Month: December 2011

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. (Hebrews 13:17)

In II Timothy 3:16, the apostle Paul wrote that all scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for the Christian’s instruction in righteousness. Everything we learn in scripture helps to outfit us for our lives of service to Christ. Because the place for Christian service has always been in and through the church, there are many scriptures that deal with the behavior of God’s people in relation to their fellowship with other Christians. One of the most important, if not the most important, is the attitude that members of the church have towards their leaders. Good order in the church requires that godly leadership should be respected and followed.

The writer of Hebrews reminds these Christians that leadership must give an account to God for the way they have conducted their ministry. The pastor especially is given the responsibility of watching out for the welfare of the souls that are under his charge. There are various ways this is done. It may be through prayer, through counseling, and even through discipline. However, the most important way the pastor labors for the membership is through the instruction of God’s Word. The Word itself is described as profitable; it is the Word that reveals what God expects, and it is through the Word that we are drawn closer to the cross of Christ.

A very important aspect of the teaching of Hebrews 13:17 is that the membership has its own responsibility towards the pastor. The membership must also labor to make the pastor’s ministry effective. It must strive to make his shepherding less strenuous by responding favorably to the Word that is preached. It is also the duty of members to pray for the pastor and to help by lifting him up with words of encouragement. The scripture says his ministry should be joyous and not one that is filled with grief.

You will notice the writer says that making the ministry hard for the pastor is unprofitable for the membership. You may wonder how this is so. The answer is in the consideration of the ownership of the church and who the work is for. We labor for the cause of Christ and He is the head of the church. If the Christian does not support the pastor, if he or she derides the pastor and complains to others about him, it is an assault upon the headship of Christ. It disrupts the ministry and stunts spiritual growth. There is no profit for the person that engages in such activity.

It is also the duty of others that encounter any kind of slander against the pastor to defend him. If he meets spiritual qualifications and is walking and teaching according the Word, he is to be followed and respected properly for the work. If this is not the case, there is a proper protocol for correcting a pastor. He is a member of the church as well as others and should be approached by the Matthew 18 principle and particularly the instruction of 1 Timothy 5:19. The pastor is not to be tried in the forum of private gossip.

When the membership of the church follows these principles outlined in scripture, the ministry of the pastor becomes a joyful one. There is nothing more satisfying than to see God’s people respond to the Word and grow thereby. Remember that your pastor is a co-laborer for Christ. A good pastor does not seek to be lord over the people. He wants to work beside them in the mutual love and respect for the ministry of Christ.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Hebrews 13:5)

For the past several weeks, we have had the blessed privilege of taking our congregational readings from the book of Hebrews. Hebrews is a deep theological work and is one of the most challenging books of the Bible. This book, along with Romans, really mines the importance of the New Covenant that has been established through the sacrificial death of Christ. We have now reached the thirteenth chapter in which the writer gives some practical exhortations that are the spiritual responses to the great truths that have been learned. These truths concern the superiority of Christ over all aspects of God’s physical and spiritual creation. It presents Christ as supreme and as the ultimate object of our praise, adoration, love, and respect. Because He is the eternal God, to possess Him as Lord and Saviour is to have all we could ever hope for and all we will ever need.

This possession of Christ as our Sovereign Lord is especially important as we come to verse five of the thirteenth chapter. We remember that the eleventh chapter dealt with great heroes of the faith, some named and others nameless, which were willing to give their lives because they had the hope of Christ within them. This hope was the promise of an eternal home in heaven: “Ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels” (12:22). Because the Christian is an heir to this heavenly city, we ought not to think there is anything that we lack which in turn would cause us to become covetous. What does anyone have that is better than what we already possess? Our possession is not only better but immeasurably better. We can live with contentment knowing that we are the present owners of the riches of God’s inheritance. This promise is surer than what we can actually see with our eyes. People are deceived by the lust of the eyes. Earthly possessions do not satisfy, and yet this is the continual pursuit of our materialistic society, which sadly also includes many Christians.

It is becoming increasingly popular in Christian churches to teach that Christians should pursue wealth because it is God’s desire that we have the best of what the world has to offer. We should expect it because God has ordained it for us. This kind of theology belies the entire book of Hebrews. It is Christ Himself that we pursue; the best this world has to offer is worse than junk in God’s kingdom. Paul said he counted all that he had gained in this world as dung in comparison to the riches that he found in Christ (Philippians 3:8).

The great hope of this passage is the concluding statement, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” This is God’s infallible promise that once we have placed our faith in Christ, our eternal home is secure. Though we go through hard times; though there are worldly things that would seem to improve our lives, we should trust God’s providence that He has given exactly what we need for this moment of time. We can be content because we see through the eyes of faith what others cannot see. Christian, trust God! You belong to Him and He belongs to you.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: (Hebrews 12:28)

Our congregational reading today is in the 12th chapter of Hebrews verses 14-29. These verses represent a remarkable dichotomy between facing God on the basis of the law only or facing God in His mercy and grace. The law is presented as physical Mount Sinai where God appeared to Moses to give Him the precepts and commandments that would govern His people. The presence of God on the mountain was demonstrated in fire and smoke and blackness which represented the wrath of God and His vengeance upon guilty sinners. God intended to speak with Moses alone and forbade anyone else to approach the mountain. Even with divine permission, Moses greatly feared knowing that God had power to take his life without provocation. The people likewise sensed the slender thread that held them from falling under God’s vengeance since even an animal accidentally crossing the forbidden zone meant a sentence of death.

The writer of Hebrews explains this scene in order that we might understand what it means to face the holiness of God with nothing to fall back on but our record of keeping God’s commandments. This record is worse than dismal, and since the law is rigid and unforgiving it affords no basis for avoidance of God’s wrath. The law condemns; it does not commend us for obedience. Jesus said, “When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do” (Luke 17:10). This leaves us in a hopeless condition unless the sovereign God should grant us mercy.

This is where the next part of the narrative gives great hope. The old covenant was not sufficient to make us righteous. Therefore God gave a new covenant which is based on the sacrificial offering of Christ for our sins. The offering of Christ makes us just with God, and because of this new covenant, we need not fear to come into His presence. There is no prohibition to approach God. Rather, we are invited to come for fellowship which we are able to do at any time because we have divine acceptance and permission. We do not approach Mount Sinai which is the forbidden zone; rather we come to the spiritual heavenly Jerusalem where God’s people gather to enjoy His presence.

The chapter closes by encouraging us to hold on to the doctrine of God’s grace. The only way we can serve God acceptably is by receiving the gospel of grace. Grace changes the believer from the fear of God’s wrath to a different fear—to godly fear. With gratefulness we serve Him, while being reverently cautious lest we should offend Him.

God shook the earth when He appeared at Mount Sinai, and He will come to shake the earth again. This will occur at the Second Coming of Christ. Those that survive the judgment of this world are those that have realized their sinfulness in front of the Holy God, have given up self help, and have received Christ humbly by faith.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever. (Psalms 111:10)

Today we are happy to have the privilege of celebrating Thanksgiving. This is one of my favorite Sundays of the year as we have the opportunity to think on God’s bountiful blessings and to enjoy the fellowship of God’s people as we gather around a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner.

I have chosen Psalm 111 for our scripture reading which reminds us of God’s great works. Verse 2 says, “The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.” Verse 4 says that God has made His wonderful works to be remembered. This is what we do when we set aside a day like today. It is the recognition that everything we have comes from God. He deserves our praise and adoration for His salvation and daily provision.

Charles Spurgeon, the great English pastor of the late 19th century wrote a commentary on Psalms entitled, The Treasury of David. He makes the following comment on verse 1: “Holy reverence of God leads us to praise him, and this is the point which the psalm drives at, for it is a wise act on the part of a creature towards his Creator.” Thankfulness and praise is more than just prayers and singing songs and saying that we thank God. Real thankfulness is shown by responding to God’s goodness in obedience.

Spurgeon makes this clear in his comments on verse 10: “Obedience to God proves that our judgment is sound. Why should he not be obeyed? Does not reason itself claim obedience for the Lord of all? Only a man void of understanding will ever justify rebellion against the holy God. Practical godliness is the test of wisdom. Men may know and be very orthodox, they may talk and be very eloquent, they may speculate and be very profound; but the best proof of their intelligence must be found in their actually doing the will of the Lord. The former part of the psalm taught us the doctrine of God’s nature and character, by describing his works: the second part supplies the practical lesson by drawing the inference that to worship and obey him is the dictate of true wisdom. We joyfully own that it is so.”

Spurgeon’s words cause us to reflect on the rejection of God’s principles by our American society. This week the nation will pause for a holiday which we call Thanksgiving, but very few have shown any thankfulness at all by being obedient to God’s call for holiness. The scriptures tell us to trust in the Lord and not lean on our own understanding (Prov. 3:5). We think we are wise and know what is best for our country when God says, ”a good understanding have all they that do his commandments.”

As you celebrate Thanksgiving this week, take time to be thankful and to praise God for His bounty, but also remember to take account of your life. Have you shown God how thankful you are by your obedience? We often speak of how we can trust God. A good question for each of us is, “Does God trust our praise when we say we are thankful?” The proof is not what you say with your mouth. The proof is what you do with your life.

Pastor V. Mark Smith