A Little Sheepish

All right, if you would, please. We are in chapter 13 of Hebrews,
chapter 13. And as we began last week in
our consideration of this final chapter of this incredible letter,
we noted that the intensity picks up one last time in chapter 13.
This chapter is very different from the previous 12. The writer
here doesn’t enter into a lengthy instruction as he has done throughout
the letter. And this is evident by the very
plentiful exhortations that follow one right after the other, both
these subjunctive verbs, which we have learned, and these imperatives. He sees clearly what these readers
need, and his final exhortations are built on those needs. But he doesn’t have to take,
nor does he take the time to elaborate upon these admonitions
with a detailed explanation as he’s done elsewhere. He moves quickly from one duty
to the next in a routine manner. We noted that there are basically
three sections or categories in which these are given. We’ve
noted two of them already. Last week we considered social
responsibilities, or two weeks ago rather, we looked at social
responsibilities, those in verses one through six. In verses eight
through 16, which verses we considered last week, we looked at spiritual
responsibilities. And then he comes to another
section that I would just call ecclesiastical or church-related
responsibilities. As I’ve already noted, verses
7 and 17, they kind of serve as bookends for what we’d already
looked at in verses 8 through 16. It seems as if our writer
begins a thought about spiritual leadership, leadership in the
church there in verse 7, and it elicits this point about doctrinal
stability. That’s what he deals with in
verses eight through 16. And then he returns to the subject
of spiritual leadership in verse 17. And so, because there are
those bookends, I’m gonna read the passage in its entirety,
verse seven through 17, even though we’ll only be looking
at really just one or maybe two verses this morning. Begin with
me if you would, Verse 7 of chapter 13, remember those who led you,
who spoke the word of God to you, and considering the result
of their conduct, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by varied
and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened
by grace, not by foods. through which those who were
so occupied were not benefited. 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 holy place
by the high priest as an offering for sin are burned outside the
camp. Therefore, Jesus also that he
might sanctify the people through his own blood suffered outside
the gate. So let us go out to him outside
the camp, bearing his reproach. For here we do not have a lasting
city. But we are seeking the city which
is to come. Through him, then, let us continually
offer up a sacrifice of praise to God that is the fruit of lips
that give thanks to his name. And do not neglect doing good
and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Obey your leaders
and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as
those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and
not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. And so our study of Hebrews,
which has been built around these admonitions that occur regularly
throughout the epistle, we come now to another major section,
the 14th, as I have counted them, the 14th enduring admonition. And as we have set a pattern,
I’ll follow that pattern here. If we are to glorify Christ in
the midst of great trial, we must follow our God given leaders. We must follow our God given
leaders. Now, as I said in verse seven,
the writer urges his readers to think on those faithful shepherds
of days gone by. Those leaders were gone, they
were gone to glory, but their legacy lived on. And in all likelihood,
these spiritual leaders, whether apostles or evangelists or fellow
workers in the gospel or shepherding elders or deacons, they must
have been among the very first followers of Christ. They rose
to positions of leadership, and now they had passed on to glory. Back in chapter two, he had acknowledged
those who had confirmed what was first spoken by the Lord,
men who heard what Christ said and verified that before other
people’s hearing. In chapter four, he acknowledged
that we had had the good news preached to us. These were faithful
people. These were those who came and
preached the gospel, shared Christ with others. And they were likely
the very ones that he is referencing here, those who had fought the
good fight, finished the course and kept the faith. And so he
speaks of them and their influence in the past tense. They led you. They spoke the word of God to
you. And what he urges them to do is to ponder their earthly
example and the content of their teaching and imitate their faith. The writer urges them to remember
these people, remember their godly example, remember their
biblical teachings, their dictates, their admonitions. They had served
and served well. The writer urges his readers
to remember. We see here once again that the
primary function of spiritual leaders is teaching. The primary
function of spiritual leaders is that of teaching. This is
the master tool for shepherds, the ability to teach. to take
God’s word, to draw out of it a significant meal for God’s
people and to present it before them. Here, as he prepares to
plead with his readers not to veer into doctrinal error, verses
8 through 16, he lays the groundwork by directing them to remember
the teaching and the example of their previous leaders. But
it wasn’t just their former leaders that this writer desired them
to consider. And so he brings up or bookends
that discussion with verse 17. Now, if you’ve been with us for
some time, you know that totally in God’s providence, we preached
this passage just about a year ago. And when I preach that passage,
I want you to know that as I prepare to preach it again, this is not
the same message. Because a year ago, the title
I had for the message was Sleepless Joy, a spiritual leader’s glory. I preached it from the pastor’s
point of view, if you will. I preached it from the point
of view of the elders, the shepherds of a flock, what they experience. Listen to my outline from a year
ago. You have the first thing that
he talks about is a spiritual leader’s following. That is the
sheep. The second point was a spiritual
leader’s calling. And then a spiritual leader’s
blessing. But as I looked at it again,
and when I first started to preach through Hebrews, especially focusing
on the admonitions, I just figured that having already preached
this passage, we would leave it alone and press on. And yet
the more I looked at it, the more I examined my notes, I realized
that I had preached this passage from the pastor’s perspective.
But what lay untouched Is this passage preached from the perspective
of the sheep? And so with a little play on
words, I suggested a title of a little sheepish. I don’t mean
that you’re shy people because some of you are anything, but
what I mean by sheepish is that you’re sheep like, just like
childish is childlike and foolish is fool like. And what the writer does here
is assess the spiritual flock’s opportunity. There is an opportunity
before these Christ’s sheep, and we are to assess that. We are to take instruction from
that. And so this whole message is really from the perspective
of the sheep. And I would suggest an adjusted
outline that goes something like this. Whereas last year we called it
a spiritual leaders following. I would suggest to you that the
first point in the outline is a spiritual flocks duty. Spiritual
flocks duty. Whereas last year point two was
a spiritual leaders calling. this would be a spiritual flocks
assistance. And then finally, whereas last
year we saw a spiritual leaders blessing, here we have a spiritual
flocks return. That is profit or loss. Look
if you would at point number one, a spiritual flocks duty. Look at verse 17 if you would,
obey your leaders. For the sake of academic integrity,
we asked and answered the question a year ago about what leaders
are referred to in this passage. The flock, the gathered of God’s
people called saints, they do not get Christ as their shepherd. They hate to disappoint you,
but he is not their earthly shepherd. He is indeed their Savior and
their Lord, and he is their shepherd in an ultimate sense. But he gives an earthly shepherd
or shepherds. He gives them a mere man. A fellow
human to serve as an under shepherd in his flock beneath him. A mere
man. and yet a man who has been called
by God to such an office. He is a man who, without a doubt,
the writer of Hebrews is referring to as the leader of a local church,
the elders or the shepherds of that work. And as such, we know
that such a man is spiritually gifted for such office by God
himself. He is vetted by both God and
man. Further, he is a learned and
trained man so that whether pastors or commentators referred to this
office as that demanding a due subordination to ecclesiastical
authority. They’re not asking for anything
that God does not absolutely endorse. Another said it this way, they
are explicitly identifying it as the pastoral office. It is the call to the members
of the local body to be in submission to authority, their pastors. Just as God provided leaders
for his people in the past. kings and prophets and apostles. God has now chosen to provide
leadership in the local church by means of elders or shepherds. And so it is church leaders,
pastors that the writer of Hebrews is referring to here in this
clarion call to submission. And I have to tell you, after
looking again at my notes from last December, that I was almost
apologetic as I preached this. I don’t know if you remember
that message, but I was apologetic, almost squeamish about preaching
on this matter of submission to church leadership. And it
is indeed a delicate, if not unpopular subject. And so I walked
on eggshells as I presented this to you. And in good measure,
I let others, do you remember this? I let others far more seasoned
than I do the talking for me. Men like John Brown, John MacArthur,
John Owen, and others not named John. Obey your leaders. It’s referencing due subordination
to ecclesiastical authority. This is what God expects. And
in view of this exhortation, obey your leaders, we might as
well say that this leader is a commanding man. He is a man
that at times will issue a directive to be followed. to be obeyed. And I don’t mean that he just
sits around here and barks out commands. No, but that he knows
what the Lord himself expects and is committed to encouraging
God’s sheep to obey his dictates. He’s a commanding man. He is
in careful command of God’s people. Well, by now, After months in
our overview in Hebrews, begun back in March, John Brown, you
know him, that Scottish pastor who died over a hundred years
before I was born, hopefully a familiar friend to you as well
now, he said it this way. He explained the nature and extent
of church rule in these terms. He said the Hebrew Christians
were to be obedient to their spiritual rulers. They were to
consider the Christian ministry as an ordinance of Christ, and
they were to yield obedience to those who filled it. We have a learned and a well-developed
fear of this topic, don’t we? A fear of somebody who is going
to Order us around. And yet scripture doesn’t shy
away from employing the language that the most seasoned pastor
would not hesitate to declaim. Regarding the nature of leadership
in the church. In fact, the Apostle Paul himself
didn’t shy away from utilizing this language. First Thessalonians
5.12, he speaks of those who have charge over you in the Lord. First Timothy 5.17 speaks of
elders who rule well. First Corinthians 16, he says
there, I urge you, brethren, you know the household of Stephanus,
that they were the first fruits of Achaia and that they have
devoted themselves for ministry to the saints, that you also
be in subjection to such men. And to everyone who helps in
the work and labors. Well, John Owen, as I mentioned,
One of those heavy hitters, certainly one of the rare giants of the
faith who would not shy away from this truth, carefully described
submission in these terms. It is with respect to their teaching
or preaching or pastoral feeding that they are commanded to obey
them. And so we come with chapter and
verse. We come with an instruction from
God’s word. We come with a message, a sermon,
if you will, We are commanded to obey. He goes on and says,
the due obedience of the church in all its members unto the rulers
of it in the discharge of their office and duty is the best means
of edification and the chief cause of order and peace in the
body. He says, you want to grow in
Christ? You want to be a church in a peaceable place? Obey your
leaders. But then almost, and I say almost
inexplicably, he doubles down on this and he says essentially
the same thing. Obey your leaders and submit
to them. And so the church The flock,
God’s people, are commanded here yet a second time to yield to
God-given authority. There must be some reason that
such a similar command is reissued. In all likelihood, it was due
to what now is plainly obvious in most churches, independence,
self-will, a refusal to be governed by anyone. You see the command
here to submit goes beyond even the initial command to obey. Obeying should encompass those
things that we know to be right and proper. Submitting, however, includes
the right heart attitude in those things where there is no chapter
and verse mandate. And there is no easy agreement.
This is where the need for submission kicks in. If the leadership can
provide an airtight chapter and verse argument for a decision,
we are called to obey just as they are. But even scripture
does not address every possible situation and contingency. And
so we could well say that the shepherds of the flock are not
only commanding men, they are authoritative men. They are in
charge. They are men who are not afraid
to assess the situation, examine the contingency, the biblical
principles involved, and the options available to them, and
to finally make a decision, to choose the best course When there
is no biblical mandate. I just love the refreshing clarity
of the older confessions, but I want you to listen carefully
to this. It’s a little chewy. Here’s what they said about submission
to authority in the church. The whole counsel of God concerning
all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith,
and life is either expressly set down or necessarily contained
in the Holy Scripture, to which nothing at any time is to be
added, whether by new revelation of the Spirit or traditions of
men. Chapter and verse. These are
the things that we are called to obey. But the paragraph goes
on. Listen carefully. Nevertheless,
we acknowledge that there are some circumstances concerning
the worship of God and the government of the church common to human
actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light
of nature and Christian prudence according to the general principles
and rules of the word which are always to be observed.” Did you
see what he said there? I mean, you walk into a meeting
and try this. Based on the light of nature
and Christian prudence, we’re going to do thus and such. I
mean, can you imagine church leadership springing an argument
like that on its people? The light of nature and Christian
prudence? But that is exactly what it comes
down to sometimes. You do the best you can. You
assess the situation. You make a decision. We’ve got
to move. Here’s one seasoned man’s man
of God’s explanation of this very thing. He says, many things
which are in themselves a matter of no express divine command
and of no formal enactment by the community. In other words,
we didn’t put it in our constitution. There are matters of convenience,
things that tend to the order and harmony of the community
and the propriety of these. Rulers in the church and elsewhere
should be allowed to judge and we should submit to them patiently. You say, well, he didn’t have
chapter and verse. As long as they’re not telling you to do
something that God has forbidden or forbidding you to do something
that God has commanded, there is to be submission. Do we grasp
that? Even when we disagree, we are
called to submit. In fact, such occasions provide
us the best test for the genuineness of our submission. Because if
we agree wholeheartedly on a decision, just as if I had chapter and
verse, if we agree wholeheartedly on a decision, it can hardly
be called submission, right? That kind of yielding to authority
is never easy. It’s not easy to give. And frankly, it’s not easy to
ask of the church. Years ago, I compiled some notes
on biblical church leadership. Essentially, it was trying to
describe the difference and the cause of different decision-making
mechanisms in the church. I remembered quoting MacArthur
in this regard. He said, 20th century American
evangelicalism, with its heritage of democratic values, And long
history of congregational church government often tends to view
the concept of elder rule with suspicion, a new and subversive
concept that threatens the very life of the church. Well, it
wasn’t just MacArthur, though, that was observing this. Alexander
Strauch, pastor and author of the biblical eldership, He elaborated
on that same point. He said, in many churches, a
congregational structure exists in which each member has an equal
vote in making community decisions. And I’ll just tell you, having
lived through that barely, those are among the most ugly meetings
you’d ever want to be a part of. The elders have no more authority
in voting than anyone else. Certain democratic theories of
government may insist on an equal vote for every member, but this
is not scriptural. The church is not bound by democratic
governmental theories. True wisdom does not require
giving every member an equal vote in discerning God’s will
for the church. I mean, can you imagine having
a meeting and voting on every doctrinal position? John Piper
said it even more succinctly. Americans, as most humans, have
a love affair with individualism and do not like being told to
submit to anyone. We don’t like to be governed.
We don’t like to be led. We don’t like to be told what
to do. But all of this is a part of
God’s order and design, even for the church. I love the truth
that one faithful shepherd pointed out. He said the submission here
is not really to men, but to God as he rules, mediating his
rule through spirit controlled men. But the difficulty is if
leaders are godly, Even if the people are godly, disagreements
over policy or procedure or some particular may be so difficult
that true submission becomes very, very hard. Even though
it is a God ordained expectation. So that even though the leadership
may lack chapter and verse authority, the leaders make the best choice
that they can given the limited information that they have. They’re
not God. And that decision should be supported
so long as it does not require what God forbids or forbid what
God requires. And so we see, we begin to see
that being a little sheepish includes obedience, submission. That’s part of a spiritual flock’s
duty. But there’s a second observation
that he makes here. A spiritual flock’s assistance.
God has provided them help. Look at the verse again. Obey
your leaders and submit to them. Why? For they keep watch over
your souls. So last year we looked at it
as we did this whole passage. We looked at it from the standpoint
of the shepherd, as I told you, but the flock is also in view.
And from the perspective of the church itself, the flock, there
is a magnificent blessing here granted by the Lord himself.
God did not just save so many people and leave them to wander
the face of the earth until he should return. No, he sent earthly
shepherds, elders, pastors to watch over his flock, to protect
them, to provide for them a constant loving care and guidance. God
provided such to teach and to counsel and to guide and to love. It is not overstated to say that
this leadership, this care is God’s gift to the church. These
God-given leaders keep watch over the souls of those committed
to their care, souls. And so as the souls of people
are the most precious thing to God himself, this is a responsibility
of the highest order. Consider this as well. The word
translated, keep watch, could be literally translated,
sleepless. Anyone who has served in the
ministry knows just how appropriate that image is. But this is not
a case of occasional insomnia out of concern for those in the
flock. Rather, he’s talking here about the spiritual watch, a
spiritual watchfulness that stands guard through the night on occasion. Mark records Christ himself using
this same word to speak of that alertness, that watchfulness
that should characterize every Christian. Mark 13, be on the
alert, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming.
What I say to you, I say to all, be on the alert. Paul used the
same word to refer to a special alertness in prayer. Ephesians
6, 18, with all prayer and petition, pray at all times in the spirit.
And with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance.
And so in like manner, the spiritual shepherd is vigilant The shepherding
requires the utmost attentiveness because the dangers are severe
and constant and have great consequences. The flock is in perpetual peril,
constant danger, unending attack. And whether they know it or not,
and unfortunately few live as if they even know this, The Christian
is engaged in an epic spiritual battle against their own sinful
flesh, against the wicked culture, the world in which they live,
and against the devil himself. Who, by the way, has countless
henchmen at his disposal called demons in John 10, While stated
by Jesus about his own office as the great shepherd, it is
nonetheless a clear articulation of shepherding, the standard
of ministry. a most appropriate illustration
of what it is to keep watch. John 10, verse 11. I am the good
shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his
life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not
a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming
and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf snatches them and
scatters them. He flees because he is a hired
hand and not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd
and I know my own and my own know me. The wolves here clearly
represent, as they always do in the New Testament, that pernicious
rabble, false teachers, false prophets, those spiritual troublemakers
who seek only to devour the unsuspecting by their deceitful doctrine.
Battling false teachers, wolves in sheep’s clothing is a major
part of the calling of an elder, a major part of shepherding God’s
flock. But look at the passage again.
We noted this, but I want you to see it. I want it to soak
in. Obey your leaders and submit to them for they keep watch for
their souls. The faithful shepherds watch
sleeplessly over the spiritual welfare of those committed to
their care. They watch for their souls. They lead them, they watch over
them, they direct them that Christ may keep them. First and foremost,
this watchfulness is unto salvation. that any and all who are anywhere
near the flock might be led to salvation first. But then also
having come to salvation to grow in grace, to mature in Christ
likeness, to become more and more conformed to his image,
to gain ground in their lives by eradicating every form of
sin, Filling those holes with every possible virtue by God’s
enabling grace. One faithful Puritan shepherd
said it this way, the work and design of these rulers is solely
to take care of your souls. by all means, to preserve them
from evil, sin, and backsliding, to instruct and feed them, to
promote their faith and obedience, that they may be safely led to
their eternal rest. For this end is their office
appointed, and herein do they labor continually.” That’s their
job. That’s their calling. In other
words, it is spiritual oversight to which the author here refers,
shepherding in the spiritual sense. So here, when the author
speaks of spiritual oversight, it affirms that the leaders mentioned
in the very first clause are not just any leaders. They are
the leaders of the New Testament church, elders, overseers, shepherds. And although the word shepherd
is not used here, spiritual shepherding is described here as clearly
as anywhere in scripture. They are those who watch over
souls. These leaders, by God’s gracious
provision, watch over souls. They are entrusted by God into
their care. It’s a solemn task and a serious
obligation. In Acts 20, verse 28, Paul admonished
the elders there to be on guard for yourselves and for all the
flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd
the church of God. Why? Because he purchased it
with his own blood. It’s a serious calling. It’s
a solemn undertaking. The spiritual shepherd must watch
for sinful attitudes and habits, worldly ideas, doctrinal error,
ungodly behavior, factiousness, weaknesses, strengths, any sign
of trouble in the home. Just as Paul experienced any
faithful shepherd will face sleepless nights, they are endemic to the
ministry. There will be occasions of great
personal trial. There will be episodes of inconvenient
and prolonged travel. There will be periods of regular
lengthy study and seasons of concentrated study. There will
be, as Paul articulated, labor and hardship. There will be seasons
and many events of intense prayer. These will be brought about by
concern for suffering or needs of individuals or churches or
ministries or challenges, trials, crises, plural and plentiful. Among the people of God, false
teaching weaknesses among God’s people, just to name a few. Any
and all of them and countless more contribute to the sleepless
care and the concern by the shepherds. And so the author of Hebrews
here is to alluding to ministry circumstances that can lead to
sleeplessness, watchfulness, what elder doesn’t know what
Paul experienced comes with the territory. Especially a shepherd,
a spiritual shepherd must be ready to keep watch because his
main concern is no less than the infinitely valuable human
souls entrusted into his care. And so the work of these leaders
is not for their own end. It’s not for their own benefit
that they watch. It’s not over some earthly business
enterprise that they oversee. It’s not over lands and employees
and profit margins that they watch. They watch over souls. They certainly watch over their
doctrine and they watch over themselves. But ultimately, even
in these areas, his own life and doctrine is monitored for
the sake of the souls committed to his care. He is to watch the
flock. He is to watch over souls. Here’s
how one godly pastor put it. They have no selfish aim in this. They do not seek it to lord over
the Lord’s heritage. It is for your own good that
they do this for all that they teach for every measure which
they adopt. They must soon be called into
judgment. There is therefore the best security
that under the influence of this solemn truth, they will pursue
only that course which will be for your good. And he’s already alluded to it.
But if you look at the fourth line, obey your leaders and submit
to them for they keep watch over your souls as those who will
give an account. Once again, God has given leaders
to whom the church is to render obedience and submission. because
they are tasked with providing spiritual oversight to the souls
committed to their care. And there’s another, perhaps
even greater reason to trust them. The writer of Hebrews urges
that we can trust them because they answer to God. And one day
they will stand before him and give an account, a spiritual
accounting, not just of their ministry in general, or of its
relative measure of success, or the exercise of the man’s
own giftedness. How did you do? How many sermons
did you preach? No, but the particular accounting
of how he shepherded each and every soul committed to his care,
whether in faithfulness or not. And I believe that they will
speak to all of it. And obviously, the writer suggests that the
expectation of this accounting should affect his conduct of
this office. But it’s not just a scare tactic.
It’s a reality. Such shepherds, overseers, leaders
will give God himself an account. It only makes sense. If we were in business, he would
answer a thousand times over to every customer. He would answer to his ledger
at the end of the year, wouldn’t he? Of course, it only follows
it was so great a responsibility as human souls and so great a
master as God himself. Of course, it follows that such
a stewardship would one day render an account of his calling. Paul seemed to anticipate this
in real time, and in Acts chapter 20, he expressed to those dear
Ephesian elders with whom he had loved and served, to them
he said, therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent
of the blood of all men. Paul was prepared to give an
account. He called these elders to verify his account, and likewise
called them to give the same kind of account. The pastor is under a constant
state of giving an account. It’s not just in glory. He’s
accountable to his own conscience. He must give account to his wife
and to children in his words and his actions. He must give
an account to his fellow shepherds and all things. He’s accountable
to his flock. but ultimately he answers to
God. He must give an account to his God and Savior regarding
the way he carried out his gifts and callings and for every soul entrusted
into his care. And so a pastor, a shepherd,
a spiritual leader must watch and care and shepherd as one
who will give an account for things pertaining to his ministry.
How he lived, what he believed, what he preached, but most of
all, how he cared for Christ’s flock. A little sheepish. As we assess a spiritual flock’s
opportunity, we see a spiritual flock’s duty, a spiritual flock’s
assistance, and thirdly, a spiritual flock’s
return. Look at the verse, if you would,
obey your leaders and submit to them for they keep watch over
your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do
this. Let them keep watch with joy
and not with grief. Well, we’ve seen the who and
the why that the flock is supposed to obey their God given leaders
as the answerable shepherds of their souls. Here, the writer
closes with the how. how the flock is to obey. God’s
people are to obey with the shepherd’s interests in view. They are to
conduct themselves in such a manner, with such a sweet spirit of submission,
that not only will the leader not be grieved, but it will be
a positive joy to pastor such a flock. Let them is not a command. It’s another one of our subjunctive
admonitions. It’s a strong encouragement which
establishes this appeal on the entirety of the previous statement.
It is the flock itself that is to see to it that the shepherds
are delighted and not beleaguered in their work, happy and not
discouraged, joyful and not grieved. This is done in part as they
observe God’s sanctifying grace at work in God’s children as
they watch his spirit at work in the people. The grievous part is the part
that robs or greatly depletes the joy in the course of ministry.
It’s most often seen in that fiercely independent, even insubordinate
spirit that is sadly too prevalent in the church. It happens in varying degrees
in almost all believers, what one writer summed up as self-will
and resentment. One of the great reformers himself,
a good, godly under-shepherd of Christ, said this of the way
that God expects his shepherds to be treated in his flock. He
bids us to be teachable and ready to obey that what pastors do
in consequence of their office demands They may also willingly
and joyfully do. Anything else would be grievous,
not only to God, but to the shepherds themselves. And so he continues,
listen carefully. They ought to be reverently treated
by all the godly, the heavier the burden they bear, the more
honor they deserve. For the more labor anyone undertakes
for our sake, all the more difficulty and danger he incurs for us,
the greater our obligations to him. Such is the office of shepherd
that it involves the greatest labor and the greatest danger.
If then we wish to be grateful, we can hardly render to them
that which is due and especially as they are to give an account
of us to God. This word grief. It could be
translated as groaning. It’s the audible effect elicited
from someone who is grieving. The word has a wide course of
reference in the scriptures, everything from Job’s mourning
to the lamentations of the prophets. It is the word so often associated
with death, but also even of the daily frustrations
of life. Whether it’s the groaning of
frustration or the vexing burden laid upon a person by one’s enemies,
as one described it, the groaning with which one resumes a thankless
task with which he contemplates unappreciated, even opposed work. But here in this section of Hebrews,
it is the grief or the groaning of the shepherd in the difficult
course of shepherding. It is painful grieving, whether
audible or not, is the heartfelt grief of shepherds that is described. The point that God is making
here through the writer of the Hebrews is that of the danger
of discouragement of the shepherds in the midst of this great task. And in that sense, there is the
groaning caused by disobedience, the groaning caused by strife,
the groaning caused by self-will, the groaning caused by sinful
behavior, worldliness, watching the consequences of sin unfold, The groaning caused by gossip,
the groaning caused by the waywardness of sheep into errant teaching. But we should note something
else about this triggered grief. It has a side effect. Obey your leaders and submit
to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who
will give an account. Let them do this. Let them keep
watch with joy and not with grief. For this, this grief would be
unprofitable. for you. And here’s where finally
the return is addressed. What will the flock reap? What
will the return be to the saints individually and collectively
in response to their behavior? Will it be blessing or cursing?
Will they profit or will this endeavor be unprofitable? This has nothing to do with the
salvation of individual members of the fold. We do not earn our
salvation even by keeping pastors happy. It has everything to do
with God’s observation and evaluation of their conduct and a commensurate
rendering to them accordingly. And so the writer of Hebrews
closes with one final clarifying explanation. Commentators are
in great agreement here that this is an ironic understatement. It indicates exactly the opposite
of what is stated. In other words, not only would
it be unprofitably and unprofitable, rather, it would be a disaster
there would be terrible consequences. The people of the church, being
at odds with leadership, would be uncomfortable, grievous enough
in itself, but the added realization that they are responsible for
such strife only adds to the grief. said one pastor, in subordination
to the spiritual leaders chosen by God can mar the spiritual
welfare and progress of the church. Did you hear that? In subordination to the spiritual
leaders chosen by God can mar the spiritual welfare and progress
of the church. How would you like to put that
on your church resume? Some people should. Such a scenario
would be absolutely horrible for the flock. One humble and godly shepherd
painted this beautiful word picture with these colors. What a sighing,
what a groaning, what a mourning. The accounts of faithful ministers
to Christ are often accompanied He alone knows and the last day
will manifest the heart of the minister is discouraged. The
great master is displeased. The tokens of his favor are withdrawn
and spiritual barrenness prevails. As the clouds seem, as it were
commanded to rain, no rain on the unfruitful vineyard. There
are consequences. There were some commentators
who concluded that this grief was because of a certain eternal
gloom of some troublesome sheep. And I have to tell you that a
year ago, I did not see it this way. That you show up to the
gates of heaven and you’re grieved because of the departure of one
of your sheep. And with exceedingly great alarm
and sadness, I have to say that I see it. Again, the great John Owen described
the pastor’s ultimate cause for grief. They give up their account
with joy and not with grief, either at the throne of grace
where they rejoice or complain, or at the great day of judgment
where they will be witnesses, either for or against those who
have been committed to them. This is unprofitable for you.
whose souls they watch either doing their work sorrowing or
to give up their account by way of complaint. He says that we’ll
be drawn into the gates and we’ll stand there and we’ll have to
lament about the testimony of some of
the saints. And so these pastors are seen
as going On behalf of these disobedient sheep to bear the bad news about
them to God, as if God himself had no idea about their treacherous
behavior. I don’t know if there will be
an event exactly like that in heaven, but shepherds will give
an account. I don’t know if there will be
lasting grief over the life decisions that other people made. But there
is such grief here in this life. for wayward saints and for their
pastors. The grief, as I see it, is not
eternal grief. It’s temporary grief. It’s earthly
grief. It’s the grief from the stress
and strife caused by shepherding some sheep. Such trouble would
be grievous in itself, and the effect of the shepherds would
only lead to more heartache And so with a year of pondering
this passage under my belt and adjusting a few of my positions
and thoughts, I put together these closing ideas about being
sheepish. And I thought about a cute title,
how to avoid giving your pastor grief. Or how to sustain your
pastor’s joy in five easy steps. Let’s just stop there. How to
sustain your pastor’s joy in five easy steps. First of all,
commit. Don’t sit on the fence. Don’t
hedge, don’t wonder. And when you commit, follow through.
Do it. Don’t hover on the fringe. Don’t
suggest that you might do something someday. Commit. Commit to the
church. Commit to God’s people. Commit
to Christ and follow through by God’s grace. Secondly, attend. This is the body of Christ. And these people need you just
as you need these people. Calvin one time called people
insane that would try to do Christianity without the care and love of
a local church. Commit, attend, serve. Do something and do it to the
glory of God. Commit, serve, attend, pray. Pray for the church, pray for
the leadership, Take that prayer list and pray through. We’ve
tried to put all kinds of ideas. Are you gonna pray for every
single one with the same passion? No, but pray for the church. Pray for its leadership. Pray
for our influence. Commit, attend, serve, pray,
communicate. I learned a new word this past
year, ghosting. And I’ve been the recipient of
a lot of ghosting over the years, 22 years here. When you come to a difference
of opinion or a difference in doctrine, this is your opportunity
to work with a brother in Christ and to arrive at a solution to
those differences. First Corinthians 110, I exhort
you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you
all agree and there be no divisions among you, but that you be made
complete in the same mind and the same judgment. Do you have a theological question
or concern? Ask one of the shepherds of the
church. Have the courage to discuss and defend your decision, your
position, your conviction. Do you have criticisms? voice them to the leadership
before you leave. I can’t even tell you how many
people have written me these nasty letters over the years
and told me about something that someone did or someone said or
something that we practice that bothered them after they were
gone. Have the humility to disagree
peaceably How about this? You’re considering
a major life decision? How about this? How about counsel
with your pastor who is in charge of caring for your soul? I can’t
even tell you how many people have gone out thinking this is
a great thing. I’m going to go and do thus and
such. Only to crash and burn. And bring irreparable harm to
their life, to their family, to their bank account, to their
relationships. And there’s always sin. Have
you fallen into some seemingly inescapable sin? Talk to an elder. I mean, if we’re not called to
come alongside a brother in that setting, I don’t know what we’re
here for. Communicate. Commit, attend,
serve, pray, communicate. Pretty simple list, isn’t it? And so I added one more. Receive. If I or another shepherd is led
to address some sinful behavior in your life, we would do so
with three concerns. We’re concerned about God’s glory.
God being glorified through you. We’re concerned about the purity
of Christ’s church, and we’re concerned about your personal
sanctification. Easy list. You’re going to need
God’s grace to do it. Let’s pray. Merciful God, we come before
you and we thank you for your grace at work in our lives. We thank you for our church.
We thank you for what you have provided for this church. And
we pray, Father, that you would cultivate a godliness in Christ’s
flock. that you would draw us together
in Christ and not apart. Lord God, we thank you for your
many blessings, not the least of which has been this study
in Hebrews. We ask your blessing on it as we even ponder these
great admonitions to us. Father, we thank you and we praise
you for your goodness. It’s in Jesus’ name that we pray,
amen.