They Keep Watch Over Your Souls II
Sermon Notes
Message Title: They Keep Watch Over Your Souls II
Date Presented:
Delivered By: Kevin Kidd
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Heb 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. NASU
“They keep watch over your souls.” There are two basic assumptions implied in this statement and they are:
1. Your soul is under targeted attack…you wouldn’t need your soul “watched over” unless it’s
under attack…
Today, I’m not going to spend a whole lot of time developing this assumption, this point because anyone who’s been alive and breathing on planet earth already agrees that their soul is under targeted attack. We all have come to agree with the word of God in 1 Peter 5:8, that says, “Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” And the reason we find it so easy to agree with it, is because we have all experienced the pain, the agony, the shame, the deception he delivers to our lives. We’ve all been bitten by him. We’ve all experienced some form of calamity through the handiwork of the devil, the one who “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
And so it’s the second assumption, this second point that I’d like to labor over with you. “They keep watch over your souls” implies 2 inarguable assumptions. The first was that “your soul is under targeted attack”. The second assumption is…
2. You need help in having your soul protected from the attacker…
The assumption is easily seen when we ponder the phrase “they keep watch over your souls.” I mean, after all, if your soul didn’t need some type of assistance from the leaders mentioned in this passage, from these elders that God has placed in your life, God wouldn’t establish them to “watch over your souls” if you could do it all by yourself.
And let me say this, that there are some in here today, that right now, up to this point, you’ve had no intention opening your hearts to the elders and allowing them to watch over your soul and your walking on the thinnest of ice. You are on the verge of falling to a place that is dangerous, very, very dangerous. And out of concern for your soul, I’m addressing this issue today, with this sermon, in such a way that I pray you’ll be sobered, you’ll be shaken in your soul to your very need to allow the elders to “watch over your soul.” For those of you that sense that I’m talking to you today, my prayer today, my hope today, is that you’ll never sit in these metal chairs again with a “been there, done that” attitude. With a “I can take it or leave it” attitude. With a “I can get away with keeping my personal and marital life closed” attitude. My prayer is that you’ll forever more come here on Sunday with a teachable and hungry spirit. A hunger to open your heart to the elders. A desire to absorb every morsel the elders of this church lay out before you.
Reason #1 you need help in having your soul protected from the attacker…
I. The Hidden ‘Achariyth
If you get nothing else out of this sermon, I pray that you walk away with a radical agreement with the sobering truth of, and understanding of, the hidden ‘achariyth.
Let’s turn to Prov 19:20
While you turn there, I’m going to give you a lesson in Hebrew…
First, let’s clear our throat…
Second, repeat after me, ‘achariyth (’achariyth)
Hebrew & Arabic and other related languages called the Semitic languages, when utilizing prepositions or words having to do with the order of things, or with direction, these Hebrew and Semitic words are rooted in words of parts of the body.
For example, if I want to talk about someone being, in English we would say, “right next to me” in Hebrew, I would say they are “by the hand,” they’re right next to me, they are “by the hand.” When I’m standing in front of someone, I am literally “to the face,” I’m facing that person, “to the face.” When I want to talk about something that’s “on top,” like the top of a mountain, in Hebrew I would say “the head of the mountain,” and because my head is on top of my body, this becomes first, and words for first, or beginning, come from the Hebrew word for “head.”
Now, the word, ‘achariyth, is related to the Hebrew word for “back.” And it literally refers to “that which comes after.”
This is the principle. From your vantage point, looking at me, you cannot see my back. Everyone in front of me, looking straight at me, you cannot see my back. Here I’ve got a shirt and pants on, everything looks fine. But if I sat on something, maybe if I sat on wet paint and the back of my clothes was completely marred, completely covered with wet paint, you do not have the ability to see that because of the view, the angle that you have…you cannot see the ‘achariyth, “that which comes after”. And Satan’s great device that he has used to destroy countless thousands and millions of lives is to blind you to the ‘achariyth.
When the Hebrew prophet Isaiah spoke about “the end of days,” he spoke about the ‘achariyth “of days”…that which comes at the end, that which comes last, that which you cannot see today. And this verse, Prov 19:20, sums up the whole purpose of the book of Proverbs, and in some ways, the whole purpose of much of what God does in our lives.
20 Listen to advice and accept instruction,
and in the end (in the ‘achariyth) you will be wise. NIV
Turn to Proverbs 5
So many ministers throughout the U.S. and the world have thrown away their families and their ministries because they have lost sight of the ‘achariyth. There are more lengthy sections in Proverbs dealing with sexual sin, than any other sin. And when Apostle Paul gives lists of sins, he starts his lists with sexual sins. The writer of the book of Nehemiah tells us that it was sexual sin that destroyed Solomon.
1 My son, give attention to my wisdom,
Incline your ear to my understanding;
2 That you may observe discretion
And your lips may reserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey
And smoother than oil is her speech;
You can just hear the devil drawing you in…”She’s absolutely gorgeous! She makes you come alive. She’s got what you need. Look at her on the front of that magazine cover. Look at her calling to you on the computer screen. Look at her curvaceous figure walking in revealing clothing along the side of the road. Look at her smiling at you in the work place. Her lips, her hair, her face, her curves. She’s got what you need. Think impulsively. Decide quickly. If you’ll only give yourself to her you’ll be satisfied. If you’ll only go that way, the tantalizing fulfillment you fantasize about will be the thrill you’ve always wanted.”
“the lips of an adulteress drip honey and smoother than oil is her speech.”
4 But in the end (’achariyth - the final consequences of associating with her, her final end, the final end of those who join with her) she is bitter as wormwood (gall),
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death,
Her steps take hold of Sheol.
6 She does not ponder the path of life;
Her ways are unstable, she does not know it. NASU
There’s a true story about a rich business man from Long Island, a married man. A young lady met him and offered him what he wanted sexually…”meet me at such and such place and we’ll have some fun together.” Here he is a married man. Here she is young and beautiful giving him whatever he’ll want if he’ll only come along and meet her at the appointed place. He met her at the location, but when he went in, instead of just her there was a whole gang of people with her and they jumped him. They beat him up, tied him up, threw him in their vehicle and then brought him to an abandoned building in the city. There were extra thick boards on the windows so you couldn’t see or hear what was going on inside, from the outside. And they began to beat him, they began to burn him with cigarettes, the men began to sexually abuse him to the point of injuring his organs. They were waiting for ransom money and his wife was coming up with it, but before the money even arrived, they beat him to death. They forced him to go to the bathroom in a diaper, the last five days they didn’t give him any food.
You see, if this man could have only seen his ‘achariyth, if he could’ve only seen himself shut in that room, screaming for mercy, burned with cigarettes from head to toe, beaten, humiliated, abused. If he could only have seen his ‘achariyth, I don’t care what the lady offered him, I don’t care if a thousand young ladies offered him whatever he wanted, he would’ve said, “No, I won’t touch it!!!” But that’s not the way of the devil. The devil comes with the emotion of the moment, the impulse of the moment and the need of the moment. “Oh, she’s just what you’re looking for…you’ve got just one opportunity to be with her.
7 Now then, my sons, listen to me
And do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Keep your way far from her
And do not go near the door of her house,
9 Or you will give your vigor to others
And your years to the cruel one;
10 And strangers will be filled with your strength
And your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien;
11 And you groan at your final end (’achariyth),
When your flesh and your body are consumed; NASU
In the final end, you groan, “If only I could go back and do it over. If only I could’ve seen what was coming.”
Have you ever had a dream where you committed some horrible crime or some horrible sin, and you woke up and realized, “Wow! Thank God it was only a dream!”
We all make really dumb, sinful choices from time to time, but friend, when someone is unwilling to receive instruction, it makes me tremble…that’s when it gets dangerous.
Illustration:
Maybe this story will grab your attention because it is a story of a churchplanting pastor…a man powerfully used by God, that is now dead. If it can happen to him will you consider that it could happen to you? He got discouraged. The devil waited for his opportune time. The pastor was discouraged and down, he was in New York City. He went out and got drunk. Next thing he ends up at an orgy. Next thing he ends up having sex with another man. Think of the humiliation, think of the shame, think of the pain, think of the grief. Agony of heart, “what did I do?” He gets right with God and receives forgiveness. He confesses…little by little he’s restored. He goes back to ministry…everything’s okay…no!!! One night, one sin, one time….AIDS, kills him, kills his wife, kills his kids. If only he could’ve seen his ‘achariyth. If only he could see his wife and kids lowering his coffin in the ground…he never would’ve entered into temptation, never would’ve given in to the temptation from the enemy.
It’s been said for centuries and it’s so true…Satan shows you the bait, but he doesn’t show you the hook. Once you become enslaved, you become chained. The devil blinds you to the achariyth, the consequences of the sin when he tempts you.
20 My son, observe the commandment of your father
And do not forsake the teaching of your mother;
21 Bind them continually on your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk about, they will guide you;
When you sleep, they will watch over you;
And when you awake, they will talk to you.
23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light;
And reproofs for discipline are the way of life
24 To keep you from the evil woman,
From the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her capture you with her eyelids.
26 For on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread,
And an adulteress hunts for the precious life.
27 Can a man take fire in his bosom
And his clothes not be burned?
28 Or can a man walk on hot coals
And his feet not be scorched?
29 So is the one who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her will not go unpunished. NASU
15 year old girl on Long Island. Having problems in the home. She’s part of a broken family. Mother and stepfather. She’s in a constant battle with these parents. She’s an attractive young woman. Blessed with an attractive figure.
She’s 15 years old, but she looked very mature for her age. Finally, she couldn’t take the conflict in the home anymore. One day, she decided she was going to leave home…she went with a friend…they started hitchhiking down south. They were picked up by a trucker. He paid them some money to perform a particular act with them. Afterwards, the two wept in shame over what they had done. They got out of that truck and wept in shame. They could not believe what they had done. She made it down to Texas, and she wrote her family saying, “Everything is fine. I am working as a waitress in a restaurant.” What she didn’t tell her parents was the truth and the truth was…that she needed some money. And so, because she was young and good looking and had a mature body for her age and all that, and a good personality…she ended up, not quite working as a waitress, but she was working in a bar with pornographic movies in the background, and men would come in and pick out which young woman they wanted…just a house of prostitution. Amazingly, it had only been a few months earlier that she had wept with shame over something far less degrading. But the heart gets hardened to temptation and sin. This young lady was now in prostitution and became the most popular girl at this brothel, at the age of 16. When most girls are pursuing with excitement the possibility of getting driver’s license and preparing for college. Then she realized that she had to get out of there while she could because the other girls were getting so jealous about her being the favorite of the men. But the owner and his wife caught her. They caught her! When the police pulled her naked body out of the river they said it was the most horrifically tortured body they ever saw….16 years old, cigarette burns from head to toe, broken jaw, shot to death, thrown in the river. If only she could’ve seen the video of her life advanced a little bit. If she could’ve just seen it. If only she could’ve watched them pull her body out of the river, heard her screaming for mercy. If only she could’ve seen her ‘achariyth, she would’ve let her parents scream at her at they wanted. She would’ve just smiled.
Reason #2 that you need help in having your soul protected from the attacker…
II. Satan’s Schemes to do you Harm are Exposed Through the Elder’s Anointed Teaching
20 Listen to advice and accept instruction,
and in the end (in the ‘achariyth) you will be wise. NIV
Listen to what can happen when those assigned to keep watch over you, to expose the enemy’s schemes to do you harm, are not received by you…
Urgent Message
During the Revolutionary War, a loyalist spy appeared at the headquarters of Hessian commander Colonel Johann Rall, carrying an urgent message. General George Washington and his Continental army had secretly crossed the Delaware River that morning and were advancing on Trenton, New Jersey where the Hessians were encamped. The spy was denied an audience with the commander and instead wrote his message on a piece of paper. A porter took the note to the Hessian colonel, but because Colonel Rall was involved in a poker game he stuffed the unread note into his pocket. When the guards at the Hessian camp began firing their muskets in a futile attempt to stop Washington’s army, Rall was still playing cards. Without time to organize, the Hessian army was captured. The battle occurred the day after Christmas, 1776, giving the colonists a late present–their first major victory of the war.
“They keep watch over your souls.” This is a declaration from God from His wise and perfect perspective and His perfect plan for how He has designed the body of Christ to function at it’s very best, and how He has specifically chosen to protect you. To expect God to protect you in your own self-designed manner is to declare your human wisdom to be superior to God’s divine wisdom. Any other ideas, or theories, or opinions about how your soul is to be “watched over” or protected is contrary to this elder model that God has intentionally established and is broken, dysfunctional, and an open invitation for the devil to wreak havoc on you and our entire flock.
Elders have been ordained and designated by God to be THE ONES to “watch over your souls.” They are the only ones that God will supply with His abundant grace to have your soul watched over. The elders are His eyes watching over your soul.
Elder anointed teaching is a powerful spiritual weapon that the Lord put in the hands of the elders to expose the schemes of the devil to do you harm. It’s one of the ways that elders “keep watch over your souls” as shepherds is by providing solid Biblical teaching from the word of God, for you to digest, apply to your life, to help you develop a keen discernment and preference for the healthy grass and fresh waters of truth over the disease-infested fields and stagnant puddles of half-truths and lies. That’s the primary reason we see the qualification of an elder as one “able to teach.”
1 Tim 3:2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach NASU
Let’s close with this last passage…turn to Exodus 12…as you turn there, let me ask you what was point #2? Satan’s schemes to do you harm are exposed through elder anointed teaching.
Ex 12:21-32 21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them
Now from verse 21 all the way through verse 27, Moses is sitting in front of the elders, the elders of Israel and giving them the most important instructions they have ever heard up to this point in their lives. It’s important to note hear that Moses didn’t address all 2 million Israelites at once. He is only addressing the elders of Israel. And these elders are going to hear something coming from the mouth of Moses, that he received directly from God, that if these elders do not understand and do not apply to their lives, and do not accurately teach the rest of the nation of Israel, it will result in the death of many, many people. Let’s read on and see what Moses says to the elders…
“Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb. 22 “You shall take a bunch of hyssop (type of plant or herb) and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel (a beam over the doorway) and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning. 23 “For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you. 24 “And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever. 25 “When you enter the land which the LORD will give you, as He has promised, you shall observe this rite. 26 “And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’ 27 you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to the LORD who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.’” And the people bowed low and worshiped. 28 Then the sons of Israel went and did so; just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. 29 Now it came about at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle. 30 Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead. 31 Then he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, worship the LORD, as you have said. 32 “Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and bless me also.” NASU
I find this passage so convicting and maybe you can hear the Holy Spirit’s voice bringing the same convicting message to you, but as I read this, I was convicted about the times I’ve sat to listen to a sermon or a teaching from my own pastor or an elder without the sobering attitude that what they were teaching could quite probably be the difference between life and death.
And it’s this very principle that keeps me and the other elders on my face before God to hear His voice before I stand before you to preach or teach. It’s the sobering thought that what we share with you is more than likely the difference between life and death for some of you.