Obey Them that Rule Over You

Hebrews 13:7,17

What are your thoughts about God this evening? A grandfather who lets his grandchildren run circles around him? What about his laws? Can they be ignored simply because they’re inconvenient? No. Because under the New Covenant we still have duties. God is a loving father. But he is still father! New Covenant believers are commanded to fear God who is a consuming fire, to desire spiritual things in life, and to worship God.

The Book of Hebrews was written to teach New Testament believers to pursue after God. And that involves obedience. We are saved, therefore our of gratitude, we obey. In Hebrews 13, 10 commandments are given. Two of these commandments are repeated twice. They concern our duties to church officers. This is repeated twice - vv 7 and 17. And before the author finishes the book with a benediction, he reminds them to obey their leaders, of whom he is part. Verse 24 - “Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.”

His whole purpose of writing was pastoral and authoritative. He gave commandments throughout the book. He expected them to listen. Don’t forsake Christ - no hope without him. Meet together. Help one another grow. He had every expectation that they should obey the words of the letter. There is a duty of members to leaders. Now, the Bible speaks more of the duties of leaders to members, but that’s not the emphasis here.

Now, remember as I preach this, I’m not trying to score one for the session or demand submission to me personally as the pastor. But yes, submission to the offices of pastor, elder and deacon. This is right in God’s eyes. Life under the New Covenant, in Christ’s kingdom, in the church, depends on this.

There are 3 points. Firstly, leaders are God’s provision for the people’s welfare. Secondly, it is our duty to acknowledge their authority. Thirdly, helping leaders to enjoy their ministry.

Firstly, leaders are God’s provision for the people’s welfare. We’re told in verses 7 and 17, to remember and obey those that have the rule over you; leaders. Since the Old Covenant, God had provided leaders for his people, and the nation’s welfare depended on the effectiveness of the leaders as well as the submission of the people to them. In fact, when the people turned against their leaders, they brought condemnation to themselves.

Nehemiah 9:26-27 records what happened to the people when they ignored and rejected the leaders over them - “Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations. Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble.”

God instituted the prophet, the priest, and the king in the Old Covenant. The prophet was to preach the Word; the king was to rule according to the Word; and the priests were to comfort repentant people when they disobeyed the Word.

The New Covenant also has these functions. The pastor is to preach the Word; the elder is to rule according to the Word; and the deacons comfort the people in their needs.

Hebrews 13:7 and 17 stress that leaders have the rule over the church. But the rule they exercise is not for their own benefit. They do it for the welfare of the people. Verse 7 tells us that they speak the Word. In other words, they feed the flock. A shepherd does not lead the flock for his own benefit. The hireling does. But the shepherd leads the flock to feed them.

Verse 7 also tells us that they live for the flock - what they do they do for the people. Their lives and conduct are to influence the people. And verse 17 tells us that they watch over your souls and give an account to God for you. They are appointed by God to be watchmen. To watch your souls. That’s why the author kept telling them to press on, don’t turn back, love Christ. These are not easy things to say. I don’t like to say them.

Leaders are appointed by God to watch over your souls - leaders are responsible for your spiritual welfare. Reject their ministry, disobey them, and your spiritual welfare suffers. Verse 17 says it is unprofitable for you.

God has given his people the Word and the Spirit; but he has given leaders as well. Therefore God is greatly concerned that we have a proper understanding of the duties of members to leaders and to obey it.

Secondly, therefore, it is our duty to acknowledge their authority. Verse 17 says, “Obey them that have the rule over you.” Obedience to God and his ordained authorities is a common theme in the New Testament. The word translated “obey” isn’t the most commonly used term. But it is used here.

It means to be persuaded. Continually persuaded. Let the teaching and counsel of our leaders be persuasive in our hearts and lives. Be eager to believe. It gives the idea that we are to have the spirit of teachability. Now, how does this work.

The word is used in Acts 17:4. Paul went to Thessalonica and he reasoned with the Jews 3 days out of the Scriptures. And we learn - “And some of them believed (they were persuaded, they obeyed).” Now, the Bereans did they same thing in verse 11; they received the word with gladness and they searched the Scriptures with readiness of mind.

Therefore, to obey those that have the rule over you, is to be teachable, to receive what they teach, with gladness, being ready to believe, insofar as it is biblical.

On the contrary, we see that a disbelieving, skeptical, and questioning attitude is destructive. The same word is used in Acts 26:28 - “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” The reason why he wasn’t persuaded was because he would not hear Paul, verse 29.

We let ourselves be persuaded by our leaders. Why would a genuine pastor want to deceive the flock? The aim to always to feed the flock. To help them mature, to renew the minds. The aim is to maneuver the church to a place where we are more effective in serving one another.

And if we find ourselves resisting their instructions, we must determine why. Now, if the instruction is clearly biblical and moral, then we need to obey. Keep the Lord’s Day. Stop gossiping. Be faithful to your spouse. Repent from your sin. These are biblical instructions. We obey, because they aren’t just the instructions of the pastor, but God. The author is not suggesting obedience; he’s commanding it. Refusal to receive this word from the leaders shows a rejection of Christ and God. In Matthew 10:40 Jesus told his disciples, “He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.”

As sinners we tend to resist any authority in our lives. But God may be working through leaders to expose an area of needed growth in our lives. Leaders watch over your soul. Of course, if the instruction is anti-biblical, then we can’t obey. Officers of the church are still subject to the same discipline. We are not above the law of God.

Now, what if it is not an issue of conscience or morality, but preference? The leader may have made a decision that we disagree with, but which isn’t fundamentally wrong. What do we do?

We are told in verse 17 to submit ourselves. The word “submit” means to yield to. This speaks about military subordination. It refers to continually placing ourselves under the leaders.

Look, there will be plenty of things that the session of the church does that you may find disagreeable, or you may find doesn’t make sense. Sometimes the deacons put certain things in place - such as parking, or seating. What we do is simply to go with it. Or if there are better alternatives, make an appeal. And how you make that appeal is important. They are thinking of the body at large. They aren’t there to make things difficult. So submission is beautiful.

1 Corinthians 16:6-7 - “I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,) That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth.” Stephanas and his family were devoted to serving the believers. The response of the believers should be submission to them. To let them serve you.

We are told in verse 7 to “Remember them which have the rule over you.” The word remember means to esteem or to treat highly.

How do we esteem our leaders? 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 says, “And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.”

To know them means to acknowledge their leadership. And to esteem them highly means to treat them like dignitaries. Any Christ-respecting pastor would not want honor. You know that I don’t care for titles. Most pastors would rather you not call them pastors, but honor them; than call them pastor and despise them.

You see, the leaders of the church are like esteemed mentors. That’s a very popular word today. One reason we don’t submit to them is because we despise them. We don’t want to be mentored or led by them. We fight with them.

That’s why 1 Thessalonians 5:13 instructs us to be at peace - to live at peace with them. Don’t fight your leaders. It doesn’t mean there won’t be disagreement, but when we esteem, and know their authority over us, and submit, it will always lead to a good end. Why? Because they watch over the church.

Believe it or not, leaders are God’s provision for the people’s welfare. And therefore, it is our duty to acknowledge their authority. Thirdly, help them to enjoy their ministry.

Our relationship with our leaders should allow them to enjoy their role in the body. Verse 17 says, “that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”

Well, how do you bring joy to your leaders? There are several ways. Firstly, fulfill your obligation to God in the gospel. Believe the gospel, continue in the work of repentance. Secondly, fulfill your obligation to grow in grace. Obey God, grow in knowledge, bear the fruit of the Spirit, pursue holiness, store treasures in heaven. Thirdly, fulfill your obligation in the church. Fellowship with one another, worship God, preserve unity, serve God together with the saints in church. Fourthly, fulfill your obligation toward your leaders. Listen to them, submit to them, and when you disagree, bring it up constructively, seek their counsel of your leaders, receive their reproof with gratitude, esteem them highly, give them the benefit of the doubt, refuse to advance or accept gossip about them. Wayne Mack wrote in his book - “Life in the Father’s House” - “our natural skepticism should not be directed toward our leaders but toward those who would accuse or slander them in any way.”

How do you bring them grief? The opposite. Don’t believe the gospel and don’t repent. Don’t grow in knowledge or in grace. Be immature. Be divisive. Don’t fellowship. Be aloof. Be a gossip. Stir up trouble. Bite and devour one another. Serve only according to your way in church. My way or the highway. When you disagree, bring it up in the most divisive way possible, with lots of huffing and puffing. Despise them. Gossip about them. Listen to and believe others who slander them.

The word “grief” in verse 17 means groaning. You don’t want your leaders to have that attitude towards you. Every time they have to deal with you, they groan. Aiyah, that one again.

We can make ministry difficult for our leaders. It is not profitable. It is not profitable in two ways. Firstly, if they suffer, you will suffer along. They are still accountable to God for you. They still seek your sanctification. When you don’t listen to the counsel, the word, the exhortations, there will be reproofs, rebukes, admonition. If you refuse to repent or to obey, there’s such a thing as church discipline. Look, this is our duty. To shirk it, is to be disobedient to God and our duty.

Secondly, if they suffer and groan, they may just leave you alone. While they watch over your souls, they may be so exasperated, because you don’t obey or submit, they may minister to others, and leave you alone to deal with your sin, to reap the consequences of your character. And that would not be good for you, your growth, and them.

And that is why it is important to pray for your leaders. Verse 18 - “Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly or honorably.” Pray that your leaders will have a good conscience toward God, and to live honorably in our calling.

Folks, it’s hard to minister in church. Paul said that the man who desires the office of a bishop desires a good thing. Why? Because they were the first ones targeted by the Roman persecutors. It is already tough enough. Don’t make it harder. Obey, submit, and esteem. This is the commandment here, for life under the New Covenant.