The Church’s Responsibility to Its Elders

Transcript

GR1773
7/13/2014
The Church’s Responsibility to its Elders
I Timothy 5:17-25
Gil Rugh

Why don’t you come to Ephesians chapter 1? We are going to I Timothy chapter 5 for our study but turn to Ephesians chapter 1. Remember Paul has left Timothy at Ephesus to deal with some problems in the church at Ephesus and Paul also wrote a letter to the Ephesian church; that letter in chapter 1 as you move through that chapter, great chapter on the sovereignty of God and His work of redemption. Come to verse 22: “He put all things in subjection under His feet (referring to Christ) and gave Him as head over all things to the church which is His body the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” So the picture there of the church as the body of Christ, an analogy that Paul will develop in the letter to the Corinthians with a body and the various gifts that we have compared to the various parts of the body that enable the body to function as it should. Jesus Christ Himself being the head of the body.

We looked in our study earlier today at I Peter chapter 5 and there Peter wrote about the elders who served under the chief Shepherd who would bring the rewards with Him for faithful service to those who serve under Him.

Paul planted the church at Ephesus on the third missionary journey in Acts chapter 19. He spent three years ministering there you remember and he appointed elders in the church at Ephesus during that time.

In Acts chapter 20 which we also looked at earlier today he had a meeting with them at Miletus not too far from Ephesus as he was passing by and he exhorted them on their responsibility as elders, as shepherds of God’s people. A number of years have passed since that meeting in Acts chapter 20 when Paul writes the first letter to Timothy and things have not gone well in some ways in the church at Ephesus as we saw in chapter 1. False teaching and false doctrine was being promoted evidently by some within the leadership even some of the elders. Now remember in Acts chapter 20 Paul had warned that group of elders: “From among your own selves men will arise speaking perverse things.” And he had to start out his first chapter of this letter to Timothy a number of year later as Timothy has been left at Ephesus to deal with these things: “Command certain men not to teach strange (or false) doctrines.” Paul spent some time in chapter 3 of this letter giving instructions regarding the qualifications of men who could serve as elders.

Now sometimes what happens in ministry with the passing of time, the standards get lowered, the focus on the Scripture becomes more shallow and problems begin to develop and it becomes difficult to deal with the problems if our focus is not brought back on the Scripture and the firm foundation of the Scripture has to be reestablished and that’s what Paul was doing. I take it the men he appointed to be elders in the church a number of years earlier would have been godly men but the follow through. And some of those men who may have been godly men may have been unfaithful to their calling and so have to be dealt with.

When we come over to chapter 5 we come back to the subject of these elders as Paul is dealing within different groups within the body of Christ and different groups that should be given honor. We started out in verse 3 of chapter 5: “Honor widows who are widows indeed.” When you come down to verse 17 he will talk about the elders who rule well are to be considered to be worthy of double honor.

When we come down into chapter 6, verse 1 he says: “All who are under the yoke as slaves are to regard their own masters as worthy of all honor.” So he deals with these different groups that are part of the church and the responsibility to give honor to whom honor is due and he comes to deal with the elders in verse 17.

So picking up with the subject that he dealt with in some detail in chapter 3, dealing with elders. And again, going to emphasize the respect and honor given to elders in their role as leaders and teachers of the Word.

So he says in verse 17 of I Timothy 5: “The elders who rule well are worthy to be considered worthy of double honor especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.” The responsibility toward the elders and not every elder has been unfaithful at Ephesus. There are elders who have served well and worked hard in the ministry of the preaching and teaching of the Word of God and they are to be recognized for that and this becomes important as we talked in our earlier study today in Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 17 where the leadership of the elders when there is pressure must be recognized. He recalls them to recognize and honor and respect and follow the leadership of those who have been faithful in leading them and teaching them the Word. “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor.” The tense here indicates they have fulfilled their responsibility well and they continue to do it. They have a history here that continues right up to the present and so they are to be respected and honored for that. The elders who rule well. Who have ruled well and continue to rule well have carried out their ministry in a commendable way. One said, “Done excellently.”

They are to be considered worthy of double honor. They have fulfilled their ministry well. They are to be considered worthy of double honor and as we saw back with the widows the honor to be shown is not just the respect that they are given but that also carries over to some financial provision for them. That was true of the widows here it’s true of the elders as well. Double honor doesn’t mean well you figure out what one has been getting and then you will pay the other one exactly twice. The point is they are worthy of exceptional remuneration, ample provision. They rule well and especially we are focusing on those who focus on the preaching and teaching of the Word. All these elders are doing well and there are evidently some within them who are devoting more of their time to the ministry of preaching and teaching which is at the heart of what the elders are responsible for, the doctrinal positions of the church to be sure that the church is faithful to the truth.

There are other things the elders have to responsible as the shepherds and overseers of the body but the focal point is they keep the doctrine true and be sure the church is faithful to the doctrine. And there would be some among the elders who would focus especially that way and they are to be worthy of ample provision.

I don’t think there are two kinds of elders being delineated here. Some groups hold that. There are ruling elders and there are teaching elders but in light of the qualification of elders they all have to be able to teach but as would be the case in our church here for example, I am remunerated in such a way that enables me to devote more of my time and energy to the preaching and teaching of the Word. All the elders have to be sound in their doctrine and be able to teach and defend the truth. Titus 1 also elaborates that but there are some who can give fuller attention, fuller energy to the preaching and teaching of the Word and that connection of the two going together.

Back up just before I Timothy to the letters to the Thessalonians and go to I Thessalonians chapter 5, I Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 12: “But we request of you brethren that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work;” so a similar emphasis on the elders and laborers. They have the responsibility of oversight. They have responsibility for the communication of God’s Word to them. Among them as we see in Timothy there may be some who are able to give even more emphasis to that ministry and so they are remunerated accordingly. They are worthy of double honor, ample remuneration especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching and then he is going to support it from Scripture. That is a principle established in the Old Testament. “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing and the laborer is worthy of his hire.” Deuteronomy chapter 25, verse 4 and we won’t go back there but that is where the statement is picked up, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.”

Come back to I Corinthians chapter 9, I Corinthians chapter 9. Paul uses this same passage and gives a more of an elaboration on it in a similar context to what we are talking about. In I Corinthians chapter 9 pick-up with verse 3 and you will get something of the setting. Paul’s apostleship you realize. The church at Corinth had a problem with leadership, even the Apostle Paul’s leadership and they should have recognized him because it was through him that the Gospel was brought and the church was established at Corinth.

So he started out the letter: “Am I not free? Am I not an Apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?” I mean of all people to be challenging my leadership and my ministry as an Apostle you are the result of my ministry, strange. “If to others I am not an Apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.” I mean other people might challenge my apostleship but you? You are the result of my ministry to you as an apostle. “My defense to those who examine me is this: do we not have a right to eat and drink? Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?” (Cephas being Peter who had a wife.) “or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working? Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard, and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock?” The principle – if I have labored among you is it not fitting that I receive the benefits of my labor just like these other areas, a soldier, one who plants a vineyard, one who tends a flock. They do that and there are certain reward that comes to them. Paul says “I have that right.”

And then he says in verse 8: “I am not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I?” We can go back to the Law. “Or does not the Law also say these things? For it is written in the Law of Moses, ‘You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.’” There is our same reference from Deuteronomy 25:4. Then he explains: “God is not concerned about oxen, is He?” The prime point there is not animals rights Paul says. The point here: “Or is he speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher ought to thresh in hope of sharing the crops.”

The point that God is establishing there is there is to be benefit for the worker. He is to be rewarded, remunerated for his labors. So then he applies it to his ministry. “If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we should reap material things from you?” And Paul there says the benefit that you get from my ministry is much greater than the financial remuneration I might get from yours. These are eternal benefits you are getting. If others share the right over you do we not more? Then he puts this catch in there. He’s not doing this because he is looking for money from them. “Nevertheless we did not use this right but we endure all things so that we will not cause hindrance to the Gospel of Christ. Do you not know (and he is back to Old Testament examples) that those who performed sacred services eat the food of the temple” (and the Old Testament priestly system you are aware.) Animals brought and so on portions of that were for the priest and his family and provisions were made and they were provided for.

So the Lord directed those who proclaimed the Gospel to get their living from the Gospel. But Paul carrying the Gospel to new places made a point not to use that privilege so that no one could say he came here preaching for money but he establishes the principle for the church and here now that the church has been established and these have been believers for some time they ought to be joyously not only recognizing and supporting Paul’s apostleship but looking for the opportunity to support him in that.

So he didn’t use that and he’s glad now because he’s under attack in the church at Corinth sad to say. I mean we look at it from this perspective. What kind of accountability for the church at Corinth? They will stand before the head of the church, give an account for why they were attacking Paul and undermining his ministry. What a terrible position to be in.

The principle here is that those who minister the truth should be supported in their ministry. That is the principle that is being established. Still a good principle I think and we still do this when we have people go to new areas with the Gospel that they are supported by believers in other places so that there can be no charge they are just here to get money from you but once a church has been established it would be a terrible testimony if I was being supported by people in other places while I minister the Word to you who have been believers in the church that has been established for many years. Do they not know their responsibility before the Lord? You do take care of me well and I appreciate that and others in the ministry here. But the principle established, we not ought to be in it for the money but it is fitting that we be reimbursed and that enables us obviously I am given the privilege of devoting many hours of the week to the study of the Word for the ministry of the Word that I could not do if I had to be working another job. So that enables me to labor in the ministry of God’s truth and the desire of that is that you benefit and be nourished and nurtured in the Word.

Come back to I Timothy chapter 5. Now he establishes the honor that is to be given to elders and particularly those elders who will be ministering and devoting more time to the preparation and ministry of God’s truth. It establishes the Scriptural principle. It does that rather briefly then he moves on going to talk a little bit further though I should say something about that last statement: “the laborer is worthy of his wages.”

There is no direct reference like that in the Old Testament. The principle is there in Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:15 that the laborer is to be remunerated when he has labored in your field. He should be paid at the end of the day and so on. Those references I just mentioned so the principle is there. The only reference that could be a quote here is from the book of Luke 10:7 where Jesus said, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” So it may well be that Paul is quoting from Luke whose Gospel had been written not too many years before this letter and we know Paul and Luke had a close association so that’s where that quote probably comes from.

The principle is in the Old Testament, those passages that give instruction to be sure because in those days you worked a day, you labored for a day you got paid for that day. Now we don’t have the same kind of credit systems and everything and so on that we have and it was to protect the laborer. So you work in my field I will pay you here and you know you held on to paying him and you didn’t pay them for a week or two and he didn’t have the money to live on so that’s where those references were, the laborer is worthy of his labors and should be paid on time. But Jesus does make the direct statement: “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”

Then in verse 19: “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses.” So elders can be honored with remuneration, pay. Elders have a right to certain protection by virtue of their position. There will be attacks made; sometimes slanderous attacks. “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses.” Now that’s the same protection given to those who are not elders. That goes back, Deuteronomy chapter 17, verse 6 again in the law you weren’t to receive an accusation against someone except on the basis of two or three witnesses.

Come back to Matthew chapter 18, Matthew chapter 18. This is the context we are going to go into here on what we sometimes call church discipline. Verse 15: “If you brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. If he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church” and then the exclusion from the fellowship of the body if he continues to persist in sin. But you will note: it has to be confirmed by the mouth of two or three witnesses. This isn’t talking about elders but he uses it here for elders. They are not given more protection but they are not to be given less protection. Some might think well they are elders, they are in position of prominence. One serious accusation would be enough. No it’s not.

We want to say and I would want to claim that protection and these are not just two or three people that have all got it from one source. We have to be careful. Sometimes we have to sort this out. Well how do you know this? Well, I heard it from so and so. It comes back you may have two or three people talking about the same thing but they all heard it from the same person. Well they are not in a position to be two or three witnesses so we want to be careful we sort this out but two or three witnesses who would confirm that then it has to be dealt with but the elder doesn’t have less protection than anyone else but he isn’t given more protection. He doesn’t say for elders there has to be five or six witnesses. No, elders have the same protection. Not more but not less and it is because of their prominence would be the way he put it here and why it has to be brought up. Some might think that because of the prominence of the position they wouldn’t have the same protection. They do. You don’t receive an accusation apart from multiple witnesses.

And we shouldn’t be surprised. The Apostle Paul is under attack at the church at Corinth. You know, nobody is above being attacked so we want to be careful that we handle that Biblically.

But where there is subject to the accusation and the elder is guilty so you have verse 20: “Those who continue in sin” and there is debate over this. It is translated continuing in sin because it is a present tense participle and that often would be translated continuing in sin because the present tense can denote something ongoing. Some others would translate it those who are sinning. You “rebuke in the presence of all so that the rest will be fearful of sinning.”

This is the pattern set down in Matthew 18. Now the discussion comes in Matthew 18, if the sinning person stops the sin then it goes no further. So certain things are not brought to the church. There are occasions where people are involved in sin. They are confronted. They stop the sin. You have won your brother. It goes no further. You take two or three witnesses. If they acknowledge, yes it has been sin and stop it, it goes no further. The question comes when it involves an elder, because of their prominence, does it go further even when the sin stops and often that seems to be necessary. That is part of the discussion on this verse but by virtue of their prominence particularly those who would be being supported in the ministry they are usually dealt with in the presence of all and the "all" there would include the other elders and the people but the rest here who will be fearful because of the seriousness of it would probably refer to other elders that recognize the seriousness of it and it would be to others as well. They realize nobody is above being dealt with when they sin but you ought to understand in the normal flow of things when people stop sinning it doesn’t come to the church but when it involves a pastor often it comes to the church even when they stop the sinning because of the prominence of their position and that’s come up from time to time. People wonder, well you deal with one differently than the other. When the person stops the sin it goes no further. So if you wonde, well why do you deal with this person this way; this person with this way? Well you confront them and they are given opportunity to stop. When they stop the sin it is done. Those who come to the church are those who don’t stop. Now by certain positions in the church as prominence they sometimes have to be brought to the church even when the sin itself has stopped.

So you see the balance he is bringing here. You honor elders and give double honor especially to those preaching and teaching the Word and they have the protection of there has to be two or three witnesses before accusations would be responded to. But when they have sinned they have to be dealt with and particularly if they continue in sin.

Particularly in the church at Ephesus in light of the letter to Timothy the wrong doctrine has to be dealt with and we saw this back in chapter 1 where he said, “Command certain men not to teach certain doctrines. If those men don’t stop they will have to be dealt with before the church.”

Verse 20 of I Timothy 1: “Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander whom I have handed over to Satan so they may learn not to blaspheme.” This is strong language. Here are men, whether they are elders we are not told but they are prominent enough to be brought before the congregation and Paul said he had to deal with them. Hymenaeus and Alexander, they were cut off from the fellowship of the church. They are put into the realm of Satan so that they learn not to blaspheme. It had to do with their teaching and doctrine, other areas of sin be dealt with as well. So how we handle these things in the congregation among the leadership is a serious matter.

Verse 21, a warning: “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of elect angels, maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality,” So very important. The truth of God supersedes our personal relationships. It is important that we get into this; that we understand. We have to function Biblically. We begin to drift. That’s why God gives leaders.

Well, I don’t think it is that serious. I think they are sincere. That’s not the issue. So there can be no bias. It doesn’t matter if they are friends; it doesn’t matter if they are family. It has to be done. You don’t show bias. You don’t show partiality. The Word of God, the truth of God takes precedence. It has to be done His way; so a word of warning. Church discipline is never an easy task.

You see the seriousness of it here. “I charge you in the presence of God, Christ Jesus and elect angels.” I mean you have the court of heaven here. God the Father, God the Son and the angels who serve at their command are witnesses to this charge. You better not show partiality. You better not show bias. You handle it the way God says to handle it. We want to be careful. We want to handle it the way God said; not more seriously, well we don’t discipline people who stop their sin. They stop it before it is brought to the church. I mean it is just the way. with elders they have to be dealt with in the context of their prominence in their ministry. So we want to be careful that we maintain Biblical principles. There is no bias. Well, it’s not a matter of someone gets off easy, someone is dealt with harshly, is it handled Biblically? And that becomes the care we have to have. We have to handle these. I mean it can’t get any more serious than this. This charge is given to Timothy in the presence of God as witness to what I am saying here, God the Father. God the Son is witness to what I am saying here. The angels who are ministering spirits on behalf of the heirs of salvation who observe the functioning of the church as God’s servants are witnesses to this. You better do it Biblically. Some churches don’t even know what church discipline is anymore. We just don’t deal with it. I mean how serious can it get? We have to do this. We have to do it without bias. We have to do it without partiality.

Then there is a word of warning. “Do not lay hands upon any one too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin.” The point here is in selecting elders. What the solution is – make sure a man is proven first. One of the qualifications back in chapter 3, verse 2: “An overseer must then be above reproach.” That is the general overarching qualification, remember. Well that takes time to observe that so he ought to be a man of proven character. That doesn’t mean that man will never sin. That’s why we have the instruction on how you deal with it if he does sin but one of the protections for the church is don’t be too quick to appoint a man to the role of elder because that immaturity will cause a problem and if we don’t function Biblically here we as a church are guilty. We share in the responsibility. That doesn’t mean we share in the responsibility for any elder’s sin but if it’s an elder we appointed without giving time for them to be proven, then yes, if these teachers at Ephesus were teaching things that they should not, have been appointed by the church because you know, they are friends, they contribute for this reason or that then you didn’t follow the Biblical pattern. You are guilty along with them. You have shared in their sin because you didn’t do what is Biblical. So don’t be hasty in appointing men to this.

Come over to II John, almost all the way back to the book of Revelation, the 2nd epistle of John, verse 10. The wording on teaching here, the walk of the believer is emphasized. Verse 8: “Watch yourselves that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching he has both the Father and the Son.” That one who doesn’t stay faithful to the truth but departs from the truth begins to promote error. Well he reveals his true character. “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.” So you see that same idea. You are encouraging a false teacher. That means you share the guilt of his false teaching. You are encouraging him. Well that enables him to keep going with his false teaching. That means you are a co-conspirator with him and you shouldn’t be doing that. We don’t align ourselves with false teachers, false ministries. That is the same idea back here in I Timothy 5, sharing the responsibility for others sin. Why? Because you put them in a position that they shouldn’t have had. You put them in a position of leadership in the church. Now they are in a position and they don’t have the doctrinal foundation. They are not able to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict so that get led astray and confused and now you have people in leadership teaching things that ought not to be taught. That has a devastating effect on the church so be careful. That’s why we want the men who are elders to be men who have been proven over the years in the ministry and have demonstrated they are sound in doctrine. They have stood for the truth. They are faithful to the truth and their life is a support of that. Why do we bring them before the congregation then? Well, we don’t formally vote, we want to bring them before you because you may know them in a different setting and have observed them. We want them to be men of good reputation and so we present them to the congregation before they are appointed. We have to be careful in these things.

The end of verse 22: “Keep yourself free from sin.” Keep yourself pure is what he says and that causes him to make a parenthetical comment to Timothy. He has to keep himself from sin. He had to keep himself pure and these matters we are talking about both in the appointing of elders, in his own personal life and so on but Timothy may have gone too far so he has a personal word to Timothy. “No longer drink water but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.”

Evidently Timothy was so concerned to maintain his life above reproach that he was abstaining from all use of wine but he was not a healthy man. The expressions here indicate that he had frequent problems, stomach problems and then it says, “Frequent ailments.”

Isn’t it interesting – Paul’s battles and struggles and his own physical problems and then one of his key men who had to go into the most difficult situation is a man who has stomach trouble and other frequent ailments that he doesn’t go into the detail. It doesn’t keep him from being used of God but Timothy, use a little wine. Now note here, this is not an encouragement to social drinking. This is the medicinal use of wine.

I tried it only once. I shared this before. We were in South America flying from someplace to Peru and I started to get sick on the plane. Oh no. And just about that time they came around. In those days I don’t know, I haven’t been on a plane for a while but they brought these little bottles of wine and I thought of this verse. My stomach is going so I’m going to try that. It didn’t work. I got to Peru and was I ever sick. I am in the hotel room dying and this Peruvian lady comes in as the maid and she is trying to get me to get out of bed. I said, “I’m dying.” She opens the curtain and pointing out the window. I thought she meant jump, get it over with. Oh no, I can’t go, I can’t go. Finally someone explained she is telling you to go outside and get some fresh air. It will help you get better but the wine didn’t help. In those days they didn’t have any choice. You know they couldn’t go and get Pepto Bismal or whatever you take for the problem so Timothy, don’t be so restrictive. I mean there is nothing wrong. You can use a little wine. He was concerned. Drunkenness was addressed earlier and a leader shouldn’t be drunk and Timothy maybe was abstaining from all alcohol use but for his ailments here. The whole issue of social drinking is another point but this verse is not talking about social drinking. It is talking about the medicinal use of wine in those days and it tells us something about Timothy. So the little parenthesis here for Timothy – keep yourself pure but Timothy that doesn’t mean you can’t use a little wine to help with your stomach ailments and some of the other ailments that you are having. You know, if could have to do with the limitations they had on the water and so on.

And then you come back to verse 24: “The sins of some men are quite evident, going before.” That connects to verse 22 so you have to see verse 23 is something of a parenthesis here. It seems like well how did you get to this, Timothy drink a little wine. Well the end of the verse here is he is warning about sin and Timothy you keep yourself pure. A word of warning in light of what we have talking about, sin and sin among leaders, you keep yourself pure but Timothy don’t be afraid to have a little wine for your stomach’s sake, for its medicinal benefit to you and for your other ailments.

And now verse 24 really connects back to verse 22: “Don’t lay hands hastily on men to appoint them to elders.” The reason: “The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after.” Some sins are more obvious. Some men you look at the qualifications of elders and you go down and you say, “No, they wouldn’t be qualified.” Their life here, there are obvious areas. So the sins of some men are quite evident, they go before them to judgment. In other words even before you really carefully analyze them it’s clear they are not qualified. “For others their sins follow after.” The point being that some sins are revealed later. That’s why you need time to look. Time to evaluate and we see earlier when sin does come up in an elder’s life it has to be dealt with but in the appointment of elders we don’t hastily lay hands on because we want to have time and just because they look this could be a danger. A new believer comes and well you know they are enthusiastic. They have been a believer for six, eight months. That would seem to be enough and some of this is relative.

Obviously we have been a church that has been in existence for a number of years. If we were a new church plant the men would not have that long of history. You don’t want to say, “Well your men ought to have a history of 20 years when you’ve gone to a new area, planted a new church so some of that will have a certain relativity toward where you are.

Obviously the church at Ephesus, Paul established it and appointed elders. They couldn’t have the same length of history that a church like ours would have. That doesn’t mean you have to have been a believer and to have served 40 years before you can be an elder but it does mean that there has to be reasonable time. And you know you can examine the life with reasonable care but that’s not a guarantee an elder will never sin. I mean, I still can sin and that could become a problem.

“Likewise also, deeds that are good are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed.” The same thing we are talking about in verse 24, the other side, good works can be clearly seen just like some sins can be clear to see. So we are looking for a pattern of life. What do you see? You are looking for that consistency, that faithfulness, that knowledge of the truth that has depth to it because under pressure, under attack you have to be sorted out. These false teachers can be good. When Satan masquerades as an angel of light and his servants do likewise they have good counterfeits. You have to know the truth and be able to sort out truth from error. You have to be able to exhort in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict as Paul exhorted Titus in the appointing of elders. Both are important. There has to be that discernment evident. It is a requirement in leaders.

So an overview of leaders; their importance a series of commands were given here. I didn’t point out the commands but just let me note them to you. There are eight commands given here, present tense commands in the verse we have just looked at. Starting out with verse 17: “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy.” That is a present tense imperative, present command. We have it as one word, a compound word – are to be considered worthy but it’s given as a command.

Second command in verse 19: “Do not receive an accusation.” Another present imperative, “Do not receive.” You are not open to receive an accusation. Somebody comes and says and that alone would not be enough. Now it might be if it is clear and the elder may agree to it but the general pattern is you don’t receive an accusation unless it can be supported.

The third command in verse 20: “Rebuke in the presence of all.” So they must be rebuked when sin is present.

Verse 22, the fourth command: “Do not lay hands too hastily.” Do not appoint them to the office. The picture of putting the hands on the head as was done indicating they are being set apart for this office. You don’t lay hands, you must not do that, present imperative.

The fifth imperative. “You don’t want to share responsibility.” That word “to share” is our word connected to koinoneo, to share in, to fellowship in, responsibility, verse 22. We don’t have it translated that way. You know, “do not lay.” That was a command thereby share and it would be translated as you have it in your margin to give you the emphasis, “Do not share responsibility for others.” “Do not lay hands on hastily.” “Do not share responsibility for the sins of others” because in laying hands on too hastily you share responsibility but that word translated share, that verb is an imperative, another imperative. You don’t lay hands on, you don’t share in the responsibility for their sin by doing that.

The sixth command is “keep” in verse 22. “Keep yourself free from sin.” It’s your responsibility, present imperative. You must keep yourself pure. Now that doesn’t mean, Timothy that you have to exclude the use of wine. Now that doesn’t necessarily mean that I can use it. I have to deal with that in other passages. This is for particular medicinal uses that Timothy might benefit from. So keep yourself pure.

“Don’t drink water”, that’s the command in verse 23. That’s the seventh command, “drink water, don’t drink water” negative present imperative.

And then the eighth one is “use wine” and you see why you have to use the context. Some people could just take this eighth command and say, “Well the Bible commands us to drink wine.” And it does if you just take verse 23, “Use a little wine.” That word translated “use” there and the verb here means to use wine. It is a present command but you have to put that into context. When did he say that? Where did he say it? There is the danger of just going and pulling verses out or portion of verses.

I was reading something in the paper today, the editorial page of the Omaha paper and someone was talking about what Jesus would do in one of the political issues we are having and how He would handle it. That person was clueless on what the Bible is talking about. They picked up a reference from the Scripture somewhere and they are using it and they think now they can explain how Jesus would handle the immigration problem or whatever. That is sort of like this. A person just quotes this verse. Did you know the Bible commanded that you should use wine? It does, present tense command, it’s a present imperative. I even know a little Greek but in the context he is telling Timothy to do it in the context of his stomach trouble and his frequent ailments; so serious passage governing the leadership in the church.

You know when we start our churches we often don’t start with a Biblical pattern of leadership so we start by creating the situation which will make it more difficult for us to function Biblically. We set up forms of government that we have just created. The Bible is clear on the kind of leaders there has to be. The men have to meet these qualifications. They have the responsibility of oversight of the body. If you don’t start out with that how are you going to deal with doctrinal problems down the road, other problems? How are you going to deal with false teaching that comes from within, maybe from a popular teacher? You know we just set up that we are not going to be able to deal with that and rather than tear the church apart by getting into it we are just not going to get into it. Where does that leave the church to go but to drift and drift and drift and drift? That is why it is so important to be Biblical.

Now we don’t always have opportunity. You know churches are established with certain forms and ways of leadership but we start out. The way we started out here is we studied Timothy and we had different people in leadership. Well how do we sort this out? Well what does the Bible say? Well because elders are overseers well maybe we ought to call our church leaders elders or overseers. At least we will know then what the Bible says they have to be qualified. If you call them the official board what are the qualifications for the official board? I don’t know. I don’t find that anywhere in here. I guess there are people who have been in the church a long time, maybe some of the better givers, maybe some of those who come Sunday evening as well as Sunday morning, you know some of these things then we pretty soon are putting people in or we will vote.

When I first came, and not criticizing it’s just where we were but you could raise your hand at a congregational meeting and say, “I would like to nominate so and so.” Well what are you going to do now? You are in the congregational meeting say, “Oh no, I don’t think he is qualified.” You’ve got a war going on the floor so pretty soon you say “Well what do we do here?” Well Lord I pray he won’t get in even though we’re going to put him up. So part of it is we just have to work through these things that seem like well is it that important? They are very important. That is why Paul is dealing with it. How important they are becomes more evident when problems come and we have to stand for the truth and the leaders have to be those who are not only exhorting in sound doctrine but refuting those who contradict and certain men have to be commanded not to teach certain doctrine. We have to know how to deal with sin when it comes up in the leadership and be careful we deal with it. We must know how careful we have to be before we put men into positions that are not ready for that and our desire, not that we are perfect, not that there won’t be mistakes made and sin that has to be dealt with but our commitment is much as possible, as we understand the Scripture to be as Biblical as possible.

Let’s pray together. Thank You Lord for Your Word and how You’ve instructed us clearly, understandably and our desire, Lord, as a local church is to honor You by being Biblical in every area because that’s what You’ve instructed us to do. We honor You by our obedience to You. If we love You we keep Your commandments. Your truth is precious to us and Lord we pray that we will be faithful as a church. Thank You for the way You have blessed us with faithful leaders, godly leaders, godly congregation who support the leaders, pray for them, and stand behind them. Thank You for all the various aspects of the ministry. Lord we want to grow and mature and become even more faithful and more effective. Bless us to that end we pray in Christ’s name, amen.