The Authority of the Elder’s Oversight

Transcript

GR1951
05/01/2016
The Authority of Elders’ Oversight
I Peter 5:2-4
Gil Rugh

We are going to I Peter chapter 5. Peter is moving toward the last portion of this letter as he wraps it up; written to encourage Jewish believers scattered outside their homeland. As a double problem, Jews living outside the homeland of the Jews. That put them in somewhat of a hostile Gentile world. They are believers in Jesus Christ which cuts them off from what we might say mainstream Judaism and this combination puts them under difficult circumstances, trials, pressures, persecution, suffering. Not only that comes from a Gentile world because they are Jews but comes from Jews because from the Jewish perspective they have left Judaism. From the Biblical perspective they are the faithful Jews who have recognized that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the promised King of Israel, the Savior.

So as Peter wraps up he moves into chapter 5, he encouraged them right at the end of what we have as the 4th chapter: “Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator.” In the context they are going through fiery trials. So all the way back to verse 12 and then he gives an exhortation to the elders because the elders have been given the responsibility of shepherding God’s people. These Jews would be part of congregations of believers scattered in different places. Peter is not writing to one particular local church like the church at Ephesus, or Corinth, or something like that but to the Jews that are scattered out and they would be in different local churches and part of God’s provision for them is to provide elders to oversee them and the elders have to understand their responsibility and be sure they are faithful in carrying it out for they are responsible for the care of God’s people.

We have looked at the first part of this, verse 1 says: “Therefore, I exhort thee elders among you as your fellow elder.” A word of exhortation; Peter identifies himself with them. He doesn’t exert himself from his apostolic position but as a fellow elder encouraging them to carry on the responsibility they share together as elders. Carrying it out in their local congregation. “A fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed.” So I share in the suffering you are going through with your flock and I go through this suffering having witnessed Christ’s suffering and look forward to what you are looking forward to, the coming glory that God has prepared for those who love Him and he will remind these shepherds that that is when their reward for faithfulness will be given.

We noted the different words that referred to the same position here. Those who occupy an official position as elders in verse 1: “I exhort the elders.” In the beginning of verse 2 these elders are given a strong command: “Shepherd the flock of God.” We noted the command is they are responsible for the ministry God has entrusted to them for caring for His people. His people viewed as sheep and they are appointed by God to be the shepherds. That is not a recommendation. It is given as a forceful command. “You must shepherd the flock of God among you.”

So we have another word. We have that word ‘elder,” where we get the English word Presbyterian from the Greek word, presbyteros. Then you have the word ‘shepherd.’ Sometimes in English Bibles it was translated as Bishop. We get the English word ‘episkopal’ which is a bishop form of government because what happened with the passing of time in church history, they broke out these names that were really names of the same people and you ended up with a Presbyterian kind of government like the Presbyterian churches have with elders or the Episcopalian which is a government of bishops and then you have the third word exercising oversight. The word ‘shepherd’ is the word we are most familiar with, pastor as it is often translated. And then that word exercising oversight is the word episkopos which is to oversee.

So these together, they are all the same people. The elders are responsible to shepherd, are responsible to exercise oversight. So we are just the same group of people, same responsibilities, different emphasis but talking about the same thing. You are responsible to oversee, to protect, to lead, to see that the sheep are cared for. These various names give them that position and we looked already at some of the passages going back to the Old Testament where leadership for God’s people did involve elders. We noted that 70 elders were appointed to share the leadership with Moses in Israel. The kings of Israel were referred to as shepherds because they had been given the responsibility of the oversight of Israel, God’s nation.

We looked at Ezekiel 34 and there the kings were severely rebuked for in effect milking the people, not caring for the people, providing for their own rich life style and allowing the people to wander. There you have a theocracy and in effect it was with kings that were to represent God’s rule over God’s people but they failed to exercise it properly.

So we come into the New Testament and the establishing of the church. You have leadership provided. God has gathered His people together and we noted that it is in God’s plan for leadership from the beginning. We went all the way back to Genesis. God created man as male and female. There were only two people. Sin hadn’t entered the picture yet God had provided the man to be the leader over the woman and that continues. The leadership plan of God.

So he is going to develop now and give instructions to these elders who are to shepherd, who are to have oversight of God’s people and he is going to give instructions here, positive and negative. He is going to give three pairs and each pair will include something negative to be avoided and a positive virtue to be practiced as elders understand their responsibility to God.

So as he proceeds we break into the middle of the sentence here, verse 2, the elders were instructed to “Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight.” You will note: “Not under compulsion but voluntarily according to the will of God;” so not under compulsion. The elder is not to assume this responsibility reluctantly. This doesn’t mean he doesn’t consider it carefully, the seriousness of it, the responsibility of it but he is not drafted into this. Sometimes churches have functioned this way. We don’t have anybody to serve. We need you to take the position. Please do it. It is not something someone should be talked into. It shouldn’t be something that a person would view as something irksome, undesirable. I really don’t want to do it but I feel obligated to do it. Not there because of pressure as we contemplate elders. First as we consider them as a board of elders and the men. We evaluate them as we know them. Then as we approach them when the board is in agreement to consider whether they would be open to consider something God has for them and then we have them fill out a questionnaire that covers the qualifications of an elder from Scripture and gives their testimony and so on. Then they are invited to the board to be interviewed. This is the process that we go through. Then we have them share their testimony with you as a congregation. Even though we don’t have a congregational voting system this provides an opportunity because there may be people in the congregation that know something about them that should be considered before they are appointed. So when they share their testimony we invite you as a congregation to give input to any of the elders. If anything is raised or brought up that should be addressed then we have elders meet with that person and make sure that is something that should be revolved and so on. Then after that process it comes to a point of final appointment and what we are looking for as a board we want that person that we are considering to look for, is this God’s direction for us a church? Not every godly man, not every qualified man is necessarily going to be serving in the official position of elder but those who do serve must be godly men who meet the qualifications.

So they don’t do it under compulsion. It is voluntarily so when the person is approached is this something you believe the Lord would have you do? They say right now, I don’t think that is something the Lord would have me do. It is not a matter well, you should be open to something like this or we think you should consider it. That is enough. If there is doubt in the person’s mind we recognize that and don’t proceed because we believe if the Lord is leading us in that direction He has prepared that person for that. It doesn’t mean they were thinking just last night, maybe I should be an elder. So maybe something they would say “let me pray about it a little bit and give it some consideration.” Maybe you would like to fill out the questionnaire and meet with the elders because they want more information.

So it is a process that goes on. But in it all we want those who are serving not under compulsion but voluntarily according to God. In other words we want both the existing elders and the one being considered to have come to an agreement. I believe this is something God would have me do. The existing board, we believe you are a man that God has provided for this. If you have that same conviction then He may be leading us to serve together.

Come back to I Timothy 3. This is the fullest list along with Titus 2 of the qualifications of elders. We haven’t concentrated on them. We have dealt with these in detail in other studies like I Timothy 3 and Titus 2 and if you are not familiar I encourage you to look into those. But you will note how I Timothy begins. “It is a trustworthy statement, if any man aspires to the office of overseer it is a fine work he desires.” So you see there is an interest and a desire on the part of a person to serve. That goes along with there is agreement among the elders. That desire should be placed there on the heart of a person. That is one of the key pieces. It is not the only piece. There ought to be in the existing elders the agreement and then through the process. Then the qualifications given and while you are here you just note he is using ‘overseer’ here. The qualifications, “be above approach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious.”

You know many years ago we went through a period of time when we had a difficulty and we had to clarify elders or potential elders don’t have to be perfect men. They have to be godly men who are mature but these are not men who are perfect. Sometimes as I go over these qualifications I am amazed at some of time. Not addicted to wine. That ought to be obvious. We don’t want any drunks on the board of elders but it is put here. It doesn’t say he can’t, you know have a glass of wine but he can’t be addicted to wine. And the next one, pugnacious. It is better not to have someone on the board who might punch out another elder as you are trying to work out things when there is a disagreement. And that word pugnacious means someone who hits somebody else with their fists. That’s why I say some of these qualifications you know we want to be careful they aren’t so high nobody can reach them but they are not so low. We are talking about people, normal people. There may be disagreements among the elders. There may be sometimes issues that come up that someone feels strongly about but yet we must be gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. I bring this up because this is where Peter is going. We will talk more about that when we get there. Must manage his own household well, have his children under control. So he manifests his ability to take care of the house of God. His responsibility is administration, oversight, direction and not a new convert. A good reputation with those outside the church. That is why we do have the congregation have opportunity for input. They may know this elder from a work context, things like that. Well he has a pretty poor reputation at work. Well that is something that ought to be made known to the elders. We might not be aware of that; and the deacons.

All of this while you are here down to verse 15. Paul is putting this is writing anticipating coming back to Ephesus but he wants Timothy to know “so you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” These are God’s instructions for the management of His household.

So you see the different pictures used of the church. We are talking about shepherding God’s flock. Another picture is the household administration of God’s family, God’s household in this place; the church at Ephesus or wherever that local church might be; so different pictures but making the same point. God just hasn’t called His people together and now they just sort of function. He uses established leadership for His household, shepherds for His sheep or whatever the picture we are using.

Come back to I Peter chapter 5. So he voluntarily assumes this responsibility. In other words he is in agreement. This is what God would have me do. God appoints the leaders for the church. In Acts chapter 20, verse 28 we looked at in our previous study, the elders are instructed to shepherd God’s people, the flock, over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers. That is what he is talking about here, “According to God.” We recognize this is God’s appointment. Okay, that is the first pair. It’s not under compulsion, he does it voluntarily because he believes this is God’s appointment, and there is agreement on that.

Secondly, not for sordid gain but with eagerness. I Timothy 3:3 said: “Not for love of money.” The same expression, not a lover of silver, not a lover of money, not for financial benefit but with eagerness. He does it not because there may be financial remuneration but does it with eagerness. I mean you recognize this is something I really believe God would have me do. Others have recognized the same thing. Should I not have a zeal to be about the work that God has appointed me to carry out? You come at it with an eagerness, a desire. It is an honor and a privilege to be appointed by God to such a responsibility. Don’t do it for the love of money or gain. I Timothy 3:8 said “He must not be fond of sordid gain.” The same requirement in Titus chapter 1, verse 7. It seems to be an assumption that elders at least in many cases will be paid.

Why don’t you go back to I Timothy chapter 5? I was going to pick this up while you were there but I forgot so you wouldn’t have to go back. I Timothy chapter 5, verse 17: “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching for the Scripture says you shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing. The labor is worthy of his hire.” What he is talking about here, it is fitting to pay elders for their responsibility. At Indian Hills we have both paid and unpaid elders. The paid elders except for myself do not sit as part of the board so there is no confusion about the handling of finances, the paying of money and so on. But there is nothing wrong with there being paid elders on the board. It doesn’t require them to be paid but it is fitting they would.

In I Corinthians chapter 9 and we won’t go there verses 6-14 we looked at that Paul said “as one who had given his life to preaching he had the right to be reimbursed,” to be paid and supported “but he chose not to use that right particularly when he went into new areas.” We have talked about that. He didn’t take money from the Corinthians because it would have raised issues. Did he bring them the Gospel because it was financially profitable for him but he did accept gifts from other churches like the Philippians who sent him money on more than one occasion for his ministry in other places but that didn’t mean that elders and pastors in local churches where they ministered regularly would not be reimbursed. We do that somewhat with missionaries sent to other countries. They don’t go there and the first thing try to raise money for the ministry but when churches are established then those churches should support the leaders of those churches but they come in there with some backing to enable them to not have those questions raised.

Okay come back to Peter. So the second pair, the positive and the negative. He doesn’t do it because he loves the opportunity to make money but he’s zealous to serve God in the area that God has provided for him.

The third pair, “Nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge but proving to be examples to the flock;” not lording it over. The elders are given authority. They are commanded to shepherd the flock. That is not an option. It is serious responsibility. They can’t follow the lead of the sheep in that sense. They are shepherds appointed to lead God’s people. The difficulty of congregational, at least open style of government, is the idea we are all God’s people, we all are equal so we all should have. Well, God does the appointment in His family. He appoints the leaders, the Holy Spirit directs. That doesn’t mean they are the only godly people in the congregation. It doesn’t mean they are the only people who make decisions so the elders aren’t given the responsibility which is control over your life, lording it over. I am now your boss, I am an elder and you ought to do what I tell you. That is not the role given to elders. Elders aren’t given to run other people’s lives. They are given the responsibility to oversee God’s people, responsibility to protect the flock, to keep the flock on track doctrinally and Biblically, to deal with those things that would be disruptive to the flock in one way or another – simple conduct, false teaching and those kinds of things but they are not there to run personal lives and we have to realize that. Some styles of pastoral leadership are running lives telling people how to live their lives. We teach the Word but you have to implement it in your life and make decisions for your life, for your family. How will you implement this in your work life, in your family life? That is not a decision I can necessarily make for you, we aren’t called to make or one of the other elders. That doesn’t mean sometimes you don’t talk over decisions not with just elders but other godly people but elders should not assume the responsibility for your decisions in your life and that is true for us generally. So they don’t lord it over the people. We are the elders, we run the church. No, they are to set an example of godly leadership but by the same token certain decisions have to be made. That is why God appoints leaders. That was the context in I Timothy 3 in appointing elders and having elders meet the qualifications because what? In telling you how you are to conduct yourself in the household of God, God’s family or here the shepherds. You shepherd the flock but that means there are going to be variety of things going on and the elders have to mind elder’s business, not mind necessarily other people’s business. So that is not lording it over but there will be times when elders exercise their authority. There is going to be doctrinal deviation. The elders have to step in and deal with it. Remember Timothy went. He was to see that godly elders and it would happen. Paul establishes the church at Ephesus using that as an example in Acts chapter 19. Evidently during his three years there he appointed elders because he meets with the elders from the church at Ephesus as we looked at in the previous study in Acts chapter 20. Then he has to send Timothy back to correct some problems to be sure the elders are qualified and to put a stop to certain men teaching false doctrine. Titus had to do the same thing in the churches at Crete because whole families were being upset by those teaching false doctrine. The elders have to exercise their authority in shepherding and protecting the sheep. There is a time when that has to be done. They lead the flock in other decisions but they are to be setting an example of godly character, godly behavior that can be followed by others. You will note they are verse 3: “Not lording it over those allotted to your charge.” It is a reminder again of God’s appointment and the responsibility to provide godly leadership, godly care, and godly protection for God’s people. There are certain things not optional for elders. They are not worldly kind of bosses in the sense of exercising that kind of authority. They are God’s leaders.

Come back to Matthew chapter 20, verse 25 and this comes out of a mother. You know mothers are mothers and two thousand years ago mothers were mothers and the mother of the sons of Zebedee would like her kids to have the best position in the coming kingdom but Christ said, Well, you know, that is not a decision that is going to be made right now and then He uses the example because the other disciples right away become super spiritual. “Oh, how could they even desire such a thing, my goodness.” But here you go Jesus said to them, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them. They are great men that exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you. Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant. Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave” and the Son of Man is the example. “He didn’t come to be served but to serve and give His life a ransom for many.”

So the worldly model of ruler-ship, king-ship, boss-ship, whatever you want to say but it is an unselfish leadership. What is best for God’s people? What does God say here? I want to model for the people godly character, godly conduct but that doesn’t mean they say, “Well you know, I don’t have to lead.” They do. They are commanded to shepherd the flock but they can’t do it for selfish reasons. We have a lot going on in the debates in the political realm. For people who are head of companies they can make hundreds of millions of dollars and the other people strive to get by you know. No, I am not getting into the right and wrong but that’s the way the world’s function. That is why the elders were told they are not in it for financial gain. This is not a way to use people for selfish means. Be able to tell them what to do because you lord it over them. You are setting an example for them but there is also time when authority has to be exercised. You can’t just let false teaching go on even if some people like it. The elders have to exercise their responsibility, the decision there. Prove examples for the flock.

This is what Paul said he did. He used himself for an example. Come back to Philippians chapter 3. Sometimes we tell people “Don’t look at me, look at Christ.” Well what is wrong in my life that would not be Christ-like? Well then maybe I ought to get that changed, right? It sounds spiritual and humble but it is not what Scripture says. The elders are to be examples with godliness in their lives.

Philippians chapter 3, verse 17: “Brethren join in following my example.” They didn’t have any problem. Pattern your life after mine. I set the example for you. “Observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us for many walk of whom I have often told you, now tell you even weeping, they are enemies of the cross.” So it is people whose pattern you don’t want to follow but there are people’s patterns you do want to follow. That is the point.

Same thing in II Thessalonians chapter 3, verse 9 and then Timothy and Titus are both told to do the same thing, I Timothy chapter 4, verse 12 and Titus chapter 2, verse 7. So there is a right thing. You know mature godly people ought to be setting the example, not just elders but elders ought to be mature, godly people and that ought to permeate the congregation. That is the blessing of having mature, godly people throughout the congregation. They set an example for younger believers. You know that is why we have the song, “Oh may those who come behind us find us faithful.” We are setting a pattern. We are giving them an example of what a godly life is like. Not in a proud arrogant way but in the reality of life, how we handle difficulty, how we handle pressure, how we arrange the priorities of our lives. They not only have the Word, they have the Word modeled in our lives and the elders are to be doing that.

Come back to I Peter 5. Let me say something here about elders. They will at times make decisions for the body as part of their responsibility. The first thing you ask yourself is how does this decision impact and affect me? In a lot of the decisions you can resolve it by saying, “This is not a decision. Are the elders asking me to change anything in my pattern or conduct, telling me now to start doing something or to stop doing something?” You know some of the elders’ decisions that can become unsettling really don’t have anything to do with this other person. At times the elders have to make decisions in those areas. If it’s not a decision that affects me I have to be careful about getting involved in it. Otherwise where we end up is with and we talked about this but it constantly becomes an issue of people trying to evaluate the elders whether they made the right decision.

I received a letter here very recently and it is a pattern. The first thing they say is “We are leaving but not for any doctrinal reason.” Okay, is it anything the elders have told you that you have to change in your life and ministry that you are uncomfortable with?” No. It ends up because we are not sure the decisions they make over here that has nothing really to do with me that we agree that the elders… So we want to be careful you don’t slide into, I don’t see where he is going here. Christ is the chief shepherd. He appoints shepherds. That doesn’t mean you agree with every decision the elders make with the information that you have but you don’t have to. It is not a decision the Lord has given to you and the elders will be responsible for the decisions they make and their impact.

When I was a student in Bible College, I share this and I share it again. They had a rule if you got married before you were a senior, you had to drop out. That’s the nice way to put it. The reality is you got kicked out. You had to leave school. So after my sophomore year Marilyn could no longer control her passion for me so we were going to get married. I went around and got everybody I could. Jack Van Impe, some of you are familiar with him. He was doing meetings at our church. I made an appointment and went and sat down with him. Told him my story and my account and all this and he said, “Well, you should get married.” So I gathered all this from the people I could talk to and went into the administration of the school and told them why they ought to change the policy. Well, their decision was that is all nice, fine and good but we lead the school and you will be in violation of the process. You have to drop out. Okay. Well my friends said, “That’s not fair.” I said, “Well, it is fair. God has put them in charge here.” So I went to Rutgers State University and took classes like Sociology, Philosophy and like that. I even took a whole year of Greek in the summer so that after I was out, you had to stay out for a semester. I came back in and I am ready to go again. So yes, we transferred Sociology, Philosophy and the other stuff we took. “We won’t transfer your Greek.” I said, “Why not? That’s the same Greek book we are going to use in this school and I took it in a seminary and I did fine.” “Yes, but if we transfer your Greek you will graduate with your class.” So it is not only that you get kicked out of school, you are not allowed to graduate with your class.

So I have to stay another whole year. Now the cycle goes on. My mourning was school was in Philadelphia so I would get up, we would get up, 5:30. Marilyn would drive me to the electric bus. That is one of those that have the bars that would connect to the wires that drive in the city. Maybe they don’t have them anymore. I go to the elevated railway. Get on the elevated, ride, it becomes the subway down in the city then walk to the school in the heart of the city. Then after school I would get the bus because I worked in New Jersey, across the river and take the bus to work and work till 9:00 or 10:00 and then Marilyn would drive from Pennsylvania over another bridge and get me and pick me up and take me home and then get in bed. The next day you get up and go over again. I had to do another whole year of that.

Lord, guess it is Your will for me. You know the school. So part of what I learned was those who God puts in authority make a decision and I recognize it is not my decision. I don’t have to be frustrated by it. I told my friends, “You know it is not an issue for me. I am not going to fight about it, make an issue over it. God appointed them and it works out great.” The pastor at Indian Hills didn’t resign for another year so my year wasn’t wasted anyway.

I missed it when all my friends graduated and I had another year to go in to Philadelphia. All that to say is “We have to be careful.” The decisions that are not ours, leave in the hands of those they are. That is true in the church. You know so much of the problems we have when people decide I don’t think I agree with the elders. Well you don’t have to. Is this something they are requiring of you? Go on with your ministry. Trust the elders and if they have made the wrong decision they will give an account to the Lord.

So here is where we are going. Come back to I Peter 5, verse 4. He says to the elders, “And when the chief shepherd appears you will receive the unfading crown of glory,” the Chief Shepherd, the Chief Shepherd. The elders are shepherds appointed by the authority of the Chief Shepherd. They are accountable to Him. It is serious business here. The elders have to take their responsibility seriously and the reward for faithful service will come when the Chief Shepherd does His evaluation just like for all of us as believers. We will give an account to the Lord. The shepherds will give an account for their shepherding. I don’t see in-between the Chief Shepherd and the shepherds a level of authority between the Chief Shepherd and the shepherds He has appointed who decide whether they agree with the decision to be elders.

So we just have to be careful we just don’t slide into things that create grief. I feel badly about this but it doesn’t have to cause grief. It is not, you know, a decision. Let it go. He is the chief Shepherd. He is called “the good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep” in John chapter 10, verse 11. He is called “the great Shepherd” in Hebrews 13:20 who is accomplishing God’s will in our lives and then here he is the Chief Shepherd. He’s the chief Shepherd, He’s the great Shepherd. He’s the good Shepherd. We want to be under His authority and that puts me under the authority of the shepherds He has appointed to do His will. So I have to trust them. That doesn’t mean that they could get off track but it better be very clear. Are they changing the doctrine of the church? Now you will have to pray to Mary as well as to Christ. I say, “Wait a minute. We have moved the church away from its doctrinal foundation.” But most of our conflicts don’t get into that area. Most of the conflicts that are unsettling to people, the people could go on with their ministry unmoved, unchanged. So if I stop and think, what is my responsibility? Are they requiring of me something that I in good conscience could not do? Then I move on and the elders have to realize someday they will give an account and they will be rewarded for their faithfulness.

Now come over to Hebrews chapter 13. We have looked at this passage. That is just a little bit before Peter. Hebrews chapter 13, verse 17. Note the responsibility of people. “Obey your leaders and submit to them for they keep watch over your souls.” Now note this. “As those who will give an account.” That is what Peter is talking about but it’s a warning to those who are under the leadership of the elders. “Let them do this with joy, not with grief for this would be unprofitable for you.” We talked about this verse previously. The shepherds will be accountable if they have misused their authority delegated to them by God. I don’t know why people would go to a church where the doctrine is bad in the first place. Go to a church, don’t go where the doctrine is bad because you already have leadership that is off track. So you want to be in a church that is doctrinally correct and to the best of their ability adhering to the doctrine of the required moral standards, conduct within the church; those matters that the elders are responsible for. It won’t be to the benefit of the people if the shepherds of the church says Lord, they wouldn’t follow the leadership. They wouldn’t follow our leadership. We had problems. That won’t be to your benefit as a congregation if they are not an elder. It won’t be to the elders benefit if the chief Shepherd says why did you do that? That was not for the benefit of the people. That was not for the protection of the people. Who made you lord over that area of their lives? You know the elders are not the Holy Spirit in a person’s life but they do represent the Holy Spirit in the areas that God has given them responsibility and the crown of glory given is an unfading crown. So carry out the responsibility faithfully.

There are different crowns in Scripture. I will just mention them. We won’t turn there. The imperishable crown in I Corinthians 9:25; crown of exaltation in I Thessalonians 2:19; a crown of righteousness, II Timothy 4:8; a crown of life, James 1:12, Revelation 2:10. These are all stephenos crowns in contrast to the diadem; the diadem being the crown of the ruler. We sing the song, Crown Him with Many Diadems. Christ has both the diadems and the stephenos because He is the victor and He is also the sovereign ruler.

Stephenos crown is given to us for faithfulness and there is a warning. Come over to Revelation chapter 3 and we will close here. Revelation chapter 3 given to the church at Philadelphia, verse 11: “Christ says ‘I am coming quickly. Hold fast what you have.’” Note this – “So no one will take your crown.” Warning there for failure on the part of the church and I take it the church is made up of the people. For failure to be faithful, to be stedfast you can’t get the reward given and so there is a loss in the reward and a warning.

So the elders want to be serving with the view to that crown of glory. What would the Lord have us do here? Are we being faithful to the Word of God? Some of their decisions involve personal decisions they have to make. They have to make that in that light. They have to be sure that they make it with that in mind. That’s how God functions and basically that is what enables our church to have worked through difficulties, trials over the almost 50 years that I have been here and by God’s grace here we are. The faithfulness of God’s people. We haven’t stumbled. I am not saying the elders have just made perfect decisions. If that was the case of the elders they would never have to be evaluated but by and large the elders have proven to be godly men with the welfare of the congregation as their goal, faithfulness to God and the people have respected that and that carries us through unsettling times when things seem to be in turmoil we settle down and say, “God, Your plan is clear.” Both the elders and the people recognize, submit to that plan and God continues to work.

Let’s pray together. Thank You Lord for the way You have blessed us as a church. Thank You for the way You have provided for Your church. Lord that You raise up godly men from among godly men and appoint them to assume responsibility of oversight, shepherd, shepherding, caring for Your people, protecting them, guarding them, nurturing them. Seeing that they are fed on the purity of Your Word. Thank You Lord for an attitude of submissiveness to the Word among Your people. Lord there are struggles as we work together. We are growing together. We are maturing together and even as Peter wrote to believers going through trials and difficulties we experience trials and difficulties of one kind or another. Lord it is through those that we learn to trust You, we learn to submit to You. We learn to grow together. We pray that will continue to be our pattern in the future as we look forward to the time when the Lord that we all love and serve will call us into His presence and there we will give an account to Him. Lord we look forward to doing that with faithfulness and to receive the reward that You have promised to those who love and serve You. Thank You for the evening. Lord we pray for the High School young people and their fellowship together that follows in Christ’s name, amen.