I want you to take your Bibles
again with me and turn to Isaiah 52. Isaiah chapter 52. I'm going to read verse 7 in
just a few moments. I want to preach now this morning
on a message to God's congregation. You know, the relationship between a pastor
and the church that the Lord has placed him in the responsibility
to be an under-shepherd, a bishop, is one that can only be described
as miraculous. This is a miracle of God's grace
that we're here this morning. That people would come and that
they'd want to assemble themselves together and hear what God has
to say. And that Almighty God would be
pleased to speak concerning His Word. He's given us His Scriptures. and the way that he's chosen
to speak to his people. And the people of God hear the
voice of the shepherd. They hear it in their heart as
the Spirit of God takes the Word of God as it is set forth from
a preacher. The world considers foolishness
through the foolishness of preaching. And God speaks And here we sit
this morning, and we're assembling ourselves together to hear what
the Lord has to say. As your pastor, I know that,
and you know, that the Lord has ordained this order. This is
God's doing. This is not something that we...
Got together and we followed a pattern after something that
was started by men and we've just decided just to keep it
up. No, this is God's doing. Therefore, God's pastors are
to take heed. Scripture says, therefore unto
themselves and all the flock over which the Holy Ghost, the
Holy Ghost has made Him an overseer. and feed the church of God which
He has purchased with His own blood. Now, knowing that God
raises up a pastor and gives a pastor to a congregation, that
is a blessing of Almighty God. Grave responsibility, though,
is found on both parties. The pastor and the congregation. Isaiah 52, verse 7, this should
be the attitude toward the pastor that God has raised up. We just
looked a few moments ago at the qualifications of a pastor, what
his responsibilities are. And I'm telling you to stand
in this position and read those words, and I think, who is sufficient
for these things? That Almighty God would bless,
and if we want to see what the Lord blesses. The blessing of
God upon a congregation that we might not become lax and insensitive
to God's Word. I felt impelled to set forth. This is the pastorate. That the Lord has set forth and
that the Lord, by His grace, blesses. But I also want to set
forth, I desire, I pray, Lord, if You would be pleased, would
You allow Katie Baptist Church to be here? Lord, not our will,
but Thine be done. And I know, as we've often said,
there very well, as Brother Henry said one time, it will happen.
It will happen. One day, unless the Lord returns,
one day, it will drive by and this building may still be here.
And some may say, you know, I remember when there used to be a preacher
of the gospel, raised up, Brother Scott. God sent a preacher after
him, and who knows? I don't know. I don't know how
long the Lord will leave it here. does not always allow the candlestick
to stay in the same place. He moves them according to His
will and purpose. But we're here today, and I want
to set forth that which should be the attitude toward Almighty
God and the pastors that He sends to His people. Isaiah 52.7 says,
how beautiful, here's the attitude, how beautiful, how lovely, how
blessed of God. Upon the mountains are the feet
of him that bringeth good tidings, and that publish peace, that
bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, and
saith unto Zion, thy God reigneth. The church That one raised up
by Almighty God, those that God Almighty has called out of darkness,
when the Lord sends a pastor, this should be their attitude. How lovely! How beautiful! Upon the mountains are the feet,
the deliverance, the preaching of the gospel of Him that bringeth
good tidings. The Lord is the One. that has
delivered his church from the captivity of Satan and the bondage
of sin. The Lord is the one that has
given her a heart of obedience. The Lord is the one that has
settled her and given her a rest. Every preacher of the gospel
of God's grace God's people know and are thankful for how lovely,
how thankful we are that God would bring good tidings to us
through His messenger, through His servant, servants of God. Good tidings of God Almighty
that declares That righteousness has been established by the Lord's
obedience to God's law, and redemption has been accomplished by the
substitutionary death and the shedding of the blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. How beautiful are the feet! How beautiful are the bringing! How beautiful! are those that
bring these good tidings to us. That publish what God has to
say. Publish peace. Not that God's preachers will
ever set forth. Not God's preachers. They'll
never set forth that helpless, impotent sinners. are able to
establish peace before God by their own righteousness. They
publish peace established by the Lord Jesus Christ. They bring
good tidings of good. They bring good tidings that
justice has been satisfied, that atonement has been made. You
know what that means, atonement. That friendship has been established
again. That's what it means. That Almighty
God, through the blood of His blessed Son, has established
friendship. People that He's everlastingly
loved, that He gave to His Son, that He's called out of darkness,
revealed to them, I'm satisfied. God's people love to hear the
message of Almighty God Set forth by God's preachers. God's preachers
are to comfort God's people. You tell them that her warfare
is accomplished. Her iniquity is pardoned. And
she's received of the Lord's hand double for all of her sins.
That she, in the glorious substitute, has received the totality of
God's mercy because God's wrath has received the totality of
satisfaction in Christ. Almighty God is satisfied. You
that know Him, you that believe Him by grace, by faith, God Almighty
is at peace with you. God is satisfied by the blood
of His Son. God's creatures and God's people
love to hear, they publish salvation. They've published salvation to
be by God's elect in grace. That it is sovereign and particular
for God's people. That the Lord Jesus Christ died
for a particular people. And that the Spirit of God is
certainly and irresistibly going to call those people out of darkness.
God's people love to hear that message. That's God's Word. God's truth. These preachers that the church
loves to hear, they say unto Zion, thy God reigneth. Don't
you, you that know Him, don't you love to hear that God's in
control? That Almighty God rules in the
army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and
nobody stays His hand, and nobody stops Him, and nobody will thwart
His purpose, His will. His counsels shall surely stand. I love that message. I hate hearing
a message of people trying to make God to be a beggar. Trying
to make Him, trying to do something. Trying to say that He wants to
do all He possibly can. If you would just let Him, I'd
say, Oh, you just make my teeth hurt. I hear that. Oh, but to
hear, Thy God reigneth. rules, Psalm 135, verse 6, whatsoever
the Lord pleased. That did He in heaven and in
earth, in the seas and all deep places. Oh, church, the congregation
of God's saints, they love to hear the preaching of the gospel
through God's appointed means. Pastors. Now, just as we looked
a few moments ago at the responsibility and character of a pastor. These are frail creatures that
God Almighty calls out of darkness, and He sustains them. And all
the while while they're being sustained, they know what they
are in themselves, and they say, Lord, who's sufficient to speak
to these old people? Lord, these precious, precious
saints, these beloved of You, who is sufficient for these things?
Solomon says, Lord, I don't know. How can I stand before Your people?
Lord, would You give me wisdom? I'll ask the Lord, Lord, would
You give me wisdom to know? Lord, would You lead me and guide
me and direct me? Lord, as I stand before Your
congregation, Lord, so many here that I am convinced shall surely
stand before you accepted in the Beloved. Lord, help me. Help me." That's the attitude
of a pastor. What about the church? What does
the Scriptures have to say? I want you to turn with me. Here's
a few things, and we won't be long. 1 Thessalonians 5.12. Here's what the church is called
to do. This is what God blesses. When we find out, and this is
why it's so imperative, let's find out what God has to say.
1 Thessalonians 5, verse 12. Here's the first thing that a
church is to do to order a pastor. We beseech you, brethren, To
know them which labor among you is the first thing
that a church is to do for her pastor. Know him. Know him. Not just that you say, well,
yeah, I know who he is. Yeah, I know. Yeah, I met Martin. To know him is to acknowledge
him. That's what that means. Acknowledge Him as the messenger
of God to your soul. God's pastors are placed specifically
where God Almighty is pleased. The church asking the Lord for
mercy and grace to do such as God sets forth. Acknowledge Him. This is God's messenger to His
church, to His bride. There's a special and an intimate
relationship between the members of God's church and their pastors. I want you to feel comfortable. I do. I do. I want you to feel
comfortable. Call me. Come over to the house. Walk into the study. Feel comfortable. You're welcome. We're workmen
together. Yes, God Almighty has placed
me in the responsibility of being a pastor. But we are God's family. We're God's people. Know Him. Feel comfortable. Why? Because your pastor watches for
your soul. And should be there, should be
ready, should be willing to help, to listen. If you have a responsibility,
I mean, a burden, a problem, and you want to talk, call me. Call me. Feel free to. I would encourage you to build
strong relationships with as many of God's preachers as you
possibly can. All God's preachers, they never
mind anybody calling them. Somebody call me. But I'll tell
you this, there's a special relationship between a pastor and the congregation
that he serves. Know him. Acknowledge him as
God's minister, God's messenger to you. Almighty God has raised
up me as a pastor of Katie Baptist Church. I'm responsible to this
church. Acknowledge that God Almighty
has done these very things. I mean, we're not saying any
of this to be boastful. I mean, who do we have to boast
in but Christ? I mean, this is God's responsibility.
This is God's purpose, God's will. Love him. Love your pastor. Hold him in respect. And pray
for him. Pray for me. Pray for me. Someone asked Mr. Spurgeon one
time, Mr. Spurgeon, they said, Metropolitan Tabernacle, what
a wonderful ministry. Oh, what the Lord has done here. And he said, my people pray for
me. They pray for me. Pray for me. Call my name before
our Father's throne. Ask Him to help me. Ask Him to
speak to you. Ask Him to speak to me. Defend
my character. Protect my name and my reputation. Why? Because God's pastors, back
in verse 12, know them which labor among you. We looked at
that a while ago. Labor. Labor for the good of
your soul. I am to study and pray and ask
God's leadership and blessing upon the preaching of Your Word.
Ask Him to speak to your heart. Ask Him to speak to me. Labor among you and are over
you in the Lord. Not lording over you. God's preachers
do not lord over God's sheep, but the Lord has placed pastors
there to be a help, an undershepherd, examples. They admonish you. This is why you pray for your
pastor. This is why you pray for God's
blessing. They admonish you, continually
reminding you, according to the dictates of Holy Scriptures,
the glory of salvation. Pray for me. as I set forth the
glorious gospel of God's grace, salvations of the Lord. Whichever passage I'm going to
preach, I guarantee you, you take an unbeliever and they'll
listen. They'll listen to what you're
saying. Whichever passage I'm in, there's one message. Salvation
is all of grace. God's sovereign. Christ is our
Redeemer. The Spirit of God affects you
because the message of the Gospel never deviates. Paul the Apostle
said in Philippians 3, Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord,
to write the same things to you, to me. Indeed, it's not grievous,
but for you, it's safe. It's safe for you to hear continually,
continually, continually, salvations of grace, salvations of the Lord. Know your pastor. Acknowledge
him. Secondly, esteem him highly. 1 Thessalonians 5.13. And to
esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. Be at
peace among yourselves. Esteem them very highly in love
for their work's sake. As I've said, I'm a sinner saved
by the grace of God. But entertain the highest possible
opinion of your pastor because God has put him there. Every pastor is a struggling
servant. I wish I could tell you, I've
not told you the times that I leave here struggling, struggling. Glenda knows. But how many times do I leave
this place preaching that message again and going over it? I should
have said this. I should have gone to this passage
right here, preaching it over and over and over again for their
work's sake. Esteem them highly. God's servants. Esteem them. in your attitude
and your speech before others. I say defend their character.
Defend them for their work's sake. They're God's preachers. They're not reverends. Whenever somebody refers themselves
as a reverend, that makes my teeth hurt too. They're not fathers. Call no man father. The Scripture
bears that out. Don't call anybody father. You
have one father. Don't call them reverend. Holy
and reverend is His name. They're not doctors. They're
pastors or they're brothers or they're servants. They're ministers
of God. Servants of God and God's people. Esteem them highly for their
work's sake. Again, if we're looking for something
to pick on somebody about, we'll find it. We'll always find it.
But Almighty God has placed pastors there. Know them. Acknowledge
them as God's ministers. And esteem them highly. Hebrews
13.7. Hebrews 13 chapter 7. Remember
them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you
the word of God, whose faith follow, considering the end of
their conversation. Here's the third thing. Remember
them. Remember them before God Almighty,
yes. Pray for them. Lift them up. Ask God's blessing. But also,
remember listening carefully to what he preaches. Listen to
what he sets forth concerning God's Word. Remember them. Pray
informed and listen. God has sent them as ambassadors. He's not preaching his own opinion.
He's not preaching the philosophies of men. God's pastors are to
come to God's people with God's message. And as you pray for
him, ask the Lord to give you an ear to hear and a heart to
believe and to trust and to rest in God Almighty as He sets forth
His truth through His messengers, blessed by God's Spirit. Same
verse, Hebrews 13.7, Remember them which have the rule of you,
who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow. Follow Him who is the object
of the faith of God's people. Follow Christ who is the object
of the faith of God's pastors, God's people, but also whose
faithfulness. The Lord has given His church
Pastors, that that congregation follows after according to that
pastor's faithfulness to God's Word, to God's truth. God's people do not follow blindly
men that are unfaithful. As a pastor, faithfully adheres
to the glory of Christ in his preaching. As the pastor takes
these words and preaches what God Almighty has to say, asking
for wisdom, guidance and direction, God's blessing upon the message
that he's preaching. Follow after the one that that
pastor preaches. And follow after him in his faithfulness
to God's Word. It's not that we're following
men. We're not following men. You know that. That pastor must
be faithful to God's calling, must be faithful in his study
and the preparation of God's message and God's direction by
prayer. Follow that example of devotion
to Christ. And I'm telling you, you start
setting your eyes on a man and following after that man, and
that man is going to disappoint you. But follow after the Christ
that God's preachers sent forth. Follow Him. Follow the Lord.
It's the Lord they love. They're thankful and they do
love God's preachers. The one that the Lord blesses
when He sets forth the Lord. That's God's preachers. Ask the
Spirit of God to bear record to your heart. Back in Hebrews
17, Hebrews 13, 17, the Scripture
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's
unprofitable for you. Now here's another thing. You know them and acknowledge
them as God's preachers. You esteem them highly for their
works' sake. You remember them. You remember
them before the Lord, but you remember what they preach and
the God that they set forth. You follow after Him, the object
of the faith of God's elect. You follow after Christ. And
here the Scripture says, obey them that have the rule over
you. Now, every society, it has to
have some order. Somebody, by the good pleasure
of Almighty God, is placed in authority. But that authority
is not one that is unlimited. You know that. This is a merciful
appointment of the Lord of glory. That God would raise up a pastor. Someone whose responsibility
it is to maintain the order of the assembly. If it wasn't like
this, it would be endless confusion. I'm telling you, where there
is no pastor, there is no settled church. I mean, you come together
and who's in charge? What happens? Obey them. Where there's no one in charge,
there's confusions. God's people know that God Almighty
has placed someone as a pastor, as an overseer. Obey them. Obey the one they preach. As Almighty God sets forth His
truth, obey the truth of Christ that they set forth. Why? Because they watch for your souls
as they that must give account. Obey. Believe. Believe. Believe the teaching. Believe
the Christ they set forth. And submit yourselves to them
as God's ministers. John 13, 20, "...barely, barely
I say unto you, he that receiveth whomsoever I send, receiveth
me. And he that receiveth me, receiveth
him that sent me." When it says obey, Them that have the rule
over you. And I told you that word obey.
Believe. Believe. Let me read something
to you. When you believe, strive after
to believe those that God raises up over you. I love this passage
of Scripture right here. Acts 17. Let me read this to
you. Acts 17, 10-11. the ones that were at Berea.
Now, here's what Scripture says. Obey them. Believe them. Acts 17, 10 and 11, And the brethren
immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea, who,
coming thither, went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now, these
there at the synagogue of the Jews at Berea were more noble
than those in Thessalonica in that they received the Word of
God with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily,
whether those things were so." Whenever God raises up a preacher,
and he is to take heed to himself and to the doctrine that he preaches,
and the church in response is to obey, they are to believe
what he says as he preaches according to the scriptures. I tell anyone, search what I'm
saying. Get you a concordance. If it's
a word and you don't understand what it says, look it up. Find
out what it's saying. If I'm in error, I'll be the
first one to stand up and admit it. I'll be the first one to
acknowledge I've erred here. I made a mistake here. I'm going
to correct this mistake. But concerning what is preached
from this pulpit, It is my responsibility to study these Scriptures, seek
God's leadership, and the church, according to the Word of God,
is to obey, to believe what God Almighty has set forth through
His preachers. Why? Obey them that have the
rule over you. Submit yourselves to them, for
they watch for your souls as they that must give account.
I've got to give an account to Almighty God right now. Right
now. If I'm saying something and I
know that it's not right, Almighty God will deal with me. First
of all, in my conscience, that's not true. God keep me from that. God's people render account unto
the Lord right now, spreading before the Lord the congregation
that He pastors. I have a responsibility to you.
Woe unto me if I don't preach the gospel. Woe unto you if you
don't believe it. The Lord has set forth that that pastor is
going to have to give account to those that he preaches to.
I know this. There are some people that sit
here, they know the gospel. You know the truth of God. And
if you hear me here say something, and you know, that doesn't bear
record. That goes against what I know is so. I'm giving account
to you right now. But there's an account, and I
can't tell you all there is to know about this. I know this,
that God's pastors somehow, I don't understand this, there's going
to be an account given in that day for those that heard and
those that could have heard. I don't understand all of that. But I know that there's going
to be an account in the day of judgment. When all of Fairmont
stands before God, And God sent a preacher to Katie Baptist Church. God's preacher standing there
is going to be a witness against them. The dust is going to be
a witness against those that heard the truth preached and
wouldn't receive it back in the book of Acts. You just dust that
dust off. It will be a witness against
them. We must give account. Obey them that have the rule
over you. Submit yourselves. They watch for your souls as
they that must give account, that they may do it with joy
and not with grief. That's profitable for you. Pray
for him. Number six, pray for him. Colossians
4.3. Pray for him. The scripture says forth 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. Pray that God will give God's
preacher timely words for God's preacher and for God's people. Pray that you might hear. Pray
that the Lord might bless it to your heart. Provide for your pastor. 1 Corinthians
9. As I said a while ago, these are responsibilities
that both have for each other. Esteeming them, praying for them,
remembering them. 1 Corinthians 9. Verse 7, who
goeth to warfare any time at his own charge? Or who planteth
a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? Or who feedeth
the flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? Say I
these things as a man, or sayeth not the law the same also? For it is written in the law
of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth
out the corn. Does God take care of the oxen?
Or sayeth He it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no
doubt it is written, that he that ploweth, should plow in
hope, that he that thresheth in hope should be a partaker
of his hope. If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is
it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? If others
be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless, we have not used
this power, but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel
of Christ. Do you not know that they which minister about holy
things live of the things of the temple, and they which wait
at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath God ordained
that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel." As
I said a while ago, it is the responsibility of a pastor to
be faithful and study in preparation, prayer, meeting the needs of
God's people. I do thank this congregation. It is a shame when a congregation
can take care of their pastor and meet his financial needs.
He's got needs just like anybody else. He's got to pay for things
just like anybody else does. But it is a shame when a congregation
can and they don't. And I publicly and thankfully,
I know this message will go all over the world. I thank God for
the generosity of this congregation. It's evident of God's blessing
that you have faithfully taken care of Brother Scott when he
was here and now me. And for that, I am thankful.
And that after I came here, the Scotch salary did not deviate
one bit. That we continued to pay him,
and whatever was the right thing to do, this church did it. And
I acknowledge that. And I thank God for you. What
a responsibility of a church to their pastor to take care
of them. And then lastly, encourage him. Encourage him. 2 Timothy
1. We'll end. 2 Timothy 1. Encourage. 2 Timothy 1, verse 15. Paul says, This thou knowest,
that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me, of whom
are fidgeless and homogenous, the Lord give mercy unto the
house of Onesiphorus, for he oft refreshed me and was not
ashamed of my chain. But when he was in Rome, he sought
me out very diligently and found me. The Lord grant unto him that
he may find mercy of the Lord in that day, and in how many
things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very
well." God's preachers, they're frail creatures. And the kindness of a word means
more than you'll ever know. A pastor needs the congregation
that he pastors. The congregation needs the pastor. God has raised them up together.
Stand with him. Sympathize with him. Pray for
him. Be an encouragement to him. Because
believe me, he feels the frailty of himself. And he feels somewhat
of the burden of the office that God has placed him in, called
him to, and given him the responsibility to be faithful to. I love you. I thank God for you. And I pray
that the Lord might bless us together as we continue from
this day forward according to His purpose. Amen.