I think in Christianity today we tend to have too low of a view of the church. The church is the visible, physical manifestation of the spiritual kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is the church. There are those who are looking for the kingdom of God to appear some day in the future. But Jesus said, the kingdom of God is near you, it is in your midst. Jesus came preaching and teaching the kingdom of God. He referred to the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven dozens and dozens of times. He spoke of the church only rarely. The church is eklesia, the called out ones. We have been called out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God.
Now that’s important to understand. Because Christianity has evolved and formulated many various traditions and ideas of what we think constitutes a church. And yet very few of those traditions and ceremonies and procedures really characterize the church according to the Bible. Jesus could say the kingdom of God was at hand because He was the King of the kingdom. And so where He is, the kingdom is. And by the same standard, Jesus is the head of the church. And so where Jesus is, the church exists. We need only to study the ministry of Jesus to understand the ministry of the church. If our church today looks different from the church of Jesus Christ then we have added superfluous and potentially detrimental ceremonies and rituals and traditions of men, rather than of God.
Some time ago I ended up in a debate with some pastors in our area concerning church membership. They believed that in order to have a Biblical church you had to have church membership which involved all sorts of procedures and checks and classes and so forth in order to make sure we don’t have people in the church who are not believers, or who do not practice church doctrine. I was told by one sanctimonious pastor that if there is no church membership, then there is no church.
However, my view is that church membership as practiced in most churches today is a man made invention. And while it may arguably be useful to some degree from a managerial aspect, it can be harmful in others. Furthermore, I don’t believe anyone can enter into the spiritual kingdom by earthly means. Membership in the church is the same as citizenship in the kingdom of heaven. You have to be born into it. You have to be born again and that enrolls you into the family of God, the kingdom of God, the church of God. So God does it, not man. And that’s why we don’t practice church membership in this church. Only God knows if you are HIs child or not and whether or not you are a part of His kingdom.
Now understanding this doctrine of the kingdom of God is important because chapter 13 is primarily practical application of the doctrine of the church. At the end of chapter 12 vs 28 the author says, “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe.” And so from that point on, chapter 13 tells us how we as the church can render acceptable service. And in vs1, we are told that this acceptable service to God in the church starts with brotherly love for one another. And flowing from that brotherly love is a series of injunctions which we are to take note of as we live out our duty and responsibilities as members of His kingdom.
Now the most important aspect of being in the kingdom of God is that we recognize the nature and character of our King and our responsibilities to Him. And so in that respect, in order to be sure that we are submissive to our King and doing the things that are pleasing to Him, God has set up under shepherds, or pastors, leaders of the church to be our guides.
Notice how he speaks of them in vs7; “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.” Now the way the NASB which I just read from translates this verse, it sort of diminishes the position to some degree. The King James Version renders it “Remember your rulers…” Most of the modern translations say “Remember your leaders…”
The consensus of most theologians is that this is speaking of church leadership. And we can differentiate between church leadership and political or civil leadership because it says “who spoke the word of God to you.” It’s hardly likely that civil leaders are speaking the word of God, or that we would be told to imitate their way of life. Our political leaders seem to advocate the “do as I say, and not as I do” theology. They make rules, but they don’t live by them themselves. God’s rulers or leaders, are supposed to be examples to the flock.
Four aspects of the church’s responsibility in the realm of church leadership are mentioned here at the end of this epistle. It’s obviously of some concern and importance to the kingdom of God. He says again in vs 17, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.” So first remember them, and then imitate them. Then obey them, and submit to them.
One commentator expanded on this verse by saying it this way; “Christ's church is a kingdom, and he is King in it; pastors of churches are subordinate governors; who rule well when they rule not in an arbitrary way, according to their own wills, but according to the laws of Christ, with all faithfulness, prudence, and diligence. The word may be rendered "guides" or "leaders"; for such point out the way of peace, life, and salvation to men, and direct them to Christ; and guide them into the understanding of the Scriptures, and the truths of the Gospel; and lead them in the paths of faith and holiness, and are examples to them.”
Now there are many examples in the past of pastors and leaders that have abused the leadership and authority that God has given to them. And so Peter warns pastors in 1Peter 5:1-4 “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as [your] fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to [the will of] God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” So Christ is the Chief Shepherd, who has appointed under shepherds or pastors, who are to exercise oversight over the flock, and be an example to them, but not lording it over those who are allotted to our charge. That is written to pastors.
But in the Hebrew text before us today the author is speaking to the church, to remember their leaders, and all that entails, which would include providing for them. Paul says in 1Cor. 9:14 “So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.” And then the responsibility of the church is to imitate their leaders, or to follow them as their guides, then to obey your leaders, and them submit to them.
Now there are two very important caveats that are included here. First he says follow or submit to leaders who spoke the word of God to you. The faithfulness of the preacher to speak the word of God accurately and truthfully is paramount. Because the pastor is the under shepherd. He is the governor, whereas the Lord Jesus is King. The pastor simply conveys the Chief Shepherds word, faithfully and accurately. What it’s saying is that the pastor’s leadership is shown to be legitimate by his faithfulness to the word of God.
Secondly, it says, considering the outcome of their life, or considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. You know, there are a lot of pastors or preachers out there who are just in it for the money or who are on some sort of power trip. And they are clever enough to speak enough of the word of God to sound legitimate, but their lifestyle, if you scrutinize it, reveals that they don’t live by the word. A good example is these faith healers that fly around the country in their private jets preying on vulnerable people. There was a pastor of a church in South Carolina who made the news yesterday who bought his wife a new $200,000 Lamborghini. And he was getting some flack for it. Well deserved I would think. A lavish, worldly lifestyle is hardly compatible with the example of Jesus.
So considering their conduct, their faithfulness to the word, then imitate or follow their example. How are they running the race, or in the case of those who have passed, how did they finish the race? I have a Bible at home which was my main Bible for many years but it’s now falling apart. But in the margin of this verse I have a question mark. And I remember writing that in my Bible many years ago, maybe 30 years ago as I thought about my dad’s life and particularly how it ended. My dad had a church which he started, and he helped to start many more in that area of North Carolina. But the end of his life his health failed. And along with that my mother left my father and eventually divorced him. She took all his money out of the bank while he was away at a series of meetings. She sold all the furniture at a yard sale. When my dad came home, at a time when he was in very bad health, he came home to an empty house, no wife, no car, no money, nothing. And I remember reading this verse and wondering about my dad’s life and whether or not that was ever something that I wanted to imitate, or follow in, considering the outcome. So many preachers I have known have had some sort of similar misfortunes at the end of their life. So I don’t think we can look at a pastor’s life from a human standpoint and judge whether or not things worked out as we think they should have or whatever. But in that he was faithful to be obedient to the calling of God, he was faithful to preach the word accurately, and he lived according to how God tells us to live. And in those respects, we then can imitate them. Just like we would imitate the faith of Job. None of us would want to partake in the circumstances of Job’s life, but we should imitate his faith.
This passage in Hebrews then is speaking of our responsibility to the leaders of the church, and their responsibility to the Lord Jesus Christ to be faithful to His word and His design for the church. Then in vs.9 we see a contrast to the faithful leader. And that contrast is those leaders who distort and misrepresent the gospel. Listen to vs 9, “Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.”
I’ve already said some things about those pastors or preachers that use the gospel for the sake of personal gain. And we are to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves in that regard. We need to be as the Bereans and study the scriptures to see if those things are so which they are teaching. Particularly as it pertains to false teaching. Here false teaching is described as varied and strange teachings. As far as the enemy of the church is concerned, I believe Satan’s intent is to subtly distort the word of God. It is much more palatable to swallow a half truth than a whole lie. And I believe the Devil is adept at scheming up doctrines which consist of partial truths. As I have said many times before, only a one degree error in your compass when setting on a trans Atlantic ocean voyage will end up taking you hundreds of miles off course before you complete your journey.
I am constantly amazed at how a lot of Christians start off hot, and end up cold. And unfortunately I think it’s due to believing faulty theology most of the time. The problem in the church today is that a lot of people are getting their doctrine from the wrong sources. They neglect the God appointed and ordained pastor and his teaching, because they think they like better the sermons on television, or online. They eschew the leadership of a Bible teaching preacher because they prefer the stirring melodies of a so called worship music and contemporary musicians. They disregard the daily study of the Bible in their quiet times in exchange for the latest Christian self help books found in the bookstores. And as a result, their theology gets subtly distorted. They end up believing strange teaching. They start off thinking they are hot, but instead they are getting colder and colder because they are drifting further and further away from the refining fire of God’s word.
So it is incumbent upon the church to avoid such leaders as that. In the case of the Hebrews, one of the characteristics of these deceitful leaders was that they were trying to enforce the Jewish diet rituals on the new Christians. And so that’s the emphasis that the author puts on this warning, to beware of those who were trying to reinstate the dietary laws of the old covenant when we have this new covenant of grace. The ceremonial laws were done away with at the cross, because Jesus fulfilled all the types which those laws were supposed to be teaching. And he says, those who practiced such laws were not benefitted by them. The cermemonial laws were supposed to separate the Jews from the world, so that they might be a light to the Gentiles. But because their hearts were not sanctified, the outward ceremonial laws that they practiced did not help them in that regard whatsoever. And it’s interesting that today in many evangelical circles there is a desire to go back to traditions, to ceremonies, to rituals, to candles and incense and liturgies which have the appearance of spirituality, but have no spiritual value.
The heart, the author tells us, is better strengthened by grace. What is grace? Grace is the gift of God, sending Jesus Christ to be our Savior. Grace is the repentance and faith that comes from the conviction and quickening of the Holy Spirit. Grace is the forgiveness of our sins, and the Spirit of God who is given to us as an inward witness and help. These aspects of grace strengthen the heart, the soul, that we might have a change of heart, new desires, and find strength to carry out the desires of God.
This grace is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. And that grace is still available today for those who believe in Him. And so we focus our attention on the One who is unchangeable, immutable, Jesus Christ the Lord. Vs. 8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Though earthy leaders may come and go, though denominations rise and fall, though some stay faithful and some fall away into apostasy, the Lord Jesus Christ remains the same.
Let’s notice first the preeminence of His name. Jesus is HIs given name. It means Jehovah saves. No Hebrew could say the name of Jesus without realizing the significance of that name. When the angel spoke to Joseph he said, “And you shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.” He came to earth to be our Savior. He came to seek and to save those that are lost.
Are you lost today? Have you come to that conclusion? It’s necessary to recognize that you are lost before you can be saved. Recognizing you are lost is coming to the point of confessing you are a sinner, you are hopeless, that you are helpless, coming to the end of yourself. Recognizing that all your efforts at directing your life has been faulty, and coming to the point of believing that Jesus Christ is your only hope. He will save you, if you will recognize that you are lost and believe that He is your Savior.
Notice also the word Christ. Christ is not His surname. Christ is His title. It is the Greek word for Messiah which means anointed one. Kings were anointed. Priests were anointed. Prophets were anointed, all three. And our Lord holds all three of those offices. And, particularly, as we have been alluding to, the office of King. So He is the Anointed One and that suggests his office of kingship.
The author of this epistle has referenced that kingship in chapter 1 in verse 8, where he says these words, citing from Psalm 45. “But to the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions.’” So he is the Anointed King.
Well, if God has anointed Him and appointed Him to be the Savior of sinners, why is it that people object to having Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior? If God has anointed him to be the Anointed King and Savior of sinners, it seems to me that the right response of human beings is to bow down before him and acknowledge him as their Lord. And that of course is the reason that they refuse Him. Because they do not want to surrender to Him as Lord. I would suspect that it’s possible some would even be wiling to have Him as their Savior, but not their Lord. They are willing to let Him pay for their sin, but not to have Him as Lord over their lives. But both are necessary. He must be both Savior and Lord.
And then the author speaks to the immutability of Jesus Christ. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is unchanging. In the first chapter again, vs.10 he says, “ And, "YOU, LORD, IN THE BEGINNING LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH, AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; THEY WILL PERISH, BUT YOU REMAIN; AND THEY ALL WILL BECOME OLD LIKE A GARMENT, AND LIKE A MANTLE YOU WILL ROLL THEM UP; LIKE A GARMENT THEY WILL ALSO BE CHANGED. BUT YOU ARE THE SAME, AND YOUR YEARS WILL NOT COME TO AN END.”
Our faith is founded on the unchanging, immutable Word of God, who became flesh and dwelt among us, and who has ascended to the right hand of the Father where He ever lives to make intercession for us. Our citizenship in the kingdom of God is not dependent on denominations or creeds or people or rituals or ceremonies of religion, but our security is in the eternal, unchanging, immortal God, Jesus Christ the Lord.
As I was working on preparing for the Christmas party this year, I think it’s about 14 years now that we have had it. And thinking of the years we have had the Luau, and all the people over the years who we have ministered to. Some who are still with us and many more who are no longer here. It makes me realize the changeableness of our church. People come and go. The congregation changes. People get hot and cold. The church changes. I have changed. I’ve gotten older. But Jesus Christ remains unchanged. He is the same, forever. His word, His person, His gospel, His salvation endures forever.
And I will say one more thing about His unchangeableness in regards to doctrine. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. That means if we want to know what the church of Jesus Christ is supposed to look like today, then we look at what the church of Jesus Christ was like when He was on earth. When you want to know what the life of the Christian is supposed to look like today, then look at the life of the Chief Shepherd whom we are to imitate.
His unchanging nature provides the standard for all Christian conduct, particularly in the preaching of the word and in worship. Just because we live in a modern society we should not expect something completely “new” as if there is an Old Covenant God and a New Covenant Jesus.” The nature of God as it is manifested by Jesus is the same in the old as in the new. And the nature of Christian conduct that we see in the Bible should be the same which is seen in the church today.
And let me add that the nature of the Holy Spirit is no different than the nature of Jesus Christ. As Jesus Christ is the exact representation of the nature of the Father according to chapter one vs.3 which says, “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature.” Jesus said of the Spirit in John 16:13-14 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose [it] to you.”
So, that’s the Oneness of God, the unity of the Trinity. Jesus is the exact representation of the Father. And the Spirit is the exact representation of Jesus. So in the church we have unity in the truth, first and foremost. The Holy Spirit is not going to be glorifying Himself. He is not going to be acting in a way that is incompatible with the way Jesus acted when He was on earth. And the leadership of the church is to be exact in it’s representation of Christ as well. We must be careful to study the scriptures and teach faithfully and handle accurately the word of God, so that the church may be built up and do the work of service in ministry.
That’s quite a responsibility for the pastor, but it’s also quite a responsibility for the congregation, to be imitators of Christ in the world. To be discerning, and to be steadfast, persevering to the end. I pray that we may be found faithful.
If you’re here today and you have come to the conclusion that you have never been born again by the Spirit of Christ, then I invite you to accept the gift of God through faith in Christ Jesus. If you will confess your sins and repent of your sins, and ask Jesus to save you, to remake you, and surrender to Him as Lord and King, then He will forgive your sins, and cleanse you from all unrighteousness, and give you His Spirit to empower you. I pray that no one here today is foolish enough to reject the grace of God. The Bible says it is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment. When that day comes, your faith in Jesus Christ is the only way of escape. I pray that you do not presume upon the grace of God, but surrender to Him today.
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