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Sunnyside Baptist Church "A Faithful Saying" 1 Timothy 3:1-7
at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.
We're gonna prepare our hearts for worship and communion now and then at the conclusion of that,
Brian will come up and open us in prayer. Father in heaven, what a joy and a privilege to be here today, to share in this family of brothers and sisters who know you, who are part of the family.
We have been blessed this summer by these young men teaching and bringing the truth of the word, digging deep into it, challenging us in the way we think about you and trust you and love you and obey you.
May your word be preeminent in our hearts and our minds and our souls. And ask for blessing upon this time this morning that you would bless the opening and dividing of the word, that you would bless our lifting our voices to you in praise, that our hearts would be melded together with yours, that the burdens and the worries of the day would be set aside at the foot of the cross and our eyes would be towards heaven, not on circumstance or ourselves or others, but on you.
May we think of you much and think of you often. Bless your son, whose sacrifice bridged the gap between us and a holy
God, who brought our sinful natures into eternity. Blessed be your name.
Amen. Would you stand with me for our call to worship together?
Continuing in Psalms chapter 78. We'll be reading verses 65 to 68.
Jacob had 12 sons. One of them was Joseph. Joseph had two sons,
Manasseh and Ephraim. So that's why we're mentioning Ephraim here in our passage.
Read together. Then the Lord awoke from sleep and erected the tent of Joseph.
He did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves.
So if you would, turn to your Psalms for worship hymnal, page 78J. ♪
And these blueshame shall not depart ♪ ♪
Then he rejected Joseph's tent, the tribe of Ephraim ♪ ♪
But he, the tribe of Judah, chose Mount Zion, loved by him ♪
And then our next song is in our hymns, modern ancient hymnal, page 27,
Come People of the Risen King. ♪
Come people of the risen king, who delight to bring him praise ♪ ♪
Come all and turn your hearts to sing to the Lord in song of praise ♪ ♪
From the shifting shadows of the earth, we will lift our eyes to him ♪ ♪
Where steady arms of mercy reach to gather children in ♪ ♪
Rejoice, rejoice, let every tongue rejoice ♪ ♪
O church of Christ, rejoice ♪ ♪
Come those whose joy is morning sun, and those weeping through the night ♪ ♪
Come those who tell of battles won, and those struggling in the fight ♪ ♪
For his perfect love will never change, and his mercies never cease ♪ ♪
But follow us through all our days, through the search and hope of peace ♪ ♪
Come young and old from heavy land, may you come ♪ ♪
Those with full or empty hands find the riches of his grace ♪ ♪
All the world his people sing, shore to shore we hear him call ♪ ♪
The truth that rises to every age, our God is all in all ♪ ♪
O church of Christ, rejoice, rejoice, rejoice ♪ ♪
Let every tongue rejoice, one heart, one voice ♪ ♪
O church of Christ, rejoice ♪ Our scripture reading this morning is from Isaiah chapter 30, verses one through 14.
Ah, stubborn children, declares the Lord, who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin, who set out to go down to Egypt without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt.
Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation.
For though his officials are at Zohan, and his envoys reach Hannes, everyone comes to shame, through a people that cannot profit them, that brings neither help nor profit, but shame and disgrace.
An oracle on the beasts of the Negev, through a land of trouble and anguish, from where come the lioness and the lion, the adder and the flying fiery serpent.
They carry their riches on the backs of donkeys, and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people that cannot profit them.
Egypt's help is worthless and empty. Therefore I have called her
Rahab, who sits still. And now go write it before them on a tablet, and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever.
For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the
Lord, who say to Sears, do not see, and to the prophets, do not prophesy to us what is right, speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the
Holy One of Israel. Therefore thus says the
Holy One of Israel, because you despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and rely on them.
Therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach in a high wall, bulging out and about to collapse, whose breaking comes suddenly in an instant, and its breaking is like that of a potter's vessel that is smashed so ruthlessly, that among its fragments not a shard is found with which to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern.
For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, in returning and rest you shall be saved, in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.
An extra verse you will hear again later. Let us pray.
Father, I thank you for your word. How faithful you are to minister to us through your word.
May we treasure your word. May we know that it is your word, not just written words on a page in a book, but a message from you.
May we treasure it and memorize it and meditate upon it, that we might come to know you in a deeper way, and that we might learn to look to you first, to seek your will and your ways, and to come to an understanding of your wisdom, and that we might learn to walk in your will and your ways.
And I thank you and I praise you for your grace, so richly poured out upon us through your
Son, the Lord Jesus. In his name I pray, amen.
Let's see. The word awesome seems to be used loosely these days.
Truly, though, the word awesome should be reserved for God Almighty. He is the creator, he is sovereign, and he is ruling and reigning on his throne.
And John, in the book of Revelation, gives this word picture of the scene in heaven.
I was in the spirit, and behold, a throne was in heaven and one sitting on the throne.
And those there do not cease to say day and night, holy, holy, holy is the
Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.
Worthy art thou, O Lord, and our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou didst create all things, and because of thy will they existed and were created.
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his
Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.
And the 24 elders who sit on the throne before God fell on their faces and worshiped
God. Let's worship the Lord together as we sing our next song,
Behold Our God. ♪
Who has held the oceans in his hands?
♪ ♪ Who has numbered every grain of sand? ♪ ♪
Kings and nations tremble at his voice ♪ ♪
All creation rises to rejoice ♪ ♪
Behold our God, seated on his throne ♪ ♪
Let us adore him, behold our
King ♪ ♪ Nothing can compare, come let us adore him ♪ ♪
Who has given counsel to the
Lord? ♪ ♪ Who can question any of his words?
♪ ♪ Who can teach the one who knows all things?
♪ ♪ Who can fathom all his wondrous deeds? ♪ ♪
Who has felt the nails upon his hands?
♪ ♪ Hearing all the guilt of sinful man?
♪ ♪ Born eternal, humbled to the grave ♪ ♪
Jesus, Savior, risen now to reign ♪ ♪
You will reign forever, you will reign forever ♪ ♪
Behold our
God, seated on his throne ♪ ♪ Come let us adore him, behold our
Behold our God, seated on his throne ♪ Let's go to the
Lord together in prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the day you have given to us.
We thank you for sending rain upon our parched earth, and we thank you for your provision in our lives, in the everyday things and in the great things.
And Lord, we come before you, we do give you glory, we do give you honor, we do praise your name, and we do all of this by your grace that you have bestowed upon us through your
Son, and you have given your salvation to us by your Holy Spirit, and so we give you praise.
We ask this morning that as we look at your word and submit to your truth, as we ordain a new elder here in our church body, as we celebrate and commune with Christ in honor of his sacrifice for us, that in every facet of what we do here today, that we would fear you, that you would humble us, and we would honor you.
We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen. I invite you to open your
Bibles to the letter we call 1 Timothy, and we're going to be reading verses 1 through 7 of chapter 3.
So 1 Timothy 3, verses 1 through 7, taking a brief break from the book of Acts as we are going to focus especially today on the way that the
Lord provides for his church, how the Lord gives to the church by his
Holy Spirit all that we need to follow his Son and advance his kingdom.
There's a faithful saying in 1 Timothy 3 that we need to take a look at, to pay attention to, especially today as we gather to rejoice in God's gift to the church and ordain
Ryan Mounce as an elder. Let me read for us, and I invite you to stand with me as we read
God's holy word, 1 Timothy 3, verses 1 through 7.
These are the words of Christ through his servant Paul. This is a faithful saying.
If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober -minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous, one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence.
For if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God? Not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride, he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.
Moreover, he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. You may be seated. Ephesians 4 tells us that when
Christ ascended to the right hand of God, he resides and reigns from a position through which he provides all that his church needs.
And he has given to the church all that we need to follow him, all that we need to proclaim his truth, all that we need to advance his kingdom.
And among the things that he has given to the church, among the servants that he has given to the church, for the edifying of the body of Christ, for the doing of the work of the ministry, for the unifying of the body in the love of the
Lord, to the maturation, to the measure of Christ, among the list of the servants that Christ has given to the church by his
Holy Spirit are elders. The term elder is synonymous, the same, goes hand in hand with the term bishop or overseer, sometimes that is translated.
The same idea behind the term pastor. And whether we're talking about an overseer or an elder or a shepherd, these titles of leadership in the church emphasize various aspects of what the elders are to do, how they are to serve, how they are to, by the grace of Christ, feed the sheep and bless the body of Christ.
And so here this morning, that's what we need to think about in this faithful saying from 1
Timothy 3, that the one who desires, that he who desires oversight in Christ's church, desires a good work, desires a good thing, because the church is a good thing that has come forth by the blood of Christ, established by God as a wondrous blessing upon the earth.
The church is a good thing. And to desire service and leadership in that church, that is a good thing as well.
And then we will read again in our text and look carefully about what kind of leadership does
Christ desire in His church. Now this is a message that is, of course, for Ryan. It's a message that is, of course, for the elders who are already serving here.
But it's also a message for the entire church. Look at the blessing of Christ. Look at what
He desires for His body. And consider that the elders, the leaders in the church, are simply following Christ's example and helping others to do the same.
So this is really a message for all of us here this morning, that we would value what
Christ values, that we would appreciate what Christ has given to us.
Our sovereign, our head, the head of the body, He provides a good, good thing.
Now there are two themes in 1 Timothy 3, verses 1 -7, that attends this faithful saying.
He who desires an oversight in Christ's church desires a good work. And this good work is characterized by two things.
There is the character of Christ and the care for the church. That a leader in Christ's church, a bishop, an overseer, an elder, a pastor, a shepherd,
That two things ought to characterize that leader's life. And it is the character of Christ and care for the church.
And we're going to pay attention to that this morning, be reminded of God's good gift to us and what is entailed in being an elder.
So first of all, the character of Christ. We read that a bishop or an overseer, the
Greek word is episkopos. We hear the word episcopalian in there. But the whole idea is somebody who has oversight in the church.
That this person, this leader, must be blameless, we read.
We also read later on that he must have a good testimony, to have a good witness.
Blameless among those inside the church and having a good witness with those outside the church.
And to understand what that looks like, all we must consider then is the character of Christ. The character of Christ in this text is defined by self -control and it is demonstrated by loving others.
When we look at the character of Christ in this passage, we see that it is defined by being self -controlled and it is demonstrated by loving others.
In verse 2, we read that a bishop must then be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober -minded.
Let's think about these first three terms. Blameless, husband of one wife, temperate, sober -minded, of good behavior.
Let's look at the words temperate, sober -minded, and of good behavior. We'll come back to the other matters in a moment.
Temperate, sober -minded, of good behavior. In other words, an overseer in Christ's church must be a watchman, a captain, and a steward.
A watchman over the walls of his own life, that which enters into his life through his five senses.
Temperance is a matter of guarding that which comes in from the outside. A temperate being moderate in all things.
But not only careful about what comes in from the outside, but also a captain of what goes on in the inside.
For being sober -minded has the idea of governing over all the storms that may afflict the soul.
That which roils up within the soul requires a steady hand at the wheel.
So not only guarding that which comes in, but governing over that which would come out. And then additionally, we have the idea of good behavior, which in a sense is talking about being a steward and ordering one's life in an effective way.
And so when we think about an overseer in Christ's church, we think of somebody who is a watchman over that which enters into his life.
We think of one who is a captain over the storms within his own soul. And we think of somebody who is a steward and looks out at what has been entrusted to him and knows how to set things in a more orderly fashion.
How to improve that which has been entrusted to him. Those are very broad categories, but they help set up what comes next.
In verse 3, we read of five specifics that are related to these three general categories.
We read that an overseer must be not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous.
So, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy, not quarrelsome, not covetous.
And those five negatives, when we think about those, they all have something in common.
What is being said here is that an overseer in Christ's church, an elder, a pastor, should not be consumed by passions, controlled by desires, enthralled with addictions.
This should not be what is characteristic of a bishop, an overseer, a leader in Christ's church.
And this, of course, accords with the character of Christ. When we think about the temptation of those who are in leadership to turn everything that is in their stewardship into some kind of self -pleasing mechanism.
That is the temptation. However, remember the character of Christ. He said, the
Son of Man. Again, the highest title of all humanity is the Son of Man. There is no title in all of human history that has a higher excellence or a more weighty gravitas than that name, the
Son of Man. There is no other rank in all of the history of humanity, and there never will be a rank higher for any human being other than the
Son of Man. And this is what Jesus said. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give
His life a ransom for many. And He made that pattern mandatory for His apostles, for all those who would follow
Him. It was Christ who said to the Father, not my will, but Yours.
It was Christ who said to His followers, take up your cross daily, die to self, follow after me.
So when it comes to leadership in Christ's church, we must consider the character of Christ. There is an importance throughout the scripture about character, about good character in all forms of leadership.
It doesn't matter if it's leadership in the church, leadership in the state, leadership in the home.
Good character is of the utmost importance. And when we think about leadership in the church, we must think of the character of Christ.
Christ is the image of the invisible God. He is the head of the body. And we must consider His character.
And it is defined by self -control. We are under shepherds.
And this is what we read about in 1 Peter 5, verses 1 -4, that elders in the church do not stand on the basis of their own authority.
We don't stand on the basis of our own identity. We don't lead and make decisions and advocate for direction just because we have a title or in and of our own character or based upon our own experiences.
We are merely the under shepherds under the chief shepherd, the great shepherd.
Turn your attention, if you will, to 1 Peter 5. And I want us to look at this passage more than once this morning.
But first of all, I want us to read this passage and consider how vital it is that our attention is upon the
Savior. In 1 Peter 5, beginning in verse 1, the elders who are among you, and remember elders, bishops, pastors, it's the same idea.
The elders who are among you I exhort. I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed.
So here's the instructions to the elders. Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers.
So already in verses 1 and 2, we've heard elder, shepherd, which means pastor, and overseers.
That's the word also translated bishop. So elder, pastor, bishop all together in two verses.
We're talking about the same office. Not by compulsion. So serve and shepherd, pastor, not by compulsion but willingly.
Not for dishonest gain but eagerly. Nor as being lords over those entrusted to you but being examples to the flock.
And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
You see, he who desires oversight in Christ's church desires a good work, desires a good thing.
There is a reward in it, brother Ryan. There is a reward in this. There is great joy in this work.
And so we see that the character of Christ is central. See, consider the chief shepherd.
Consider who he is. Consider how he lived. And this gives us the style of leadership that should be present in the church.
And I think it's clear upon reflection of the scriptures and the requirements of elders, and I think it's clear that I and the other elders here would agree with this sentiment as well.
Ryan, we do not think that you're the perfect man for this job. You're not the perfect man. I'm not the perfect man for this job.
None of the other elders here are the perfect men for this job. We have a perfect man. His name is Jesus Christ, and he is the head of the church.
He is the chief shepherd. And what we're trying to do is to serve Christ and leadership and lead you to the perfect man.
Let us all turn to Christ and follow him. He's our perfect example. So the character of Christ is defined by self -control, and it is also demonstrated, shall we say even tested and proved, by loving others.
And we have these themes in our text as well. There are three types of love or three directions of love in this text that are called for in Overseers.
The first is to love your wife. The second is to love your children. And the third is to love others.
Let's consider those terms. First of all, a bishop must then be blameless, the husband of one wife.
Quite literally in the original, a one -woman man. Also we read in verse four, one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence.
And we'll come back to that in a moment. Also we read that in verse two, a bishop must be hospitable, which is in the original, a lover of strangers.
A lover of strangers. Let's think about that for a moment. First of all, you must love your wife. Ryan, me, my fellow elders, we are called to love our wives, to be a one -woman man.
Each one of us must take that to the fullest, most fruitful expression.
A one -woman man, to love our wives. Why? Think of Christ. Think of what he has given to the church.
Think about how he loves his bride. What he went through for her good and her benefit.
As Adam went down and bled for his wife. So much the more,
Christ died and bled for his bride. And so we see the example of what it is to love our wives when we look at Christ.
And of course, the under -shepherd should follow and imitate the chief shepherd.
We are to rejoice in the wife of our youth. And we are to embrace her and rejoice with her.
Now, secondly, love your children. In this text, it says that we are to rule our own house well.
And that expression means a present presiding. Not just a presiding over us from afar, by extension, but a present presiding.
On site, right there, involved. A present presiding is the idea behind this expression of ruling.
And what's the aim? To teach them unto reverence. All reverence.
As it is said in Ephesians, Fathers are to raise up their children in the fear of the
Lord. Teach your children the fear of God. And this would be the most loving thing that we could possibly do for our children.
And we know that Christ is present and presiding amongst all those over whom he is the elder brother.
And that we are adopted by Christ, through Christ, unto the
Lord. And he teaches us the fear of the Lord. Also, we are to love others. Being hospitable. Of course, we think of hospitality in our context of bringing people into our homes and blessing them.
And of course, that would be understood in this age as well when Paul is writing. But the idea of loving strangers is very important for an elder.
Loving strangers is important because within the body of Christ, some people are strange. Actually, the idea is that people that are outside of your family.
People that are not native to your home, native to your table. As we think about what
Christ has to say about the body of Christ, he begins to define brother, sister, mother in terms of those who are born again.
Those who are part of the family of God, by the grace of God, by the work of the Holy Spirit. And, you know,
I would say that most of us here, if not all of us here, have family members we wish were here.
That we wish would at least be in some church. That we wish would be part of the family of God.
But in this love of strangers, we come together and we are to love one another. I am to love you as my brothers and my sisters in Christ as I love my own family.
Because we are one in Christ. I am to have a special love for my wife and my children and special responsibilities.
But truly, truly, even though you are strangers to my blood family, we are family.
And we are to love one another in that way. And so there is a love for your wife and a love for your children and a love for others.
Remembering that Christ is the one who took us who were strangers and estranged from God.
And brought us near to the Father by his work.
And this love that is demonstrated, we are going to demonstrate here today as we have communion.
Our love is symbolized here. We gather here as we gather around the reality of Christ having shed his blood.
His body having been broken for us. As he sacrificed himself to bring us who were in the highways and the byways.
Who were out among the hedges. Those who had not originally received the invitation.
But Christ by his own person and work brings us together that we may love one another in Christ.
The character of Christ is essential for an overseer. He who desires oversight in Christ's church desires a good thing.
Desires a good work. What makes it good is Christ. What makes it worthwhile is
Christ. And so the character of Christ is essential. Secondly, the care for the church.
Remember that when Jesus restored Peter as they were walking beside the sea. That Jesus asked
Peter three times, do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me? And he had an admonition for Peter which was, feed my sheep.
He wanted Peter to care for his flock. And this is the same admonition that we receive as elders.
And in the care for the church there are four themes I think we need to think of briefly. The first is simply the care of the church is to be a persevering care.
A perseverant care for the church. There was a concern in this text in verses 6 and 7.
A concern about falling. Let's look at verses 6 and 7 again. There is a concern here about falling.
There is a concern about the condemnation of the devil. The snare of the devil.
There is a concern here about pride. There is a concern here about man -pleasing or man -shaming that will be a snare to the leaders of the church.
And truly we're being called to persevere. A little bit later on Paul expands upon this as he talks to Timothy.
And he says in verse 14 of chapter 4. And we're going to do that in a moment.
That your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.
Continue in them for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. The word save there is not in terms of redemption.
We know who redeems us. But in terms of continuing on. Of keeping yourself from danger.
And this happens by keeping on. By meditating. By giving yourself entirely to them.
Not being distant from the things of the Lord. Not being distant from the things of the church.
But giving yourself entirely to the tasks that God has given to you. So persevering is a perseverant care.
Not a failing care. A care that ceases. Now there is importance here in remembering
Christ again. There are temptations. There are temptations to give up. There are temptations to be frustrated.
Even in the text we are reminded to be gentle. In other texts we are called to do all of what we do as shepherds with long suffering.
And impatience. Because there is the need to persevere. And we are to run with endurance the race that is set before us.
We are to look unto Jesus who is the author and the finisher of our faith.
Remembering that it was for the joy that was set before him that he endured the cross. And he despised the shame.
And even now he reigns at the right hand of God. And so remembering what our Lord has done. The captain of our salvation.
Who has blazed the trail from suffering to glory. We follow right in his footsteps. And we endure knowing the joy that he has promised.
This is to be a perseverant care. A perseverant care. And a paternal care.
A paternal care. I want to spend a little bit of time here because there is a lot of confusion about this.
Notice I did not say maternal care. Let's consider what goes on in this text shall we?
The overseer in the church must be the husband of one wife. The husband of one wife.
The overseer, the elder, the pastor, the shepherd in the church. Is to rule his own house well.
Having his children in submission with all reverence. Why is this so important? Well notice what it said.
For if a man does not know how to rule his own house. How will he take care of the church of God?
So there is something that is essentially paternal about being an elder. About being an overseer.
About being a pastor. There is something paternal about it. So much so.
So much so. That in Matthew chapter 23 verses 8 through 12.
Jesus takes the time to talk to his apostles. These men who are going to be leading in the church. Peter himself says even though he is an apostle he is serving as an elder.
Jesus says to his followers. His men who are going to be leading in the church. He explicitly forbids them from being called a father.
Don't let anybody call you Pope. Don't let anybody call you father. Don't let anybody accord to you these fancy honorable names.
Why would that even be a temptation? I mean if they were going to act maternally there wouldn't be an issue.
But they are acting paternally. They are acting like don't let anybody call you Pope.
And we are looking at Christ. Our father is in heaven. We have a heavenly father. I am not father to this church.
God the father is the father of this church. And so it is essential that we recognize that the role of an elder.
The role of a bishop is paternal. Which is why Jesus says don't let anyone call you father.
Because that would be the temptation. That would be the direction that would occur. He is extremely wise.
Is he not? Further I would have you notice that unlike many people today.
Unlike many church groups today. Unlike many Southern Baptists today. Paul knows what a woman is.
If you will back up to verses 8 -15. You will see that Paul is not confused in chapter 3 verses 1 -7.
Thinking I am going to write this in a way that we can have women in the pulpit. That is being claimed today by the
Southern Baptist Convention. If you go back up verses 8 -15. You will see that he has his definitions down.
And he knows what a man is. And he knows what a woman is. This is a passage that gives everybody a whole lot of indigestion.
And we are going to have to wonder why. Verse 8. I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere.
Lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting. And like manner also that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel.
With propriety and moderation. Not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing.
But which is proper for a woman professing godliness with good works. Let a woman learn in silence with all submission.
And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man. But to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then
Eve. And Adam was not deceived. But the woman being deceived fell into transgression. Nevertheless, she will be saved and childbearing.
Again, that word saved is not redeemed and saved from your sins. But preserved and childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness with self -control.
Now, we don't have time to exegete that entire text. But I will tell you that nobody wants to take the time to exegete that entire text.
This does not fit well in a culture that has been drinking the water of feminism for a hundred years.
This doesn't work. This doesn't work with our culture. And therefore, it doesn't get any time.
If it does get time, it is only to be criticized. So, we know that we can tell that Paul understands what a man is and what a woman is.
And he appeals to Genesis for that. Surprise. So, when we come down to chapter 3.
And he begins talking about who an overseer is. Who a bishop is. Who an elder is.
He says it must be a man. And he must love his wife. And he must govern his household well.
Because this is going to be analogous to the way in which he cares for the church.
Do you see? It says if a man does not know how to rule his own house. How will he take care of the church of God?
Do you see how he sets them side by side? And so, in other words, just as a man is to be a present, presiding, loving, guiding force in his own home.
So also, the elder must have be a present, presiding, ruling, caring for the flock of Jesus Christ.
And so it is a paternal kind of care.
Additionally, it is a providing type of care. Remember that Jesus says to Peter, feed my sheep.
Able to teach. Able to give counsel. Able to care for the needs of the flock.
To see to the direction and the spiritual good of the lives of the saints.
And we passed over a passage I want to return to. Hebrews chapter 13. Let's consider what kind of care.
What kind of provision that the elders are to give to the flock. Hebrews 13 .7
Remember those who rule over you. Who have spoken the word of God to you. Jesus says, feed my sheep.
Who have spoken the word of God to you. Whose faith follow considering the outcome of their conduct.
So, follow their faith. Not blindly consider the outcome of their conduct.
Because Jesus Christ is the standard. And even the congregation is holding the elders accountable to the standard who is
Christ. Verse 17. Similarly, obey those who rule over you and be submissive.
For they watch out for your souls. This is the kind of care that the bishops, the overseers, the elders, the pastors, the shepherds of the church.
They watch out for your souls as those who must give an account. When Peter and the apostles speak to the church and say, it is not fitting that we should depart from our labor to wait on tables, which is important.
They said, we must continue in the word of God and prayer. Why? Because they are watching over the souls of the people in their congregation.
They are responsible before God as shepherds. And all we must do is listen a little bit to Jeremiah and Isaiah and Jesus about what
God has to say about shepherds who abandon their task. Who are lazy in their task. And we are reminded from the apostle
John. He says, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
And that is the passion that a paternal providing overseer in the church has.
Also, a protecting kind of care for the church. Not only keeping with it. Not only acting in a paternal fashion.
Not only providing care for the church, but also being protective. Being protective.
One of the requirements for an elder is in Titus 1 .9. It says, holding fast the faithful word as it has been taught.
That he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convict those who contradict. To be able to show people what the truth of God is.
And also in Acts 20, Paul with great tears addresses the elders of the church in Ephesus.
Warning them that savage wolves will sneak in amongst the flock of the church.
That even some among them may even rise up and savage the flock. But they must watch and persevere.
And they're watching and be careful to protect the flock. And these are the types of care that an elder, that a overseer, that a shepherd is to give in leadership in Christ's church.
The character of Christ and the care for the church. This is a passage
I know that Ryan has read and meditated on and thought very carefully through. It's a passage that is good for us to be reminded of.
Because do you not see here what care Christ takes with his church, with his body?
How he cares for his bride. How he nourishes and seeks for the good of his flock.
By saying this is the kind of leadership that needs to be in my church.
So we can praise Christ for that. We can rejoice in him for the kind of care that he takes. And we rejoice in the blessing of being called into that leadership.
There is a joy in serving Christ. Of stewarding that which he has entrusted to us.
The riches of his grace. And seeing the work that he does. When it comes down to it, there is always the temptation for shepherds, for elders to begin to reflect.
And say, well, what good has it been? At the end of a shepherd's life, there is always a reflection.
There is always a reflection. What good has it been? Who are still following the
Lord? Where is the fruit from all of the labor? And this, in the vast majority, is blessedly concealed from the man.
Concealed from the man for his own good. For our trust and our hope must be in Christ. As we follow
Christ as shepherds, as we serve him, he does the lasting work.
He does the lasting work in us. He does the lasting work through us. But he gets all of the glory when it's all said and done.
I hope it's been an encouragement to you. I hope it's been an encouragement to you. And at this time, we'd like Ryan to come forward.
And the elders, if you'll come forward. We want to do what the Bible says. We want to lay hands on him and pray and bless and ordain him before the
Lord. And church, will you pray with us? Heavenly Father, we thank you for our brother,
Ryan Mount. We thank you for the work of grace that you have been doing in his life for many, many years.
We thank you for giving him to your son, giving your son to him.
We thank you for giving him your Holy Spirit, a new heart, a new life.
And calling him to serve in your church in this way. So Lord, we pray that you would give him soundness of speech.
We pray that you would give him warmth of heart. We pray that you would give him freedom in this church to God and direct and to challenge and to exhort with all longsuffering.
And call his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to follow the Lord and to rejoice in his truth.
And Lord, we pray that you would bless him especially with your Holy Spirit for this work. That for all the days in which he serves as an elder.
That he will do so by the power of your Spirit. It is not by might, it is not by our strength, but it is by your
Spirit, oh Lord. That you build your church, that you advance your kingdom and you bring glory to your name.
And so we pray all of these things for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen and amen.
We love you, Ryan. We're going to sing a hymn together and then we're going to have a
Lord's Supper together. Our song of communion, communion song, is
Good Shepherd of My Soul. Good Shepherd of my soul, come dwell within me.
Take all I am and mold your likeness in me.
Before the cross of Christ, this is my sacrifice.
A life laid down and ready to follow.
The troubled find their peace in true surrender.
The prisoner, their release from chains of anger.
In springs of living grace, I find a resting place.
To rise refreshed and ready to follow.
In walk this narrow road, with Christ before me.
Where thorns and thistles grow, and cords ensnare me.
Though doubted and denied, He never leaves my side.
But lifts my head and calls me to follow.
And when my days are gone, my strength is failing.
He'll carry me along, through death's unveiling.
Her struggles overcome, Heaven's journey just begun.
To search Christ's depths and ever to follow. To search
Christ's depths and ever to follow.