Hebrews

If you'd like to take your bibles and turn to Hebrew chapter 13, we're gonna read the 1st 17 verses.

Let's hear what the Lord says. Keep on loving 1 another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers for by doing so, some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison and those who are ill treated as if you yourselves were suffering. Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure.

For god will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have. Because god has said, never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. So we say with confidence, the lord is my helper. I will not be afraid.

What can mere mortals do to me? Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.

It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so. We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat. The high priest carries the blood of animals into the most holy place as a sin offering. But the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.

Let us then go to him outside the camp. Bearing the disgrace he bore. For here, we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. Through Jesus therefore, let us continually offer to god a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others.

For with such sacrifices, god is pleased. Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account do this so that their work will be a joy. Not a burden. For that would be of no benefit to you. Pete.

Thanks, Dean. Open up Hebrews chapter 13 then. So if you if you take things like, wheat, or barley, or rice, all of those grains have, sort of, dry scaly outer layers. It's called the husk, or chaff. You you harvest the grain, you thresh it, you beat it, to break off, some of that, that that outer layer, and then you winnow it, you throw it into the air, or you put it through a wind machine to blow the chaff away, the husk away, and the heavy grain falls to the ground, and the chaff blows away.

Now in the Bible, god describes people living like that, like chaff. They're just blown wherever the wind takes, whatever's popular, whatever their heart desires. Or you could take another illustration. It's the same illustration, really, but it's it's it's different. And that is ruben.

Ruben in the in the 1st book of the Bible is the 1st son of Jacob, 1 of the patriarchs in the Bible. And he should have been a leader. He was the 1st son, but he loses his birthright because it says he became unstable as water. And if you know his life, he was just taken up with his own lusts, his own desires. He had no resistance.

He just went like water, downhill the easiest route. Now some, of course, are sold on that idea. They they want a life of water. They want a life of fluidity, they say, and they wanna go the easy route. They don't wanna resist their inner lusts.

They don't wanna resist their their, desires like Ruben. They don't wanna commit to anything. They just wanna flow. And, they won't even commit to their own gender that they're born in. They just go with whatever the whatever the flow goes.

And they're happy. To be blown around with whatever the popular thing is or whatever their desires are. They just wanna take the way of least resistance. Others don't want that. But nevertheless, they are blown around.

They are rootless. There doesn't seem to be anything to establish your yourself in. What was secure yesterday seems to be very uncertain today, doesn't it? People are saying we we feel like we're on shifting sand all the time, and that's why there's lots of anxiety around because there doesn't seem to be anything to base your life on. We we live in a world that's constantly changing.

Technology changes all the time. And so, also we tell governments change or potentially change. Jobs change, health change, relationship changes, emotions are going up and down every day. There's feelings that come in and go out. There's fads and new trends and the in thing to do.

And, you need to do this and, and, you know, if you think of diets, it's 1 minute. We're supposed to drink red wine next minute. We mustn't drink red wine. And it goes on and on. There's always a trap a a phase and a a trend and a fad and and, people throw around ideas and throw ideas at us without any sort of looking at what will happen with those ideas.

It's like Chaff. Blowing around. Ideas come. Ideas go. It's like water.

Just going downhill. We just go with the flow. So there are those in this world that are looking for something proven. Something that's been around for some time, something authentic, something established, something we can get our life roots into. And this is why this verse verse 8 in Hebrew 13 is phenomenal.

Look at it. It's glorious. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Here's the authentic. Here's the unchanging.

Ever fresh, ever alive, resurrection life. But a rock, a truth to be established on, that we can establish our lives on, a true, a purpose, a person. So here's my 1st point then, and it's verse 8. Jesus, the same yesterday, today, and forever. Now right at the start of this letter of Hebrews, if you can remember, because it's a long time since we've been going, and we're still in chapter 13, and we still got a few more to do in team, but right right at the start of Hebrews, the writer of Hebrews has been showing us that the real Jesus of the Bible, and that's what the whole Bible is about.

The real Jesus of the Bible is really the only 1 worth you building your life on. And in chapter 1 verses 1 to 4, I won't read it again, but you can go back and listen to those sermons and or read it yourself. There's this wonderful picture that god has spoken in these last days. Through his son, the lord Jesus Christ. And what we see there is Jesus is the air of all things, that Jesus is the founder and the creator of the universe.

You can't get more established and rooted than that. That Jesus is the radiance of god's glory. Wanna see god look at Jesus, that Jesus sustains the world and sustains everything in the world that Jesus provided purification for sins. He is the savior. He's the 1 that deals with all the errors and the sins and the wrong things in your life and cleanses us from them.

Jesus is on the throne. Jesus is the best. Jesus is superior to anyone and everyone, whatever religious experience you have, whether you meet angels or don't meet angels, whether there are demons or whatever. Jesus is over and above and bigger and greater and more wonderful. And the book of Hebrews is telling us that in fact the whole Bible is about Jesus.

And if you miss that, you're not understanding the Bible. So there is this 1 bigger, greater, better, more established, more full of life, more full of love for you. He's what the world is all about. He's what your life should all be about. There is nothing chaff about him.

There is nothing watery about him. He's the authentic life giving rock that gives water of life when he's crushed and broken on the cross. He's the unchanging, ever loving savior who graciously comes into this chaff world and calls those. To be established into his kingdom, into his church, Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, and today, and forever. And 1 way he builds his church, his people, is by establishing leaders.

People need leaders. People need leading in all kinds of areas of life, but particularly in our spiritual lives. And god has always done that. He's always given leaders throughout the Bible. God raises up leaders under him, yes, to lead people.

It's an awful thing. When we're leaderless. In fact, there's a whole book in the bible called judges that shows you at the end of that book, and there's a horrific, story that I can't go into. It's shocking when you read it. Shocked the absolutely shocking immorality to deal with rape and dismemberment and, murder.

And, it's it's a, it's a shocking immoral time And the summary of that time is, in those days, Israel had no king, no ruler. Everyone did as they saw fit. Anakin. Everyone's a king, and it's a disaster. So In the in god's mercy, he raises up leaders, Abraham, and Moses, and Joshua, and Neer, and Esra, and the prophets, and so it goes on.

And when the lord Jesus Christ walked this earth, 1 of the 1st things he did in the beginning of his ministry is to appoint leaders, disciples, apostles. God has done it in the past yesterday. God will do it in the future. Forever, and he will build the church today by raising up leaders. In fact, when you read through the Bible, you see that a task of a leader that's been raised up by the lord Jesus, Part of the task of a leader is to raise up leaders, other leaders to follow on.

See, the church is an organism. It's the body of Christ, with Christ as the head, but it is an organization. Organisms need organizing. You don't just have an organ organ you know, an organism that isn't organized. It all goes wrong, does it?

It needs organizing. And so you get Paul, for instance, who was raised up as an apostle of Jesus by Jesus sent by Jesus, and wherever he went, wherever he founded churches, he ordained qualified lead, believers to lead. Acts chapter 4, Barnneberson, Paul, appointed elders for them in each church. Paul writing to Titus, a young leader, he says, the reason I left you in crete I left you in crete. It was a pretty difficult place he he had said.

The reason I left you in crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished, what was left unfinished, and appoint elders in every town. As I directed you. The lord Jesus Christ chooses leaders, and he has put in your life leaders because you will drift. You will be blown around, and churches without leaders tend to be blown around and drift from what is true and right. Now in our culture, I understand this in different cultures, but in the in the British culture, where that's where we are at the moment, we feel very, very uneasy, uneasy about leaders, the talk of leaders sort of ruling over us and governing over us is is a bit worrying.

We don't want a king who can't do anything. That's quite nice, but a king that sort of rules us by goodness, we don't like that. Do we? We have many complaints over leaders. All of us are better at politics than any politician.

All of us know how to run the country better than anyone who runs the country. All of us. Yeah? We all know better. I know how to run Kingston, counsel better than any counselor.

Yeah? Every time I drive in, and there's another, temporary traffic light, which there are thousands of them, I know. Now I don't know everything. Maybe they're making money for the council out of buying temporary traffic lights. Maybe there's a great company that's, anyway, forget it.

But it's very easy for us, isn't it? And and in the Christian world, we don't really like leaders if we're honest because we've so many have been exposed. So many hypocrites. So many frauds and abusers and self obsessed power freaks. So many have been drawn into what is sometimes called the Christian churches.

So we like autonomy very often. We we we we don't like to be committed anymore. Young men, said in our culture, don't like to commit. They don't like to commit to anyone or trust anyone. We like self reliance.

That's the name of the game. It makes us feel safe. Self reliance. We have many choices. So many choices out there.

We can go anywhere we like. We can be fluid in our autonomy. We can take something from him and something from him. And even historically, I like a bit of Kelvin. I like a bit of luther.

I like a bit of spurgeon. I like a bit of this person, that person, and in the end, it was sussing control. We're the leaders picking and choosing. We take bits from here and bits from there. But in every area of life, people grow, you grow under good leadership.

Think a football. 11 men on a pitch. You know, why why why do they need a manager or a coach? Why don't they just get on with it? Well, because it wouldn't work like that.

Because every man would be on scoring for how many goals. I don't care about you. I'm not passing to you, mate. I'm gonna try and get this in. They won't work as a team.

Think of cricket. Well, I'm just gonna get him 100. I don't care about the team. I really don't care what happens. I'm gonna whack it as much as I like.

I'm not gonna think of the other bloke who gets run out. You need managers, always, managers. In order to get the full potential out of a football team, you need managers, and you need coaches, and you need a good captain. That's what happens. Imagine.

If the footballers listened to the fans around them. Just went to every fan. What do you think? You will kick it in. Alright.

Yeah. But then you'll get sent off. Why'd you get sent off? You know? Or, you know, I was watching the England match.

Even Anne made a comment, and I just said, Anne, probably best not to speak out of ignorance. Why is he on his own? She said? Why aren't there other blokes there? What do you want?

All 11 there? Yeah? He's a goalie for goodness sake. You need managers, and you can't just listen to people. You have to listen to the right people that see the whole picture.

Even even tennis players will see this as it's coming up. Even though they're on their own, they need trainers and coaches to see where they're going wrong to keep them onto the right track and and doing the right things. And you can apply that to businesses, to schools, to any organizations. We all need good leaders. And god has created the world like this, and the church of the lord Jesus Christ needs godly leaders.

God will mold us and shape us into a team. By giving us godly leaders. So the writer of Hebrews is very practical, and we're in this working out in chapter 13, practical working out of theology. Which was all about Jesus. And he tells us how to respond to our leaders.

Just have a look at it. Verse 7, remember your leaders. Verse 17, have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority. Verse 24, greet all your leaders and all the lord's people. We're gonna look at those.

But 1st of all, who are the leaders that Jesus raises up for our good? Who are the leaders that gonna stop us just going like water in any direction or blown here and there by whatever's popular in our culture or even in Christian circles. Now what is interesting here is the word he uses for leader here is not what he they normally use, like shepherd. I'm gonna use that word shepherd, by the way, because it's important that we have that. But, actually, the word here is ruler governor.

He governs. He rules like a king. But also it has the implication of 1 going 1st, 1st into battle, like a real king, not just sitting on a throne. So there are those that god that lord Jesus Christ has given to his church who lead, who govern, who rule, but who go in front, spiritually in front before 1st. They lead the way.

They don't just tell you what to do. They don't just come out with words. They're not even coming out with correct words and correct thol theology. They don't lord it over people and say, you do this. It's much more like This is the truth.

Follow me in it. This is the way to go. Now in verse 7, I think the writer has got in mind, leaders who were leaders, they were around, but they seem to have gone some way or they've even died. And then in verse 17, it seems to be the leaders now. Now we see a a a helpful truth on that in a minute.

But who are they? Let's just sum up who these leaders are that we should allow to rule over our lives. Well, 1st of all, verse 7, it says, they spoke the word of god to you. Remember your leaders who spoke the word of god to you? We're clearly talking about Christian leaders here, those who teach the word of god.

And they're to teach the word of god correctly, Paul writes to Timothy, a young leader, and he says correctly handle the word of truth. Now these leaders that the writers going on about had done that. They correctly preach the word of god. And in fact, you've got a demonstration of it in the book of Hebrews. The writer of Hebrews correctly applies the word of god, the old testament, because he constantly handles it correctly because he shows us Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The whole old testament is about Jesus. That's correctly handling the word of truth. So real leaders then are under authority. They're under the authority of the word of truth themselves. They are under shepherds.

We see in different parts of the Bible. Jesus, the great shepherd. They're not making things up. They don't misread the Bible so they can get something over on you. They're not even suggesting an idea.

They are teaching the word of god. The truth. About Jesus. They didn't speak their own ideas. They didn't go and pray about a word and then come and bring that word to you.

They didn't have religious visions. They didn't meet up with angels. That had given them some extra revelation, they taught the word of god. Paul writes again to a young leader Timothy. This is what he says.

Command certain people not to teach, not to teach, false doctrines any longer. Command them, not to do that. This is and this is what they are, or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Now whatever that is, but you can get the idea, can't you? Did you know that he was the son of son, and he was the son of death, and he said this, and he said, and that you get this this because look what he says, such things promote controversial speculation rather than advancing god's kingdom.

You just get that. I don't know how many times I've heard young men say, well, Calvin, son of whatever, said this. And did you know that these said this, and they said this, and those and that and it's just like yeah. Fine. That's all good stuff.

But how does it do the work of god today? Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing god's kingdom, which is by faith. They wanna be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about, or what they so confidently affirm. There's always people that confidently affirm something of something of something. And it may even be right.

But does it advance god's work in your life, their life, or is it just clever stuff? Look at Hebrews chapter 13 verse 9. Now we will look at this in a few weeks time when we come back to Hebrews. But he says, do not, be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. There are people that say that the more strange the teaching is, the more more authentic it is.

I mean, there is just if you go on the internet, there's there's weirdos, isn't there? That thi I mean, I remember I think I've said it before, I heard this woman who was telling us that she'd just come back from heaven, and she was riding on the back of a a giraffe with Jesus on the front. Well, she's mental. Best to put her in a mental home. I'm not gonna listen to her.

Why would I listen to her? What are none of the nonsense? She rode on a giraffe in heaven. Right? Her brain must have been addled as she was going unconscious or something.

Anyway, forget that. Let's move on. Look. It is good. So all kinds of strange teachings, verse 9.

It is good for our hearts to be strengthened. That word is established rooted by grace. The absolute authority in your life is the lord Jesus Christ and his Word, and the best thing a leader can do to help you is to see the word of god and how it applies in your life and call you to submit to That's all a leader does, really. Godly leaders are under shepherds. They serve as delegated authorities.

They're not the authority in your life. Spiritual leaders don't actually make decisions for you. Don't ask us to do that. They show you the word of god. They help you to work it through.

They show you a sensible way of living and what to do, but they don't make the decision for you. That's culty. Now, obviously, if they're going to speak the word of god to you, they're gonna say some things that you may not like. That's gonna happen. Unless you're absolutely completely in tune with god in every area of your life, which none of us are, then when god speaks, it's gonna hurt sometimes.

It's gonna expose you, isn't it? And if you're a preacher or a teacher, you have to preach You have to actually, sort of define reality for some people because they're not living real lives. You've gotta show them the word of god and root them in the word of god. And sometimes they're gonna say things that are unpopular and unhard, are very hard. And if you're the sort of person that cancels anyone that says anything tough to you and walks out, then you're a fool.

You're not living under Jesus, who gives leaders. But not only do they speak the word of god to you, these people are genuinely working out god in their lives. They won't do it perfectly, but they're genuinely trying to put the word of god into their lives. So there is fruit of the faith. So they preach the word of god to you.

Look at verse 7 again. Remember your leaders who spoke the word of god to you, consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. You see? They've got their faithful people. Consider their way of faith.

They're putting their trust for life and death. It's interesting that the words, that says outcome there actually means exit. So it it seems to be suggesting have a look at these people. How did they live, but how did they die? How did they suffer?

How did they go through difficulties and disappointments? How did they go through betrayals? How did they go through the valley of the shadow of death? How did they were were they trusting god in those difficult times? Leaders need to be seen to be trusting god in difficult times?

But they're demonstrating that they believe that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever in their lives. Or Hebrews 13, we've been seeing, you know, the wonderful things, how to live in the life of who Jesus is, So, you know, in in those 1st verses, in the verses up to verse 7 is love your brothers and sisters. So are the leaders loving the brothers and sisters? Is their love firm or they just wanna lead them? Love the stranger.

Is there is there a love for people that are aliens a bit different to them? Are they trying they may they may make many mistakes and put their foot in it? I mean, culturally, we'll always be doing that. You know? But but, you know, is there a real love for the stranger?

Are they remembering the prisoners? Is their marriage, bad, pure? They're keeping their marriage pure. Are they keeping themselves from a love of money? Are they content in this world?

Are they knowing that god is with them through difficulties? So consider their way of life. See them. Imitate that. Where have they gone through?

What's their exit been like? How have they died? How have they gone? Have they run the race? Have they finished the task?

Are they faithful to the end? So they speak the word of god to you. They're people of faith. If if if their lives aren't being submissive to the word of god, then don't listen to them. Thirdly, they keep watch over you.

See verse 17 again? Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority because they keep watch over you as those who must give a an account. The word you there is the word soul. They keep watch over your souls. Now is there any more important thing in life than your soul?

They're not so bothered about your physical. They're about your soul. I mean, it's interesting, isn't it? We and rightly so we pray for people that going through physical difficulties. But we should be praying for their souls.

Are they going to look to god in these difficult times? Sometimes we just want god to take away the problems, but actually they may be sent by god so that they'll go through the problems and grow in their spiritual understanding of the lord Jesus Christ, who's the great shepherd who takes you through the valley of the shadow of death. They're interested in the soul. Christian leaders don't own god's people. They're shepherds accountable, they're watchmen.

You know what it is, the city, old cities. They'd have a walled city, and the farmers would be outside, and there'd be a watchman. And when he saw an enemy coming, He he shouts out. Enemy. Get inside the wall.

He's watching. Well, god's leaders are to be watching for danger. You see, it's it's very important. A faithful watchman is not trying to control people. He's trying to advise them.

Save them. Rescue them. I mean, imagine, you know, farmers outside the and the watchman says, there's enemies coming. The romans are coming. You know?

The romans are coming, and there's all these English blokes around? Who does he think he is? I don't like the way he shouts. I mean, he didn't say it like Kelvin would say it, did he? Do you know what I mean?

That sounded a bit arminion to me the way he said we should get in there. Where's the where's the sovereignty you got in all of this? Yeah? Not. They're not listening.

Faithful leaders warn against sin, false teaching, spiritual dangers of the soul. And look at it verse 17 in the end, they must give an account. Every leader 1 day stands before Christ. Not to answer for how large the church is, that is relatively unimportant, not to answer how popular they are as preachers or leaders, but have they faithfully cared for the souls that have been given to them? Shepherds count sheep.

If 1 is missing, they go out to find them. Why? Because each sheep matters. James, a writer. In the new testament, it says not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, not many of you, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

And leaders are to feel the weight of that. They feel the weight of their responsibility. They don't go into it lightly. They feel the weight of bringing the word of god into people's lives they're to feel the weight of that, that they will give an account. So that leads me to my 3rd point then, which is really what he wants us to see in this chapter.

Our response our responsibility to these godly leaders. 1st of all, we're to remember them verse 7. Remember our pastors, our teachers, our sunday school leaders, our youth teachers, our elders, our home group leaders, Why are we to remember them? Because God has used them to bring the word of God to you, to bless you. So remember them, especially when they have to say a hard thing to you, even if you disagree with it and you're not going to follow it, it's quite hard to go up to someone and say, can I just tell you something?

Can I tell you the way you're acting, the word of god would say, That's a pretty tough thing to do, isn't it? None of us wanna do that? We wanna go as water and be nice to everyone. And friendly, I don't wanna be cancelled. I don't want another letter.

Email saying, you know? Sorry. Email saying, can I anyway, whatever? You know you know what happens. I'm not trying to belittle anyone criticizing, but You know, sometimes they're criticizing because they don't like what has been said or they just walk out.

It's amazing how many people just walk out of church, walk away. You never see them again. I you know, Adam and myself were often taught we could build several churches out of people that are being so offended by the word of god and just go. So especially if they speak, remember them, he says, encourage them remember them. Remember their testimony.

Remember their faith. Remember their way of life. Think of someone god has used in your life to bring the word of god. A little note to them would be good, wouldn't it? The grandmother who prayed for you, a pastor that preached the gospel to you for the 1st time, a a friend who shared Christ, the teacher, who opened the scriptures to you.

Remember remember them? And consider their way of life. I I actually think this is a tremendous antidote to falling away from from Christ is to go and remember those of the past, great Christians of the past. When I 1st became a Christian, 1 of the 1st books I read, was, JC Ryals book on on the martyrs, the Christian martyrs. And and and I assumed that's what happened.

I genuinely did. I I thought, oh, you you become a Christian and you you get killed. That's what happens in life. And and and they they this is why I I love to tell you about the bloke who was tried in that building there. Thomas Denny, 15 13, taken from that building because he followed Christ and told people about Jesus, and then taken with his faggot.

Down into Kingston Center and burned alive for Jesus. It's it it's inspires you, doesn't it? Yeah? I I I remember meeting an old bloke. He was an old missionary.

He's called Webbo. Phenomenal name, isn't it? Webb Pueblo. I think 1 of his relatives works for good book. W what?

He's written for good book. Webb Pueblo. He he saw me as a I was doing his garden. For some money. And I was a young Christian.

He came out and said, Pete, come in here, sit down. I had to sit there. He said, Pete, I'm gonna open axe up to you. And he's just reading the I was just sitting there, and he's reading the book of acts, I don't think I'd ever read the book of acts before, and he's reading it. And then he said, Pete, right.

Let me tell you this. I would rather burn up than rust up. I just remember that. I'd rather burn up than rust up. If you're gonna die burn up, don't rust up, you know, and that and yet we have books all about how not to burn up today.

I'm not saying they're not helpful. You know, there's books like serving without sinking, but we've gone so far without sinking without serving. You know, it's mad. There's you get employment problems with pastors now. I wanna know how many days off I get?

How many weeks off I get on holiday? Everything's changed. Where's the sacrifice? Why are we? What's that?

Why are we talking? I'm not saying days off and holidays are not right. I'm not saying that we need books on serving without sinking, but there's too much sinking without serving. It's amazing how things have changed. This is an apostolic command then that actually we consider their lives.

So when you consider them, it infuses you and and emboldens you, and you don't wanna rust up, you wanna you wanna burn up. So remember, consider, then have confidence. This is a really important point, and I'm running out of time, but this is really important. Have confidence or submit, see see verse 17. The NIV says this, the 1 we'll use in the in the butt here.

Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Now there were confidence there. I think this is good that the NIV has put this in, Some versions just have a bay, obey your leaders. And it does mean a bay, but it means a bay with an understanding that they're telling you the right stuff, that you can have confidence in them because they're living like this. So have confidence in them so that you submit to their authority?

You know, have I got a if you don't have confidence in your leader, if if any of the, you know, sports doesn't have confidence in their leader, they're not going to obey, are they? So there's a confidence here. And perhaps what's going on here is that they're remembering past leaders, which is the right thing to do, and therefore, they're comparing them with new leaders. And that's why they have to remember that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, leaders come and go. So don't live in the past.

Read about the past, be inspired by the past, be encouraged and thankful for past leaders, but leaders are different. Jesus isn't. Moses, goes and is followed by Joshua. You can imagine them saying, oh, he's not he's not Moses, is he? Elijah is followed by Elijah.

Oh, he's got bald head. Paul, Paul goes and is followed by Timothy. We need to be very careful not to look down on the leaders that Jesus Christ has appointed over our lives. It happens in church. He's not as good as the previous man.

Well, you didn't think that when you were under the previous man. He's not as good as the previous man. Or even Well, he's no Telvin. Is he? These are these are big heroes of the faith.

He's not like Luther, is he? He hasn't got the theology of John Owen. I've got all his commentaries. You know? This is amazing, isn't it?

Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever, and he's raising up leaders. And the leaders were made for such a time as that. And these are made for such a time as this. Those in the past may not have been able to cope with what is going on now. Jesus is the same.

He raises up leaders. So remember, consider, have confidence in, in them and submit to them. Why? Why? Because your souls need watching.

They keep watch over your souls, prone to leave the god I love. We sing. Proned to leave the god I love. Our souls need watching. And so be careful because this is leaders that watch your souls.

Be careful going to great preachers on the internet. They're probably brilliant, but they don't know who you are. They haven't got a clue. They can't watch your soul. They actually can't be very good preachers to you because they can't apply to you because they don't know you.

So beware. Very easy to jump about, and it's always easy. And if you're a preacher, you'll hear this. If you heard this preacher, he's really good on this point. He makes this point.

Yeah. But we don't need that in our church at the moment. Or why don't we have this sort of teaching in the church? Well, because we're not like that bloke of his situation over there. You see?

Do you see what goes on? These are local because they know your soul. They're trying to apply the word of god to your soul to you, to ones in front of you. Now I'm not saying we can't learn lots of stuff from bible teachers all over. Of course, we can.

And it's very helpful, but they don't watch your soul. And if you're not careful, you're always taking someone else's agenda and not the pastor or the minister or the leader that wants to speak to you. It's a way of deflecting the word of god to you by saying, well, he says this about this subject. Be where? Submit.

Submit is another. Yep. We are to obey our leaders. We have to submit to them. It's a safe place for those who are proper leaders because sheep are known to, are known to have wolves coming in.

There are plenty of wolves. Believe me. And sometimes you don't know they're a wolf because they're dressed up as sheep, and you have to wait for patterns and patterns of behavior. And even if they're not a wolf, they start to produce wolf like characteristics, and sometimes you just have to leaders have to say to that person, well, you can't come here unless you repent. That's what it is to watch.

That's what it is. And I can guarantee you there are loads of people that wanna come in, they wanna take over. They have a word. They've got something. Leaders are to watch out.

And watch for you and obey them because sometimes a leader has to stand up and say something about something, and they can't tell you or legally they can't tell you the whole whole story behind why they're saying this person. Is now rejected. They can't tell you that. So that's where you have to have confidence that they're Jesus people, and they've offered repentance before discipline. So have confidence in them.

And look, Willy just says we're nearly there. For their sake and your sake, let me read verse 17 again, have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority because they watch over your soul as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work may be a joy, not a burden for that would be of no benefit to you. Do this for their sake and your sake. A happy leader will make you happy.

If your aim is to make Christian leadership as miserable as possible, for as many people as possible, you will be miserable. It's the way it works. Leaders that have to fight for the truth all the time. I've been in those churches. I know pastors like this.

That they go to church, to lead, or they do a bible study, and it's just a battle all the time with negative people. I used to be in a church where there was a whole family, and their god given gift, so they thought was to oppose everything. They were the leaders of the opposition. If the wall was painted white, they would ask, why? In quite nasty terms, why wasn't it paint black?

So you paint it black? The next week, just to trick them. But why did you do that? It was already painted white. You know, how much money did we spend on the black paint over the white?

Well, you wanted it black? Well, I did originally, but not There are there are people out to put down, leaders, all the time. Spurgent said the devil loves to fish in troubled waters. There are ministers that are troubled and churches that are troubled and they're joyless and they're bitter because there's no affection. There's no love for their leaders.

There's no praying for them or concern for them. It's becomes quite a nasty thing, and I've met many pastors that are weary and brought. It's 1 reason why lots of young men don't go into ministry because you're canceled or people mistake what you're saying or they're touchy and the devil loves to fish in troubled waters. My last point, before my last point, I've just noticed. It's verse 14.

It's very quick 1. No. Verse 24, rather. Greet, creature leaders. Do you know what it means?

I love this. Salute them. Yeah? I think we should bring that in, don't you? We should salute whatever the salute is.

I don't know. Salute them. Yeah. It's a it's a simple reminder, really, to seek them out because it's a lonely job sometimes being a leader. People will talk to everyone, but not the leader.

You know? Seek them out and encourage them. Some people think it's their god given right to humble leaders and particularly preachers. They say some you have to hear if you're a preacher, some awful things after sermons. You really do.

People will pick on the negative. Oh, that was long, wasn't it? Yeah. Because I'm trying to teach you. It is quite hard.

And I want to, you know, people say, oh, if someone this is a phrase that is really annoying. If someone says, oh, that was helpful, thank you very much. You know, someone sidles up and says, well, the devil's already told him as if there's just pride in the preacher. It's It's a different type of pride a preacher has as far as I am concerned. Let me just give you a very rarely do this, but here's an insight.

Last week, Friday and Saturday I was preaching up at a church in London, doing their sort of stay at home away day thing. Friday night I preached. I was to get up early, and to go, I came home Friday night, get up early, go and preach another few times on a sat on Saturday morning. Sethalo, up to lunchtime. And I must have had a dream or something, but I had this sense that they just didn't like me.

And I kept thinking, and I had to reason this through I'm gonna get a text. And funny enough, I was getting texts all over the place because they were coming from Australia, and they were up early in Australia. So 6 o'clock in the morning. I was getting these texts. And I was thinking, I genuinely thought this.

I'm gonna get a text saying, Pete, don't bother to come back. And I thought, was I that bad? Was my sermon that bad? What did I do? That it was that bad.

Don't bother to turn up. Who writes a text like that? And then I'm thinking, they're pretty cruel, aren't they? Why would they write a text? Just say, why can't they explain something?

Why would they say Pete? Don't bother to turn up. Can't they even just ring me and tell me? Just a text. Don't bother to turn up.

So I went on Saturday morning with a pretty heavy heart. I thought they hated me. I thought the sermon last on Friday night was probably a waste of time. And then they met me and said, oh, really, we were talking a lot about last night's sermon, and it felt like a lift. Or I'm telling I'm telling you that because very often, when you teach the word of god, you lay your heart open, and you can be incredibly discouraged, incredibly discouraged.

That happens to me personally. You know, I'll sit down now and I'll go through all the things I've said wrong. Yeah. You don't have to write a letter and tell me them, but you can if you want to. So here's my conclusion then.

Remember them that spoke the word of god to you, imitate them, submit to them and have confidence in them, stop thinking you're better than them, Stop thinking you no more, stop putting down their ministry, make a church a joy, are you a joy, make a church a joy, greet them. Can I just end with this? 3 flots of sheep? Flock 1, no leader. Everyone's a leader.

They're all over the place. There's no leader. They're open to danger. They're open to wolves. They get lost.

They bleat. They're completely unhappy. They're eat the wrong food. Flock 1. We don't want that.

Frock 2. They have a shepherd. They have a leader, but there's constant barring. No way. No.

Who are you? The shepherd's saying this way to fresh grass. This way to cool waters. No. How do we know?

No 1 took us that way before, why are you? How much it's gonna cost? And then within the flock, there are sheep that may be wolves, but they may not be, but they're certainly showing characteristics of wolves. You don't wanna listen to him. He didn't say it right.

His words weren't quite correct. The old shepherds are better. There are others saying, well, I don't like the idea of being de ticked. I don't like the idea of being demaggered sheep get lots of maggot around their bottoms. How dare?

This could be terribly cut and put on the internet. How dare you look at my bottom to see whether there's maggots in it? How dare you? Listen. The leader should be able to look at your bottom and see if there's maggots in it.

Cut that, put that on the internet. That's the end of my ministry. I don't wanna be put through a wash. I don't wanna be put through a wash. I don't want that sort of theology.

I want this. Frock 2, flock 3. They're happy grazing sheep. They've been led by the good shepherd, who is led by the good shepherd. They're growing in joy.

Their eyes are planted. On the good shepherd. They're moving through difficult times and valleys of the shadow of death into the beautiful home that the good shepherd has got for them. Which flock do we want to be? Remember remember your leaders.

Let's pray. As you're praying, remember your leaders. Who was it that 1st spoke the word of God to you? Who is it that helped you and helped you to not be chaff Who is it that you can be thankful for? Thank the lord for them now.

Carl, we thank you for your word. We thank you that you are the chief shepherd and you look after your sheep. We thank you for the good shepherd on lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for our under shepherds, our leaders. For please help us to not be blown around by every wind.

Help us to not be like chaff, but to be rooted in Jesus would help us to not be those troubled waters that the devil loves to fish in. Please lord, have mercy on us. Help us to be the joy to our leaders and not a burden. So please help our leaders to go 1st into the battle to lead to guide, direct advice with godliness, with all grace that would help them even when they have to say hard things to us. Hollowy, thank you so much for, the church that you are building in the world and here in Kingston.

Please would you bless all the gospel churches or help the leaders to love you, to love their people. So that we might be about your kingdom and not our own. In Jesus's name, we pray, amen.