1 Timothy 5:17-19, 2 Timothy 4:1-2, Titus 2:15, Hebrews 13:17 Church Leadership

The Duty of Elders to Rule, Preach, and Be Honored

1 Timothy chapter 5 verses 17 to 19 hear the word of the Lord. Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the scripture says you shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain and the labor deserves his wages.

Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of his Holy Word. Here's a pop quiz. Does pseudosciences ring a bell?

Who remembers from about a month ago? What I described is pseudoscience. It is false pregnancy the condition that you were expecting a baby when you really are not. Women with pseudoscience have many if not all the symptoms of pregnancy even the distended abdomen with the exception of an actual baby.

The psyche is unable to produce one of those. They so want a child that their mind fools their body into believing that they have one. Until it comes time to deliver and there's nothing there. I guess many probably most women with that condition in this and other developed countries.

Probably eventually except what pregnancy tests and ultrasounds show is the truth. And so don't have to wait until they are so they aren't able to give birth unless of course They purposely avoid those tests not wanting to know the truth.

I Became aware of this condition about a decade ago when a member Repeatedly thought she was pregnant when she wasn't when one of our mature women informally counseled her the mature lady Told me that the other member probably with pseudosciences had a lot of psychological issues.

She left us soon after. Of course I say of course. Because I found on several occasions that it is it is the people with the most problem spiritual or psychological. Who don't want their problems exposed or dealt with on several occasions?

It's become clear to me that so-and-so is deeply troubled probably need some kind of professional Counseling and it is exactly at that moment when I see that That they leave. Once a young man was so hysterical that I've suggested we pay for his counseling.

Instead he left and is now quote pastor of discipleship at a megachurch. Another man showed himself to be so duplicitous his actual life was so different than his words. That I recommended that he see a counselor who specialized in What is called reality therapy deal with reality who would challenge him about the disparity between what he said and how he really lived.

I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up as a pastor somewhere except that he loves money so much. He probably wouldn't want to take a look the lower pay perhaps one of the biggest Differences between treating people with physical needs medicine and people with Psychological and spiritual health needs is that the psychologically and spiritually sick often don't want help.

Indeed one of the symptoms of some Psychological or spiritual diseases is not wanting it dealt with not wanting it exposed by diagnosis not wanting it treated. Most people as soon as they get physically sick want it treated and cured right away, but people with some spiritual problems often Flee from treatment.

They will especially dislike someone with authority who will speak the truth To them who will expose who they really are. The psychiatrist m. Scott Peck wrote an interesting book entitled the people of the lie in it.

He notes this very dynamic that I've been talking about that most often the most needy People the evil people the most malicious and in trouble. Rarely seek Professional help. He writes quote since they will do almost anything to avoid the particular pain that comes from self-examination.

Under ordinary circumstances the evil are the last people who would ever come to psychotherapy. The evil hate the light the light of goodness that shows them up the the light of Scrutiny that exposes them the light of truth that penetrates their deception.

He says that such people are he says masters of disguise of Covering up their needs their sins. They're evil the reality of who they are. But if they would rather do anything than to be where they would be exposed where they would be really known.

Their needs would be not known by the people around them. Dr. Peck says that they are often attracted to a place where now their disguise will remain Intact indeed it will even be accepted in reinforced.

That place he says is The church. And a footnote on page 76 probably a much overlooked passage. He writes quote. Since the primary motive of the evil is disguise. One of the places where evil people most are most likely to be found is within the church.

What better way to conceal once evil from oneself as well as from others? Than to be a deacon or some other highly visible form of Christian within our culture. Evil people tend to gravitate toward piety for the disguise and the concealment it can offer them.

I Should add he's not like of course. That that people go to the often go to the church to hide their sin that assumes That the church is a good place to hide one sin. That the word won't be applied to them that in particular.

The leadership won't be allowed to challenge them. That the leaders can be in may be intimidated may be bribed may be bullied may be flattered. You know, tell me what I want. I'll tell you how great a pastor you are into not preaching the word particularly to their needs.

That the church especially the leadership will enable them to stay in their sin that they'll be Assured and Comforted in it in their disguise rather than reproved rebuked and exhorted with all authority.

That assumption is Right most of the time Because of the way often churches are in our culture. But one of the pillars of a biblical church is that it is not like that. That the pastor the the elders preach the word To the needs of the people in front of them that the light shines Into the darkness that the word becomes incarnate among you.

What does a pastor do. We're looking at four key passages today. That each in their own way say that he or they labor in preaching and teaching though. They preach the word they correct the people with the word.

They are they are listened to they don't just give lectures on abstract Bible knowledge detached from the life of the people in front of them. They apply it to them even to change them. They don't just comfort the afflicted they sometimes afflict the comfortable.

That's why the only place in the Bible with a noun Pastor, that's our common word. That's our preferred word. This tells us something about ourselves, doesn't it? But the word now the noun pastor occurs is in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 11 and there it's connected With the word teacher that is so that the pastor he teaches not just to give information You know to educate you on theology in the Bible, but to shepherd to lead people in the right way.

Here in first Timothy chapter 5 verse 17 our first passage. The the men we would call pastors are called elders who who labor in preaching and teaching and think about those words. He begins let the elders that's the plural that that's the model anyway to have plural.

It's not actually commanded, but that's the ideal model who rule. Well the word rule or direct Shows that the elders are leading the church those who rule Well should be considered worthy of a double honor more honor apparently than the other elders.

They all deserve honor or else they wouldn't be elders, right? Then especially among those who rule well. Another smaller group those who labor in preaching and teaching so there's a special group of elders who not only direct but they labor in the word that word especially especially who labor in preaching and teaching signifies.

Especially another group actually a subgroup who toil in the Word of God the word for work means toil is to work hard strenuous labor that results in in weariness and fatigue. This evening American tell you I will almost even almost certainly be fatigued.

I'll lay on that couch and Sunday night. I'll be worn out. This is my life. This is not the kind of work that one could do on the side. It's a kind of hobby. Merely after completing one secular employment for the day.

Some people's idea of being a pastor in this culture here something maybe some men take up. You know, they've retired is a retirement some go fishing some take up golf. So I'm gonna preach. Okay, that's just you know.

What you're doing? It's not a hobby. So the work suggests it's full-time work and the next verse verse 18 shows that they are paid. You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain quoting the Old Testament and then the labor deserves his wages.

Quoting Jesus is over here in the Apostolic Church Paul's Church. They had some men who labored as their work and preaching and teaching and they were recompensed for it. Okay. So that's not something that just developed over time.

That's from the beginning. What's it? But now what's he doing though? What is laboring in preaching and teaching. Is it just educating. Is this just a you know, this whole church thing. It's just we're like an educational facility.

Specializes in religious curriculum. Is that all it is? No, is it just confirming people and what they already believe? Yeah, it's not supposed to be but how did we get into the situation where today a leading psychiatrist could note that evil people?

Like the church prefer the church go to the church because it's the best environment to hide your sin in once someone told me That I should not preach something that someone in the church anyone did might not agree with.

I mean you've have you ever heard anything so stupid. You're not sure how to respond the person told me that I go. I'm trying to think how do I respond to this without? Sounding insulting back. I couldn't imagine how so I just didn't say anything.

But that's I thought that was just the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life. Now I knew a lot of people kind of believe that that's often what people think. But I didn't think anyone would actually say it out loud almost everyone would know better than to say it.

But this person didn't as you know, seriously I was told I shouldn't preach anything that anyone in the church might find disagreeable. So I guess if that's the way it is, I should ask you to write down.

For me all the things you currently believe. Maybe list any sins quote since you may not agree that their sins. The Bible I call them sins, but you may not want to call them that that you want to cling to.

So I'll know what to navigate away from no know what not to mention. Shouldn't we do it that way? The the idea apparently is that this preaching what I'm doing right now is about enabling you. It's about comforting you.

To stay the same to leave you feeling good about you as you already are. It's enabling. So that person thought. Now the opposite of a leader for the church. It's not a follower. We need followers good followers in power good leaders.

The opposite of a leader is an enabler For the church a leader challenges people with the Word of God exposes their sin. Rebukes it if necessary leads them to repentance to change a biblical leader helps people follow Christ.

And Enabler helps people stay comfortable in their sins. To stay as they are.

Unchallenged.

Unexposed. Unconfronted an enabling parent. Helps as our kids stay comfortable, you know, no matter what decisions they make. Now how much death they go into they're gonna bail him out no matter what, you know.

Whatever they do the enabling parent. Make sure the kid never suffers for his or her decisions. When several years ago the BY football team we were there because Josh was playing in the band. We we don't go see the band the BY football team at the end of the first half States something happened on the other side of the field from where we were because exactly see what it was.

But they were they were outraged one of their players was hurt or something that they so they stormed the field and. And the rule is in high school and that happens the team that storms the field forfeits the game.

So that's what the referees decided be why forfeited the game games over. By loses and some of that later that evening some of the parents of those ruffians got on Facebook complaining about the refs.

Complaining not about their own boys who broke the rules but complaining about the refs who canceled the game. I thought. Okay, by the way in case you think I always say everything I think I don't sometimes I actually restrain myself.

I thought your boys are a bunch of undisciplined ruffians because you are enablers instead of holding them responsible. You're excusing them. You won't you want to know why they're like that because of you.

That's why one of the most offensive things you can do to people who want to be enabled Is to try to lead them. Maybe lead them to repentance lead them to grow you can shine the light of the word on their sin on their heart.

They will cringe and scream and bitterly complain. You're not a good leader or a good mother or a good father or a good coach because they want an enabler. Enablers are people who crave them reflexively blame.

The leader that's why we're told here in verse 19. You do not admit a charge against an elder. Except on the evidence of two or three witnesses others do not admit do not receive it. Don't entertain it.

In other words, give it no way don't consider it. Certainly don't jump to the conclusion. It's true. Don't accept an accusation against an elder and a pastor is an elder unless there are two or three witnesses.

To cooperate it. Well, what happened to a sports team? If the players could could vote on the coach. You know would they start to grumble and threaten to fire him, you know vote him off the team coach we got together.

We voted you out if he started working them out too hard what they thought was too hard called plays. They didn't like, you know. And make changes that they just didn't they didn't approve of now in the church To a certain degree we have to have the congregations approval after all you can vote with your feet by leaving if There's nothing really we can do about that.

But that means that you all.

Need the maturity.

To go along with things that sometimes may be uncomfortable to be supportive. Even when you don't always agree as long as of course, it's not we're not talking about something that's clearly unbiblical.

To not grumble or encourage unfounded criticism. To not Reflexively blamed. Oh somebody didn't like something. It must be the pastor's fault. You need to know that you need leadership that a pillar of a biblical church is.

Allowing the leaders to do what leaders are supposed to do. You need to learn the art of follow ship. They say that when a culture values our experience of something a lot. It has many words for it the Eskimos.

I thought it was seven words, but I looked it up this week. It's supposed to be 50 words that's come on. I have 50 words for snow for all the different kinds of snow they encounter. But we have no word think of this.

We have no word that I can think of in the English language huge I think the largest vocabulary almost of any language. We have no word for the art of following. We have leadership for the art of leading.

But no proper word for the art of following what would logically be follow ship. I guess we have no such word you type it into the computer follow ship and you'll get red dashes under it. Autocorrect will divide it into two words follow and ship.

That's because we don't respect following hardly even think about it, but we but leaders need followers. What's the pastor supposed to do? Second scripture. Second scripture. 2nd Timothy chapter 4 verses 1 to 2.

If you turn over there if you have a paper Bible, you're one of those old-fashioned people. It's only like one page. It's for 2nd Timothy chapter 4 verses 1 to 2. Here's Paul. I should turn there myself.

Paul writing to Timothy. Who's the pastor? In that church. Let me read it for you. I charge you with the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who was to judge the living and the dead. By his appearing and his kingdom preach the word be ready in season and out of season reprove rebuke and exhort with complete patience and teaching.

The Paul begins.

Second Timothy chapter 4 extremely seriously I charge you calling God the Father himself the Lord Jesus Christ. The one who will judge all people is going to judge you Timothy to witness this. Pay attention Timothy.

Pay attention covenant. John Calvin preached the man who is not shaken out of his carelessness and laziness by the thought that the government of the church is Conducted under the eye of God and his angels must be worse than stupid and have a heart harder than stone.

The pastor is charged proclaim the word. He's not charged by doing hours and hours of home visitation or to visit the hospital every day or to spend his time in counseling Or socializing. He is called to proclaim the word.

Be ready to do it. He says in season and out of season good times and bad times do it when the church is growing and people are excited everything is new and even Wednesday evenings are Overflowing. And in bad times when people are distracted and down and the church seems to be dwindling.

We probably understand that you endure show endurance keep going even when it's hard. But now here's where it starts to get a little strange. If you think about it in this culture where the church is a haven for evil people.

Because they know that their sins won't be exposed there where pastors are told to be enablers. Preach the word. What's he doing with the word? Is it a theological lecture? Is he telling us all about the verb tenses and participles and conditional clauses?

And so we go away with an excellent understanding of the grammar of this verse and next week We'll learn about the next verse have it taken apart word by word. Maybe that's how it starts. It can include that but that's not all.

Next notice next in 2nd Timothy chapter 4 verse 2 3 things.

Reprove.

Rebuke and.

Exhorts to reprove is to correct. Others don't try to serve God. And money you can't. Figure if you're actually doing it stop it. Don't have sex outside of marriage. Implied is that it is his people who are being reproved.

I Assume that they're right reproved Timothy from the word. He's not saying, you know, don't don't reprove. The pagan Roman people outside. They're not even there. Listen. You know not the uncouth barbarians not the liberals in Hollywood.

Not the Mormons in Utah reprove the people right there in the church. Make the word relevant to their lives. Maybe there's some ways that they're living against the word. Show them that then rebuke.

Rebuke you.

Is the opposite of enabling? To rebuke is a sharper form of correction than even reprove. Step it up a little bit if you have to stop doing that. Repent of making an idol out of wealth. Repent of your fornication of watching pornography of stoking lust.

Repent of enabling sin. Stop it then exhort. Okay that we we kind of understand it's more positive and encouraging. There's a place for that. It's to come alongside. Someone help them to do it the right way encourage them what they're doing right already and help them.

To do it even continue to do it right more things it's probably the one of the. One of the one of the three things the path that the pastor does with preaching the word that we we understand. You know, let me show how let me show you how to raise your kids better.

So you're not enabling their sin how to seek first the kingdom of God. Not living for the dollar how to live a life of purity again, all these things were approved for Buick exhort are taking the word and Applying it to the people in the church.

Now. Why would a pastor do that? Because of what the church is. Remember first Timothy it is a gymnasium of godliness train. It's the word we get gymnasium gymnasium from train yourselves and godliness.

Let's go it's where you go to be trained to be more like God in your character. Now when I was running track one workout the coach tells us to run some distance and I take off. Thinking the best way to start to accelerate.

By over striding that is stretching my stride length. But as far as I could now the coach has stopped us call us together gave a brief little lesson reproving. On over striding. It's actually not a good way to start.

Slows you down and anyway, you're specifically talking about me. But he thought that while he was correcting me, he might as well correct the whole team. So the rest so none of the team makes that mistake.

I was glad for the instruction because I wanted to be a better runner. You should be glad for correction. Here from the word because you want to be a better Christian. So if you come here one day and you feel like I'm talking directly to you reproving rebuking maybe exhorting my response is You're welcome now the pastors to do these three things with complete patience and Teaching the the patience is not only the tone a gentle tone Usually but also that he patiently keeps doing it that is with long-suffering.

Often suffering through people's failure to understand to grow to change right away. You continue teaching you don't just give up because you think I've been teaching these people for 12 years. And it hasn't made any difference.

You teach them with doctrine. He showed them that the covetousness is idolatry that the kingdom of God is the great treasure. And so if you must close your shop on Sunday morning and and you know means making a little less money.

Well.

That's a sacrifice you must make. That the husband is the head of the wife like Christ is the head of the church and so if You give up that headship in the home just to have a little peace. It's like a church compromising the headship of Christ just to make some troublemakers happy.

Show them that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and you can engage it in sexual immorality. The pastor reproves. He corrects rebukes sometimes correct sharply sometimes and exhorts. Encourages inspires you to do better.

To have a vision of the great truths the realities truths that That will propel you to do better. That puts wind in your sails. That each of these three things he does patiently and consistently. Now in our culture where Kids are constantly raised from being told how great they are no matter what they do.

Where Christian radio stations sell themselves and being exclusively positive and encouraging just exhorting. No, no, no reproving and rebuking. There's no k-wrath out there. It always.

Rebuking us.

We might need that actually. Where churches are often havens for evil people where church members seriously tell their pastor that he shouldn't preach anything that someone might disagree with. Where enablers are wanted in this culture with all of that?

What do you think are the chances that some people are going to be offended by a pastor who doesn't just exhort but reproves and rebukes. What do you think the chances of that are? You probably want to get anybody to take you on a bet on that because no one wants to take the other side.

There will be offended people maybe some trying to hide who they really are or Trying to hide from the word and they will want to disregard to despise to stifle to ignore the ministry of the word. That's how we got to this condition that even some churches are our havens for evil people, isn't it?

That's how we got this in this Position by the ministry that we're being made irrelevant and an exercise in enabling. That's how we're like this. How did the church grow in the South for over a century side by side at the same time?

With racism and segregation. How is that possible without a great deal of enabling? And if the pastor the preacher the elders if they won't enable. Why we won't stand for that. We can't vote them out.

We'll vote with our feet. Well, what are we to do? Well turn to Titus chapter 2 verse 15 third scripture. Titus chapter 2 verse 15 just one verse and here Paul addresses Titus again. If you have a paper Bible, it's just one page over.

So easy these paper things. This is this amazing. In this passage we we zero in on what the church leadership is about. What exactly does a spiritual leader do. Is he an enabler who helps people feel comfortable as they are in?

Order trying to evoke a feeling in you leave you with this just kind of Feeling of all. Is he a therapist who who feels your pain? Is he a manager who he's not a he's not a reality therapist. I don't guess no not one of those one of the more Sedate kind.

Is he an order trying to evoke a feeling in you. Make you feel good. Is he a manager who coordinates programs and people for the for the purpose of numerical growth? Is he a master of ceremonies sort of an inoffensive icon who looks and sounds smooth like a game show host?

Is he a guardian of conventional morality and the old-time religion?

No.

Titus chapter 2 verse 15. Notice. Paul tells Titus to first declare these things. Declare is an authoritative word, isn't it? There's authority inherent there. He didn't say suggest these things.

Imply these things hint at these things.

Nag about them.

No, he said declare. These things are the things that he instructed to various groups of people and the previous in the in the previous chapter. The various groups of people in the church older men older women younger women younger men.

The older women by the way, he says can teach the younger women. And so we see this. Some ministry can be delegated. The pastor doesn't have to do it. All he is to speak these things and exhort. There's that word again same word that we've seen already and Rebuke or reprove there.

It is again then how our spiritual leaders to declare exhort and Rebuke. They do it apologetically.

Timidly, please don't leave if I tell you something you don't like.

No.

With all authority he says literally in Greek there's by command in other words Speak it all the instructions above to the people. Encouraging sure but also correcting with a command not a suggestion with authority because you Titus.

You pastor have authority and here's the kicker probably what I regard is the most interesting command in all of Scripture. Let no one disregard you. What an interesting thing think about how you obey that.

When we were in Ethiopia, here's a here's a medical example. We Ethiopia we hired this local young man to do some hedge trimming our thing had grown up real tall on our on top of this wall and the wall head on top of it like they often do and not Bob wire like we Might have here but broken pieces of glass keep people from going over the wall.

Anyway, he was up on a ladder and he fell and gouged his leg on some of the broken glass hurt badly so there we are and I take him to the emergency room at the main hospital in Addis Ababa and It's about like you would expect a hospital to be in Addis Ababa.

But anyway, I'm waiting there. I actually had to carry the guy in he Ethiopians are skinny. So he wasn't very heavy carried him in and I'm after a while waiting get to be like some of these annoying people.

You get in emergency rooms. They want their patient. They're the person they brought in looked at right away. So I go and complain to the doctor who is this young? She must have been in her mid 20s or late to mid 20s and was used probably younger than I was like 30 at the time.

He's seen my my patient the guy I brought in and she just very pretty young girl. Nice little sweet smile. She turns to me with a sweet smile very gently says I'm the doctor here. Thought whoa, she told me off.

That's hot. Okay. Never mind. You're having an authority. She would not be disregarded. Now what they care how that is obeyed. How do you not let? Anyone disregard you maybe sometimes you tell them who the doctor is.

It's not you John. It's me. Saying how do you how do you obey this command. Let no one disregard you that is do not allow yourself. Paul tells Titus Pastor to be ignored to be looked down on to be considered the punching bag who can be blamed for everything.

Who has to take every accusation from the members remember before told Timothy do not accept accusations. But here here we're told what we you know, we're Americans. We kind of believe we're shaped by a culture where we legally can say anything we want about our political leaders.

We believe that the pastor can be accused of anything here. No. Don't take being disregarded disrespected. What a strange command that is. To us anybody don't tolerate your word being ignored treated disrespectfully falsely accused just kind of blamed.

Reflexively somebody's unhappy. It's your fault. Maybe it's their fault. You ever thought of that your fault. Maybe it's the unhappy person's fault. This is just an idea out there. The Word of God says that the pastor the the leaders are supposed to preach the word and with it reprove rebuke.

Exhort us now, what do we? Do to them with these leaders. In other words, what does what does follow ship? Look like. Well, please turn to Hebrews chapter 13 verse 17 our fourth scripture. Hebrews chapter 13 verse 17.

Let me read it for you. Obey your leaders and submit to them. For they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning. For that would be of no advantage to you in Hebrews chapter 13 verse 17 probably the most I think it's the most unpopular verse in the Bible at least through modern Americans.

I'll be more unpopular than that than that verse in and in Psalms about dashing infants against rocks. They'd better meditate on that than this one. Here the writer uses one of the most offensive words to the modern Americans today, particularly when addressed to them the s-word.

Submit.

Obey your leaders and submit to them now think how strange that sounds. To our ears, especially in a culture in which authority figures are doubted from the get-go. Obey submit to leaders. One of the things I noticed.

Because I I spent the first half of my adult life. This is a regular church member and go attending church being member church member listening to sermons and Sunday school lessons. So I wasn't enculturated into the church culture.

You know from the beginning. Adapting to how pastors are treated. So it's kind of it was a shock to me. When when I became one. So one of the things I first noticed when I finally became a pastor in my late 30s.

Was that there was a kind of person who treated me worse for it. There's a kind of person who will just just assumes that he or she knows better Than I do about anything about how to have a prayer meeting how to pray publicly how to preach a sermon how to visit.

I once had a woman absolutely berate me in front of others for the way I was leading a Wednesday night prayer meeting and I was thinking, you know. You wouldn't think of of treating the average person like this any other member of the church like this.

But only because I'm a pastor and I'm supposed to be especially patient. You think you can get away with being so rude. Right even here among us you think I've never happened here. Soon after we were here.

We had a Sign-up, remember we had spring fling who's gonna represent the church for spring fling and this sign up sheet different take different time slots. I'll pass it around people signed up for different times and someone noticed after after it had gone around.

Someone said hey John has a signed up for any time what I was gonna do is gonna wait for everyone else to sign up and I was gonna fill in all the other slots, but but that person would never think of Saying that about anyone else singling out.

Any other member out like that and embarrassing him? Why is it? Why is it Wayne signed up at a time slot? You know people would just assume well either Wayne doesn't want to and it's okay or maybe he's busy.

You know all kinds of good reasons, but the pastor you can just single him out. You're gonna embarrass him. That's the way our culture is and it is perverted. It's upside down. And maybe the way people do things but it's still just twisted.

Well this passage in Hebrew says we are to obey our leaders. Maybe it could be translated be confident in them. I was you get a little bit of it out. You're confident that they're doing the best thing and submit to them.

In other words don't resist them for no reason and it gives gives a reason to not resist them for no reason for they are Keeping watch over your souls leaders have a responsibility before God.

To monitor.

Your spiritual condition. Now Robert says this week he's gonna start it has to start with the ICU. He has the responsibility I get probably for the for the hospital for the law I probably to monitor those patients there when he's on duty.

I have a responsibility for God to monitor the spiritual condition of.

Of you.