For our Scripture reading tonight, let's turn together to Hebrews 13. Hebrews 13, as we read together verses 7-19 of this chapter. Hebrews 13, in my Bible here, the heading has been inserted, concluding exhortations at the beginning of chapter 13, and the writer talks about loving each other, keep on loving each other as brothers. He once again talks about marriage, that it should be honored by all. Then we take up our reading at verse 7, where he begins to talk about leaders. As we give our attention to the Word of God, Hebrews 13, beginning at verse 7. Our text tonight, verses 7 and 8. Remember your leaders who spoke the Word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same. yesterday, and today, and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods which are of no value to those who eat them. We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat. The high priest carries the blood of animals into the most holy place as a sin offering. But the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through His own blood. Let us then go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confesses His name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon. Again, verses 7 and 8. Remember your leaders who spoke the Word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Dear people of God, tonight we are experiencing a change. But of course, we know that change is common in our lives. It's a part of our lives. Boys and girls, you know that very clearly yourselves as you change each and every day. You change physically as you grow older. Last year's clothes don't fit you anymore. The clothes you're wearing this year might not fit you next year. We change mentally, emotionally, physically, intellectually, and spiritually. Boys and girls, you also change with school as you advance from one grade to another with each passing year. And daily we change as new things are being learned, our knowledge is being added to. As adults, we change too with our work from time to time. But simply put, practically speaking, our lives change from childhood to young adult to middle-aged to senior citizen. The seasons change also. And the truth is, so many changes take place in our lives. Some good, some bad, some difficult, some not so difficult. We can't even keep track of all of them. But again, changes take place also in the church. It always has. In a practical way, if you were to put two picture directories from different years together side by side, you would see these changes in a very visible way very quickly. But change in the church is especially true when it comes to visible leadership. Again, we are reminded of that tonight as new elders and deacons prepare to take office as those whose places they take prepare to retire from office which they have faithfully held for three years. And of course, there are many other changes that take place in the church, in the life of the church, also both good and bad. And as this text instructs us, whether these changes are good or bad, whether they are profitable or unprofitable whether they are eternally damaging or not depends upon the one who is changeless Jesus Christ this one who is God Himself who was anointed by His Father to offer His saving sacrifice is the same yesterday and today and forever and boys and girls that means that even as things necessarily change in our lives There are things that do change for us necessarily. Even as these necessary changes take place in our lives, we must know that we can only handle these necessary changes if by grace we are founded on Jesus who stays the same. He is always our only Savior. He is always praying for His people in heaven. He will always be there for His people. And the powerful instruction that God gives to us in this text tonight is this, staying faithful in the midst of change. Looking back in remembrance, moving forward by imitation. Now we need to understand that the church which the writer of Hebrews addresses was in the midst of a transition, in the midst of a change. They were going through or had already gone through a leadership change similar to us tonight. The first leaders of this church had passed from the scene which we know from verse 7, which says, remember your leaders. Another translation says it, I believe, a little more pointedly. Remember those who led you. Those in the past. And you see, this call to remember is a command to call back to mind. To bring something back to mind. Something about someone, and in this case, someone who is no longer present. But then verse 17 gives another command with regard to the leaders who had replaced those leaders who were no longer on the scene. And it says, obey your leaders and submit to their authority. But there was also another change that was being threatened, and that was due to some strange unbiblical teachings as verses 9 through 13 point out. Verse 9 begins, do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. We know from church history that this is a danger that the church constantly battles. We mentioned the councils briefly this morning. And the fruit of those early church councils are creeds and confessions. Varied and strange teachings continue to creep into the church. Teachings that seek to dethrone the Lord Jesus Christ, to wipe out His saving sacrifice, and therefore to change the very foundation upon which the church has been built. And that apparently was a concern for the church addressed here. Throughout this letter, if you read it from beginning to end, you see that this church is called to remain steadfast. To persevere in the faith. To not give up meeting together. To fix their eyes on Jesus and run the race of faith. They were in constant need of this admonition because it seems that they were always on the verge of going back to the Judaism and the Judaistic practices they had left behind and going back to the Old Testament sacrificial system that was abolished by the one final perfect sacrifice of Jesus. And therefore, this church was being called to stay faithful in the midst of change as they move ahead. And in order for there to be faithful continuity in moving ahead, there must be faithful looking back in remembrance where they came from. They must remember those who led them. Here again, this is talking about their first leaders, those who were the first to bring them the message of the salvation through Jesus Christ. But before we get the wrong idea that this is in some way a proof text for putting certain leaders on a pedestal, for erecting monuments to certain leaders and giving honor that should not be given, we need to notice that they are not to follow, we are not to follow just any old leader who has or will come down the pike. What are they commanded to remember? Remember your leaders who spoke the Word of God to you. That's the qualifier. Who spoke the Word of God to you. Notice the writer doesn't say anything about the personality and the kindness and the hospitality or the generosity of past leaders. yes, those things are shaped by one's faith and are important in the Christian life, but those personality traits die with a person? The writer doesn't say, oh, remember how your leaders were so kind to you and they took care of you and they were generous to you and so forth. No. Remember those who spoke the Word of God to you. Those who must be remembered and that which is to be remembered about them is that they didn't try to change the changelessness of Christ. Instead, they spoke the changeless Word of God. Those who are to be remembered are those who faithfully built upon that one and only foundation which, as Paul says, can never be changed. That foundation, Jesus Christ and His redemptive work. This church was commanded to remember those who confirmed and passed on that very Word of salvation as chapter 2, verse 3 says, was first spoken by the Lord Himself. Beloved, those who are to be remembered are only those who faithfully pointed out or continue to point out the only way to the Father. Church leaders change. In many respects, we can't help that. With regard to pastors, in many churches, the council room wall tells that story, that history, as you see, the pictures of all the pastors from first to the present all lined up on the wall. And every year in many a church, as here tonight, there is a changing of the guard, as we say, with regard to elders and deacons. And we all go through various changes in our lives, some that are traumatic, some that are difficult. But these changes, beloved, should not be traumatic if the changelessness of Jesus Christ is maintained. That's the key. That the changelessness of Christ is held on to. You see, beloved, what ensures the continued health and vitality of a church by God's grace is when Jesus Christ, who is always the same yesterday, today, and forever, is prioritized by leaders and by members alike. And that is done in the power of the Holy Spirit by remembering those who led by faith in Jesus and faithfully transmitted the truth of the message of salvation to those who came after them. As well, it is done by living according to and being obedient to the Word of God. If the Word of God has been spoken and taught in the past, that is teaching that transcends or endures or governs the changes of time. Only the foundation of the Word makes inevitable changes that we face possible. And the writer then strengthens this command to remember their leaders who spoke the Word of God by also commanding the church to consider the outcome of their way of life. Or as it's said in another way, in another version, consider the result of their conduct. You see, to consider here means to look at again and again and again, to observe carefully because there's something worth noting. And what is it that is to be considered is the fact that these first leaders literally practiced what they preached and lived and died in the faith. In the joy of the Lord, they kept the faith all the way to the end so that they could confidently confess with Paul, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. And the sure, gracious result or outcome was indeed that crown of righteousness. The Christians being addressed here were wavering. They were on the verge of going back to their old practices, but they are admonished to look to those who didn't waver, who remained strong in the Lord's strength. The quality of the faith of these first leaders fell in line with the faith of the Old Testament heroes of faith recorded in Hebrews 11. In Hebrews 11.4, it says of Abel, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. It doesn't say anything about Abel's kindness or his generosity or anything of that nature. And through faith, the faith of Abel still speaks. The faith of the cloud of witnesses of all the saints who have gone before, even our believing loved ones, is to rise up as a chorus of praise encouraging all of the saints who follow. Well, how do we remember and consider the faith of those who have gone before? By being students of the past. This begins with Scripture. We are called to be students of Scripture by which through the illumination of the Holy Spirit we may know the truth. The truth alone which sets you and me free. And we are called to be students of church history and to consider and remember that which has been built on the truth of Scripture and therefore by God's grace that we not make the same mistakes as our forefathers. And this is where our confessional heritage comes into play with our Reformed creeds and confessions. These creeds and confessions not only intimately connect us with the faith of those who lived from the Reformation until today, but since, as we said this morning, our creeds and confessions are the church's studied response to the teaching of Scripture, our creeds and confessions intimately connect us with Scripture's truth. And that truth, as the book of Hebrews makes clear, is that Jesus Christ alone is the perfect final sacrifice for sin, by which He paid the penalty for the sin of His people and reconciles us with the Father so that the Father justifies us by grace through faith for the sake of Jesus Christ unto everlasting life. God's people remain faithful by His grace, through His Spirit, in part by looking back and remembering the faith of those who have gone before, that faith both preached and practiced. But it doesn't stop there. The text says, consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Beloved, the only way to move forward faithfully in a world filled with changes and in a church which is not yet completely free from the onslaughts of sin and false teaching is to move forward by imitating the faith of those in the past. Copy them. Now, the faith of those in the past must not be considered as something old-fashioned as we are so quick to do something way back then. It's old-fashioned. We've got new ideas. You know, hairstyles change. Clothing styles change. Automobile styles change. And that which is no longer in style is considered to be old-fashioned. And we don't want anything to do with that which is old-fashioned. But the truth of Jesus Christ is not bound by time. It's not bound by culture and by cultural changes. It's not bound by new ideas that creep into the church especially. That truth is always in style because He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And His Word abides forever. And therefore, beloved, the faith of the apostles who lived almost 2,000 years ago, as well as their apostolic witness, is relevant for every age, even the year 2002. And that faith, and living according to that faith, is to be imitated from generation to generation as long as the Lord tarries. We are commanded to imitate in the power of the Spirit those who have built on the foundation of Jesus Christ according to the only specifications worthy of that building. Beloved, since Jesus Christ is changeless, the true faith of those who have gone before may be imitated with confidence. As we follow their faith, we may be assured that we follow the Lord Jesus Christ. We live in an age in which people are made worthy of being followed way too easy. People today follow and try to imitate celebrities and not heroes, true heroes, and I'm talking about heroes who are known for their principle, their character, for doing honorable and worthwhile things. But movie stars and sports figures and comedians and models and singers and the like are the ones that especially children today idolize? How many of us don't have some sort of athletic jersey with a name and number of a sports figure? And whether we mean it to or not, when we wear that out in the world, that tells the world we idolize that person. You see, it's not character and principle and integrity and accomplishment and conviction and especially faith that draw a following today. But popularity and image, good looks, smooth talk, fancy dress, the ability to entertain and make one laugh. Society has severely and dangerously lowered the standard on those who are worthy to be followed. And in many respects, this has filtered into the church in many ways. For example, we are called upon to follow the church growth experts in growing the church as if that's our job. by imitating the mega-churches, often at the cost of compromising the offense of the Gospel. We are to minister to the outcast, which is indeed true. But how? So many say by compromising to the point of accepting alternative lifestyles and accepting as okay situations that are condemned by God in Scripture. We are called to change our reformed character of worship because those who come into the church who did not grow up with the way we practice worship, they won't feel at home. They won't feel good here. And therefore, we are called to change it to make it more user-friendly, to make it more people-oriented instead of God-oriented. And that's often done compromising reverence for the holiness of God as well. Compromising the feeding of God's people who gather together on the Lord's Day. But this text teaches us that only heroes are to be imitated. And boys and girls, it tells us what kind of heroes. Not just any old hero. Heroes of faith. Heroes of faith. In other words, beloved, as God's people, we are called to move forward through this life imitating only those who themselves imitate the Lord Jesus Christ. Our identity, especially with one another, is to be found only in Him. He is the only thing, the only one who holds the church together. And then all of God's people are to be imitatable only because of their faith in Jesus. Are you? Are you imitatable? He is changeless. And His salvation and redeeming work are changeless. And therefore, those who seek to change Him, change His salvation and in effect lose it because it's no longer the truth. Beloved, we are commanded as God's people to remember, consider, and imitate only the Word of God and those who reflect the Word of God in their teaching and obedience. I wondered about saying what I'm going to say, but I'm going to go ahead and say it. There's a phrase that's popular in this church. If I've heard it once in the last 11 months, I've heard it a thousand times, and that is this. We've always done it that way. That's the way we've always done it. You see, beloved, tradition is good. But if it's not biblical, there just may be a better way. But here it seems with some of us, to change the meeting time of a certain society or to change the lunch menu at a particular gathering is equivalent to sin by some people. But you see, congregation, in the church at large, and here too I'm afraid, many have forsaken things like worshiping twice on Sunday, which the Bible does command. How? We are under the authority of our elders. When the elders see fit to call together God's people for worship, that we might enjoy the means of grace by which God works faith, we are to be here. As well, so many have let the true observance of the Lord's day, keeping it holy, slide into disrepair. You see, things that are trivial are considered equivalent to sin if you change them. But things that are serious and ought to be held on to are treated as trivial. Paul exhorts Timothy in his second letter to stand firm and hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. And this was the same thing Timothy was to commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Why was this? Paul says in 2 Timothy 3, 14 and 15, But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Beloved, what a challenge for us. As a congregation, are we built on the solid foundation of the changeless Christ? Do we imitate those who have gone before from generation to generation who have faithfully shown us Christ? As leaders, elders, deacons, us as pastors, Will you, will we imitate those who have gone before, who led in the Lord by the power of the Spirit, standing firm on the Word of God? You see, today's leaders are tomorrow's past leaders, as some of you will find out in just a few moments. But for those who continue to serve and begin to serve, will you be worthy of being remembered by those who come tomorrow? Will you be worthy of being considered and imitated, copied, by those who follow? Will you be worthy because you have been those who remembered and imitated our Christian past by God's grace? But congregation, this goes beyond the pastors and the elders and the deacons, doesn't it? Sunday school, catechism teachers, cadet, gems, young people's leaders, Bible study leaders, anyone in a leadership capacity. And don't forget parents. First and foremost, parents. But also anyone who leads by witness and testimony, which I pray includes each and every one of us here tonight. Who is it that you imitate? What is it that you imitate? Do you teach and show that Jesus Christ and His saving sacrifice are the same yesterday, today, and forever? If you imitate anything other than the Word of God, then you are teaching a different doctrine, a false doctrine. And you are called to repent of that sin. To turn to the Lord Jesus Christ and follow only Him. Congregation, we give honor to another when we think enough of them to imitate them. Parents are honored when their children try to imitate them, desire to, and to follow in their footsteps. It must be our desire to imitate the faithfulness of those who have gone before and to have our faithfulness imitated by those who come after, not that those before or us may be honored, but because that brings honor to Jesus Christ and His eternal work of redemption. I think one of the reasons the Bible was written was so that we might consider the heroes of faith and their obstacles and challenges and faithfulness and to be inspired by the way that God worked faith in their hearts and lives as Hebrews 11 shows us. But then as Hebrews 12 tells us, we are to keep our eyes on the greatest hero. Notice the heroes of faith, but keep our eyes focused on the greatest hero, Jesus Christ at the finish line. He alone is the foundation of faith for all of God's people and we are called to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself so that you may not grow weary and lose heart. We are called to consider Jesus Christ and be inspired, not discouraged. We are called to imitate Him and bring honor to Him and this is only possible if you believe on Him by grace through faith and through that faith. you stand firm on the changeless authority of the Word of God. Beloved elders, deacons, congregation, as God's people, we are called to speak the Word, the whole Word, and nothing but the Word. We are called to uphold the Word, the whole Word, and nothing but the Word. And we are called to live in obedience to the Word, the whole Word, and nothing but the Word. There is no other way to lead and there is nothing else that is to be followed. Boys and girls and young people, you are to remember, consider, and imitate only those who uncompromisingly teach and show you Jesus Christ. No one else is worthy. Remember, only those who finish the race of faith by the grace of God are those who stand firm on the only foundation of faith, Jesus Christ. And as a congregation, may God cause us to be and to stay faithful in the midst of change by looking back in remembrance and moving forward by imitation.