Jump Start # 1711

Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

  Our verse today defines the two way relationship between the leaders of a congregation and the members. The leaders, those that watch over your souls, would be the “overseers” or elders. They are also referred to as shepherds. They have the task to see that we are on the right path. Their job, much like a parent in the home, is to see to our wellbeing. They see that we are eating well, here it is spiritually. When we show signs of spiritual sickness or disease, they are to tend to us and help us get well spiritually. Their attention is upon us, the sheep.

The front part of this verse is preached often. We study these words in classes. However, it’s the end of this verse that is often neglected. The first part of this verse shows the responsibility of the leaders to the church. The end of the verse shows our responsibility back to them. The work that they do is hard. We play a role in making their work with “joy” or with “grief.” We can listen and follow nicely or we can kick and scream, dig our heels in and go the other way. Parents remember similar things. The “joys of parenting” include those “terrible twos” and the rebellious teen years. Tough times. Often it’s the resistance of the child  or in the case of our verse, the Christian, that makes these situations tough.

There are some words here that we ought to focus upon:

First, causing grief to others. We think of grief as dealing with death, funerals and tears. That’s one side of grief. There are others, unfortunately. Upsetting others, being a pill or a pain to someone else, being stubborn, selfish, and uncooperative will cause others grief. The context is dealing with Christians. It is not talking about the world. It is not looking at those who do not know Christ. We are talking about those in the same congregation. Those that worship together. Those that make up the same church family. It is within that framework that some cause grief. What they do upset others, especially the leaders. What they do causes others, especially the leaders, to lose sleep. My friends in Texas talk about a “burr in the saddle.” I’ve not been on too many saddles, but I understand a rock in your shoe. It’s hard to walk that way. Every step causes pain. A person has to stop and take off their shoe and get the rock out. If they don’t they will have a sore foot.

Why would someone in the church cause grief to another Christian? That thought alone is beyond understanding. Why? The answer comes down to because they are selfish and they don’t want to go the direction that the leaders are heading. So they cause grief.

Here is a short list of things that causes grief within the church family:

• Gossip will do it every time.
• Spreading rumors and distorting things
• Trash talking the leaders or others
• Raising up a faction that threatens to divide or leave
• Making some members feel like they do not belong
• Avoiding some
• Disobeying the leaders
• Teaching things that are false
• Stirring the pot and making big deals out of nothing
• Insulting others, whether on purpose or not
• Refusing to apologize, forgive or walk with grace
• Arrogance
• Being unspiritual

Those things can certainly mess up a good thing. All it takes is for one family to move in and the whole atmosphere of a congregation can change. One family can move in and get involved, excited and before long, the whole place is encouraged and getting closer. Or, one family moves in, and they start doing what is on our list of “grief” and before long, people have stopped talking to each other, some have taken sides, and some have stopped coming. One family.

Our verse ends with the warning to those who cause grief, “for this would be unprofitable for you.” In others words, don’t you dare try it. Don’t think you can get away with it. You’ll get it, if you do. Unprofitable. Causing trouble will not turn out the way you think it will. It will not be in your favor.

First, the church should and ought to discipline you for being such a stink. Causing trouble has consequences. One of them is being disciplined by the very church family you are a part of.

Second, it doesn’t take much of this until your reputation is shot among the people of God. We are all one big family. You hurt the “cousins” and the aunts and uncles are going to be mad at you. So, you make a mess and head off to another congregation. Guess what? It is likely that they know about you even before you get there. They are not going to be so warm to accept you if you have made a mess at the last place. Preachers ought to understand this. They hurt one congregation and go off to the next. Before long, it’s hard for them to show their faces because of the hurt feelings and the trouble that they have caused.

Thirdly, God is aware of all the grief that has been caused. You might escape the long arm of the law here, but you won’t escape God’s justice. Sowing discord among brethren is in the list of things God hates. You do that and God will deal with you. It will be unprofitable for you. You just might miss Heaven because of the trouble, turmoil and grief that you caused. God knows.

These reminders to the Hebrews, just as they are to us, helps us to realize our place in the church family. We are a team. We need each other. We play different roles. Think before you speak. See the big picture. More is involved than just you. Pray. Be Christ-like.

Be one that brings joy to the leaders. Be one that makes their work easy.

Joy or grief—opposites. It’s all about the choices we make.

Roger