Your Pastor Is Not Your Cornerstone: Jesus and the Set Man
Dr RJ Sing, 2 hr 15 min
Originally recorded as “Jesus, the Chief Cornerstone: The Set Man and His Calling”
Sermon outline
Honour and trust the pastor God has set over you, but build your faith on Jesus alone, because no man, ministry or church name can take the place of the chief cornerstone.
Main text
- Hebrews 13:7-8
- Ephesians 4:11
Opening
He opens in prayer for the Holy Spirit to encourage, instruct and release people from all control and manipulation, then gives words of knowledge for healing and for people facing troubling situations. He thanks the church for the cards and gifts for his birthday and tells them that tonight, instead of a sermon, he wants to have 'a little family talk': sober instruction and direction, with printed notes handed out.
No man on earth represents Jesus Christ
A pastor cannot replace Jesus in your life. Honour and respect men of God, but they must never be adored like the Lord, or your faith is on the wrong foundation. Jesus is the chief cornerstone, the ascension-gift ministries of Ephesians 4:11 are built on Him, and only He is the door into the kingdom.
“Me as the pastor, I cannot replace Jesus Christ in your life.”
- Ephesians 2:20
- Ephesians 4:11
- John 10:9
Remember them which have rule over you
Hebrews 13:7 is the basis of the set man principle: remember and follow the faith of the one who speaks God's Word to you, as Paul said 'follow me as I follow Christ'. But verse 8 points straight to Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever. Every believer acts in Christ's stead, yet your faith rests on Christ, not on your spouse, children, employer or pastor.
“At the end of the day, your faith is based on Christ.”
- Hebrews 13:7-8
- 1 Corinthians 11:1
- John 12:32
With the calling comes grace
When God calls someone into the fivefold ministry, the mandate brings anointing, authority and grace. Paul was not one of the twelve but was called by God on the road to Damascus, and with his apostolic calling came an apostolic anointing. In the same way, he says, his grace to lead the church came with his own call, not from any other man or ministry.
Illustration: His testimony: a young Hindu longing to know God, he heard an audible voice telling him to find a pastor, was led to Christ in a pastor's kitchen, and was filled with the Spirit and freed from cigarettes at a Reinhard Bonnke meeting. Discouraged from preaching, he buried himself in his police career until God warned him on a Johannesburg road to answer the call; after two weeks in intensive care with a fever of unknown origin he surrendered, later walked out of a senior police post wheeling his own chair, and started the church in his lounge, where the first woman he prayed for was set free.
“So when I was called to start the church some years back, with that calling came grace.”
- Colossians 1:1
- Acts 9:13-16
Love and trust the pastor God has set over you
If God has led you to a church, love and trust its pastor; to sit in one church with your heart in another is a delusion. Jesus is your Lord first and foremost and the pastor is your shepherd, so when he says the church is going a certain way, trust that he hears from God rather than following the frenzy of the crowd.
Illustration: A wife lying next to her husband while her heart is with another man.
“Jesus is your Lord, first and foremost. Pastor is your shepherd guiding you.”
- Hebrews 13:17
The set man as preacher, prophet and watchman
From his notes: the set man holds fast to the faithful Word and preaches it; as a prophet he exhorts and urges people to set goals; and as a watchman he sounds the trumpet and must warn the church, or God will require blood at his hand. The watchman stays alert to little things that destroy a local church: little foxes, a little indifference, a little folly, a little leaven of false teaching, a little unfaithfulness and the little member, the tongue.
“So little things cause major catastrophes.”
- Numbers 10:4
- Ezekiel 3:17
- Ezekiel 33:1-9
- Song of Solomon 2:15
- Proverbs 6:10
- Proverbs 24:30-34
- Ecclesiastes 10:1
- Galatians 5:9
- 1 Corinthians 5:6
- Luke 16:10
- James 3:1-5
Pastor, manager, equipper, visionary and team builder
The set man provides qualified leaders to help care for the church, marshals resources and sets goals, policies and procedures, and generates and sustains a common purpose. He reminds people of their purpose, confronts and removes non-functional or divisive leaders, welcomes change, gathers a strong team, studies the culture and motivates others to fulfil defined tasks.
The set man as servant: he leads by support, not control
A pastor already knows his own calling; his purpose is to help you discover yours. Controlling or brainwashing people is witchcraft, because God made people free moral agents led by the Holy Spirit. People should give out of faith and love when the Spirit moves them, never under compulsion. The real pastor of the church is the Holy Spirit; he is only an under-shepherd and an ordinary man who works alongside everyone.
Illustration: On weekdays you will find him in a tracksuit and jeans painting or running to the hardware store, not playing golf.
“The set man leads by support rather than control.”
- 1 Peter 5:4
- Hebrews 12:2
- Matthew 15:14
He leads out of brokenness, not bossiness
A real shepherd loves his sheep and does not strip them of everything or use the gospel for covetousness. If a seed does not grow, either the seed or the ground is dead, as the parable of the sower shows; sowing more seed into bad ground to 'force' the first is madness. Find out why, and sow in faith where God leads.
Illustration: A man sowed him his car and a young man named Lee his cell phone before a job interview; he blessed both gifts and handed them back. Lee got the job at double the salary, with a car allowance and a new phone.
“The shepherd does not lead out of bossiness. He leads out of brokenness.”
- 2 Peter 1:19
- Mark 4:3-20
Your faith is not in a man or in the name of a church
Whatever the church is called, your faith is in Jesus Christ. In the last days even the elect may be deceived, so be secure where God has planted you: receive the man of God in the name of a prophet and receive a prophet's reward, but remember you were bought with a price and belong to Christ, not to any pastor or ministry.
“If your faith is in me, if I die tomorrow, your faith has gone to the grave with me.”
- Matthew 24:24
- Matthew 10:41
- 1 Corinthians 6:20
Putting it into practice
- Check where your faith rests: on Jesus, not on any pastor, ministry or church name.
- Honour, love and trust the pastor God has set over you.
- Watch for the little things that destroy a church: gossip, false teaching, unfaithfulness.
- Give when the Holy Spirit moves you, out of faith and love, never under compulsion.
- Tell anyone who unsettles you: my faith is on the Word and on Jesus.
Closing
He prays for those in pain and has several people, including children, testify that the pain has gone, then prays for financial miracles over tithers, for students writing exams and for a member whose car was stolen. A long time of ministry under the anointing follows, with many falling under the power of God and much laughter, and he repeatedly has the church declare that their faith rests on Jesus alone before calling Pastor Wesley and Pastor Zubeda to give the notices.
Declarations he led
- I love Jesus Christ.
- Today my faith is fixed upon Jesus. Today my faith is upon the solid rock. That is the foundation of my faith, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
- I cannot be deceived. I'm not deluded. My faith is fixed. Jesus Christ.
- I'm fixed. My heart is fixed. I have sound doctrine. I'm steadfast in my faith.
- I can't be moved. Can't be confused. I just love Jesus so much.
- My faith is not in a man. My faith is on the words and my faith is on Jesus.
In his words
- “You must understand, first of all, that no man on earth represents Jesus Christ.”
- “With the calling came grace.”
- “The set man leads by support rather than control.”
- “The shepherd does not lead out of bossiness. He leads out of brokenness.”
- “If your faith is in me, if I die tomorrow, your faith has gone to the grave with me.”
Every scripture in this message
- Ephesians 2:20
- Ephesians 4:11
- John 10:9
- John 11:25
- Hebrews 13:7-8
- 1 Corinthians 11:1
- John 12:32
- Colossians 1:1
- Acts 9:13-16
- Hebrews 13:17
- Numbers 10:4
- Ezekiel 3:17
- Ezekiel 33:1-9
- Song of Solomon 2:15
- Proverbs 6:10
- Proverbs 24:30-34
- Ecclesiastes 10:1
- Galatians 5:9
- 1 Corinthians 5:6
- Luke 16:10
- James 3:1-5
- Hebrews 12:2
- Matthew 15:14
- 1 Peter 5:4
- 2 Peter 1:19
- Mark 4:3-20
- Matthew 24:24
- Matthew 10:41
- Malachi 3:10-11
- John 5:4
- Luke 6:38
- 1 Corinthians 6:20