turn to 2 Samuel 23, three to four. Today, we turn our attention to how God expects a church to relate to and respond to the authority of its leaders, namely the elders. Authority is an uncomfortable subject matter, and not just church authority, but any authority, particularly here in our highly individualistic Western culture. We tend to question it and even strain beneath it. Considering the matter of pastoral authority, not everything that comes to mind is good. For example, one person wrote this, the pile of church abuse cases and the fall of prominent pastors have undermined confidence in pastoral and church authority. We cannot trust the elders or even the whole congregation to keep pastors accountable. Here is a fact. At times, pastoral authority has been abused. It's gone beyond its limits and jurisdiction. It's been authoritarian, harsh, and even overbearing, disappointing, or perhaps far worse. And perhaps you have had negative experiences with it personally. Pastoral authority may not be the most comfortable matter, but we shouldn't let the bad and wrong sour and turn us away from the right and good and biblical. The next commitment of our church covenant, number 13, says, I will submit to the rightful authority of my church leaders. God expects you to submit to the rightful authority of your church leaders. 2 Samuel 23, 3-4 contains some of King David's final words. And David was a man with immense authority. And he gave us this fascinating picture from the Lord of what good authority is like. So if you're there in 2 Samuel 23, 3-4, follow along as I read these words of David. The God of Israel has spoken. The rock of Israel has said to me, When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God. In other words, when there is a godly leader. Verse 4 then gives us this picture. That leader, he dawns on them, on the people. Like the morning light. Like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning. Like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth. Here's the picture. Good authority in God's plan is like the sun. It's like the rain. It's life-giving. It gives life and it helps those under it to flourish and thrive like the grass. What a beautiful picture that is. And so as one person has said, the solution to bad authority is not no authority, but good authority. Authority is God's good plan for each of our lives and for our flourishing. There is a reason that God has delegated his authority in the state, in the home, and in the church. It's for our benefit. And so today, as we look at this 13th commitment of our covenant, let's consider a few realities about it together. Here's the first reality. This commitment, it is a biblical commitment. Turn to Hebrews chapter 13, verse 17. When our covenant says, I will submit to the rightful authority of my church leaders, That is a biblical commitment. In fact, it is a biblical command. However, before we get into that, it's crucial to give at least a little bit of attention to what our covenant refers to as the quote unquote rightful authority of your church leaders. I think that's a helpful phrase because God has authorized elders to exercise authority, but to do that within a certain set of limits and boundaries. God delegates authority to church elders. He authorizes them to lead. However, elder authority is not absolute, but accountable and limited. And first and foremost, We would say that it is limited to scripture. It's limited, we might even say, by scripture. No pastor has authority outside the word of God. You are not being called to unquestionable loyalty to a group of men and their opinions and preferences. No, you are being called to unquestionable loyalty to the Lord and his word. The authority of elders is the authority of the word of God or the authority of truth. Elders have been authorized to teach and yes, even command the word of God. And so good elders are concerned with obedience to God and his word, not to self. Further, we might say that the elder's authority is limited to the affairs of the church. Think jurisdiction with me for a moment. It's the affairs of the church. God has authorized elders to lead in the church, to exercise oversight and govern and direct the affairs of the church. Consider with me for a moment, the scripture's use of overseer language. This is Acts chapter 20, verse 28. And the apostle Paul is saying farewell to the Ephesian elders. And he says this, pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has done what? made you overseers to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. It's interesting, often as the overseer language is used, it's coupled with the language of shepherding and care. Another passage that refers to elders as overseers is 1 Peter 5, verses 1 to 3. And there Peter writes, so I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed. Shepherd the flock of God that is among you. Exercising what? Oversight. Not under compulsion, but willingly as God would have you, not for shameful gain, but eagerly. not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. I thought of two recent examples that I believe helped delineate some of this. Both situations involved parents asking me or our elders about wisdom matters related to the home. One situation had to do with education and the other had to do with parenting expectations. In both instances, we were very clearly within the jurisdiction of the home. And broadly speaking, we were not talking about biblical commands, but biblical principles. So there we were in the realm of wisdom and prudence within the jurisdiction of the home. And both sets of parents were asking for wisdom and seeking the counsel of their elders, which is so commendable. And our counsel to them came something like this. Here are some biblical principles which you need to consider and make sure that you follow. If our elders were in your shoes as the parents, which just to be clear, we are not. But if we were, we think that this particular course of action makes the most sense to us. We believe that it represents one wise way, perhaps among others, to biblically navigate the principles of God's word here. So here's what makes sense to us. But if you take a different route to fulfill these biblical principles, that's great. In fact, we're not offended in the slightest. You're the parent. Elder authority is limited to scripture and the affairs of the church. It's limited, meaning that it does not include certain things. For example, elders have no authority over matters of personal conscience. Rather, elders should be champions of the freedom of the conscience. They strive to lead so that people can make their own decisions on matters of conscience, not bind people to theirs. Also, elders have no authority over preference and opinion. Pastors are wise and they are wise to restrain their preferences and opinions. It is God's word that has authority. Jesus Christ has authority, not the opinions and preferences of pastors. Also, elders have no authority over the affairs of other flocks. Hebrews 13, 17, where I have asked you to turn, which we will consider in greater detail in just a moment, makes this clear when it says, obey your leaders and submit to them. It is a very dangerous thing for me to speak authoritatively on how other elders are governing their church, unless it's a clear biblical issue. Otherwise, that's not my space, and so I should stay out of it. Speaking of pastoral authority, kind of summarizing some of these ideas that I've been speaking to, one person said this, that doesn't mean that the elders have authority to tell you whom to marry or which job to take or which house to buy. The scope of that oversight is limited to decisions concerning the church as a whole or that are pertinent to its life together, particularly what is taught. They'll make decisions about the preaching schedule, any small group or Sunday school curriculum, what the church does when it gathers, what songs it sings, how to approach counseling, whether to plant a new church or to build a bigger building when the room is full, whom the church should support as a missionary, and more. Hopefully that's helpful. As we turn our attention now to Hebrews 13 verse 17, if you look at this verse with me, it says this. 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 with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. Consider with me the requirements of this command. This verse actually gives us two commands, obey and submit. Taking a closer look at these two commands, I believe adds a lot of clarity. God says that you must obey your leaders. The word translated obey in this verse is the Greek verb patho. It's not the typical word for obedience. In its most common sense, patho means to persuade or convince. Used passively, as it is in this particular verse, it means something like this. Be persuaded by your leaders. Be convinced by your leaders. Trust your leaders. It's a very soft word, actually, for obey, reminding you about the importance of being swayable, by your leaders. I think that the best way that I could summarize this word would be to say that it is first a disposition before it is an action. It is first a disposition before it is an action. Okay, so it's first a disposition. One translation captures that component this way. It translates the first part of Hebrews 13, 17, have confidence in your leaders. God wants you to have a bent towards being persuaded by and trusting your leaders. And I use words like bent and disposition intentionally because God is not calling you to check your brains at the door. This verse does not mean that conversations can't be had or that concerns can't be raised. In fact, it's a very healthy dynamic. If they can be, it would be troubling if they couldn't be. However, a disposition of skepticism and distrust is not what Hebrews 13, 17 calls for, but the opposite. So, in the event that Hebrews 13, 17 is something you find yourself unable to do, that's likely a good indicator that either one the leaders should be replaced. If you cannot trust your leaders to lead you with the word of God, if you cannot trust your leaders to biblically govern the affairs of the church, they should be replaced. Or it may be, one, that the leader should be replaced, or two, it might be time to find another church. or three, maybe there's something wrong within, within your own heart. The obedience that God commands here is first a disposition before it is an action, but it is an action. Obey, we read in Hebrews 13, 17. Here's the whole idea, the idea of it being a disposition before it is an action. In summary, this word means to be convinced by someone to believe something and to act on the basis of what is recommended, to be persuaded, to be convinced. And so your elders are going to stand up and they are going to try to persuade you. When it comes to the authority of God's word, we're going to stand up and we are going to say, God's word says this, you or we, or all of us, we should obey it and believe it and do it. Or when it comes to governing the affairs of the church, we're going to stand up and say, God's word has given us these principles or values. And so our elders believe that the best course of action for our church right here and right now is to take this particular course of action And there may be other biblical routes, but this is the one that we think is best. When your elders speak like that, the disposition that you have towards them and the actions that follow matter to the Lord. You must obey your leaders. And the second idea, you must submit to your leaders. Much like the previous word, The word translated submit here is not your typical word for submit. In fact, I believe this is the only time in the entire New Testament that it is used. And the basic idea is this, it means to yield, to give way or to defer. And so it's translated submit. If you drive, you understand the concept of yielding to oncoming traffic. That's much the idea here. Think with me of a truck driver. Yielding let's say an 80,000 pound truck onto a highway of 3,000 pound cars at 100 kilometers an hour He's merging a Good truck trucker doesn't use his weight power or position to force his way under the highway That's not yielding Whether big or small every vehicle is expected to yield to oncoming traffic not bully their way in Yielding to church leaders is a willful, careful, and loving merging of our lives behind leadership for the common good of the body and the glory of Jesus Christ. God wants you to let your leaders lead. So to summarize the two commands given here, assuming that your leadership is characterized generally as being godly, humble, and they're not asking you to disobey the Lord, well, God wants you to have a bent towards trusting them and a disposition to be supportive of them as they lead, as they make decisions, set goals, craft visions, and so on. You should have an inclination to comply. Obey and submit, we read, or worded differently, trust and yield. Also consider with me the reasons for this command. Why does God command this? And the text gives us at least two reasons. Reason number one, leaders watch for your souls. Hebrews 13, 17 says, obey your leaders and submit to them for they are keeping watch over your souls. tirelessly watching over the flock, often to the neglect of their own rest. And by God's grace, elders will have your best interest and the best interest of the body and mind. Your leaders care about your good, and not just in the earthly sense, but the eternal. The truth of the matter is, we as elders are broken and flawed, and that's not news to you. You know that. We are not above acting selfishly or in pride or anything like that. We are falling. I find it so fascinating that in 1 Thessalonians 2, verses 7 to 8, Paul describes his relationship with the Thessalonian flock as that between a nursing mother and her child. It's a very beautiful picture of tender love and leadership. And it's fascinating that that is the image that Paul grabbed onto there. You know, there are some bad moms out there. They exist. But the average mother, as flawed as she may be, cares deeply for her children. And likewise, there are some bad pastors out there. but the average elder cares deeply for his flock, the one that the Lord has entrusted to his care. And the verse continues that they, the leaders do that. They keep watch on your souls as those who will have to give an account. In other words, your elders will hand over an account to the Lord on judgment day of our care for your souls. That's not a small matter. And I think any elder worth his salt feels the weight of that. I've shared with you before that John Brown was a teacher of ministers in Scotland about 200 years ago. After one of his students was ordained and became the pastor of a small congregation, John Brown wrote his student these words of counsel that seemed to capture the gravity of what we see in Hebrews 13, verse 17. He wrote this to his student. I know the vanity of your heart. In other words, you're human. I know the vanity of your heart and that you will feel mortified, that your congregation is very small in comparison with those of your brethren around you. But assure yourself on the word of an old man. In other words, take it from an old guy. That when you come to give an account of them, of your flock to the Lord Christ at his judgment seat, you will think you have had enough. That's a powerful statement. Why should you obey your leaders and submit to them? Well, number one, because they watch for your souls as those who have to give an account. And reason number two, everyone benefits. The second half of the verse says, let them do this, keep watch with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. If you obey Hebrews 13, 17, the leaders benefit. According to this verse, the people of the church can make a leader's work a source of joy or a source of groaning. In other words, leadership is going to be a pain or it's going to be a pleasure and maybe at times a mixture of both. When you obey a verse like this, it makes your pastor's work one of his or their highest joys. And when you don't, it has the opposite effect. And we have examples of this in scripture. On the positive side, we have the apostle Paul. And in Philippians chapter four, verse one, Paul wrote to these brothers and sisters in Christ. He said, my brothers, you are dearly loved and longed for. And then he says this, my joy. and crown. Those are beautiful words. What's depicted is a wonderful relationship. And then we have a negative example as we look at Moses. After the people complained about the manna in the wilderness, Moses said this to the Lord in Numbers chapter 11 verses 14 and 15. He said God I am not able to carry all this people alone The burden is too heavy for me If you will treat me like this, he's basically saying God, please do me a favor and here it is kill me at once and if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness." Wow. Your response to Hebrews 13, 17 will impact your leaders in one of two ways. But it's not just the leaders that benefit when you obey Hebrews 13, 17. The people benefit. You benefit. The second half of the verse says, let them do this, keep watch with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. Of no advantage is an understatement. A spiritual leader who's groaning internally or externally is not particularly beneficial to you. And I think it's obvious why. So in summary here, God expects you to submit to the rightful authority of your church leaders. It's a biblical commitment. God wants you to obey and submit to your leadership here. God wants you to have a disposition of trust and cooperation. And what a beautiful thing it is when leaders lead well and humbly and with the word of God, and when the people follow well and humbly. What a recipe that is for unity, for joy, safety, success, and ultimately for God's glory. And so that's what we want to strive for. There's a second reality we want to consider about this commitment. Namely, it is a threatened commitment. And it is threatened to your own peril. What's it threatened by? Well, turn with me to Numbers chapter 16, verses eight to 11. Sometimes it's threatened by something problematic with the leadership. We can all think of bad leaders or sin on the part of church leadership. There are many verses that would speak to that. And other times it's something problematic with the people. It could be individualism and pride or a mentality of, I know better than these guys. Numbers 16 gives us what I would consider an extreme example of this and the rebellion of Korah. Korah led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and it was ultimately against the Lord, who had appointed Moses and Aaron to their posts. It becomes apparent that Korah obviously thought that he could do a better job of leading the people than Moses was doing. And ultimately, God opened the earth and swallowed up those who were part of the rebellion. God will not be mocked like that. Look with me at number 16, verses 8 to 11. Moses said to Korah, hear now you sons of Levi. Is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel? Moses is highlighting that. that God has done some very special things for these people. Is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel to bring you near to himself, to do service in the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them, and that he has brought you near to him? and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? Is that too small of a thing for you?" And then he asked this question, and would you seek the priesthood also? Perhaps in the New Testament era, it could be said to some, and would you seek the eldership also? Or in the home, and would you seek the parenthood also? Moses continues, therefore it is against the Lord that you and all your company have gathered together. What is errant that you grumble against him? Moses is highlighting there that this is not merely a horizontal problem. It's vertical. God is being sinned against. I mentioned that this is a threatened commitment and that it is threatened to your own peril. Anytime we ignore God's word, that is sinful and it's highly dangerous. No man's land was a popular term used to describe the area between opposing armies and trench lines during the First World War. And it was not a good place to be. Your odds of survival in no man's land were slim at best. It was a place where people died. And when it comes to our subject matter today, some Christians find themselves in a sort of no man's land. Because on the one hand, they are at a particular church. And that's good. God has called each of us to have a local church family. And so they've done that and they're at a particular church, but They are not practicing Hebrews 13, 17, and living and operating under the authority of the leaders there at that church. And so they're at a church, but they're not with the authority. They're caught somewhere in the middle. And I think sometimes what happens is people find themselves in that position, and they are getting blown to pieces by the enemy. They're not doing well, and they're wondering why. No man's land is a place where church members go to die. Don't get caught there. Again, if need be, replace your leaders. If need be, go elsewhere. If need be, address the problems within your own heart. God expects you to submit to the rightful authority of your church leaders. It is a threatened commitment and it is threatened to your own peril. Number three, third reality, it is a practical commitment. Here are a few ways that you can live this out. Keep a close eye on the disposition that you have towards your leaders. Is it healthy? I mean, just be honest about that. Do you have a healthy disposition, a biblical disposition towards your church leaders? And if you don't, God wants that to be biblically remedied. Beware of a why didn't they ask me for my opinion or take my opinion mentality. Big picture, try not to make things hard for your leaders. An idea that is extremely helpful is this, to defer and deploy. Defer to the leadership of your elders, provided it's biblical. That's what we saw in Hebrews 13, verse 17. But the idea there is this deference, but it's also the idea of being persuaded. So we're gonna move together now. So deferring, but then deploying. Deploying your resources and energy to get behind whatever's going on, the leadership of your elders. You wanna defer and deploy. Move with the body. Move with your leaders. Again, replace your leaders if necessary. Leave if necessary. Deal with your own heart if necessary. Graciously approach your leaders if you are concerned or you have a suggestion. Don't resort to threats. and ultimatums. They don't work. Just as a good parent doesn't buy the toddler the candy bar, he's throwing a tantrum over at the till. Good elders don't respond like that either. Be honest as well as you examine your own heart and mind. Is your mind, is it already made up about whatever matter? Or are you swayable? If you think about a seized steering column on a car or a car where all of the power steering fluid has drained out, it's hard to then turn that wheel to turn that car by the captain or by the driver. Are you like that? God expects you to submit to the rightful authority of your church leaders. It is a practical commitment. And number four, it's a grace-required commitment. Most of us struggle with authority, and we come by it honestly from our very first parents, Adam and Eve, who did not want to live under God's authority in the garden. I mean, this is a problem we see almost day one in scripture. So if you struggle with authority, you're like every other fallen human. And you do need to put the effort in, in practical ways, like I just mentioned. At the end of the day, you need God's help and grace. We all do. God has reminded us so graciously in 2 Corinthians 12 verse 9. My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness. God expects you to submit to the rightful authority of your church leaders. It's a grace required commitment. And finally, a fifth reality. It's a gospel driven commitment. I want you to turn with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and verse 12. Paul is writing to the Thessalonians and he's addressing much of what we've been considering today, but also some other ideas as well. And he says in 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 12, he says, We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you. And then he adds this qualifying statement. qualifying phrase to that over you language, who are over you in the Lord and admonish you. And to esteem them, verse 13, very highly in love because of their work, be at peace among yourselves. Question for you, what brought you into this relationship to church leaders? Well, the answer to that question would be that the Lord Jesus brought you into that relationship and he did so through his work, the gospel. It was the gospel that brought you into this kind of relationship where there would be those who are over you in the Lord. He's set this up for your good. And it is the gospel that will help you function properly in this arrangement. The gospel started this relationship and the gospel sustains it. God expects you to submit to the rightful authority of your church leaders. It is a gospel driven commitment. As we wrap up, we want to make the same three applications we've made every week. And the first is to live it. God wants you to live this out. He expects you to do so. And number two, pray it. Our elders want to encourage you to grab one of our church covenants off the red table in the back and put it in your Bible. Maybe use it as part of your prayer list. And pray this for yourself. Pray it for your church family. Pray for your leaders. And pray that God would help you and everyone else here to live out these commitments. So live it, pray it. And number three, make it contagious. encourage this commitment in yourself and others. And it seems that generally when a church family is obeying a verse like this, it becomes contagious by those who then enter the church. But I would ask you to remember that you could actually make the opposite of this contagious. If we were to look back at the Old Testament examples, we looked at one with Moses. We also have these instances of the children of Israel complaining in the wilderness. Oftentimes that started with one person or a small group and it spread and it spread and it spread. You are likely to make something contagious. What is it going to be? God expects you to submit to the rightful authority of your church leaders. Would you bow your head and close your eyes with me here today?