-
As you can imagine,
it is an unspeakable joy
-
for my wife Diana and myself
-
to arrive at this day,
-
when our son can be officially recognized
-
as a shepherd
-
in a church of the blood-
bought people of God.
-
It is also a sobering reality
-
in light of what we have heard.
-
And mine is to bring a charge to you,
-
the congregation of Grace Community Church
-
as to your responsibilities
-
in receiving a pastor to be among you
-
and as the Scriptures say,
-
to be over you in the Lord.
-
And I want to bring to
you from God's Word,
-
six areas of responsibility
-
given to you by the Lord
-
as you receive a new pastor.
-
And I'll get right to it.
-
The first one is this:
-
Recognize him according to the gifts
-
and graces God has given.
-
Someone has said,
-
"Only God can make a minister.
-
Only God can make a pastor."
-
And that's true isn't it.
-
Because only God can furnish a man
-
with the graces of character
-
and the gifts of leadership and preaching
-
that are needed to
shepherd the flock of God.
-
Only God can make a pastor.
-
Now that doesn't mean
that there are not people
-
who run into the pastorate
-
not having been called and sent by God.
-
There are men who do that.
-
In our day, sadly, there are even
women who do that, wrongly.
-
Why do they go?
-
In some cases, they go to try to live up
-
to the misguided expectations of others.
-
Perhaps a father who says,
-
"My son is going to be a pastor."
-
In other cases, a man
likes to study theology
-
and he thinks, "Well,
that would be a nice job.
-
Being holed up in a room,
-
reading theological books all day.
-
I think that'll be a nice gig!"
-
Others are very sociable,
and they would say:
-
"You know, I like
to socialize with people
-
and being a pastor I get
to socialize with people.
-
I think I'd like to be a pastor."
-
More culpably, sadly, there are people
-
who like to exercise control and power
-
over other people.
-
And they enter the ministry
for that wrong reason.
-
And others, because of a large ego,
-
they like to be front and center
-
and be the center of attention.
-
There are people, there are men,
-
sadly even women,
-
who seek to run into pastoral ministry
-
without having been
called and sent by God.
-
But only God can equip, and call,
-
and send a true shepherd.
-
And your job, church at Laredo,
-
therefore is not to make a man a pastor.
-
You can't do that.
-
It is to recognize the man and men
-
that God raises up among you
-
to be in that calling.
-
And that's what you are doing today.
-
You are recognizing,
-
based on the qualifications given by God
-
in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9,
-
you are recognizing a man
-
whom you believe God has give you
-
to shepherd your souls.
-
Your work is the work of recognition.
-
And may I say, that I heartily concur
-
with what is being done today.
-
If I might say some personal words
-
as the father of this young man,
-
I have marveled at the grace of God
-
that has brought him to this day.
-
I never groomed my son to be a pastor,
-
because it was my conviction
-
that I don't make men pastors.
-
I never even imagined it.
-
Quite frankly, for many years -
-
and his brother and sister are here
-
and can testify to it -
-
Jeremy was our fun-loving,
-
people-loving jock.
-
Much more likely to have
a soccer ball on his foot
-
than a book in his hand.
-
But it's been amazing to watch
-
what God has done.
-
Beginning midway through college,
-
when he decided to
plant his flag for Christ.
-
Started a fellowship of
Christian athletes on campus,
-
and from there on after,
-
every Sunday night at eight o'clock,
-
he would be teaching his
fellow college students
-
from the Bible.
-
And then there was the first
professional contract in Finland
-
where he had a premature mantel
-
of leadership responsibilities
thrust upon him;
-
where he was looked to teach and lead
-
a rather immature group of saints.
-
And we did a lot of Skype-ing,
-
across the Atlantic that year.
-
But it was then that I
began to see in him
-
a shepherd's heart.
-
He would review with me a letter
-
that he was writing to
someone twice his age
-
giving counsel.
-
And as I read that thing I said:
-
"I could not do any better than that!"
-
The truth-content,
-
and the love and grace in that letter!
-
And I began to see...
-
I began to say to myself:
-
"If I know anything of what a pastor is,
-
of what a shepherd's heart is,
-
I'm beginning to see it in my son."
-
And then, two years spent
-
in the Conway's home
-
and in the church in San Antonio
-
for which my wife and I
-
are tremendously grateful
-
for the influence, Tim and Ruby,
-
of your home, your lives,
-
the influence of the church.
-
It has been hugely challenging
-
and formative in our son's life.
-
And we are forever grateful
-
for God's usefulness of you in his life,
-
bringing him to this day.
-
So, church of Laredo.
-
You can't make a pastor;
-
now or in the future.
-
But you are called to recognize
-
those whom God has gifted and called.
-
And you're doing that today.
-
The second thing that
is your responsibility
-
is to receive him as a loving gift
-
of the glorified Lord Jesus Christ.
-
I turn briefly (or just listen)
to Ephesians 4:9-11.
-
You are to receive him
-
as a loving gift of your glorified Savior.
-
In Ephesians 4:9-11 we read:
-
"Now this expression, 'He ascended',
-
what does it mean except that He also
-
had descended into the
lower parts of the earth?
-
He who descended is Himself also
-
He who ascended far above all the heavens,
-
so that He might fill all things."
-
And notice verse 11
-
"And He gave some as apostles,
-
and some as prophets,
-
and some as evangelists, and some as..."
-
as the Greek would likely
have it, "pastor-teachers."
-
Jesus descended to live a perfect life
-
that we could not live, and died a death
-
in our place that we deserved to die!
-
And then He was raised from the dead,
-
He was ascended to the Father,
-
and He's glorified at
the Father's right hand
-
and from that place of glorification,
-
He has given gifts to His Church.
-
Rather, He has given men
as gifts to His Church!
-
He gave apostles and prophets.
-
Earlier in that letter it says
-
the church is built upon the foundation
-
of the apostles and New Testament prophets.
-
He gave evangelists.
-
Christians disagree as to
what an evangelist is.
-
I would take it to mean those who
-
take the gospel into virgin territory.
-
But he gave pastor-teachers.
-
And church at Laredo.
-
The point for you is this:
-
Jesus Christ, your
ascended, glorified Lord,
-
is giving you a gift today!
-
It's a gift of His love!
-
It's a token of His grace and favor!
-
Little flock in Laredo,
-
Jesus has His eye on you.
-
He has not forgotten you!
-
He loves you
-
and is giving you a gift.
-
Someone has said:
-
"Pastors are not needed
-
for the being of the Church,
-
but for its well-being."
-
And I think that's true.
-
Acts 14:23 says,
-
"When they had appointed elders
-
for them in every church..."
-
The idea was they were already churches
-
before they had elders.
-
Elders are not needed for
the being of the church,
-
but for its well-being.
-
If the church is to flourish
-
and grow internally and spiritually,
-
if it is to expand numerically
and evangelistically,
-
it needs shepherds.
-
Jesus loves you.
-
He has His eye on you.
-
He is giving you a gift,
today, of a pastor.
-
Receive him as a gift
-
of Christ's love for you.
-
Thirdly, you are to respect him
-
for the sake of his
diligent labor among you.
-
And for that I turn you
to 1 Thessalonians 5,
-
just two verses.
-
Either turn there or just listen.
-
"But we request of you, brethren,
-
that you appreciate those who
-
diligently labor among you
-
and have charge over you in the Lord
-
and give you instruction..."
-
Now listen to this,
-
"and that you esteem
them very highly in love
-
because of their work."
-
Now let's unpack briefly,
-
some of those words.
-
The word "appreciate" is
actually the word "to know",
-
but it's understood in
the Hebraistic sense
-
of having regard for, cherishing,
-
paying attention to.
-
The word "esteem":
-
consider, think, account,
-
it means to have deliberate
-
and careful judgment.
-
"Esteem very highly."
-
That's the word used in
Ephesians 3:20 when it says:
-
"God is able to do super abundantly
-
beyond what we ask or think."
-
You are to super abundantly esteem him,
-
but for his work, his diligent labor.
-
And that word "labor" means
-
wearisome effort, intense labor,
-
it actually comes from a verb that means
-
to beat the breast in grief.
-
He is to be a hard diligent worker,
-
sometimes to weariness of body and soul.
-
And he admonishes you,
-
he puts in your mind truth
-
that leads you back into the way.
-
You put all this together
-
and this is what you get:
-
You are to know, pay attention to,
-
have regard for the laborious work
-
that your pastor is doing among you.
-
What does that mean practically?
-
Take some time to think
-
about the many hours he takes
-
to study the Word of God,
-
in order to teach it
-
and preach it and counsel it
-
accurately and profitably for your soul.
-
Give attention to the hours he spends
-
in prayer over your souls.
-
Men in the ministry are to give
-
more time to prayer like the apostles:
-
"We will give ourselves to prayer
-
and the ministry of the Word."
-
And he's gonna be laboring hours
-
in prayer over you individually.
-
And think about those hours
-
he's spending in prayer for your needs,
-
for your souls, for your struggles,
-
for your hurts, for your sins.
-
Take stock of the hours he will spend,
-
and does spend,
-
sitting down with you as families;
-
giving you a spiritual check-up.
-
Checking up in how you're doing
-
in your devotional life.
-
How are things in the marriage?
How is your family life?
-
How are you training your children?
-
How are you using your gifts
-
for the edification of the church?
-
How can you be a better witness
-
to the lost ones around you?
-
And consider also the many hours
-
that he spends counseling you one on one;
-
listening patiently, and
then seeking to give
-
thoughtful, wise, and biblical advice.
-
Think of the times that you
-
or a loved one has a crisis,
-
and maybe lands in the hospital.
-
Who is likely to be the first one
-
at your bedside to pray,
-
to comfort, to minister?
-
It's likely going to be your pastor.
-
And as you think about these things,
-
God is saying to you as a church:
-
"Super-highly esteem him
-
for that diligent work
-
that he is doing among you."
-
And may I make a logical
deduction from this?
-
As you super-highly esteem him,
-
will you look for ways
to express that to him?
-
I've been a pastor for a lot of years,
-
and one of the things
I've noticed over the years
-
is people tend to
appreciate their pastors,
-
but rarely tell them.
-
You ask a man:
-
Do you appreciate your pastor?
-
"Oh, our pastor is wonderful!
-
He feeds us so well on the Word of God,
-
He's such a patient,
loving counselor to us!"
-
Have you ever told him that?
-
"Well, I think there was
a time a few years ago.
-
I might have mentioned something."
-
You know men, it doesn't work in marriage
-
to be like the proverbial guy who
-
said to his wife,
-
"Look, I told her I loved
her when I married her,
-
and if I change my mind,
I'll let her know."
-
Now that doesn't work
in marriage, does it?
-
You can hardly tell your wife
-
enough times in the day, "I love you!"
-
Assuming it's sincere.
-
People of God,
-
express your appreciation
-
for your pastor and his labor.
-
"Oh, but I don't want
him to get a big head!"
-
Let me tell you, God knows how
-
to keep a man's head small. Okay?
-
God knows wonderfully
-
how to balance encouragement
-
with humbling.
-
You leave that to God!
-
And you just seek to encourage him,
-
and there are many ways to do that.
-
And church at Laredo,
-
from what I know of you,
-
I need to just commend you,
-
because you have expressed
-
your esteem and respect in so many ways.
-
Material gifts,
-
household furnishings for his apartment,
-
money for books, books;
-
you've already done much of that.
-
You know the highest way
-
that you can show respect for your pastor
-
however is to allow the Word of God
-
that he teaches, preaches, and counsels
-
to take root in your life,
-
and to let him see the fruit
-
being born in your life
-
from what he's laboring in.
-
That's the greatest way
to show him respect!
-
Here's a fourth thing:
-
Rejoice his heart by your obedience,
-
and some of you know
where I'm going with that.
-
Hebrews 13:17
-
Rejoice his heart by your obedience.
-
The writer to the Hebrews says:
-
"Obey your leaders, submit to them.
-
they keep watch over your souls
-
as those who will give an account.
-
Let them do that with joy,
-
and not with grief,
-
for that would be unprofitable for you."
-
We live in a moral universe,
-
and God reigns over this universe,
-
He is the absolute authority
-
and King of this universe!
-
By nature, we are in rebellion
-
against His authority however.
-
The Bible says,
-
"we've all turned to our own way."
-
But when we've become rightly related
-
to God through faith in Jesus Christ,
-
we become a submissive people.
-
Submission becomes a watch-word
-
for the child of God.
-
We submit ultimately to God,
-
but one of the ways we show
our submission to God
-
is by submitting to the human authorities
-
that God has put over us.
-
Wives, be submissive to husbands.
-
Children, obey parents.
-
We are to obey the governing authorities.
-
Employees are to obey employers.
-
And God has called His redeemed people
-
to put themselves into local assemblies,
-
churches, where there are elders,
-
pastors, overseers,
-
who are over them in the Lord.
-
And this text of Scripture
calls us to obey them.
-
Literally "to be persuaded" by them.
-
And to submit to them,
-
literally "to give way to,
to yield" to them.
-
And let me point to a two-fold
responsibility that this gives us.
-
On the one hand,
-
obey your leaders, submit to them...
-
Brothers and sisters
in the church of Laredo,
-
when your pastor labors
in the Word of God,
-
to tell you what biblical words mean
-
what biblical sentences mean, in context,
-
near and far, consistent
with systematic theology,
-
the doctrine fitting in with the
other doctrines of the Bible,
-
consistent with biblical theology,
-
consistent with the whole sweep
-
and totality of God's revelation;
-
when he is getting out of God's Word
-
what is pretty clear the Holy Spirit
-
put into God's Word,
-
and he's giving it to you accurately,
-
brothers and sisters, obey it!
-
Do what it says!
-
Believe what it says!
-
Think the way you're supposed to think!
-
In doing so, you won't so much be
-
obeying a fallible man,
-
but you'll be obeying God
-
and that will be to the
blessing of your soul!
-
It will also bring him joy!
-
Remember what the elder Apostle John said?
-
"I have no greater joy than this,
-
than to hear of my children
-
walking in the truth."
-
And a true shepherd has no greater joy
-
than to hear of his spiritual children
-
walking in the truth.
-
Rejoice his heart by obeying,
-
not what he says, but what God says!
-
And there will be a wonderful circle
-
of celebration and joy.
-
You will be blessed for
doing what God says,
-
and he will have joy
-
for seeing the people under his care
-
walking in the truth.
-
But I need to qualify that
-
for the balance of truth.
-
I had an old Amish bishop
or minister once say to me:
-
"For every mile of road,
-
there's two miles of ditch."
-
And I'm always concerned
about balancing truth.
-
The main duty people have got is:
-
obey your leaders when they bring you
-
the Word of God,
-
but I need to say this
for the balance of truth.
-
All human authority is limited.
-
All human authority has boundaries.
-
Only God has absolute authority.
-
And you are to obey your pastor,
-
as long as he is bringing to you
-
the Word of God.
-
But when he goes outside of the bounds
-
of the Word of God;
-
when he misaligns himself
with God and His Word,
-
may I say that you are to
-
conscientiously and respectfully disobey.
-
We see that in the Scriptures,
-
when the Hebrew midwives were commanded
-
to kill the Hebrew baby boys.
-
Exodus 1:17 says, "They feared God
-
and did not do as the king of Egypt
-
had commanded them,"
-
but let the boys live.
-
They defied the human authority
-
and God blessed them for it.
-
In the New Testament, the apostles
-
are told by Jesus, "Go and preach!"
-
The human authorities come and say,
-
"Stop teaching in this name!"
-
And they were put on the horns
of a dilemma, weren't they?
-
If you got two horses
-
and they're going in opposite directions,
-
you better jump on one,
and let the other go.
-
If the boat is moving,
-
departing from the dock,
-
you can't stay on the dock
-
and jump on the ship at the same time.
-
You gotta make a choice.
-
And they said, "Whether it is right
-
in the sight of God to listen to you
-
human authorities or to God,
-
you be the judge.
-
We cannot stop speaking
-
the things we've seen and heard."
-
And a chapter later, they said:
-
"We must obey God, rather than men."
-
I have passion for this
-
because for nearly eleven years,
-
I have worked among one
of the most legalistic groups
-
claiming to be Christians
-
anywhere on planet earth:
-
the Old Order Amish.
-
And I have seen what man-made rules
-
and traditions do to
-
sear the conscience of people
-
and keep them from
understanding the Gospel.
-
And so I sound this as a balancing note.
-
And friend, it's no small matter.
-
It's a matter of Lordship.
-
Who will be Lord?
-
There's only one Person
-
who has the right to be
-
the Lord of your conscience,
-
your soul, and your life.
-
Romans 14:9 tells us:
-
"For to this end, Christ died
-
and lived again that He might be Lord
-
both of the dead and the living.
-
But you, why do you judge your brother?"
-
It's the context of Christian
liberty of conscience
-
where it's not a moral issue.
-
Christian, don't judge one another.
-
Let Christ be the Lord of
your brother's conscience.
-
You never want to sacrifice
the Lordship of Christ
-
over your conscience.
-
Now, am I saying that because I think
-
there's any realistic danger
-
that my son, your pastor,
will lord it over you?
-
I don't have that concern in the least.
-
And as I know, the
pastors represented here,
-
they are not those who lord it over.
-
They are humble servant-leaders.
-
But some of you have been
under abusive leadership.
-
And you need to be warned.
-
Human authority is to be obeyed,
-
only insofar as it obeys God and His Word.
-
So, submit to your pastor.
-
When he's bringing you the Word of God
-
publicly or privately, do what it says!
-
Submit, but make sure he's giving you
-
the Word of God, not his own opinions
-
because he has no warrant from heaven
-
for giving you anything other than
-
what God says in His Word.
-
Fifthly of six: Imitate him
insofar as he imitates Christ!
-
Now you notice they all
start with "R" don't they?
-
And if you like alliteration
as I do, you can say:
-
"Resemble him as he resembles Christ!"
-
In Hebrews 13:7, we are told:
-
"Remember those who lead you,
-
who spoke the Word of God to you
-
and considering the result of their conduct,
-
imitate their faith."
-
I'm thankful that my
son has practiced that.
-
He has learned a lot of faith
-
at Grace Community Church in San Antonio,
-
the kind of faith we've
heard powerfully proclaimed.
-
And he's walking in
the path of that faith,
-
and I'm grateful - grateful to God;
-
grateful for the human
instruments that He uses.
-
Paul said, "Imitate me
as I imitate Christ."
-
And Paul said to Timothy,
-
"Don't let them despise your youthfulness,
-
but set the believers an example
-
in speech, conduct,
love, faith, and purity."
-
Examples are meant to be imitated.
-
Now make no mistake about it,
-
Jesus is our exemplar.
-
He is our example par excellence.
-
But Jesus has gone to Heaven,
-
and Jesus has given us human role-models
-
that we are intended to imitate.
-
That's one of the things pastors do.
-
Peter said, "Don't lord it over."
-
To elders, "Don't lord it over
-
those committed to your charge,
-
but be examples to them."
-
You see, the reason overseers
-
in 1 Timothy 3 must be -
-
and there's a little Greek
participle of necessity -
-
"An overseer must be (dot dot dot)!"
-
The reason they must be
those things is because
-
all the people of God
ought to be those things.
-
We all ought to be above reproach.
-
We all ought to manage
our households well.
-
We all ought to be gentle and considerate
-
and have our children under control
-
with all dignity.
-
We all ought to have good reputations.
-
Pastors must be those things,
-
because all people
ought to be those things.
-
Here's another reason
to study your pastor,
-
to know him, to consider him
-
not only that you might esteem him,
-
but that you might imitate him
-
in so far as he is imitating Christ.
-
And then finally, remunerate him
-
according to his merit.
-
Remunerate him - that means pay him -
-
according to his merit.
-
1 Timothy 5:17 says,
-
"The elders that rule well are to be
-
considered worthy of double honor,
-
especially those who work hard
-
at preaching and teaching.
-
For the Scripture says,
'You shall not muzzle
-
the ox while he is threshing' ."
-
Here's a biblical basis
for paying pastors.
-
Now that doesn't mean that
all pastors need to be paid.
-
You have some from San Antonio
who are bi-vocational,
-
they're not paid by the church.
-
But the Bible says there are some men
-
who work especially hard
in preaching and teaching,
-
who ought to be given double honor.
-
In the context of that chapter,
-
it means monetary pay.
-
Widows were to be honored
-
in the sense that they were
-
to be put on the roles of the church.
-
They were to be financially supported.
-
And the statement about the ox
-
really seals it, doesn't it.
-
Don't muzzle the poor beast,
-
he's treading out the grain.
-
Take the muzzle off, let him
nibble on some grain.
-
Well, God cares about animals.
-
The righteous man has regard
for the life of the beast.
-
But He cares far more about
-
those who labor in
His spiritual vineyard.
-
There's a place for paying pastors.
-
So.
-
And here again, church of Laredo,
-
I commend you.
-
You have taken good care
of your pastor so far,
-
according to the means
that God has given you.
-
Beyond the salary you have given him,
-
you have given him household furnishings,
-
money for books, books,
-
extra-monetary gifts,
-
bonuses, loaning him a car
-
when his car is in repair in the shop.
-
And here's something very creative.
-
More than once, somebody
at the church in Laredo has,
-
at a social event,
-
stolen his keys,
-
taken his car out to the gas station,
-
filled it with gas, brought it back,
-
put the keys back in the same place.
-
Leaving him wondering:
-
"I thought it was half empty.
-
How did it get filled?"
-
Many have been the expressions of love
-
that you have given
to my son, your pastor.
-
We as parents are
deeply grateful for that,
-
but above all, God is going
to bless you for that.
-
Because in doing it -
-
since he is a gift of
the glorified Christ to you -
-
to do it for him, you're
doing it for Christ.
-
Have you noticed that Jesus
-
takes very personally, first of all,
-
the things done against His people.
-
"Saul, Saul, why are you
persecuting Me?" [Acts 9:4]
-
He also takes very personally the things
-
that are done for His people.
-
"Insofar as you have done it
to the least of these My brethren,
-
you've done it unto Me." [Matthew 25:40]
-
In taking care of your shepherd,
your under-shepherd,
-
you're doing it for Christ.
-
And the Lord Jesus will bless you for it.
-
So, people of God in Laredo,
-
but also in San Antonio, Corpus, Austin,
-
or whatever church you represent,
-
take these things to heart.
-
Look to the Lord Jesus for the grace
-
to carry out these
privileges and responsibilities.
-
Recognize the men among you
-
who display the gifts and graces
-
that fit them to be a pastor.
-
Receive him as a loving gift
of the glorified Christ.
-
Respect him for the sake of
his diligent labor among you.
-
Rejoice his heart by obeying the truth
-
that he brings to you,
publicly and privately.
-
Imitate, or resemble him,
-
insofar as he imitates Christ.
-
And take care of him materially,
-
as he sows spiritually among you.
-
Take care of his material needs.
-
That is God's pattern.
-
Well, may God richly bless you
-
with growth in grace internally,
-
with additions of souls
saved from the community,
-
and may your loving,
-
victorious Lord Jesus Christ,
-
in the days ahead,
-
give you additional elders -
-
because plurality is His norm -
-
and even deacons. Amen.