Hebrews 13:17
This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.
Good evening, church. Greg, as the last sermon that you'll hear before your sabbatical, I promise to keep this under 55 minutes. Our text for this evening is Hebrews 13, 17. It can be found on the front of your bulletin if you want to turn there. It 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 one might ask i think rightfully so is it self-serving for an elder to teach about their own authority i think it's a fair question uh which uh i mean first off i'll say that greg assigns the dates to which people preach the pm first before the texts are assigned. So it's, in fact, I guess God's providence tonight that an elder is teaching this
text. It's not because I'm an elder. Very well could have been a non-elder, which I would have liked to have heard. So is it self-serving to teach on your own authority? Of course the answer is no. After all, it is God who through his church gives authority to elders. It's not inherently or deservedly mine or any of the other brothers and it's something that all elders must steward well so please don't hear this sermon as self-serving it's it's good for all christians pastors included that and of course it's it's in the bible so we ought to teach it so what we'll do today is we'll very kind of quickly and matter-of-factly look at the first part the first sentence of this verse and then we'll spend a little bit of time digging deeper into the second part which i would argue is maybe a little more challenging in terms of application to our own lives.
So first, in that first sentence, the author of Hebrews is instructing church members to obey and submit to their elders, and church, you as well should do that. But there is implied in this verse that you should obey and submit to your elders for or because they are keeping watch over your souls, or at least they should be. And ultimately, they will have to give an account to God for their work as a pastor.
So here at 3rd Avenue, we have 14 elders, and we have about 650 members. And there's really no way, mathematically, for every elder to deeply know the condition of the soul of all 650 members. It's just really not possible, and yet this verse doesn't take that into account. There's no clause for how big your church might be. So instead of shirking the responsibility because the numbers don't add up, something I'm afraid other churches do, we here at Third Avenue are trying to do this in a few very intentional ways.
So first, we elders, we're available to all of you. If you're a church member here, you should know who your elders are. And I think we try and do a pretty good job of having elders in front of the congregation, often serving in different roles so that it's easy to see and know. who the elders are, but you have access to all of our contact information through CCB. Anytime you want to contact all the elders, you can email elders at thirdavenue.org, and it goes to all 14 of us, and we do our absolute best to take meetings, phone calls, as church members reach out and request, because we love being your pastors, and we take this role very seriously. We love getting to know you and being able to pray for you and care for you in the best ways possible.
And we also know that we'll have to give an account for our role as pastors, so we take that seriously. Secondly, in terms of keeping watch over your souls, home groups are a primary way in which we do that. I think something like 96, 94% of our church is in a home group, which is really an astounding number. And then even those who are not in a home group, it's not like they're just invisible. They're on a list as well. In fact, the elders prayed for those folks just this past Wednesday. You might not know this, but every home group has an elder who is over that home group.
They check in with the home group leader to know what's happening in the group, who needs care, ways that that elder can provide support, prayer, counseling, et cetera. Again, so it's a way in which we elders are keeping watch over your souls as church members. And then, honestly, beyond that, unseen to perhaps many of you, our elders take phone calls, meetings, exchange texts every week with church members, sometimes in just encouragement, but sometimes helping that church member through something difficult.
We visit hospitals, we make middle-of-the-night trips to the hospital or the ER, we'll drop by and pray with and comfort church members. Many of you have been the recipients of that. And of course, we're not perfect, and we're not going to always be able to do that perfectly. And I'm not even tooting our own horn here, but I am, me personally, am consistently encouraged when I show up to an elders meeting and hear brothers who are pastoring the church in all sorts of unseen ways.
Not something they were assigned to do at a meeting, or not because it falls to their responsibility in some sort of signed way on the board, because that they love you. And I hear of brothers taking meetings and engaging with you all in all sorts of ways that honestly is astounding to me. And I'm deeply encouraged by it. And then fourth, we've covenanted to do so in our church covenant to keep watch. And that's not to be overlooked either.
So church, we elders, we are striving to keep watch over your souls. And we will fail to do that. Of course we will. We'll fall short of expectations. And we will sometimes even do a poor job or misspeak or misread a situation or miscommunicate, miscounsel. We are far from perfect, but we are striving to do so. And I do think that it's important to point out as well that this text does not say to obey and submit if your elders are keeping watch over your souls.
The author here is not setting up some type of agreement that is contingent on that action. It is more so an authority structure that is being established here. Church members submit and obey because it's elders who are keeping watch for your spiritual health. He's setting up an authority structure. After all, we don't read that church members ought to obey and submit to your elders no matter how narcissistic they are, no matter how lazy they are, or how annoyed they are, no matter how apathetic they are.
And yet, even though it is not contingent on their behavior, just a little bit earlier in this same chapter, the author of Hebrews in verse 7 tells their church members to consider the way that their leaders live and to not imitate blindly, but to imitate their lives as they consider how their leaders and elders live. And so they are to, as well, look at their elders and see how they are pastoring. And in verse 9, he says, do not be led astray by diverse and strange teachings.
Well, you have to be thoughtful about what the teachings that you're hearing. You have to be thinking on your own as it. So it's not a blind, a blanket submission. It is one done thoughtfully with consideration. And yet, it's also not contingent on the action of the elders. So you, church members, you should be considering our pastoring and care as you obey and submit to your elders. So while the first part of that verse I think is extremely important, it's pretty straightforward as well.
Church members obey and submit. Elders keep watch over their souls because we will have to give an account, and this is God's authority structure for the church. But I believe the second part of this verse is a little bit trickier. So let's look at that. Let them, the elders, do this, watch over your souls, let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. So the author of Hebrews here is telling church members that it is to their advantage, perhaps spiritually, perhaps relationally, personally, emotionally, maybe in all of those ways, It's to their advantage to let the elders watch over their souls with joy.
In such a way so that the elders have joy in doing that work and are not groaning. So let's break this down a little bit. First, let them. The implications of let them. Perhaps most obvious. The author is implying that as leaders and elders of the church that we elders have a job to do. And so the church should let the elders do that job. They should understand the role of an elder and let them do that work. I think that's obvious. But practically, you church, you let us watch over your souls all the time, knowingly or not.
If you're a part of a home group, as I said earlier, there's an elder who has some oversight over you and a little bit of insight into what's going on in your life. Our Constitution allows the elders to distribute benevolence funds, kind of at the elders' discretion. It allows the elders to create women's studies, like the one we have going on currently during the week. It allows us to plan men's retreats and women's retreats, family and parenting conferences that we might host every now and then. It allows us to make decisions about hosting things like Simeon Trust, creating internships, and then deciding what those internships look like.
Allocating funds for home group leader trainings and recognition for home group leaders. All kinds of things that our elders have the authority to do, and mostly, you let us do those things. And that is here following this command in Scripture. But what would it look like for you to not let us, or to not let them? Sometimes we elders step into a conversation with one of you, or perhaps an email gets sent, or someone is bothered, perhaps frustrated by action that we elders have taken, or action that we haven't taken.
I'd say 99% of the time, you members here of Third Avenue approach us in humility, seeking understanding, assuming the best, as Mike preached about last week, and you kindly try and maybe point us in a different direction or ask us to reconsider. Maybe we do and maybe we don't, but you are striving to let us when you go about it that way. I think that's wonderful. When you don't do that, perhaps you send a fiery text or an email. Maybe you assume the worst.
Your position is on the attack. Maybe you're fueled by resentment or bitterness or sadness. And you're not letting us watch over your souls when you do with joy. Watch over your souls with joy. Instead, you're pushing against the very mechanism that God has designed for your good. And maybe you're right to do so. Maybe it's a righteous anger. Maybe our error was severe, and therefore your actions are justified. That is completely possible. Or maybe it's not, and maybe you're just frustrated.
Consider, church members, how you personally can let us watch over your souls with joy. Which takes us to the next part of the verse. With joy and not with groaning. Let us watch over your souls with joy, not with groaning. Going back to the last point a little bit. The way in which you let us watch over your souls. Allow us to do it either with joy or with groaning. You all are a wonderful church to pastor. Many of you do this well.
Actually, recently, a brother disagreed with a decision that was made about a change in this service. Probably most of y'all don't even notice it. But he did, and he approached me about it, and we talked about it. And though he still disagreed, every interaction with him was wonderfully pleasant, filled with joy. We even laughed in our disagreement with one another. It wasn't hostile in any way. We even laughed about how we thought differently about it. And I so appreciated his mind and his approach to that disagreement.
And we moved on amid a small disagreement in love. A wonderful example and a testament to that brother. Again, another example. Months back, another brother here at 3rd Avenue heard from another member how the elders had handled a situation of reconciliation. And he was concerned about how it was handled. But he didn't pull punches, didn't antagonize or villainize me. We met for lunch. He sought understanding in a peaceful way.
It's an absolute joy to engage with him over that. We found understanding and moved forward together in brotherly love. And I would say that this is the norm here, and praise God for his kindness to us as a church in that way. But other church members, past and present, have also caused groanings in the elders. There is no doubt. I would do you no favors, church, to act like that never happens. Perhaps that groaning comes from your impatience of the elders.
Perhaps the groaning is actually caused by our own sin. There is no doubt that it might be from our own sinful part and aggravation. That can absolutely be the case. But perhaps the groaning is induced by the manner in which you chose to engage with an elder over a concerning matter. Here we read that you should obey and submit in a way that causes joy to your elders. So practically, here's some advice. Assume the best in our intentions. We promise to pursue godliness in our work of pastoring.
Be curious before you are condemning when something doesn't make sense to you. Be gracious in your speech always. Be patient to try and gain understanding to the decision that was made or why something is or isn't happening. Know that there's almost always a whole host of circumstances affecting the elder board's decision on some matter. Seek peace. Don't seek to be correct or vindicated.
And then some things that are encouraging from our church covenant. Offer brotherly love. Be willing to participate in each other's joys and burdens with tenderness and sympathy. Perhaps our decision is our joy or perhaps our decision is a burden to bear, often the latter. But be willing to participate as you engage with the elder over something in a way that is trying to endeavor with tenderness and sympathy to bear the burdens that that elder might be facing.
And then, of course, through life, amidst evil report or good report, seek to live to the glory of God. Through it all, try and glorify God with your actions. And if you do these things, I imagine that you will induce joy in the lives of your elders and glorify God in the process. And then third, it's kind of amazing. You do this for your own advantage, church. Why does the author of Hebrews here ask you to obey and submit in a way that brings joy to the elders?
One would surmise that the logical answer would actually be to make the elders' jobs easier. But that's not what he says. Perhaps the logical answer would be to honor them. Or perhaps the logical answer would be just because to do it in obedience, because the Bible says so. But that's not what he says. In a shocking turn of events, the author here makes the claim that it is to your advantage to do this. It's actually quite counter-cultural, if you think about it, for it to be to your advantage to submit to someone else.
The opposite is preached to us every single day in our culture. Find your truth. Do what is best for you, what feels right. But not here. It is for your good to invoke joy in the elders, in your submission to them. Why? Here's a couple things that I think why this would bring joy be to your advantage. When you do, you're living like Jesus, and that's good for your heart. When you do, you submit to God's ordained authority structures of the church.
And surely he will either reward that or at least surely he has set it up for good and not for harm. When you do, you will further drill selflessness into your own heart and you'll find fulfillment in Jesus and not in the circumstances that you're in. And lastly, church, when you do, you will find more contentment in the overall health and well-being of the church above and beyond your own personal health. After all, isn't that what Jesus did?
Look, the elders of Third Avenue Baptist Church are sinners. We are not perfect, not something mighty, not invincible. We are not the most faithful. We have tempers, and we have shortcomings, and we have blind spots, and we have sin struggles and temptations. We have a wonderful Savior. who is perfect in every way that we are not. Jesus, the chief shepherd.
See, we elders, we are under shepherds, shepherding under the authority of Jesus. And though Jesus was perfect, and he loved perfectly, and he served others perfectly, he pastored perfectly, you could say, still, we crucified him. And yet, without groaning, we exchanged him for a thief. and he took the Roman nails and died the death that we deserved. Maybe you, church, have been failed by a pastor in the past.
Maybe you feel like you've been failed by one here at 3rd Avenue. I hate that that could be the reality of someone in this room, but it likely is. But Jesus will never fail you. If you don't know who Jesus is and what he's done for you, grab a member of this church afterwards and ask them about the chief shepherd. We love you, church. It is a joy to serve you and to pastor you. It's one of the greatest joys of my life. But I'll fail you. All of our elders will fail you at one time or another.
But Jesus never will. Cast your dependence on him. Let's pray. Father God, we ask that you would give us wisdom. Give us wisdom, Father, as church members in how we ought to obey and submit and to do so in a way that causes joy and increases life in this church and fruitfulness. Father, we ask too that you would give us patience as we work through disagreements and misunderstandings with one another, as our elders seek to shepherd the church well and to pastor the church well, and as our church members seek to engage with that also.
God, would you mark Third Avenue Baptist Church with a deep love for one another. Would all of our members grow in a deep love for one another and protect us, God, from divisiveness. To the glory of your name and the sake of your church. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.