Podcasts about great shepherd

In this sermon on Hebrews 13:1–21, Pastor Benjamin Kandt explores how unshakeable faith takes root in everyday life. As the letter to the Hebrews draws to a close, the author turns from theological depth to practical exhortation — calling the church to live with love, hospitality, sexual integrity, contentment, and respect for spiritual leaders. Pastor Benjamin unpacks how these ordinary, often overlooked practices are actually extraordinary when grounded in Christ, who is “the same yesterday, today, and forever.”The sermon culminates in the majestic benediction of verses 20–21, where God is revealed as the One who equips His people through the risen Christ, our Great Shepherd. Pastor Benjamin reminds us that the Christian life is not lived in our own strength, but in the power of God's grace, enabling us to do His will. This message invites us to embody our theology in community — living out gospel truth in love, sacrifice, and faithful obedience.

In this inspiring and thought-provoking message delivered in Malaysia in 2007, Kevin Conner unpacks what it means to hear, know, and follow the voice of Jesus — the Great Shepherd. A timely reminder of the relational nature of faith and the importance of spiritual discernment. For more information about Kevin Conner and his ministry, visit www.kevinconner.org 

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Monday, 5 May 2025   But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Matthew 9:36   “And having seen the crowds, He gut-wrenched about them, for they were having been enervated and having been strewn, as sheep not having a shepherd” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus was said to have gone about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues about the gospel of the kingdom. He was also said to cure those with every sickness and disease. Now, Matthew records, “And having seen the crowds, He gut-wrenched about them.”   Here is a new word, splagchnizomai, translated as gut-wrenched. It is derived from splagchnon, meaning the bowels or inward parts. Thus, it signifies to have the bowels yearn. A single, hyphenated word to get a literal sense of what is conveyed would be gut-wrenched. Figuratively, it signifies having compassion.   Jesus looked at the masses, and His internal parts surely moved with pity, sadness, and a deep yearning to take away their lost state. Understanding this, the reason for it is next stated, saying, “for they were having been enervated and having been strewn.”   Two more new words, both perfect participles, are seen here. The first is ekluó. HELPS Word Studies says, it is from “ek, ‘out from and to' and lýō, ‘loose, let go') – properly, let completely out as to (entirely) succumb, i.e. with the outcome of losing inner strength; hence, to become weary (exhausted), to the point of fainting.” Thus, a great word to match the thought is enervate.   The next new word is rhiptó. The root of this word signifies to fling. Thus, it gives the sense of being scattered about. A suitable word to catch the intent is strewn. The reason for this tired and disheveled state of the people is because they were “as sheep not having a shepherd.”   Sheep without a shepherd would be in just this state. They would be worn out from a lack of care. They would also be enervated and strewn about as they were harassed by lions, wolves, or other predators. This is what the people of Israel were like. The Old Testament repeatedly explains why this was so. Jeremiah 50 gives the sense –   “My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray; They have turned them away on the mountains. They have gone from mountain to hill; They have forgotten their resting place. 7 All who found them have devoured them; And their adversaries said, ‘We have not offended, Because they have sinned against the Lord, the habitation of justice, The Lord, the hope of their fathers.'” Jeremiah 50:6, 7   The shepherds of Israel, the leaders of the people, failed to responsibly tend to the people. They led them astray, they abused them for their own gain, and they wore them out in the process. This sentiment is reflected throughout the writings of the prophets.   Life application: In the New Testament, Jesus states He is the good Shepherd, thus fulfilling the typology seen in the Old Testament, such as –   “Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. 11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.” Isaiah 40:10, 11   By claiming to be the good Shepherd, Jesus was claiming to be the Lord incarnate. He was stating to the people that it is He who would tend to His flock and bring them safely through the times of trouble. This is not limited to the people of Israel, but all of God's people. Jesus is the one to unite the flocks into one –   “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” John 10:11-16   Thank God for Jesus, who is there to lead and tend to His people.   Glorious God, thank You for the hope we possess of resting forever in Your presence because of Jesus. We long for the day when we, Your sheep, are gathered together forever under our Great Shepherd, Jesus. Amen.

Hebrews 13:7, 17-21 7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider their way of life, and imitate their faith. 17 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 groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. 18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. 19 I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner. 20 Now 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, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom by the glory forever and ever. Amen. NOTES ON THE LESSON ON FOLLOWERSHIP Three Questions of Followership: 1 Whose faith are you imitating? 2 Are you willing to submit to someone else? 3 Are you a joy to lead? A Call to Imitate: 1 Corinthians 11:1 - "Be imitators of me, just as I imitate Christ." It is beneficial to have people in our lives whose faith we can imitate. Jesus Learned Obedience: Hebrews 5:8 - “Although Jesus was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.” Obedience and submission are learned behaviors. The Whole of Christianity: The whole of Christianity is about learning to surrender and yield every aspect of your life – every part of it – all of it – to the lordship of Jesus Christ. That's what the Christian faith is all about. The Followership Continuum: The Hebrew writer makes a continuum for following leaders. On one side of the continuum is joy and on the other side of the continuum is burden. NOTES FROM THE LESSON ON SOUL CARE Book on Church Leadership: The Care of Souls:Cultivating a Pastor's Heart by Harold L. Senkbeil The task of the leader in the church is to maintain a constant watch over the souls who have been committed to his care. The Role of the Watchman in the Old Testament: Watchmen were individuals who were appointed to their role and given the responsibility to watch over a city. Typically, they would be posted on a high wall or a tower so that they could see either a messenger or the enemy coming from long distances. The Primary Task of the Church Leader is to "Tend to the Soul" Humans do not have souls, humans are uniquely souls. We are both physical and spiritual, mortal and immortal, ordinary and unique in all of creation. There is nothing else like us in all of God's creation. We are souls.  The Shepherd and His Sheepdog: The relationship of the shepherd and his sheepdog beautifully illustrates the work of the shepherd in the local church with his ears tuned attentively to the voice of the Great Shepherd and his eyes focused carefully on the Great Shepherd's sheep. The Because of Submission: We submit to the shepherds of the local church because they are in a position of responsibility and accountability to the one who is in a position of authority – our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep.  Discussion Questions 1. Who are some people who you have imitated in your life (in any aspect of life)? Who are two or three people whose faith you imitate? What is it about their faith that you imitate?  2. Are you willing to submit to someone else? Can you think of a time when it was hard to submit to someone else? What made it so difficult? Can you think of a time when it was a good thing to submit to someone else? What made it good? Does knowing the "because" of submission in verse 17 help you to be someone who is more willing to submit to them?  3. Where might you place yourself on the followership continuum? Can you think of an example when you or another person was a joy to lead? Can you think of an example when you or another person was a burden to lead?  4. What aspect of the lesson on soul care helped you to better understand the role of the leader in the church?  5. Spend some time praying for the shepherd nomination process at Southside. The shepherd selection team has provided us with a great prayer guide. There is a link to the prayer guide on church center. 

In today's devotional, Dr. Michael Youssef explains what it means that Jesus is “the gate for the sheep.” This devotional is adapted from MY Journal, Leading The Way's monthly devotional magazine. Sign up now for a free six-month subscription to MY Journal—Dr. Youssef's gift to you.If you would like more insight into today's devotional topic, you can learn more in Dr. Michael Youssef's sermon series The Exclusivity of Jesus: WATCH NOW

Deuteronomy 20 speaks of laws covering the behaviour of the Israelites in warfare. The priests were to stimulate the courage of the Israelites as they were about to enter into battle. If any man had married recently he would be allowed a year off before joining the army. Similarly anyone would be allowed to partake of their first fruits before enlisting for active army service. Yahweh would fight for His host; however if anyone in the nation was fearful, or doubted their Omnipotent Sovereign's ability to deliver His people then that person was to be sent home so as to not damage the morale of his comrades. For nations other than the seven Canaanitish nations terms of peace were to be offered and if accepted that nation would become a tributary nation. Should terms of peace be rejected then siege would be made, the males of that city would be destroyed and the spoil taken by the Israelites. As for the Canaanitish nations no quarter was to be shown to them, but they were to be totally destroyed. Israel was commanded that during the siege timber could be taken from any tree except fruit trees. Ecclesiastes 12 verses 1-8 instruct us to remember our Creator is the days of our youth. For, says the wise man, the time will come when every desire fails – this he terms the evil day. Those of us who are aging rapidly feel that day encroaching too rapidly. Verses 2 describe the aging process and the declining of the body in a series of graphic and frightening metaphors. Verse 2 speaks of the inability to distinguish light from night and as the bodily heat becomes lost to know what season the aging person is in. Verse 3 tells of the enfeebling of the arms and legs. The same verse tells of the decaying of the teeth and their falling out; and of failing eyesight. Verse 4 is describing the loss of interest in anything external to themselves and the failure to experience stimulation through music and other past delights. Verse 5 describes the anxiety that accompanies aging – everything is an insurmountable trouble. The aged person is resembling a crippled grasshopper dragging itself by its front legs. There is no longer pleasure in anything and the decrepit individual cannot wait for death to come. Verse 6 speaks of the instability of the spine; of the failure of the brain to function; and of the breakdown of the heart. Verse 7 speaks of the end – the body returns to the dust from which it came (Genesis 2:7; 3:17-19). And so, says Solomon, life as an end in itself is entirely meaningless. Verses 9-12 describe the Preacher's exertions to reach wise ways in which there will profit and as assurance of a future. Wise counsel will result in responding to the Almighty and walking in His ways. He will goad us and guide us in the paths of righteousness. God is the Great Shepherd whose Word is firm and His counsel unfailing. And so concludes the Assembler of wise sayings – Koheleth, or the Preacher – in verses 13-14 that the whole, complete, man is the one who reverences God and walks in the way of His commandments. Acts 11 commences with Peter being caused to justify why he baptised Gentiles. We next have a description of the progress of the truth in Antioch in the province of Syria, where believers were first derisively called ‘Christians'. One of these faithful believers is a prophet named Agabus. He prophesies of a great famine that would affect the entire Roman world. The disciples of Antioch start a fund to help Judean believers, who were greatly affected and in dire need. In Acts 12 Herod Antipas kills the Apostle James – the year was AD 44. Seeing how much this delighted the Jews Herod has Peter arrested for execution after Passover. Despite being securely chained between guards the angel of the Lord causes a deep sleep to overcome the guards and releases Peter. Peter proceeds to the house where the ecclesia is gathered to pray for his deliverance. A maid named Rhoda answers the door and runs to tell the disciples that Peter was outside. Rhoda is told that she must be mistaken. The disciples say that it must be Peter's “messenger” (Greek angelos- angel). Peter is admitted to the house and he recounts how he had been delivered. James, the half brother of Jesus. was informed and told Peter to secretly depart to a different location where he cannot be found. Herod kills the guards (verses 20-23). The chapter concludes with an account of Herod's narcissistic claims and his being smitten with dysentery by the angel of God and Herod dying verses 20-23. Nonetheless the Word of God exceedingly prevails.

April 30, 2025

In the message, "EQUIPPED," Pastor Rich Whitter unpacks Hebrews 13:20–21, highlighting the God who not only calls us but thoroughly equips us for every good work. As our church's new benediction, these verses remind us that the resurrected Jesus—the Great Shepherd of the sheep—continually works in us what is pleasing in His sight. Pastor Rich emphasizes that we are not left to figure out life or faith on our own; instead, through Christ's power, we are made ready, strengthened, and sent with purpose.This powerful reminder assures us that God Himself is our source of strength and success. Pastor Rich urges us to live confidently, knowing that the same God who raised Jesus from the dead is actively shaping us for His glory. The message concludes with a call to rely on His ongoing work within us, embracing each day as an opportunity to walk fully equipped by the grace and power of Christ.We hope this message inspires you to trust that God is faithfully preparing you—today and every day—for the good works He has set before you. As we declare this new benediction together, may it anchor your heart in the unshakable truth: He will finish what He has started in you.

Jesus is the Great Shepherd who leads the sheep. To follow him, we must know how he leads. The Shepherd leads us as our provider, protector, and Lord.

Title: Love and Honor Text: Acts 20:36-38 FCF: We often struggle having a good relationship between leaders and followers. Prop: Because the relationship of the Elders to the church must be one of love and honor, we must devote ourselves to love and honor one another. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 20. In a moment we'll read from the Legacy Standard Bible starting in verse 36. You can follow along in the pew bible or whatever version you prefer. Over the last couple of weeks, we have had longer sermons covering Paul's final exhortation to these Ephesian Elders. So, this week I am giving you a break and a chance to digest everything before we celebrate easter next week. This will certainly be a shorter sermon, but there are still many things we can glean from this text. Last week Paul concluded his thoughts toward the Elders of Ephesus. He serves as their template and commands them to shepherd the flock of God well. His last words express a great truth spoken by Jesus Himself, it is more blessed to give than to receive. They must be givers, spending themselves for the sake of the flock which God purchased with the blood of Christ. What follows is the response. What does Paul do after saying all these things, and what do the Elders do after hearing all these things? In this we see a pattern emerge. Just as Paul is a Pastor to these Pastors, so his example and their example serves as a pattern for our Elders and our church to follow. Let us stand to give honor to and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Most gracious Father, we thank You for sending Your Son, our Great Shepherd. He laid down His life for His sheep. He knows His sheep. His sheep hear His voice. He prayed… not for the world, but for all those lambs whom You gave to Him. He protected them. He Loved them. He made them vessels of honor. Now Father, Your Spirit has appointed undershepherds to continue shepherding while Christ is physically absent from us. We know that Jesus is always with us, but we also know that the Spirit is now our comforter and counselor and that He has equipped men called Elders to shepherd your precious lambs. May we be grown in this text to be a church who holds the right relationship between these Spiritually appointed men and those whom they have been given to shepherd. May we have a ministry where mutual love and honor is given to each other. Show us this in Your Word today we ask in Jesus' name… Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] Throughout all of God's creation, there are several examples of relationships He has made that are symbiotic. For instance, clownfish dwell inside sea anemones which protects them from predators while living there, the clown fish cleans the anemone of parasites. Remora fish attach themselves to sharks and whales eating scraps of food from when their host eats. In exchange they clean the shark or whale of parasites. Bees collect nectar from flowers pollenating and reproducing the plant in the process. These animals need each other to survive. The very first humans were created to be two halves of the image of God. It could be said that Husbands and Wives need one another in a symbiotic relationship of sorts. Today we will see that this entity God created called the church is also in a symbiotic relationship. The Elders and the church exist in a symbiotic relationship of mutual love and honor – because neither can exist without the other. At least not for long. Let's look at this relationship as it is displayed in the epilogue of this meeting between Paul and the Ephesian Elders. I.) The relationship of the Elders to the church must be one of love and honor, so Elders must pray for the church. (36) a. [Slide 3] 36 - And when he had said these things, i. Because we had to divide Paul's final exhortation message into two, it would behoove us to review even for a few minutes what Paul said. ii. The text this morning provides to us this opportunity, as it references that everything that follows is after he said what he said. iii. First Paul walked them through his own personal example among them. iv. How he was humble and gave of himself through many tears and trials to teach them all that God had revealed through Christ and calling all men to repentance and faith. v. In the same way they needed to be blameless and do the work of an Elder to share the gospel and teach thoroughly all that God had revealed. vi. Second, Paul charged them to dutifully and diligently shepherd the church. He told them to do this because the church has been given infinite value in the blood of Christ and because false teachers are coming who will destroy them. vii. And since they had received freely from God and from him, they must give of themselves freely, even to the point of supporting those who are destitute among them. Teaching them and encouraging them so they can be givers and not just takers. viii. Because as Jesus said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. ix. After Paul said all this… he continues to instruct them as to what kind of Elders they should be, but he does so by demonstration. b. [Slide 4] he knelt down and prayed with them all. i. The final component of what it means to be an Elder, is to be a man of prayer. ii. In a sign of humility, Paul kneels down and prays with them. iii. This probably means that Paul knelt first to pray and that they joined with him. iv. Luke does not give us the content of his prayer, but I don't think it is a stretch to assume that his prayer consisted of both praises to God and also deep and tearful pleas for God to preserve and protect the ministry in the church in Ephesus. v. That God would guide and lead the Elders and that He would prevent doctrinal error from destroying the unity and the effectiveness of the Ephesian church and the impact they would have on the rest of the province of Asia and beyond. vi. In this he demonstrates how leaders, who are truly caring for the body of Christ, are to be men who spend time in earnest prayer for God's people. vii. Truly, without God we are nothing. viii. Knowing that they are but undershepherds who do not have all the answers, who are not able to administer and guide of their own strength, being humble and meek, Elders must seek the Lord in all their duties. For it is only by His strength and will that anything accomplished will endure. c. [Slide 5] Summary of the Point: In this final epilogue, ending the 3rd missionary journey of Paul and closing out the mission to the city of Ephesus, we see Paul's relationship with the Elders through the lens of this final scene with them. After exhorting them and warning them of the challenges which they will face, Paul prays with and for them before he departs. This illustrates for us that the proper relationship between the Elders and the church is one of love and honor. One way that the Elders express love and honor to the church is to pray earnestly for the sake of the church. This shouldn't be surprising to us. In the book of Acts we saw already how the apostles created the office of Deacon in order to allow themselves the freedom to focus on prayer and the teaching of the Scriptures. Since the office of Overseer inherits several functions of the apostolic gift, we might expect the roles of an Elder to mimic that of an Apostle. And one of those roles on display is to pray for the church. So, we Elders must also pray earnestly for our people. In this we express love for them and honor to them as the flock which God purchased with the blood of His Son. Transition: [Slide 6(blank)] But since this relationship is one of mutual love and honor, what is the role of the church toward the Elders? II.) The relationship of an Elder to the church is one of love and honor, so the church must appreciate their Elders. (37-38) a. [Slide 7] 37 - And they began to weep aloud and falling on Paul's neck, they were kissing him, i. In the last two verses of chapter 20 we have the general response of the Elders to Paul's exhortation and closing prayer. ii. All of the Elders present began weeping aloud and falling on Paul's neck. iii. This is an idiomatic expression for hugging or embracing. iv. Why are they crying so much, hugging and kissing Paul? v. Some of why they were weeping no doubt had to do with the threat of false teaching that was coming to Ephesus. vi. Some of it was due to the great weight being placed on their shoulders to lead like Paul did. vii. Some of it was the revelation that some of them would become false teachers in the future. viii. But the primary reason for their tears is pointed out to us by Luke. b. [Slide 8] 38 - being in agony especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again and they were accompanying him to the ship. i. They are weeping because of what Paul suggested to them that they would not see his face any longer. ii. Perhaps they thought this meant that Paul would die soon. I don't think Paul thought he was going to die, only that he would not enter into ministry with them again before he did. iii. They were hugging him, kissing him, and weeping in agony over this. iv. Just as Paul served as an example to these Elders on how to be Elders. So now, these Elders serve as an example to the church on how to love and honor their Elders. v. Therefore, this is the appropriate response of the congregation to an Elder who has served well and is retiring or is approaching death. vi. The congregation should know what a great gift godly leaders are to their assembly. vii. They should know this to the point of giving honor to those who serve well. Honor, respect, submission and love. viii. We see their love and honor of Paul expressed in their desire to see him to the ship and spend every last second they could with him. ix. Some scholars suggest that “accompanying him to the ship” is an idiom suggesting that these Elders put into practice what Paul had taught them and gave him many provisions for his trip to Jerusalem. x. What an amazing expression of gratefulness for his service to them as an apostle. c. [Slide 9] Summary of the Point: Once again we see that the relationship between the Elders and the church which is illustrated in Paul's relationship to these Elders, is one of love and honor. These Elders know of Paul's love and honor for them. In turn, they loved and honored him. As he turns to Jerusalem to face whatever the Lord has in store for him there, the Elders embrace him, kiss him, and provide for him and his journey. This illustrates the church's love and honor of their Elders by being grateful for them. Elders who serve well are worthy of honor. And those who labor long in leadership and the study of the word are worthy of double honor. Conclusion: So, what have we learned today CBC, and how then shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 10] Over the last several weeks Paul has been the example that Luke sets before us of what constitutes a godly church leader. We've seen how godly church leaders prioritize the spiritual instruction of God's people. We've seen the character qualities an Elder must possess in order to lead, chief among them being blamelessness. We've seen that Shepherding God's flock is the primary role of an Elder which includes both their protection from false teaching by rooting them in truth and also their physical care. And today we pivot slightly to show the mutual relationship of love and honor that ought to exist between the Elders and the church. Elders who are excellent shepherds show love and honor to the church by praying for them and with them. And the church shows love and honor to the Elders by appreciating them and their efforts. But let me express some more tangible applications for us today from this tiny little sermon. 1.) [Slide 11] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that the relationship between the Elders and the church should be characterized by love and honor. a. Paul is the Pastor of these Pastors. b. He demonstrates who they should be and what they should do for the church. c. In this sense, we see the mutual relationship of love and honor between the church and their leaders. d. We've seen the great care that Paul put into these men. We've seen his heart for them, his passion for them, his sacrifice for them. They must go and do the same. e. And if they do, the church should and must respond like these Elders did to Paul. f. The church should show love and honor to them by appreciating their heart, their passion, and their sacrifice as they care for their souls. g. The relationship between our Elders and the church should look like the relationship between a husband and his wife. h. This shouldn't shock us since the relationship between a husband and wife should look like the relationship between Christ and the church. i. And the Elders are undershepherds and stewards of Christ's church until He returns for her. j. So in many ways the Elders have responsibilities that Christ would perform if He were here among us bodily. k. But no matter how many years you've lived on this earth – it is difficult for us to imagine a form of leadership or government that we could love and honor. l. In fact, it seems like we can pendulum swing far and wide when it comes to our view of leaders. More on that in a moment. m. But the picture that the Bible paints for us concerning the Elders/Pastors or Overseers and the church body itself is one of mutual love, honor, and even dependence. Neither can exist without the other. Elders have nothing to lead if the church is absent and the church is rudderless and disunified when they do not have Overseers. n. As difficult as it may be for us to do so – we must affirm and even seek to have this relationship between the Elders and the church. o. But what are some ways we get this wrong? 2.) [Slide 12] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that Elders must be served without question or treated with constant suspicion. a. In a perverted sense of honor, some churches view their pastors or overseers as leaders who have absolute authority over their lives. i. They obey whatever their Elders say without question as if the Lord Jesus Himself had said it. ii. Now although Elders are undershepherds and do tend the flock of Christ, we do not for one instant consider this flock ours. We know that you all are His, because He purchased you with His precious blood. Why do we know that so well? Well, because He had to purchase us the same way. We are mere sheep. iii. We also have absolutely no authority to command you to do anything except what the Scriptures have said. iv. This does not mean that our advice and counsel is meaningless or should be easily ignored or dismissed – but it does mean that on anything we advise that is not a command of the scriptures, it is at its best wise counsel and not a command. v. For example. 1. The Elders may NOT come together and absolutely forbid a member of the congregation from dating another Christian from a different congregation. Now the Elders may advise, based on what we know of the person, whether it would be wise to enter into a relationship pursuant to marriage with them. But we cannot forbid it. Why? Because we do not have a command from the scriptures. 2. But the Elders may come together and absolutely forbid a member of the congregation from having premarital sex, also known as fornication. Why are the Elders permitted to do this? Because this is what the scriptures teach. We are merely commanding what the scriptures have commanded. 3. Some may say – if that is all that is happening, why must the Elders command anything at all? 4. Well, that is our role! Our role is to preach and teach what the scriptures say. Not just from the pulpit but in the counseling room, in your living room, in your car, over the phone and everywhere where we give counsel, we must give the whole counsel of the Lord. And not just when it is palatable for the church, but in season and out of season too. Whether you are going to like it or not is irrelevant. It is our job to bring to bear all that God has said concerning the situation you are in. 5. We are not adding our authority to scripture but we are drawing your attention to what God has said and we must also be his earthly executives making sure His will is known to all and to a certain degree… followed. 6. You see the Lord has given us (the church) the keys to the kingdom. This means that whatever we bind on earth will have been bound in heaven and whatever we loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven. When two or three are gathered in His name He is with us. Helping us. And when we find a member refusing to obey the commands of God… this is when we execute church discipline. First in private exhortation and correction but eventually in excommunication. 7. The Elders then are to enforce the commands of Christ upon His church. We rebuke, reprove, correct and instruct to thoroughly equip God's people to do all that He has commanded them to do. And to a certain degree – as much as we are humanly able – we, in gentleness, see to it that Christ's instructions are followed. b. Another abuse we often have when it comes to leadership is to have a persisting and underlying sense of suspicion and distrust toward them. i. Now certainly I would be a fool to combat this by pretending there is no such thing as ungodly leaders. ii. Of course there is. iii. Not only in the political realm but even in the clergy there have been several examples of leaders abusing their authority and lording over their people. iv. But just because someone is in leadership does not automatically make them worthy of suspicion. v. Elders should be trusted, loved and honored until there is some reason that they have provided to suspect something different. vi. There is no reason to withhold your trust from Elders simply because they are in a position of authority. vii. If the COVID pandemic taught us anything it is that people don't very much like being told what to do. And they will only go along with being told what to do for so long before they push back. Why? Because people are suspicious of their government leaders – and to be honest, those in government have earned that suspicion. viii. But godly Elders are not the same as government leaders. Especially in a small country church like ours. My friends there is no power here worth manipulating you for. There is no money here worth bilking you out of. And let me tell you something, there are a lot of easier and quieter and more fulfilling ways to gain authority than being an Elder of a church. If I wanted power with few headaches… Elder isn't the right choice. ix. Don't be suspicious of your Elders. Especially when they haven't given you a reason to be. x. What must you do instead? 3.) [Slide 13] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” The church must love and honor their Elders by being grateful for them and submitting to them. a. Elders who lead boldly, who are godly men, who possess truly blameless character, who are apt to teach, and strong in their faith, should be trusted, loved and honored. b. Putting your trust in Jesus means that you obey Him. The Lord actually says that if you love me, you will keep my commandments. c. And although it is to a different and lesser degree, the Lord makes it plain in Hebrews 13 that if you truly love your Elders, you will submit to their authority so that they may watch over your souls with joy. d. One way you show love to your Elders is by submitting yourself to our authority. i. As I have already said, the Elder's authority extends only as far as the Scriptures allow. ii. You should trust your Elders and submit to our authority out of a heart of love for us so that we may be joyful in our responsibility to help guide you safely to heaven's shore. iii. Go willingly and passionately with us. e. Secondly, you show honor to your Elders by being grateful for our wise and godly leadership and teaching. f. How do you show gratefulness? i. Well, in Paul's case these men fell on his neck, kissed him, and wept over his leaving. They even potentially gave him provisions for his long trip to Jerusalem. I'm not saying that is THE way – I am saying that is what they did. ii. But let me make some suggestions. iii. First, it would be wise to be thankful to the Lord. Express thankfulness to God for wise and godly leadership. Ask for His blessing on our lives and that He would keep us and preserve us in our role. Do this in your family devotions and family worship times to let your children hear that you are thankful for our sacrifice. iv. Second might be to express gratitude to the Elder personally. A card, a phone call, a gift, a strong handshake. Especially when a particular Elder has helped you through a difficult trial or has devoted extra time to your family. It is wise and even obvious to express heartfelt thankfulness to that particular Elder. Let him know that you appreciate his sacrifice for you. Even doing so toward his wife and children. Knowing that they too have had to sacrifice his presence among them so that you could be ministered to. v. Finally, you might express gratefulness publicly. You might pray a prayer of thanksgiving at a family gathering, in a church service, or express a praise during prayer request time. You might make a special service or event to honor our sacrifice and service. g. Let me clear the air really quickly. Every single Elder in this room today has been absolutely squirming at the mention of every single way you could express gratefulness. And I felt REALLY uncomfortable saying it too. h. You need to understand that I am saying this not because I want to, but because the text so obviously leads us to that conclusion. i. The Elders and I, when we met yesterday, did not spend one second complaining about how you all don't submit to us or how you are an ungrateful bunch and never appreciate our sacrifices. j. Let me read that again. k. The Elders and I, when we met yesterday, did not spend one second complaining about how you all don't submit to us or how you are an ungrateful bunch and never appreciate our sacrifices. l. I wrote that last sentence the day before we met. That is how confident I was that it wouldn't happen. And I was right. m. Why was I so confident that we wouldn't do that? n. Because we don't do that. o. The reason we are squirming today at the mention of these practical ways you can show your gratitude for us…is because WE DON'T DO THIS FOR YOUR GRATITUTDE. p. Which is exactly the reason you should express your gratefulness to us. q. Ugh – I hate saying it. But it must be said. I am holding my nose up here saying it. r. Show love and honor to your Elders by submitting and expressing your gratefulness to us. s. Yuck! t. Ok moving on. Let's beat up the Elders now. 4.) [Slide 14] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” Elders must love and honor the church by praying for her. a. My brothers. b. I have continued my quest this year to pray through our membership directory every week. c. It isn't enough. I've had to add more times of prayer. I've had to start praying immediately after hearing a request to make sure that I do actually pray for it before the next week rolls around. d. Understand, I don't hold myself up as the standard – I am simply giving a testimony of what it has done for me. e. I have grown in my love for these folks over the last couple years and I think that is because I pray for every member by name, every single week. I pray for everything I can think of regarding that member. f. I just walk around this room with my membership directory in hand praying for every name in it. g. Some weeks it takes over an hour to get through. h. I usually do this on Tuesday and hit my 8000 steps by noon.

Lead Pastor Wes Terry preaches a sermon entitled "Life in the Great Shepherd" out of Hebrews 13:20-21. This sermon was for the 2025 Easter service at Broadview Baptist Church. This sermon was the first in a series through the book of Hebrews entitled "Faith That Endures." The sermon was preached on April 20th, 2025.

In Genesis 1:1, the Bible begins with a simple but profound sentence. Most English translations of the Bible begin with ten words and end with ten words. In Genesis 1:1, we are told: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. In the final verse of the book of Revelation the Bible concludes: The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen (Rev. 22:21). What these two verses tell me is this: We are alive and are here today because of God and by His grace. In Psalm 23, we discover that it is by the grace of God that I am brought into the fold of His sheep, and it is for His glory that He has done so. The invitation to be included as one of His sheep has nothing to do with my performance and everything to do with His grace and glory, as John Piper put it: God is the beginning and God is the end of all my righteousness. The path of righteousness has his grace as its starting point (for he leads me into it) and it has his glory as its destination (because his leading is for his names sake).[1] What happens in the in-between is the messy part. After He finds us, it is His goodness and faithfulness that keeps us with no intention of letting go. The 23rd Psalm sounds like a pilgrimage because it is. Remember that there are five images in this Psalm. We looked at the first image, which was: The Abundant Life (vv. 2-3a). God lets and makes me lay down in green pastures in that He causes me to do so. How does He cause me to lay down in green pastures? He does so by removing all that prevents me from doing so. I was made to lay down in green pastures by waters of rest, but without the Good Shepherd we blindly go astray; according to the prophet Isaiah we were both hopeless and helpless: All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way... (Isaiah 53:6). The next four images are as follows: Image #2: The Secure Life (v. 3b) Image #3: The Hard Life (v. 4) Image #4: The Victorious Life (v. 5) Image #5: The Everlasting Life (v. 6) It is to the Secure Life that we now turn our attention. What is it that makes His guiding in paths of righteousness for His namesake that brings security to those who belong to Him? Where Does the Shepherd Lead? Where does the Shepherd lead and how does where He is leading relate to our security? For starters, it is in the nature of His guiding that brings His sheep security: He guides me in paths of righteousness. The nature of His guiding is that it does not end and that it is ongoing; it is not a onetime event where the sheep are guided by Him such as a prayer that is said or a decision that was made. So, what are the paths of righteousness that He guides me into? We are given an answer through the nature of Davids prayers like the one we find in Psalm 5, Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way straight before me (v. 8). The answer to Davids prayer is Psalm 23:3, and those paths of righteousness are descripted for us in scores of verses in both the Old and New Testament. One such passage in the Old Testament is Psalm 1:1-3, Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, And on His Law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. The paths of righteousness according to Psalm 1 includes delighting in the Law of Yahweh and meditating on His Law day and night. The Law of the Lord is the Word of the Lord. That which you delight in is where you desire to spend your time. If you delight in a particular person you will want to spend time with that person. If you have a hobby or job that you delight in, you will look for ways to spend time participating in that hobby or job that you delight in. The evidence that you delight in the Law is seen in the amount of time you spend in the Law. The one who delights in the Law of the Lord will thrive in the kinds of ways we were meant for. God wants you to thrive and considering the fact that it is His image we bear, thriving must include our Creator. Later in the Psalms, David wrote: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Ps. 119:105). Jesus said something similar to Psalm 1:1-3 and 119:105; He said, If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:31). The Greek word used for continue is menō, which, as you may recall from last Sundays sermon, can be translated abide. If you abide, if you remain, if you continue in My word... you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. The Greek word for know is ginōskō, which is the kind of knowledge that is much more than head knowledge. Jesus said, If you remain, if you continue, if you abide in my word, you will really know [ginōskō] the truth, and the truth will set your free. Let me say it a different way so that you get what is being said here: If you take up residence in the word of the Good Shepherd, you are truly His sheep, and by listening to His voice, you will live! Listen, the Shepherds guiding does not happen apart from our abiding! I am not sure if you will find this as cool as I do, but going back to John 10 where Jesus identifies as the Good Shepherd of the 23rd Psalm, He uses the same Greek word for know that He used in John 8:31. In John 10:14-16, I am the good shepherd, and I know [ginōskō] My own, and My own know [ginōskō] Me, just as the Father knows [ginōskō] Me and I know [ginōskō] the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice; and they will become one flock, with one shepherd. Okay, so why does any of this matter and how does Psalm 1:1-3, John 8:31-32, and John 10:14-16 help you understand the 23rd Psalm better? So here we go: You cannot be led in the paths of righteousness if your knowledge of the Good Shepherd is only about filling your head without your heart being engaged. I will say it another way: If you are not abiding in the Lord of the 23rd Psalm then you are not finding in Him what you need. If you do not find in Him what you need, then you will not find in Him the green pastures and waters of rest that you were made for. If you do not find in the Good Shepherd the green pastures and waters of rest you that were made for, then you will find that the paths of righteousness that He guides His sheep on as displeasing instead of delightful. Jesus is the Good Shepherd of the 23rd Psalm, and it is He who causes me to lie down in green pastures because He is the green pastures that will never leave me hungry. It is He who leads me to waters of refreshment because He is the Living Water who satisfies the thirsty soul. Jesus restores the soul because He makes all things new! As the great Shepherd of your soul, Jesus guides those who abide in Him in paths of righteousness. There is no guiding apart from abiding in Lordof the 23rd Psalm! Why Does the Shepherd Lead? So, why does He do it? Why does the Good Shepherd guide his sheep in the paths of righteousness? He does it for the sake of His name! What does that even mean? It means that He rescued you from the condemnation of your sins, He gives Himself to you as the Great Shepherd of your soul to meet your need for Him, He provides the green pastures and quiet waters for your good, He renews and restores your soul, and He delivered you from your crooked paths of this world and set you on the straight path of righteousness that only Jesus can provide. God did it all, and He did it by putting His reputation on the line! Our story is summed up in one verse from the prophet Isaiah: All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all To fall on Him (Isa. 53:6). To fall on who you ask? Ah... I am so glad you asked! The sins of us all... fell upon Jesus who is the Lamb, the Lion, and the great Shepherd of our souls! This is why the apostle Peter wrote: ...and He Himself brought our sins in His body up on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls (1 Pet. 2:24-25). In response to all that Jesus accomplished, Paul wrote those glorious words that ought to thrill every soul that belongs to His flock: What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things (Rom. 8:31-32)? And He does so for His namesake! This is why, when you read Ephesians 1:3-14 regarding how and why God saved you from your sins that we are given three answers: The Father chose us before the foundation of the world and made us sons and daughters through His Son, and why did He do it that way? He did it, to the praise of the glory of His grace... (1:4-6). The Son redeemed us through His blood and now we have the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. Why did He do it that way? He did it, to the praise of His glory (1:7-12). The Holy Spirit made our redemption and salvation a guarantee by sealing us as Gods own possession. Why did He do it that way? He did it, to the praise of His glory (1:13-14). He chose his lambs for the sake of His name, He redeemed his lambs for the sake of His name, and He marked His lambs as His treasured possession by His Holy Spirit for the sake of His name! Listen, if the Lord is your shepherd, it is only because you have turned to Jesus for the salvation of our soul: Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other (Isa. 45:22). Listen to what Jesus said concerning all who hear His voice and come to Him for salvation: My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Fathers hand. I and the Father are one (John 10:27-30). Psalm 23:2 is a picture of the secure life because of who it is that causes us to lie down in green pastures, leads us to inexhaustible and quiet waters, restores and renews our soul, and leads us in the paths of righteousness. The Lord of the 23rd Psalm is the God of Isaiah 46:9-11, Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, My plan will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure; Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a distant country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, I will certainly do it. This is why Romans 8:1 is for you Christian: Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus. Conclusion So, let me say something you may need to hear. Just because you belong to the Shepherd of the 23rd Psalm, does not mean that you will not struggle with sin. Just because you are abiding in Jesus and love Him truly, does not mean that you will never be tempted by the enemys lies of greener pastures and more satisfying waters. The enemy is a dragon and a thief who comes, only to steal and kill and destroy... Jesus, the Great and Good Shepherd, has come so that we would have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). There are no greener pastures or quieter waters than what can be found and experienced in Jesus. The danger for some is that the less that you listen to His voice, the less you will delight in His Word and the less frequent you will want to abide in Him. Permit me to close with a warning from David Gibson: Life is a journey, not a viewing gallery; we are always on the move, always traveling, and were going with either Jesuss paths or a different shepherds paths. Maybe its what youre consuming online. Maybe its the choices you are making with your money or your time. Two degrees of divergence this year might mean a miles divergence next year. Take time to consider the road you are walking, who is leading you, and where that path might end. In my experience I have found that wrong steps in life are nearly always the outworking of a prior neglect of listening to Jesus speak in the Bible. When devotion to hearing his voice begins to dwindle, then eventually, inevitably, departure from his paths begins to follow.[2] There is no greener pasture outside of Jesus, for He alone is the Lord of the 23rd Psalm. Amen. [1] J. Josh Smith and Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Psalms 150, ed. David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2022), 174. [2] David Gibson, The Lord of Psalm 23: Jesus Our Shepherd, Companion, and Host (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2023), 49.

Title: Love and Honor Text: Acts 20:36-38 FCF: We often struggle having a good relationship between leaders and followers. Prop: Because the relationship of the Elders to the church must be one of love and honor, we must devote ourselves to love and honor one another. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 20. In a moment we'll read from the Legacy Standard Bible starting in verse 36. You can follow along in the pew bible or whatever version you prefer. Over the last couple of weeks, we have had longer sermons covering Paul's final exhortation to these Ephesian Elders. So, this week I am giving you a break and a chance to digest everything before we celebrate easter next week. This will certainly be a shorter sermon, but there are still many things we can glean from this text. Last week Paul concluded his thoughts toward the Elders of Ephesus. He serves as their template and commands them to shepherd the flock of God well. His last words express a great truth spoken by Jesus Himself, it is more blessed to give than to receive. They must be givers, spending themselves for the sake of the flock which God purchased with the blood of Christ. What follows is the response. What does Paul do after saying all these things, and what do the Elders do after hearing all these things? In this we see a pattern emerge. Just as Paul is a Pastor to these Pastors, so his example and their example serves as a pattern for our Elders and our church to follow. Let us stand to give honor to and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Most gracious Father, we thank You for sending Your Son, our Great Shepherd. He laid down His life for His sheep. He knows His sheep. His sheep hear His voice. He prayed… not for the world, but for all those lambs whom You gave to Him. He protected them. He Loved them. He made them vessels of honor. Now Father, Your Spirit has appointed undershepherds to continue shepherding while Christ is physically absent from us. We know that Jesus is always with us, but we also know that the Spirit is now our comforter and counselor and that He has equipped men called Elders to shepherd your precious lambs. May we be grown in this text to be a church who holds the right relationship between these Spiritually appointed men and those whom they have been given to shepherd. May we have a ministry where mutual love and honor is given to each other. Show us this in Your Word today we ask in Jesus' name… Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] Throughout all of God's creation, there are several examples of relationships He has made that are symbiotic. For instance, clownfish dwell inside sea anemones which protects them from predators while living there, the clown fish cleans the anemone of parasites. Remora fish attach themselves to sharks and whales eating scraps of food from when their host eats. In exchange they clean the shark or whale of parasites. Bees collect nectar from flowers pollenating and reproducing the plant in the process. These animals need each other to survive. The very first humans were created to be two halves of the image of God. It could be said that Husbands and Wives need one another in a symbiotic relationship of sorts. Today we will see that this entity God created called the church is also in a symbiotic relationship. The Elders and the church exist in a symbiotic relationship of mutual love and honor – because neither can exist without the other. At least not for long. Let's look at this relationship as it is displayed in the epilogue of this meeting between Paul and the Ephesian Elders. I.) The relationship of the Elders to the church must be one of love and honor, so Elders must pray for the church. (36) a. [Slide 3] 36 - And when he had said these things, i. Because we had to divide Paul's final exhortation message into two, it would behoove us to review even for a few minutes what Paul said. ii. The text this morning provides to us this opportunity, as it references that everything that follows is after he said what he said. iii. First Paul walked them through his own personal example among them. iv. How he was humble and gave of himself through many tears and trials to teach them all that God had revealed through Christ and calling all men to repentance and faith. v. In the same way they needed to be blameless and do the work of an Elder to share the gospel and teach thoroughly all that God had revealed. vi. Second, Paul charged them to dutifully and diligently shepherd the church. He told them to do this because the church has been given infinite value in the blood of Christ and because false teachers are coming who will destroy them. vii. And since they had received freely from God and from him, they must give of themselves freely, even to the point of supporting those who are destitute among them. Teaching them and encouraging them so they can be givers and not just takers. viii. Because as Jesus said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. ix. After Paul said all this… he continues to instruct them as to what kind of Elders they should be, but he does so by demonstration. b. [Slide 4] he knelt down and prayed with them all. i. The final component of what it means to be an Elder, is to be a man of prayer. ii. In a sign of humility, Paul kneels down and prays with them. iii. This probably means that Paul knelt first to pray and that they joined with him. iv. Luke does not give us the content of his prayer, but I don't think it is a stretch to assume that his prayer consisted of both praises to God and also deep and tearful pleas for God to preserve and protect the ministry in the church in Ephesus. v. That God would guide and lead the Elders and that He would prevent doctrinal error from destroying the unity and the effectiveness of the Ephesian church and the impact they would have on the rest of the province of Asia and beyond. vi. In this he demonstrates how leaders, who are truly caring for the body of Christ, are to be men who spend time in earnest prayer for God's people. vii. Truly, without God we are nothing. viii. Knowing that they are but undershepherds who do not have all the answers, who are not able to administer and guide of their own strength, being humble and meek, Elders must seek the Lord in all their duties. For it is only by His strength and will that anything accomplished will endure. c. [Slide 5] Summary of the Point: In this final epilogue, ending the 3rd missionary journey of Paul and closing out the mission to the city of Ephesus, we see Paul's relationship with the Elders through the lens of this final scene with them. After exhorting them and warning them of the challenges which they will face, Paul prays with and for them before he departs. This illustrates for us that the proper relationship between the Elders and the church is one of love and honor. One way that the Elders express love and honor to the church is to pray earnestly for the sake of the church. This shouldn't be surprising to us. In the book of Acts we saw already how the apostles created the office of Deacon in order to allow themselves the freedom to focus on prayer and the teaching of the Scriptures. Since the office of Overseer inherits several functions of the apostolic gift, we might expect the roles of an Elder to mimic that of an Apostle. And one of those roles on display is to pray for the church. So, we Elders must also pray earnestly for our people. In this we express love for them and honor to them as the flock which God purchased with the blood of His Son. Transition: [Slide 6(blank)] But since this relationship is one of mutual love and honor, what is the role of the church toward the Elders? II.) The relationship of an Elder to the church is one of love and honor, so the church must appreciate their Elders. (37-38) a. [Slide 7] 37 - And they began to weep aloud and falling on Paul's neck, they were kissing him, i. In the last two verses of chapter 20 we have the general response of the Elders to Paul's exhortation and closing prayer. ii. All of the Elders present began weeping aloud and falling on Paul's neck. iii. This is an idiomatic expression for hugging or embracing. iv. Why are they crying so much, hugging and kissing Paul? v. Some of why they were weeping no doubt had to do with the threat of false teaching that was coming to Ephesus. vi. Some of it was due to the great weight being placed on their shoulders to lead like Paul did. vii. Some of it was the revelation that some of them would become false teachers in the future. viii. But the primary reason for their tears is pointed out to us by Luke. b. [Slide 8] 38 - being in agony especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again and they were accompanying him to the ship. i. They are weeping because of what Paul suggested to them that they would not see his face any longer. ii. Perhaps they thought this meant that Paul would die soon. I don't think Paul thought he was going to die, only that he would not enter into ministry with them again before he did. iii. They were hugging him, kissing him, and weeping in agony over this. iv. Just as Paul served as an example to these Elders on how to be Elders. So now, these Elders serve as an example to the church on how to love and honor their Elders. v. Therefore, this is the appropriate response of the congregation to an Elder who has served well and is retiring or is approaching death. vi. The congregation should know what a great gift godly leaders are to their assembly. vii. They should know this to the point of giving honor to those who serve well. Honor, respect, submission and love. viii. We see their love and honor of Paul expressed in their desire to see him to the ship and spend every last second they could with him. ix. Some scholars suggest that “accompanying him to the ship” is an idiom suggesting that these Elders put into practice what Paul had taught them and gave him many provisions for his trip to Jerusalem. x. What an amazing expression of gratefulness for his service to them as an apostle. c. [Slide 9] Summary of the Point: Once again we see that the relationship between the Elders and the church which is illustrated in Paul's relationship to these Elders, is one of love and honor. These Elders know of Paul's love and honor for them. In turn, they loved and honored him. As he turns to Jerusalem to face whatever the Lord has in store for him there, the Elders embrace him, kiss him, and provide for him and his journey. This illustrates the church's love and honor of their Elders by being grateful for them. Elders who serve well are worthy of honor. And those who labor long in leadership and the study of the word are worthy of double honor. Conclusion: So, what have we learned today CBC, and how then shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 10] Over the last several weeks Paul has been the example that Luke sets before us of what constitutes a godly church leader. We've seen how godly church leaders prioritize the spiritual instruction of God's people. We've seen the character qualities an Elder must possess in order to lead, chief among them being blamelessness. We've seen that Shepherding God's flock is the primary role of an Elder which includes both their protection from false teaching by rooting them in truth and also their physical care. And today we pivot slightly to show the mutual relationship of love and honor that ought to exist between the Elders and the church. Elders who are excellent shepherds show love and honor to the church by praying for them and with them. And the church shows love and honor to the Elders by appreciating them and their efforts. But let me express some more tangible applications for us today from this tiny little sermon. 1.) [Slide 11] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that the relationship between the Elders and the church should be characterized by love and honor. a. Paul is the Pastor of these Pastors. b. He demonstrates who they should be and what they should do for the church. c. In this sense, we see the mutual relationship of love and honor between the church and their leaders. d. We've seen the great care that Paul put into these men. We've seen his heart for them, his passion for them, his sacrifice for them. They must go and do the same. e. And if they do, the church should and must respond like these Elders did to Paul. f. The church should show love and honor to them by appreciating their heart, their passion, and their sacrifice as they care for their souls. g. The relationship between our Elders and the church should look like the relationship between a husband and his wife. h. This shouldn't shock us since the relationship between a husband and wife should look like the relationship between Christ and the church. i. And the Elders are undershepherds and stewards of Christ's church until He returns for her. j. So in many ways the Elders have responsibilities that Christ would perform if He were here among us bodily. k. But no matter how many years you've lived on this earth – it is difficult for us to imagine a form of leadership or government that we could love and honor. l. In fact, it seems like we can pendulum swing far and wide when it comes to our view of leaders. More on that in a moment. m. But the picture that the Bible paints for us concerning the Elders/Pastors or Overseers and the church body itself is one of mutual love, honor, and even dependence. Neither can exist without the other. Elders have nothing to lead if the church is absent and the church is rudderless and disunified when they do not have Overseers. n. As difficult as it may be for us to do so – we must affirm and even seek to have this relationship between the Elders and the church. o. But what are some ways we get this wrong? 2.) [Slide 12] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that Elders must be served without question or treated with constant suspicion. a. In a perverted sense of honor, some churches view their pastors or overseers as leaders who have absolute authority over their lives. i. They obey whatever their Elders say without question as if the Lord Jesus Himself had said it. ii. Now although Elders are undershepherds and do tend the flock of Christ, we do not for one instant consider this flock ours. We know that you all are His, because He purchased you with His precious blood. Why do we know that so well? Well, because He had to purchase us the same way. We are mere sheep. iii. We also have absolutely no authority to command you to do anything except what the Scriptures have said. iv. This does not mean that our advice and counsel is meaningless or should be easily ignored or dismissed – but it does mean that on anything we advise that is not a command of the scriptures, it is at its best wise counsel and not a command. v. For example. 1. The Elders may NOT come together and absolutely forbid a member of the congregation from dating another Christian from a different congregation. Now the Elders may advise, based on what we know of the person, whether it would be wise to enter into a relationship pursuant to marriage with them. But we cannot forbid it. Why? Because we do not have a command from the scriptures. 2. But the Elders may come together and absolutely forbid a member of the congregation from having premarital sex, also known as fornication. Why are the Elders permitted to do this? Because this is what the scriptures teach. We are merely commanding what the scriptures have commanded. 3. Some may say – if that is all that is happening, why must the Elders command anything at all? 4. Well, that is our role! Our role is to preach and teach what the scriptures say. Not just from the pulpit but in the counseling room, in your living room, in your car, over the phone and everywhere where we give counsel, we must give the whole counsel of the Lord. And not just when it is palatable for the church, but in season and out of season too. Whether you are going to like it or not is irrelevant. It is our job to bring to bear all that God has said concerning the situation you are in. 5. We are not adding our authority to scripture but we are drawing your attention to what God has said and we must also be his earthly executives making sure His will is known to all and to a certain degree… followed. 6. You see the Lord has given us (the church) the keys to the kingdom. This means that whatever we bind on earth will have been bound in heaven and whatever we loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven. When two or three are gathered in His name He is with us. Helping us. And when we find a member refusing to obey the commands of God… this is when we execute church discipline. First in private exhortation and correction but eventually in excommunication. 7. The Elders then are to enforce the commands of Christ upon His church. We rebuke, reprove, correct and instruct to thoroughly equip God's people to do all that He has commanded them to do. And to a certain degree – as much as we are humanly able – we, in gentleness, see to it that Christ's instructions are followed. b. Another abuse we often have when it comes to leadership is to have a persisting and underlying sense of suspicion and distrust toward them. i. Now certainly I would be a fool to combat this by pretending there is no such thing as ungodly leaders. ii. Of course there is. iii. Not only in the political realm but even in the clergy there have been several examples of leaders abusing their authority and lording over their people. iv. But just because someone is in leadership does not automatically make them worthy of suspicion. v. Elders should be trusted, loved and honored until there is some reason that they have provided to suspect something different. vi. There is no reason to withhold your trust from Elders simply because they are in a position of authority. vii. If the COVID pandemic taught us anything it is that people don't very much like being told what to do. And they will only go along with being told what to do for so long before they push back. Why? Because people are suspicious of their government leaders – and to be honest, those in government have earned that suspicion. viii. But godly Elders are not the same as government leaders. Especially in a small country church like ours. My friends there is no power here worth manipulating you for. There is no money here worth bilking you out of. And let me tell you something, there are a lot of easier and quieter and more fulfilling ways to gain authority than being an Elder of a church. If I wanted power with few headaches… Elder isn't the right choice. ix. Don't be suspicious of your Elders. Especially when they haven't given you a reason to be. x. What must you do instead? 3.) [Slide 13] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” The church must love and honor their Elders by being grateful for them and submitting to them. a. Elders who lead boldly, who are godly men, who possess truly blameless character, who are apt to teach, and strong in their faith, should be trusted, loved and honored. b. Putting your trust in Jesus means that you obey Him. The Lord actually says that if you love me, you will keep my commandments. c. And although it is to a different and lesser degree, the Lord makes it plain in Hebrews 13 that if you truly love your Elders, you will submit to their authority so that they may watch over your souls with joy. d. One way you show love to your Elders is by submitting yourself to our authority. i. As I have already said, the Elder's authority extends only as far as the Scriptures allow. ii. You should trust your Elders and submit to our authority out of a heart of love for us so that we may be joyful in our responsibility to help guide you safely to heaven's shore. iii. Go willingly and passionately with us. e. Secondly, you show honor to your Elders by being grateful for our wise and godly leadership and teaching. f. How do you show gratefulness? i. Well, in Paul's case these men fell on his neck, kissed him, and wept over his leaving. They even potentially gave him provisions for his long trip to Jerusalem. I'm not saying that is THE way – I am saying that is what they did. ii. But let me make some suggestions. iii. First, it would be wise to be thankful to the Lord. Express thankfulness to God for wise and godly leadership. Ask for His blessing on our lives and that He would keep us and preserve us in our role. Do this in your family devotions and family worship times to let your children hear that you are thankful for our sacrifice. iv. Second might be to express gratitude to the Elder personally. A card, a phone call, a gift, a strong handshake. Especially when a particular Elder has helped you through a difficult trial or has devoted extra time to your family. It is wise and even obvious to express heartfelt thankfulness to that particular Elder. Let him know that you appreciate his sacrifice for you. Even doing so toward his wife and children. Knowing that they too have had to sacrifice his presence among them so that you could be ministered to. v. Finally, you might express gratefulness publicly. You might pray a prayer of thanksgiving at a family gathering, in a church service, or express a praise during prayer request time. You might make a special service or event to honor our sacrifice and service. g. Let me clear the air really quickly. Every single Elder in this room today has been absolutely squirming at the mention of every single way you could express gratefulness. And I felt REALLY uncomfortable saying it too. h. You need to understand that I am saying this not because I want to, but because the text so obviously leads us to that conclusion. i. The Elders and I, when we met yesterday, did not spend one second complaining about how you all don't submit to us or how you are an ungrateful bunch and never appreciate our sacrifices. j. Let me read that again. k. The Elders and I, when we met yesterday, did not spend one second complaining about how you all don't submit to us or how you are an ungrateful bunch and never appreciate our sacrifices. l. I wrote that last sentence the day before we met. That is how confident I was that it wouldn't happen. And I was right. m. Why was I so confident that we wouldn't do that? n. Because we don't do that. o. The reason we are squirming today at the mention of these practical ways you can show your gratitude for us…is because WE DON'T DO THIS FOR YOUR GRATITUTDE. p. Which is exactly the reason you should express your gratefulness to us. q. Ugh – I hate saying it. But it must be said. I am holding my nose up here saying it. r. Show love and honor to your Elders by submitting and expressing your gratefulness to us. s. Yuck! t. Ok moving on. Let's beat up the Elders now. 4.) [Slide 14] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” Elders must love and honor the church by praying for her. a. My brothers. b. I have continued my quest this year to pray through our membership directory every week. c. It isn't enough. I've had to add more times of prayer. I've had to start praying immediately after hearing a request to make sure that I do actually pray for it before the next week rolls around. d. Understand, I don't hold myself up as the standard – I am simply giving a testimony of what it has done for me. e. I have grown in my love for these folks over the last couple years and I think that is because I pray for every member by name, every single week. I pray for everything I can think of regarding that member. f. I just walk around this room with my membership directory in hand praying for every name in it. g. Some weeks it takes over an hour to get through. h. I usually do this on Tuesday and hit my 8000 steps by noon.

The provisions of our Great Shepherd are many! Join us as we dive into one of the most popular passages in all of scripture.

Title: Qualities of an Elder Text: Acts 20:13-27 FCF: We all struggle when our leaders are ungodly. Prop: Because an Elder must be and continue to be blameless, so all Elders and would be Elders must endure in these same qualities. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 20. In a moment we'll read from the Legacy Standard Bible starting in verse 13. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Last week we noted Luke's shift in focus as his book hastens toward its close. Since the remainder of the book is concerning Paul's travels to Jerusalem, his imprisonment, his travel to Rome, and imprisonment there – Luke now shifts his attention to the character, person, and instructions of Paul. He began this last week by focusing on Paul's top priority. To the expense of himself, Paul desired greatly to instruct God's people in His ways. This was his primary objective. Such clarity in purpose reveals to us how all church leaders should prioritize the spiritual instruction of God's people. Today we will lean even more into the discussion of what godly church leaders should be, as Paul summons the Elders of Ephesus to himself to give them parting words of instruction before he goes on to Jerusalem. Let's see what he has to say. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Most Holy God, we come to You as Your children seeking wisdom and instruction from Your Word. We praise You Father for giving through Your Son and empowering through Your Spirit, undershepherds who care for the flock that You have claimed as Your own. We praise You for sending watchmen among us to watch out for wolves and to feed and to guide us. We pray that You would use this text this morning to equip us to understand and pursue all that You have given us regarding godly Elders. And we pray desperately that You would continue to bless us with men who love You and are called to serve. We ask this in Jesus' name amen. Transition: Let's get right to the text this morning. I.) Paul demonstrated the qualities necessary for all church leaders, so all Elders and would be Elders must endure in these same qualities. (13-21) a. [Slide 2] 13 – But we, going ahead to the ship, set sail for Assos (AH-sohs), intending from there to take Paul on board; for so he had arranged it, intending himself to go by land. 14 - And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene (my-tell-EEE- knee). 15 - And sailing from there, we arrived the following day opposite Chios (KEY-ohs); and the next day we crossed over to Samos (SAM-ahs); and the day following we came to Miletus (my-LEE-tuhs). 16 - For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. 17 - Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. i. [Slide 3] On the screen behind me is the travel map of Paul and his 8 companions. ii. Luke records that by the plan of Paul, he desired to go by land from Troas to meet them in Assos. iii. Since this was Paul's plan all along, and we aren't told why, it is likely some unknown-to-us reason that Paul desired to travel by land on the first leg of the journey to Assos (AH-sohs). iv. More than likely, this took a couple days for Paul to catch up. v. Then they all sailed to Mitylene (my-tih-LEE-knee). Then the next day they came to what Luke calls the opposite of Chios (KEY-ohs). By this he probably intends the eastern side of the island of Chios as the map depicts. vi. Then the next day they came over to Samos (SAM-ahs), which is the unnamed island on the bottom. vii. Then the following day they came to Miletus (my-LEE-tuhs). viii. Miletus is about 25 miles south of Ephesus. ix. It has probably been about two years since Paul was in Ephesus at this point. x. Here Paul is faced with a dilemma. He loves the church of Ephesus and the Elders whom he helped to appoint and guide in that city. But he knew that if he stopped in to Asia to meet with them, he would be held up there. Most likely because of the love they had for him and he for them. xi. But, Paul is being led by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem and to make it before Pentecost. xii. Most likely, Pentecost is only a few weeks away when he lands in Miletus. xiii. Nevertheless, Paul cannot ignore the church in Ephesus completely. He had spent 3 years ministering to them. So, what is he to do? xiv. Paul decides to send for the Ephesian Elders to come and meet him. b. [Slide 4] 18 - And when they had come to him, he said to them, i. From verse 18 through verse 35 we have recorded for us one of the fullest expressions in the scriptures of what Elders are to be and what Elders are to do. ii. We will take half of his exhortation this week and next week we will look at the rest. iii. The first half is mostly Paul instructing them from his own example. c. [Slide 5] “You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, i. The very first thing Paul exhorts them with is his own example of how he ministered in the city of Ephesus. ii. From their own observation and experience, they know that Paul was with them the whole time. iii. This probably is not referring to Paul staying with someone, or not leaving the city. iv. More likely this is Paul indicating that he lived his life before them. They observed him in the most basic functions of human existence all the way to worship services, and evangelism, and discipleship, and preaching, and prayer, and everything in-between. v. He was not separated from them but was with them. vi. But what did they observe of him while he was with them? d. [Slide 6] 19 - serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; i. They saw Paul under pressure. ii. [Slide 7] And the first pressure they observed Paul endure was his own flesh battling against his pedigree. 1. Paul had every reason to be proud. He began a successful church in the city of Ephesus. He taught for three years avoiding persecution from the Ephesians for almost the entire stay. 2. He was a good speaker. He was wise. He was followed by many. 3. Not only that but he was a Pharisee of the Pharisees, a Roman citizen, and well-respected by many powerful people. 4. But in the midst of this the Ephesian Elders observed that Paul served the Lord in all humility. 5. Paul put the needs of others above the needs of himself. 6. He was meek, he was lowly. He was a servant to all. 7. He did not demand that others wait on him, instead he became the servant to them for the sake of Christ, his Lord. 8. He did not expect due compensation for all his work like the traveling philosophers and preachers of his time. Instead, he was content with whatever he had. 9. In this way, Paul served the Lord, as merely a slave to His master's will. iii. [Slide 8] The second pressure they observed Paul endure was the weight of his mission. 1. Paul served the Lord with tears. 2. Paul was passionate about the mission and the message that he was sent by Christ to give. 3. Paul wept with them and plead with them to follow the Lord. 4. Paul cried with tears of joy as they came to Christ and turned from their sin and their idols. 5. Paul no doubt shed many tears when many of them confessed their former dalliances with magic and as they burned their books in rejecting their former ways, never to go back. 6. Paul mourned the tragedy of those who denied Christ, many of whom were his own kinsmen. 7. Paul wept over believers who chose to continue in sin and did not desire to be corrected, like with the Corinthians. 8. Paul sobbed tears of joy when the Corinthians repented and returned. 9. Paul cried over false teachers making shipwreck of believers' faith. 10. Truly Paul's mission was weighty. iv. [Slide 9] The third pressure they observed in Paul was the persecution from the Jews. 1. Paul served the Lord even with his trials. 2. He rejoiced in suffering at the hands of the Jews. For His own Savior had suffered also at the hands of the Jews. 3. He endured the many plots from them all over the empire and even in Ephesus, to destroy him and the message he taught. 4. Through it all, Paul's eyes were on Christ, knowing that he could endure all of it and more through Christ who gives him strength. v. Paul did not bow to the pressures he faced. He had excellent moral character and spiritual strength. He was blameless. vi. But what did he do with such noble character? e. [Slide 10] 20 - how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, i. Against secret societies, hidden knowledge cults, Gnosticism, free masonry, scientology, Mormonism and any other religious group that trickles out secret knowledge to those who are loyal… ii. Paul did not withdraw or shy away from sharing with them everything he knew that was profitable for them. Everything that was expedient to them, he told them. iii. These mystery cults and philosophical and religious gurus ensure that you will continue to support them or their faith by holding back information you need, until you have sufficiently paid for it. iv. Not Paul. v. Paul gave them everything he knew that could help them. vi. He knew a good deal more about the law and about Judaism and about being a Pharisee. But this was not expedient to them. It was not profitable. But the things of Christ? The way of faith? The grace of God? vii. Of these, he told them everything he could. viii. And he didn't do it privately to only a few wealthy people, as if to peddle this gospel for personal gain. ix. Instead, he shared all this publicly, teaching in the hall of Tyrannus. And when those discussions continued, he went to houses and taught too. x. There was no membership fee, no subscription model, no downloadable content. xi. He passionately pursued any who desired to be taught the ways of the Lord. f. [Slide 11] 21 - solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. i. Finally, we see Paul say that they observed the undeniable fact that he, with great seriousness and sincerity, bore witness to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. ii. Paul shared the gospel, even after the church was founded there in Ephesus. iii. And he shared the gospel to every person he came in contact with regardless of their heritage or lineage. iv. We know that the Jews were despised and mocked in Ephesus. We know from the letter to the Ephesians Paul emphasizes the church being one made of both Jews and Gentiles. v. Paul passionately and sincerely bore witnesses to all men about the command of God for all men to repent toward God and receive faith in Jesus. g. [Slide 12] Summary of the Point: Luke dutifully records Paul's exhortation to the Elders of Ephesus as he commends them to continuing the work there in their city. Paul's opening point is the track record that he exemplified while he was among them. He was a man who selflessly served the Lord by serving them, through tears and trails. He taught them in season and out of season. He reproved, rebuked, corrected and instructed them in all that was helpful to them, and he did the work of an evangelist calling all kinds of men to repentance toward God and faith in Christ. But they knew all this. They observed him for three years being this kind of man. So, what is Paul's message? What is Luke telling us? Quite simply – the church needs this caliber of man to be Elders. In fact, for every Elder or would be Elder, it is safe for us to conclude that this should be our character profile. Transition: [Slide 13 (blank)] Paul leaves the past and now looks to the uncertainty of the future. Will he be the same man? Will he make changes? If the pressure increases, will he break? II.) Paul will continue to demonstrate these qualities despite the cost, so all Elders and would be Elders must endure in these same qualities. (22-27) a. [Slide 14] 22 - And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 - except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that chains and afflictions await me. i. Paul leaves the past and now looks to the future. ii. He knows that he must go to Jerusalem. We saw before how he resolved to go to Jerusalem and now, we see that this was by direct leading of the Holy Spirit. iii. Paul has no idea what to expect when he arrives. It has been about 5 years since he last went to Jerusalem. He went there after his second missionary journey and before heading to Ephesus. iv. In fact, the only thing he does know is what the Holy Spirit continues to remind him of in every city he visits. v. Really it is the prediction that Christ gave to Ananias at Paul's conversion. Jesus said, “I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.” vi. The Holy Spirit has revealed that many afflictions and imprisonments await Paul in the near future. vii. So, he doesn't know what will happen in Jerusalem, but he does know that he is going to suffer imprisonments and afflictions for the name of Christ. viii. What is the moral fiber of Paul? What is his outlook here? b. [Slide 15] 24 - But I do not make my life of any account nor dear to myself, i. Paul is holding his life loosely. ii. He is not fighting to stay alive at all costs. He is not striving to avoid all pain and anguish. iii. If the Holy Spirit has revealed that this is God's will for him – it would be foolish to resist and to fight against it. iv. Paul will not flee like Jonah. v. Why? c. [Slide 16] so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. i. Jesus gave Paul a job to do. ii. He is to go and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to Jews, to Gentiles, and to Kings. iii. Well, so far, he has not proclaimed the gospel to kings. iv. He has certainly had audiences with many powerful and wealthy people. Some of them have even come to Christ. v. But, to date, Paul has never stood before any rulers to preach the gospel. vi. So, his mission is not complete. vii. Here we see again his desire to sincerely or solemnly testify to the gospel of the grace of God. viii. There are many perspectives on soteriology. For the last four hundred years the church has been enamored with the discussion of Arminianism vs. Calvinism. ix. I'm not going to talk about either right now. x. But one thing is for sure. If the gospel you believe is not a gospel of God's grace, then it is not the gospel at all. xi. So, what is grace? 1. We have all memorized the quick definition – unmerited favor. 2. And that is a fine definition of the word grace. 3. But if we are talking about God's grace and specifically God's grace in salvation, which is what Paul is talking about here, I do not believe the definition “unmerited favor” is sufficient. 4. So, how would I define God's grace in salvation? 5. It is simply this. God accomplishes 100% of our salvation. 6. There is no step that God has left to us in order to be saved. 7. According to Romans 3:24, we are justified as a gift by His grace through Christ's redemption. 8. [Slide 17] Another way to remember what grace is, is by the acronym for GRACE 9. God's 10. Riches 11. At 12. Christ's 13. Expense 14. God delivers the gift of all his riches, indeed sonship and becoming heirs to His throne, at the expense of Christ. 15. Notice that this still has nothing to do with us. Our response isn't factored in yet, for God has given His riches because of the redemption of His Son. 16. Now this isn't denying that there are necessary responses flowing out of that gift of justification by grace through Christ's work. 17. In fact, in the other instance in this text in which Paul talks about sincerely testifying about the gospel he explains the command and the responsibility of Jews and Greeks to respond in repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ. 18. But God uses our repentance and faith, both of which the scriptures teach us are ALSO gifts He gives to us, God by grace uses this gifted repentance and faith as means to unite us to our gifted justification. 19. [Slide 18] To suggest that God has accomplished even 99.9% of our salvation and waits on us to do the other .1% - is to make another gospel… one that is not GRACE - God's Riches At Christ's Expense, but is in fact, God's Riches Awaiting Mankind's Submission. I know that spells GRAMS which isn't great… 20. [Slide 19] but My point is not for you to remember GRAMS but GRACE! 21. Call yourself an Arminian. Call yourself a Calvinist. Refuse to take a title. It matters very little. 22. But if your gospel is not ALL of God – then it isn't the gospel of the Grace of God that Paul preached. And that means… it isn't the gospel at all. d. [Slide 20] 25 - And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. i. Now Paul laments the fact that most likely, he will never see any of the Ephesian Elders again. ii. Is Paul being overly dramatic here? iii. No. Paul knows that his future will be full of all kinds of difficulties. iv. And as far as we know, Paul never did return to Ephesus. Paul will go to Rome as a prisoner. He will be release and then spend time in and around the Adriatic Sea between Italy and Greece, and potentially even going as far as Spain. But eventually he will be imprisoned for the last time and beheaded by Emperor Nero. v. So no, Paul isn't being dramatic. vi. He went among them and preached the Kingdom of Christ- of which they were now a part and working to do the same. vii. But never again will he see them. viii. In light of this, Paul wants to say one more thing about the future… and specifically their future. Then he will move to exhorting them. ix. We won't get to the exhortation this week, but let's look at what Paul says about their future… e. [Slide 21] 26 - Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all. 27 - For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. i. Much like God commanded Ezekiel in Ezekiel 3:17 and 18 warning him to be a watchmen for the people and warn them when God tells him to warn them, Paul recuses himself from any guilt that might be placed on him for the spiritual futures of any of these Elders present with him, and for any of the church in Ephesus. ii. Why? iii. Because he did not hesitate to tell them all that God had revealed. iv. If any of these Elders bring a different teaching or slip away from the teaching Paul gave either by adding to it or taking from it – it is not a charge that can be laid on Paul. v. And if they lead any of the Ephesian church members into apostasy or heresy – it cannot be blamed on Paul. vi. Why? vii. Paul did not hesitate to tell them everything God had given him. The whole purpose or counsel of God was available to them through him. viii. Again, this goes back to his statement that he didn't withdraw from telling them everything that was profitable or expedient to them. f. [Slide 22] Summary of the Point: As Paul looks to the future and understands that there is no hope for things to improve. In fact, things will most certainly get worse, for the Holy Spirit has revealed as much to him. But Paul's intention is to continue to exemplify these qualities and these passions. He desires to continue to be used up, to be emptied out, all for the sake of the gospel of God's grace. His desire is to leave no one's blood on his hands, but like a good watchman, he has told everyone all that they must hear to participate in the kingdom of Christ. Despite a bleak future – Paul intends to continue to exemplify these qualities, until he is extinguished. My friends… Elders and those who would be Elders someday… Is this us? It must be. Conclusion: So CBC, what have we learned today and how then shall we live? Doctrinal Takeaway: [Slide 23] All of our truth points come from Paul's example. This may be challenging for us to receive because Paul is merely a man, but when we understand that these qualities in this text are merely a reflection of who Jesus is and what He demonstrated, we then understand that the qualities Paul has demonstrated are simply those he has received from Christ. But if we were to look at the two letters Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus concerning the qualifications for Elders, we would see a remarkable but unsurprisingly similar 1 to 1 connection between those qualifications and the qualities Paul demonstrated to the Ephesians. Paul is blameless, temperate, sensible, respectful, apt to teach, not a brawler but considerate, peaceable, free from the love of money, he had a good reputation with those outside the church, he was not selfish, nor a liar to cheat people of money, he loved what was good, he was righteous, holy, self-controlled, and he held fast the faithful teaching of the gospel, proving to be able to exhort others in sound doctrine, doing the work of an evangelist, and was able to reprove those who contradicted the gospel. In that sense, Paul's life becomes an illustration of what qualities we must look for in men who are or desire to be Elders. And if we are Elders or desire to be Elders, Paul's example becomes a good template to compare ourselves to. But let me seek to apply this text today, primarily to Elders and would be Elders, but also to the congregation as a whole. 1.) [Slide 24] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that blamelessness is the chief qualification of an Elder. a. All the qualities Paul puts forward in this text are summarized in the basic qualification of blamelessness. b. Blamelessness is the quality one possesses in which it is impossible to find fault with someone. c. This does not, of course, speak to perfection. All men continue to battle and kill off their sin in this life. If the standard were perfection and true sinlessness, then only Christ could be given the title of Elder. d. Instead, blamelessness takes on a legal quality. In the law of moses it took two or three witnesses to bring someone to trial and find them guilty. e. Similarly, we see in I Timothy 5, Paul outlines the process for the discipline of an Elder. If two or three witnesses are not available to substantiate an accusation of sin against an Elder, then the accusation is not even to be heard. But if two or three witnesses confirm that an Elder is in sin, the Elder must be rebuked. f. This again instructs us as to the exact nature of the qualification of blamelessness. g. In order for a man, who desires the office, to be qualified for it, it must be impossible to achieve the necessary quorum among the body to accuse the man of living in sin. In fact, being blameless would imply that any such accusation would be hard to fathom considering the character of the man in question. h. Blamelessness does not mean sinlessness, but it does mean that there is no sin that is cherished, nurtured, encouraged, or befriended by this Elder. They desire the death of sin in their hearts and keep their accounts short. i. Looking at the rest of the qualifications we can see how all of them flow out of or into this one quality of blamelessness. j. Why must the man be blameless? k. Think about an Elder's responsibility. He is to guard the souls of the little lambs of God, serving as an undershepherd below the Great Shepherd. l. Such a place, such a responsibility, such a position given to a man who no one really trusts, or who when a rumor floats around people say, “well that does sound like a sin he would be doing.” Such a man cannot possibly watch for the souls of others… for others much watch out for his soul instead. He would be a liability to the children of God and the rest of the leadership. m. How can an Elder teach or lead someone in holy and Christlike lifestyles when he himself is ensnared and overcome by sin? n. So, by way of application for us this morning, we diverge into a few groups of people. i. First, if you are a man in this congregation, you need to consider blamelessness to be your command. 1. Whether you are an Elder or not, as a man in our congregation we still possess the innate headship of our home meaning that we are in essence an Elder of our family. 2. We have the responsibility of watching out for the souls of our wife and children or future wife and/or future children. 3. Such a role requires us to be the spiritual leader of our family. Setting the example in thought, word, and deed. Exemplifying Christlikeness. And pursuing Christ before our family and leading them to Him. ii. Second, if you are a man in this congregation who desires the office of an Elder, you must first be blameless. 1. No amount of biblical knowledge can make up for lacking blamelessness in your character. 2. No amount of teaching prowess can make up for lacking blamelessness. 3. No amount of kindness, gentleness, rule following, leadership, or charisma can make up for lacking blamelessness. 4. If a man is perfect in every way, and gifted as Paul was for ministry but was known for indulging in a specific sin… such a man is still unqualified to be an Elder. 5. And it is not enough to be blameless until you become an Elder… now you must live blamelessly not only before your family and the church, but before the other Elders as well. iii. Third, if you are an Elder in this church, let this be a healthy reminder to us that we must continue to be blameless. 1. We must continue to serve the Lord in humility. We must continue to serve Him and His church with tears and with endurance through persecution. 2. We must continue to declare the whole counsel of God to His people, sparing no teaching that is profitable and expedient to them. 3. We must continue to solemnly testify to all men the gospel of God's grace and implore them to turn from their sin and to God through faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord. 4. My friends, we must be blameless. And we must make sure we hold each other to that standard. iv. Finally, if you are none of the above, you must pray for and seek out leaders who are blameless. 1. It is the congregation's responsibility to only seek out and receive Elders who are blameless. 2. And if a Prospective Elder is put forward for consideration, who you do not consider to be blameless, you must make your concerns known to the Elder Board. 3. Although we have only been Elder led for a few years now, there may come a time in the future where the Elders put forward another man we have considered to be qualified to be an Elder in our church. 4. You have a solemn responsibility to make your concerns known to us. Perhaps you know the man in a way we do not. o. For the sake of the church and the purity of the gospel message, Elders must be blameless. 2.) [Slide 25] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that Elders can hold others to a standard they do not meet. a. Nothing Paul will charge these men to do next week are things that Paul has not already demonstrated and done himself. b. Paul is not instructing the Elders in Ephesus to do something he would not or could not do. Instead, he is instructing them to be like him and continue doing what he was doing. c. There is a common saying in ministry and it is something like, “the spiritual maturity of the body can never exceed the average spiritual maturity of its leaders.” d. If such a thing could be measured mathematically, we could conclude that if the spiritual maturity of the Elder board was averaged to be 50% conformity to Christ (again, these are very crude numbers – just follow me for the sake of the illustration) – If this were so, then the church body cannot possibly be expected to exceed that maturity. e. Thus, if the Elders are a group of power-hungry little kings vying for their own slice of the church pie – imagine what such a church would be? f. Regardless of whether you are an Elder, a would be Elder, or a member of this body – this is still further incentive to find men who are blameless to lead. g. Because if they are not blameless, the church won't be anywhere close to blameless. h. An Elder can only preach and teach that which he has repented of and submitted to in His own life. i. Elders must practice in example what they intend to preach from the scriptures. 3.) [Slide 26] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must pray for godly leaders. a. This works out in two specific ways. b. First, we must pray for God to give more godly leaders to us. i. Unfortunately, Jerry Gunst isn't going to live forever. Neither is Nick, or CJ, or Justin - and even though I am not even 40 yet, I have already begun praying for and looking for a young man who could potentially replace me as the Primary teaching Elder of the church. ii. Our lives seem so long in some ways – so long that we procrastinate on things that go beyond our lifetime. iii. And yet life is so short in other ways. So short that by the time we do realize we need to plan for the future beyond our lives, it is too late. iv. Even now, we can be in prayer for the future Elders of Columbus Baptist Church. v. We can pray that God would give grace to save and shape and mold young men to rise up to the challenge of blamelessly shepherding God's people. vi. You can start that today. Every week I pray through our membership directory. And when I come to a name of a boy – I pray that God would raise him up to be godly and that he might become a future Elder or Deacon of this church. vii. Be in prayer for the future leaders of our church. Even if you will be long gone before they take office… be in prayer. c. Second, we must pray for the leaders we currently have to be godly. i. Occasionally some of you get a sneak peek into the lives of we Elders. ii. Occasionally you are exposed to the trials, the tears, the pains, the hardship, the difficulties we face in leading this church. And that is all in addition to the normal trials and troubles we face in our families and in our personal lives… And most of your Elders actually have ANOTHER job that they do that has its own set of difficulties. iii. My point is, that we… NEED.. your prayers. iv. I would even say that we are desperate for them. v. And don't just pray that we be healthy, that our kids are healthy, that our bodies are healthy… no… please… pray especially that God would protect us from the schemes of the devil and the principalities and powers that seek to destroy us to get to you all. Pray for that first. vi. I'd rather die of cancer having lived a godly life, than live forever having rejected my Lord's commands. And I can confidently say that that is true for all the Elders. vii. Pray for our physical needs – but not at the expense of praying for our spiritual protection and godly wisdom. 4.) [Slide 27] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” Elders, we must be Watchmen for these people. a. Notice how Paul twice emphasized that he declared the whole plan of God and all that was profitable to the Ephesian Elders when he was with them. He did this to the extent that if any of them walked away from this truth and their faith failed and they were cast into the lake of fire… then he would not be to blame for it. b. We too are watchmen of these people. c. May none here have the luxury of saying in that final day, “But that Elder didn't tell me everything. He never told me the fullness of your plan or the teachings that were of great expediency to me.” d. May we teach with our words and our lives all that is necessary to be known so that in the final day we are innocent of all blood, having watched out for all the souls in our charge. e. Let us not grow weary in our labor. But let us press on brothers. 5.) [Slide 28] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” A plurality of biblically qualified Elders is one of the greatest gifts Christ has given His church. a. Who wouldn't want a bunch of little Paul's looking out for them? b. Who wouldn't want a bunch of little Christ's guarding them? c. God has called and equipped men to lead His church. They are mere men, which means they are not perfect. But they are equipped by God, blameless, so that even when they fail, they humbly seek forgiveness and make appropriate changes. d. Who else would we want leading our church? e. What a great comfort it is to have godly men leading. f. May they remain godly so that we may thrive as the church of Christ. [Slide 29 (end)] Let me close with a prayer by the Reformer Thomas Becon Lord Jesus Christ, you are the true and everlasting Bishop, the mirror and pattern for all faithful pastors both in life and doctrine. You came down from God your Father not only to be our Redeemer, but also our teacher, to open and declare to us the mysteries of the holy Scriptures. We humbly pray now that in your mercy you would look upon your poor and scattered flock, whom you have purchased with your most precious blood. Send us shepherds who will diligently seek the lost sheep, lovingly carry them on their shoulders, and faithfully bring them home again. Lord, you see how great the harvest is, and how few the workers. You are Lord of the harvest. Send us into the harvest! And take away from us those false prophets who come to us in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. Take away those false anointed and false preachers, who by their subtle doctrine would bring us into error. Grant also, O Lord, that these true shepherds may accurately and reverently minister your holy mysteries to us… [that we may have] our faith … established, confirmed, and strengthened. And may we be comforted and made strong against the gates of hell, the devil, the world, the flesh, the curse of the law, sin, death, desperation, and all that is hostile to us. May their shepherds hands not be stretched out to receive, and slow to give. But establish in them a mind that is content, and willing to spend for the relief of the poor, that they may feed the flock both in word and deed. You commanded your apostle Peter three times to feed your flock. And you gave this command not only to Peter, but to all your apostles-even to all pastors who follow. Deal with your flock, most faithful Shepherd, according to your promise. Raise up faithful and diligent shepherds who may feed their flocks with your life-filled word, lead a good life, and maintain hospitality for the comfort of the poor. And in all things may they behave according to your will and commandments. So when you, the most high Bishop and chief Shepherd, appear, may they receive the pure and spotless crown of glory. In Jesus' name we pray this. Amen. Benediction: May the Lord grant you The love that leads the way, The faith that nothing can sway, The hope no disappointments can dismay, And the passion that burns like fire. Until we meet again, go in peace.

“We are His people, the sheep of His pasture." - Psalm 103:3. But there is somewhere even better the Great Shepherd will lead us. Psalm 23:6 expresses confidence in God's unwavering love and provision. It declares that His goodness and mercy will follow the believer throughout life, culminating in eternal fellowship with Him in His house forever.  Michael Roberts brings it home in this message.    

Ps Mark encourages us with Psalm 23. When we declare a season of Greater Things, that can come with some heavy stuff with it, know that God is our Great Shepherd. CONNECT WITH US - If you are listening for the first time or even been watching for a while, we'd love to get to know you! Why not send us a message on highway.com.au/connect • If you have any praise reports send them to prayer@highway.com.au • WANT TO KNOW JESUS - highway.com.au/followjesus WANT TO GIVE - www.highway.com.au/giving

Spring is the season of new life. As we finish up our series on the Psalms, we come to the most famous one of all.Psalm 23:1–2 says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.” This psalm contains some of the most famous words ever written. It has everything: beautiful language, a man's raw honest heart for God, and a universal theme of love that God has for all people.It echoes in the universe.Think of the picture that God is painting here for us.We are bone weary, but He has actually made a place for us to rest in a garden. We hear the flowing water. We are refreshed inside and out. And He is with us. Do yourself a favor this spring. Memorize every line of the 23rd Psalm. Put it in your heart so that when you're in that dark valley, you will remember that the one true God loves you absolutely and completely.Goodness and mercy follow you. Close your eyes and sit in the cool grass. He is with you.Let's pray.Lord, you are the Great Shepherd who provides a sanctuary for us. Thank you, thank you for making a place of safety for us as we go through life. In Jesus' name, amen. Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

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The 23rd Psalm is a picture Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd being resurrected from the dead. And this reminds us that just as death had no power over Jesus, it also has no power over us because He is our Great Shepherd.

John 10:11-21 The Intensity of the Shepherd (vv. 11-13) The hireling flees from the wolf. The Shepherd faces the wolf. Total commitment Total sacrifice The Intimacy of the Shepherd (vv. 14-18) He is known by the current sheep (Jewish believers) He will be known by the other Sheep (Gentile believers) He will die for all the sheep. (John 15:13-14) The Illustration of the Sheep (vv. 19-21) The reaction The response More to Consider There is a contrast here between the Pharisees (hirelings) who had no concern for the sheep, and Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. The hirelings flee and protect themselves when the enemies come; but Christ willingly gives up His life for the sheep. (See Acts 20:29.) Christ as the Good Shepherd gives His life on the cross (Ps. 22); as the Great Shepherd, He cares for the sheep (Heb. 13:20 and Ps. 23); and as the Chief Shepherd He will come again in glory for His sheep (Ps. 24 and 1 Peter 5:4). In v. 18 He speaks of both His death and His resurrection. Warren Wiresbe How clearly this must have spoken to the men and women of Israel. Their rulers, like religious leaders of many times and many faiths, were quick to demand respect and obedience. They were quick to lord it over others; quick to judge, advise, condemn. But no one in Israel would imagine for a moment that one of the authorities would lay down his life for one of the common people. Those leaders might lay down their lives for truth. More than once the men of Israel had refused to fight on the Sabbath, and had been killed easily by pagans. More than one Israelite had offered his body to Roman swords rather than permit a statue of Caesar, or even the Legion Eagles, to enter Jerusalem. To die for a conviction was not that uncommon. But to die for love of the sheep? Never! Truth was important to the authorities; people were not. Lawrence O. Richards He is giving his life still. The life that is in the man Christ Jesus he is always giving for us. It is for us he lives, and because he lives, we live also. He lives to plead for us. He lives to represent us in heaven. He lives to rule providence for us. Charles Spurgeon

In this famed chapter, Jesus miraculously gives sight to a blind man, who becomes the classic representative of all "Lambs" brought into the pastures of the Great Shepherd.

In this famed chapter, Jesus miraculously gives sight to a blind man, who becomes the classic representative of all "Lambs" brought into the pastures of the Great Shepherd.

The Great Shepherd

Pastor Philip Jeffries Meadowthorpe Baptist Church http://www.meadowthorpebaptistchurch.com 330 Larch Lane, Lexington, KY 40511 (859) 523-3815

Pastor Philip Jeffries Meadowthorpe Baptist Church http://www.meadowthorpebaptistchurch.com 330 Larch Lane, Lexington, KY 40511 (859) 523-3815

Weekly Sermon, Feb. 16th, 2025 Psalm 23:1-6 (ESV)

The post The Great Shepherd of Sheep – Hebrews 13: 20-25 appeared first on Red Village Church.

Pastor Kevin preaches this week about "Our Great Shepherd" from Psalm 23:1-3.

All people want to be happy. I have spent a lot of time with people as a pastor, and the majority of couples and individuals who met with me over the years did so because they longed to be happy. It is also true that the motivation for couples seeking marriage or divorce, the desire for a new job or the determination to quit a job, what led to substance abuse or a willingness to break an addiction is all the same: the desire to be happy. In fact, there have been people who claimed to be Christians who sought marriage, divorce, drugs, freedom from addiction, debt, and freedom from debt out of the belief that God wanted them to be happy. How about you? Do you believe God wants you to be happy? Do you believe that the ends justify the means to achieve and experience the happiness you believe God wants for you? Maybe you are asking any one of the following questions: I am unhappy where I live, if I have the means to do so, can I move so that I can be happier? I am tired of driving the same old car, should I buy a new one that will make me happier? I feel unfulfilled where I work, can I look for a new job that will fill my day with a little more joy? I feel ignored and taken for granted in my marriage, my spouse does not meet my needs, I am unhappy, our children are miserable because we are miserable... something needs to change so that we can be happy. So here is what I want to do with the time we have left. I want to show you from the Bible three things: God expects you to seek happiness. God commands you to pursue your joy. Finding your joy/happiness is possible. By answering the above three questions, I hope that you will have a clear and biblical understanding as to whether God wants you to be happy. God Expects You to Seek Happiness (vv. 1-5) Let me begin by stating that in Psalm 95 alone, the word joy is repeated three times in the first two verses: sing for joy..., shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation, shout joyfully to Him in songs with instruments. But Psalm 95 is not the only place where such language is used; consider the language from the Bible: Delight yourself... (Ps. 37:4) Rejoice... (Phil. 4:4) Rejoice always... (1 Thess. 5:16) Let us rejoice and be glad... (Ps. 118:24) But where is it that God expects us to find our joy? Again, consider the same above verses: Delight yourself in the Lord... (Ps. 37:4) Rejoice in the Lord always... (Phil. 4:4) Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thess. 5:16-18) This is the day which the Lord has made, lets us rejoice and be glad in it. (Ps. 118:24) Is our happiness only to be found in God? What about verses like Ecclesiastes 9:9, does it not tell us to enjoy life while we have it? Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of your futile life which He has given you under the sun, all the days of your futility; for this is your reward in life and in your work which you have labored under the sun. Yes and no. Consider the first two verses of Psalm 19 and what it says about creation: The heavens tell of the glory of God; and their expanse declares the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. The heavens are what God created, and like your wife whom you love, like the life you enjoy, and everything else... it all points to the glory of the Creator! The reason why Psalm 95 begins with these words: Come, lets sing for joy to the Lord, lets shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Lets come before His presence with a song of thanksgiving, lets shout joyfully to Him in songs with instruments is because He is the giver of all good things! Why should we worship Yahweh? Because Psalm 95:3-5 is true of only Him: For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods, in whose hand are the depths of the earth, the peaks of the mountains are also His. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, and His hands formed the dry land. This is why, of the Ten Commandments, Jesus summed up the first four: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind (Matt. 22:37; see also Deut. 6:5; Exod. 20:1-11). Listen, God expects us to seek our joy, but not ultimately in His good gifts but in the giver who gave those good gifts... namely God Himself. In fact C.S. Lewis rightfully observed from reading his Bible that, Joy is the serious business of heaven.[1] God Commands You to Pursue Your Joy (vv. 6-7) Psalm 95 begins with an imperative, which is a command: Come, lets sing for joy... Why does He command us to pursue our joy? Because we exist for something greater than the good gifts of His creation. We exist because of Him and for Him! The second imperative in Psalm 95 begins with verse 6, Come, lets worship and bow down, lets kneel before the Lord our Maker. Why are we commanded to bow before God? Because He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand (v. 7). The command to pursue our joy is not that we find it in anything, but in the One who made all things. He is God, and by definition there is nothing and no one that is greater than He is. To look for or expect our happiness or joy to be primarily found in anything or anyone else will not only leave you empty and disappointed, but is to worship the gift over the Giver! To worship the gift over the Giver is to expect from the gift the thing that only the Giver, God, can provide. C.S. Lewis wrote in his book, Reflections on the Psalms, something that I have found helpful, so I will share it with you: I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed. It is frustrating to have discovered a new author and not to be able to tell anyone how good he is; to come suddenly, at the turn of the road, upon some mountain valley of unexpected grandeur and then to have to keep silent because the people with you care for it no more than for a tin can in the ditch; to hear a good joke and find no one to share it with. Do you hear what C.S. Lewis is saying? We praise what we value and care about and our delight is not complete until our delight is expressed. If it is true, that there is no greater beauty, reality, or person than the God who created all that is beautiful and good, true worship cannot be experienced unless it is directed at Him. This is why the Westminster Catechism is right to begin with these words: The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. But even on this point, C.S. Lewis made the following observation that helps us get a little closer to answering the question as to what kind of happiness God wants for us; here is what Lewis wrote: The Scotch catechism says that mans chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. But we shall then know that these are the same thing. To fully enjoy is to glorify. In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him. John Piper took it one step further by swapping out the word and in the Westminster Catechism of Faith with the word by: The chief end of man is to glorify God byenjoying Him forever. God does expect us to seek our happiness, and He does command us to pursue our joy, but a happiness and a joy that is rooted in Him. If our happiness and joy is sought in anything other than God, it will not satisfy. However, if the pursuit of our happiness and joy is sought in Him, there will be a joy and happiness that will be rooted in a contentment in Him. This is how and why James 1:2-3 is only true for those who find their joy in Jesus Christ: Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Finding Your Joy/Happiness is Possible (vv. 8-10) So, does God want you to be happy? Yes, He wants you to be happy in Him! Does that mean that He wants you to leave your marriage because it does not make you happy? No! Does that mean you should leave your job because it does not make you happy? No. Does that mean you should get a new car because it does not make you happy? No, not necessarily. Why? Because your happiness and joy cannot ultimately be found in anything or anyone except the God who is your Maker. When we come to Psalm 95:8, there is a shift from the command to find your joy in God to Israels rebellion while they were in the wilderness, and more specifically, the Psalm refers to something that happened in Exodus 17:1-7 not long after God saved Israel from Pharoh and his army by parting the Red Sea. While in Egypt, Israel witnessed their God and Maker do mighty deeds that should have left little room to doubt His goodness and love for His people. Even though they had no reason to doubt Gods faithfulness to them, they still struggled to believe His faithfulness to them, so they complained: So the people quarreled with Moses and said, Give us water so that we may drink (Exod. 17:2)! Moses response gives us a glimpse into 40 years of Israel in the wilderness: Moses said to them, Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord? Throughout Israels existence, they were known for complaining and faithlessness towards God. Even after 40 years in the wilderness, God said of His people: Be appalled at this, you heavens, And shudder, be very desolate, declares the Lord. For My people have committed two evils: They have abandoned Me, the fountain of living waters, to carve out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that do not hold water (Jer. 2:12-13). The great evil that Israel was guilty of was that She traded God for idols that could not satisfy. Consider another example from Isaiah 55:1-3 when God invited His people to turn away from the things that could not satisfy what they really needed: You there! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance. Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, according to the faithful mercies shown to David. So what happened in Exodus 17? Moses immediately brought Israels complaint before God out of a fear that they might eventually stone him to death. Moses asked, What am I to do with this people? (v. 4). Listen to the way God responded to Israels lack of faith and sin: Then the Lord said to Moses, Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel (17:5-6). In other words, God said to Moses: Moses, take your staff that ought to be used to strike Israel for their sins, and take your rod and strike the rock I will be standing on so that Israel will not die of thirst. In 1 Corinthians 10:1-4, the apostle Paul said that the rock Moses struck was a picture and example of what God would do to satisfy the thirst of all who desire to be satisfied. The rod of Gods judgment for our sin came down upon Jesus as the rock of our salvation! Paul said of the rock Moses struck: for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ (v. 4). Now, listen to what Jesus said in John 7:37-38, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. Psalm 95 begins with these words: Come, lets sing for joy to the Lord, lets shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Jesus is the rock of our salvation! Again, Psalm 95 continues, Come, lets worship and bow down, lets kneel before the Lord our Maker (v. 6). Of Jesus, the Bible testifies, ...for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authoritiesall things have been created through Him and for Him (Col. 1:16). Because the rod of Gods holy wrath came upon Jesus in our place, we are told: And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross. For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:8-11) The Psalmist then reminds us that not only is God our Maker, but that He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah in the wilderness... (v. 7). Can you not hear the words of Jesus in Psalm 95:7, did He not say: I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.... I am the good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me.... And I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice; and they will become one flock, with one shepherd (John 10:11, 14, 16). Conclusion Is joy and happiness possible for you? The answer is Yes! But it will not come from your car, through your job, or from any other person, but your Maker and the Great Shepherd of His sheep... namely Jesus! If you are seeking your happiness and joy in anything other than Jesus, then C.S. Lewis words serve as a fitting conclusion to this sermon: It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. God wants you to be happy and He wants you to experience joy, but it is a happiness and a joy that can only be found in Him. The joy and happiness that can only be found in God is the kind of joy and happiness that does not dissolve through suffering but sustains the sufferer because of the One from Whom true happiness and joy comes from. Amen. [1] C.S. Lewis,Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer(San Diego: Harvest, 1964), p. 93.

All people want to be happy. I have spent a lot of time with people as a pastor, and the majority of couples and individuals who met with me over the years did so because they longed to be happy. It is also true that the motivation for couples seeking marriage or divorce, the desire for a new job or the determination to quit a job, what led to substance abuse or a willingness to break an addiction is all the same: the desire to be happy. In fact, there have been people who claimed to be Christians who sought marriage, divorce, drugs, freedom from addiction, debt, and freedom from debt out of the belief that God wanted them to be happy. How about you? Do you believe God wants you to be happy? Do you believe that the ends justify the means to achieve and experience the happiness you believe God wants for you? Maybe you are asking any one of the following questions: I am unhappy where I live, if I have the means to do so, can I move so that I can be happier? I am tired of driving the same old car, should I buy a new one that will make me happier? I feel unfulfilled where I work, can I look for a new job that will fill my day with a little more joy? I feel ignored and taken for granted in my marriage, my spouse does not meet my needs, I am unhappy, our children are miserable because we are miserable... something needs to change so that we can be happy. So here is what I want to do with the time we have left. I want to show you from the Bible three things: God expects you to seek happiness. God commands you to pursue your joy. Finding your joy/happiness is possible. By answering the above three questions, I hope that you will have a clear and biblical understanding as to whether God wants you to be happy. God Expects You to Seek Happiness (vv. 1-5) Let me begin by stating that in Psalm 95 alone, the word joy is repeated three times in the first two verses: sing for joy..., shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation, shout joyfully to Him in songs with instruments. But Psalm 95 is not the only place where such language is used; consider the language from the Bible: Delight yourself... (Ps. 37:4) Rejoice... (Phil. 4:4) Rejoice always... (1 Thess. 5:16) Let us rejoice and be glad... (Ps. 118:24) But where is it that God expects us to find our joy? Again, consider the same above verses: Delight yourself in the Lord... (Ps. 37:4) Rejoice in the Lord always... (Phil. 4:4) Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thess. 5:16-18) This is the day which the Lord has made, lets us rejoice and be glad in it. (Ps. 118:24) Is our happiness only to be found in God? What about verses like Ecclesiastes 9:9, does it not tell us to enjoy life while we have it? Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of your futile life which He has given you under the sun, all the days of your futility; for this is your reward in life and in your work which you have labored under the sun. Yes and no. Consider the first two verses of Psalm 19 and what it says about creation: The heavens tell of the glory of God; and their expanse declares the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. The heavens are what God created, and like your wife whom you love, like the life you enjoy, and everything else... it all points to the glory of the Creator! The reason why Psalm 95 begins with these words: Come, lets sing for joy to the Lord, lets shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Lets come before His presence with a song of thanksgiving, lets shout joyfully to Him in songs with instruments is because He is the giver of all good things! Why should we worship Yahweh? Because Psalm 95:3-5 is true of only Him: For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods, in whose hand are the depths of the earth, the peaks of the mountains are also His. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, and His hands formed the dry land. This is why, of the Ten Commandments, Jesus summed up the first four: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind (Matt. 22:37; see also Deut. 6:5; Exod. 20:1-11). Listen, God expects us to seek our joy, but not ultimately in His good gifts but in the giver who gave those good gifts... namely God Himself. In fact C.S. Lewis rightfully observed from reading his Bible that, Joy is the serious business of heaven.[1] God Commands You to Pursue Your Joy (vv. 6-7) Psalm 95 begins with an imperative, which is a command: Come, lets sing for joy... Why does He command us to pursue our joy? Because we exist for something greater than the good gifts of His creation. We exist because of Him and for Him! The second imperative in Psalm 95 begins with verse 6, Come, lets worship and bow down, lets kneel before the Lord our Maker. Why are we commanded to bow before God? Because He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand (v. 7). The command to pursue our joy is not that we find it in anything, but in the One who made all things. He is God, and by definition there is nothing and no one that is greater than He is. To look for or expect our happiness or joy to be primarily found in anything or anyone else will not only leave you empty and disappointed, but is to worship the gift over the Giver! To worship the gift over the Giver is to expect from the gift the thing that only the Giver, God, can provide. C.S. Lewis wrote in his book, Reflections on the Psalms, something that I have found helpful, so I will share it with you: I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed. It is frustrating to have discovered a new author and not to be able to tell anyone how good he is; to come suddenly, at the turn of the road, upon some mountain valley of unexpected grandeur and then to have to keep silent because the people with you care for it no more than for a tin can in the ditch; to hear a good joke and find no one to share it with. Do you hear what C.S. Lewis is saying? We praise what we value and care about and our delight is not complete until our delight is expressed. If it is true, that there is no greater beauty, reality, or person than the God who created all that is beautiful and good, true worship cannot be experienced unless it is directed at Him. This is why the Westminster Catechism is right to begin with these words: The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. But even on this point, C.S. Lewis made the following observation that helps us get a little closer to answering the question as to what kind of happiness God wants for us; here is what Lewis wrote: The Scotch catechism says that mans chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. But we shall then know that these are the same thing. To fully enjoy is to glorify. In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him. John Piper took it one step further by swapping out the word and in the Westminster Catechism of Faith with the word by: The chief end of man is to glorify God byenjoying Him forever. God does expect us to seek our happiness, and He does command us to pursue our joy, but a happiness and a joy that is rooted in Him. If our happiness and joy is sought in anything other than God, it will not satisfy. However, if the pursuit of our happiness and joy is sought in Him, there will be a joy and happiness that will be rooted in a contentment in Him. This is how and why James 1:2-3 is only true for those who find their joy in Jesus Christ: Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Finding Your Joy/Happiness is Possible (vv. 8-10) So, does God want you to be happy? Yes, He wants you to be happy in Him! Does that mean that He wants you to leave your marriage because it does not make you happy? No! Does that mean you should leave your job because it does not make you happy? No. Does that mean you should get a new car because it does not make you happy? No, not necessarily. Why? Because your happiness and joy cannot ultimately be found in anything or anyone except the God who is your Maker. When we come to Psalm 95:8, there is a shift from the command to find your joy in God to Israels rebellion while they were in the wilderness, and more specifically, the Psalm refers to something that happened in Exodus 17:1-7 not long after God saved Israel from Pharoh and his army by parting the Red Sea. While in Egypt, Israel witnessed their God and Maker do mighty deeds that should have left little room to doubt His goodness and love for His people. Even though they had no reason to doubt Gods faithfulness to them, they still struggled to believe His faithfulness to them, so they complained: So the people quarreled with Moses and said, Give us water so that we may drink (Exod. 17:2)! Moses response gives us a glimpse into 40 years of Israel in the wilderness: Moses said to them, Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord? Throughout Israels existence, they were known for complaining and faithlessness towards God. Even after 40 years in the wilderness, God said of His people: Be appalled at this, you heavens, And shudder, be very desolate, declares the Lord. For My people have committed two evils: They have abandoned Me, the fountain of living waters, to carve out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that do not hold water (Jer. 2:12-13). The great evil that Israel was guilty of was that She traded God for idols that could not satisfy. Consider another example from Isaiah 55:1-3 when God invited His people to turn away from the things that could not satisfy what they really needed: You there! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance. Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, according to the faithful mercies shown to David. So what happened in Exodus 17? Moses immediately brought Israels complaint before God out of a fear that they might eventually stone him to death. Moses asked, What am I to do with this people? (v. 4). Listen to the way God responded to Israels lack of faith and sin: Then the Lord said to Moses, Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel (17:5-6). In other words, God said to Moses: Moses, take your staff that ought to be used to strike Israel for their sins, and take your rod and strike the rock I will be standing on so that Israel will not die of thirst. In 1 Corinthians 10:1-4, the apostle Paul said that the rock Moses struck was a picture and example of what God would do to satisfy the thirst of all who desire to be satisfied. The rod of Gods judgment for our sin came down upon Jesus as the rock of our salvation! Paul said of the rock Moses struck: for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ (v. 4). Now, listen to what Jesus said in John 7:37-38, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. Psalm 95 begins with these words: Come, lets sing for joy to the Lord, lets shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Jesus is the rock of our salvation! Again, Psalm 95 continues, Come, lets worship and bow down, lets kneel before the Lord our Maker (v. 6). Of Jesus, the Bible testifies, ...for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authoritiesall things have been created through Him and for Him (Col. 1:16). Because the rod of Gods holy wrath came upon Jesus in our place, we are told: And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross. For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:8-11) The Psalmist then reminds us that not only is God our Maker, but that He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah in the wilderness... (v. 7). Can you not hear the words of Jesus in Psalm 95:7, did He not say: I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.... I am the good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me.... And I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice; and they will become one flock, with one shepherd (John 10:11, 14, 16). Conclusion Is joy and happiness possible for you? The answer is Yes! But it will not come from your car, through your job, or from any other person, but your Maker and the Great Shepherd of His sheep... namely Jesus! If you are seeking your happiness and joy in anything other than Jesus, then C.S. Lewis words serve as a fitting conclusion to this sermon: It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. God wants you to be happy and He wants you to experience joy, but it is a happiness and a joy that can only be found in Him. The joy and happiness that can only be found in God is the kind of joy and happiness that does not dissolve through suffering but sustains the sufferer because of the One from Whom true happiness and joy comes from. Amen. [1] C.S. Lewis,Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer(San Diego: Harvest, 1964), p. 93.

All people want to be happy. I have spent a lot of time with people as a pastor, and the majority of couples and individuals who met with me over the years did so because they longed to be happy. It is also true that the motivation for couples seeking marriage or divorce, the desire for a new job or the determination to quit a job, what led to substance abuse or a willingness to break an addiction is all the same: the desire to be happy. In fact, there have been people who claimed to be Christians who sought marriage, divorce, drugs, freedom from addiction, debt, and freedom from debt out of the belief that God wanted them to be happy. How about you? Do you believe God wants you to be happy? Do you believe that the ends justify the means to achieve and experience the happiness you believe God wants for you? Maybe you are asking any one of the following questions: I am unhappy where I live, if I have the means to do so, can I move so that I can be happier? I am tired of driving the same old car, should I buy a new one that will make me happier? I feel unfulfilled where I work, can I look for a new job that will fill my day with a little more joy? I feel ignored and taken for granted in my marriage, my spouse does not meet my needs, I am unhappy, our children are miserable because we are miserable... something needs to change so that we can be happy. So here is what I want to do with the time we have left. I want to show you from the Bible three things: God expects you to seek happiness. God commands you to pursue your joy. Finding your joy/happiness is possible. By answering the above three questions, I hope that you will have a clear and biblical understanding as to whether God wants you to be happy. God Expects You to Seek Happiness (vv. 1-5) Let me begin by stating that in Psalm 95 alone, the word joy is repeated three times in the first two verses: sing for joy..., shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation, shout joyfully to Him in songs with instruments. But Psalm 95 is not the only place where such language is used; consider the language from the Bible: Delight yourself... (Ps. 37:4) Rejoice... (Phil. 4:4) Rejoice always... (1 Thess. 5:16) Let us rejoice and be glad... (Ps. 118:24) But where is it that God expects us to find our joy? Again, consider the same above verses: Delight yourself in the Lord... (Ps. 37:4) Rejoice in the Lord always... (Phil. 4:4) Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thess. 5:16-18) This is the day which the Lord has made, lets us rejoice and be glad in it. (Ps. 118:24) Is our happiness only to be found in God? What about verses like Ecclesiastes 9:9, does it not tell us to enjoy life while we have it? Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of your futile life which He has given you under the sun, all the days of your futility; for this is your reward in life and in your work which you have labored under the sun. Yes and no. Consider the first two verses of Psalm 19 and what it says about creation: The heavens tell of the glory of God; and their expanse declares the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. The heavens are what God created, and like your wife whom you love, like the life you enjoy, and everything else... it all points to the glory of the Creator! The reason why Psalm 95 begins with these words: Come, lets sing for joy to the Lord, lets shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Lets come before His presence with a song of thanksgiving, lets shout joyfully to Him in songs with instruments is because He is the giver of all good things! Why should we worship Yahweh? Because Psalm 95:3-5 is true of only Him: For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods, in whose hand are the depths of the earth, the peaks of the mountains are also His. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, and His hands formed the dry land. This is why, of the Ten Commandments, Jesus summed up the first four: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind (Matt. 22:37; see also Deut. 6:5; Exod. 20:1-11). Listen, God expects us to seek our joy, but not ultimately in His good gifts but in the giver who gave those good gifts... namely God Himself. In fact C.S. Lewis rightfully observed from reading his Bible that, Joy is the serious business of heaven.[1] God Commands You to Pursue Your Joy (vv. 6-7) Psalm 95 begins with an imperative, which is a command: Come, lets sing for joy... Why does He command us to pursue our joy? Because we exist for something greater than the good gifts of His creation. We exist because of Him and for Him! The second imperative in Psalm 95 begins with verse 6, Come, lets worship and bow down, lets kneel before the Lord our Maker. Why are we commanded to bow before God? Because He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand (v. 7). The command to pursue our joy is not that we find it in anything, but in the One who made all things. He is God, and by definition there is nothing and no one that is greater than He is. To look for or expect our happiness or joy to be primarily found in anything or anyone else will not only leave you empty and disappointed, but is to worship the gift over the Giver! To worship the gift over the Giver is to expect from the gift the thing that only the Giver, God, can provide. C.S. Lewis wrote in his book, Reflections on the Psalms, something that I have found helpful, so I will share it with you: I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed. It is frustrating to have discovered a new author and not to be able to tell anyone how good he is; to come suddenly, at the turn of the road, upon some mountain valley of unexpected grandeur and then to have to keep silent because the people with you care for it no more than for a tin can in the ditch; to hear a good joke and find no one to share it with. Do you hear what C.S. Lewis is saying? We praise what we value and care about and our delight is not complete until our delight is expressed. If it is true, that there is no greater beauty, reality, or person than the God who created all that is beautiful and good, true worship cannot be experienced unless it is directed at Him. This is why the Westminster Catechism is right to begin with these words: The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. But even on this point, C.S. Lewis made the following observation that helps us get a little closer to answering the question as to what kind of happiness God wants for us; here is what Lewis wrote: The Scotch catechism says that mans chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. But we shall then know that these are the same thing. To fully enjoy is to glorify. In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him. John Piper took it one step further by swapping out the word and in the Westminster Catechism of Faith with the word by: The chief end of man is to glorify God byenjoying Him forever. God does expect us to seek our happiness, and He does command us to pursue our joy, but a happiness and a joy that is rooted in Him. If our happiness and joy is sought in anything other than God, it will not satisfy. However, if the pursuit of our happiness and joy is sought in Him, there will be a joy and happiness that will be rooted in a contentment in Him. This is how and why James 1:2-3 is only true for those who find their joy in Jesus Christ: Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Finding Your Joy/Happiness is Possible (vv. 8-10) So, does God want you to be happy? Yes, He wants you to be happy in Him! Does that mean that He wants you to leave your marriage because it does not make you happy? No! Does that mean you should leave your job because it does not make you happy? No. Does that mean you should get a new car because it does not make you happy? No, not necessarily. Why? Because your happiness and joy cannot ultimately be found in anything or anyone except the God who is your Maker. When we come to Psalm 95:8, there is a shift from the command to find your joy in God to Israels rebellion while they were in the wilderness, and more specifically, the Psalm refers to something that happened in Exodus 17:1-7 not long after God saved Israel from Pharoh and his army by parting the Red Sea. While in Egypt, Israel witnessed their God and Maker do mighty deeds that should have left little room to doubt His goodness and love for His people. Even though they had no reason to doubt Gods faithfulness to them, they still struggled to believe His faithfulness to them, so they complained: So the people quarreled with Moses and said, Give us water so that we may drink (Exod. 17:2)! Moses response gives us a glimpse into 40 years of Israel in the wilderness: Moses said to them, Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord? Throughout Israels existence, they were known for complaining and faithlessness towards God. Even after 40 years in the wilderness, God said of His people: Be appalled at this, you heavens, And shudder, be very desolate, declares the Lord. For My people have committed two evils: They have abandoned Me, the fountain of living waters, to carve out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that do not hold water (Jer. 2:12-13). The great evil that Israel was guilty of was that She traded God for idols that could not satisfy. Consider another example from Isaiah 55:1-3 when God invited His people to turn away from the things that could not satisfy what they really needed: You there! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance. Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, according to the faithful mercies shown to David. So what happened in Exodus 17? Moses immediately brought Israels complaint before God out of a fear that they might eventually stone him to death. Moses asked, What am I to do with this people? (v. 4). Listen to the way God responded to Israels lack of faith and sin: Then the Lord said to Moses, Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel (17:5-6). In other words, God said to Moses: Moses, take your staff that ought to be used to strike Israel for their sins, and take your rod and strike the rock I will be standing on so that Israel will not die of thirst. In 1 Corinthians 10:1-4, the apostle Paul said that the rock Moses struck was a picture and example of what God would do to satisfy the thirst of all who desire to be satisfied. The rod of Gods judgment for our sin came down upon Jesus as the rock of our salvation! Paul said of the rock Moses struck: for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ (v. 4). Now, listen to what Jesus said in John 7:37-38, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. Psalm 95 begins with these words: Come, lets sing for joy to the Lord, lets shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Jesus is the rock of our salvation! Again, Psalm 95 continues, Come, lets worship and bow down, lets kneel before the Lord our Maker (v. 6). Of Jesus, the Bible testifies, ...for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authoritiesall things have been created through Him and for Him (Col. 1:16). Because the rod of Gods holy wrath came upon Jesus in our place, we are told: And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross. For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:8-11) The Psalmist then reminds us that not only is God our Maker, but that He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah in the wilderness... (v. 7). Can you not hear the words of Jesus in Psalm 95:7, did He not say: I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.... I am the good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me.... And I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice; and they will become one flock, with one shepherd (John 10:11, 14, 16). Conclusion Is joy and happiness possible for you? The answer is Yes! But it will not come from your car, through your job, or from any other person, but your Maker and the Great Shepherd of His sheep... namely Jesus! If you are seeking your happiness and joy in anything other than Jesus, then C.S. Lewis words serve as a fitting conclusion to this sermon: It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. God wants you to be happy and He wants you to experience joy, but it is a happiness and a joy that can only be found in Him. The joy and happiness that can only be found in God is the kind of joy and happiness that does not dissolve through suffering but sustains the sufferer because of the One from Whom true happiness and joy comes from. Amen. [1] C.S. Lewis,Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer(San Diego: Harvest, 1964), p. 93.

Christians today struggle with the inclination to drift away from what they believe and why they believe it. The main message of Hebrews brings us back to God's truththat Jesus, the eternal son of God, is supreme and sufficient. And that understanding can help us stay securely moored to Him and His Word. This is the 9th message in Jill Briscoe's 9-message series Drifting Away, in which she explores practical ways we can endure and persevere in our faith, while deepening our relationship with Jesus. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1141/29

This episode is an introduction to the book of Ephesians which was taught by Jackson Hankey at River City Church on Thursday, Jan. 9th, 2025. As stated in the episode, the book of Ephesians is one of the most important documents in the history of the world. That is largely due to the fact that even though this letter is relatively short, it is one of the clearest and most comprehensive statements of so much of the substance of the Christian beliefs that we hold so dear. Many of God's sheep in all ages have been led by the Great Shepherd to find in this book green pastures and still waters for their souls.This overview of the book covers a few things:1. The Historical Context & Relevant Background of the letter2. The Clear Teaching of Ephesians on SalvationThat it's by Grace Alone, through Faith Alone, in Christ Alone, and to the Glory of God Alone 3. The Teaching of Ephesians on the Christian Life4. The Teaching of Ephesians on the Church

Jake Allen preaches on Psalm 23 in the first of a 2-week mini-series on our Great Shepherd.

Brandon VanMarel preaches from John 10 continuing the mini-series on our Great Shepherd.

A new MP3 sermon from Pineville Sovereign Grace Fellowship is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: The Great Shepherd of The Sheep Subtitle: Devotional Speaker: Larry Phillips Broadcaster: Pineville Sovereign Grace Fellowship Event: Devotional Date: 12/30/2024 Bible: John 10:11 Length: 14 min.

Pastor Jeff shares about shepherds today and how Jesus is our Great Shepherd! Luke 2:8 8 In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock.    

In this episode of The Integrated Life podcast, Diana shares a powerful part of the Christmas story: the birth of Christ as both God and man, bringing redemption to the world as the Lamb of God. She delves into the role of the shepherds, who were visited by an angel announcing the Messiah's birth. Tune in to discover what happened when the shepherds met the Great Shepherd. Connect with Diana: integratedpurposemanagement.com Like us on Facebook Follow us on LinkedIn Quick Episode Summary: Diana Romero hosts a special holiday episode, reflecting on the story of the shepherds and their encounter with Jesus at His birth. She reads Luke 2:1-20, focusing on the shepherds' role in being the first to hear and share the news of Christ's birth. Diana highlights the humility of the shepherds, noting how God chose social outcasts to proclaim the birth of the King of Kings. She reflects on the significance of the baby Jesus being wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, a humble beginning for the Savior of the world. Diana explores the idea that these shepherds might have cared for the temple flock, connecting Jesus to the sacrificial lambs used in the temple. She discusses the heavenly host appearing to the shepherds, praising God and bringing the message of peace and goodwill toward men. Diana emphasizes how Jesus' life, starting with His humble birth, set the tone for humility, servanthood, and impact. She encourages listeners to reflect on their own lives, seek humility, and ask God for a word or message for their current season. The episode concludes with a call to embrace the Christmas story's lessons of faith, humility, and service, and to spread the hashtag #GodGetsMe to share evidence of God's presence in their lives.

Welcome back to the kitchen table at Christmas. Join Bethany for the next six episodes as she explores the various names of Jesus to help you settle the Christmas season's tensions, overwhelms, and chaos. In today's episode Bethany takes listeners through a story in scripture as to why Jesus is called the Great Shepard. She unpacks why this name is important and why would we want to know the deeper meaning behind the Great Shepard.  He tends to us, and during the Christmas season we tend to be wandering while consumed by our to-do lists but we can led the Great Shepard into contentment and peace.  Anchoring Scriptures: Ezekiel 34 1 Peter 2:25 Psalm 23 Connect with Bethany here Follow her on Instagram @bethanykimsey Stop feeling defeated in your motherhood. Join the Reset:Anchoring Your Motherhood in Gospel Truths course and transform your story in just 6 weeks. Grab your spot here. 

Hebrews 13:7-25

The prophet Ezekiel foretells of the shepherd that will come for his sheep. Learn how Jesus becomes the Great Shepherd and what it means to be one of His sheep. Pastor Nate Keeler shares "The Shepherd" from Ezekiel 34. Please sign our digital Connection Card

In today's message, we dive into our new series, Christology, where we explore the person of Christ. Pastor Bayless Conley shares an inspiring message about Jesus as our Great Shepherd, highlighting six profound ways the Lord acts as our Shepherd—and what it means for your daily life. If you've ever felt lost, overwhelmed, or in need of peace, this message will encourage your heart and strengthen your faith.

1 Peter 5:5Mistakes keep us humble and humility is a good thing. Whether you're a pastor, parent, or boss. When you lead with humility, you lead with the heart of the Great Shepherd.