Amen. Alright, well thank you very much for being here tonight. It's a great turnout for Sunday night service.
We appreciate all of you being here and looking forward to, we've been looking forward to this trip,
looking forward to the potluck at the end and the time of fellowship and we're just very thankful for this church
and of course for Fr. Jared and Ms. Heidi and the family and all of you who have just made this possible and made this church plant a success.
Last time I was here, it was just in January, I preached a sermon on the subject of how to treat your pastor's wife and family
and tonight I want to continue kind of that idea but before I get started let me say this, please be in prayer for my family and I.
We're going to be traveling all week. We are here tonight, I was telling some of the guys before the service, we're here tonight
and tomorrow we're going to be filming, we've taken on, Verity Baptist Church has taken on the second season of Landmarks
so we're going to be filming with Fr. Jared in Yosemite for the show and actually I was sitting there and I asked my wife, I said,
is that Yosemite? I've never actually been to Yosemite and she said, yeah, that's Half Dome.
I thought, good, this will make it a lot easier, we'll just film it here and we don't have to do it tonight and we'll have to take the day off tomorrow
but we're going to be filming in the real Yosemite, alright, tomorrow and then on Tuesday we're going to be filming down at one of these big redwood trees
on Wednesday my family and I will be driving down to LA and I'll be doing a Rod of Iron podcast with Pastor Mejia
on Thursday I'll be preaching there in First Works and on Friday we'll be driving back to Sacramento
Saturday will be Soul Winning, Sunday we'll have church and then on Monday I'll be in Lake Tahoe with Pastor Jones from Shield of Faith
recording for Landmarks so it's a busy, busy few days so if you would pray for us and we would appreciate your prayers especially on the road and as we're driving
but like I said, last time I was here I preached a sermon on the subject of how to treat your pastor's wife and family
and later on this year, just a few months from now, Lord willing, I will be ordaining Brother Jared as the pastor of this church
of an independent Baptist church here in Fresno, at that point this church will no longer be a satellite, it'll be an autonomous church
and you'll have a pastor, you'll have a pastor's wife, you'll have a pastor's family, all of that and that's why I preached that sermon last time I was here
my job as the pastor, especially as we kind of finish this, in August, Lord willing, we will be cutting the umbilical cord
this church will become an autonomous church and to be honest with you, this may be the last time I come before we do that
I may have one more trip before that but it's coming very close and my job is to prepare you for that transition
from a satellite church plant to an independent autonomous church and for that reason I want to preach these sermons
not because there is a problem, because there is no problem, there hasn't been a problem
but I want to help you as a church transition from a satellite church with a local leader here under the authority of our church in Sacramento
to an autonomous independent church with a pastor and I want to teach you how to treat your pastor
how to work with your pastor, how to come alongside your pastor
so last time I preached a sermon called how to treat your pastor's wife and family
tonight I'm preaching on the subject of how to treat your pastor and I want to help you with that
you're there in Hebrews 13, I want you to notice that in Hebrews chapter 13 there's a theme that runs through the chapter a little bit
if you look at verse 7, Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 7 says remember them which have the, notice this word, rule over you
remember them which have the rule over you, if you look down to verse number 17 it says obey them that have the rule over you
if you look down to verse number 24 it says salute all them that have the rule over you
and through this chapter we see this theme and the writer continually brings up this individual who has the rule
and I believe this is talking about the pastor and the pastor is the one who rules within the church
what I've learned over the last 10 years of ministry is that oftentimes people need to be taught how to treat
how to deal, how to handle, if that's an appropriate word, their pastor, you know especially our type of churches
our type of churches for the most part reach two types of people and I'm not saying these are the only two types of people we reach
but primarily when we reach people, we reach people right off the streets, I mean we knock their doors, we preach the gospel
we get them saved, we invite them to church, they come, they're unchurched, they're maybe haven't gone to a good church
or don't know anything about church and then what we also reach is a lot of people that we reach through social media
through the YouTube channels and that arm of our ministry and oftentimes those are people that maybe are already religious
they're going to a church but they're not maybe going to a good church, maybe they get saved as a result and start learning good doctrine
a lot of times those people aren't going to church anywhere, they just find us online and they're learning and grasping a lot through the internet ministry
but they've never actually been part of an actual church, an assembly of believers and what I have found with both of these groups
and we love both groups but what I found is that what we often have to do is teach them how to deal with a pastor
how to live within a congregation because it's not something that comes natural and that's the purpose of these sermons
is to try to teach you how to treat your pastor, how to work alongside your pastor
here's what I believe and I'm going to get into the sermon here in a minute but let me just finish this introductory point
what I believe is this, that every Christian should either be a pastor or be supporting a pastor
every Christian should either be a pastor and I don't mean that that I think every Christian should be a pastor
I would say probably most Christians shouldn't be a pastor, there's certain people that should be pastors and they've got to meet certain qualifications and we understand that
but here's what I believe, I believe that you're either a pastor or you're supporting a pastor
you're either a pastor or you're putting yourself under the, because I believe that God wants every Christian in a local church
and therefore God wants you under the authority of a pastor so we should either be a pastor or be supporting a pastor
and hopefully you want to support your pastor, hopefully you want to support, you've supported me as your pastor
over the last couple of years and hopefully you'll want to support your pastor once you have an ordained minister here
so I want to give you some thoughts tonight, I realize we've got to potluck, we've got to move quickly
the snow cones are getting cold is what I'm told so we've got to hurry up so that we can get to those
but I want to give you four thoughts tonight in regards to how to treat your pastor's back, pastor's back
pastors, how to treat your pastor in the back of your course of the week or in the back of your bulletin I should say
there's a place for you to write down some notes, maybe you can write these things down
how to treat your pastor, how to treat your pastor, you say once we have a pastor, once he's ordained
once we're autonomous, we're independent, what do we do, how do we treat him, how's this all going to work
number one, when it comes to how to treat your pastor, you should obey your pastor
now I've already probably lost some people there but that's okay, that's what the Bible says
Hebrews 13, look at verse 17 again, obey, see that word? Obey them that have the rule over you
that word rule, that language means the one who is in charge, the one who makes the rules
he has the rule because he makes the rules, it says obey them that have the rule over you
notice this word and submit yourself, the word submit means to put yourself under the authority
a lot of times in a Baptist church when we see the word submit we only like to bring that up in the context of marriage
and make sure we tell those wives you better be submitting to your husband but you know we all are to submit
in different areas in our lives of authority, absolutely wives should submit to their husband
but you know what men, you should go to work and submit to your boss and submit under his authority
and work under his authority, the Bible says ask unto the Lord, children should obey their parents
and submit to their parents and we should all, we all have areas where God has given us
ordained authority, God given authority in our lives and one of those areas is within the local church
the Bible says that God has placed the pastor as the authority in the local church and it says obey them that have the rule over you
and submit yourself, you say why, here's why, and here's what I know about brother Jared
and here's what I know about any pastor or future pastor who is worth their salt for they watch for your souls
you know what a good pastor does, he watches, he's vigilant, he's paying attention, he knows what you need
he's spending enough time around you to be able to and I don't mean this in a way and I hope you don't take it this way
it's not like we're just you know watching people and taking notes and I got a sermon idea right there, look at that
that's not what we're talking about but you know we can't help but look at the people we've given our lives to
we can't help but love the people that God has given us to lead and sometimes God allows us to see things
and whether it's in an individual or just a trend that come into churches in general the Bible says that we are to watch for your souls
you say why, notice, as they that must give account, you say who does God hold accountable for the local church
the answer is the answer to that question is always the leader, who does God hold accountable in the home, the leader
who ate of the tree of the garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Eve did, she gave to her husband Adam
but who's blamed all throughout the Bible, Adam, wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world
wait a minute what about the woman didn't she eat first, wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin
God always holds the leader accountable and in church it is the leader, it is the pastor as they that must give account
that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable, notice, he says why do you want to obey the pastor
because the pastor is watching for your souls because he must give an account for what happens here at this church
and he says you know what at the end of the day that is unprofitable for you
it is in your best interest to obey your spiritual leader and by the way in any area
kids let me tell you something, it's in your best interest to obey your parents
wives it is in your best interest to submit to the authority of your husband
church members it is in your best interest to submit to your pastor, you say well how should we treat our pastor
well number one you should obey your pastor, notice verse seven of the same chapter there
Hebrews 13 and verse seven, remember them, notice the words which have the rule over you
they have the rule over you, they are the rulers
now you say well what exactly is this referring to we're talking about, I'd like you to keep your place there in Hebrews chapter 13
we're going to come back to Hebrews 13 through the sermon but go with me if you would to the book of Acts
Acts chapter number 20 you have Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts
Acts chapter number 20
Acts chapter number 20 do me a favor when you get to Acts 20
put a ribbon or a bookmark or something there because we're going to leave it and we're going to come back to it later on in the sermon
Acts chapter 20 you should have your place in Hebrews 13, Acts chapter 20
Acts chapter 20 when we say you ought to obey your pastor, what do we mean by that?
well it means that you ought to obey the pastors rules for the church
literally you say do you mean in a spiritual sense should we obey the pastor
no I mean it quite literally the pastor sets the rules
he's the ruler, he sets the rules, you ought to obey his rules
obey the pastor's rules for the church, see the pastor's authority
extends to anything under the canopy of the local church
which he pastors, are you there in Acts 20? Look at verse 28
Acts chapter 20 verse 28 the Bible says this, take heed therefore unto yourselves
this is the apostle Paul speaking to a group of elders, he's speaking to a group of pastors
and then he says this, and to all the flock, what's the flock?
the flock is the congregation, the assembly of believers that God has put us over
he says take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock, notice these words
over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers
the word overseer means to be someone who
supervises, someone who looks over, and by the way let me say this, notice who makes the pastor the overseer?
it is the Holy Ghost, this is why we call it God given authority
you say oh no pastor you're going to make brother Jared the pastor of this church
I may be the human vessel that physically lays hands and ordains them into the ministry
but it is the Holy Ghost that will set him here, it is the Holy Ghost, it is the spirit of God
that has brought him here, that has built this place, that has brought this congregation together
it is God that has done these things, when Paul and Silas were sent off into the ministry
yes there were men that physically laid their hands but the Bible tells us that the Holy Ghost said
separate unto me Paul and Silas, it's God's man, God's position, God's authority
God's the one that's put in there, but I want you to notice it says that the Holy Ghost has made you
Paul speaking to preachers, he says has made you overseer
to feed the church of God which he has purchased with his own blood
the context is about the church, who's the overseer? who's the authority? who's in charge?
who's the one that needs to give an account? who's the one that God holds accountable?
who's the one that God holds responsible? see I want you to understand this
it is the pastor who sets the rules for the church, his authority extends to anything under the canopy of the church
keep your place there in Acts chapter number 20
go back, go to 1 Peter chapter 5, if you kept your place in Hebrews
continue to keep your place in Hebrews but go to James and then 1 Peter
Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, let me make this clear and again this is going to be maybe a very educational sermon
but I want you to understand, you say how do we treat the pastor? how does this all work?
because sometimes people get this idea
and people will come to our church and a lot of times they're new Christians
or they've never just been part of a church that is a strong pastor led church
our type of church is independent fundamental Baptist, we try to model biblical Christianity
we try to follow what the Bible says and the Bible teaches that churches are to be pastor led
we're not elder led in the sense that there's a board of elders, we're not deacon led, we're dead sure not lady led
we have a strong male spiritual leader called a pastor, we are a pastor led church
but sometimes people come to a church like ours and they don't realize it
and I'm just trying to help you and make sure you understand this
the pastor led church, the pastor has the authority over the canopy of anything that falls under the umbrella of the local church
because sometimes people get this idea
they get the idea that says, well pastor just preaches
pastor gets up to preach, he's the one that writes the sermons, he decides what Bible study we're going to do
he decides what personality he wants to rip on or whatever
I'm an advocate, I don't know if you've preached on that yet but you better say nice things
and he decides all the things he's going to preach about but his authority extends to there
and then we as church members can just kind of run wild with anything else
we can do whatever we want and we can do this and do that and start this ministry
and have this Bible study, let's start this Friday night Bible study in my living room
no, anything that falls under the authority of this local church
what are we talking about, we're talking about the preaching of God's word, the teaching of God's word, soul winning, any event
anything that falls, look, if you can do it as a result of your connection to this church, that's his authority
his authority does not extend only through preaching, our influence is done through preaching
but his authority, his rulership falls under the canopy of the church
so you ought to obey the pastor's rules for the church, quite literally, his authority extends to anything under the canopy of this local church
now there's a limit to that, what's the limit, 1 Peter chapter 5, are you there?
his authority, cause you say, I don't know, this sounds a little, you know, is this like a cult, is this a dictatorship
you know, are they just going to run my life, the pastor's going to tell me everything, what to do
his authority, let me be clear, extends to anything under the canopy of the local church
and for sake of clarity, his authority does not extend to anything outside of the local church
1 Peter chapter 5, look at verse 1, notice Peter, he says the elders, referring to himself, Peter was a pastor
he says the elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ
and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed, notice he says feed the flock of God which is among you
so this is Peter, who is an elder, talking to other elders, he says feed the flock of God which is among you
taking the oversight thereof, notice it's a consistent theme throughout the Bible, the pastor is the overseer
he says take the oversight, he is the ruler, taking the oversight thereof, then he says this, not by constraint
we're not a cult, we're not going to force you to do anything, he says but willingly, not for filthy lucre, our motivations are right
we're not doing it for money, but of a ready mind, notice verse 3, neither as being lords over God's heritage
but being in samples to the flock, what does this mean?
it means that we are not to dictate into the lives of God's people, see at the end of the day, a pastor, you know, we may call it my church
and I don't think there's anything wrong with saying that, this is my church, I should take ownership, you know, I love Verity Baptist Church in Sacramento
I love this church as well, but you know, my church, the church that, we start these churches with the idea that we will cut the umbilical cord
make them independent, the church in Sacramento is not getting rid of me that easily, and you know, I love that church, it is my church
and I don't mean that in an ownership way, I mean that in a part that I'm part of the family, it's part of our church
and I love our people, and sometimes we as preachers say, they're my people, aren't there anything wrong with that?
we do have to realize that they really are God's people
and our authority extends within the church, but not outside the church
now we love you, but we're not going to tell you what to do at home, now we may preach what you should do at home
but we're not going to enforce what you should or should not do, where or should not wear, watch or should not watch
we'll preach that with our authority here at church, we'll say hey, God wants you to not watch certain things
and not listen to certain things, and not go certain places, but we're not going to force you to do that
because see, the pastor's authority, it extends to the local church
so anything done in and out of the local church, falls under the authority of the pastor
sometimes people, they don't understand that, they hear that
we'll teach that to them, they think, I don't know, you guys are kind of dictators
I've had people, you know, come to our church and say, oh we want to have a wedding ceremony
at Very Baptist Church, and pastor we'd like you to do the wedding
and it's like, okay, well we'd like to do that, you know, let's sit down and talk about some rules
right, with the ruler, and you know, you start telling them, well no, we're not going to play Celine Dion
and no, we're not going to have a dance, and no, we're not going to do this, and we're not going to do that
and you know, young couples look at me all the time and say, you're ruining our wedding
I say, well, there's a misunderstanding, it's my wedding
you just get to be a part of it
because the authority of the pastor, hey, I'm the one that's going to have to give an account to God
for the type of music that's played in our church
I'm the one that's going to have to stand before God and have an account for the dancing that was allowed
and the things that were done, and obviously we don't try to ruin, I mean it's always fun to ruin
you know, newlyweds' weddings or whatever, but you know, the goal is not to ruin your life
but the point is this, that's the authority of the pastor
you say, oh, we'd like to have this event or that event at church, well, we're not going to allow for certain music
and we're not going to do, we'll have a funeral, but you're not going to bring alcohol
that's the authority of the church, that's the authority of the pastor
but we're not going to go to your house and dump out the alcohol
now if you had any, if you were worth anything as a Christian, you'd go home and dump out the alcohol
but we're not going to physically show up and tell you, you know, do this and do that
see, the authority of the pastor extends under the canopy of the church
but it does not extend outside of the canopy of the church
so when we say obey your pastor, we mean obey the rules he has for this church
obey the things that he's declared that he wants done here
but there's another thought, go back to Hebrews 13, keep your place there in
excuse me, you don't have to keep your place there, you have your place in Hebrews
go back to Hebrews 13, you should have your place in Acts, but Hebrews 13
when we say obey the pastor, we mean that you ought to obey the pastor's rules
for the church, literal, but we also mean that you should obey the pastor's preaching
for the church, spiritually, Hebrews 13, look at verse 7
remember them which have the rule over you, who have, notice these words
who have spoken unto you the word of God, isn't that what a pastor does?
they have the rule over the church but they also stand up and they speak the word of God
brother Jared gets up here three times a week, opens up the word of God
and expounds it upon unto you, the Bible says 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
go back to 1 Peter chapter 5 if you would, you're there in Hebrews, just go back
James and 1 Peter, 1 Peter chapter 2, excuse me, 1 Peter chapter 5, look at verse 2
1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 2, notice the words
feed the flock of God, this is what pastors are told to do
the flock is the congregation of believers, what are we to do?
we are to feed the flock of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof
go to 1 Peter chapter number 2 if you would, 1 Peter chapter number 2
our job is to feed you the word of God
you've heard this before, I'm sure you've heard it before
and I want you to understand how it works
when you got saved, we're going to look at a couple of verses here in a minute
when you got saved you were a new creature
the Bible says therefore when we become, when we place our faith in Christ
when we receive Christ, we become the sons of God
we become a new creature and when you became the son of God
when you became the daughter of God, you were a babe in Christ, you were a baby
and then our job is to help you grow
1 Peter chapter 2, look at verse 2
as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word
that ye may grow thereby, if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious
go back to Hebrews chapter 5 if you would
see you come to church like this and we begin to feed you the word of God
this is why we actually preach the Bible around here
don't all churches preach the Bible? have you been to other churches?
I mean I'm talking about even good independent pharaoh Baptist churches
churches you get there, you get one verse and then 40 minutes of who knows what
you know and I'm not against illustrations and I'm not against stories
and I'm not against those things but our job is to preach the word of God
Paul said preach the word to Timothy, he said be instant in season, out of season
see you say why do you preach the word of God? here's why we preach the word of God
because we are to feed the flock as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word of God
see you grow through the word of God, Hebrews 5 and verse 13 says this
for everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness
for he is a babe Hebrews 5 13
now look here's how it works
you show up to church like this and you start learning things
we teach you about salvation, we teach you about baptism, we teach you about church membership
and as you grow you start off with the milk of the word and then you start learning some heavier things
we might start teaching you about separation, start teaching you about dress standards
start teaching you about prophecy and start teaching you all sorts of different things
and things that God wants you to learn and grow
see it is the word of God that helps you grow
that's why the Bible says that the ruler is the one who has spoken unto you the word of God
you grow as you learn and apply the word of God
and it's not just learning you must apply it
look at verse 13 again Hebrews 5 13
for everyone that uses, you see the word uses there
it's not enough to have it you got to use it
for everyone that uses the milk is unskillful in the word
how do we know when you're a babe in Christ
and look being a babe in Christ has nothing to do with your physical age
has nothing to do with how long you've been saved
I'm about to show you, you say well how do I know when I'm mature as a Christian
here's how you know, everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word
when you're unskillful in the word you can't handle the word of God
you say what do you mean, here's what I mean
you can't on Monday morning get up, grab the Bible, open it and read it for yourself
you say well anybody can do that, oh really are you doing it?
because most Christians haven't read the Bible cover to cover one time
well anybody can do that, that's not what I'm asking
I'm not saying can you do it, I'm asking are you doing it
because when you are skillful in the word that's maturity
see a baby has to be fed, right?
children don't feed themselves, babies don't feed themselves
you got to feed them, you got to give them the milk
and we have no problem doing that, you come to a church like this we'll feed you milk
we'll feed you the word
notice for everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness
for he is a babe
but strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age
see eventually a baby doesn't have to be fed milk anymore
because they start maturing and growing and they start grabbing for stuff
and they start feeding themselves and we as parents teach them how to feed themselves
and they become of full age even those, how does that happen spiritually?
here's how, even those who by reason of use
have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil
you say Pastor Jimenez how do I know if I'm a mature Christian?
you know you're a mature Christian when you can start feeding yourself spiritually
you're mature
when the only time you get the word of God fed to you
is when brother Jared feeds it to you here at church
you're a babe
I'm not saying that to offend you, I just want you to understand where you're at spiritually
you say well once I start feeding myself I don't ever have to come to church
well here's the thing
once babies start feeding themselves
they might be able to start, you know, make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
and these older kids or whatever and they start feeding themselves
but they still need mama, right?
because just because a six year old can feed themselves doesn't mean they're going to feed themselves well
a six year old can go into the cupboard and grab a bag of Cheez-Its
and you know, put a, maybe an eight year old can put a bag of popcorn in the microwave and eat it
but they need mom and dad there to make sure they eat their green beans
and eat their broccoli
and get some good protein, right?
so look, even in the growth you say well I started, you know, I started reading the Bible on my own
well praise the Lord, I hope you have, I hope you will
you say I started with the book of Proverbs, great
I started with the book of John, great
I started with the book of Psalms, awesome
I started with the gospels, praise the Lord
but you know, you need a brother Jared to get you through the book of Judges
you need a pastor to get you through the book of Ezekiel
you need a pastor to get you through the book of Leviticus
see we teach you the word of God, we help you grow
and then this is how you grow as a Christian
as a Christian, we preach the word of God to feed you the word of God to help you grow
we teach the entire word of God
Acts chapter 20, if you can, go back there
Acts chapter 20, verse 27
Acts chapter 20 and verse 27, notice what the apostle Paul says
he says, for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God
one of my goals as a pastor of Arity Baptist Church
is to preach through every verse of the Bible
to our church family
you say why?
that I might stand up one day and say
I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God
take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock
over which the Holy Ghost made you overseer
to feed the church of God
you say, how do I treat my pastor?
well, you ought to obey the pastor's rules for the church
the pastor may have some things he wants for this church
and his authority does not extend outside of this ministry
but within this ministry you ought to obey him
but you know what else?
you ought to obey his preaching
when he stands up and preaches the word of God
you ought to obey it, you ought to do it
please understand this and don't take this the wrong way
and I don't mean for it to sound the wrong way
but we do not preach to be heard
we preach to be obeyed
we preach for application
we don't preach to be heard
we don't stand up here and preach so that people can stand
you know, walk up to us after the service and say
that was a great sermon, that was the greatest sermon I've ever heard
now look, we appreciate it when people say that
I'm not saying it's wrong for you to say that
if it's a great sermon, it was a blessing to you
go ahead and let brother Jared know
but you know what?
then go home on Monday and do it
obey it
it's for your benefit
obey them that have the rule over you
submit yourselves for they watch for your soul
I think my brother Jared was preaching that at me
well who else was he preaching?
the ghost?
why was he preaching it?
he preceeded that?
and by the way, let me just say this
any time a pastor preaches something
you're like, I think he was preaching that at me
there's like five people in the church that that applies to
pastor said something about whatever
pastor said something about smoking
there's like people in our church that smoke
calm down
but even if you're the only one
you need to hear it
for they watch for your souls
that they that must give a cup
that they may do it with joy
and that's profitable for you
so he said what do I do with my pastor?
you ought to obey him
you ought to obey his rules
you ought to obey his preaching
he's trying to help you grow
he's trying to help you mature
go back to Hebrews 13
while you turn there let me just read to you from
Ephesians chapter 4
you don't have to turn here
I'll read Ephesians chapter 4
you go back to Hebrews 13
Ephesians chapter 4 verse 11 says this
and he gave some apostles
and some prophets
and some evangelists
and some pastors and teachers
here he's talking about positions
of spiritual leadership
he says he gave some pastors and teachers
for what purpose?
for the perfecting of the saints
the word perfect
means to make complete
to make whole
we use the word perfect
like there's nothing wrong with it
that's not the way that our
King James Bible use the word perfect
the word perfect
means to make it complete
to make it whole
why did God give you
pastors and teachers right?
you have a pastor
his name is pastor Jimenez right now
you have a teacher
his name is brother Jared
one day your teacher will be your pastor
but you'll have other teachers
why did God give you those?
for the perfecting
for the maturing
for the completing
of the saints
you need to grow
you don't have it all put together
look and you never
will have it all put together
the apostle Paul
probably the greatest Christian
other than the Lord Jesus Christ
the greatest Christian
who ever lived said
I have not yet attained
what are we trying to do?
we're trying to help you
grow
for the perfecting of the saints
for the work of the ministry
for the edifying of the body of Christ
till we all come in the unity of the faith
and of the knowledge of the Son of God
unto a perfect man
a complete man
by the way
that's what the Bible says in the book of Job
when the Bible says that Job was a perfect man
it doesn't mean he was sinless
it means he was a mature
well-balanced Christian
he was a perfect
notice
unto a perfect man
unto the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ
that we henceforth
be no more children
tossed to and fro
and carried about
with every wind of doctrine
by the sleight of men
and cunning craftiness
whereby they lie in wait
Jeremiah chapter 3 and verse 15
don't turn there
the Bible says this
and I will give you pastors
according to mine heart
which shall feed you
with knowledge and understanding
God, obey your pastor's preaching
let me give you a second one
tonight I said number one
you should obey your pastor
number two
you should follow your pastor
how to treat your pastor
you ought to follow him
are you there in Hebrews 13
look at verse 7 again
Hebrews 13 verse 7
remember them
which have the rule over you
who has spoken unto you
the word of God
notice these words
whose faith follow
considering the end of their conversation
what does that mean?
it means that you ought to follow
the direction of the church
notice it says whose faith follow
1st Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 1
you don't have to turn there
Paul said this
be ye followers of me
even as I also am of Christ
spiritual leadership
sometimes people attack pastors
why should I follow you
I need to only follow God
I need to only follow Christ
Paul said hey
be ye followers of me
even also as I am a follower of Christ
you ought to follow your spiritual leadership
as they follow their leadership
their head
as they follow
of course as we all follow Christ
and as we follow the word of God
but the Bible says here
that you ought to follow their faith
whose faith follow
now what does that mean
to follow their faith
well first of all
it means that you ought to follow
their direction for the church
you know that different churches
have different directions
different churches
have different things that they're doing
that's okay
now look every church
needs to do certain things
we all need to be
the pillar and ground of the truth
we all need to preach the word of God
we all need to go sowing
we understand that
but with that
there is some wiggle room
for churches to have
different sorts of things
that they might focus on
some churches may focus on media
and making videos
and documentaries
and things like that
does the Bible require us to do that
the Bible does not require us to do that
could somebody be a successful pastor
and never put out a video
that gets 173,000 views on YouTube
of course they could
but you know some churches
have decided to make that part
it's something that God
has allowed them to do
something that they can reach people with
there's nothing wrong with that
our church has
a little prison ministry
and I won't take the time
to tell you the story
but a lot of it had to do
with a family in our church
that helped us get that going
and you know
it started with us
writing letters to
one person we loved in prison
and today up to this point
I think we've got 47 people
who we send transcribed sermons
to every week in prison
all over this country
and I hope that number one day is a hundred
I hope that number one day is five hundred
I hope that number one day is a thousand
we might need some help
you know if that happens
does every church in America
have to send transcribed sermons to prisoners
no but it's something we're doing
there are some things that
all churches should be doing
and then there's other things
that not every church needs to be doing
you know different churches
have different flavors
they have different things
things that they may want to do
as a ministry
and you know
when it comes to your church
you ought to let the pastor set the tone
you ought to let him set the direction
every year at our church
we take a special offering
we call it the vision offering
well you're taking it this coming Sunday
we're taking it in Sacramento
this morning in Sacramento
I preached my annual vision offering sermon
and our vision offering
is not us just trying to raise money
our vision offering is me
really casting a vision for our church
what we want to do
and the goals we have
and the things we'd like to accomplish
and then of course motivating to raise money
to accomplish those things
to do those things
but let me tell you something
sometimes people show up to church
and they say
oh no no no no
you know pastor you preach
and let's go in this direction
let's do this
and let's do that
but you know what you ought to do
as a church member
is you ought to figure out
what direction are you going
let me follow your faith
whose faith follow
you set the direction
you cast the vision
and let me help
you got to follow your pastor
follow his direction
there's nothing more frustrating
over the last 10 years of ministry
we have some great people in Sacramento
God has given us some of the greatest people
in Sacramento
that has made up our church
and Verity Baptist Church
but let me tell you something
there's something
there's nothing more frustrating
than having to fight
and kind of butt heads
with church people
that are trying to take the direction
of the church
in a different way
don't do that
all churches are different
at our church
there's something that we've done
something that works for us
this in Sacramento
actually does not work here in Fresno
it may work here in the future
you know
all churches are transitioning as well
brother Jared and I had a conversation
about this recently
but in Sacramento
I push for Saturday soul winning
now we have Thursday soul winning
we have Sunday soul winning
we have other times for soul winning
but I push
for our main soul winning group
to go out on Saturday morning
that works for us
it works very well for us
we get a lot of visitors
as a result
here in Fresno
it's a little different
Sunday seems to be
more of the big day
and you guys get a lot of visitors
on Sunday nights
I wouldn't try to fight that
I just realized
that's how it is here
and I'd get on
the man of God's vision
and I'd get on
the man of God's vision
and I'd get on
the man of God's vision
and try to help him with that
you know
but in Sacramento
for us
I try to push
Saturday soul winning
the Lord has
blessed us
over the last several weeks
we've had
somewhere between
90 and 110
soul winners out
every Saturday morning
and I appreciate that
and I appreciate people
following
my vision in regards to that
over the years though
my wife and I
have had to confront some people
look
people don't want to go
on Saturday
and they want to keep
their Saturday open
for whatever they want to do
that's fine with us
no problem
we've got Thursday soul winning
for you
we've got Sunday soul winning
for you
that's not a problem at all
we're not going to tell you
what to do
in your personal life
but when people make it
their agenda
and start going to soul winners
and saying hey
don't go on Saturday
let's all go on Sunday
don't go on Saturday
why are you trying to
fight the pastor's vision?
I'm not saying
that every church
has to go soul winning
I'm just saying
so why don't you just
get on the pastor's vision
you know when brother Jerry
is the pastor here
why don't you just figure out
what's he doing
what's he pushing
what's his agenda
what has God called him to do
what direction is he going
and then you get behind that
and you say
I'm going to follow you
whose faith follow
you ought to follow
his direction
you ought to follow
your pastor's direction
for the church
but you ought not only
follow his direction
for the church
you ought to follow
his direction in life
look down at Hebrews 13 again
look at verse 7
remember them
which have the rule over you
who have spoken unto you
the word of God
whose faith follow
then he says this
considering the end
of their conversation
the word conversation
means their lifestyle
their behavior
their way of life
their personal lifestyle
the Bible says that
you ought to be able to
look at your pastor
and consider the end
of his conversation
see a pastor
is to be an example
go back to 1 Peter
if you would
you're there in Hebrews
just go to James
and 1 Peter
1 Peter chapter 5
and look at verse 3
1 Peter chapter 5
and verse 3
I apologize
I'm only on the second point
we may need to put
we may need to put those
on ice
because I'm going to be
a little while
1 Peter chapter 5
look at verse 3
neither as being
lords over God's heritage
notice these words
but being in samples
to the flock
you say what's your job
as a pastor
one of my jobs
is to be an example
to the flock
my wife is to be an example
to the flock
Brother Jared
Miss Heidi
their family
1 Timothy chapter 4
and verse 12
you don't have to turn
I'll just read this for you
1 Timothy 4, 12
says let no man
despise thy youth
this is Paul
speaking to Timothy
this is a pastoral
epistle
this is Paul
speaking to a pastor
he says let no man
despise thy youth
and by the way
that's why we know
that spiritual maturity
has nothing to do
with physical age
Timothy was a young man
but yet he was an elder
when I got into ministry
I was a very young man
today I like to think
I'm a young man
I'm getting older everyday
but Paul told Timothy
he said hey let no man
despise thy youth
he says but be thou
an example of the believers
in word, in conversation
in charity, in spirit
in faith, in purity
and notice he says
be an example
not to the believers
but of the believers
so what does that mean?
See people think
oh the pastor
he's an example
to the believers
so that means that he
has to have this
high standard in life
and we're going to
and then we all get
to kind of you know
lack a little bit
no, no, no
the pastor's not an example
to the believers
he's an example
of the believer
which means that
you ought to look at him
and say hey what pastor
is doing with his family
that's what I should
be doing with my family
hey how pastor works
that's how I ought
to be working
hey what pastor is doing
that's what I ought
to be doing see
you say how do I
treat my pastor
you got to obey him
you got to follow him
you got to follow
his direction
for this church
and you ought to follow
him in life
be thou an example
of the believer
go to 1 Corinthians
chapter 9 if you would
1 Corinthians chapter 9
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John,
Acts, Romans,
1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians chapter 9
I said tonight number 1
you should obey your pastor
number 2
you should follow
your pastor
number 3
you should provide
for the physical needs
of your pastor
now this point
I want to give
a disclaimer
I'm not saying
this needs to happen
immediately
and in some cases
it may never happen
we're talking of course
about a pastor
being full time
having the church
provide for their
physical needs
a pastor does not need
to be full time
for the first four years
of our ministry
in Sacramento
I worked a full time job
and you know
that didn't make us
any less of a church
and there are situations
where a pastor
may never
go into
full time
into that
full time capacity
that doesn't make them
any less of a pastor
but
what I believe is this
that
if the church grows
and if the church
is able to
and if the pastor
wants to
the church should
not only obey them
should not only
follow them
but the church should
provide
for their physical needs
now Paul gives us
some arguments for how
you know providing
for the needs of your pastor
look at 1 Corinthians chapter 9
and verse 7
first I like Paul
he's very good at
systematically
putting down an argument
first he begins with
the logical argument
is just this
he says look
you ought to pay your pastor
you ought to provide
for the needs of your pastors
he says it just makes
logical sense
he says 1 Corinthians 9
and verse 7
who goeth to warfare
at any time at his own charges
I was in the military
many of you were
in the military
and when you're in the military
you know nobody
nobody says hey
go to Qatar
go to Afghanistan
but buy your own ticket
and you know
try to get a gun
and you know
some bullets would be good
if you can find one
a helmet
preferably not
a bike helmet
but you know something
he says who goeth
who goeth a war
any time of his own charges
look when somebody
somebody sends somebody
off to war
they provide
what they need
to go fight that battle
Paul's just giving
the logical argument
here he says
who goeth a war
at any time
at his own charges
then he gives another example
logical
he says
who planted the vineyard
and eateth not the fruit
thereof
anybody plant a vineyard
and not eat
from the fruit
that comes from that vineyard
now you may not
eat all the fruit
you might
use some of it
and sell some of it
and do other things
but generally speaking
when someone plants
a vineyard
they eat of the fruit thereof
and who feedeth the flock
and eateth not
of the milk
of the flock
notice verse 8
say I these things
as a man
see because
Paul's giving us
this logical argument
but he says
hey don't confuse
my logical argument
as the logic of man
he said
I'm not just saying this
as a man
or sayeth not the law
the same old
doesn't God's law
teach this concept as well?
he's about to quote
the word of God
verse 8
say I these things
as a man
or sayeth not the law
the same also
then in verse 9
he quotes
the Old Testament
he says
for it is written
in the law of Moses
thou shalt not
muzzle the mouth
of the ox
that treadeth out the corn
he goes back
and he pulls out
and I'm kind of offended
at Paul
because he's like
let me tell you something
God says
you ought to provide
for the needs
of your pastor
and people would say
well where does the Bible
say that Paul?
and he says
well doesn't the Bible say
muzzle not the ox
that treadeth out the corn?
and then you know
we as pastors are like
thanks Paul
you're calling us an ox?
but here's what Paul's saying
Paul's saying look
when an ox
goes out into the field
and it's plowing
and it's working
don't muzzle its mouth
don't cover its mouth
so that it cannot eat
he said
when it's working
allow him to eat
provide for its physical needs
Paul's saying
feed the ox
he said my pastor's
kind of an ox
okay well feed him
thou shalt not muzzle
the mouth of the ox
that treadeth out the corn
is Paul some sort of
like animal rights guy?
no notice verse 9
does God take care
for oxen?
Paul says look
God didn't say that
because he's really worried
about the oxen
although it makes sense
to not just work your ox
and not feed your ox
and give water your ox
look at verse 10
or saith he it all together
for our sakes
no doubt
this is written
that he that ploweth
should plow in hope
and he that threshest in hope
should be partaker
of this hope
look at verse 11
if we have sown unto you
spiritual things
is it a great thing
if we shall reap
your carnal things?
you come to a church
like this you say
wow I've learned so much
wow my life has changed
wow my life has transformed
man ever since I started
coming here
I've been learning
and I've been growing
and God's been helping me
and the preaching
of the word of God
has really transformed
my life
well if we have sown
unto you spiritual things
is it a great thing
if we shall reap
your carnal things?
here's what he's saying
if your pastor
is providing for you
spiritually
then why won't you
provide for him physically?
see the biblical argument
for providing
for the needs of your pastor
is that you should not
muzzle the ox
that treadeth out the corn
this concept is found
all throughout the Bible
keep your place right there
in 1 Corinthians
chapter 9
go with me to
1 Timothy chapter 5
if you would
find all the t-books
they're all clustered together
1 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
Titus
1 Timothy chapter 5
look at verse 17
1 Timothy 5, 17
says this
let the elders
those are the pastors
let the elders
that rule well
by the way
let me just say this
not all pastors
are created equal
some rule better than others
I'm very happy
when I come to Fresno
and I see how
well run this church is
sometimes
and don't ask me where
because I won't tell you
I go preach
the Lord has allowed me
to preach in different places
and go
and sometimes every once in a while
I'm just kind of like
you know
I'm not the pastor here
just don't pay attention
you know
service starts at 7
and then actually starts at 7, 15
you know
those kind of things
you know
I don't know if I'm an advocate
or type A or what
I'll have to listen to brother Jared
but
the Bible says
let the elders that rule well
be counted worthy of double honor
especially they who
labor in the word and doctrine
you know
you can tell when somebody
labors in the word and doctrine
for the scripture saith
thou shalt not muzzle the ox
that treadeth out the corn
now there's a context
and the laborer
is worthy of his reward
you ought to provide
for the needs
of your pastor
go to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5
if you wouldn't
the church
ought to provide for the needs
of the pastor
eventually
if it grows to that place
if it's needed
it should not be opposed to that
sometimes people get this idea
we're not going to pay the pastor
you know the Bible teaches
you say how should I treat
my pastor
well you ought to obey him
you ought to follow him
you ought to provide for his physical needs
I said this recently
I was preaching in Boise
I said this
and I don't think it's wrong
if people say this
but you know
people have to say like
we pay the pastor
we pay the pastor to preach
sometimes people say to me
you know you get paid to preach
you know
sometimes I joke around people
sometimes I don't say anything
but you know
sometimes I'll joke with people
and say
what does that even mean
you pay me to preach
like
if the sermon's good
you know
$49.99
but if it's not good
then you get like a 10% discount
like what do you mean
you get paid to preach
you know every once in a while
you get a blue light sale
and
sermon's 50% off
you know
you don't pay the pastor to preach
you provide for his physical needs
so that he can do the work
that God has called him to do
and our job is to provide
while the ox is working
don't muzzle his mouth
so we ought to
obey the pastor
we ought to follow the pastor
we ought to provide
for the pastor
I told you to go to 1 Thessalonians
I'd like you to
I'd like you to go there
keep your place right there
but go back to 1 Corinthians 9 if you would
let me just read these verses to you
real quickly
1 Corinthians chapter 9 and verse 12
look at verse
actually look at verse 13
1 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 13
do ye not know that they
he's gonna give
he gave
an argument for providing
for the needs of the pastor
now he's gonna give the process
how does this happen
he says
do ye not know that they
talking about the Levitical priesthood
that they which minister about holy things
live of the things of the temple
and they that wait at the altar
are partakers with the altar
he's talking about the Old Testament Levites
the priests
he says look
in the Old Testament
people would bring
of their tithes and their offerings
to the temple
to the tabernacle
to the storehouse
and the spiritual leaders there
the priests
and the Levites
they would work in that
some of that would be used
to have
a feast days
with the congregations
some of that would be used
for things that needed to be done
but they would also eat from that
that's how they got paid
and he says
this is the pattern
for how you pay the pastor
look at verse 14
even so
hath the Lord ordained
that they which preach the gospel
should live of the gospel
see eventually
eventually
the offerings
the tithes and offerings
that come into a church
yes those are used for events
yes those are used for this event
and that event
and a ladies tea
or a married couple sweetheart banquet
or whatever
but also from that
you ought to provide
for the needs of your pastor
and you ought to be generous
with your pastor
the Bible says they're worthy
of double honor
especially they that labor
in the Word and Doctrine
go back to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5
we're talking about how to treat your pastor
number 1 you ought to obey your pastor
you ought to obey his rules
he sets the rules for the church
but you ought to obey his preaching as well
we won't force that
but it's in your best interest
you ought to follow your pastor
you ought to follow his direction
for the church
and you ought to follow his direction in life
you ought to provide
for the needs of your pastor
let me give you the fourth one
we'll finish up
how to treat your pastor
you should appreciate your pastor
1 Thessalonians chapter 5
look at verse 12
and we beseech you brethren
to know them
to know them which labor among you
don't ever say this
well what does pastor do all week anyway?
you know what God says
that it's your job to know them
which labor among you
I mean pay attention
sometimes people show up to churches
they're like wow look at this beautiful event
this married couple of sweetheart bank
well look at all these decorations
and you know we get these nice pictures taken
and this and that
look at all these things
and they think you know
did that just come out of nowhere?
pastor must have some great faith
he walked into an empty room
got on his knees prayed
and poof you know it all appeared
that'd be nice if it happened that way
but you know usually when events happen
somebody was there the night before
making it happen
somebody was there getting it ready
when the man of God stands up to preach
he spends hours during the week
preparing, reading, thinking, writing
a good pastor is busy at work
the ministry is work
the Bible says that
if any man desire the office of a bishop
he desires a good work
it's work
and we beseech you brethren
to know them which labor among you
and are over you
that's your spiritual authority
in the Lord and admonish you
that's the teaching and preaching of God's Word
and then he says this verse 13
to esteem them very highly in love
for their work's sake
and be at peace among yourselves
see you ought to appreciate your pastor
a good pastor will work hard
a good pastor will accomplish much
a good pastor will
be there when you need him
and will make himself available
and we understand that there are limits
and boundaries and all those things
but we are laboring among you
we are over you spiritually
and admonishing you with the Word of God
that's what we do
that's what God has called us to do
pastors I don't know
I don't know if all pastors are like this
I know for me it's this way
and maybe it's my own inability
to get this under control
God has given me the gift of administration
I think that
the Lord has allowed me to be able to
see things and organize things
in a way that work well
but maybe this is just
I need to organize but you know
I'll be honest with you
the pastors I know
and I can tell you for myself
we don't take days off
it just doesn't really work
every time I told my wife
I'm tired of this
I'm going to take a day off
somebody dies
nobody ever likes to check with me
before they die
if I'm taking the day off
then some emergency happens
there's this and that
there's a hospital visit
there are things that need to be done
and I'm not complaining
I'm just telling you
the ministry is work
acknowledge that
realize that
you have a man here that works a full time job
has a wife and children
three sermons
that help you grow every week
and takes you hiking
and does this and does that
and takes care of you
and has lunch with you
and all those things
a good pastor works hard
accomplishes much
and when a good pastor is accomplishing
then a good pastor should be appreciated
1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 13
you say how do we appreciate our pastor
well let me just give you some thoughts from this verse
notice it says and to esteem them
the word esteem means to be thoughtful
to think
a lot of appreciation just has to do with
esteeming
being thoughtful
you know you ought to be thoughtful with
the Pozarnsky family
for their special days birthdays
anniversaries birthdays for
Brother Jared and Miss Heidi
birthdays for the kids
in their lives
just be thoughtful
you ought to be thoughtful
from time to time you know
is there any way we can help
is there a need we can fill
is there something we can do
it says and to esteem them
then he says this very highly
you ought to be thoughtful
you ought to be generous
in love
for their work sake
and then he says and be at peace
among yourselves
you ought to appreciate your pastor
you ought to love on your pastor
and love your pastor
just you know just on the way here
my wife and I were joking
and you know you ever have those
dark jokes where you're joking
but you know it's kind of like
you know
and we're like man it sure be nice
if Brother Jared and Miss Heidi
came back to Sacramento you know
and then of course it's like
yeah that would be nice
that would be good
that would mean something went really bad
wrong in Fresno
here's what I'll tell you
take care of them
we'll take them back
we'll take them away from you
don't mistreat them
love them
realize that there's work
and there's effort and there's heartache
and there's hard times
they go into ministry
appreciate them
the church is getting ready to transition
an independent autonomous local church
I hope you're excited
I'm excited for what God is going to do
I'm excited to
for the steps Brother Jared and I
even just this trip
we'll start talking about how to transition this
into an autonomous church
and you know I'm excited to find out
things like the name
of this church
I really hope it's not you know
but you know he's the boss
so whatever
but as you transition
as you transition
remember you say
man we have a pastor now that's here
how do we treat him?
you ought to obey him
you ought to follow him
you ought to provide for him
and you ought to appreciate him
let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer
you