March 26, 2017 “Accountable People Act God’s Way” (Hebrews 13: 17-25)
Message map: Heb 13: 17 – 25
- Leaders are those who keep watch over our souls
- God holds all (& Especially Leaders) to be accountable to cooperate with him
- The leadership challenge is to act from a pure conscience before god
- Christ’s work on the cross equips us to bear up by being accountable to god.
Let’s Walk Thru The word of Today’s Message
Heb.13:17-19: 17Obey 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.
18Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. 19I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.
Heb.13: 20 – 21 20Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in usb that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Heb.13: 22 – 25 Final Greetings 22I appeal to you, brothers,c bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. 23You should know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. 24Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings. 25Grace be with all of you.
Leaders are spiritual watch keepers – Heb 13: 17a
heb.13: 17: Leaders are those who go before as a chief to properly keep watch over our souls – which means they “carefully stay vigilant and are alert and attentive, being faithful without taking any unnecessary time off.”
We, as leaders who take our call before God seriously are on duty every week for the sake of the church. We are mindful of your needs, desires, hurts and longings, and want to see you blessed of God.
Those who want to use “secular carnal Reasoning” are not watching out for us spiritually and are not doing what God calls Us to
Leaders will give an account Heb 13: 17b Heb 13: 7a
Heb.13:17: 17Leaders will have to give an account. (answer by reporting) to God
Leaders (and all who serve) should do so with joy (being properly aware of God’s grace and favor) and not with groaning, (expressing grief, anger, moaning or a desire to do something else.)
for that would be of no advantage (unprofitable, ruinous, detrimental) to you – the church. We really must watch our attitude when serving Christ.
So God is saying, as in 2Tim 2:24-26 24And the Lord’s servante must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
Yesterday at the Revelation Conference, I had to balance patient teaching with gentle correction during the debate at the Blue Point Bible Church
If you seek godly counsel, submit to godly counsel Heb 13: 17a
Heb.13:17-19: 17Obey (be persuaded by the Lord to have confidence in Him and as a believer yield to His preferred-will) and submit (yield to authority) to them, that are keeping watch over your souls (the soul is the psyche seat of affections and will, the essence of your character – the self).
Submission is to our advantage because it benefits us to cooperate with God’s plan for our lives – especially if you ask you leaders for direction, and they take that seriously and pray for you.
I’ve known several people who have sought Godly counsel of church leaders for various major life decisions, and then did not follow the advice they were given, and in each case the situation has had disastrous outcomes.
This is wait a bit different than striking out on a Godly course and then being met by opposition or by circumstances that seem to stand in the way of the fulfillment of that decision.
The leadership challenge is to have a pure conscience before God (Heb 13: 18)
Heb.13:18: A clear conscience only comes from PRAYER, which transfers Christ’s character to us. Clear means honorable character that embraces what is lovely, beautiful and praiseworthy.
conscience, is the God-given capacity of moral and spiritual perception from being created in His divine image, and informs us to know right from wrong as free moral agents.
To act honorably is to do what is good, advantageous, appealing and attractive in all things.
19I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner. (Why does the writer, say this? why would acting honorably restore the writer to the readers sooner?)
Godly leadership is serving, not lording it over people – not holding people hostage to our aggressive, abusive, neglectful, selfish, stingy whims.
Godly leaders are not “know-it-all’s who think they have all the answers for everyone involved. They realize “Only God could have such perspectives, so they understand Prov 15:22 “Where there are many counselors, plans succeed.”
Christ’s work on the cross brings peace that equips us to be accountable to god (Rom 5: 1 & 11 we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ)
Heb. 13: 20-21 20 Now may the God of peace (life promoting harmony & wholeness) who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip (fully trained & prepared) you with everything good (what originates from God and is empowered by Him in our lives, through faith)
that you may do his will (fulfill God’s planned agenda), working in usb that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
God works in us so we please him (Heb 13: 21)
Heb.13:21 that you may do his will (planned agenda), working in usb that which is pleasing (fully agreeable) in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory (renown splendor) forever and ever. Amen.
Rom/Cor God works in us to do His will as we submit and yield, he becomes more of who we are, and we become more of what He wants from us.
Bear up under god’s transformation Process Which Makes Us accountable To Him Heb 13: 22-25
Heb.13: 22 – 25 The Accountable Bear Up Under God’s Transforming Work In Their Lives 22I appeal to you, brothers,c bear with (endure and hold up under) my word of exhortation (a call or urging that delivers the evidence that stands up in God’s court), for I have written to you briefly. Rom 14:12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
24Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy (where Paul is imprisoned in Rome for 2 years, from where he wrote Hebrews) send you greetings. 25Grace be with all of you.
The epistle ends in prayer signifying we are not fit to do good until we are transformed by God’s Grace.
To view the recorded message, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wplhTPyFmc