Instruction for the Church 03/06/2022

First Baptist Church Leominster

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Good morning everybody, it's good to be back, get one more look before you all go blurry.

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This morning we continue our study of 1 Peter, 1 Peter 5 verses 5 to 7.

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And over the next couple of sermons we're going to be unpacking these verses in an attempt to better understand three attitudes that are essential for the church.

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These attitudes are essential for the church to fulfill and accomplish the purposes of the Lord God.

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These attitudes are submission, humility, and trust.

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By way of reminder, in 1 Peter 5 verses 1 to 4, as a fellow elder and a witness of the offerings of Christ, as well as a partaker of the glory that is going to be revealed,

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Peter exhorts the elders of the church to shepherd the flock of God.

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Elders are to exercise oversight over the flock of God, not under compulsion, but willingly, according to the will of God.

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Elders are to exercise oversight over the flock, not for shameful gain, but eagerly.

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Elders are to exercise oversight over the flock, not domineering over those in their charge, but being examples to the flock.

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In 1 Peter 5 verses 5 through 7, exhortation is now given to the rest of the body.

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Elders are to shepherd the flock of God, and the sheep must respond to the elders and to one another with right and proper attitudes.

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And what are these attitudes? Let's read the text together. 1 Peter 5 verses 5 to 7, likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders.

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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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Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you.

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Beloved, in order for the church to fulfill and accomplish the purpose of the Lord, we must be diligent to adorn ourselves with these three essential attitudes.

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Submission, verse 5, humility, verses 5 and 6, and trust, verse 7.

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For the believer, these three attitudes are absolutely essential, not only for our individual maturity in Christ, but also for our unity with one another.

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This morning we will look at verse 5, the attitude of submission, and next sermon, or next month, we'll conclude with verses 6 and 7, the attitudes of humility and trust.

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Attitude number one, submission, 1 Peter 5, likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders.

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Now notice the first word of verse 5 is the term likewise. The term likewise is used to bind together ideas or thoughts or paragraphs.

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In other words, 1 Peter 5, 5 is bound together and it is closely associated with 1

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Peter 5, 4, and when the great shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

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Likewise, just as the elders are exhorted to live under the authority of the chief shepherd, so are those who are younger, also exhorted to live under the authority of the chief shepherd by being subject to their elders.

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Now before we continue, I want to preface the following. As a pastor, it's always a little bit awkward to preach on the importance of submitting to your elders, especially when

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I am one of those elders. My motive in preaching through this passage is not to bend your will to my will, but it is to honor and glorify the

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Lord God by faithful exposition of his word. As a shepherd,

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I am responsible to the Lord God to feed his sheep. I am called to proclaim and to plainly speak forth the word of God.

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However, I encourage you, do not blindly receive what

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I'm about to say. Make sure that you always line up what I say against what the word of God says.

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Beloved, it is imperative that every person in this church be a Berean.

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We must diligently examine the scriptures to see if these things are so. So you've got some homework to do.

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Let's continue. First Peter 5 .5, likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders.

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The Greek word translated subject is hupotasso, which means to arrange under or to place under in an orderly fashion.

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This term was often used by the military to describe troops falling into rank and ordering themselves into proper battle formation, being attentive and subordinate to the will of their commanding officer.

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For any military campaign to be successful, troops need to follow orders. Troops need to be subject to the chain of command.

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Individual soldiers are not at liberty to make their own assessments and to proceed as they desire.

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Soldiers are required to follow orders. Victory on the battlefield does not come from disorder or chaos, but by systematic planning and purposeful execution, which begins at the top and trickles right on down to the bottom.

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Soldiers must fall into rank and be subject to the chain of command. In a similar manner,

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Peter borrows this terminology and he applies it to those within the church. For the church to function in an orderly manner, the chain of command must be recognized.

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Authority must be recognized. Believers must fall in line and place themselves under the authority of the elders.

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Hebrews 13, 17 says, 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. Well, what is the difference between the command to submit to your leaders and the command to obey your leaders?

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If submission means to arrange under in an orderly fashion, then what does it mean to obey?

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Well, sometimes the term obey means to keep or to guard or to protect, as it is used in the book of Revelation, Revelation 1, 3, blessed are those, blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear and who keep or obey what is written in it, for the time is near.

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Sometimes the term obey means to listen to or to hearken to a command, as it's used in the book of Ephesians, Ephesians 6, 1, children obey your parents and the

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Lord for this is right. Here, the implication behind obey is clear, listen to your parents and do as you're told.

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In Hebrews 13, 17, the Greek word translated obey is pytho and it means to persuade towards movement.

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It means to trust in or to have confidence in and because of this trust and confidence, you do what is asked.

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The emphasis of this word is on obedience that comes from being persuaded that something is true.

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In this case, that something is the word of God. Matthew Henry remarked,

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Christians must submit to be instructed by their ministers and not think themselves too wise, too good or too great and to learn from them.

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And when they find that ministerial instructions are agreeable to the written word, they must obey them.

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In other words, to obey your leaders is to allow their teaching, provided that it lines up with the scriptures to be persuasive in your lives.

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Allow their teaching, allow their counsel, allow their example to move and persuade you to a closer walk with the

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Lord God. The chief shepherd has given authority to his lesser shepherds to care for the flock of God according to and through the proclamation of his word.

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It is this kind of authority that will persuade believers from the scriptures to walk in obedience and submission to the

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Lord Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 13, 17, the command to obey, the command to submit are very similar in nature, but there is a difference and that difference is found in the tense of the words.

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The word obey is in the middle voice, which gives it the passive sense of allowing yourself to be persuaded.

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The word translated submit is an active verb in the present tense, indicating effort on our part.

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We must diligently and continually devote ourselves to the process of placing oneself under our leadership.

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One is passive, one is active, but both are necessary.

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It's not always easy to obey and submit to your elders. So it's important to remember that placing oneself under the leadership of the local church is equivalent to placing oneself under the authority of the

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Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord God has ordained and provided elders to rule and to exercise authority in the church.

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It is the elders who are the instruments that are used in the hand of the Lord God to shepherd his people.

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Elders are merely the under shepherds who serve under the chief shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. First Peter 5, 5, likewise, you who are younger, be subject, fall into rank, arrange yourself under in an orderly fashion, place yourself under the authority of your elders.

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Well practically speaking, how do we obey this command? What does obedience and submission to an elder look like?

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How does the Lord God expect us to respond and interact with the elders of the local church?

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Well, Paul gives us some insight into these questions from his letter to the Thessalonians. Turn with me to First Thessalonians 5, verses 12 to 13.

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First Thessalonians 5, 12 to 13, we ask you brothers to submit those to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the

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Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.

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Be at peace among yourselves. Now this is a great passage because in it we see the responsibilities of the shepherd as well as the responsibilities of the sheep.

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According to these two verses, what are the responsibilities of the shepherd? Elders are to labor among the flock.

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Elders are to have authority over the sheep. They are over you in the Lord. And elders are to give instruction to the sheep as those who admonish you.

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And what are the responsibilities of the sheep? The sheep are to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the

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Lord. The term translated respect is an interesting word. In the

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Greek it is aido. The New King James translates this term as recognize.

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The New American Standard translates this term as appreciate. The New English translation translates this term as acknowledge.

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And the King James Version translate it as know. Respect those who labor among you.

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Recognize those who labor among you. Appreciate those who labor among you.

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Acknowledge those who labor among you. Know those who labor among you.

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Well, what idea is being implied by the use of these words? The idea is knowledge that comes through experience.

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You have learned to know. You have come to know. You have come to know by experience.

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In this context, the term carries with it the idea of deep knowledge that includes respect and appreciation.

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To know through experience and to value is the implication. In other words, it means that you have come to a deep and intimate personal knowledge that leads you to appreciation.

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You know your elders well enough to care about them and to appreciate them.

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But not only are the sheep to respect those who labor among you and who are over you in the

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Lord, the sheep are also to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.

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Elders are to be esteemed by the sheep. To esteem means to consider or to regard.

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It means to think. The sheep are to continually consider, regard, and think of their elders very highly in love.

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Now the term very highly means beyond all measure. It means overflowing all bounds. This term describes an extraordinary degree involving a considerable excess over what would be expected.

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And it is in this manner that elders are to be highly regarded and distinguished. Well, what if you find it really difficult to esteem your elders in this manner?

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What if you don't really care for a certain elder? What if your personalities clash? Or maybe you don't get their humor.

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Or maybe you find them just a little bit odd, because we've got a couple of those.

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As a member of a local church, what do you do if you and your elders don't get along?

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Well, according to Paul, elders are to be esteemed very highly, not because of their personality, not because of their humor, not because of their disposition or their demeanor, but because of their work.

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The sheep are to esteem the shepherds very highly in love, beyond all measure, overflowing all bounds, because of the work that the elders accomplish.

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An elder's work is very important, because an elder's work is the Lord God's work. And this is the reason why elders should be esteemed.

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Elders in the local church are working on behalf of the Lord God. And when you esteem an elder, you esteem the one who has commissioned him to work.

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The Lord God. John 13, 20. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one

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I send, receives me. And whoever receives me, receives the one who sent me.

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Beloved, we ask you to respect those who labor among you, and are over you in the

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Lord, and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.

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Now take a look at the last sentence of this verse. First Thessalonians 5, 13. Be at peace among yourselves.

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Now why would Paul add this sentence? As a pastor, as an elder, there is nothing more grieving, more distracting, more difficult, or more painful than dissension within the local church.

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Our horizontal relationships with one another will always affect our vertical relationship with the

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Lord God. Which is why Paul exhorts the church to be at peace among yourselves.

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John Flavel knew the importance of peace within a local church. He remarked, take away union, and there is no communion.

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The concept of being at peace with one another, or living in peace with one another, is a very familiar

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New Testament exhortation. Romans 14, 19. So then let us pursue that which makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

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Second Corinthians 13, 11. Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration.

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Comfort one another. Agree with one another. Live in peace. And the

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God of love and peace will be with you. Colossians 3, 15. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful.

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Beloved, pursue peace with one another. Pursue that which makes for peace.

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Pursue that which makes for mutual upbuilding. Aim for restoration with one another.

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Comfort, agree, and live in peace with one another. But especially do this with your elders.

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Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts and rule in your relationships. The relationship between shepherd and the sheep should be amicable.

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It should be peaceful. There should be no bitterness or dissension or division. The Lord Jesus Christ went to great lengths to unify us.

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And thus, we must be diligent to preserve this unity. With all humility and gentleness and patience, we must bear with one another in love, being eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.

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Well, what if in your pursuit of peace and unity, you hit an insurmountable and impassable obstacle?

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What if you find yourself at odds with one of your elders or with all of your elders? Unfortunately, there are some in the church who will often make it near impossible for peace and unity to be achieved.

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And sometimes the greatest agitators of peace and unity are those in the leadership. I found that churches are very much like families.

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Some churches are very strong and others are very weak. Some churches are healthy and others are extremely unhealthy.

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And sometimes strong and healthy churches find themselves in crisis and they fall into dysfunction.

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So when this happens, and it will most likely happen, what are you going to do?

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Are you going to abandon the church? Are you going to abandon your church family and fellowship elsewhere, where there are no problems?

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Or will you stay and fight and contend for the purity of the church? Will you actively pursue peace with one another?

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Will you actively pursue that which makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding? Will you aim for restoration with one another?

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Beloved, these are very important questions. What are you going to do when you disagree with your elders?

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What are you going to do when your elders fail you? What are you going to do when there are rumors of sin and wrongdoing among the leadership of the church?

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What are you going to do when you see an elder sin? When you see an elder disqualify himself from the ministry?

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The overarching question here is, how are you going to handle disagreement, error, discord, and sin in the leadership of your church?

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These are tough and difficult questions, but chances are at some point in your life, if not already, you will need to deal with sin and error in the leadership of your church.

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So what are you going to do? Well, turn with me to the book of 1

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Timothy. The book of 1 Timothy is about maintaining proper order and behavior in the local church.

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And in 1 Timothy 5, Paul clearly addresses how to deal with sinful and errant leadership.

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1 Timothy 5, verses 19 through 21. 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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The Greek word translated admit, do not admit a charge against an elder, is paradekamai, which means to entertain or to consider in your mind.

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An accusation against an elder based on one witness is not to be received.

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An accusation against an elder is not to be entertained. It is not even to be considered, but rather it is to be ignored.

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Do not admit a charge against an elder. Verse 19, now this may sound as if elders get preferential treatment.

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This may sound as if elders are above the law, but in reality, the scriptures have always insisted that it takes at least two witnesses to convict someone of wrongdoing.

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A single witness will not suffice against any person for any crime or for any wrongdoing that has been committed.

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It is only on the evidence of two or three witnesses that a charge should be established. In the

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Old Testament, Deuteronomy 19 .15, a single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed.

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Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.

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In the New Testament, 2 Corinthians 13 .1, Paul writes, this is the third time

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I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

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By confirming an accusation on the basis of two or three witnesses, this is not meant to place an elder above the accusation.

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Elders are not to be the untouchables of the church. It is, however, to place them above false accusations.

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To confirm an accusation based upon two or three witnesses will help weed out the illegitimate and frivolous accusations.

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Now keep in mind, even if the accusation is confirmed by two or three witnesses, this does not necessarily mean that the elder is guilty.

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Two or three witnesses are required for the reception of the accusation or the entertainment and the consideration of the accusation, but not for the conviction.

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The accusation may yet to be proven false, but it must at least be investigated.

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Now the wisdom of this is self -evident. One of the devices that the adversary often uses to discredit a man in his ministry is false accusation.

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Think about the examples of false accusation that are seen in the scriptures. Joseph, Moses, David, and many others.

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The Lord Jesus Christ was crucified because of false accusation. The Apostle Paul was often falsely accused and he had to defend himself again and again in his epistles.

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A man in his ministry can be utterly ruined and devastated through no fault of his own, but due to the fault of people who devise false accusations and those who listen to false accusations.

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Beloved, you, the church, must be discerning. You must protect your elders from all such attacks.

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John Stott remarked, adherence to this biblical principle would have silenced many a malicious tailbearer and saved many pastors from unjust criticism and unnecessary suffering.

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Beloved, as difficult as this may be, you must never admit or consider or entertain or receive an unsubstantiated accusation against an elder.

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An accusation from a single source or a single witness must be put completely out of your mind.

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Do not admit it. But what if it's true?

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What if you know the accusation is true? What if with your own two eyes you have seen an elder sin?

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No one else may have seen it, but you saw it. What do you do then? Do you wait until someone sees it?

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You wait until there are two or three witnesses? What is the biblical process to follow when you see an elder sin or when an elder sins against you?

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Well, if you see an elder in sin, you must go to him privately and confront him face to face.

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If you see an elder sin, you must treat him as you would treat any other brother in Christ who is caught in sin.

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You must confront him in love. Matthew 18, 15. If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.

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If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. Galatians 6, 1. Brothers, if anyone, including one of your elders, is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.

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Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Beloved, if you observe sin or if you are made aware of sin in an elder's life, you need to remember that that elder is also your brother and he is caught in his trespass.

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He is caught in his sin and he needs you to go to him and reprove him in private.

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The Lord God's desire is that you go to him in love and show him his fault. Yes, this may be awkward, but he may have no idea that he is even trapped in his sin.

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He may have no idea that he has fallen and you may be the only one who has seen his sin.

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So go to him. You are responsible to the Lord God to go to your brother and to show him his fault.

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Sin can quickly fester and sin can so quickly permeate every aspect of life.

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And sin is a contagion. If it festers in one Christian's life, it will often spread and fester in other people's lives.

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A little leaven leavens the whole lump. So resolve to act quickly.

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The longer sin is allowed to rot in the soul of your brother, the more difficult it will be for him to repent and turn away from it.

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Now, I understand that to approach a brother or a sister in sin, let alone an elder, is a very difficult thing to do.

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So before it happens, I want you to remember a couple of things. Remember that you too are a sinner.

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So examine your life before you confront and deal with sin in the life of someone else.

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Address and deal with the sin in your own life. Matthew 7 verses 1 to 5.

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Judge not that you will not be judged. For with the judgment you pronounce, you will be judged.

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And with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

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Or how can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye when there is a log in your own eye?

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You hypocrite. First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

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Before you talk to your brother or sister in Christ about their faults, own up to your own faults and repent, turn away from it.

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Remove the log that may be blurring your own vision so that you can be certain that you are in fact rightly seeing your brother's sin.

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Also, make sure that your spirit is right. Make sure that you have the right motives.

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Before confronting the sin of others, you must have the right spirit. You must have a spirit of gentleness and humility with the motive of restoration.

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2 Timothy 2, the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.

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God may perhaps grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth, that they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil after being captured by him to do his will.

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What if you did all that? What if you prayed and examined your own life? What if you removed the log that was in your own eye?

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What if your spirit was right? What if your motive is right? What if you were humble and sincere and loving?

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And what if you did all of these things and your confrontation was outright ignored and rejected and maybe even spurned?

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What do you do then? Well, Matthew 18, if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.

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If he listens to you, you've gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

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Witnesses are needed to confirm that a brother is indeed sinning. Witnesses are needed to confirm that an elder is sinning.

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Witnesses are needed to confirm that he was properly rebuked. You also bring in two or three witnesses with the hope that he will listen to them and repent.

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You do it with the hope that you and the witnesses will gain back your brother.

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In dealing with an elder who sins, the first step is private confrontation. The second step is private confrontation with two or three witnesses.

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Now, at this point, after the witnesses, the process for dealing with an elder in sin is far more severe than dealing with a non -elder.

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The process of dealing with an elder in sin is much quicker. It has fewer steps. If by the confrontation with two or three witnesses, the accusation is proven to be true, then it is to be received.

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Then it is to be considered. Then it is to be entertained, and it is to be investigated. And if after the investigation, the accusation proves to be true, the elder is to be rebuked in the presence of all.

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This is the process for dealing with an elder in sin. An accusation is made. An accusation is confirmed by witnesses.

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The accusation is received. The accusation is investigated. And if it is found to be true, then the elder is to be rebuked in the presence of all.

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This is the double edge of ministry. To serve as an elder, there is potential for great honor.

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But equally, there is also potential for great dishonor. Beloved churches must protect their elders.

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And churches must also confront and rebuke their elders who continue and persist in sin.

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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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Elders are to be protected from false accusation. But elders should never receive immunity from truthful accusation.

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Unrepentant elders who are caught in sin and continue in sin must bear the consequences of that sin, which is public rebuke.

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A sinning elder who is rebuked in front of the entire congregation, this will speak volumes to the rest of the elders.

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It will speak volumes to the rest of the church. The public rebuke of an elder's sin will be a strong warning and a visible reminder to the rest of the elders that they must walk in fear and holiness.

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2 Corinthians 7 .1. Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

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It is fear along with love that is one of the strongest deterrents for avoiding sin and obeying the

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Lord God. As for those elders who continue and persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all so that the rest of the elders and the rest of the church members may stand in fear.

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To rebuke a sinning elder takes great courage. It takes great conviction.

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This is not an easy thing to do. And I think Paul anticipated reluctance on our part.

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So to help us remain impartial, he reminds us that every act of church discipline is carried out before the

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Lord God, Christ Jesus, and the elect angels. Look at 1

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Timothy 5 .21. In the presence of God, in the presence of Christ Jesus, and in the presence of the elect angels,

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I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.

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This is a powerful statement. Think about the implication of these words. God the

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Father, Christ Jesus, his elect angels are watching us. They are watching what we do.

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Elders who continue in sin must be rebuked publicly because the Lord God and all of the heavens are watching.

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The Lord God requires that sinning elders be publicly rebuked because holiness in the church must be upheld.

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Beloved, the Lord God calls you to obey your elders. The Lord God calls you to submit to your elders.

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The Lord God also calls you to confront and rebuke them publicly when they continue and persist in sin.

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This is your responsibility. This is the standard that the Lord God has set for the members of his church.

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This is one of the means by which the church is kept pure and holy.

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But if we rebuke a sinning elder, what will the people think? Won't the public rebuke of one of our church leaders reflect poorly on our church?

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What will the visitors think? What will other churches think? What will the community think?

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Who cares? It is the Lord Christ whom we serve. It is the

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Lord Christ whom we are accountable. The questions that every church must eventually ask, am

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I more concerned with this church's reputation or am I more concerned with the reputation of the

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Lord God and the holiness of his church? Am I more concerned with the public perception of this church or with God's perception of this church?

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Am I more concerned with the opinion of man or with the opinion of the Lord God? The answer is clear.

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It is the Lord God who we are to fear, not the reactions, not the opinions of man.

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Beloved, in the presence of the Lord God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels, we as a church have been charged to keep these rules regardless of how they are perceived by the outside world.

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Elders who persist in sin, elders who continue in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all so that the rest may stand in fear.

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For the church to fulfill and to accomplish the purposes of the Lord God, we must be diligent to adorn ourselves with the essential attitude of submission.

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This means we will strive to obey our leaders. This means we will strive to submit to our leaders.

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It means we will honor, respect, seek to know, appreciate, acknowledge, and esteem our elders very highly because of their work.

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Elders are the under shepherds of the church and they serve at the behest of the chief shepherd, the

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Lord Jesus Christ. And if one of our elders falls into sin, then we must pursue them by following the principles of Matthew 18, by following the principles of 1

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Timothy 5. As difficult and awkward as this may be, beloved, the

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Lord God is greatly concerned with the purity of the church. The Lord Jesus Christ is equally greatly concerned with the purity of the church.

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The elect angels are greatly concerned with the purity of the church. So must we be greatly concerned with the purity of the church.

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We must be greatly concerned with the purity of our church. Next month, we'll conclude this passage and we'll take a look at the essential attitudes of humility and trust.

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If you have any questions or if you're seeking clarification on anything that's been said this morning, please see me, please see one of the elders.

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These are important things that we need to understand as a body. The Lord God desires that we be pure and he's given us elders to help in that.

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But sometimes the elders fall, elders stumble, elders sin. And it's the church that is called to go out and bring them back by following these principles.

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Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this passage.

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As difficult as it may be, Lord, none of us like to confront others, but we see that it's important.

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We thank you, Lord, for elders. We thank you for teachers and pastors. We thank you for the church.

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We pray, Lord, that together we would work together, that we would strive to obey you, that we would strive to please you.

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And that means, Lord, we follow the order that you've given us in your word. So we pray that elders would shepherd the flock of God and we pray that the church would submit to their elders.

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Lord, help us, give us wisdom in all of these things. And we do pray that you would unify us. We pray that we would have one mind when it comes to these things.

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We pray that we would pursue unity at all costs. Thank you,