Good morning.
Take your Bibles, if you will, and open them to 1 Timothy.
We'll be continuing in our study of chapter four this morning.
As we get started, let's begin with a work prayer.
A gracious Father in heaven, we bow before your throne, grateful for the day that you've granted to us, for the life that you have blessed us with, grateful for all that you do
for us each and every day.
Lord, we pray that as we strive diligently to grow in wisdom and knowledge and understanding, that we might also grow in grace and mercy.
Lord, we pray that we might be a conduit to the world around us for that grace and that mercy that you have provided for the news and the good news of the salvation that is found
in your Son.
Lord, help us to be a comfort to those who are sick, to those who are injured, to those who are
are home bound to those who are struggling.
Help us to always strive to do unto others as you would have us or as we would have them do unto us.
And even more so, may we follow your son's example and love as he loved us.
Lord, we ask that you forgive us when we sin and fall short of your glory.
All this we pray and ask in Jesus' name, amen.
1 Timothy 4, Paul has told Timothy as he has summed up the things which Timothy needs to be teaching.
not that this is an exclusive or exhaustive list, but things that specifically address the things that Timothy needed to be teaching there in Ephesus as he was there in and working
with that congregation.
He says, reject, verse seven, profane and old wise fables and exercise yourself toward godliness.
but for bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come."
If Paul is telling Timothy that godliness is required in order to achieve the life that now is offered by God and the life that is to come offered in eternity, then what if a
person chooses to live in ungodliness?
They're getting the opportunity at the life that now is and the life that is to come, and they're turning it down.
Now is that God's fault or theirs?
It's theirs.
They're responsible for that.
They're responsible for taking the message which is available to them and doing something with it and changing their life.
Now, will God aid them along the way if they choose to do that?
Will God provide them the opportunity to change their life, the ability and the information needed to change their life, or is He going to leave them in the dark and let
them kind of figure it out on their own?
All right?
That's part of what the scriptures are.
It's His aid, His tool, His guide, so that they could do that.
But He didn't just provide them the scriptures.
What else did God provide people who are desiring to change their lives from ungodliness to godliness?
His son, salvation, what?
A way to be forgiven, something they couldn't achieve on their own, what else?
the church, help from others.
uh Go over to Ephesians chapter 4 because Paul writes this to the same group of people that Timothy's working with.
In Ephesians chapter 4,
Paul was going to write beginning in verse 11, and he himself, Christ, gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.
for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of
God to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
That we should no longer be children tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men in cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but speaking
the truth in love,
up in all things into him who is the head, Christ." Christ didn't leave us to figure it out on our own.
He didn't leave us to our own wisdom, our own devices to figure out how to be like him.
Paul says he gave us apostles.
Through the apostles we received what?
the message, the Scriptures, the authority in the first century church, that also came through what second category that's in that list of five groups?
Prophets.
Did all the New Testament books come from the apostles exclusively?
No.
Name one that didn't originate with an apostle.
Jude, name another one.
potentially Hebrews, depending on who authored that.
There's two out of the Gospels.
Mark, Luke, Jude.
None of those three individuals were apostles, but they were prophets.
They were inspired directly with revelation from God to write the records and the letters that they wrote.
So apostles and prophets gave us this.
But what are the other three categories?
All right, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.
Do we still have those today?
Absolutely we do.
Elders, preachers, and evangelists.
Elders, teachers, and evangelists.
Those are all three categories we still have today.
Did those three categories in the first century require miraculous knowledge in order to fulfill their roles in the first century?
No.
Now, could they have been aided if they had miraculous gifts of prophecy, of revelation, of faith?
Could they have been aided in their work if they had those things?
But are those things qualifications to be an elder?
No, they didn't have to have any miraculous gifts in order to be an elder.
So, here are three roles.
oh
that we still have in the body of Christ that are to aid us into maturity in Christ, to become like Christ.
And the other two roles that involve miraculous work have their completed work right here.
So the five things that we need in order to become like Christ through
of the church are combined in that book and the teachers, preachers, and elders in the church.
That's what we need in order to become like Christ, in order not be tossed about with every wind of doctrine.
Now, go back to what Paul tells Timothy.
It's worth noting that Paul writes to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4,
before Paul writes the letter to the Ephesian brethren, because that letter's going to be written when Paul's in prison in Rome.
And when Paul writes 1 Timothy, he's not in prison yet, okay?
So he's writing to Timothy when he has sent Timothy to work with the Ephesians, he's writing Ephesians after that as a follow-up to what he had taught them through Timothy and
through his time there.
So notice what we read.
He says, this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance.
For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe these things command and teach.
Paul, as he writes to Timothy,
draws out a number of things where he says, is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.
It's a continual theme if you go back to verse 15 of chapter 1.
Right at the beginning of this section that we were just studying and just concluded, Paul says this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners of whom I am chief.
The faithful saying that's worthy of all acceptance is, Christ came into the world to save sinners.
This faithful saying that Paul transitions into this next section with is, for to this end we both labor and suffer reproach because we trust the living God.
Paul
is writing to a minister.
He is writing to Timothy about his ministry.
Paul does not tell that young minister, don't worry, the road is smooth and easy and you'll have no opposition and everything will be great.
That is not Paul's message to a minister.
And I think I've probably got three witnesses at least in here that that's not the School of Preaching's message to ministers either.
If you're going to be a minister, if you're going to be a preacher, if you're going to be an evangelist, if you're going to be a teacher, you are not getting a smooth, carefree
career or work.
Doesn't matter whether you get paid for it or not.
The reality is, Paul is telling Timothy, you are going to go through hard times.
But as he tells Timothy that, he reminds him that this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, for to this end we labor and suffer reproach because we trust in the
living God who is the Savior of all men.
He says, you're going to go through difficulties.
You're going to suffer reproach.
You're going to have those who stand up against you, who revile you, who say things that are evil against you, who falsely proclaim things against you that you never did.
And he says, and it's worth it because we trust God, and He's the only Savior mankind has.
when we realize.
that it is better to suffer reproach than it is to say nothing to those who are lost.
we will stop being so bashful about bringing up the gospel.
And this is an exhortation that begins behind me and goes to everybody in front of me, includes me.
There's times where you think, you know what, I don't want, it's not my place to say something.
Maybe it's depending on the environment.
Maybe it's a social environment.
Maybe it's a school environment.
Maybe it's a work environment.
Maybe it's a family environment.
And you say, it's just easier if I just don't say anything.
It may be easier, but it's certainly not better for the person who doesn't know the truth.
Truth is uncomfortable.
Truth is hard to deal with.
And many will reject it.
Many will choose not to hear it.
Some you will provide the opportunity for them to hear it and they will say, no, I'm not interested.
Were there people who were uninterested in the message that Jesus had?
Yes.
Were there many who showed up for the miracles that Jesus did but didn't care about the teaching that Jesus proclaimed?
Yes.
Jesus would confront the Jews who traveled part way around the Sea of Galilee just to meet up with him the very next morning after he had taken a boat and he said, the only reason
you're here is because I fed you yesterday.
And as a result of his message, following that statement, many of them went away sorrowful and heard him no more." So this message is too hard.
You're going to have people in your life who they hear what the gospel says and they think that message is too hard.
That judgment is too legalistic.
That gospel is too strict.
That message is too plain.
It's got to be more complicated than that.
That doesn't give any opportunity for us to do what we want to do.
Or I just believe differently.
And there will be others who will be more like the Pharisees.
They'll not only reject it, they'll be antagonistic to your work.
They'll try and cause you to stumble and fall.
They will attempt to make you the problem so they can get rid of the messenger.
Then there will be people like Alexander in ah the coppersmith who comes along and starts a riot just to get you out of town.
There's been a few church members who started riots in churches to get a preacher out of town.
There have been a few elders that have started riots to get a preacher out.
Not literal riots, well, a few.
I happen to know there was a man preaching in North Arkansas back in the late 1800s, early 1900s, who was preaching in a small church building, and I've been to the church building.
where there was a man in that community so angry with what he was preaching that that man lit a stick of dynamite underneath the building, underneath the pulpit, and to this day no
one knows why it did not go off.
I happen to be kin to Joe Blue, who that happened to in Salem, Arkansas.
Do you think that there are people who will not resort to that if the message of the gospel is preached with boldness and plainness and clarity?
They will in this country and they will in many other countries.
Paul says.
uh
We both labor and suffer reproach.
because we trust in the living God.
Now, I've focused on the sufferer approach side.
Take a moment and focus on the labor side.
Someone says, you know, that works just, it's too involved for me.
I don't have time for it.
I can't possibly be effective in evangelism or in ministry.
I don't have the right resources.
I don't have the right skills.
I don't have enough time.
I don't have eloquence.
I don't...
What excuse do we want to insert?
Some may say, well, you know, I can't quit my job.
Where's there a passage anywhere in the New Testament that says you have to?
Are there people at your job who are lost?
If there are, your field that you want to be sowing is maybe right there.
You don't have to quit your job to be evangelistic.
You don't have to travel to India to be evangelistic.
What about evangelism here?
What about evangelism in the people you already meet?
What about the people in your family?
What about the children, grandchildren, grandparents, parents?
What about the people that you already associate with?
We labor because we trust in the living God.
who is the Savior of all men.
Now, some will come to this and they'll do a little bit of dissection here and say, God is the Savior of all men, especially those who believe, which means God's gonna save
everybody.
Isn't that what it says?
He's the Savior of all men.
And isn't that what it says?
Or is it not exactly what it says?
Let me help you with this passage because this is one of those where it sounds like it's saying something, but Paul says the same thing to Titus in essence and gives greater
clarity in how it translates into the English because, by the way, this is not hard to understand in the Greek.
It's much harder to get in the English, okay?
So Titus chapter two.
uh
Verse 11.
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to who?
To all men.
God's grace that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
Does that mean that all men will be saved?
No.
Notice what else he says.
teaching us the grace that appeared to all men.
that brings salvation to all men, teaches us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age, looking for the blessed
hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own
special people zealous for good works.
Speak these things, rebuke, and exhort with all authority, Latin."
no one despise you.
Paul writes to Titus and he says, God's grace has appeared to every man.
It's brought salvation to every man.
That doesn't mean that every single man's going to accept it.
Because the grace and the salvation comes with qualifications.
It comes with requirements.
It comes with things you must do.
Paul's emphasis is if you travel to a far-off country and meet a group of people who've never been in contact with anyone else in the last hundred years, Christ still died for
them.
If you travel to Spain, as Paul desired to go to,
and you want to preach the gospel, Christ died for them.
He didn't die for just the Jew.
He didn't die for just the Gentile.
He died for all men.
but the labor and the reproach we suffer is in view not exclusively of who Christ died for, but the value of those who will be saved by a sacrifice because they're obedient to
the message.
Notice, read that one more time.
He says, for to this end, we,
both labor and suffer reproach because we trust in the living God who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.
He's saying God's grace has appeared to all men and we're laboring and suffering reproach because we trust God to do what He said, that is to save all who believe.
Now what does belief require?
Obedience.
It always has.
Do you think that Adam and Eve believed that if they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the midst of the garden, they would surely die?
Was belief enough?
No it wasn't, because when they violated the law, they died.
Because they disobeyed, they died.
All the way from Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 to the end of Revelation, God has required more than belief.
Belief alone has never done anything for anyone in view of God's commands.
It always must be coordinated and joined with obedience.
How do I know?
Jesus said, if you hear these sayings of mine,
and you do not do them.
What is that?
Heard, believed, did nothing.
Notice he didn't say you hear these sayings of mine and don't believe me.
He says you didn't do them.
If you hear these sayings of mine and you do not do them, what is your house like?
And when you look at that and contrast it with the one who hears these sayings of mine, implying he believes them just like the first one did, but this person does them, belief
plus obedience.
How does that turn out?
His house is built on the rock.
So go back to uh verse eight, because this context is godliness.
This context is working on behalf of Christ and living like God.
By the way, same context as Titus 2.
He says, remember, the grace of God that brings salvation to all men teaches us that denying oh
ungodliness, we must live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.
It's in context.
In this context, Paul says, for bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable to all, or for all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that
which is to come.
There's building your life on the rock.
Belief plus obedience.
is assurance in this life and the life to come.
How?
By living a godly life.
By building a godly life.
So, Paul says these things command and teach.
Can a minister, be careful how I ask this, can a minister of the gospel command an eldership to do something?
responsibility as a teacher of the Word if there was an issue to be able to in a right manner go to them and say here is what God's Word says and it should never be the preacher
commanding in his own authority or the preacher saying this is what I think it should always be based with the command that God gave them.
All right.
The attitude and the mindset in which it's done.
Okay.
The preacher is not God's word.
He's just the best.
Okay.
Put your pieces together.
Keep coming.
You'll get there, I'm sure.
Can a minister command an eldership to do something?
go to the L.A.
Turn to Acts chapter 20.
When you have a question like that, you must always define your terms in answering it.
Because does the eldership have authority given to them by God?
Yes.
Does the minister have authority given to them by God?
Yes.
Both have derived authority, correct?
It originated with God, it was given to them.
It's not authority in and of themselves, it is derived from God.
In view of that, we should be careful to understand the, and I'm gonna illustrate this with lanes, the lanes of authority that they have.
For they both have God's authority.
one in one area and one in another, and with some overlap, okay?
So let's begin in Acts chapter 20.
Acts chapter 20, Paul is meeting, interestingly, with the elders from what congregation?
Ephesus.
The same congregation Timothy was at, the same congregation that he wrote the book of Ephesians to.
All right, same group of people.
We read in verse 17, "'From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church.
And when they had come to him, he said to them, You know from the first day that I came to Asia in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility and with
tears and trials, which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews.'" By the way, that is him suffering for their
receiving the gospel.
That's the same thing he wrote to Timothy about just a few verses before.
And he says, I lived this when I was in your presence.
He
dear to myself, so that I may finish the race with joy and the ministry which I receive from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."
And indeed now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more.
Therefore I testify to you this day, that I am innocent of the blood of all men, for I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.
Therefore take heed to yourselves and all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which he purchased with his own blood."
That verse right there, verse 28, therefore take heed to yourselves.
Is that a suggestion or a command?
Command.
Is it only effective because he's an apostle?
No, it's effective because it's whose authority to speak the command.
God's.
Can a minister command an eldership to do something by his own authority?
The minister's authority.
No.
Can a minister
command an eldership to do something by God's authority?
Yes.
Can, must, and always has.
Before those men were elders, did that minister have the authority to command them in the Word of God?
Yes.
It's not only his right,
It's his responsibility, 2nd Timothy.
2nd Timothy chapter 4.
I charge you therefore, verse 1, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing in His kingdom, preach the Word.
Does it say preach the Word only to non-elders?
No.
Preach the Word.
Be ready in season and out of season.
Convince, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering.
Accept elders.
You're not allowed to rebuke them because that would be a command.
Isn't a rebuke a command?
A rebuke is a command to change because a person is doing wrong.
If an eldership says, we as an eldership have decided to not obey God's commands concerning worship, is it the right and the responsibility of the preacher to rebuke the
eldership for their decision?
It is his right and his responsibility.
Why?
Because it's not his authority, it's God's that they're violating.
Is it the right and the responsibility of an eldership to rebuke a minister if he preaches false doctrine?
Yes.
As a matter of fact, one of the things that Paul is going to emphasize in Titus when he gives his list of qualifications for elders is they must be able to convince and rebuke
the gainsayers.
Those are false teachers.
They have a God-given responsibility to correct false teaching.
But a minister has the same responsibility if it's an eldership that's
participating in false teaching.
Does a minister have the authority to command an eldership to do something?
The answer is yes, so long as his command is exclusively from God's authority and not his.
And as a matter of fact, if he fails to do that, go back to Acts chapter 20.
Remember, it's the eldership that Paul is talking to.
Acts chapter 20, he says in the earlier passage, he says, verse 26, therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men, for I have not shunned to declare
to you the whole counsel of God.
If a minister observes an eldership failing to keep the whole council of God and says nothing, he's as guilty as they are.
Their sins are on His hand.
Why?
Go all the way back into the Old Testament and God says concerning prophets, the mouthpiece of God, that if they say nothing, they're guilty of the blood of the one who
dies in judgment because they said nothing.
But if they speak and the person rejects it, they're now not guilty.
of their blood because they're the watchmen.
They're the one standing on the tower, standing on the wall, watching for enemies.
And if they see the enemy inside or outside and they say nothing, they're guilty of the blood of the innocent.
So does a minister have
the authority to command an eldership to do what God has said?
Yes.
Must the minister allow the eldership to choose to do that within their authority?
Yes.
Because, careful, the fact that you have the authority to command it doesn't mean you have the elders' authority to do it.
You don't get to usurp their authority.
You have your authority.
So you do that when you preach.
You do that when you teach.
You do that in private.
You do that with longsuffering and doctrine, just the same way that Paul told Timothy.
He says, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all what?
Longsuffering and doctrine.
But he also told Timothy there's coming a time in Timothy's own ministry where he said they will no longer endure sound doctrine.
there were going to be congregations that Timothy was going to exhort and rebuke and convince.
And there were going be elderships that he exhorted and rebuked and convinced that would no longer tolerate hearing the truth.
church.
have the exact same responsibility, right?
So the interesting point, and I think where Philip's going with this is, if a member sees an eldership not keeping God's commands, they have the same responsibility.
If an eldership sees a minister not keeping God's commands, they have the same responsibility.
If a deacon sees a congregation not keeping God's commands, they've got the same responsibility.
Why?
Because they're a Christian.
We have limitations that we're going to get into a passage, by the way, where Paul says you only accept an accusation against an elder in certain circumstances.
They deserve a certain level of recognition and uh you have a certain barrier that you must meet in order to say this person's doing wrong.
But that doesn't mean that God's authority is not binding on them.
And when you speak the same command that God told you to speak, you have His authority to do it.
Do you have any authority to withhold the truth from those who are in error?
No, you have the authority to wisely speak when it's appropriate.
You have the authority to not cast your pearls before swine, but you don't have the authority to withhold the truth from those who are in error.
That's exactly what Paul said right back here where he said, this is worthy of all acceptance.
We trust in God, we proclaim the truth, and some are going to accept it.
Yes, Eddie.
between what is command and what is opinion.
think that there is something that's not being done that we first handle appropriately ourselves by praying about it and making sure that it's not just our opinion that we
really do have scripture that backs up the commands of God.
Absolutely.
And furthermore, it is important to realize
The authority to do something isn't the same as saying they have a process they should go by in order to do that.
It doesn't mean, you know what, we need 25 lone wolves just going out there telling everybody what to do and saying, here's the chapter and verse to back it up.
No, that's not the idea.
But if a congregation or if an eldership is in direct violation of God's commands.
It is the responsibility and the right of the minister to command them to repent.
And if they don't have that authority, then who does?
So, there's an interesting, so Ava's question is what happens when you command them to repent, they don't repent, and then souls are lost as result of what they're teaching.
Turn back to Acts chapter 20.
Acts chapter 20 verse 29, right after he says, "'Take heed to yourselves and all the flock,' he says, "'for I know this.'"
that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you not sparing the flock also from among yourselves men will rise up speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples
after themselves therefore watch and remember that for three years i did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears so now brethren i commend you to god and to the word of
his grace which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified paul said i've done
everything I can as long as I've been here and you're not going to see me again while I'm alive.
So I'm leaving you in the hands of God's Word and God's grace because I've done all I can do.
There does reach a point where someone has done everything they can.
Doesn't mean that someone else can't possibly be effective at reaching that congregation or that eldership, but there does reach a point where an individual has done all that they
can, and they have to move on.
And ultimately, the reminder is this, the person whose blood is on their hands for the innocent who are swept away in false doctrine is the person who said nothing.
the person who just went along, the person who stayed quiet, they knew it was wrong.
They knew it wasn't what God commanded, but they, well, I don't want to rock the boat.
I don't want to cause a problem.
I just think my opinion is no.
That's not what it says.
And there have been, and I know this, there have been a number of good-hearted, well-meaning, and well-studied elderly women in congregations that are going off who've
done everything they could.
to teach and admonish and exhort and rebuke and eldership to get it to correct.
And they did everything that they could.
And the congregation went off anyway.
And sometimes you do all you can and then you have to focus on you and those who you have direct responsibility for.
So sometimes you have to say, I can't stay at this congregation anymore because they're not doing what God commands.
All right, thank you for your attention.
We're dismissed.