Let's take our Bibles and turn with me to the book of Hebrews, chapter 13. Hebrews 13. I'd like to look at verses 18 and 19. Hebrews 13, verse 18. Pray for us. But we trust we have a good conscience in all things, willing to live honestly. But I beseech you, the rather, to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner." Let's pray together. Our Father again, we call upon You in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, help us this evening. Lord, make us to realize something of the blessed privilege that we have to be here. Thank you for a heart that would want to be here. Thank you for a heart that would love to hear the gospel again. Lord, forgive us. I pray you'd have mercy on Katie. Thank you. for raising up this assembly and allowing it to be here all these years. Blessed tonight we pray as we try to worship for Christ's sake. Amen. The Apostle had admonished the people, the Hebrews that he wrote to and the Spirit of God even now, taking the words and said in verse 17, Obey them that have the rule. Obey those that guide you through the Scriptures. Attend what he was saying to what you hear. Hear. and pray for an ear to hear. Be convinced of, trust, trust and rely upon and have confidence in the counsel of those that the Lord has raised up as pastors over God's flock as they search the Scriptures, preach the Scriptures, set forth the Scriptures exactly as the Spirit of God. Obey them. as they set forth God's Word, as they set forth the truth, and submit yourselves. That is, surrender to God's leadership through His appointed means of preaching. What we're doing here tonight is God-ordained. This is not something that men you know, got to thinking about it and say, you know, maybe we ought to just have some meetings and maybe just have somebody kind of moderate, kind of over, you know, kind of teach a few things. This is the God-ordained means by which the Lord teaches His flock. He instructs. And remember that we stand as the ambassadors of Christ. We beseech you, Paul says, as His ambassadors, we say what He says. And that's all we say. Preaching is declaring what God has set forth in His Word. That's it. The faithful expounding of the Scriptures. That's how the Lord teaches, comforts, enlightens, corrects, admonishes His flock. But why? Why are we to obey them, submit themselves? Well, the Scripture says, here again in 17, they watch for your souls. Willingly. I want you to hear. I want you to hear. I want to hear. They are to willingly, faithfully, vigilantly, and actually the word watch there means sleeplessly. They are to give their time faithfully, preparing to set forth God's Word to God's people, praying God's blessing. I was going over my notes today and I was thinking, oh, that I might be found faithful here. The importance of preparation to preach, the importance of asking God's blessing Before you come, I say this to myself, I say this to you. Before you come, ask the Lord's blessing. Ask Him, Lord, speak to my heart tonight. Speak to my heart today. While we sit, ask Him, Lord, give me ears to hear. And then after we've heard it, Lord, bring back to my memory. May I muse upon that which I've heard. Watch for your souls as they that, look at this word, that must give account. They must give account. Give account, first of all, to their own conscience. I said a moment ago, I want to be truthful. I want to be truthful to you. I don't want to be found trying to, as I've said before so many times, rest the Scriptures and try to make them say something, you know, just to suit my fancy or your fancy. I want to be truthful. Give account to myself. Give account to you. When you hear the gospel of God's grace preached, you that know Him, you know. You know whether that's the truth. The Spirit of God bears witness to your spirit that that's the truth. The Lord bears witness to you. You hear the Word of God. You say, that rings true of the glory of Christ. I give account to you when I preach. And of course, I give account first, primarily, to the Lord Himself. I was thinking about Acts 20. passage of Scripture that just grips me when I read this. Acts 20, 28. Take heed. Here is the Apostle Paul talking to preachers. Talking to preachers. Take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the church of God And listen to this, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood. The blood of God purchased, redeemed His church. Ministers, take heed. Take heed to the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you an overseer. Be diligent. Be diligent in preaching. Be diligent in hearing. Be prayerful in hearing. Be prayerful in preaching, in preparing. They may do it with joy. That's what, back in Hebrews 13, 17, they may do it with joy, with a calm delight. Not with grief. I looked that word up again today, that they may do it with joy and not groan and not sigh when the gospel is preached. I know this. You know this. The Lord is going to save His people. You know that. You know that. All that the Father has given me, the Lord Jesus Christ said, they're going to come to me. He shall come to me. And him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. But you know, as we preach, as we prepare, and as we desire God's blessing upon the Word, it's natural to a new heart, you want your family to be saved. You want your kids to know God. You want your kids to know who the Lord is. You want your spouse to know the Lord. And you pray for them. The Apostle says, Obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief. For that is It's unprofitable. The word is gainless. That's destructive. It's destructive. It's unprofitable to you. And then this evening we begin, the Apostle gives this exhortation. Pray for us. Pray for us. Remember us before the throne of God. I told you this before, but I remember talking to Doris Mahan. You can't talk to Henry. Henry can't hear you. So you have to talk to Doris. Doris relates to us. She said, Marvin, Henry and I pray for you every day. We call your name every day before the throne of God. And I told her, I said, Doris, that means more to me than you'll ever know. To know that somebody, I ask you, I ask you, pray for me. Pray for me. Call my name before God's throne. And I strive to pray for you. I strive to call your names. In my mind, I try to go right down to, you know, Start with Margaret. Calling your names before the Lord. Pray for me. Pray for us. This is an honorable request. This is an honorable exhortation. Pray for us. Call our names. Preachers are men. Men cut out of the same lump as everybody else, called of God and given a divine calling, made an overseer. And that work, the work of the ministry, when you realize, you see the frailty of your flesh, and you feel the burden, the burden of the Word of God, It is a, I'm telling you, it is a labor. A labor. I remember Brother Scott said, somebody asked him one time, said, you know, I'm thinking about being a preacher, what do you think? Scott said, if you can do anything else, do it. If you can do anything else, do it. If you can do it, do it. Because if God calls you, God calls you, you'll preach. You'll preach. If God calls you, that's your calling. If God calls you, I'm telling you, there will be a struggling within your heart to do nothing else but that. That is your life. That's your calling. Pray for us. Pray for us. The burden of this calling, that's the constant request. If there was anything I'd ask you to do for me, It would be that. Pray for me. Paul said in Romans 15-39, I beseech you brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, now listen, think of why we ask this and pray for us. Why? For the Lord Jesus Christ's sake. And for the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me. Why is that? Strive your partner with me. Bind yourself with me. Pray for me. Colossians 4.3, with all, praying also for us. that God would open unto us a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ for which I am also in bonds, a bondsman, a willing bondsman, a bondsman that is striving to be faithful, striving to do that which is right in His sight. I know that The Scripture bears out that God's preachers are often the objects of attacks. Not only by unbelievers, but especially religious unbelievers. By Satan, by the old man. The old man. That old man that strives against that new man. That old man that will tell me, he tells you that, no, you know this. You really believe that? You really believe that? You haven't been faithful? I know that. I know that. Pray for us. Pray for us. That flesh that would tempt God's preachers to compromise, to withhold that which is needful. Let me tell you a real struggle in preaching is coming across, coming to a passage of Scripture. This is why a lot of times ignorance is bliss. Ignorance is bliss, really, many times. I'd a whole lot rather not know something. I had somebody talking to me the other day, one of my kids. And I could tell by the way the conversation was going that there was probably going to be some information that I didn't want to know. And so I just told him, I said, listen, if I don't have to know that, I'd rather not know that. That will cause me, it'll cause me to be prejudiced toward that situation. I'd rather, don't tell me. Just don't tell me. There's times that it'd be better. That flesh will struggle and strive against that new man, and there's a tendency. You come across something, you see something in the Word of God, and there's a tendency to whip, you know, kind of whip you. I know you hurt me. Ignorance would be best. Instead of watch on my tongue, on my mouth, on my lips, pray for us. Pray for us. No greater service rendered than that we pray one for another. You know, it's an amazing thing when you think about prayer. God is sovereign. That's a fact. He said, My counsel is going to stand. My counsel is going to stand. All that I've ever purposed, I will do. And the flesh will tell you, I pray. Since God is sovereign, And he's going to do his counsel. Then what difference does it make? He said to. It's not my place, your place, to question why. In the divine providence of Almighty God, we pray, we ask. The Lord said, You have not because you ask not. Think of all these things in Ezekiel chapter 36 that the Lord said He was going to do for His people. The blessing. Go back and read Ezekiel 36 and see all the things. It comes down to verse 27. I'll read this. In Ezekiel 36-27, of all the things, I will do this, I will do this, I will do this for you. You shall and I will. Then he said in verse 37 of Ezekiel 36, Thus saith the Lord God, I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for him. He said, I'm going to do it and you're going to ask for it. You're going to put it on your heart and you're going to ask prayer This is prayer. Paul says, pray for us. Pray for us. For we trust we have a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly. That word trust there doesn't mean we hope we do. The word trust there means assured and we have confidence. Pray for us. For we are assured, we confidently have a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly." Have a good conscience to do what? To think what? Here it is, that Almighty God has put away our sin by the precious blood of His Savior. And that I have a new heart, that conscience, that's sensitive To listen, to be listening for and seeking after His will and His direction. That He would guide me, direct my path through His Word, by His Spirit teaching me. The Apostle says, we trust or are assured that as God ministers to you, servants of the Most High God, called by, kept by, instructed by, that we be found faithful preaching God's Word without having a heart that regards either the frowns or the smiles or the praises of men to not be influenced. We desire to have God's Word sent forth to God's people, trusting that we'd be found good and faithful servants, stewards of the Gospel. That good conscience. Every man is born with a conscience. Every man is born with that ability to know right from wrong. You know that. But this good conscience, it's that new eye, that new ear, it's that new man that's wrought by grace, imparted by the Spirit of God. It's that sensitive ability to listen to that still, small voice of God's Spirit as He directs. You hear the Word of God, and the Spirit of God speaks. And you hear, you understand, you're taught. It's a good conscience. It's a confidence in Almighty God. Listen to the Apostle Paul, Acts 20. He was confident. He had this confidence. when he was preaching. Acts 20 verse 25-27. Here's an assurance of good conscience. This is what I would desire to have here at Katie. Acts 20-25, And now, behold, I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore, I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men, For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." This is a good conscience. You've been truthful with God's people. You've been truthful with them. You've been truthful concerning who man is. You've been truthful to declare that man by nature is fallen in Adam. as he is in Adam, is unable, these dead in trespasses and sins, to not be found to be wishy-washy on that and mealy-mouthed and just be truthful. All sin did come short of the glory of God. You have been faithful concerning God's sovereignty. That Almighty God, before the foundation of the world, chose the people, chose them in Christ, put them in Christ, kept them in Christ. That the Lord Jesus Christ came to this world to save His people and died for His elect, laid down His life for them. Who is going to be saved? All that the Father giveth me. All power, the Lord said, heaven and earth, given unto the Son, that He should give eternal life to as many as the Father has given Him. When are they going to come? In the day of His power. When it pleases God. Paul said, Who separated me from my mother's womb, called me by His grace. Reveal Christ in me. Is He going to keep them? He said, I give unto them eternal life. You assure God's people through the Word of God, teach them, and then you have a good conscience. Be truthful. Truthful. I realize this. Man by nature doesn't want to hear what God's people do. God's people will. That's the desire of their heart. We trust. Paul said that we've maintained integrity. before you, faithfulness to the Lord Himself. We trust that we have a good conscience, one purged from dead works to serve the true and living God, desiring God's will, and in all things, to live honestly. The word, honestly, there is from the root word that means beautiful. Beautiful. That we've lived faithfully, beautifully before you and before the Lord. And all the while, putting no confidence whatsoever in our flesh. Struggling, striving, seeking after the good of God's people and realizing if the Lord Blessed as this Word is blessed. If the Lord withholds, understanding is withheld. But we preach and we pray and we ask. You speak to an unbeliever in his natural conscience about faith in Christ and urge him to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and he doesn't hear you. But you tell a believer, You look to the Lord, and the Spirit of God blesses that to a believer's heart, and they look to the Lord. They rest in Him. The man has got to be born again. Except you be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. Life and light are given from above, and it's given through the preaching of the gospel, preaching of Christ. But Paul said in verse 19, But I beseech you, the rather, to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner. You know, what an expression of love for the brethren. There are two things that are taught in this. Pray for us, for we trust we have a good conscience in all things, willing to live honestly before God and before men. You want to be faithful to the Lord in the proclamation of His gospel. You want to do so for the good of God's people because you know this guy is going to bless them, sustain them. And in that second verse, you set forth the love that you have for them. I beseech you to rather do this. What? Pray for us. Pray and ask the Lord that I may be restored to you the sooner. Obviously, He had been with them. And I was asking that they might pray for him, that he might be with them again. You know, it's always good to get away, isn't it? I think the older I get, the more I realize how much I enjoy being with my kids. About twice a year is an average for me to be able to go and see my kids. They're just kind of scattered all over the place, you know. So we try to get together at least once a year and go see them. I look forward to it. But do you know after I've seen them, I'm ready to come home? I'm ready to come back to the house. I miss you. I miss being here. I miss seeing you. I miss the fellowship. Pray, Paul said. I beseech you to rather do this that I may be restored to you the sooner. I know this. Our Lord rules and reigns in heaven and earth. It is God alone who directs His people. It is the Lord alone who does according to His will. But we are not fatalists. What does that mean? We don't say, well, you know, what will be, will be, and I know this. It will. What will be, will be. You know? If you want to know what the Lord's will was, what happened today, that was the Lord's will. He doeth as He will. He works all things, everything that happened today, Everything that happened today in this world and tomorrow if the Lord tarries, you know what it's going to be? The Lord's will. And whatever it is, it's going to work together for good. It's going to work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. Whatever it is. But I can tell you this. Pray for us. Pray for us. Pray that the evil that we see in this world, and there is a lot of it. It's everywhere. It's rampant. Pray that God sustain, withhold, refrain the evil of men's wicked hearts that would desire to oppress or kill God's people. Ask Him. Ask Him, Lord, order my steps. Order this world. Lord, You're God. Beseech Him. It is the right thing to do. Scripture says, pray without ceasing. In all things give thanks. This is the will of God in Christ Jesus. concerning you. Brethren, pray for me as I strive to pray for you. For Christ's sake, amen.