WWUTT 651 Elders Who Rule?

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The apostle Paul said, let the elders, who rule well, be considered worthy of double honor.

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Rule? What does that mean? And what does it mean to receive double honor? Well, the scripture gives us the answer when we understand the text.

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Many of the Bible stories and verses we think we know, we don't. When we understand the text, as an online ministry committed to teaching sound doctrine and exposing the faulty, visit our website at www .utt

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.com. Now here's our host, Pastor Gabe Hughes. Thank you, Becky. Entering into a brand new week as we continue our study of 1

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Timothy chapter 5, and this week looking at verses 17 through 25.

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The apostle Paul writes to Timothy, let the elders, who rule well, be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.

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For the scripture says, you shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain, and the laborer deserves his wages.

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Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.

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As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.

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In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels, I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.

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Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others.

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Keep yourself pure. No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

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The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later.

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So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.

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So we come back to verse 17 here and Paul brings up the subject of elders once again, which we read about in chapter three, of course, verses one through seven of chapter three give us the qualifications for an overseer of the church.

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But we've actually been talking about elders from the very start of the letter. Remember that first Timothy is regarded as a pastoral letter.

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First and second Timothy and Titus would be the three. Paul is talking to his pastors here to Timothy who he's sending to Ephesus and to Titus that he is sending to Crete.

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And at the very start of first Timothy, Paul said, do not let anyone teach any different doctrine, but only that which flows from the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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This was Paul charging Timothy that among those elders there at the church in Ephesus, don't let those teach who are jumping into myths and falling into speculations and are not teaching the sound words of the gospel.

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They need to be removed from their position. So from the very start of the letter, Paul has been addressing eldership.

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He comes back to it again in chapter three with the qualifications for an overseer. And here he is yet very praising of the position of elder.

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As we read in first Timothy five, 17, let the elders who rule be considered worthy of double honor.

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Well, let me clarify that further. I left a word out. Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor.

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This in contrast with those elders that Paul was talking about at the start of the letter who were not ruling well.

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But as you remove those who are teaching falsely and you train up elders who love the gospel and are exercising oversight in a right way, have applied themselves to full time preaching and teaching.

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These are those who are considered worthy of double honor. And the scripture says of them in verse 18, you shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain and the laborer deserves his wages.

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Paul is referencing two things here. The law of Moses, Deuteronomy 25 for very specifically is where we find that verse that says that you shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.

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The point there is that when an ox is grinding at the mill and the grain falls on the ground, it can eat the grain to nourish itself so that it continue working.

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And then Jesus is the one who said the laborer deserves his wages. That comes from Luke chapter 10 verse seven.

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There's also a version of it in Matthew 10 where Jesus says something similar there. But remember that the gospel of Luke was the gospel as Paul preached it.

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So we see those exact words as Paul would have preached the gospel in Luke 10 verse seven.

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So Jesus said the laborer deserves his wages as this applies to somebody who's devoted themselves to full time preaching and teaching.

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It is right that the congregation would be able to support that person monetarily for the work that they are doing for the spiritual care of the people within that flock.

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They don't have time to go out and get another job. They want to apply themselves full time to the ministry.

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Therefore it's good for the congregation to be able to support their living. Now there are many pastors out there who are bivocational, who have the job as pastor, but they also have another job because their job as pastor isn't full time.

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And maybe the congregation isn't large enough to be able to support that pastor to do that work full time.

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So he has to go get another job to be able to provide for himself and for his family. Therefore he's bivocational.

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Now that doesn't mean that he's somebody who's not worthy of double honor. It's just maybe that the church can't support him.

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But as he rules well, as he certainly does that job to the best of his ability, knowing that he is under the chief shepherd who is

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Christ and doing that work for God and for his glory. Well, on the part of his congregation, he is somebody who is worthy of double honor.

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He not only receives the respect of his congregation, but he receives their support financially.

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And even though a bivocational pastor isn't full time, he is still receiving financial support from his congregation so that he can labor in the preaching and teaching of that flock.

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I am somebody who is well cared for from my congregation.

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I have never complained about my salary. My congregation has taken good care of me and of my family, and they take such good care of me that I can do something like this, being able to provide this podcast for your listening benefit, for the benefit of the members of our church who are stationed overseas.

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Since like I said, we've been a very military congregation. So we'll have sometimes a few soldiers and sometimes many soldiers who were deployed at one time.

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And they enjoy being able to listen to the teaching that comes from this podcast. We've added the church sermons on Sunday so they don't have to go to two different places to get the teaching that comes from our church.

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It's just kind of a one stop shop right here on when we understand the text. But the church is providing for me so that I can continue to labor in teaching just like this and I'm cared for that I might be able to do this work full time.

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There's a lot of arguments sometimes to whether or not a pastor should even be paid. Well, the Apostle Paul wasn't paid.

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He said to the Thessalonians that, hey, I didn't take anything from you so that you might have an example from us.

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Well, shouldn't pastors be that way? He gets a full time job in the world and then preaches on Sunday.

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I mean, what does he have to do during the week anyway? Well, the Apostle Paul had a different objective. He had a different calling.

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It is not the same as a pastor for Paul is saying right here that those elders that devote themselves full time to preaching and teaching, they are worthy of double honor in the sense that the congregation would be able to provide for them and support them.

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And they might be able to do that job full time for the benefit of their church.

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So here you have it right here from Paul. It's good for a pastor to labor and receive monetary benefit from that in some way.

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But Paul himself, like with the Thessalonians, for example, was setting an example for them to work to earn their keep.

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It didn't take anything from them. He said it would have been our right as an apostle. It would have been my right to take something from you.

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But I didn't. For I set you a good example so that you would know you need to work for your bread.

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And if somebody doesn't work, let him not eat. You read about that in both letters.

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As a matter of fact, Paul makes reference to that in both first and second Thessalonians, in particular, second

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Thessalonians, chapter three. But as I've mentioned other times before, Paul did not want to be confused with any of the philosophers, any of the

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Greek philosophers out there who made public speeches for personal gain, monetary gain or fame or acclaim.

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That wasn't what Paul was out there doing that for. So when he he came to a new city preaching the gospel, it was very attention grabbing for the people that this guy was coming with a new teaching that we've never heard before.

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And he's not even asking money for it. Whereas these philosophers would come to town and they would start teaching their stuff and then they would set up a school.

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And if you want to learn more about what I'm talking about, well, you have to come to my school and pay me more money to hear what it is that I am teaching.

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The Greeks desired new knowledge, so they would go to that school and they would pay money to hear the philosophy of the philosophers.

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Well, Paul was not doing this for any personal gain, and he did not want to be considered when he came to a new city.

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He didn't want the people to think of him as somebody was just like the philosophers. He came preaching the life saving gospel of Jesus Christ not to benefit himself, but he did this for the comfort and the benefit of his hearers, that they would turn from their sin and worship

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God. And so God would be glorified. Paul knew that his reward was going to be on the other side in glory.

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And he was an apostle fulfilling a different calling than a pastor does. He was also an itinerant preacher, so he didn't remain in one place for very long.

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Whereas a pastor is going to apply himself to a particular congregation for an extended period of time.

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And if he is able to do that full time and the church can support him, then it is right for him to receive that kind of support from his congregation.

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And don't overlook the fact that Paul has said, let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of this honor.

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Those who are sound in their doctrine and teaching, and they are servants in the church for the benefit of the saints.

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Now, what about this word rule? Let the elders who rule well, the role of an elder involves authority, particularly in preaching and teaching.

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We've already read about that a little bit in First Timothy chapter two, where Paul said, I do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man.

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Rather, she is to remain quiet. So the inference there is that the position of pastor is a position of authority.

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Now, there was a video clip that surfaced recently of John MacArthur in a

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Q &A in which a woman asked him what kind of authority a pastor had, and Dr.

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MacArthur said none. I want to play that clip and then respond to it here in the remainder of the lesson today.

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My name is Heather. Hi, Heather. First, I'd like to thank you for your ministry. God has used your online broadcast very much over the last couple of years in my life and my family's life.

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One question I struggle with, though, is to what extent a member of a church is required to obey his pastor.

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How much authority does a pastor have in the lives of his congregants? None. No authority.

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I have no authority in this church, personally. My experience doesn't give me any authority.

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My knowledge doesn't give me any authority. My education doesn't give me any authority. I have no authority.

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My position doesn't give me any authority. My title doesn't give me any authority.

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That's why I don't like titles. Only the Word of God has authority.

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Christ is the head of the church, and He mediates His rule in the church through His Word. I have no authority.

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I don't have authority beyond the Scripture. I can never exceed what is written.

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1 Corinthians 4, 6. To do that is to become, Paul says, arrogant and to regard yourself as superior.

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I have nothing to say to you that puts any demand on you if it isn't from the

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Word of God. You're probably talking out of some experience where you felt that some undue authority was exercised over you or somebody you know by a pastor.

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We need to be reminded that as pastors, even though the Lord has lifted us up and given us this kind of responsibility, we possess no personal authority.

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If I am telling you what God has said in His Word, that has authority, right?

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But I cannot exceed what is written. I can't tell you about your life. I can give you wisdom if you ask, but I may have no more wisdom than somebody else.

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You would get more wisdom on many, many issues out of my beloved Patricia on things than you would get out of me.

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But she's not in the pulpit. But she has spiritual insight and spiritual wisdom.

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And if you ask for advice or wisdom, hers in many cases would exceed mine.

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So, the pastor in himself has no authority. Listen to what

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Paul says. Who is Paul? Who is Apollos?

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Who is Cephas? We're nothing. It's all of Christ.

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It's all of the Holy Spirit. It's all of the Scripture, okay? Thank you very much. You're welcome, Heather. Now, I am with Dr.

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MacArthur in the sense that I am nobody. Who is Gabe Hughes? I don't have anything great to say to you that would be of any benefit to your life whatsoever.

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I simply desire to proclaim the Word of Christ. And that Word has all the authority over me and over you.

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And it is this Word that you come to know God and draw closer to Him and learn how to grow in matters pertaining to godliness and holiness.

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This all comes from the Word of Christ. And so, that's what my desire is, is to proclaim that Word.

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Not my Word, not to make myself great, but to glorify Christ. So, as far as that objective is concerned,

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I'm with Dr. MacArthur there. But to say that the role of pastor is not a position of authority, that's just puzzling.

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I don't really know where he was coming from there because we have it said here in 1 Timothy 5 .17 that the position of an elder is a ruling position.

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And as I stated earlier from 1 Timothy 2, it's not a woman who is supposed to have that position of authority.

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But men are supposed to step up and lead in that particular position.

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Let me single out a couple of other statements that Dr. MacArthur made in that response.

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He said, Christ is the head of the church and he mediates his rule in the church through his

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Word. I have no authority. Right. Ephesians 4 says that Christ is the head of the church.

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But in verse 11 of that same chapter, it says, God gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be shepherds and teachers to prepare the saints for the work of ministry.

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Christ is the head of the church and his Word is the supreme authority. And it's from his

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Word that we are told he has appointed the position of overseer to do what?

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Oversee the church. That is a position of authority. Again, Colossians 2 .10,

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Christ is the head of all rule and authority. And Romans 13 .1, there is no authority except from God.

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But one of those authorities is the elder in the church. Dr. MacArthur also said,

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I have no authority beyond the scripture. I cannot exceed what is written. Yeah, no, no disputing that.

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If a person says that a pastor has authority, they would not be going beyond what is written.

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That's in the scriptures. Hebrews 13 .17 says to members of the church, obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account.

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Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

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Dr. MacArthur says we talking about as pastors, we as pastors possess no personal authority.

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I'm not really sure what that means. I, as a pastor, have no authority to tell someone in my congregation, hey, go mow my grass.

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But I do possess authority to oversee the spiritual care of my church. I have authority to remove a person who is teaching falsely, according to Titus 1 .9

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and Titus 2 .15. And I've exercised that authority before. It is an absolute authority.

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It's not like something that I do and nobody can dispute it. They're decisions that are made with the whole eldership.

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We as elders have made those decisions together, but it's still an authoritative decision. It doesn't go to committee.

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We don't have time to assemble the congregation and have a congregational vote on whether this false teacher needs to be removed.

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We're going to remove this guy right now. Titus 2 .15, as I mentioned before, declare these things, exhort and rebuke with all authority.

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Let no one disregard you. And then the very next two verses, Paul says, remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.

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That instruction there in Titus 3 .1 is not pertaining to governing authority. There are passages where Paul says to submit to governing authority in Romans 13, which

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I've already mentioned. But in this particular context, he's talking about the authority in the church. And I've heard

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Dr. MacArthur preach on that before. So like I said, it's very confusing why he's responding to this question in this way.

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And Dr. MacArthur also says, if I'm telling you what God has said in his word, that has authority.

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Sure. But the very practice of teaching that word is authoritative and it is an authority granted by God, which we've already considered, according to what

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Paul says in 1 Timothy 2 .12. Dr. MacArthur also says, listen to what

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Paul says. Who is Paul? Who is Apollos? Who is Cephas? Very respectfully, and I'm treading very lightly here as it is, but respectfully, that's not a good example because Paul does make appeals to his authority as an apostle in several places.

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Right now, I'm going through 2 Corinthians with my church. In 2 Corinthians 13 .10,

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Paul says, for this reason, I write these things while I am away from you, that when

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I come, I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the

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Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down. And even though Paul is referring to his authority as an apostle, that's very much the kind of authority that a pastor has in his church.

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He's been given authority for building up the saints, not for tearing them down.

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And even though Paul is referring to himself as an apostle, that would apply to a pastor as well.

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That position he has is a position of authority in the church for building up the saints and not for tearing them down.

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John has made reference to his authority as an apostle also in 3 John 9.

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I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority.

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Remember what Peter wrote concerning the role of undershepherds in the church and how the rest of the congregation should submit to their authority.

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First Peter chapter five, beginning in verse one. So I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed.

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Shepherd the flock of God that is among you exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly as God would have you not for shameful gain, but eagerly not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

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And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

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Then verse five, likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders, clothe yourselves all of you with humility toward one another for God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

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So the role of pastor, I think very clearly is a position of authority.

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And I love Dr. MacArthur and I respect his ministry. And I think I've made that plain. I'm not contesting against him because I have something against Dr.

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MacArthur, but I remember seeing that video and it's circulating quite a bit. And I just don't agree.

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I don't think that's what the scripture says about the role of pastor at all. And it is necessary for a pastor to realize that that is a position of authority so that he exercises that office in the right way and not in an abusive way that he would rule well and so be considered worthy of double honor for the scripture says, you shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain and the laborer deserves his wages.

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We'll pick up from there tomorrow in verse 19. Let's pray. Our Lord God, our chief shepherd,

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I shall not want. You make me lie down in green pastures.

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You lead me beside still waters. You restore my soul. You have led us in paths of righteousness for your namesake.

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And so may we continue to follow along with the words of the good shepherd that we have read today and like a good shepherd, having considered our need, having been patient with us and loving us so tenderly, we don't deserve it, but you have cared for us this way anyway.

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So may we consider the needs of others that same way and serve just as the

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Lord Christ has served us. The son of man came not to be served, but to serve and to lay his life down as a ransom for many.

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So may we consider the needs of others ahead of our own. I pray for those listening who might be pastors, whether they're senior pastors or associate pastors or youth pastors, that they would do the task that you have set before them humbly, not abusing this position of authority that you have given to them, but that they may be servants to the flock of God, preparing the saints for the work of ministry, building them up and guiding them in matters of sanctification and godliness and holiness.

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So we may be so prepared for the day of glory when our

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Lord Christ, the chief shepherd returns to receive us to himself forever.

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May we rejoice at the hearing of your word and keep us in it as we walk in this world.

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And we pray this in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Gabriel Hughes is the pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Junction City, Kansas.