SERMON: Ordaining An Elder

Thank you for subscribing to the Shepherds Church podcast This is our Lord's Day sermon and we pray that as we declare the

Word of God that you would be encouraged strengthened in your faith And you would catch a greater vision of who

Christ is and may you be blessed in the hearing of God's Word And may the Lord be with you.

I am I so blessed by your pastor About five years ago.

I think it was or so we met on the bayou in Louisiana We were standing there.

My wife and I were standing there and we were talking and your pastor come walking up and stood with us for quite a long time

I Think that might have been the first time we shared a cigar together and a bourbon

But boy our friendship has just grown and I am so very very thankful for his love For his care of me.

I mean as I can call him up Whenever I want and Chat with him about really any subject

I think and he would he would help me Through those things. So I'm very very grateful and I think you folks are as well.

Amen Yeah, so grace mercy and peace from God our Father in the name of our

Lord Jesus Christ Also greetings from Tri -City Covenant Church and Summersworth, New Hampshire, as you know

Reverend Paul Edgar serves on your elder board And we're very very grateful that he's able to do that And we're very grateful that we're only an hour away from you so we can visit from time to time

And also our greetings from all of the boots are Presbytery churches We're what a wonderful Presbytery we have as as you know, we're gathering this coming week and Liberty, New York Think of that Liberty New York What a great place how that is going to be and it's never going to be the same as the boots of men descend upon it and Bring our bring our ways of the

Presbytery there this coming week. So certainly keep you us in their prayers What a glorious day

What a glorious day in the life of your church What a glorious day that he has moved upon Don Smith That he has been

Examined and looked at and as you know all you've prayed for him over these many months has he's gone through this

As he's gone through this time of preparation for this day to be installed as an elder at the

Shepherd's Church, but also an elder in the kingdom of God Praise the

Lord for his glory. I Start this morning. I'm going to use several scriptures this morning and I'm gonna move pretty pretty quickly through but I wanted to start this morning in Genesis chapter 1 verses 28 and 29 and also

I also know the test of my friendship with Kendall on Two accounts when you've already witnessed he allows me to come to you and preach in what

I'm comfortable preaching in which is the clerical caller And I'm I'm very very comfortable in that mode

So I appreciate him allowing me to do that and also he appreciate allow me to use the

King James version of the Bible as I preach the word to you today, so and Blessed that and God pardon me and God bless them and God said unto them be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and Subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea over the fowl of the air and Over every living thing that moveth upon the earth

Let us pray Almighty God our Father We are grateful again for your time that we have to look into your word.

Oh Lord God I pray that you would open our hearts and our minds to your word Father I pray

Oh Lord God that you would watch over my tongue my lips this day that only your truth would come forth

Father I pray that you would bless this time that we have together this morning in Jesus name.

Amen Of course we know this as the Dominion mandate We know this that God after God had created man and his own image

He blesses them and tells them to take dominion of his creation

He tells them to be fruitful and multiply to work diligently on the earth

He tells them to produce things To have children and to become more than just the two of them

Adam and Eve He tells them to rule the things of the earth

God entrusted them with his beautiful creation. He trusted all of that to mankind

He commissioned them to rule and care for what he had created

Brothers and sisters, of course, this is what God calls us to He calls us to take

Dominion in the name of Jesus We are to be fruitful

We are to produce good and godly things We are not supposed to be stagnant or just get by waiting for the return of Christ We're supposed to do things.

We're supposed to be fruitful. We're supposed to be multiply Brothers and sisters he has entrusted us with his creation

The work of his hands the work of his spoken voice He has entrusted us

God so much loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son for the salvation and restoration of his creation

Jesus loving the creation so much that he gave his own life for her salvation and restoration

So brothers and sisters we have a great responsibility to fulfill the dominion mandate

I believe the Shepherds Church is being faithful to this mandate I believe that the kingdom of Jesus is stronger because of the

Shepherds Church And today it will get even stronger as we install a new man to the service of elder to the office of elder to work alongside your faithful pastor

Kendall I'm further excited to know that you have great plans to purchase property

That's wonderful. That's another advancement. That's fruitful. That's multiplying if you will

You plan to plant the flag of Jesus on another piece of property Soon if all goes according to according to your plan and your plan hopefully is according to his will

Adding these things already already to a soundly planted church is indeed fulfilling the mandate.

So kudos to you Glory to your work so far Seven years of a church and you've accomplished much

Of course, you have a pastor that doesn't I don't think he sleeps at all. Maybe he does

Maybe the testimony is he takes five -minute naps here and there but but he is an active man

Today I really want to do three things this morning. I want to give an address to the office of elder

I want to talk a little bit to dawn directly and Kendall and really I guess John as you as you start to grow into This role of elder possibly as you discern the

Lord's will here The second thing I want to do is I want to address you faithful people What your role and responsibility is to your elders and then thirdly?

I'm gonna leave you with the Commission of our Lord. So I turn to 1st Timothy chapter 3 verses 1 through 7 and Don if you don't if you don't get up and walk out after I read this the requirements of elder to the qualification of elder praise the

Lord Because it is scary. It's overwhelming sometimes somewhat

So this is a true saying writes Paul if a man desire the office of a bishop

Which of course we know that to be an elder or a presbyter or an overseer

He desire with a good work a bishop then must be blameless the husband of one wife vigilant sober of good behavior given to hospitality apt to teach

Not given to wine and nor striker not greedy of filthy lucre but patient Not a brawler not covetous

One that ruleth well his own house Having his children in subjection with all gravity

For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the

Church of God? Not a novice less being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil

Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without Lest he fall into reproach and the snare in the snare of the devil so of course the office of elder is

First of all an office created by God Created by God for the governance of his church

This is not a man -made office Rather it is a God -made office

Elders are direct under under shepherds of the Good Shepherd the Lord Jesus Christ Consider Acts 20 28 take heed therefore unto yourselves

Into all the flock Over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the

Church of God Which he hath purchased with his own blood The calling to the office of elder originates through the

Holy Ghost as we read here in Acts He moves we respond

And this ought to tell us two things or at least two things I would say First of all an elder never wakes up one morning and says

I want to be an elder in God's Church It comes as it comes about as the internal prompting of the

Holy Ghost Or maybe the prompting of a brother saying you should be an elder You have the gifts of being an elder.

Maybe it originates that way, but even if it does in that case The Holy Spirit is there we're told that in the scriptures

Over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you an overseer This speaks to the great weight under which elders serve

They are called by God To the high office to lead his church

They are called to a life of feeding the Church of God Which is a great responsibility

This ought to be humbling for all men called. I know personally I often pray

Especially when I when I'm preaching that day Lord Why do you trust me of all people to speak to your people?

It's such a overwhelming and humbling task The Lord God entrusts men mere men men like myself and Kendall and Don to speak into your lives very very humbling but then after I pray and and realize that I Believe that God the calling of God is true.

I Conclude that I don't know why but I'm gonna put everything I can into it

That I'm gonna try to fulfill every moment that I can to do my job as an elder

Secondly this ought to speak to us in terms of the Holy Ghost again calling us or hath made us overseers

To the congregation it ought to say that when we mess with a duly called examined and installed elder

We are messing with God's chosen man That ought to be humbling for you folks

You the good people of the Shepherd's Church have a responsibility to treat your elders with respect and honor

For so long as they follow God Now I don't mean for any second here that they're any better than you are because they certainly are not

I'm no better than you are. None of us are no better than the others in the sight of God But he gives us responsibilities and part of your responsibility of a church

Which I'll talk a little bit more in a few minutes is to serve them To obey them to submit to them for as long as they follow

God Back to Paul's letter he tells Timothy here and us of course

Secondarily that those who desire to enter the office of elder desire a good work

The desiring as he has already there's already seen that he has initiated. He calls us to a good work

We've been bedded we've been vetted through prayer by all parties We've been examined as elders, and we've been duly approved by the church

But notice God does not say or pardon me that Paul does not say well I guess God because this is written by the

Holy Spirit as well Or most importantly it's penned by Paul written by the Holy Spirit But Paul writes here.

That's not he doesn't say good honor Desiring good honor is not is exactly the opposite that disposition

That God wants in his chosen men in the office of elder Elders are to have the same mind as Christ Christ did not exalt himself

Rather he came in the form of a servant and gave his life for his sheep

You Recall in the very night that he was betrayed he took off his garment

We could say his priestly garment. He took that off and he put on a servant's towel and He got down and washed the dirty grimy feet of those

Apostles Then Jesus after serving in that manner

What did he do he got back up gave back the servant's towel and put back on his his robe his garments

And he faithfully served those men Overseers washed the feet of their people

True and faithful servants of Jesus often enter into the messiness of life's situations

They washed the situation with love with sincerity with counsel and Then they put their clothes back on if you will and they lead worship on Sunday mornings

But they enter the dirtiness of life often Elders he calls you to be humble not exalting yourself

Not looking for good honor rather you are called to a good work a

Work ordained and appointed by our Lord Jesus Christ The elder must be one who applies himself to that work and not to the honor or advantage the office affords him

It is a great work is a work of great importance It's the work of great importance and it carries with it the greatest good in a way

And what is that? caring for the souls of God's people caring for the school for the souls of the

Pardon me caring for the souls of God's very own people

That is a big responsibility Caring for souls is a difficult calling

The foundation of the calling has to be prayer because we cannot do this alone It has to be prayer.

It has to be a reliance on the Holy Spirit to care for those he has placed under your care

The calling of elder has to be carried out with thought and diligence Carried out with mercy upon mercy upon mercy and Then we're all done with that mercy stuff

More mercy and more mercy and more mercy Elders have to be long -suffering as our

Lord is with us Elders are called to open the eyes of the people

Open their hearts to the Lord and With the power and the aid of the

Holy Spirit. They call from people from darkness to the light of the Lord Jesus Christ From the power of Satan to the power of God Puritan theologian

Richard Baxter wrote this about elders They are officers appointed to teach and guide those churches in the way of salvation

We care for souls We care for God's very own people

His chosen people then the apostle

Paul here He turns to the list a long list of qualifications for those who desire this good work

I'm only going to talk on just a couple this morning to save us all From all of it

I suppose It's quite a list as you know, and it's it's a it's a it's a high office

As you read the list of qualification it really speaks to the responsibilities that elders have to watch over your souls

The office of elder requires men that are duly qualified And here what is

Paul list here first? He says the elder must be blameless sinner still

Yeah Sinner still but he must be blameless But he must be here even though he's a sinner.

He has to be a man that is above reproach and The Greek word here literally means irreproachable

He is one that walks in holiness and diligently seeks not to give occasion for accusation

Because he is called to be of good behavior Yes while a sinner still but not given to grievous sin

Not one that that is given to extremes in behavior An elder must be even keeled if you will

Soul care is a high calling It requires qualified men.

It requires that man to be diligent in Seeking his own holiness while he preaches holiness to you

Don and Kendall as well Lead the way in devotions in your congregation with the power and aid of the

Holy Spirit search out your sin and Lay it before God So that you might care better for the souls that you've been entrusted with You're called to be blameless

The elders must have control over things of the flesh Paul here lists that he must be sober

Meaning that is self -controlled Meaning not given to much wine He is not to be a striker or a brawler

Meaning he's not to be quarrelsome quarrelsome But rather he's a be a man of peace and this time this times to fight out

I will give you that but largely it's about bringing peace to very difficult situations and Again, he's to be even -tempered

He's not to have extremes in behavior Angry one minute happy the next joyful and quickly

Angered by something. That's a tough. I'll be honest with you. That's a tough one for me.

That's a real that's a real tough one So I'm preaching to myself at the moment Paul also points to things that the elders must do

They must be given to hospitality. There must be men of being hospitable men Welcome people to have a welcoming spirit

They must be of good behavior. They must be patient Remember years ago.

I used to pray for my wife all the time when she's a second grade teacher every morning I pray that she'd have patience and and finally years later

She said I I used to dislike it when you prayed that way and I went What she goes

I just like it because for sure God would test me that day of my patience right

But you have to be you have to be a man of patience long -suffering is not our

Lord patient with us Amen. Yeah The elder is a man that cares about and is diligently is diligent.

Pardon me to maintain a good report a Good report amongst these people a good report in the community a good report amongst other elders

That he's invested in a good report Elders you have many great responsibilities in the life of the church

Not the least of these is the care for your people Again, their very souls are in your hands

Yes, they are in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ for sure, but he is an entrusted them to you

He has called them by your side. He has called them under your shepherding

Again quoting from Richard Baxter the pastors and overseers of the churches of Christ must take heed both to themselves and to all their flocks and all the parts of their pastorate or Elder eldership work in all parts of that Brothers Don and Kendall you must take care of yourself as much as you take care of these people

You must care for your soul Through diligent devotion prayer worship and so on If you do not it will be very hard if not impossible to care for these people that God has entrusted to you

For the brothers you need to be like Christ on the night that Christ was betrayed

He had that beautiful high priestly prayer Remember that the content of that what a beautiful prayer

That's really the only time that we're allowed into the intimacy of the father and son by voice.

It's so beautiful Jesus prayed this way to his father

While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name

That thou gavest me I have kept and None of them is lost

But the son of perdition that the scripture might be fulfilled Brothers work diligently

To be able to give that same report when you meet the Lord Jesus Christ That is lose not one that he has given to you

Jesus was able to report that he lost none That the father gave to him

Except for Judas which was already planned out We know that he was not this way and we know that this was not easy for Jesus to accomplish

After all he had fishermen and tax collectors and prostitutes people who doubted him sinners

It certainly was not easy for the Lord Jesus Christ Likewise, it will not be easy at times for you

You will have to follow Jesus Be patient again long -suffering and Merciful it takes a it takes a lot to care for souls

And again, you will need that disposition of Jesus Christ to care for them brothers lose not one

Lose not one that God has assigned to your charge Further remember this for the

Son of Man has not come to destroy man's life, but to save them Jesus came to save not destroy

Let that be a how you carry yourself You are Jesus's boots on the ground

He wants to save and not destroy you are called to carry out this faithfully

He has prepared you for this Have the disposition of Paul to the weak become become

I as weak that I might gain the weak I am made all things to all men that I might all by all means save some notice

Paul's goal That he was willing to meet folks where they were even in weakness

What is his stated purpose that he might save some? brothers diligently and faithfully care for these people

For they have been entrusted again to your care Brothers and sisters of the

Shepherd's Church You are the members here You have a significant role in the success of these men

Hebrews 13 17 Obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves

For they watch for your souls as they that must give an account That they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you

The author of Hebrews of course uses words that are despised in our time obey rule over submit

Words that can be bothersome in our bothersome Especially in our true

New England spirit of Independence and you can't tell me what to do or is that just me?

That's probably just me. Yeah however, these are these However, these are the

Christians duty to obey rule over Or go obey and submit

I should say According to the scriptures it is your duty. It is the duty required by our

Lord Jesus Christ for those who gives The calling of overseer you are to obey them you are to submit to them

Brothers and sisters with all sincerity. He did not place just some random people over you

He placed Kendall now Don over you These guys are not random.

These guys are ordained Appointed by our Lord Jesus Christ for your care

To give their lives That you might be saved To give their lives that your soul would not wander from our

Lord Jesus Christ These men are appointed by our

Lord Jesus Christ Consider what Paul wrote to the Corinthians, but now hath

God sent them set the members every one of them In the body as it hath pleased him

It has pleased God to set you here at the shepherds church in particular

For as long as they follow God and the responsibilities as elders you are required

To obey and submit This is a scriptural command the scripture command trumps any cultural misgiving to authority

It even trumps our good New England spirit of independence trumps at all the scriptures trump everything

Now certainly these men are not supposed to rule you with tyranny or any such thing and they don't and they won't

I'm sure of it So your hands your lives are safe in their hands because they are men of God Paul gives us or Paul, huh?

Paul I mean that the author of Hebrews Gives us the reason

For your obedience the reason you need to submit You're gonna love this part

As I said to them before the elders before They are the boots on the ground for Jesus Christ they have the great responsibility to watch over and care for your souls and They are to do it with joy

They will give an account to the Lord Jesus Christ on how they did Your job brothers and sisters is to help them to be in a position to give a good account

Hebrews 13 17 here links the links gives us a link.

Pardon me between obedience and submission To how they rule over you

They are supposed to do it with joy Anything else is not profitable the scripture tells us

Meaning that you cannot produce the fruit required in the Dominion mandate if they cannot do it with joy

Oh, yeah, and just as I said a moment ago, this doesn't give them permission to be as tyrants

They must care for you. They must shepherd you Teach the things of God to you call you to repentant repentance

Not as tyrants, but as servants of the King of Kings This call to help them serve you with joy means that you need to Edify them you need to speak well of them and if you cannot

If you cannot speak well of them you go to them and you talk to them about it

If you are like a drippy faucet In other words a constant nag or thorn in their side

They will not be able to watch over you and care for your soul with joy

You don't want to be the person that they cringe as you approach Because you're just gonna you're just standing there waiting for their latest criticism you don't want to be the person that walks in through that door and one of the elders see you and you say

And they go like this. You don't want to be that person. I have a couple like that But by the grace of God, he gives me patience most of the time

Most of the time I have to rebel against the patients if they are concerned about your constant criticism

Then it will be very difficult for them to guide and care for you correctly See every for every moment that they spend worried about that criticism because I'll tell you what it hurts us

It truly does even the best man when he receives criticism upon criticism upon criticism

He can't keep pushing it away it affects us it makes us spend time in that well, is it true?

Is it not true? Should I do this? Should I do that? All of these things and for every moment that they spend in that world.

They can't spend caring for your soul It derails that those that part of their job for a while sometimes

The author of Hebrew here says that you need to help them care for you You need to help them care for you with joy

I'm not sure. I know many more joyous men than Kendall Langford every time when

I call him up, it's hey brother, how are you and Some beautiful greeting joy.

It's always joy So even if we have to talk about something heavy at least we enter into it with joy

Brothers and sisters help them care for you with great happiness and pleasure

Keep yourself in check Compliment them and thank them more often than you offer criticism critique

And I'm not saying you you shouldn't point out a possible Error or something like that.

I'm not saying anything like that, but I think you know what I'm saying. It's a drippy faucet drippy faucet

That hurts it hurts a lot it derails things so don't be like that Tell them how much you love them

Tell them How much you respect them thank them for putting in the effort to Save your soul to care for your soul be bent on helping them to watch over your souls with joy and not with grief as The author of Hebrew says here if they lead this church and you with grief it is

Unprofitable for you the whole dominion mandate is delayed

When they cannot do it with joy So brothers and sisters put them in a position that they can serve you with joy

That too is a great responsibility They have a great responsibility and doing the role doing the work of it as an elder

But you have a great responsibility and helping them do it with joy Carry that out brothers and sisters at the end of the day we must recognize that we have a great

Responsibility in the kingdom of God and that great responsibility is to defeat the powers of darkness

Bringing the light of Jesus to every corner of this planet Before he ascended to the right hand of his father

Before he sat down on his eternal throne Jesus gave the disciples the

Great Commission Jesus came and spake unto them saying all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth

Go you therefore and teach all nations Baptizing them in the name of the

Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever.

I have commanded you and lo I am with you always even unto the end of the world

Amen The commission of our Lord Jesus Christ makes the

Dominion Mandate in Genesis 128 possible We are to be the people that build the kingdom of Jesus.

We are to be people that take Dominion He is again as I said at the beginning.

He's entrusted his very creation God gave his only

Son. He's entrusted it to us Again, God gave his only Son. He's entrusted it to us He's entrusted his only Son for the salvation and restoration of it and Jesus gave his very own blood and body for it and The Lord's Prayer, of course, we pray his kingdom would be here would be the same here on earth as it is in heaven

Jesus has power in both places He has left the earthy responsibility to us with the power and aid of the

Holy Spirit When the elders and members are like your church right now when you're working together in unity and harmony

Then the church can fulfill her calling in the kingdom of Jesus Glory be to God that you're doing that But when they are at odds

When they are at odds it greatly limits their ability to overcome the power of darkness and fulfill this calling

So don't let that happen You folks are advancing in glory today a new elder another man to come aside alongside

Kendall to carry the responsibility of leading this church glorious Glory be to God.

Amen You are engaged in daily Bible readings with Kendall summaries.

That is absolutely glorious and If you haven't engaged in that yet Do so without delay

Monday morning tomorrow do so without delay You're on the lookout for property that is good and glorious and Many other things going on here that are glorious another man being being examined for the role of elder

Two men in the being examined for the role of deacon in this church. Glory be to God.

I Also love the promise that we find here in this Great Commission Jesus saying

I am with you always and the Greek that literally means

That literally means the entire day always every moment of every day and That was not some future promise of the

Lord Jesus Christ That was a present -day promise when they received it.

It's a present -day promise now for us The Lord Jesus Christ is with his people every moment of every day

Until the end of the world what a great and glorious promise to live in Again, this is a glorious day in the life of the

Shepherd's Church You're installing a new elder elders always remember the care of souls that you have been called to Keep yourself in all godliness

Cast off all ungodliness Be faithful and diligent to care for and love these people

Lead and serve them with joy Membership help them care for you with joy

Support them so far as they follow God Don't be like a drippy faucet of criticism

Rather be those who edify your elders Encourage them for when you do that they will serve you with great joy and When you do that You will continue to fulfill the