elders labor, that means hard work, that they are over you, which means they have authority, and they admonish you. This means they warn and discipline you. And to Timothy, he said, let the elders that suggest well, no, that rule well, Rule well.

They have to govern the house just like every father here has to govern his house. Well, you know, the old lady, she's the sharp one. I let her govern the house. Wrong. Even though you may let her do that, you're the one that's going to stand before God about what's going on in your house.

Nobody else is the head of your house. Jesus Christ appoints elders and they're going to have to give account to this Christ over his blood-bought sheep. And then Paul says, let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor. That doesn't simply mean praise, it even means remuneration. They're not doing it for the money, but you take care of them.

You make sure they're well taken care of. Especially they who labor in the word and doctrine. Labor, that word means to toil. They work hard in the Word of God. They miss things.

They miss picnics. They miss family outings. They miss certain things because from time to time the call upon their lives says, I have to do this for God's people and I can't go and do that for my own pleasure. And they don't do it with grit teeth. They do it because they love God's people.

Every elder and pastor throughout the ages will have to explain to God how he applied God's Word to God's blood-bought people, how and why they have dealt with the sheep, how and why they've encouraged and disciplined them, how and why they have comforted or discomforted them, how and why they have urged them on and chastened them and how and why They have failed them Because they will if you're looking for infallible elders. You will not find one in this world. Not one. But you can find good ones. You can find faithful men.

I mean, very often you've got people sitting in the congregation as fathers who are dropping out right and left on their responsibilities, but man, they will crucify that elder as soon as he makes a decision they don't like. It is massive hypocrisy. They can't look at their family and say, I've made some bad decisions occasionally, and I still have to be the one that rules. Exactly right. And it will be that way with your elder.

They're not exactly like Jesus yet. They're on the way, but they're not there. And they're going to make decisions sooner or later that you don't like. I never planned that, by the way, at Mount Zion, but I have been made well aware of the fact when I do. Brethren, all of this has been under the watchful eye and unfailing memory of Almighty God.

We'll forget some of our failures. He doesn't. Elders will have a talk with Jesus about how they treated his bride. And Jesus loves his bride. He opened his veins and poured out his life's blood for her.

So he will be ready to deal with those who've been rough, prideful, manipulative, and uncaring for his bride. God desires the spiritual of the believer's spiritual well-being. That's the other reason for this command. These elders are going to give account to Christ on one hand, so you're to obey them. They've been appointed by Christ to show you the way.

But secondly, this is all about your well-being. Do you realize that? In view of the account that elders must give to God, the sheep have a responsibility to obey and submit to them, that they may do it with joy and not with grief. If my experience as a pastor of two churches has evidenced to me This particular phrase must not be in the Bibles of most of the people I have shepherded. That or somehow they just miss it, but you're commanded by the Lord to live in such a way with your elders that they can be joyful about their governing over you.

That's your heaven appointed goal. We sure want to hold the pastor's feet to the fire, which is a good thing, but we don't want to stick our own feet in the same fire. These are commands. Know them and work in such a way that when they're done they can say, oh, there were painful and sad things that happened. But oh, so many of the Lord's sheep gave me joy as I watched them walk with thee.

A man that has been born of God's Spirit and that has repented of his sins and believed on the crucified and resurrected Christ has grown in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus and has been appointed by the head of the church to feed his flock and watch over them, desires with all his heart to accomplish two things. One, the glory of his Savior, and two, the well-being of his Savior's eternally loved people. That's the heart of a man appointed and called by God. When he's done with his work, He just wants it all to be to the glory of Christ and to the good of those that he labored over. That is what he wants.

And the thought of accomplishing these two things fills his soul with joy. That's what makes him a happy man. The Apostle John said, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. And every church member should set in his or her heart, the goal of helping the elders to do their work with joy. Okay, parents, how much do you love for your children to gripe about everything you tell them to do?

Got any hands from you guys? Oh yeah, In fact, I just make up things for them to do so that I can hear them complain. And yet, very often, you're no better than your own children regarding the man that God has put here. Or men. You have a responsibility in the church and it's not to govern it.

That's been given to someone else. You are to govern you under the Word of God And you were to submit to the authority that God has given you in the congregation. And when you walk joyfully in obedience and submission, there is great joy, not because they somehow have been able to tell you what to do without complaints. But if you're doing what the Master has commanded, they're beginning to see the fruit of the Spirit hanging on the boughs of the tree of your life, and that gives them great joy, because it's evidence that God is at work in you. It is indeed a work that is often laden with heartache, disappointment, exhaustion, and sometimes failure.

And if he's a man appointed by God, he will feel keenly his failure more than your criticisms. Pastors will sometimes pray for it and plead with a brother or sister not to make what they know will be a bad decision or not to lay their hand to a practice that they know they will later regret and then watch them do it anyway. They will watch young believers start off so well only to watch them run off the rails, go back to the world, and disappear into the darkness of pop culture. They will pray with and enjoy the fellowship of brothers and sisters who profess great love for their pastors, only to watch them later become bitter enemies, who somehow seem to have forgotten almost everything the Scripture says about the use of the tongue. Yet, pastors will also watch the sovereign Lord of heaven birth sinners into Christ's kingdom through their feeble preaching.

They will watch weak and feeble believers sometimes become strong in the faith and serve God's people gloriously. They will see people who were unfaithful wake up and begin to walk faithfully with Christ, and I tell you, it fills them with joy. This brings pastors great joy. Elders will weep in unimaginable loneliness and anguish, In unimaginable loneliness and anguish, often without a single encouraging word from another human being except a faithful wife. I thank the Lord that I have one.

And they will know joy unspeakable and full of glory when they see God's children growing, maturing, standing in the evil day. So now I have a question for you. To which of these two scenarios will you contribute? Go look at your own life right now throughout the day. Take some time today to get away and pray and say, which one which one of these am I?

Am I obeying the Scriptures? Am I listening to the head of the church by obeying them that have the rule over me and submitting to them? Because Christ is going to hold them accountable, and they're doing it for my well-being. I want them to do that with joy. Or will they do it with grief?

You're one or the other right now where you sit. There's no middle ground on this. You're walking forward or you're backing up. There's no inert in this one. So that's sobering.

Pastors and members have responsibilities to Christ first and then to one another. The way things are in Scripture, it's always vertical and then horizontal. My friends, this is why Paul told Timothy, the servant of the Lord must not strive. Boy, sometimes they want to. They must not strive, but be gentle unto all men.

Yes, that one that's been griping for six months about something he won't let go. Sometimes that's legitimate. Sometimes it's really not. But he's to be gentle to all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, in patience going on with the teaching with those that are going, I don't think you're walking according to the Word of God." Well, you need to confront somebody if he isn't. Are you sure he isn't?

How do you know? Have you been walking with Christ carefully, closely, faithfully? Has the Word of God so sharpened your own mind and conscience that your discernment has indeed grown? And that you're seeing someone who's really walking outside constantly and unrepentantly of the qualifications by which he was appointed. Or you're just a little ticked off about something not going the way you wanted it to.

We're all going to answer to the Lord. We're all going to give account. It's just that elders have a more serious one. Such a thing can be put that way. In meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves, if God, peradventure, will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, that's why you subject yourself to someone who's in opposition to you.

You love their soul enough that while they are taking you to task, you will eventually attempt to teach them and correct them according to the Word of God, that they might get loose from the grasp of the devil. Well, that's part one. We want to make the applications in part two. We want to sit down now and say, well, if you have heard the Word of God handled rightly this morning, or at least approximately, then we all have some very responsible things before God to think, to say, and to do. And you want to think these things through very carefully as I continue to.

I need to be reminded of all of these matters. So Jesus Christ shed his blood on Calvary's cross. He died in agony for sinners, and he rose again the third day to bring into existence, into this demon-infested world, his church. He is the supreme governor of his church, and he wants it to go his way, not mine, not yours in the flesh. And so, according to his settings, according to his plan, he appoints elders, men like you, who he is equipped to walk before You, to preach the Word to You, to model the Word for You, and to correct You by that Word.

That can be done with joy or great grief, but we want to do it all to the glory of the Christ who saved us and established his church. Amen. Now Father in heaven, Thou knowest the weakness of this vessel, which you have put here to speak this morning. Where I am in error, please protect thy people. But where they have heard thy voice, let each submit to thee as the head.

Examine this passage, end their lives by it. And may we bring glory and honor unto Thee and Your blessed day. We pray it all in the name of Jesus, Amen.