“Them Which Have The Rule Over You”

Hebrews 13:7, 17 and 18

In these verses we are told that gospel preachers are specifically responsible for four things. — (1.) It is the responsibility of every gospel pastor to rule the house of God. A Gospel church is a kingdom under the rule of Christ her King. God called pastors are the overseers, governors, and rulers of his churches. Christ is the Shepherd. Faithful pastors are his under-shepherds. The pastor’s rule of God’s house is like a husband’s rule of his own house. It involves direction, provision, and protection. — (2.) The way God’s servants rule his church is by the declaration of God’s Word, by the preaching of the gospel. — “Who have spoken to you the Word of God” (Jer. 23:28). — (3.) To preach the Word of God is to instruct eternity bound men and women in the way of faith. When Paul says, “whose faith follow,” he is both telling us that the gospel preacher must be a man of faith and faithfulness, and that the faith he preaches and the faithfulness he exemplifies are to be followed by those over whom the Lord has placed him. —(4.) These things God’s servants are responsible to do as watchmen, as men who “watch for your souls, as they that must give account.” But Paul’s primary object in these verses is to show God’s people what they ought to do, how they ought to behave, in relation to “them which have the rule over you.” The Scriptures give clear instructions about these things. Here are five things every church and every believer within the church ought to do for the man who preaches the gospel of Christ to them, laboring for their souls’ eternal good.

1. Remember him (Heb. 13:7) — Ever keep your pastor close to your heart in fond remembrance. Remember him at the throne of grace when you pray, but particularly, the admonition here is to remember his messages and the doctrine he preaches. Listen carefully to what he preaches. Take notes to aid your memory. Discuss his sermons at home and among your brethren, and store up his doctrine in your mind, so that you can apply it to yourself as you seek to live in this world for the glory of God. As you read the Word of God in your private worship, if you remember what has been preached to you, the Word will open before you and be blessed of God to your heart. Here are two reasons for remembering your pastor, particularly, for remembering his messages. First, he has the rule of the church. His word is to be remembered, because God has made him your spiritual guide in this world. Second, he speaks to you the Word of God. He does not come in his own name, teaching his own opinions, or the philosophies of men. If he is God's man, your pastor comes to you with God's message, armed with God's authority, and what he says you are responsible to hear, remember, and obey. He preaches to you the Word of God.

2. Follow him (Heb. 13:7) — Believers and churches are to follow their pastors. Your pastor is your leader and guide in the kingdom of God. You are to follow his example of faith and faithfulness. Follow the pure gospel doctrine that he preaches to you. It leads to life everlasting. Follow his example of devotion to Christ. Your pastor, if he is truly the servant of God, is a man of resolute, heart devotion to Christ, his church, his gospel and his glory. He guides God's people by his own example of consecration to Christ. Follow his example of faithfulness. The one thing God requires of his servants is faithfulness, and if you would be serviceable to the cause of Christ in your own sphere of responsibility, you will learn how by following your pastor's example. This is not blind allegiance to a man. This is obedience to Christ. If you would follow Christ, you must follow the man he has made your guide, “considering the end of his conversation, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever” (Heb. 13:8). Christ is the object of our faith, the pattern of our faith, and the end of our faith. Follow your pastor in the life of faith, as he presses towards the mark, Christ Jesus.

3. Obey him (Heb. 13:17) —Obedience is not servitude, but it does mean submission. God's people are expected and required to obey their pastors. In spiritual, doctrinal matters, in all things regarding the affairs and work of the church, the pastor is to be obeyed. If he is not worthy of obedience, he should not be the pastor. Elders are to serve the church in obedience to the pastor. Deacons are to serve the church in obedience to the pastor. Teachers are to serve the church in obedience to the pastor. Every member of the congregation is to serve the church in obedience to the pastor. The pastor is the captain of the ship. All the crew must serve in obedience to him. Obey his message, the gospel of the grace of God. Hear it. Receive it. Love it, and order your life by it. Obey his direction in the worship of Christ. Every aspect of the worship and work of the church should be carried out in accordance with the pastor's instruction. The order of the services, the selection of music, the administration of the ordinances and the activities of the church are to be performed in the way required by the pastor, as he is guided by the Word of God. There is no need for committees and societies within the church body. The pastor's voice, as he seeks the will and glory of God, is to be obeyed in all things. Obey his admonitions and reproofs. No pastor is infallible. He will often err. But if he is a faithful man, his errors will be errors of judgment, not errors of principle. You can safely follow such a man and obey him. His admonitions and reproofs, if he is God’s servant, are not personal attacks or fits of passion. They are thoughtful, needed, God-given warnings and directions for your soul's eternal good.

4. Submit to him (Heb. 13:17) — The admonition here is to submit yourself to the Spirit led, faithful care of your pastor. Do what he tells you to do, even if you do not really understand why. That may seem a little too much to expect, but a little consideration will show that it is not. A few years ago, I was dying with cancer. The doctors wanted to treat my disease by injecting me with a series of drugs and cobalt treatments. The drugs and the treatments could prove deadly themselves, if they were not properly administered. I do not understand how they work, but, being confident of my physicians’ abilities, I submitted myself to them and did what they told me to do, because I knew that they knew better than I did what was needed. You are to submit to your pastor in just that way. If he is a faithful man, he probably knows better than you what is best for your soul, the cause of Christ, the welfare of the church and the furtherance of the gospel. He will not willfully mislead you, and he will not abuse you, or take advantage of you. Your pastor's concern is for the welfare of your soul. He watches for your soul as one who must give account, both to his own conscience and at the judgment bar of God. Every faithful pastor exercises great care and diligence as he watches over God's people, for he desires to give account of his hearers with joy and not with grief.

5. Pray for him (Heb. 13:18) — Let every child of God pray continually for all who faithfully preach the gospel of Christ; but every believer should especially pray for his own pastor. Pray for your pastor as he seeks a message for your soul in his private study and preparation for the pulpit, as he preaches the gospel to you, and with regard to his life and conduct in this world. He is a man like yourself, weak, frail, sinful and tempted. Pray for him. Pray that God will ever give him grace to seek neither to avoid the disfavor of men, nor to crave the favor of men. Call upon God to preserve him in grace, in usefulness, and in health and strength. And pray for your pastor's constant and increasing usefulness in the cause of Christ.