WWUTT 653 Do Not Be Hasty in Laying On Hands?

1 Timothy chapter 3 gave us a list of qualifications that a man must meet if he is going to be an overseer of the church.

Paul goes on to say, do not be hasty in that testing process when we understand the text.

You are listening to When We Understand The Text, committed to the sound teaching of the Word of God. Find videos and more at our website www .utt

.com. Now here is our host, Pastor Gabe Hughes. Thank you Becky. We continue with our study of 1

Timothy chapter 5 verses 17 -25. The Apostle Paul writes,

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 laborer deserves his wages.

Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.

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.

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

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

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

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

So this week as we've been looking at this paragraph where Paul comes back to the subject of elders once again.

On Monday we talked about how those elders who rule well are considered worthy of double honor, to be supported by members of their congregation.

It is right and good that a pastor be able to take a salary so that he can devote himself full time to preaching and teaching, and this for the benefit of the church.

It's also good that a church be able to defend their pastor, and that's what Paul gets to next in verse 19.

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

Yesterday I gave a couple of examples of occasions that have happened to me in which two men tried to make, tried to bring a charge against me, but they couldn't get their stories to line up.

So it became evident that their motives were not pure. In the first of those two stories we did not yet have a plurality of elders, but in the second of those two stories we did, and one of the elders in addressing the young man who was making false accusations of me, he said, look we've listened to you, we we've heard you make your case, and your stories have been inconsistent.

Even here in this conversation you've said things that have not lined up with things that you've said before, and so I'm not going to let you speak to my pastor until you can humble yourself, and apologize, and admit that you have attacked a brother in the

Lord. And he didn't tell me about that until later, but I was so touched that he put himself between me and this young man, so that I could focus on the things that I needed to do, and furthermore be able to spend time with my wife and kids.

Because not only did this saga take time away from the things, you know, caring for other members of the flock, but it also took time away from my family.

And this elder recognized that, and made sure that this drama was not going to take anything else away from me than it already had.

And I was so touched by that. I hope that an occasion arises sometime in the future where I'm able to do the same for him.

We as elders not only protect our flock from the wolves, but we also protect one another.

This plurality eldership has been such a blessing, and it truly is the model that we see in scripture, the way a church is supposed to operate.

Now, if you do have a pastor that persists in sin, well, Paul has an instruction for that too, and that's in verse 20.

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

And when I mentioned this yesterday, I brought up again the story of a pastor in Memphis, Tennessee, who 20 years ago, when he was a youth pastor in Texas, had committed adultery with a teenage girl who was a member of his youth group.

He was a youth pastor. She was one of his students. And because of that whole thing, he resigned.

Justice was never done. There was never a disciplinary procedure. There was nothing like that. He just simply resigned, moved to Memphis, and then co -founded this church where he's been serving as a youth pastor for I'm not sure how long.

So a couple of months ago, it came out that all of this had happened. The young woman who was now in her 30s talked about this guy who had molested her 20 years ago when she was a teenager.

And now he was a co -pastor at this giant church, at this mega church in Memphis.

Well, he got up in front of his congregation and admitted to past sins, although he didn't call them sins.

It was very light fare, a very light admission. There was not really an understanding of what he had truly done.

And the congregation applauded him for confessing what it was that he had done.

The congregation applauded. And I brought this up when we were in First Timothy chapter three, when we were going through qualifications for an overseer, because I said, this is an example of a pastor who is permanently disqualified from ever being to ever being able to serve in that position again, because he is no longer above reproach.

Even in the eyes of the world, he has a reputation for having done something reprehensible in the law of Moses.

This was a sin that was punishable by death. And this wasn't something that he did prior to becoming a

Christian. He was an employee at a church. He was a youth pastor when he took advantage of this girl in this way.

And so that that is a permanent disqualifier. He can be disciplined by the church and he can be restored to the fellowship, but he is no longer above reproach to be able to hold that position as pastor.

Well, I brought this up when we were in First Timothy chapter three, and because all of that was going on while we were talking about qualifications for overseers.

So I mentioned it again yesterday as it pertained to this instruction that Paul gives for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all so that the rest may stand in fear, because that never happened with this guy.

He was never rebuked in the presence of all. Lo and behold, by the providence of God, as I mentioned this on the podcast yesterday, this came back into the headlines because now this pastor, whose name is

Andy Savage, has resigned from that church in Memphis. An article that was published in Christianity Today yesterday begins this way.

Andy Savage, the pastor who disclosed to his decades old assault on a teen in his former youth group to an applauding congregation, stepped down from his position at a

Memphis megachurch on Tuesday. Savage's January 7th remarks on his repentance regarding the 1998 incident launched months of discussion among Christians, coverage in national news media and an investigation by High Point Church, where he served as teaching pastor.

Church leaders had been aware of his misconduct, which had taken place at a church in Houston prior to hiring him.

Though the recent investigation did not uncover further instances of abuse, High Point leadership agrees that Andy's resignation is appropriate.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal reported he has been on leave during the course of the investigation.

In the wake of the Me Too movement, Savage's victim, Jules Woodson, had spoken out publicly about the sexual assault that has haunted her since she was 17 and her disappointment with her church's response to the crime.

She most recently shared her story and her reaction to Savage's initial remarks addressing the sexual incident, quote unquote.

That was the way that that Savage had described it earlier this month in a haunting video by The New York Times.

She told the Commercial Appeal she was still trying to process the news of Savage's resignation.

In a statement posted online, Savage addressed the criticism over his initial discussion of the assault and announced his resignation.

And I've read his statement. I would have to say that I'm a little disappointed in the fact that he he never really calls it sin.

He uses the word immoral as the closest that he gets, but he never never mentioned sin, never really asks for forgiveness or says that he has repented before God and asked for forgiveness, doesn't even mention that.

The there's a lot about that statement I still have trouble with, believing that he really truly understands what it is that he has done and why he's disqualified.

And I would not be surprised to see that somewhere down the road, unless unless he truly comes to an understanding of what he's done and what is required of a pastor, what these instructions mean to say that he must be above reproach.

Unless he comes to an understanding of that, I would not be surprised if somewhere down the road we see him try to move in once again to a position as pastor sometime after the whole me to hashtag phenomenon is past.

And it's not something that people are really talking about anymore. It's not on the forefront of the news or on the tips of people's minds.

He's going to find another church to be pastor of, and he's going to repeat the same errors again, not not in the sense that he's going to do the same sin again, because his pattern of behavior shows at least that he's not a repeat offender.

But it's still so serious as in what he did, even the one time was still so serious that he is not qualified to fill that role as pastor since he does not have a reputation of being above reproach.

And once again, I reiterate, all of this happened while he held the position of pastor.

This was not something that happened to a foolish young man who was a sinner walking in the course of this world who was not a professing follower of Jesus Christ.

This this was a man who is not only a professing Christian, but was in charge of leading other

Christians. And this is part of what has made him so unqualified to be able to fill that role as an overseer in the church.

And because he has taken it upon himself to resign, the church itself has not been able to follow with this instruction in verse 20 to rebuke them in the presence of all so that the rest may stand in fear.

Now, the church can still do that because what I hope is going on is that Mr. Savage has stepped down from his position as pastor, but is still a member of that church.

And so the church will then discipline him and restore him to fellowship in the body. He won't be a pastor anymore, but he and his family will still be there.

That's what I hope is transpiring, because this church is complicit in his sin since they applauded him after he confessed to that sin rather than disciplining him.

And that's what Paul gets to next in this next part. In verse 21, first of all, he says, 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.

And that's what the church did. They showed partiality to this man rather than to his victim because he was a co -founder of the church and because he was an associate pastor there.

And you see the urgency by which Paul presents these things to Timothy when he says, in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels.

Do you understand the audience that we stand before in the righteousness that we should be pursuing?

This is not just righteousness in the eyes of the world. This is righteousness in the eyes of God. It's what is right according to what

God has said is holy and just and true. It's about his standard of righteousness, not our standards.

And so even if the rest of the church would be in agreement with certain things, it still comes down to what does

God say about it? What does the word of God, the Bible, have to say about this particular sin and how it should be handled?

We stand ultimately before God in judgment before we stand before any man.

So then verse 22, Paul says, do not be hasty in the laying on of hands nor take part in the sins of others.

Keep yourself pure. Here's what Paul is essentially saying here. When you when you are testing a man to see whether or not he is qualified for the position of elder, don't be hasty.

Don't look at the guy and go, you know, we really like this guy. He's so funny. He tells such great stories.

He's a wonderful speaker. People love to listen to him. He just gets along so well with everybody.

Such a servant has such a servant's heart. He just wants to serve people. All of these things are very on the surface and you can rush into things too quickly and appoint a guy to a position of elder that has really not gone through a proper testing process yet.

And so if you're hasty in that way, the way that Paul refers to do not be hasty in the laying on of hands.

This was like the procedure for ordaining a person into that position.

Once he had been chosen, you lay hands on him, you pray for him. That was his ordination.

And so Paul is saying, don't rush into that. Let the process happen. Go through that testing period.

Otherwise, if you appoint him to that position too quickly and it turns out this guy really was not fit, he was not qualified for that position as pastor, then what he does in sinfulness, you've taken part in that.

Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands nor take part in the sins of others. You are complicit in his sinfulness if you act too quickly on this, which is why

I say this church in Memphis in applauding Adam Savage when he when he, quote unquote, admitted,

I don't I don't think he it was a genuine confession. But when he confessed to his church about what it was that he had done 20 years ago, when they applauded him, they took part in his sins rather than showing empathy for his victim, because all of this was playing out in the eyes of the world, in the eyes of the whole country.

We're watching this go on. In fact, it was an international story. It even made international newspapers these things that had happened with this church in Memphis, Tennessee.

And so if we are too hasty in appointing to appointing a person to that position too quickly, then if they turn out to not be qualified for that, well, the whole church is guilty.

You take part in the sins of others. Rather, Paul says, keep yourself pure. Do what you need to do to maintain that purity within the body.

We as a holy people of God who have been washed of sin, who are clothed in his righteousness, we have been made pure by the precious blood of Christ.

We are set apart from the rest of the world. So pursue those things that exemplify that purity that we have in Christ.

As Paul had previously instructed Timothy in First Timothy 4, 12, let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.

If you appoint a person to the position of pastor just because you think he has a great speaking voice, well, you have not appointed him to that spot in the church.

Well, I liked the guy, so we made him a pastor. And then if it turns out that he wasn't truly qualified, you are complicit in the sin, the impurity that he's brought upon that congregation.

How is it that we can know whether or not this man is truly qualified? Well, Paul goes on to clarify that in verses 24 and 25.

He says the sins of some people are conspicuous. In other words, they're evident. We can tell that they're sinners.

Jesus himself said, you will know a tree by its fruit. Bad trees produce bad fruit.

Good trees produce good fruit. So it's pretty clear some people are obviously disqualified from the position of pastor.

Their sins are conspicuous going before them to judgment. But Paul says the sins of others appear later.

This is why you need to take some time to evaluate this person for that position of elder, because if you take your time, then over time, if there is a sin there that would disqualify him from that role, it's going to become evident.

And then Paul goes on to say in verse 25, so also good works are conspicuous.

And even those that are not cannot remain hidden. In other words, you're going to see if this man is qualified, those works will become evident and they won't be hidden.

You will see in this man a life that is consistent with the pursuit of godliness and holiness and able to preach and teach to the congregation what it means to live out the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now, as I've finished up this paragraph, you'll notice I skipped a verse. You're going, wait, just a second, there was a verse in there.

I wanted to hear you address more than the rest of it. And that was verse 23, no longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

That is kind of an aside, which is why in your Bible, it's put in brackets or put in parentheses.

It's almost like Paul kind of breaks from the subject to mention that to Timothy.

And the reason is this, because Timothy likely was not drinking wine so that he would not cause anyone else to stumble.

Notice where that instruction falls. Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others.

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

The sins of some people are conspicuous. So you see where that instruction falls in. This is

Paul telling Timothy, hey, I know that you're not drinking wine because you don't want to cause anyone else to stumble, or you don't want there to even be a hint of possibly being a drunkard.

Nobody could even make that accusation of you because you're not even drinking wine. But I'm telling you, it's all right for you to drink wine.

And don't be timid about this, because you have some stomach ailments. The water is not as clean.

Wine, because it's fermented, is more free of impurities. And so it's good for you to drink wine to help with some of those ailments that you have.

And don't think that you are causing anybody to stumble by doing that, or that you're doing something impure, since Paul had just talked about purity.

That's why that's mentioned there. And that's why it seems to be a little off kilter with the rest of what

Paul has been talking about. It's very much within the subject, but it was a particular instruction meant for Timothy.

Now, there are some more of the independent fundamentalist crowd that wish to say, well, this wasn't actually fermented wine.

It was grape juice. No, it's fermented wine. When we read about wine in the scriptures, we're talking about a fermented drink.

And a little bit of wine can actually be rather healthy for a person. It's when you overindulge in that, that it becomes something sinful.

And we can do that with anything, as I've talked about before. Anything that God has given us to be good, we can abuse.

So let us handle it in a way that God has instructed us to handle those things and eat and drink to the glory of God, as Paul said in 1

Corinthians 10. Let's pray. Our heavenly father, we thank you for this time together to read in your word.

And I pray that it is indeed something that convicts our hearts and transforms our thinking and our minds so that we may be able to live in such a way that is honorable to you, pursuing godliness and pursuing holiness and giving you glory for all good things that you have given us to enjoy, to receive with thanksgiving.

So we thank you for this time and we thank you for the opportunities that will come our way today, which present us with a chance to give you glory and to count it all joy, because we know that whatever comes our way, good or bad, it is to produce steadfastness in our faith so that we might grow in sanctification until we are presented holy and completely pure before the father on that great day of Jesus Christ.

And we pray these things in his name. Amen. This has been When We Understand the Text with Pastor Gabriel Hughes.

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