WEBVTT 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:02.200 Thanks very much, Kate, and good morning, everyone. 00:00:02.339 --> 00:00:07.360 Really good to have you with us, whether you're in the church here or watching us online. 00:00:08.740 --> 00:00:11.620 Do you know how many churches there are in Edinburgh? 00:00:13.040 --> 00:00:13.820 Nor do I. 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:18.179 But I thought I'd estimated, and being a numbers geek, I worked out a way I thought I could do it. 00:00:18.859 --> 00:00:22.120 So I went on to the Oscar the Charities website. 00:00:22.400 --> 00:00:27.539 I looked for charities based in Edinburgh that have promotion of religion as one of their objectives, 00:00:27.539 --> 00:00:30.679 and I counted the ones that looked as if they were churches. 00:00:30.820 --> 00:00:33.740 There were lots of Christian organisations and so on that clearly aren't churches. 00:00:34.060 --> 00:00:36.240 I counted those I thought looked like churches. 00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:38.859 And I got to just over 200. 00:00:39.859 --> 00:00:45.359 Now I think that's probably a significant underestimate of the number of churches in Edinburgh for various reasons. 00:00:45.719 --> 00:00:48.759 But let's say 200 is roughly the number. 00:00:49.899 --> 00:00:54.679 The question then is, why are you in this church or watching this church this morning, 00:00:54.960 --> 00:00:57.259 rather than one of the other 200? 00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:00.839 And there might be lots of reasons for that. 00:01:00.939 --> 00:01:01.759 Perhaps you're just visiting. 00:01:01.899 --> 00:01:06.780 Perhaps you're visiting family or friends, and because it's their church, you come along with them. 00:01:07.640 --> 00:01:09.500 Perhaps you live very locally in Brunsford. 00:01:09.579 --> 00:01:11.019 You think, this is my local church. 00:01:11.200 --> 00:01:14.759 I should go along and be part of it. 00:01:15.340 --> 00:01:19.140 Perhaps, like me, you've been a member of this church almost all your life. 00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:23.819 It's where you've been brought up, and you're very rooted in it. 00:01:23.819 --> 00:01:34.639 Perhaps you enjoy the worship, or you appreciate the teaching, or you really appreciate the fellowship and the welcome that you get in the church here. 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:37.000 Lots of possible reasons. 00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:45.560 For some people, and I suspect a relatively small minority, one of the reasons, I'm sure not the most important reason, 00:01:45.620 --> 00:01:50.719 but one of the reasons why you might come to this church is because of the way it's structured, 00:01:50.859 --> 00:01:55.819 because of the leadership, because of the organization, and the way the church works. 00:01:55.819 --> 00:02:01.939 Now, I suspect some people are thinking that's a really esoteric thing to think of as a reason for coming to church, 00:02:02.379 --> 00:02:09.560 but actually it does have some importance, because how the church is organized, how it's led, 00:02:10.139 --> 00:02:15.120 affects the decisions that are made, and also affects the relationships we have with one another, 00:02:15.159 --> 00:02:18.060 which really is very, very important. 00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:23.000 So I thought to begin with this morning, it is relevant to what we're going to be talking about, 00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:29.439 although a slight digression, it might be worth very quickly looking at how churches are organized. 00:02:30.879 --> 00:02:34.560 And there are three main ways we could divide it. 00:02:35.080 --> 00:02:37.500 Now, you see the names down the left-hand column. 00:02:37.620 --> 00:02:39.639 Try not to think denominations in this. 00:02:39.879 --> 00:02:42.520 This is more how churches work together. 00:02:43.780 --> 00:02:47.759 So Episcopalian churches are led by the clergy. 00:02:47.759 --> 00:02:53.959 So you might have someone who's called a priest, or a vicar, or a minister, or someone like that, 00:02:54.060 --> 00:03:01.719 who's responsible for the local church, and they report to senior clergy who might be bishops, archbishops, and so on. 00:03:02.019 --> 00:03:05.459 Or in some churches, it might just be you have pastors over individual churches, 00:03:05.719 --> 00:03:10.379 and you have a senior pastor who sits above the pastors of churches. 00:03:11.019 --> 00:03:13.319 So that's how Episcopalian churches work. 00:03:13.319 --> 00:03:18.659 It is the individuals who are important in the leadership. 00:03:20.340 --> 00:03:23.739 Presbyterian churches, the second kind, are led by elders. 00:03:24.659 --> 00:03:27.139 So the decisions in the church are made by elders. 00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:31.000 The care of the church is the responsibility not just of one person, 00:03:31.079 --> 00:03:33.219 though there may well be a minister or pastor, 00:03:33.799 --> 00:03:37.620 but it is the responsibility of a group of elders. 00:03:38.519 --> 00:03:41.039 How many Presbyterian churches are grouped together? 00:03:41.039 --> 00:03:43.679 And if you take the Church of Scotland as an example, 00:03:44.219 --> 00:03:48.659 you have presbyteries in local areas, and then you have the General Assembly. 00:03:49.299 --> 00:03:53.239 And all of these have representatives of the elders of churches, 00:03:53.359 --> 00:03:57.459 often but not always the ministers, but representatives of churches. 00:03:58.159 --> 00:04:01.919 So these churches are elder-led, and they work together 00:04:01.919 --> 00:04:06.819 in making big decisions for their denomination. 00:04:06.819 --> 00:04:10.979 And then the final kind of church I've called congregational. 00:04:11.639 --> 00:04:16.439 It's called congregational because big decisions are made by the congregation. 00:04:16.599 --> 00:04:20.259 They're in a sense they're quite democratic in the way they work. 00:04:20.319 --> 00:04:24.420 So they might quite regularly have votes of the membership on important issues, 00:04:24.759 --> 00:04:25.219 for instance. 00:04:25.319 --> 00:04:28.879 Probably also a pastor, minister, maybe even some elders and deacons. 00:04:29.100 --> 00:04:32.300 But the congregation ultimately makes the decision. 00:04:32.420 --> 00:04:35.240 Many congregational churches are independent. 00:04:35.240 --> 00:04:37.100 They don't belong to a denomination. 00:04:37.740 --> 00:04:40.280 They are only answerable to their own members, 00:04:40.500 --> 00:04:42.540 and of course, to the Lord Jesus. 00:04:43.540 --> 00:04:45.780 So maybe at this point you're asking, what is this church? 00:04:46.220 --> 00:04:50.079 And the answer is internally we are Presbyterian with a small p. 00:04:50.600 --> 00:04:51.780 And from an external point, 00:04:51.840 --> 00:04:55.840 if we come under a congregational section in my table, 00:04:56.060 --> 00:04:59.199 we don't have firm links with other churches, 00:04:59.280 --> 00:05:03.400 although there are other churches that we very much enjoy fellowship with. 00:05:03.399 --> 00:05:05.679 And you find lost churches are a bit like that. 00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:07.139 They're a bit of a hybrid. 00:05:07.939 --> 00:05:13.379 But I hope you can see that there are differences in the ways that churches are organized. 00:05:14.259 --> 00:05:17.759 And you might then be asking, well, which of these is biblical? 00:05:18.500 --> 00:05:20.819 Surely there's a biblical way to do church. 00:05:21.219 --> 00:05:22.959 Which of these is it? 00:05:22.959 --> 00:05:26.060 And the answer, I think, is all of them. 00:05:27.099 --> 00:05:29.959 You could, for each of these different groupings of churches, 00:05:30.259 --> 00:05:36.879 you could go to the Bible and you could find examples of churches being organized in that kind of way. 00:05:37.459 --> 00:05:41.139 Examples of individual leaders, examples of groups of elders, 00:05:41.719 --> 00:05:44.779 examples of where the congregation made decisions. 00:05:44.779 --> 00:05:50.639 You see, the Bible isn't just, or the New Testament doesn't just have a handbook that says, 00:05:50.919 --> 00:05:53.419 here is how you organize church. 00:05:54.299 --> 00:05:56.879 And very much we have to look at what's there 00:05:56.879 --> 00:06:00.919 and to deduce things from quite often what churches did, 00:06:01.019 --> 00:06:02.039 perhaps in the book of Acts, 00:06:02.099 --> 00:06:07.459 but also more particularly from what Paul and others write about as they write to churches. 00:06:08.419 --> 00:06:09.259 Now, don't get me wrong. 00:06:09.259 --> 00:06:12.300 I am very much wedded to the style of church that we have here, 00:06:12.459 --> 00:06:19.539 churches that are led by elders and that are answerable only to the Lord for the decisions that are made. 00:06:20.219 --> 00:06:25.000 But we need to recognize that is not the thing that really matters. 00:06:25.639 --> 00:06:28.560 The thing that really matters in church, according to New Testament, 00:06:28.740 --> 00:06:31.699 is not the way in which you organize yourselves. 00:06:32.279 --> 00:06:37.120 It is the quality of the leadership and the members of the church. 00:06:37.120 --> 00:06:39.740 Church is a people business. 00:06:40.439 --> 00:06:45.000 We are here to support and encourage one another in the Lord Jesus, 00:06:45.560 --> 00:06:48.519 and it is the people who really matter. 00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:55.000 And there are big problems that can arise if you get people in leadership positions in churches 00:06:55.000 --> 00:06:59.939 who aren't consistent with the teaching of the Bible. 00:07:00.860 --> 00:07:04.720 So you have a Christian apologist, a well-known evangelical apologist, 00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:10.840 who after his death is found to have sexually abused a large number of women. 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:16.600 You also have a leader, a very high-up leader in one of the churches, 00:07:17.320 --> 00:07:21.040 who is found to have taken money that was donated by the congregation, 00:07:21.800 --> 00:07:26.720 invested it dodgily, and then fraudulently tried to hide what had happened. 00:07:27.200 --> 00:07:29.920 And I could give you lots more examples of that, 00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:35.460 of people in leadership positions of churches who really shouldn't have been there, 00:07:35.840 --> 00:07:38.860 who weren't living the lives that they should. 00:07:40.199 --> 00:07:42.840 I read recently a description of Billy Graham, 00:07:43.340 --> 00:07:49.220 and Billy Graham was described in this as a 20th century icon of accountability. 00:07:49.480 --> 00:07:52.620 I like that, a 20th century icon of accountability. 00:07:52.620 --> 00:07:56.519 In other words, Billy Graham went to great lengths, 00:07:56.579 --> 00:07:58.019 some might say extreme lengths, 00:07:58.420 --> 00:08:01.959 to make sure there could never be any whiff of scandal around him 00:08:01.959 --> 00:08:05.139 on sexual or monetary things. 00:08:05.740 --> 00:08:08.740 Because think, if Billy Graham had got involved in some kind of scandal, 00:08:09.139 --> 00:08:12.680 what tremendous damage that would have done to the church 00:08:12.680 --> 00:08:15.560 and to evangelical Christianity. 00:08:15.560 --> 00:08:19.860 And in a smaller way, we need to make sure 00:08:19.860 --> 00:08:22.920 that those who are in leadership positions in the church 00:08:22.920 --> 00:08:29.399 are those who are living lives that are consistent with what the church teaches. 00:08:30.280 --> 00:08:32.740 Let's not think that these things only happen 00:08:32.740 --> 00:08:35.580 to people in high-up positions elsewhere. 00:08:35.740 --> 00:08:39.320 They could easily happen in our church if we're not careful. 00:08:39.419 --> 00:08:41.940 And please do pray for the leaders of the church 00:08:41.940 --> 00:08:45.120 and for our walk with the Lord Jesus. 00:08:46.559 --> 00:08:48.779 So we come now to 1 Timothy 3, 00:08:49.119 --> 00:08:51.419 and in this section we're looking at this morning, 00:08:51.859 --> 00:08:53.099 Paul is saying to us, 00:08:53.459 --> 00:08:56.439 here is how church leaders should be. 00:08:56.679 --> 00:08:58.339 Not how they should organize themselves, 00:08:58.479 --> 00:08:59.919 not how the church should function, 00:09:00.299 --> 00:09:02.319 but here is the kind of people 00:09:02.319 --> 00:09:05.459 we should have in leadership in our churches. 00:09:06.739 --> 00:09:09.500 Now, in case you think you can switch off at this point, 00:09:09.500 --> 00:09:12.299 or you can think about all the faults with the leaders of the church, 00:09:12.559 --> 00:09:14.639 let me just say here that I think 00:09:14.639 --> 00:09:18.019 the vast majority of things that Paul talks about here 00:09:18.019 --> 00:09:21.740 are things that should be characteristics of every Christian. 00:09:22.559 --> 00:09:25.899 So he's not, although he's specifically talking about leaders here, 00:09:26.120 --> 00:09:28.659 I think we should all be challenged as we go through 00:09:28.659 --> 00:09:32.000 and as we think about what Paul is saying. 00:09:32.980 --> 00:09:36.480 But let's just do a quick overview of the groups that Paul talks about, 00:09:36.480 --> 00:09:38.879 and then we'll go into a little bit more detail 00:09:38.879 --> 00:09:43.360 into the qualities that he thinks they should display in their lives. 00:09:44.639 --> 00:09:48.379 So there are three groups of people that Paul addresses here. 00:09:49.100 --> 00:09:52.300 The first is he talks about an overseer. 00:09:53.580 --> 00:09:55.740 Overseer just means what it sounds like. 00:09:55.800 --> 00:09:58.680 It is someone who sees, who oversees, 00:09:59.080 --> 00:10:02.039 who observes things, and who acts on them. 00:10:02.039 --> 00:10:07.659 In the church context, it is someone who is taking care of the members of the church, 00:10:08.099 --> 00:10:10.719 who is aware of things that are going on in their lives, 00:10:10.779 --> 00:10:12.699 the kind of problems they might be facing, 00:10:13.279 --> 00:10:16.799 and who is there to help and to encourage them. 00:10:16.860 --> 00:10:20.019 So it's not just seeing, it's seeing and acting on it, 00:10:20.139 --> 00:10:24.120 and that applies as well in decisions that are made about the church. 00:10:24.980 --> 00:10:26.839 There are two other words in the New Testament 00:10:26.840 --> 00:10:30.540 that are used almost interchangeably with overseeing. 00:10:30.600 --> 00:10:34.180 You'll get passages where two or more of these words are used. 00:10:34.259 --> 00:10:35.399 The second one is elder. 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:39.040 In the parallel passage in Titus, Paul talks about elders. 00:10:39.660 --> 00:10:43.080 And the third one is pastor, or sometimes shepherd. 00:10:43.940 --> 00:10:46.639 And these three descriptions between them 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:49.399 refer to the people who have been entrusted 00:10:49.399 --> 00:10:52.340 with the overall leadership of the church. 00:10:52.340 --> 00:10:54.680 Those who, under the Lord Jesus, 00:10:55.139 --> 00:10:58.560 are seeking to care for, to pastor, to shepherd, 00:10:59.080 --> 00:11:00.720 to lead God's people, 00:11:01.160 --> 00:11:04.240 and to help them to grow in their faith. 00:11:04.680 --> 00:11:06.500 So that's the overseers. 00:11:08.580 --> 00:11:11.700 Second group of people is called deacons. 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:14.680 And Paul says in the same way, deacons. 00:11:16.060 --> 00:11:20.300 Deacons can be best described as those who serve in the church. 00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:21.220 That's what the word means. 00:11:21.220 --> 00:11:23.420 A deacon is someone who serves, 00:11:23.480 --> 00:11:24.980 or someone who helps, perhaps, 00:11:25.440 --> 00:11:28.120 in the leadership of the church. 00:11:28.800 --> 00:11:30.100 Now, it looks in the New Testament 00:11:30.100 --> 00:11:32.800 as though some churches definitely did have deacons, 00:11:33.180 --> 00:11:36.100 and some may not have formerly had deacons. 00:11:36.160 --> 00:11:38.279 So the church in Philippi, which Paul writes to, 00:11:38.620 --> 00:11:40.420 he writes to the Christians, 00:11:40.940 --> 00:11:44.000 to the overseers, and to the deacons. 00:11:44.639 --> 00:11:46.540 But in none of his other letters to churches 00:11:46.540 --> 00:11:47.879 does he do that. 00:11:47.879 --> 00:11:50.899 In Timothy, he talks about overseers and deacons. 00:11:51.360 --> 00:11:54.080 In Titus, where Titus is in Crete, 00:11:54.419 --> 00:11:57.860 he talks just about the elders, the overseers. 00:11:58.519 --> 00:12:00.360 So there may or may not in many churches 00:12:00.360 --> 00:12:04.120 be those who are formerly recognized as deacons. 00:12:04.580 --> 00:12:06.879 But there certainly are people who are doing that role 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:09.439 and who are recognized as those who are involved 00:12:09.439 --> 00:12:11.460 in leadership within the church, 00:12:11.840 --> 00:12:14.039 but not the kind of overall leadership, 00:12:14.320 --> 00:12:15.419 overall responsibility. 00:12:15.419 --> 00:12:17.500 And we have lots of people in this church. 00:12:17.579 --> 00:12:19.479 We don't formally have deacons in this church. 00:12:19.639 --> 00:12:21.339 We have lots of people doing that. 00:12:21.539 --> 00:12:23.899 We tend to call them things like ministry leaders. 00:12:25.719 --> 00:12:26.919 Then there's a third group, 00:12:26.979 --> 00:12:28.679 and the third group, in some ways, 00:12:28.719 --> 00:12:30.719 is the most difficult one to define. 00:12:31.620 --> 00:12:33.799 The version of the NIV that we're using now, 00:12:33.860 --> 00:12:34.799 the edition of the NIV, 00:12:35.059 --> 00:12:36.399 calls them the woman. 00:12:36.939 --> 00:12:38.599 That is a very literal translation 00:12:38.599 --> 00:12:39.599 of what the Greek said. 00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:41.639 It could also be translated the wives, 00:12:41.639 --> 00:12:45.899 because the word for woman and wife are the same in Greek. 00:12:46.779 --> 00:12:47.779 Now, there are two possibilities, 00:12:47.939 --> 00:12:50.740 two main possibilities of who Paul is writing about here. 00:12:51.500 --> 00:12:54.819 He might be writing about the wives of deacons 00:12:54.819 --> 00:12:57.279 and saying here are the requirements of deacons 00:12:57.279 --> 00:12:58.319 and their wives. 00:12:58.419 --> 00:13:00.740 There's also a requirement for them. 00:13:01.779 --> 00:13:02.879 Now, that makes some sense 00:13:02.879 --> 00:13:04.980 because it comes in the middle of a passage about deacons. 00:13:05.039 --> 00:13:05.879 He talks about deacons, 00:13:05.939 --> 00:13:06.840 then he talks about the woman, 00:13:06.939 --> 00:13:08.340 then he talks about deacons again. 00:13:08.340 --> 00:13:11.860 And perhaps we could say that the instructions 00:13:11.860 --> 00:13:12.680 that are given, 00:13:12.820 --> 00:13:14.259 the qualities that are required, 00:13:14.820 --> 00:13:16.080 are appropriate for those 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:18.860 who might be the wives of leaders in the church. 00:13:19.300 --> 00:13:20.740 So we're talking particularly about 00:13:20.740 --> 00:13:22.879 how they talk, malicious talkers. 00:13:23.340 --> 00:13:25.700 And those who are the wives of leaderships in the church 00:13:25.700 --> 00:13:27.860 and are supporting them in the work they do 00:13:27.860 --> 00:13:29.480 will know lots of things 00:13:29.480 --> 00:13:32.259 that perhaps other members of the congregation don't 00:13:32.259 --> 00:13:33.860 and shouldn't necessarily know. 00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:38.080 And they might be tempted to gossip unhelpfully about it. 00:13:38.080 --> 00:13:39.940 So that would make some sense. 00:13:40.700 --> 00:13:42.700 There are some difficulties with that view though. 00:13:43.960 --> 00:13:48.080 And one of these is that Paul seems to have in mind here 00:13:48.080 --> 00:13:50.139 a different group. 00:13:50.560 --> 00:13:52.080 He talks about the overseer. 00:13:52.180 --> 00:13:53.600 He then talks about the deacons. 00:13:53.820 --> 00:13:54.639 And then he says, 00:13:54.820 --> 00:13:57.340 in the same way, the woman. 00:13:58.400 --> 00:14:00.080 If he was talking about the wives of deacons, 00:14:00.980 --> 00:14:03.080 why didn't he previously talk about the wives of overseers 00:14:03.080 --> 00:14:06.120 who have at least as important a role in the church 00:14:06.120 --> 00:14:08.200 as the wives of deacons? 00:14:08.940 --> 00:14:11.980 He also talks about the woman or the wives. 00:14:12.300 --> 00:14:15.800 If he was talking about the wives of the deacons, 00:14:15.879 --> 00:14:17.680 why doesn't he say their wives? 00:14:17.780 --> 00:14:20.420 And that would leave everything absolutely clear. 00:14:20.419 --> 00:14:24.719 So my judgment, and others may disagree, 00:14:24.939 --> 00:14:27.099 and commentators and Bibles disagree on this, 00:14:27.339 --> 00:14:29.679 my judgment is that most likely here, 00:14:30.059 --> 00:14:33.000 Paul is talking about women serving in the church, 00:14:33.240 --> 00:14:36.039 not specifically the wives of deacons. 00:14:36.419 --> 00:14:37.740 In a sense, it doesn't matter. 00:14:38.539 --> 00:14:41.199 Whether we're married to someone 00:14:41.199 --> 00:14:44.000 who is one of the leaders in the church, 00:14:44.059 --> 00:14:47.539 or whether we're serving in the church in our own way, 00:14:47.539 --> 00:14:51.120 it is very important that we display the kind of qualities 00:14:51.120 --> 00:14:54.719 that Paul talks about in this passage. 00:14:55.360 --> 00:14:58.120 So three groups, overseers, deacons, 00:14:58.240 --> 00:14:59.699 and I'm going to, as we talk about them, 00:14:59.779 --> 00:15:01.279 I'm going to put deacons and women 00:15:01.279 --> 00:15:03.159 and talk about them together. 00:15:04.719 --> 00:15:06.120 Let's then get into the passage 00:15:06.120 --> 00:15:09.599 and think about what Paul says. 00:15:10.279 --> 00:15:13.480 Now it looks as if there's just a really long list of things, 00:15:13.559 --> 00:15:15.519 but it doesn't in some ways look very structured 00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:17.639 the way that Paul writes it. 00:15:17.659 --> 00:15:18.980 And I'm sure there is a very good reason 00:15:18.980 --> 00:15:20.460 why he uses the order he does, 00:15:20.840 --> 00:15:22.220 but the way my mind works, 00:15:22.519 --> 00:15:24.860 it worked quite well to try and categorize 00:15:24.860 --> 00:15:27.639 into different areas of a person's life 00:15:27.639 --> 00:15:31.759 what Paul was saying should be the characteristics. 00:15:32.539 --> 00:15:33.919 And there's one or two could fit in 00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:35.000 under more than one heading, 00:15:35.100 --> 00:15:37.179 but let's not worry too much about that. 00:15:37.240 --> 00:15:40.779 So we're looking first at the overseers, the elders. 00:15:40.779 --> 00:15:44.639 And the overriding thing that Paul says here 00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:49.139 is that they are to be beyond reproach. 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:52.679 They are to be above reproach. 00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:57.319 And that has an impact on many different areas 00:15:57.319 --> 00:15:58.799 of their lives. 00:15:59.399 --> 00:16:02.220 So Paul says those who are in positions of authority 00:16:02.220 --> 00:16:04.120 in the church, and it applies to those 00:16:04.120 --> 00:16:05.179 who are just members as well, 00:16:05.279 --> 00:16:06.439 but specifically in this context, 00:16:06.519 --> 00:16:09.240 those who are in positions of authority in the church, 00:16:09.240 --> 00:16:12.019 they need to be temperate. 00:16:12.060 --> 00:16:14.279 Now temperate here means kind of even-headed, 00:16:14.500 --> 00:16:17.080 level-headed, clear-headed, that kind of thing. 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:20.899 It's someone who is not prone to going hither and thither 00:16:20.899 --> 00:16:22.600 and changing their mind all the time, 00:16:23.019 --> 00:16:25.659 but it's someone who has a good mindset 00:16:25.659 --> 00:16:29.700 and is able to follow that through in their actions. 00:16:30.340 --> 00:16:31.620 They're to be self-controlled. 00:16:32.440 --> 00:16:34.379 So there's to be someone who is aware 00:16:34.379 --> 00:16:36.659 of the temptations that we all face in life, 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:38.120 the difficulties we face, 00:16:38.120 --> 00:16:40.220 and has got them under control 00:16:40.220 --> 00:16:42.019 and through the power of the Holy Spirit 00:16:42.019 --> 00:16:43.779 is seeking to live a life 00:16:43.779 --> 00:16:45.700 that is pleasing to the Lord Jesus 00:16:45.700 --> 00:16:49.360 and avoid the temptations we all face. 00:16:50.460 --> 00:16:52.419 They're to be not given to drunkenness. 00:16:52.460 --> 00:16:53.299 That speaks for itself. 00:16:53.460 --> 00:16:55.039 Paul's not saying we have to be teetotal, 00:16:55.419 --> 00:16:57.179 but he is saying it's important 00:16:57.179 --> 00:16:59.320 that Christians don't regularly get drunk 00:16:59.320 --> 00:17:01.940 and out of control in their lives. 00:17:02.779 --> 00:17:04.140 Not a lover of money. 00:17:04.140 --> 00:17:08.000 Church leaders very often have access to money 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:10.500 or are involved in the distribution of money 00:17:10.500 --> 00:17:12.640 in the things of the church, 00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:14.800 and they need not to be greedy 00:17:14.800 --> 00:17:18.580 and not to be looking for gain for themselves. 00:17:19.460 --> 00:17:21.259 An awful lot of Christian leaders have fallen 00:17:21.259 --> 00:17:24.580 because they've tried to get more and more for themselves 00:17:24.580 --> 00:17:27.100 at the expense of others. 00:17:28.360 --> 00:17:29.540 And then finally, Paul said, 00:17:29.600 --> 00:17:32.160 and let's just take a second more to talk about this, 00:17:32.160 --> 00:17:36.360 it needs to be not a recent convert. 00:17:37.160 --> 00:17:39.100 Verse 6, he must not be a recent convert 00:17:39.100 --> 00:17:41.160 or he may become conceited 00:17:41.160 --> 00:17:45.160 and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 00:17:47.360 --> 00:17:50.580 Being a church leader, an overseer, an elder 00:17:50.580 --> 00:17:53.860 might seem to be quite an attractive position 00:17:53.860 --> 00:17:55.180 to many people. 00:17:55.300 --> 00:17:57.080 It might be one that you would aspire to 00:17:57.080 --> 00:17:58.940 and say, I want to become an elder quickly. 00:17:58.940 --> 00:18:02.000 I want to become a leader in the church. 00:18:03.160 --> 00:18:04.660 If that's your attitude, 00:18:04.840 --> 00:18:07.060 you're probably unsuitable to be an elder. 00:18:07.779 --> 00:18:09.600 Because Paul talks at the beginning 00:18:09.600 --> 00:18:13.060 of what he says about elders, about overseers, 00:18:13.580 --> 00:18:16.340 that if someone desires to be an overseer, 00:18:17.360 --> 00:18:20.100 they desire a noble task. 00:18:20.660 --> 00:18:24.140 Not a noble office, a noble task. 00:18:24.140 --> 00:18:27.040 And the duty of the overseer, the elder, 00:18:27.460 --> 00:18:29.880 is not to rule over the congregation 00:18:29.880 --> 00:18:34.460 and to feel that they're superior to everyone else. 00:18:35.240 --> 00:18:39.400 Rather, the overseer is there to care for others 00:18:39.400 --> 00:18:43.080 and to help them to grow in the Lord Jesus. 00:18:43.079 --> 00:18:46.220 And if an overseer does the job well, 00:18:46.859 --> 00:18:47.960 it's hard work. 00:18:48.579 --> 00:18:49.519 It's stressful. 00:18:50.159 --> 00:18:51.619 It involves a lot of sacrifice, 00:18:51.740 --> 00:18:53.960 including for their wives and families. 00:18:54.039 --> 00:18:56.720 And yes, it brings respect in the church. 00:18:56.799 --> 00:18:58.000 It means you've got influence 00:18:58.000 --> 00:19:00.579 and it can be very fulfilling. 00:19:01.579 --> 00:19:04.240 But the reason why we would wish to serve 00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:05.779 as overseers in the church 00:19:05.779 --> 00:19:08.960 is so that God's people may be built up 00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:13.059 and that they may come to know the Lord Jesus better. 00:19:13.700 --> 00:19:15.340 Anyone who wants to be an overseer 00:19:15.340 --> 00:19:17.799 simply for the status it brings 00:19:17.799 --> 00:19:22.120 is doing it for absolutely the wrong reason. 00:19:23.100 --> 00:19:24.380 And as a bit of an aside here, 00:19:24.640 --> 00:19:25.680 let me also say, 00:19:26.039 --> 00:19:28.340 don't think that the elders of the church 00:19:28.340 --> 00:19:31.360 are a lot more spiritual than everyone else. 00:19:31.440 --> 00:19:31.840 We're not. 00:19:31.920 --> 00:19:33.819 I can think of lots of people in the church 00:19:33.819 --> 00:19:37.460 who I'm absolutely sure are more spiritual than I am. 00:19:37.680 --> 00:19:38.900 But for various reasons, 00:19:38.960 --> 00:19:40.480 aren't elders. 00:19:41.279 --> 00:19:42.880 Elders are there to serve 00:19:42.880 --> 00:19:46.380 and to be available to the Lord Jesus 00:19:46.380 --> 00:19:49.039 to help his people to grow. 00:19:49.360 --> 00:19:50.100 And Paul says here, 00:19:50.200 --> 00:19:51.259 coming back to the text, 00:19:51.740 --> 00:19:53.600 if an elder is a recent convert, 00:19:54.039 --> 00:19:54.980 there is a danger. 00:19:55.120 --> 00:19:56.340 They become a bit big headed 00:19:56.340 --> 00:19:58.579 and they think I'm better than others 00:19:58.579 --> 00:20:00.140 because I've become an elder 00:20:00.140 --> 00:20:01.480 and I've only been a Christian 00:20:01.480 --> 00:20:03.500 for five years or whatever. 00:20:03.620 --> 00:20:04.980 So I think that is what's behind 00:20:04.980 --> 00:20:08.519 what Paul says in that verse. 00:20:09.600 --> 00:20:10.559 Okay, let's move on. 00:20:10.620 --> 00:20:12.740 And we've got another difficult group 00:20:12.740 --> 00:20:13.440 to look at, 00:20:13.600 --> 00:20:15.559 the elder at home. 00:20:16.340 --> 00:20:18.019 So in this edition of the NIV, 00:20:18.740 --> 00:20:20.720 Paul says that the elder 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:23.160 has to be faithful to his wife. 00:20:23.240 --> 00:20:24.539 And that seems obvious 00:20:24.539 --> 00:20:27.180 and is certainly absolutely right. 00:20:27.899 --> 00:20:30.059 Whether it's wholly what the Bible means 00:20:30.059 --> 00:20:31.539 or what Paul means when he wrote it, 00:20:31.759 --> 00:20:32.980 we could have some discussion of it, 00:20:33.000 --> 00:20:35.039 I think is the principal meaning. 00:20:35.599 --> 00:20:37.079 But what Paul actually wrote 00:20:37.079 --> 00:20:40.220 is that the elder has to be the husband of one wife 00:20:40.220 --> 00:20:43.259 or possibly the man of one woman. 00:20:43.819 --> 00:20:45.259 And that raises issues of, 00:20:45.319 --> 00:20:47.119 can you be an elder if you're not married? 00:20:47.460 --> 00:20:49.319 Can you be an elder if you've been married 00:20:49.319 --> 00:20:50.220 and you've been widowed? 00:20:50.220 --> 00:20:52.740 And a number of others like that. 00:20:53.319 --> 00:20:57.039 I don't think that is what Paul is addressing here. 00:20:57.440 --> 00:20:58.880 And I certainly wouldn't have any problem 00:20:58.880 --> 00:20:59.900 with a non-eyed person 00:20:59.900 --> 00:21:01.519 or someone who'd been widowed 00:21:01.519 --> 00:21:02.720 and married again, 00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:04.960 being an elder of the church. 00:21:05.500 --> 00:21:07.440 I think Paul is talking about 00:21:07.440 --> 00:21:10.700 someone who is faithful in their marriage, 00:21:10.900 --> 00:21:12.299 who people can look at 00:21:12.299 --> 00:21:14.579 and they say in their marriage relationship, 00:21:15.059 --> 00:21:18.519 they model what a Christian should be like. 00:21:18.519 --> 00:21:21.839 And it's so important, 00:21:22.240 --> 00:21:23.019 not just for elders, 00:21:23.139 --> 00:21:24.119 I've said for everybody, 00:21:24.700 --> 00:21:26.680 that we have strong married relationships, 00:21:26.839 --> 00:21:29.460 that we're faithful to those we are married to, 00:21:29.539 --> 00:21:32.519 that we show them real love and care 00:21:32.519 --> 00:21:36.460 and we don't get tempted away from our marriage. 00:21:36.599 --> 00:21:39.740 Elders have to be faithful to their wives. 00:21:40.920 --> 00:21:41.920 And then Paul says, 00:21:42.240 --> 00:21:46.039 elders have to manage their families well. 00:21:46.039 --> 00:21:47.819 This is another one 00:21:47.819 --> 00:21:51.799 which people have some difficulty with. 00:21:53.019 --> 00:21:53.960 Read the full verse, 00:21:54.039 --> 00:21:54.500 verse four, 00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:56.159 he must manage his family well 00:21:56.159 --> 00:21:58.659 and see that his children obey him 00:21:58.659 --> 00:22:00.599 and he must do so 00:22:00.599 --> 00:22:03.539 in a manner worthy of full respect. 00:22:03.599 --> 00:22:04.579 If anyone does not know 00:22:04.579 --> 00:22:05.899 how to manage his own family, 00:22:06.319 --> 00:22:09.619 how can he take care of God's church? 00:22:10.440 --> 00:22:11.500 I think we get the analogy, 00:22:11.639 --> 00:22:12.700 that's fairly straightforward. 00:22:12.700 --> 00:22:13.819 Paul is saying, 00:22:13.940 --> 00:22:14.840 if you've got an elder 00:22:14.840 --> 00:22:16.420 and their home is chaotic 00:22:16.420 --> 00:22:18.960 and they're not really looking after the family 00:22:18.960 --> 00:22:19.940 the way they should, 00:22:20.299 --> 00:22:21.819 how can they then be entrusted 00:22:21.819 --> 00:22:24.519 with the care of the church? 00:22:25.259 --> 00:22:26.380 But it does create an issue 00:22:26.380 --> 00:22:27.360 if you've got an elder 00:22:27.360 --> 00:22:29.340 and their children have chosen 00:22:29.340 --> 00:22:32.140 not to follow them in their faith. 00:22:32.640 --> 00:22:34.400 Does that then disqualify them 00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:36.000 from being an elder? 00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:37.940 I think no. 00:22:38.900 --> 00:22:40.019 We, all of us, 00:22:40.119 --> 00:22:41.720 have no, ultimately, 00:22:42.220 --> 00:22:45.119 no power to make our children 00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:47.799 become believers in the Lord Jesus. 00:22:47.920 --> 00:22:50.440 That is the work of the Holy Spirit. 00:22:51.319 --> 00:22:52.599 And all of us who are parents, 00:22:52.920 --> 00:22:54.559 we should be praying for our children, 00:22:55.099 --> 00:22:56.500 we should be encouraging them 00:22:56.500 --> 00:22:57.480 and teaching them 00:22:57.480 --> 00:23:00.440 and training them in the right way 00:23:00.440 --> 00:23:03.519 and introducing them to the Lord Jesus. 00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:07.200 Ultimately, they have to make their decisions 00:23:07.200 --> 00:23:09.160 as the Spirit leads them 00:23:09.160 --> 00:23:11.980 to follow and trust the Lord Jesus. 00:23:12.720 --> 00:23:14.440 So I think if an elder's family life 00:23:14.440 --> 00:23:15.680 is clearly chaotic 00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:19.200 and they're not bringing up their children well, 00:23:19.539 --> 00:23:20.559 that is an indication 00:23:20.559 --> 00:23:21.660 that they shouldn't be 00:23:21.660 --> 00:23:23.400 in leadership in the church. 00:23:24.119 --> 00:23:25.639 But the fact that children have chosen 00:23:25.639 --> 00:23:27.299 not to follow the Lord Jesus, 00:23:27.440 --> 00:23:28.619 particularly adult children, 00:23:28.980 --> 00:23:31.319 doesn't, I think, disqualify them. 00:23:31.319 --> 00:23:32.819 I think we've finished 00:23:32.819 --> 00:23:34.639 all the controversial bits of the passage, 00:23:35.099 --> 00:23:37.339 so hopefully downhill from now on. 00:23:38.339 --> 00:23:40.339 What about the elder in the church? 00:23:40.919 --> 00:23:42.259 And the three here 00:23:42.259 --> 00:23:43.720 that I highly think 00:23:43.720 --> 00:23:45.119 are being relevant to the church. 00:23:45.200 --> 00:23:47.039 The elder has to be hospitable, 00:23:47.599 --> 00:23:48.159 says Paul. 00:23:48.259 --> 00:23:49.399 Hospitable literally means 00:23:49.399 --> 00:23:51.059 a lover of strangers. 00:23:51.839 --> 00:23:52.539 And this is something 00:23:52.539 --> 00:23:54.139 that was particularly relevant 00:23:54.139 --> 00:23:55.460 in the early church. 00:23:56.299 --> 00:23:57.359 A lot of Christians 00:23:57.359 --> 00:23:58.559 might travel around 00:23:58.559 --> 00:24:00.579 and to stay in inns 00:24:00.579 --> 00:24:01.759 or whatever the equivalent of hotels 00:24:01.759 --> 00:24:02.839 were in those days 00:24:02.839 --> 00:24:04.019 what was dangerous 00:24:04.019 --> 00:24:06.019 and could create all sorts of issues. 00:24:06.119 --> 00:24:06.899 So it was important 00:24:06.899 --> 00:24:08.099 if I'm a Christian 00:24:08.099 --> 00:24:09.399 and I'm visiting another town, 00:24:09.500 --> 00:24:10.839 particularly if I'm visiting 00:24:10.839 --> 00:24:12.000 in Christian service, 00:24:12.559 --> 00:24:14.139 that those who are in the church there 00:24:14.139 --> 00:24:15.019 are hospitable 00:24:15.019 --> 00:24:16.539 and receive me 00:24:16.539 --> 00:24:17.539 and welcome me 00:24:17.539 --> 00:24:19.059 and provide accommodation. 00:24:21.139 --> 00:24:22.379 Directly, that is probably 00:24:22.379 --> 00:24:24.480 not quite so relevant today. 00:24:24.700 --> 00:24:25.220 Most people, 00:24:25.339 --> 00:24:26.819 if you go to visit another town, 00:24:26.819 --> 00:24:28.599 you either go and visit a friend 00:24:28.599 --> 00:24:30.700 or you find somewhere to stay, 00:24:30.799 --> 00:24:32.139 a hotel or a guest house. 00:24:32.879 --> 00:24:33.639 But it's still relevant 00:24:33.639 --> 00:24:34.939 that we need to be hospitable 00:24:34.939 --> 00:24:37.119 in our dealings with one another. 00:24:37.740 --> 00:24:39.220 We need to be welcoming 00:24:39.220 --> 00:24:40.139 those in the church 00:24:40.139 --> 00:24:41.639 and those coming to the church 00:24:41.639 --> 00:24:43.279 and showing them the love 00:24:43.279 --> 00:24:45.639 and the care of the Lord Jesus. 00:24:45.799 --> 00:24:46.579 To that extent, 00:24:46.939 --> 00:24:48.419 an elder still needs to be someone 00:24:48.419 --> 00:24:49.339 who is hospitable, 00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:51.759 has people in their home 00:24:51.759 --> 00:24:55.099 and shows real concern for others. 00:24:55.099 --> 00:24:57.639 Able to teach. 00:24:58.319 --> 00:24:59.899 This is the one thing 00:24:59.899 --> 00:25:01.019 that is clear 00:25:01.019 --> 00:25:02.419 as a difference between elders 00:25:02.419 --> 00:25:04.839 and deacons in the passage. 00:25:05.500 --> 00:25:07.299 Elders have to be able to teach. 00:25:07.740 --> 00:25:09.619 Deacons have to have a grasp 00:25:09.619 --> 00:25:10.279 of the truth 00:25:10.279 --> 00:25:12.179 but not necessarily able 00:25:12.179 --> 00:25:13.419 to teach others. 00:25:14.059 --> 00:25:14.899 So to be an elder, 00:25:15.059 --> 00:25:15.959 one of the requirements 00:25:15.959 --> 00:25:18.019 is that you can teach others 00:25:18.019 --> 00:25:19.379 the Christian faith. 00:25:20.139 --> 00:25:21.419 Now that doesn't mean 00:25:21.419 --> 00:25:22.559 teaching from front. 00:25:22.619 --> 00:25:23.480 It includes it, obviously, 00:25:23.480 --> 00:25:24.880 but it doesn't just mean 00:25:24.880 --> 00:25:25.759 preaching, teaching 00:25:25.759 --> 00:25:27.000 from the front. 00:25:27.480 --> 00:25:29.279 We've had and we have elders 00:25:29.279 --> 00:25:31.019 who don't regularly 00:25:31.019 --> 00:25:32.440 preach from the front 00:25:32.440 --> 00:25:34.860 but have a very strong ministry 00:25:34.860 --> 00:25:36.420 in teaching others. 00:25:37.019 --> 00:25:37.559 For some, 00:25:37.880 --> 00:25:40.200 it is through one-to-one meetings 00:25:40.200 --> 00:25:42.180 and talking with people 00:25:42.180 --> 00:25:43.839 and building them up 00:25:43.839 --> 00:25:45.059 in their faith. 00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:48.140 Or it can be in a small group, 00:25:48.279 --> 00:25:50.120 in the home groups that we have, 00:25:50.119 --> 00:25:51.619 being able to teach them 00:25:51.619 --> 00:25:52.639 and encourage the group 00:25:52.639 --> 00:25:54.099 in their faith 00:25:54.099 --> 00:25:55.239 in a way that people 00:25:55.239 --> 00:25:56.519 might not feel so comfortable 00:25:56.519 --> 00:25:58.079 doing from the front. 00:25:58.179 --> 00:25:58.899 Some of us are better 00:25:58.899 --> 00:25:59.739 speaking from the front 00:25:59.739 --> 00:26:00.459 and not so good 00:26:00.459 --> 00:26:01.899 at other things. 00:26:02.399 --> 00:26:03.299 But one way or another, 00:26:03.719 --> 00:26:04.679 elders must be those 00:26:04.679 --> 00:26:07.039 who understand God's word, 00:26:07.459 --> 00:26:08.279 who are applying it 00:26:08.279 --> 00:26:09.279 in their own lives, 00:26:09.619 --> 00:26:10.559 and who are able 00:26:10.559 --> 00:26:13.139 to pass it on to others. 00:26:13.959 --> 00:26:15.019 And then the final thing 00:26:15.019 --> 00:26:16.379 that's related to elders, 00:26:16.459 --> 00:26:17.279 I think, in the church 00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:18.000 is that they're not 00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:19.339 to be quarrelsome. 00:26:19.420 --> 00:26:20.680 They're not to be troublemakers, 00:26:21.019 --> 00:26:22.480 always objecting to things 00:26:22.480 --> 00:26:23.319 as they come up 00:26:23.319 --> 00:26:25.399 and picking verbal fights 00:26:25.399 --> 00:26:26.319 with others. 00:26:26.359 --> 00:26:26.799 And it's clear 00:26:26.799 --> 00:26:28.279 that someone in that kind 00:26:28.279 --> 00:26:29.299 of position could cause 00:26:29.299 --> 00:26:30.319 quite big problems 00:26:30.319 --> 00:26:32.099 in church leadership. 00:26:33.240 --> 00:26:33.960 And then finally, 00:26:34.220 --> 00:26:35.500 for elders in the world, 00:26:35.660 --> 00:26:37.119 we're to be respectable. 00:26:38.139 --> 00:26:39.879 Respectable, in a sense, 00:26:39.960 --> 00:26:40.980 is the outward form 00:26:40.980 --> 00:26:41.700 of self-control. 00:26:42.139 --> 00:26:43.420 We've got to be people 00:26:43.420 --> 00:26:46.440 who present ourselves well 00:26:46.440 --> 00:26:48.279 and to give a good testimony 00:26:48.279 --> 00:26:49.840 for the Lord Jesus. 00:26:50.420 --> 00:26:51.640 Not violent, but gentle, 00:26:51.720 --> 00:26:52.279 that's obvious. 00:26:52.779 --> 00:26:54.039 And a good reputation 00:26:54.039 --> 00:26:54.920 is very important 00:26:54.920 --> 00:26:56.600 that those outside the church 00:26:56.600 --> 00:26:58.299 can see that we love 00:26:58.299 --> 00:26:59.059 the Lord Jesus, 00:26:59.240 --> 00:27:00.380 that we are serving him, 00:27:00.720 --> 00:27:02.380 and our lives are consistent 00:27:02.380 --> 00:27:04.559 with what we believe. 00:27:05.559 --> 00:27:06.519 There's a huge number 00:27:06.519 --> 00:27:07.299 of things there. 00:27:07.759 --> 00:27:09.080 I look at them and I think, 00:27:09.160 --> 00:27:09.740 well, some of these 00:27:09.740 --> 00:27:11.500 I'm reasonably comfortable about. 00:27:11.880 --> 00:27:12.799 Some of them I think 00:27:12.799 --> 00:27:14.140 I'm particularly weak on. 00:27:14.140 --> 00:27:15.960 But as I said, 00:27:16.040 --> 00:27:16.840 these are the things 00:27:16.840 --> 00:27:18.100 that elders should display. 00:27:18.180 --> 00:27:18.620 And as I said, 00:27:18.940 --> 00:27:19.940 really most church, 00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:20.840 all church members 00:27:20.840 --> 00:27:21.580 should be seeking 00:27:21.580 --> 00:27:23.020 most of these. 00:27:25.120 --> 00:27:25.840 Very quickly, 00:27:25.940 --> 00:27:26.520 maybe we're going to talk 00:27:26.520 --> 00:27:27.140 about something else 00:27:27.140 --> 00:27:27.720 to finish. 00:27:28.620 --> 00:27:29.020 Deacons, 00:27:29.580 --> 00:27:30.820 the helpers, 00:27:30.920 --> 00:27:31.920 the people who serve 00:27:31.920 --> 00:27:32.620 in the church. 00:27:33.120 --> 00:27:34.500 A similar kind of list 00:27:34.500 --> 00:27:34.960 to elders 00:27:34.960 --> 00:27:36.680 with one or two differences. 00:27:37.500 --> 00:27:37.860 So I'll just, 00:27:38.040 --> 00:27:38.940 the ones that are similar, 00:27:39.100 --> 00:27:40.100 I put in italics, 00:27:40.160 --> 00:27:41.480 we won't talk about them again. 00:27:42.039 --> 00:27:42.980 The other ones, 00:27:43.059 --> 00:27:44.319 deaconists should be sincere. 00:27:44.880 --> 00:27:45.960 They've got to be genuine 00:27:45.960 --> 00:27:46.819 in their faith 00:27:46.819 --> 00:27:47.759 and desire to serve 00:27:47.759 --> 00:27:48.500 the Lord Jesus. 00:27:49.299 --> 00:27:50.220 They've got to hold 00:27:50.220 --> 00:27:51.000 the deep truth 00:27:51.000 --> 00:27:51.720 and not necessarily 00:27:51.720 --> 00:27:52.579 be good teachers, 00:27:52.980 --> 00:27:54.140 but certainly understand 00:27:54.140 --> 00:27:54.759 God's word 00:27:54.759 --> 00:27:55.680 and believe it 00:27:55.680 --> 00:27:56.920 and be firm 00:27:56.920 --> 00:27:59.480 in wanting to hold to it. 00:28:00.519 --> 00:28:01.039 They need, 00:28:01.099 --> 00:28:02.039 if we move to the church 00:28:02.039 --> 00:28:02.960 and the world section, 00:28:03.059 --> 00:28:03.900 need to be tested. 00:28:04.440 --> 00:28:05.400 So you don't just have 00:28:05.400 --> 00:28:06.059 someone who comes 00:28:06.059 --> 00:28:06.940 in the door of the church 00:28:06.940 --> 00:28:07.259 and says, 00:28:07.339 --> 00:28:08.120 I want to serve, 00:28:08.380 --> 00:28:09.519 I want to lead a small group, 00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:10.200 something like that. 00:28:10.200 --> 00:28:11.519 You can't just put someone 00:28:11.519 --> 00:28:12.759 into that straight away. 00:28:13.100 --> 00:28:14.019 They need to be tested. 00:28:15.120 --> 00:28:15.880 Particularly with the woman, 00:28:15.960 --> 00:28:17.319 it was not malicious talkers, 00:28:17.360 --> 00:28:18.000 which we talked about 00:28:18.000 --> 00:28:18.840 a little bit earlier, 00:28:19.180 --> 00:28:21.000 and they need to be trustworthy. 00:28:22.220 --> 00:28:22.779 So again, 00:28:23.220 --> 00:28:25.360 a challenging list of things 00:28:25.360 --> 00:28:27.059 which those who are in positions 00:28:27.059 --> 00:28:28.360 of serving in the church, 00:28:28.460 --> 00:28:29.160 those particularly 00:28:29.160 --> 00:28:30.140 who are recognized 00:28:30.140 --> 00:28:31.920 as leading activities 00:28:31.920 --> 00:28:32.620 in the church, 00:28:32.980 --> 00:28:34.080 should match up to 00:28:34.080 --> 00:28:37.120 and should be tested against. 00:28:37.119 --> 00:28:40.059 But really, 00:28:40.159 --> 00:28:41.079 as we look at it, 00:28:41.899 --> 00:28:42.699 it's very easy 00:28:42.699 --> 00:28:43.579 to go down the list 00:28:43.579 --> 00:28:44.259 and to treat it 00:28:44.259 --> 00:28:45.719 as a checklist. 00:28:47.319 --> 00:28:48.299 And that's probably, 00:28:48.519 --> 00:28:49.039 in some ways, 00:28:49.079 --> 00:28:50.139 it's something we need to do, 00:28:50.219 --> 00:28:50.859 in other ways, 00:28:51.059 --> 00:28:52.979 it's not the most helpful way 00:28:52.979 --> 00:28:54.139 to look at it. 00:28:54.799 --> 00:28:55.979 The real issue 00:28:55.979 --> 00:28:57.199 is do I, 00:28:57.759 --> 00:28:58.419 do you, 00:28:58.679 --> 00:28:59.839 love the Lord Jesus 00:28:59.839 --> 00:29:02.259 and love the Lord's people? 00:29:03.180 --> 00:29:04.099 And if we do, 00:29:04.480 --> 00:29:05.240 then these things, 00:29:05.339 --> 00:29:06.019 to some extent, 00:29:06.099 --> 00:29:07.740 will come along with it. 00:29:08.140 --> 00:29:09.900 As we develop the character 00:29:09.900 --> 00:29:11.480 of the Lord Jesus, 00:29:12.180 --> 00:29:13.660 so we will develop 00:29:13.660 --> 00:29:15.579 the fruits of the Spirit 00:29:15.579 --> 00:29:17.599 and the kind of qualities 00:29:17.599 --> 00:29:19.839 that are talked about here. 00:29:20.319 --> 00:29:20.759 So I don't think 00:29:20.759 --> 00:29:21.359 we should be spending 00:29:21.359 --> 00:29:22.140 all our time 00:29:22.140 --> 00:29:23.160 going through these lists. 00:29:23.220 --> 00:29:24.400 We should be aware of them. 00:29:24.660 --> 00:29:25.740 But the real question 00:29:25.740 --> 00:29:26.819 is for all of us, 00:29:27.160 --> 00:29:28.319 do I love the Lord? 00:29:28.640 --> 00:29:29.940 Am I walking closely 00:29:29.940 --> 00:29:30.759 with the Lord? 00:29:30.759 --> 00:29:34.240 And is that evident 00:29:34.240 --> 00:29:35.379 to others? 00:29:35.440 --> 00:29:36.839 Because what we can see here 00:29:36.839 --> 00:29:38.839 is what is visible to others 00:29:38.839 --> 00:29:40.099 to some extent 00:29:40.099 --> 00:29:41.019 or another. 00:29:42.299 --> 00:29:43.220 But to finish with, 00:29:43.259 --> 00:29:45.160 I want to talk about 00:29:45.160 --> 00:29:46.359 our example. 00:29:46.539 --> 00:29:46.879 And this, 00:29:47.000 --> 00:29:47.579 as in everything, 00:29:48.019 --> 00:29:49.079 our example is 00:29:49.079 --> 00:29:49.900 the Lord Jesus. 00:29:51.539 --> 00:29:52.519 So let me just put up 00:29:52.519 --> 00:29:53.180 two verses 00:29:53.180 --> 00:29:55.519 from the Gospels, 00:29:55.599 --> 00:29:56.240 or one from the Gospel, 00:29:56.319 --> 00:29:57.640 one from 1 Peter. 00:29:58.839 --> 00:29:59.900 Peter says, 00:29:59.900 --> 00:30:00.880 you were like sheep 00:30:00.880 --> 00:30:01.540 going astray. 00:30:01.620 --> 00:30:02.259 That's a quotation 00:30:02.259 --> 00:30:03.140 in the book of Isaiah. 00:30:03.880 --> 00:30:05.220 But now you have returned 00:30:05.220 --> 00:30:06.060 to the shepherd 00:30:06.060 --> 00:30:07.840 and overseer 00:30:07.840 --> 00:30:09.340 of your souls. 00:30:10.200 --> 00:30:11.060 So those of us 00:30:11.060 --> 00:30:11.940 who are overseers, 00:30:12.060 --> 00:30:12.519 who are elders, 00:30:12.680 --> 00:30:13.560 pastors, shepherds, 00:30:13.640 --> 00:30:14.780 call it what you will, 00:30:15.940 --> 00:30:16.720 our job 00:30:16.720 --> 00:30:17.560 is to follow 00:30:17.560 --> 00:30:18.360 the example 00:30:18.360 --> 00:30:20.480 of the Lord Jesus. 00:30:20.700 --> 00:30:21.880 He is the ultimate 00:30:21.880 --> 00:30:23.280 overseer. 00:30:23.640 --> 00:30:24.000 And I think 00:30:24.000 --> 00:30:24.580 a very significant 00:30:24.580 --> 00:30:25.380 little phrase, 00:30:25.720 --> 00:30:26.420 overseer 00:30:26.420 --> 00:30:28.420 of your souls. 00:30:29.700 --> 00:30:30.600 As overseers 00:30:30.600 --> 00:30:31.340 in the church, 00:30:31.840 --> 00:30:32.920 we can see 00:30:32.920 --> 00:30:34.400 what is visible. 00:30:35.140 --> 00:30:35.960 We can see 00:30:35.960 --> 00:30:36.820 how people act 00:30:36.820 --> 00:30:37.380 and behave 00:30:37.380 --> 00:30:38.039 to an extent 00:30:38.039 --> 00:30:39.160 that we know them 00:30:39.160 --> 00:30:39.759 well enough. 00:30:40.340 --> 00:30:41.360 But we only see 00:30:41.360 --> 00:30:42.980 what's on the outside. 00:30:43.720 --> 00:30:44.120 And we do have 00:30:44.120 --> 00:30:45.360 a concern 00:30:45.360 --> 00:30:46.539 and a responsibility 00:30:46.539 --> 00:30:48.220 for the souls 00:30:48.220 --> 00:30:49.420 of the members 00:30:49.420 --> 00:30:49.880 of the church 00:30:49.880 --> 00:30:50.980 in that we need 00:30:50.980 --> 00:30:51.980 to get alongside them 00:30:51.980 --> 00:30:52.560 and find out 00:30:52.560 --> 00:30:53.500 where their issues are 00:30:53.500 --> 00:30:55.000 and try to help them. 00:30:55.839 --> 00:30:56.859 But the Lord Jesus 00:30:56.859 --> 00:30:57.559 is the one 00:30:57.559 --> 00:30:58.240 who can see 00:30:58.240 --> 00:30:59.220 the inside. 00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:00.559 The one who knows 00:31:00.559 --> 00:31:01.339 everything 00:31:01.339 --> 00:31:02.619 about us. 00:31:03.180 --> 00:31:03.920 And ultimately, 00:31:04.140 --> 00:31:04.779 he is the one 00:31:04.779 --> 00:31:05.299 that we need 00:31:05.299 --> 00:31:06.079 to look for, 00:31:06.200 --> 00:31:07.000 for guidance 00:31:07.000 --> 00:31:08.539 and for strength. 00:31:08.660 --> 00:31:09.559 Not humans, 00:31:09.700 --> 00:31:11.000 not fallible humans 00:31:11.000 --> 00:31:11.900 as we all are. 00:31:12.279 --> 00:31:13.140 But to recognize 00:31:13.140 --> 00:31:13.960 the Lord Jesus 00:31:13.960 --> 00:31:15.119 is the one 00:31:15.119 --> 00:31:16.420 who is the overseer 00:31:16.420 --> 00:31:17.960 of our souls. 00:31:19.539 --> 00:31:20.579 And then the quotation 00:31:20.579 --> 00:31:21.519 from Mark's Gospel, 00:31:21.660 --> 00:31:22.079 there's a similar 00:31:22.079 --> 00:31:23.200 verse in Matthew. 00:31:24.019 --> 00:31:24.740 The Son of Man 00:31:24.740 --> 00:31:25.480 did not come 00:31:25.480 --> 00:31:26.519 to be served, 00:31:26.759 --> 00:31:27.920 but to serve 00:31:27.920 --> 00:31:29.440 and to give his life 00:31:29.440 --> 00:31:30.140 as a ransom 00:31:30.140 --> 00:31:31.240 for many. 00:31:31.339 --> 00:31:31.680 Elsewhere, 00:31:31.759 --> 00:31:32.380 the Lord Jesus 00:31:32.380 --> 00:31:33.640 says that he comes 00:31:33.640 --> 00:31:34.160 among us 00:31:34.160 --> 00:31:35.440 as one who serves. 00:31:36.079 --> 00:31:37.099 The word really is 00:31:37.099 --> 00:31:37.720 he comes to us 00:31:37.720 --> 00:31:38.799 as a deacon. 00:31:38.880 --> 00:31:39.720 That is the same word 00:31:39.720 --> 00:31:41.019 that's used here. 00:31:42.059 --> 00:31:43.140 And so in our service, 00:31:43.140 --> 00:31:44.019 if we are serving 00:31:44.019 --> 00:31:44.900 the Lord Jesus, 00:31:45.619 --> 00:31:46.500 our example 00:31:46.500 --> 00:31:47.440 that we should be 00:31:47.440 --> 00:31:47.839 following 00:31:47.839 --> 00:31:49.000 and seeking to imitate 00:31:49.000 --> 00:31:51.180 is the Lord Jesus. 00:31:51.180 --> 00:31:51.380 Jesus. 00:31:52.100 --> 00:31:53.000 And to recognize 00:31:53.000 --> 00:31:54.180 that the extent 00:31:54.180 --> 00:31:55.180 that we serve 00:31:55.180 --> 00:31:56.120 in the church 00:31:56.120 --> 00:31:56.740 or elsewhere 00:31:56.740 --> 00:31:58.940 is only a tiny fraction 00:31:58.940 --> 00:31:59.440 of the way 00:31:59.440 --> 00:32:01.320 in which he served 00:32:01.320 --> 00:32:02.200 perfectly. 00:32:02.200 --> 00:32:03.340 He served in his life, 00:32:03.820 --> 00:32:04.960 but particularly served 00:32:04.960 --> 00:32:06.060 as he gave his death, 00:32:06.539 --> 00:32:07.700 as he died 00:32:07.700 --> 00:32:08.920 and gave his life 00:32:08.920 --> 00:32:10.779 for our salvation. 00:32:10.779 --> 00:32:13.539 And as in everything, 00:32:14.480 --> 00:32:15.660 we don't look at ourselves 00:32:15.660 --> 00:32:16.700 or we don't even look 00:32:16.700 --> 00:32:17.779 at those round about us, 00:32:17.799 --> 00:32:18.539 although they can be 00:32:18.539 --> 00:32:19.579 very good examples 00:32:19.579 --> 00:32:21.599 that we can learn from. 00:32:22.220 --> 00:32:23.599 But we look to the Lord Jesus 00:32:23.599 --> 00:32:23.980 and say, 00:32:24.139 --> 00:32:25.019 here is the one 00:32:25.019 --> 00:32:27.220 who is the perfect overseer, 00:32:27.460 --> 00:32:29.319 who is the perfect deacon, 00:32:29.440 --> 00:32:30.519 the one who served, 00:32:30.859 --> 00:32:32.200 and we should look to him 00:32:32.200 --> 00:32:33.940 and to imitate him 00:32:33.940 --> 00:32:35.259 in our lives. 00:32:35.980 --> 00:32:36.519 And of course, 00:32:36.579 --> 00:32:37.359 we need to make sure 00:32:37.359 --> 00:32:38.660 before we can do that, 00:32:39.000 --> 00:32:40.599 that we have a living relationship 00:32:40.599 --> 00:32:41.699 with him, 00:32:42.240 --> 00:32:43.000 that we know him 00:32:43.000 --> 00:32:43.959 as the saviour, 00:32:44.339 --> 00:32:45.139 as the shepherd 00:32:45.139 --> 00:32:46.879 who died for the sheep, 00:32:46.939 --> 00:32:48.699 who gave his life for us 00:32:48.699 --> 00:32:50.459 so that we could be forgiven 00:32:50.459 --> 00:32:52.059 for our sins. 00:32:53.599 --> 00:32:55.339 So there's 1 Timothy 3. 00:32:55.419 --> 00:32:55.959 I'm sorry, 00:32:56.059 --> 00:32:57.159 quite a technical message 00:32:57.159 --> 00:32:57.639 this morning. 00:32:57.719 --> 00:32:58.259 That's the nature 00:32:58.259 --> 00:32:59.059 of the passage. 00:32:59.500 --> 00:33:00.079 But if you take 00:33:00.079 --> 00:33:00.980 nothing else away, 00:33:01.099 --> 00:33:02.519 take away these two verses. 00:33:03.059 --> 00:33:04.679 The example of the Lord Jesus 00:33:04.679 --> 00:33:06.299 as the one who cares for us, 00:33:06.459 --> 00:33:08.240 as the one who serves us, 00:33:08.559 --> 00:33:09.259 and as the one 00:33:09.259 --> 00:33:10.299 who gave his life 00:33:10.299 --> 00:33:11.259 for us. 00:33:11.960 --> 00:33:12.759 Let's join together 00:33:12.759 --> 00:33:13.180 in prayer. 00:33:14.220 --> 00:33:15.000 Father, we thank you 00:33:15.000 --> 00:33:15.579 for your word. 00:33:15.680 --> 00:33:16.059 We thank you 00:33:16.059 --> 00:33:16.960 for the Lord Jesus, 00:33:17.759 --> 00:33:18.819 for the way in which 00:33:18.819 --> 00:33:19.819 he, as in everything, 00:33:20.319 --> 00:33:21.740 gives us the perfect example. 00:33:22.579 --> 00:33:23.599 We pray that those of us 00:33:23.599 --> 00:33:24.559 who are in positions 00:33:24.559 --> 00:33:25.119 of leadership 00:33:25.119 --> 00:33:25.980 in the church, 00:33:26.460 --> 00:33:28.159 whether it's as overseers, 00:33:28.240 --> 00:33:28.759 as elders, 00:33:29.440 --> 00:33:30.159 whether it's in 00:33:30.159 --> 00:33:31.359 kind of roles 00:33:31.359 --> 00:33:32.379 that deacons would have 00:33:32.379 --> 00:33:33.500 in serving the church, 00:33:34.139 --> 00:33:34.759 that we may, 00:33:35.119 --> 00:33:36.180 as far as we can, 00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:37.319 live up to the standards 00:33:37.319 --> 00:33:38.859 that Paul sets for us, 00:33:39.220 --> 00:33:40.220 that we may seek 00:33:40.220 --> 00:33:41.819 to live lives 00:33:41.819 --> 00:33:42.799 that are transparent 00:33:42.799 --> 00:33:45.299 and that are pleasing 00:33:45.299 --> 00:33:46.779 to the Lord Jesus. 00:33:47.779 --> 00:33:48.919 But help us particularly 00:33:48.919 --> 00:33:49.700 to have a love 00:33:49.700 --> 00:33:50.439 for the Lord 00:33:50.439 --> 00:33:51.399 and a love 00:33:51.399 --> 00:33:52.279 for his people, 00:33:52.939 --> 00:33:53.599 that the church 00:33:53.599 --> 00:33:54.480 may be built up 00:33:54.480 --> 00:33:55.919 as we care for one another, 00:33:56.159 --> 00:33:57.559 as we serve together. 00:33:58.279 --> 00:33:59.119 We pray that all of us 00:33:59.119 --> 00:34:00.000 may know the Lord 00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:00.879 as Saviour 00:34:00.879 --> 00:34:01.919 and may seek 00:34:01.919 --> 00:34:02.740 to follow him 00:34:02.740 --> 00:34:04.039 as the one 00:34:04.039 --> 00:34:05.379 who is the perfect leader 00:34:05.380 --> 00:34:06.620 and the one 00:34:06.620 --> 00:34:07.140 who knows 00:34:07.140 --> 00:34:08.300 every aspect 00:34:08.300 --> 00:34:09.460 of our lives. 00:34:09.619 --> 00:34:10.220 We give you thanks 00:34:10.220 --> 00:34:11.079 for our time together. 00:34:11.599 --> 00:34:12.260 We commit ourselves 00:34:12.260 --> 00:34:12.960 to you now 00:34:12.960 --> 00:34:13.760 in the name 00:34:13.760 --> 00:34:14.559 of the Lord Jesus. 00:34:15.380 --> 00:34:15.760 Amen.