WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.240 Uh, maybe you didn't know we were on vacation. 00:00:04.799 --> 00:00:05.580 We were. 00:00:06.179 --> 00:00:09.740 Thanks for your prayers while we were away, I guess. 00:00:10.359 --> 00:00:12.599 But it's good to be back with you all on the Lord's Day. 00:00:12.679 --> 00:00:14.019 I heard last Sunday it was hot. 00:00:14.740 --> 00:00:15.339 Is that right? 00:00:16.219 --> 00:00:18.379 Well, God answers prayer. 00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:20.679 It's not hot this Sunday. 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:23.080 Thankful for that. 00:00:23.719 --> 00:00:29.160 We're looking at Acts chapter 20 this morning, verses 17 through 38. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:33.039 Uh, it's page 929 in the Pew Bible. 00:00:33.719 --> 00:00:34.880 Let me encourage you to turn there. 00:00:35.039 --> 00:00:40.079 We're going to look at a longish section of the Bible this morning. 00:00:40.280 --> 00:00:43.240 Uh, so it'll be good to have it open in front of you as we go through it. 00:00:44.179 --> 00:00:48.120 Acts chapter 20, verses 17 through 38, page 929. 00:00:53.280 --> 00:00:53.900 Let's pray. 00:00:54.079 --> 00:00:58.460 God, thank you so much that in Jesus you've given us a cornerstone that cannot be moved, 00:00:58.460 --> 00:01:02.060 cannot be shaken, and that stands firm in every storm. 00:01:02.880 --> 00:01:08.980 Lord, our desire this morning as we come, uh, to your word is that we might be more firmly 00:01:08.980 --> 00:01:12.140 rooted in Jesus, our rock and our redeemer. 00:01:12.700 --> 00:01:17.120 So, Lord, we pray that by your Holy Spirit that would be the case as we look into your 00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:17.680 word together. 00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:19.920 We pray this in Jesus' name, Father. 00:01:20.140 --> 00:01:20.379 Amen. 00:01:21.460 --> 00:01:21.960 All right. 00:01:21.959 --> 00:01:23.519 Let me read this passage for us. 00:01:24.019 --> 00:01:25.719 Uh, verse 17, chapter 20. 00:01:25.719 --> 00:01:31.920 Now, from Eletus, Paul sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. 00:01:32.500 --> 00:01:34.299 And when they came to him, he said to them, 00:01:35.099 --> 00:01:40.920 You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:46.340 foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened 00:01:46.340 --> 00:01:47.799 to me through the plots of the Jews. 00:01:48.439 --> 00:01:53.019 How I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable in teaching you 00:01:53.019 --> 00:01:58.619 in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward 00:01:58.619 --> 00:02:01.219 God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:07.179 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen 00:02:07.179 --> 00:02:13.439 to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:13.960 await me. 00:02:13.960 --> 00:02:22.040 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course 00:02:22.040 --> 00:02:29.200 in the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. 00:02:31.260 --> 00:02:35.300 And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom 00:02:35.300 --> 00:02:36.500 will see my face again. 00:02:36.900 --> 00:02:41.760 Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, 00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:45.359 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 00:02:46.259 --> 00:02:50.359 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has 00:02:50.359 --> 00:02:55.739 made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 00:02:57.019 --> 00:03:01.280 I know that after my departure, fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 00:03:02.199 --> 00:03:06.739 And from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things to draw away the 00:03:06.739 --> 00:03:07.819 disciples after them. 00:03:07.819 --> 00:03:13.900 Therefore, be alert, remembering that for three heroes I did not cease, night or day, 00:03:14.259 --> 00:03:15.979 to admonish everyone with tears. 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:22.759 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and 00:03:22.759 --> 00:03:25.900 to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 00:03:26.680 --> 00:03:29.259 I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. 00:03:29.379 --> 00:03:33.439 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with 00:03:33.439 --> 00:03:33.639 me. 00:03:34.439 --> 00:03:39.400 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way, we must help the weak and 00:03:39.400 --> 00:03:45.120 remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, it is more blessed to give 00:03:45.120 --> 00:03:46.699 and to receive. 00:03:48.300 --> 00:03:51.419 And when Paul had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 00:03:51.960 --> 00:03:53.960 And there was much weeping on the part of all. 00:03:54.500 --> 00:03:59.400 They embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, 00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:01.379 that they would not see his face again. 00:04:02.140 --> 00:04:04.800 And they accompanied him to the ship. 00:04:09.219 --> 00:04:10.659 Well, friends, think for a moment. 00:04:12.540 --> 00:04:18.259 What are some of the essential ingredients to your spiritual flourishing? 00:04:20.259 --> 00:04:25.620 Quickly, make a list, maybe in your head, of maybe three things or jot it down on the bulletin. 00:04:25.620 --> 00:04:30.500 What are some things that you would say in order to really thrive spiritually? 00:04:30.699 --> 00:04:32.060 Here's what I need. 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:39.280 I'm going to give an awkward pause. 00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:40.600 I'm actually going to expect you to do it. 00:04:40.660 --> 00:04:41.000 Go ahead. 00:04:41.160 --> 00:04:41.579 No, I'm just kidding. 00:04:43.399 --> 00:04:44.199 What's on your list? 00:04:44.300 --> 00:04:46.180 What do you need to thrive spiritually? 00:04:46.280 --> 00:04:47.500 What would be on a list like that? 00:04:47.560 --> 00:04:49.500 Maybe regular Bible reading and prayer. 00:04:50.100 --> 00:04:52.040 Maybe Sunday worship attendance. 00:04:52.040 --> 00:04:54.980 Maybe good spiritual friendship. 00:04:55.260 --> 00:04:57.200 Peers who can encourage you along the way. 00:04:58.000 --> 00:04:59.160 And those are all good things. 00:04:59.260 --> 00:05:01.580 Maybe you even thought of some others that are quite good. 00:05:02.620 --> 00:05:05.879 But, you know, here's one thing that you might not have added. 00:05:07.760 --> 00:05:16.100 In order to thrive spiritually, I need healthy church leaders paying careful attention to my life. 00:05:16.100 --> 00:05:21.700 I need elders, as Luke calls them here in verse 17. 00:05:22.120 --> 00:05:25.680 Recognized church leaders keeping watch over me spiritually. 00:05:27.480 --> 00:05:29.400 That often doesn't make our list. 00:05:31.740 --> 00:05:35.260 Now, of course, on one hand, we sort of get it, don't we? 00:05:35.260 --> 00:05:35.620 Don't we? 00:05:35.740 --> 00:05:40.040 That in order for any organization to be healthy, it needs healthy leaders, right? 00:05:40.460 --> 00:05:43.420 Any company known to man shows that to be true. 00:05:43.420 --> 00:05:48.199 That the companies that flourish and thrive are the ones that have good, healthy leadership sort of leading the way. 00:05:48.819 --> 00:05:50.840 And no doubt that's true of the church as a body, too. 00:05:50.980 --> 00:05:54.379 Nothing sinks a local church faster than ungodly leadership. 00:05:55.360 --> 00:05:56.220 Wouldn't you agree? 00:05:57.379 --> 00:06:02.720 But, while we can all agree that leaders are important for sort of the whole body together, 00:06:03.100 --> 00:06:05.660 that can still feel a bit abstract, can't it? 00:06:06.460 --> 00:06:08.160 It doesn't really sort of hit home. 00:06:08.319 --> 00:06:10.360 We have a hard time sort of personalizing that. 00:06:10.360 --> 00:06:17.139 But, you know, in verse 28, we see here in this passage that elders are meant to pay careful attention to themselves. 00:06:18.100 --> 00:06:20.540 And Paul says, to all the flock. 00:06:21.480 --> 00:06:22.740 Each member of it. 00:06:24.699 --> 00:06:29.860 And by implication, that means that it's not just the church as a whole, as a body that needs faithful elders, 00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:32.800 but you and me individually. 00:06:32.800 --> 00:06:36.980 Not just us, but I. 00:06:38.579 --> 00:06:45.639 If I want to thrive spiritually, I need to have elders, overseers, pastors keeping watch over me. 00:06:46.900 --> 00:06:52.259 In other words, fruitful Christians need faithful elders. 00:06:52.259 --> 00:06:57.420 Beth and I just moved into our new home yesterday. 00:06:58.039 --> 00:06:59.740 That's how we spent most of our vacation. 00:07:00.060 --> 00:07:02.319 Painting and cleaning and fixing. 00:07:03.360 --> 00:07:05.319 I got a nail gun for Father's Day. 00:07:05.699 --> 00:07:06.860 That was pretty awesome. 00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:10.219 Take that bead board in the kitchen. 00:07:12.379 --> 00:07:16.039 So, thanks to everyone who helped us move yesterday, by the way. 00:07:16.040 --> 00:07:27.960 This is a good plug to join a small group, because if you ever move, you'll have lots of help getting all the things out of your fifth floor apartment down a rickety old elevator. 00:07:28.740 --> 00:07:29.360 Sorry, guys. 00:07:31.160 --> 00:07:35.860 But anyway, for the last few weeks, we've been sort of getting our house ready to move in. 00:07:36.660 --> 00:07:44.180 And when we first got the place, one of the things that was in probably a lot of disrepair were the flower beds sort of along the house and the garage. 00:07:44.180 --> 00:07:45.460 They were totally overgrown. 00:07:46.540 --> 00:07:53.379 And someone like me, who knows really next to nothing about gardening, you know, I couldn't tell what was a weed and what was worth keeping. 00:07:53.500 --> 00:07:55.460 They were all sort of big and bushy and green. 00:07:56.620 --> 00:07:58.020 I don't have a green thumb. 00:07:58.100 --> 00:07:59.900 I sometimes joke that I have a black thumb. 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:03.660 I used to have a real tree in my office next door, and then it died. 00:08:03.759 --> 00:08:06.600 So, I got a fake tree, and now it never dies, which is awesome. 00:08:08.840 --> 00:08:15.040 But anyway, my father and my mother, my mother and my father-in-law, best parents, are actually really good gardeners. 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:19.300 And they went to town on our flower beds last week. 00:08:19.300 --> 00:08:25.980 And I can tell you, because I was watching them out the window from the cool of our kitchen, it was a lot of work. 00:08:26.180 --> 00:08:26.939 It was tough. 00:08:27.079 --> 00:08:27.780 It was hot. 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:30.520 They made big piles of weeds and sticks and branches. 00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:35.259 And when they were done, it kind of looked like there was nothing left in the garden. 00:08:35.259 --> 00:08:42.259 But, you know, this week, something really incredible started happening back at the house. 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:51.659 The things that they left started budding and flowering, and our beds started turning into something beautiful. 00:08:53.740 --> 00:08:58.519 You see, what our neglected gardens needed were faithful, hardworking gardeners. 00:08:58.519 --> 00:09:03.659 Someone who could pay careful attention to what was there. 00:09:04.659 --> 00:09:10.799 And under their care, these once neglected garden beds came to life. 00:09:12.500 --> 00:09:16.279 Now, look, would some of those flowers have come out without their work? 00:09:16.460 --> 00:09:16.899 Probably. 00:09:17.259 --> 00:09:19.519 I mean, there was sun and rain and soil. 00:09:19.620 --> 00:09:21.559 That's kind of sort of necessary, right? 00:09:21.559 --> 00:09:36.919 But, friends, don't you see, God has designed the garden of our souls to come to life, to bloom in all of its glory when we come under the hardworking care of faithful gardeners. 00:09:39.179 --> 00:09:50.219 And I think that's one of the reasons why, in all of the book of Acts, the only major speech that Luke records that's specifically addressed to a Christian audience is this one. 00:09:50.220 --> 00:09:53.940 Paul's speech to the Ephesian elders. 00:09:54.879 --> 00:09:55.660 Isn't that interesting? 00:09:56.240 --> 00:10:00.800 You know, we've been sort of working our way sequentially through the book of Acts, if you're just joining us this Sunday. 00:10:00.860 --> 00:10:03.779 We've just been sort of plowing straight through, taking it section by section. 00:10:04.160 --> 00:10:10.860 And as we've been going through, we've been noting that along the way, Luke gives us sort of these characteristic speeches from Paul or from Peter. 00:10:11.220 --> 00:10:16.399 You know, one of these speeches is sort of the sort of example of what Paul would say to non-believing Jews. 00:10:16.399 --> 00:10:21.259 And another is sort of a speech of what Paul would say to non-believing pagans. 00:10:22.360 --> 00:10:29.259 But here is a speech at last addressed not to people outside the church, but to people inside the church. 00:10:29.899 --> 00:10:32.840 Addressed specifically to believers in Jesus. 00:10:32.840 --> 00:10:41.160 Now, just think of all the speeches to Christians that Luke could have included in this book. 00:10:41.759 --> 00:10:46.200 As a co-traveler with Paul, having heard him encourage many, many, many churches. 00:10:47.259 --> 00:10:49.580 This is the one that Luke decides to include. 00:10:52.060 --> 00:10:54.720 Paul's speech to the elders, to the leaders of the church. 00:10:54.720 --> 00:11:00.220 And that ought to be a signal to us of how important this topic is. 00:11:01.340 --> 00:11:07.560 This text is here not just so that elders in particular can know what they're supposed to do, although that's the main reason. 00:11:07.740 --> 00:11:10.759 But it's here so that all of us as Christians can know what we need. 00:11:13.460 --> 00:11:16.279 And maybe there's even something here for non-Christians too. 00:11:16.279 --> 00:11:32.100 So that if you're here spiritually seeking, you can see how leadership in the church is meant to be something different than the domineering, oftentimes ego-driven leadership that so often characterizes our lives in the world. 00:11:32.100 --> 00:11:41.060 So we can see that the truth about Jesus creates a whole pattern of life that's new. 00:11:43.500 --> 00:11:49.300 A pattern that's expressed in leaders but is available to all who come to know Jesus. 00:11:51.879 --> 00:11:57.180 So let's look then at what we learn about faithful church leadership in our passage this morning. 00:11:58.700 --> 00:12:01.139 Here's what we see when we take this passage as a whole. 00:12:01.139 --> 00:12:05.259 On the one hand, we see Paul sort of reminding the Ephesian elders of his example. 00:12:06.120 --> 00:12:09.259 And then we see him sort of exhorting them directly to their task. 00:12:09.659 --> 00:12:17.879 And lastly, we see Paul kind of commending them or entrusting them to another, to the only one who can really enable them to fulfill their calling. 00:12:18.500 --> 00:12:20.960 It's kind of the general flow of Paul's speech here. 00:12:21.580 --> 00:12:24.759 And these three sections in the speech answer three vital questions for us today. 00:12:24.819 --> 00:12:26.299 And this is what we're going to look at this morning. 00:12:26.419 --> 00:12:28.960 First, what do elders do? 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:33.400 And second, why must they do it? 00:12:34.340 --> 00:12:37.400 And third, how in the world can they? 00:12:38.040 --> 00:12:40.080 Where do they get the strength to do it? 00:12:41.440 --> 00:12:43.540 So first, what are elders called to do? 00:12:44.280 --> 00:12:50.940 And we see this primarily by means of Paul's example at the beginning and the end of the speech in verses 18 through 27 and 33 and 35. 00:12:50.940 --> 00:12:57.140 He reminds the Ephesian elders here of his past with them in verses 18 and following and 33 and following. 00:12:57.220 --> 00:12:59.120 He says, you know how I lived among you. 00:12:59.180 --> 00:13:01.960 He's sort of looking back to the past, reminding them of his example. 00:13:02.360 --> 00:13:07.320 And then in 22, he even goes on to tell them what he thinks lies in the future as he heads toward Jerusalem. 00:13:07.320 --> 00:13:13.980 And as we sort of sum up Paul's example here, I actually like how John Stott summarized it in his commentary. 00:13:14.440 --> 00:13:15.780 I think this captures it well. 00:13:15.860 --> 00:13:25.160 He wrote that Paul's ministry, when we look at it, we see that he taught the whole gospel to the whole city with his whole strength. 00:13:25.159 --> 00:13:35.240 And likewise, this is what elders are called to do, to teach the whole gospel to the whole church with their whole strength. 00:13:36.819 --> 00:13:38.699 Let's unpack that a little from the text. 00:13:39.480 --> 00:13:40.860 First, the whole gospel. 00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:42.579 In verse 20, let's look quickly through. 00:13:42.639 --> 00:13:46.159 In verse 20, Paul says, I didn't shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable. 00:13:46.719 --> 00:13:50.600 And then in verse 27, I didn't shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 00:13:51.480 --> 00:13:54.139 In verse 25, he calls it proclaiming the kingdom. 00:13:54.139 --> 00:13:59.379 And in verse 24, testifying to the gospel of the grace of God. 00:14:00.480 --> 00:14:05.879 The role of the elder is to shepherd the people through teaching the gospel. 00:14:07.439 --> 00:14:19.439 And not a sort of truncated, human-centered, anthill-sized gospel, but the vast Mount Everest-sized good news. 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:26.200 That is God's eternal counsel, Paul says here. 00:14:26.600 --> 00:14:38.360 His eternal purpose, his eternal plan to bring his kingdom, his healing and restorative and redemptive reign 00:14:38.360 --> 00:14:46.960 through an outpouring of his glorious grace supremely at the cross. 00:14:46.960 --> 00:14:51.200 Friends, this is the whole gospel. 00:14:54.200 --> 00:15:00.540 You see, biblical elders are those who are captivated by this God-centered good news. 00:15:00.860 --> 00:15:06.120 And who communicate it in ways that are helpful, that are profitable to people. 00:15:06.500 --> 00:15:07.879 That's what Paul's getting at in verse 20. 00:15:07.879 --> 00:15:16.419 Now, notice that twice Paul says here, I didn't shrink from declaring to you these things. 00:15:17.019 --> 00:15:17.700 Isn't that interesting? 00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:24.000 This means that Paul didn't back away from the hard parts of the gospel itself, 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:27.840 or even the implications of the gospel that went against the grain, culturally speaking. 00:15:27.840 --> 00:15:35.560 He didn't candy-coated the fact that this glorious good news summons us to, as he says here, 00:15:35.879 --> 00:15:39.960 repentance towards God and to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:15:41.560 --> 00:15:50.940 You see, friends, through the gospel, God is calling us to a wholesale change of allegiance and identity. 00:15:50.940 --> 00:15:54.020 That's what repentance means. 00:15:54.820 --> 00:15:56.940 That's what faith in Jesus brings. 00:15:58.820 --> 00:16:03.700 No longer am I going to run my own life according to my own desires and my own best intentions, 00:16:04.060 --> 00:16:08.460 but I'm going to give the keys to my life completely to God and Christ. 00:16:10.840 --> 00:16:13.000 So elders teach the whole gospel. 00:16:14.020 --> 00:16:16.540 And furthermore, they teach it to the whole church. 00:16:16.860 --> 00:16:20.120 Paul says how he testified to Jews and to Gentiles in verse 21. 00:16:20.120 --> 00:16:21.480 Both and. 00:16:22.440 --> 00:16:26.279 And Paul, of course, is there specifically talking about his evangelistic ministry, his outreach ministry, 00:16:26.279 --> 00:16:28.960 but we know that that applies to his ministry inside the church as well. 00:16:29.460 --> 00:16:31.399 He didn't favor one group over another. 00:16:31.500 --> 00:16:34.440 He didn't cater his message to one group to the exclusion of others. 00:16:34.480 --> 00:16:38.779 In other words, he demonstrated a genuine love for all God's people. 00:16:41.060 --> 00:16:44.600 You see, elders don't just have a deep grasp of biblical doctrine and the gospel. 00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:47.180 They also love all sorts of people. 00:16:47.179 --> 00:16:55.819 They're concerned as much for the adolescent as for the aging and for everyone in between. 00:16:55.820 --> 00:17:03.200 They teach the whole gospel to the whole church, and they do it with their whole strength. 00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:07.960 Notice here how Paul says he taught in public and from house to house. 00:17:08.620 --> 00:17:10.279 This sort of both and ministry. 00:17:10.360 --> 00:17:11.360 In other words, he was in public. 00:17:11.460 --> 00:17:12.140 He was at the synagogue. 00:17:12.440 --> 00:17:14.759 He was renting out the hall of Tyrannus. 00:17:14.820 --> 00:17:16.160 We saw that a few weeks ago. 00:17:16.660 --> 00:17:23.700 But, you know, he was also at small group sitting on the couch eating the leftover cookies and opening up the Bible with each other. 00:17:23.700 --> 00:17:32.259 And he was sitting around the dinner table sharing a meal and asking questions and being personal and intimate and encouraging. 00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:35.880 He was doing it with his whole strength. 00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:42.900 But even more than that, we see Paul's devotion to teaching the church with his whole strength and the fact that he was willing even to face trial and opposition in doing so. 00:17:42.960 --> 00:17:44.240 It's all over this speech, isn't it? 00:17:45.299 --> 00:17:46.960 We're going to get to more of that next week. 00:17:46.960 --> 00:17:49.100 But look in verse 24. 00:17:49.240 --> 00:17:53.259 We see that Paul's values had been radically transformed. 00:17:53.980 --> 00:17:55.140 Don't you see that in that verse? 00:17:56.059 --> 00:18:04.740 His life found its worth now not in chasing fame or comfort but rather in finishing the course that Jesus had given him to run. 00:18:06.940 --> 00:18:10.440 Paul wasn't driven by a covetousness for material gain. 00:18:10.440 --> 00:18:12.160 We see that in 33 through 35. 00:18:12.259 --> 00:18:19.140 He was willing to work hard to earn what he needed and to even be radically generous to give away what he'd worked for to help others. 00:18:20.440 --> 00:18:29.980 Because there was this new center in his life that freed him from these false gods of money and comfort. 00:18:30.140 --> 00:18:31.180 He could face suffering. 00:18:31.820 --> 00:18:33.640 He could face long work hours. 00:18:33.640 --> 00:18:40.140 All because he knew the grace of Jesus and was now finding his life in him. 00:18:43.380 --> 00:18:45.900 So this is what elders are called to do. 00:18:47.360 --> 00:18:54.200 To teach the gospel thoroughly and to love people deeply and to do it with their whole strength. 00:18:57.000 --> 00:19:03.259 Now before we move on, I think there are two more important things to note about elders here that we sort of see obliquely but very importantly. 00:19:04.380 --> 00:19:05.520 Notice a couple observations. 00:19:05.820 --> 00:19:11.400 One, notice that the language here describing these leaders is always plural. 00:19:12.600 --> 00:19:15.600 It's always elders or overseers. 00:19:16.600 --> 00:19:17.220 Isn't that interesting? 00:19:18.320 --> 00:19:22.060 In a New Testament local church, it seems that there's always more than one. 00:19:22.680 --> 00:19:25.420 There's always a team of men who lead the church together. 00:19:25.940 --> 00:19:27.620 It's never a one-man band. 00:19:27.740 --> 00:19:30.120 Never a single pastor trying to do it all himself. 00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:32.480 Rather, there's a plurality of elders. 00:19:32.480 --> 00:19:35.640 And friends, I hope you see that that's really good news. 00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:38.700 That God was very wise in setting things up that way. 00:19:39.220 --> 00:19:43.759 Because you see, if the task of the elders is to teach the whole gospel to the whole church with their whole strength, 00:19:43.860 --> 00:19:48.380 then certainly you're going to need more than one person to do that well. 00:19:49.220 --> 00:19:49.620 Right? 00:19:49.619 --> 00:19:59.299 One individual can't possibly grasp all the ways in which we as a congregation need to understand the riches of the gospel for our time and our place. 00:19:59.939 --> 00:20:08.219 We need to have shared wisdom, shared experience, and that can only come from a team, from a plurality of leaders. 00:20:08.220 --> 00:20:10.839 Second thing. 00:20:11.500 --> 00:20:18.500 Notice that the titles of elder or overseer or shepherd are used nearly interchangeably here. 00:20:19.880 --> 00:20:22.779 Now, you might ask, where is their language of shepherding in this passage? 00:20:22.860 --> 00:20:23.480 I didn't see that. 00:20:23.539 --> 00:20:30.640 Well, in verse 28, the word that our English standard version translates care for literally means to shepherd. 00:20:30.640 --> 00:20:36.560 Other English translations, like if you're reading the NIV or something like that, actually bring that out much more explicitly. 00:20:38.380 --> 00:20:44.820 So you see, these various titles that we often use today to talk about church leaders, like elder, which Luke mentions in verse 17, 00:20:45.100 --> 00:20:48.460 or overseer, which is sometimes translated as bishop. 00:20:48.640 --> 00:20:49.740 We see that in verse 28. 00:20:50.060 --> 00:20:53.020 Or even pastor, which is just the Latin word for shepherd. 00:20:53.540 --> 00:20:54.840 Again, I'm seeing that in verse 28. 00:20:54.839 --> 00:21:00.199 In the New Testament, all of these titles refer to one and the same office in the church. 00:21:01.939 --> 00:21:05.959 An elder was an overseer, and an overseer was a pastor. 00:21:06.059 --> 00:21:08.639 It was just different ways to talk about the same role. 00:21:11.119 --> 00:21:13.459 So you see the picture that we find here. 00:21:14.619 --> 00:21:24.000 A team of men, all with the same task and function to shepherd the church, to lead it and to feed it. 00:21:24.839 --> 00:21:27.859 Now, of course, they're going to have different gifts in doing that, right? 00:21:28.659 --> 00:21:33.919 And they'll use their gifts differently and appropriately in fulfilling that common task and role. 00:21:33.919 --> 00:21:40.559 But you see, there's no concept here of elders functioning kind of as merely a decision-making committee or a board of advisors, 00:21:41.159 --> 00:21:44.079 but who don't actually teach and shepherd people. 00:21:45.359 --> 00:21:51.619 No, friends, the New Testament vision is that every elder is a shepherd. 00:21:51.619 --> 00:21:58.379 Whether that elder gives all of his working time to the task and is paid by the church, 00:21:58.500 --> 00:22:02.439 or whether that elder volunteers his time to the task and earns his living elsewhere. 00:22:04.500 --> 00:22:06.659 Think of firefighters, right? 00:22:08.019 --> 00:22:12.459 You know, whether a firefighter is a volunteer or whether he or she is full-time, 00:22:13.079 --> 00:22:15.539 they still fight the same fires, right? 00:22:15.539 --> 00:22:20.000 It's not as if the volunteers say, whoop, nope, that one's not for me. 00:22:20.099 --> 00:22:21.119 I'm just going to go roll the hoses. 00:22:21.379 --> 00:22:21.700 Thanks. 00:22:22.079 --> 00:22:22.759 No, right? 00:22:23.440 --> 00:22:25.339 Firefighters all charge into the fire. 00:22:26.599 --> 00:22:28.379 And it's the same with the office of an elder. 00:22:30.740 --> 00:22:37.399 Now, here at Trinity, we happen to sort of use the title pastor to denote the elders who are on staff full-time. 00:22:37.480 --> 00:22:39.359 It's sort of a just functional way of doing that. 00:22:39.359 --> 00:22:42.459 And that would be Matt and Greg and myself. 00:22:42.699 --> 00:22:43.519 We're the pastors. 00:22:43.779 --> 00:22:46.719 But that just simply means that we're the elders who are on staff full-time. 00:22:47.699 --> 00:22:49.959 But the other elders, even though they aren't on staff full-time, 00:22:50.240 --> 00:22:53.479 you see, they have the same primary responsibility and authority that we do. 00:22:55.039 --> 00:22:56.279 To shepherd the church. 00:22:56.859 --> 00:23:00.099 To teach the whole gospel in deep love with their whole strength. 00:23:00.099 --> 00:23:06.839 So, you know, biblically speaking, you could call them a pastor, sure. 00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:09.419 You could call them a bishop, for all I care. 00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:10.500 Go for it. 00:23:10.839 --> 00:23:13.259 You know, it's all the same thing, biblically speaking. 00:23:15.379 --> 00:23:19.099 So, friends, let me just pause here and ask, by way of application. 00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:23.399 Do you aspire to the office of an elder? 00:23:25.859 --> 00:23:27.819 Do you find that desire in your heart? 00:23:27.819 --> 00:23:32.439 Or do you aspire to be a leader of any kind in the church? 00:23:32.720 --> 00:23:34.339 In the various ministries that we have? 00:23:35.899 --> 00:23:37.379 If so, that's a good thing. 00:23:38.240 --> 00:23:41.339 Fan that desire into flame. 00:23:42.500 --> 00:23:43.960 And here's how you can do that. 00:23:45.439 --> 00:23:49.519 Seek to grow in these three areas. 00:23:50.859 --> 00:23:52.939 Seek to grow in your doctrine. 00:23:53.759 --> 00:23:56.519 In your understanding of the whole gospel. 00:23:57.819 --> 00:23:58.720 Study it. 00:23:59.259 --> 00:23:59.919 Learn it. 00:24:00.319 --> 00:24:00.980 Love it. 00:24:01.319 --> 00:24:02.859 Apply it to your own heart. 00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:09.019 And next, seek to grow in your love for the whole church. 00:24:10.240 --> 00:24:11.679 Pray for the members. 00:24:12.379 --> 00:24:16.220 Even the ones that you just know their names and not their faces. 00:24:17.639 --> 00:24:21.579 Get to know and serve your fellow church members here. 00:24:22.200 --> 00:24:24.500 Through a ministry team or through a small group. 00:24:24.500 --> 00:24:26.640 Get involved in loving people. 00:24:29.240 --> 00:24:34.079 And finally, maybe perhaps most importantly, seek to grow in your character. 00:24:35.900 --> 00:24:40.339 Seek to pursue Christ with more and more of your whole strength. 00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:45.400 To put him at the center of what you value in your life. 00:24:45.400 --> 00:24:50.200 And friends, let's pray for one another along these lines. 00:24:50.540 --> 00:24:52.360 In fact, pray for us elders. 00:24:52.600 --> 00:24:54.120 That we'll be able to do this more and more. 00:24:54.180 --> 00:24:57.240 And pray that God will raise up more elders who will exemplify these qualities. 00:24:57.460 --> 00:25:03.820 And pray and ask God that all of us would be more and more these kinds of Christians. 00:25:03.819 --> 00:25:09.220 So then this is what elders are called to do. 00:25:09.480 --> 00:25:14.200 To shepherd the church by teaching the whole gospel with their whole strength to the whole church. 00:25:15.419 --> 00:25:18.899 But now it's good at this point to take a step back and ask why, right? 00:25:19.539 --> 00:25:22.980 Why is it so critical that this take place? 00:25:24.159 --> 00:25:26.960 Because no doubt all this is pretty hard work, right? 00:25:27.139 --> 00:25:28.639 It's full of sacrifice. 00:25:29.299 --> 00:25:31.740 Paul says he did all this with tears and with trials. 00:25:31.740 --> 00:25:34.519 Golly, who wants to sign up for that? 00:25:36.440 --> 00:25:39.660 Why must elders give themselves to this all-encompassing task? 00:25:40.680 --> 00:25:43.480 Well, that brings us to our second point in the second main section of the text. 00:25:43.880 --> 00:25:48.220 In verse 28 through 31, Paul gives his direct charge to the Ephesian elders. 00:25:48.339 --> 00:25:51.279 He's done talking about his example and now he's speaking straight to them. 00:25:52.259 --> 00:25:57.380 And he says, pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock. 00:25:57.380 --> 00:26:01.220 And then he shows them why this hard work is so critical. 00:26:01.220 --> 00:26:02.680 Why they must do it. 00:26:04.180 --> 00:26:08.319 And what we see first in this paragraph is that on the one hand, there's a danger. 00:26:10.079 --> 00:26:12.259 Picking up the shepherding metaphor, Paul says, 00:26:12.600 --> 00:26:18.120 there are going to be wolves who steal into the flock and try to wreak havoc among the sheep. 00:26:19.319 --> 00:26:23.600 And some of them, he says, will even arise in your own midst. 00:26:23.599 --> 00:26:36.159 So you see, friends, elders must do this work because of the danger of false teachers and what Paul calls wolves. 00:26:37.899 --> 00:26:42.759 You see, just as elders feed the church by teaching the truth, they're called to protect the church by correcting error. 00:26:43.559 --> 00:26:49.599 And you know, church history is in one sense like the story of this work in some ways. 00:26:49.599 --> 00:26:56.899 One thinks of Athanasius in the fourth century, defending the church against the errors of Arianism. 00:26:57.859 --> 00:27:01.759 And you know, Arius was actually an elder of a church in Egypt. 00:27:02.899 --> 00:27:07.559 And he and his followers came to deny that Jesus was fully God. 00:27:07.559 --> 00:27:13.419 They coined little ditties that would go, there was a time that the sun was not. 00:27:14.019 --> 00:27:15.179 And they started singing them. 00:27:16.940 --> 00:27:22.799 And at times it seemed that the whole church would be swept under and away with this false teaching. 00:27:22.899 --> 00:27:29.559 But Athanasius and some others, even though at times it seemed like he had to stand alone, 00:27:29.559 --> 00:27:34.299 alone was a tireless champion of the truth of the gospel. 00:27:35.240 --> 00:27:42.659 That in Jesus, God himself came down to us in fullness with no reserve. 00:27:43.799 --> 00:27:46.419 That Jesus was and is fully God. 00:27:46.480 --> 00:27:48.859 And because of that, we can be fully saved. 00:27:49.559 --> 00:27:54.720 That God took on every part of our humanity to redeem us fully. 00:27:54.720 --> 00:28:00.160 Isn't that a truth worth fighting for and protecting? 00:28:03.920 --> 00:28:08.160 Listen to how Paul describes this sort of work in 2 Timothy. 00:28:08.339 --> 00:28:08.559 He says, 00:28:08.559 --> 00:28:17.100 The Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. 00:28:18.079 --> 00:28:21.839 God may perhaps grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth. 00:28:21.839 --> 00:28:27.659 So it's not a sort of brash, proud, wham you over the head sort of deal. 00:28:28.639 --> 00:28:35.299 But actually a ministry of patient, persistent, gentle teaching of the truth and correcting of error. 00:28:37.039 --> 00:28:40.919 So this is one reason why elders are called to teach the whole gospel with their whole strength to the whole church. 00:28:41.039 --> 00:28:43.619 Because there are spiritual wolves ready to devour it. 00:28:45.339 --> 00:28:47.179 But really the main reason is this. 00:28:47.180 --> 00:28:55.940 Elders do and are called to this painstaking work because of the infinite value of the sheep. 00:28:57.340 --> 00:28:58.900 Look again at verse 28. 00:29:00.279 --> 00:29:06.779 Pay careful attention to yourselves, Paul says, and all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. 00:29:07.140 --> 00:29:13.920 To care for, literally to shepherd the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 00:29:13.920 --> 00:29:21.100 Each and every member of the church. 00:29:22.000 --> 00:29:30.660 Each and every sheep in Christ's flock, in God's flock, has been obtained with his own blood. 00:29:32.380 --> 00:29:34.680 This is how much God loves the church. 00:29:34.680 --> 00:29:42.900 You know, if our love is measured, if our love for something is measured by what we're willing to sacrifice for it, 00:29:43.080 --> 00:29:47.480 then God must love his church with a love that we will never comprehend. 00:29:49.180 --> 00:29:56.519 Because God gave his own son, infinite in glory and beauty, to suffer and die. 00:29:56.759 --> 00:30:01.320 In order to forgive their sins and grant eternal life. 00:30:01.319 --> 00:30:07.240 So friend, if you've turned from sin and if you've placed your trust in Christ, 00:30:07.579 --> 00:30:13.579 you can know that you are more precious to God than you can possibly conceive. 00:30:17.299 --> 00:30:20.659 On your best day of thinking about yourself, 00:30:21.399 --> 00:30:27.359 you are just a drop in the bucket of the kind of infinite value that God places on you. 00:30:27.359 --> 00:30:31.179 Look at a mountain range. 00:30:32.959 --> 00:30:34.799 In all its grandeur and majesty. 00:30:35.719 --> 00:30:41.079 Beth and I just moved to Hamden, which I'm told is the land of sleeping, the sleeping giant. 00:30:41.759 --> 00:30:42.699 Is that right, Hamdenites? 00:30:45.259 --> 00:30:48.099 Look at a mountain range in all its grandeur and majesty. 00:30:48.099 --> 00:30:52.279 Look up at the stars on a clear night. 00:30:52.980 --> 00:30:55.939 And all of their expanse and their brilliance. 00:30:56.839 --> 00:31:02.059 But friends, where does God place his most precious and infinite favor, 00:31:02.159 --> 00:31:05.000 the fullness of it among all of creation? 00:31:06.599 --> 00:31:07.799 On the church. 00:31:07.799 --> 00:31:12.480 You and me. 00:31:14.079 --> 00:31:17.639 This group of smelly, stubborn sheep. 00:31:18.200 --> 00:31:20.099 Who so often get it wrong. 00:31:20.220 --> 00:31:22.279 And who are so often confused and misguided. 00:31:22.399 --> 00:31:25.899 Who stumble and bumble and need to be picked up again and again. 00:31:26.240 --> 00:31:28.680 God has obtained us with his own blood. 00:31:30.539 --> 00:31:31.980 Friends, that's the good news. 00:31:35.019 --> 00:31:36.720 That's why elders are doing what they're doing. 00:31:36.720 --> 00:31:38.539 That's why God calls them to do what they do. 00:31:39.620 --> 00:31:41.319 Because they are more precious. 00:31:41.440 --> 00:31:44.299 You are more precious than anything in all of creation. 00:31:48.100 --> 00:31:49.480 So friend, don't you see? 00:31:49.579 --> 00:31:50.620 God loves the church. 00:31:52.759 --> 00:31:54.259 And I think we should ask, 00:31:55.180 --> 00:31:55.680 do we? 00:31:56.759 --> 00:31:57.559 Do you? 00:31:58.420 --> 00:32:00.120 Love this thing that God loves? 00:32:00.119 --> 00:32:05.079 Common sense tells us that a basic sign of spiritual maturity 00:32:05.079 --> 00:32:07.079 is to love what God loves, right? 00:32:08.500 --> 00:32:09.739 Do you love the church? 00:32:11.219 --> 00:32:13.079 Yes, we're smelly and we're stubborn. 00:32:13.339 --> 00:32:16.799 But friends, the church is the apple of God's eye nonetheless. 00:32:18.239 --> 00:32:22.239 And the church will one day be robed in splendor. 00:32:22.240 --> 00:32:27.220 Jesus loves the church and so should we all. 00:32:30.480 --> 00:32:32.440 So this is Paul's charge to the elders. 00:32:32.559 --> 00:32:34.440 It's the reason why they must do what they do. 00:32:34.519 --> 00:32:35.480 What God calls them to do. 00:32:35.539 --> 00:32:37.099 Because God values the sheep. 00:32:37.400 --> 00:32:39.019 And because of the danger of the wolves. 00:32:39.519 --> 00:32:40.720 Because of both of those reasons, 00:32:40.819 --> 00:32:43.900 elders are called to tirelessly, lovingly teach the whole gospel. 00:32:44.019 --> 00:32:47.420 But you know, I wonder at this point how the Ephesian elders are feeling. 00:32:47.420 --> 00:32:49.980 As they're gathered on the shores of Miletus, 00:32:50.100 --> 00:32:53.860 ready to say goodbye to their beloved teacher and friend, Paul. 00:32:54.840 --> 00:32:56.100 Which, by the way, as a side note, 00:32:56.140 --> 00:32:57.800 do you notice how often they're crying in this passage? 00:32:58.140 --> 00:33:00.680 We often get this picture in our minds that Paul was sort of this stern, 00:33:00.820 --> 00:33:04.180 angry guy who like hated everybody and was really mean. 00:33:04.420 --> 00:33:06.900 And yet everyone in the Bible who actually knew him loved him. 00:33:08.240 --> 00:33:10.960 And these grown men weeped on the shores as they said goodbye. 00:33:11.200 --> 00:33:11.800 Isn't that interesting? 00:33:13.620 --> 00:33:15.220 But you know, think of how these guys are feeling. 00:33:15.220 --> 00:33:17.779 Paul has just told them that he's never going to see them again. 00:33:18.259 --> 00:33:21.200 That he's going to Jerusalem, and if he makes it out of there alive, 00:33:21.400 --> 00:33:23.740 his plan is to head to Rome and then to Spain 00:33:23.740 --> 00:33:27.519 and probably never come back to the cities in the eastern part of the empire. 00:33:28.880 --> 00:33:31.440 And he's just given them this incredible task. 00:33:31.759 --> 00:33:34.740 He said, okay, here's the people that God loves with an infinite love. 00:33:34.940 --> 00:33:36.299 There's going to be lots of danger, 00:33:36.620 --> 00:33:38.539 and you have to keep watch over them and shepherd them. 00:33:39.759 --> 00:33:40.400 See you later. 00:33:41.220 --> 00:33:42.000 Good luck with that. 00:33:43.079 --> 00:33:44.100 What a task! 00:33:44.099 --> 00:33:47.039 Who is sufficient for these things, right? 00:33:48.039 --> 00:33:50.299 How could they possibly fulfill this calling? 00:33:50.419 --> 00:33:54.019 Where are they going to get the strength and the power to do that task? 00:33:54.059 --> 00:33:56.039 It's definitely not going to come from themselves, right? 00:33:57.019 --> 00:34:00.599 Paul just told them that part of the danger is going to come from their own number. 00:34:01.480 --> 00:34:03.079 Not a good idea to trust in that. 00:34:05.639 --> 00:34:08.460 That's why, by the way, they need to keep a close watch on themselves. 00:34:08.460 --> 00:34:12.940 As much as on the flock. 00:34:14.340 --> 00:34:16.500 So where does this strength come from? 00:34:16.579 --> 00:34:17.980 How can they possibly do it? 00:34:19.740 --> 00:34:22.480 Well, that brings us to the third and the final part of Paul's speech. 00:34:23.220 --> 00:34:27.340 Verse 32, Paul shows them where this power comes from. 00:34:28.400 --> 00:34:29.460 Let's look at that verse together. 00:34:29.460 --> 00:34:29.900 He says, 00:34:29.900 --> 00:34:35.500 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, 00:34:35.780 --> 00:34:41.179 which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 00:34:42.960 --> 00:34:44.420 What a beautiful verse. 00:34:45.099 --> 00:34:46.420 You see, friends, at the end of the day, 00:34:46.619 --> 00:34:51.119 the church doesn't stand or fall ultimately on the basis of the elders themselves. 00:34:51.119 --> 00:34:56.179 It's not ultimately their wisdom or education or skill that's going to build up the body and preserve it. 00:34:56.319 --> 00:34:59.759 No, it's ultimately God and the word of his grace. 00:35:00.599 --> 00:35:01.599 That's who we look to. 00:35:02.019 --> 00:35:03.059 That's who we trust. 00:35:04.619 --> 00:35:07.920 And this word of his grace, did you notice this gospel of Jesus Christ, 00:35:08.059 --> 00:35:11.119 it's not just what makes us Christians, but it's actually what builds us up 00:35:11.119 --> 00:35:14.159 and what preserves us and carries us to the end, to the inheritance. 00:35:16.139 --> 00:35:20.759 That's why if you're visiting Trinity, we just keep talking about the gospel of grace. 00:35:21.119 --> 00:35:25.159 Jesus Christ, of celebrating it and declaring it and teaching it and delighting in it. 00:35:25.219 --> 00:35:28.599 The fact that we're helpless sinners, but Jesus is a great Savior. 00:35:31.019 --> 00:35:33.139 After all, he's the chief shepherd. 00:35:35.019 --> 00:35:37.500 The one and only good shepherd. 00:35:38.819 --> 00:35:41.339 The passage that Jane read for us earlier in the service, 00:35:41.440 --> 00:35:42.880 did you catch the end of that passage? 00:35:43.539 --> 00:35:45.460 God says, I'm coming for you. 00:35:46.940 --> 00:35:49.519 I'm coming for you like a shepherd, 00:35:49.519 --> 00:35:52.079 and I'm going to gather you into my arms. 00:35:52.759 --> 00:35:54.679 And when Jesus Christ came on the earth, 00:35:54.980 --> 00:35:57.199 he said, I'm the good shepherd, 00:35:57.539 --> 00:35:59.739 and I'm going to lay down my life for the sheep, 00:36:00.019 --> 00:36:03.119 and no one's going to take you out of my arms. 00:36:06.259 --> 00:36:09.320 And you see, friends, that's ultimately the job of the elders, 00:36:09.320 --> 00:36:15.460 as under-shepherds to point us to the chief shepherd, Jesus. 00:36:17.600 --> 00:36:20.700 Paul himself does that very thing in this very speech, doesn't he? 00:36:20.760 --> 00:36:23.320 He ends with a saying of Jesus himself. 00:36:23.880 --> 00:36:27.760 He wants the words of Jesus ringing in our ears as he departs. 00:36:28.960 --> 00:36:31.800 And this saying, by the way, is not recorded anywhere else in the New Testament, 00:36:31.960 --> 00:36:33.460 but it's preserved here for us in Acts. 00:36:33.460 --> 00:36:37.880 It's the saying that Jesus said, it's more blessed to give than to receive. 00:36:39.519 --> 00:36:43.000 And isn't that exactly the encouragement that elders then and now need to hear? 00:36:43.400 --> 00:36:45.139 That in the self-giving work of shepherding, 00:36:45.300 --> 00:36:47.740 there's abundant spiritual blessing. 00:36:48.420 --> 00:36:49.740 That as they give, 00:36:50.699 --> 00:36:53.119 it's actually no loss but a gain. 00:36:55.039 --> 00:36:58.400 Peter says in his first epistle that there's a crown of glory 00:36:58.400 --> 00:37:02.740 that awaits those who pour out their lives in this sort of work. 00:37:05.099 --> 00:37:07.139 But friend, isn't that the message, and not just elders, 00:37:07.260 --> 00:37:08.579 but that we all need to hear? 00:37:10.539 --> 00:37:12.119 That Jesus is the one 00:37:12.119 --> 00:37:14.539 who didn't just tell us this truth, 00:37:14.660 --> 00:37:15.720 but embodied it. 00:37:16.340 --> 00:37:18.599 That he's the one who supremely gave. 00:37:20.079 --> 00:37:21.079 That as Paul writes elsewhere, 00:37:21.139 --> 00:37:23.660 he's the one who didn't consider his equality with God 00:37:23.660 --> 00:37:26.340 something to be exploited for his own gain, 00:37:26.340 --> 00:37:29.539 but emptied himself and became a servant 00:37:29.539 --> 00:37:32.260 and gave his own life on the cross 00:37:32.260 --> 00:37:34.079 to bring us to glory. 00:37:39.200 --> 00:37:41.079 Well, we began by considering that we need 00:37:41.079 --> 00:37:43.860 faithful shepherds to thrive spiritually. 00:37:44.960 --> 00:37:46.740 And now we've seen a snapshot of what they do 00:37:46.740 --> 00:37:48.720 and why they do it and where they get the strength. 00:37:48.920 --> 00:37:50.800 And friends, I wonder if we can just conclude 00:37:50.800 --> 00:37:52.380 with some ways that we might respond. 00:37:52.380 --> 00:37:56.619 Perhaps for you, responding might look like 00:37:56.619 --> 00:37:58.480 considering church membership. 00:38:00.300 --> 00:38:01.840 Membership's a way of saying to a church family 00:38:01.840 --> 00:38:02.860 and to the elders of that church 00:38:02.860 --> 00:38:05.160 that I want you to pay careful attention to my life 00:38:05.160 --> 00:38:06.460 and to point me to Christ 00:38:06.460 --> 00:38:08.700 so I can grow the way God wants me to grow. 00:38:11.260 --> 00:38:13.380 Another way to respond would certainly be to pray 00:38:13.380 --> 00:38:14.420 for the elders of the church. 00:38:14.500 --> 00:38:15.579 At our last congregational meeting, 00:38:15.660 --> 00:38:16.880 we just installed a new elder. 00:38:17.079 --> 00:38:17.900 Pray for James 00:38:17.900 --> 00:38:20.660 and the office that God's called him to. 00:38:21.480 --> 00:38:23.980 Pray for John and for Matt and for Greg and for me. 00:38:24.680 --> 00:38:26.480 Pray that we would depend on God's grace 00:38:26.480 --> 00:38:28.840 and fulfill our role faithfully. 00:38:30.420 --> 00:38:31.780 Another way to respond would be 00:38:31.780 --> 00:38:33.380 to open up your life 00:38:33.380 --> 00:38:35.420 to the elders in the church. 00:38:36.139 --> 00:38:38.340 Let us know how we can be praying for you 00:38:38.340 --> 00:38:39.599 and encouraging you. 00:38:39.860 --> 00:38:40.619 What are you facing? 00:38:41.099 --> 00:38:41.940 What are you learning? 00:38:42.639 --> 00:38:43.660 What are you going through? 00:38:44.660 --> 00:38:46.360 You know, we're going to do our best to ask 00:38:46.360 --> 00:38:47.680 and to seek that out, 00:38:47.860 --> 00:38:49.440 but don't be afraid to let us know. 00:38:50.120 --> 00:38:52.140 I mean, we want to be able to love you better 00:38:52.140 --> 00:38:54.300 and we want to be able to point you to Christ 00:38:54.300 --> 00:38:55.300 more profitably. 00:38:57.940 --> 00:38:59.300 And when you share your life with us, 00:38:59.320 --> 00:39:00.420 it helps us to do that. 00:39:03.240 --> 00:39:04.039 And finally, you know, 00:39:04.059 --> 00:39:05.780 another way to respond would be to seek 00:39:05.780 --> 00:39:08.099 to be this kind of leader. 00:39:08.780 --> 00:39:10.840 No matter where God has placed you in the church, 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:12.620 maybe someday as an elder, 00:39:12.620 --> 00:39:14.400 but maybe it's as a Sunday school teacher 00:39:14.400 --> 00:39:16.079 or a small group leader. 00:39:16.360 --> 00:39:19.079 Maybe it's just informally among your friends. 00:39:20.760 --> 00:39:23.039 Friends, prayerfully seek to marshal 00:39:23.039 --> 00:39:25.940 your whole strength for the whole gospel, 00:39:26.039 --> 00:39:27.460 no matter where God has placed you. 00:39:28.480 --> 00:39:30.140 And remember the words of Jesus. 00:39:31.000 --> 00:39:34.099 That's more blessed to give than to receive. 00:39:35.140 --> 00:39:37.079 Give, friends, of your time 00:39:37.079 --> 00:39:38.519 and your talents and your energies, 00:39:38.519 --> 00:39:42.699 and you will reap much spiritual blessing. 00:39:43.699 --> 00:39:46.539 A fruitfulness that lasts. 00:39:47.759 --> 00:39:49.579 And by God's grace, we'll see a church, 00:39:49.800 --> 00:39:50.460 our church, 00:39:50.719 --> 00:39:51.900 the churches of New Haven, 00:39:52.440 --> 00:39:53.280 come alive 00:39:53.280 --> 00:39:55.440 with the glory of Christ. 00:39:57.099 --> 00:39:58.400 Isn't that what you long for? 00:39:58.400 --> 00:40:08.300 Father, we want to pray this morning 00:40:08.300 --> 00:40:10.340 in line with this passage 00:40:10.340 --> 00:40:12.400 for those in our own midst 00:40:12.400 --> 00:40:13.740 whom you've raised up as elders. 00:40:14.880 --> 00:40:15.980 God, we're so thankful 00:40:15.980 --> 00:40:17.599 for your faithfulness to your church 00:40:17.599 --> 00:40:18.380 and to this church 00:40:18.380 --> 00:40:19.960 that through the many years 00:40:19.960 --> 00:40:20.980 and through the many seasons 00:40:20.980 --> 00:40:23.320 you've always given it. 00:40:23.660 --> 00:40:24.340 Faithful leaders. 00:40:24.340 --> 00:40:26.440 God, thanks for those 00:40:26.440 --> 00:40:28.260 who have prayed tirelessly 00:40:28.260 --> 00:40:29.840 for the leadership of this church. 00:40:31.820 --> 00:40:33.120 God, would you help the elders 00:40:33.120 --> 00:40:34.720 to be faithful to their call, 00:40:36.200 --> 00:40:38.039 to keep a close watch on themselves 00:40:38.039 --> 00:40:39.640 and on all the flock. 00:40:39.720 --> 00:40:40.840 Help us to do that, God. 00:40:42.019 --> 00:40:43.100 God, we pray that you would raise up 00:40:43.100 --> 00:40:44.420 more elders in our midst 00:40:44.420 --> 00:40:47.460 who are godly lovers of you 00:40:47.460 --> 00:40:48.519 and of your people. 00:40:50.200 --> 00:40:51.500 And God, make us a church 00:40:51.500 --> 00:40:53.019 that's spiritually fruitful. 00:40:54.340 --> 00:40:56.079 That knows how to love and serve 00:40:56.079 --> 00:40:57.740 and do much good in our city 00:40:57.740 --> 00:40:59.220 for the glory of your name. 00:41:00.120 --> 00:41:01.280 And God, we pray that 00:41:01.280 --> 00:41:03.360 those who don't know you, 00:41:03.460 --> 00:41:05.260 those who aren't believers in Jesus 00:41:05.260 --> 00:41:06.640 would come to see him. 00:41:06.900 --> 00:41:08.340 Lord, not as just a good teacher 00:41:08.340 --> 00:41:10.539 or not as just a distant figure 00:41:10.539 --> 00:41:11.640 or not as a myth 00:41:11.640 --> 00:41:13.640 but as a good shepherd. 00:41:15.100 --> 00:41:16.680 As the one who's come 00:41:16.680 --> 00:41:18.019 to bring God's kingdom 00:41:18.019 --> 00:41:20.460 and to lay down his life 00:41:20.460 --> 00:41:21.660 in the place of sinners. 00:41:21.659 --> 00:41:25.539 to bring them to the Father. 00:41:27.599 --> 00:41:29.519 God, make these things, we pray, 00:41:30.179 --> 00:41:31.759 true in our midst. 00:41:32.339 --> 00:41:34.099 For Christ's sake, amen. 00:41:35.480 --> 00:41:37.259 Well, friends, let's take these things 00:41:37.259 --> 00:41:38.699 that we've heard in God's word 00:41:38.699 --> 00:41:39.539 and let's stand 00:41:39.539 --> 00:41:41.079 and let's encourage one another 00:41:41.079 --> 00:41:42.259 by singing our last hymn, 00:41:42.319 --> 00:41:43.199 O Church, Arise. 00:41:43.199 --> 00:41:44.199 Thank you. 00:41:44.199 --> 00:41:44.419 Thank you. 00:41:44.419 --> 00:41:44.439 Thank you. 00:41:44.439 --> 00:41:44.460 Thank you.