Your Pastor Needs Your Prayers

Hebrews 13:18-19 Your Pastor Needs Your Prayers

• Throughout the Bible, the people God used greatly were never meant to do the work of God in their own strength. They needed the power of the Spirit of God, and they needed the prayers and support of the people around them.
• I’m reminded of Moses when Israel fought Amalek. Moses was leading, but when he became tired, Aaron and Hur held up his hands—and as his hands stayed up, Israel prevailed.
• Moses was the leader, but he still needed people around him helping him stand.
• And the work of an individual pastor cannot be done in human strength alone.
• So the church must pray for his courage, his character, his motives, and his faithfulness and every one of us must take that responsibility personally.
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• Pray for your pastor v18 Pray for us

• • It might seem a little odd to stand up here and ask you to pray for me, but that’s exactly what the writer of Hebrews does. I didn’t write this verse, and it wasn’t written specifically to you, but the principle is clear.

• A leader needs the power of the Holy Spirit, and he needs the prayers of God’s people.///

• Paul may or may not have written Heb, and I’m not Paul, but notice how often Paul asked the churches to pray for him. He knew he could not do the work of God in his own strength.

• He asked for general prayer — 1 Thessalonians 5:25 Brethren, pray for us.

• He asked for prayer that his ministry would be fruitful and acceptable  Romans 15.

• He asked for prayer concerning his imprisonment and the advance of the Gospel  Phil 1.

• He asked for prayer that God would open doors and help him preach clearly  Colossians 4.

• He asked for prayer that he would be delivered from wicked men 2 Thessalonians 3.

• • Paul believed the prayers of the saints mattered because he knew ministry could not be done in human strength- the power had to come from God.
  • Paul knew it wasn’t his strength. Col 1:29 according to His working which works in me mightily.
  • Paul knew what was IN him was not OF him. 1Cor 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am.
  • Paul knew he was not sufficient in himself. 2 Cor 3:5–6 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.
  • And what was the point? That God would be glorified. Not Paul. Not the minister. The LORD.
  • 2 Corinthians 4:7  that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
  • This should be the prayer you pray for your pastor (and our Elders) that its of GOD not us

• To what benefit would it be to be led by a man of God who did it on his own strength?

• • Natural giftings and training can accomplish, but only the spirit of God can sustain. 
  • Same for you. We all need to be spirit led and spirit empowered. It can’t be on our own strength
  • I know people pray for me. I feel it. Supernatural strength and encouragement. Only from him

• As you go through your prayers, you should include me in your prayers. Help me to be full. 

• Pray for his confidence

• And what was the prayer in this verse? Pray for us; for we are confident.
• We’ll get into the specifics of a confident conscience in a minute, but there’s a principle here.
• A minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ must walk with a Spirit-filled boldness from God Himself.
• Think of this- the earliest leaders of our Faith upended the religious norms of the day. Jesus had risen from the dead, but it was his people that brought forth this message and changed minds
• What confidence would it take to preach Jesus was God and the old system had been replaced. 
• Ephesians 6:19–20 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
• Jesus had risen from the dead, and it was His people who carried that message into the world and turned everything upside down.
• Again, this confidence can only be Spirit-filled. It takes a God-given confidence.
• Acts 20:27 For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.
• The whole counsel of God must be preached. A minister can’t only preach what is comfortable.
• You don’t want a minister who waffles in his belief. Who doesn’t believe what he speaks and speaks sheepishly or with fear or trepidation. You want a minister who brings light to the dark.
• Speaking to a Canadian this week- They can’t. Iiterally. Parts of the bible or they can go to jail
• We’re not there yet, but it still takes confidence to speak against sin and say truths of the word
• Early on in my preaching ministry I would often apologize for what he word of God said
• Many people in this church strongly encouraged me: Quit apologizing for the word of God
• It was their prayers and encouragement that broke me of that. I need others to have confidence for me.
• And its not me. It’s the spirit of God in me. I pray, prepare, and the spirit of God empowers me
• Many Mondays I think back on what God said through me and I’m often surprised.
• But God’s grace is sufficient. His strength is made perfect in weakness. Its Christs power in me. 
• Zechariah 4:6 Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, Says the LORD of hosts.
• Pray that for me: that the words I speak and the leadership I give are confident in the Lord.
• I need to trust in the Lord and I need to lead you to trust in the Lord and not yourselves. 
• And If I’m not confident, you can’t be confident. Confidence in the pulpit helps produce confidence in the pews but ultimately all of our confidence must be in the Lord.
• We are living in a lost and dying world that needs the truth of the Gospel. You need to walk in Holy Ghost confidence. Not afraid of man. Not fearful of persecution. You need confidence.  
• Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God. Hebrews 13:6 The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

• Pray for his conscience

• • 18 Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience,

• This is a very humble statement from the writer of Heb. What has been taught and preached was transformational, and he needed to know in his conscience that it was right and true.

• Hebrews declares that Jesus is greater than every Old Covenant mediator; the Levitical priesthood was insufficient and has been replaced; the first covenant is obsolete; animal sacrifices could never take away sin; Jesus offered one sacrifice for sins forever; the earthly tabernacle was only a shadow of heavenly reality; the veil has been opened and we now have direct access to God; Jesus is our eternal High Priest and mediator; God’s law is written on our hearts; our sins are truly forgiven and no further offering is needed; our consciences can actually be cleansed; and our hope is no longer centered in an earthly system or city, but in the heavenly Jerusalem and the kingdom that cannot be shaken.

• What if Hebrews got it wrong? What if he’s leading people to death and not to life?///

• • We read it and we think- yeah of course. At the time, this was a seismic declaration that the entire Old Covenant sacrificial system had reached its fulfillment in Christ.
  • Of course he needed confidence of conscience. Lives were at stake. Eternal truth was at stake. 
  • The writer needed a clear conscience that the theology he put forth was right and true.
  • Paul cared about his conscience. That he conducted himself in simplicity and sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God 2 Cor 1:12. That he could stand before men and say he had lived in good conscience before God Acts 23:1. It’s what he strived for. No offense toward God and men Acts 24:16. We should all strive for this 1 Tim 3:9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.
  • This is a specific prayer you can pray for your pastor- Lord, let him have a pure conscience

• That what he preaches is true, he isn’t tormented by fear, he knows he is honoring God.

• • I don’t take it lightly. I want to honor God in my preaching and my leadership. I want it true
  • It’s why it surprises me when people seem to have their consciences seared. They don’t care
  • The office of a pastor is a sacred trust between God, the man, and his church. It must be pure.
  • This is my prayer- Psa 26:1–2 Vindicate me, O LORD, For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the LORD; I shall not slip. Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart. Psalm 139:23–24Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
  • You need a clear conscience as well. We all wrestle with the truth of God’s word and what we believe and preach. We need clear consciences before God. That we honor him
  • When we live, pray and walk with the Lord, we do things differently. We are not like the world, and our consciences must be clear as we lay our heads down to rest. We are correct. God’s Word is true. We cant live in a constant wrestling battle with what we believe. We just do

• So pray for my conscience specifically. That my mind and heart are pure before the Lord

• If not, the preaching gets weak. Truth does not go forth and Christ is not exalted. 

• Pray for his intentions

• • Hebrews also includes this part here that’s really important as well- that his motives and conduct would be honorable. The scripture says “in all things desiring to live honorably.”

• That what he does is honorable. To God, Church and others. Not self serving. Not for himself

• • Pauls defense to the churches that he led and preached to was clear:
  • 1 Thes2:10 You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe. 2 Cor4:2 not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

• The sad reality of Christian ministry is that there will always be wolves among the sheep

• • There are bad actors in the office of the pastor. There always have been and always will be
  • Phil 1:15–17 Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, 
  • And your prayer for me should be an earnest prayer that my intentions and my life stay pure

• Do you know what destroys the pastor in addition to lack of confidence, conscience?

• • His intentions. Why does he do what he does? Who is it for?///
  • I think most pastors start well, but along the way, they lose their way. They succumb to Satan
  • One- They become slothful. They lose the passion for the Gospel. They call it in
  • Two- Sexual immorality. Many a pastor has fallen to this demon. They give into fleshly desire
  • Three- Silver- They begin to chase money instead of chasing the Gospel and the lost 2 pet 5
  • Four- The worst- Self. They just become selfish. It becomes all about them and their comfort. 
  • Pray for me! Pray I don’t give into these demons and be destroyed: become a cautionary tale
  • I need to stay pure and live a pure life before God to be able to lead God’s church effectively
  • Psalm 15:1–2 LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks upright
  • 2 Cor 5:9Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.

• And its not just me! I lead the charge, but its not just for me. Its for you as well!

• • You can give into sloth, sex, silver and self as well! I’m trying to lead you to greener pastures. 
  • This should be your prayer for yourself as well! Lord, keep me clean! Help me to live right!
  • Lord, help me to work hard for the Gospel- Don’t let me let up. Lord, I’m not giving into my sexual desires, I’m not going to let money be my God and I want every part of my self to die!
  • Titus 2:7–8 in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.

• Its not just for me. Its for you. Its for us. Our intentions should stay pure before God and man

• Pray you’ll respond

• • last part is this 19 But I especially urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner. 
  • Apparently the writer was away from them, and wanted to get back to them. I urge you to pray
  • I urge YOU Not theoretically. Not somebody else. You. I’m asking you specifically
  • its personal. This isn’t a general call its individual. Don’t think someone else will. You do it. 
  • This is a constant problem with us. We hear a call for something and we hope someone else will
  • that cant be you. It can’t be us. When a call goes out from God and his word we must respond
  • James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
  • Lu 11:28 But He said, More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!
  • As I’ve shared this with you today, my prayer is that you would internalize it and make it true 
  • Please pray for me. Pray for my conscience, my confidence, my intentions. I covet your prayers
  • And maybe it’s a little different for you to hear me or any pastor asking you to pray for them
  • I’ve been at this 23 years. I’ve been preaching for over 35 years. I get tired. Weak. Want to quit
  • I know God has called me and has sustained me and I know he will continue to do so, but pray
  • Like paul- Romans 15:30 Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me
  • Strive with me. Through the Lord Jesus. Through the Love of the spirit. Keep me in God’s grace
  • Its not unbiblical.  1 Timothy 2:1–2 I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority
  • You are not responsible for everybody else praying for your leaders. You are responsible for whether you pray. ///
  • Lets be a church that prays for each other and specifically prays for its pastor and leaders
  • Together we’ll stay in the truth. The Gospel will go forward and God will get the glory. 
  • Because ultimately this church does not rise or fall on the strength of its pastor
• it stands on Jesus Christ, and our prayer is that every one of us would remain faithful to Him.