1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,120 For the second week, we'll be in first Timothy chapter 3. 2 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:09,840 And as we get into the word today, it's it's I'm mindful of 3 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:13,720 something I am often aware of just in the church setting. 4 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:17,400 There's, there's probably some of you who are visiting our 5 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:21,240 church maybe for the first time this morning and you might even 6 00:00:21,240 --> 00:00:23,520 be visiting our city. I won't have you raise your 7 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:25,480 hands. But no doubt week by week people 8 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:29,840 are just visiting our city and, and often times in, in, in that 9 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:33,920 kind of reconnaissance mission for our city or our church. 10 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:36,000 There's a couple questions that people are trying to get 11 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:38,720 answered. And that is, where can I find a 12 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:42,080 good church and where can I find a good restaurant? 13 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:45,920 That's like the survey of Boise. And I mentioned that because 14 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:50,320 oddly enough, those two categories are very similar and 15 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:52,360 there's some some real overlap that exists. 16 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:56,000 Listen to this in a recent survey of restaurant reviews. 17 00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:00,000 So we'll start with restaurants. An interesting trend emerge 18 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:02,440 people. People often cared more about 19 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:05,519 the service than the food itself. 20 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:08,000 Of course, good food is what usually brings people in the 21 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:13,400 door, but it's not always what determines whether they return. 22 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:18,280 The biggest complaints weren't about under seasoned dishes or 23 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:20,840 overcooked steaks. They were about how they were 24 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:25,360 served, the attitude of the server, how much time they had 25 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:26,920 to wait. The weight problems were 26 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:29,760 handled. And more often than not, people 27 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:33,080 walked away dissatisfied, not because of what was on their 28 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:36,440 plate, but because of the people who put it there. 29 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:40,760 And so I listen to that, I hear that, and I can't help but think 30 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:42,640 now of the categories overlapping. 31 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:46,160 I think about the people who are not at church this morning or 32 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:47,920 some of the ways that we've had to study. 33 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:51,320 First Timothy is a renewed vision for the trustworthiness 34 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:54,120 of church. And often times it's not about 35 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:58,280 what is actually on the plate, the word of God, your hunger to 36 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:02,160 meet God, have the eyes of your heart open to know Him 37 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:05,600 personally and to know His word. It's not about what's on the 38 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:07,040 plate. It's about what the people who 39 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:10,720 put it there and last week we looked at one of the categories 40 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:14,080 of the people that will will interact with those pursuing God 41 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:18,320 in the gathering as we look at the qualifications of the 42 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:23,200 leaders or the overseers. But just as important with with 43 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:27,320 no undertones of of this second part of this chapter being less 44 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:30,280 important. Paul will now write to Timothy 45 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:33,240 as he puts his church in order that it's very important to 46 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:37,760 qualify the servants as well. And So what is it like when you 47 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:40,920 come into the gathering, when you interact with those who 48 00:02:40,920 --> 00:02:43,920 represent the name of Jesus, not from a stage, but from the way 49 00:02:43,920 --> 00:02:45,320 that they serve? Are they welcoming? 50 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:47,600 Are they warm? Do they help you resolve 51 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:49,600 problems? Do they wash feet? 52 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:51,960 Do they show you the love of God? 53 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:56,720 And so today I want you to keep that in mind as we look now at 54 00:02:56,720 --> 00:02:59,960 the qualifications, not of the overseers, but as the word we'll 55 00:02:59,960 --> 00:03:02,360 use today, the deacons, the servants. 56 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:06,320 And as we read today's passage of Scripture, I'll just frame it 57 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:09,440 in, in the outline that it unfolds just to give you a, a 58 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:11,600 guideline for the, the text we're going to read. 59 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:15,280 First, we're going to see the example of the servants. 60 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:18,640 And then we're going to see an examination of the sermon, the 61 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:21,360 the servants, and then we'll see the exchange. 62 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:24,840 What what happens when you're willing to not only come to be 63 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:27,600 served and to fill out the survey of you know, the Yelp 64 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:30,120 review of a church, but what happens when when you hear the 65 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:33,840 word of God opening the eyes of your heart to actually be a 66 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:35,920 servant. So read along with me. 67 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:39,880 We'll we'll be in chapter 3 where we left off Now in verse 68 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:43,040 8, transitioning from the qualifications of the overseer 69 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:47,240 to qualification of the servant says in verse 8. 70 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:51,480 Likewise, deacons must be reverent, not double tongue, not 71 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:55,400 given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery 72 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:58,200 of the faith with a pure conscience. 73 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:02,120 But let these also first be tested. 74 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:07,520 Then let them serve as deacons or servants, being found 75 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:10,200 blameless. Likewise, their wives must be 76 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:13,400 reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all 77 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:15,680 things. Let deacons be the husbands of 78 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:20,440 one wife, ruling their children and their own house well for 79 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:24,360 those who have served with well as deacons obtain for themselves 80 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:28,440 a good standing and a great boldness in the faith which is 81 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:31,600 in Christ Jesus. So what we see in this, if you 82 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:34,240 were here last week, almost an overlay of some of the 83 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:38,080 guidelines for how to raise up leaders lay hands on on men who 84 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:41,200 will oversee the church. Now we see guidelines for just 85 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:45,320 as important, those who represent the church in serving 86 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:49,760 and we we started with the kind of unpacking of scripture. 87 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:51,600 We're going to look at the example before we get to the 88 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:55,680 example as what we see in in this persons character. 89 00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:59,200 I want to take just a second to look at the historical example 90 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:04,400 of how we have both leaders who oversee and deacons simply the 91 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:09,080 term means to serve deacons who are are taking care of really 92 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:12,280 the, the, the ministry services of the gathering. 93 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:15,920 And for that historical example, we actually get a picture of 94 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:19,600 this that's given to us in the first church in Acts chapter 6. 95 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:21,720 So you can read there, but I'm going to, I'm going to walk you 96 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:25,720 through the moment where this, this early church, the 97 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:27,400 gathering, the Holy Spirit's poured out. 98 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:30,480 They're growing and there came a need for more than just 99 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:32,960 overseers and it's in Acts chapter 6. 100 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:38,600 We'll start in verse one says now in those days when the 101 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:40,880 number of the disciples was multiplying. 102 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:44,280 So we've got rapid growth happening in the church and and 103 00:05:44,280 --> 00:05:49,360 with rapid growth comes a need for more than a one man show or 104 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:51,680 a small group of people doing everything. 105 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:55,600 And that that need is just as true when a church starts to 106 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:57,520 grow and multiply now as it was then. 107 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:03,640 And often times the rapid growth will reveal tensions or areas of 108 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:06,640 the church that are actually going to find themselves exposed 109 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:09,560 as problems that need to get addressed. 110 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:12,400 So the overseers are going to address a problem by giving us a 111 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:15,760 historical moment where the Deacon ministry start. 112 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:19,400 So it's got, so we have rapid growth and there rose a 113 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:22,120 complaint. I don't know how they got the 114 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:24,760 complaint in, if it was in a comment card or if it was just 115 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:27,880 catching the, the, the apostles in the lobby, but a complaint 116 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:31,040 comes up and, and here's essentially what was happening. 117 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:33,360 The complaint happens against the Hebrews. 118 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:36,600 So we've got, you know, the, the, the, the Hebrew culture, 119 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:39,720 they've, they've studied the, the, the law and they know all 120 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:43,080 of the traditions in the feast and they speak Aramaic, Aramaic 121 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:46,600 and you've got the Hellenist. So these are new converts. 122 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:48,720 They're, they have a Hellenistic culture. 123 00:06:48,840 --> 00:06:52,320 And there's a little bit of a culture clash happening inside 124 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:54,840 of the church. And what's happening, it says 125 00:06:54,840 --> 00:06:59,000 that the Hellenists or the Greek speaking, the Greek culture is 126 00:06:59,480 --> 00:07:03,200 having their widows being somewhat neglected and there's 127 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:05,360 favoritism shown to the Hebrew widows. 128 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:09,240 It says the complaint happens against the Hebrews by the 129 00:07:09,240 --> 00:07:11,920 Hellenist because their widows were neglected in the daily 130 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:14,480 distribution. So very early on, the church is 131 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:19,560 seen as a, a, a, a pillar of sound doctrine and also meeting 132 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:22,520 the needs of the community. And in that day, there was a 133 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:25,960 great need for widows who essentially had no one to care 134 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:26,920 for them. The church said, hey, we're 135 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:29,480 going to take on that ministry. We're going to care for them. 136 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:33,680 And as they grew, that ministry needed some attention because it 137 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:35,320 wasn't being cared for perfectly. 138 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:39,160 So then the 12 summoned the multitude of the disciples and 139 00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:43,480 said it is not desirable that we should leave the Word of God and 140 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:46,080 serve tables. They have their ministry as 141 00:07:46,080 --> 00:07:47,560 overseers. We looked at that. 142 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:50,200 They're they're taking care of the sound doctrine and they're 143 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:52,600 praying for the church. And they don't want to neglect 144 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:56,520 that to serve in the ministry. So they say, therefore, 145 00:07:56,520 --> 00:07:59,840 brethren, seek out from among you 7 men of good reputation, 146 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:04,040 full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over 147 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:07,040 this business. But we will give ourselves 148 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:09,720 continually to prayer and the ministry of the Word. 149 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:13,920 So the overseers committed to preaching and praying and the 150 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:16,480 deacons are going to be over the business of the ministry. 151 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:20,920 And through that we have this beautiful model where they say, 152 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:24,520 find some people that are in the ministry with you and let's 153 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:28,680 qualify them through. Listen to what it says. 154 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:32,720 Good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. 155 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:36,640 And so immediately we see not only the need for deacons, we 156 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:39,039 also see the qualifications in that form. 157 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:41,600 Good reputation full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. 158 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:44,720 And they're going to find men that qualify and they're going 159 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:47,600 to lay hands on them. And through this we get some 160 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:50,680 amazing heroes of the faith. We get our first martyr, 161 00:08:50,680 --> 00:08:52,600 Stephen. We get this evangelist and 162 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:55,520 Philip. So the Deacon role in no way is 163 00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:57,240 supposed to be a second class role. 164 00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:01,200 And this is now we look at this through the lens of our examples 165 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:05,680 in First Timothy, Paul is saying in a sense, remember when that 166 00:09:05,680 --> 00:09:07,640 need was happening in the very first church? 167 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:10,080 It's still happening now. And I'll say to you, it still 168 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:13,120 exists all over the place that the church grows. 169 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:16,360 Ministry shows itself as something that needs attention 170 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:19,440 and people have to rise up from within the church and become 171 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:22,360 qualified. So we said it last week, make 172 00:09:22,560 --> 00:09:25,760 being a man doesn't make you an elder if be qualified and and 173 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:29,560 just being a warm body in a seat doesn't make you a Deacon or a 174 00:09:29,560 --> 00:09:31,280 servant. There's all sorts of ways. 175 00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:33,600 Now we we need to look at the example that Paul will set 176 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:35,520 forth. So what does Paul say to 177 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:37,880 Timothy? That gives some extra detail for 178 00:09:37,880 --> 00:09:40,880 what we saw in the book of Acts. He says likewise, deacons must 179 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:46,040 be reverent, not double tongue, not given to much wine and not 180 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:48,880 greedy for money. So last week we did a whole 181 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:52,720 expose on on point by point, the 15 point sermon of all of the 182 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:56,120 details of qualifying leaders. And some of these are similar, 183 00:09:56,520 --> 00:09:59,040 but not all of them. This one says, Reverend, the 184 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:02,840 same idea worthy of respect. These are people that if they're 185 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:05,760 appointed as leaders, no one would be like, I can't believe 186 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:09,600 that person is wearing the name badge of a servant at that 187 00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:10,960 church. They're they're dignified, 188 00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:14,120 they're respectable people. We would see that in Acts 189 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:18,720 chapter 6, good reputation, not double tongued. 190 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:20,800 This is actually unique to the Deacon. 191 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:23,920 I don't think it's saying that overseers and and leaders can 192 00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:26,840 can be double tongued, but it's essentially saying what they 193 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:29,200 say. They mean they're sincere 194 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:31,120 people. They're people that you can 195 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:34,000 trust their word. If they say they're going to 196 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:35,800 help, they're going to help. If they say they're going to be 197 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:36,640 there, they're going to be there. 198 00:10:36,760 --> 00:10:39,560 Their yes is yes and their no is no. 199 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:42,800 What we saw in the Overseer that could be similar to this. 200 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:46,320 They're above reproach. They're sincere people that have 201 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:49,680 that have no double life hidden in the shadows of their life. 202 00:10:49,680 --> 00:10:53,680 And then it says, once again, not given to much wine. 203 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:56,680 And we cover this again, it's not a prohibition as long as 204 00:10:56,680 --> 00:11:00,040 it's not a problem. And deacons, they're, they're 205 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:04,560 under the same obligation to be a good example to the people 206 00:11:04,560 --> 00:11:07,640 you're serving. And I would say this would also 207 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:10,360 give us an access act 6 reference points that says 208 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:13,400 filled with the Holy Spirit. Well, Paul will later say be 209 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:17,840 filled with the Holy Spirit and not filled with wine. 210 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:22,000 Our our influence as leaders and servants is that we love to be 211 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:25,200 filled with the Holy Spirit so we can overflow and serve 212 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:28,160 people. And then we see once again, not 213 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:32,760 greedy for money. The the King James Version I 214 00:11:32,760 --> 00:11:36,160 found help helpful here. Not greedy for filthy lucre. 215 00:11:36,560 --> 00:11:38,360 That's a word you don't hear often anymore. 216 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:41,680 So it means money acquired by dishonesty. 217 00:11:41,680 --> 00:11:45,440 It's too bad we got rid of the word lucre because just having 218 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:48,280 money and acquiring it and then and then trying to, you know, 219 00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:50,520 live a dignified life. The Bible is very clear. 220 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:53,520 Money acquired by dishonest gain is not good. 221 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:57,040 And a Deacon, as we just saw, is going to be asked to care for 222 00:11:57,040 --> 00:11:59,080 the business matters of many ministries. 223 00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:01,240 And so you don't want to appoint someone who's going to serve the 224 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:04,120 widows and then think, well, if we just gave them a little less 225 00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:06,640 than we'd have a little more. They need to be responsible, 226 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:09,720 good stewards of the resources. And that goes both ways. 227 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:12,920 Remember the disciples when Jesus was being anointed and we 228 00:12:12,920 --> 00:12:15,560 just talked about Holy Week anointed for his triumphal 229 00:12:15,560 --> 00:12:16,680 entry. And some of the disciples said, 230 00:12:16,680 --> 00:12:19,720 you know, we could have used that expensive oil in a better 231 00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:21,680 way. We could have, you know, sold it 232 00:12:21,680 --> 00:12:24,880 and give it to the poor. And I think the the servant must 233 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:27,840 not be greedy for himself and he also must be liberal and 234 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:31,080 generous that, you know, the money is God's and we can use it 235 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:34,480 as God, as God gives us wisdom and direction to use it. 236 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:37,880 So these are examples that Paul is going to lift up and say 237 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:43,880 don't just put anyone at the tables of your church and and 238 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:47,960 serve in such a way that is honorable as though you were 239 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:51,760 standing on the stage. Your life as servants should be 240 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:55,680 dignified and respectable. And and those are the 241 00:12:55,680 --> 00:12:58,240 qualifications of kind of your character. 242 00:12:58,240 --> 00:13:00,400 But he also says there's something really important. 243 00:13:00,640 --> 00:13:04,320 And sadly, this is often left off the list when churches are 244 00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:07,160 saying, hey, we got a big, you know, orientation or we got a 245 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:09,480 big serve Saturday or we'd like to get you guys plugged in 246 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:11,480 because we got a lot of needs and not a lot of bodies. 247 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:13,440 Now listen to what he says in verse 9. 248 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:16,960 Let's not forget the importance of this, he says, holding the 249 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:19,440 mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. 250 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:22,440 So it's an interesting phrase. What is Paul getting at? 251 00:13:22,840 --> 00:13:26,920 Mystery of the faith. As we know from our entire study 252 00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:30,600 in Hebrews, you can also get a reminder of the mystery of the 253 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:33,600 faith as we study Leviticus and we see that it's saying more 254 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:37,160 than it's saying is there was all sorts of previews and 255 00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:40,720 shadows of things to come. The mystery of what it actually 256 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:43,360 meant to be in covenant relationship with God is 257 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:45,400 revealed through the gospel of Christ. 258 00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:50,120 And what we're looking for is not just volunteers for our 259 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:52,680 humanitarian efforts. We're looking for genuine 260 00:13:52,680 --> 00:13:55,400 believers in Jesus. It is not. 261 00:13:55,560 --> 00:13:58,480 We never trust the church that gives you a name badges. 262 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:00,240 As long as you'll help out, you can be a servant. 263 00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:03,560 We want to be people who meet all of the qualifications of 264 00:14:03,560 --> 00:14:06,280 character, but the biggest qualification is Christ. 265 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:10,040 We want people who love Jesus, who will not be tempted to to 266 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:13,920 get into legalism or go back to the law or struggle with all of 267 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:17,160 the ways that living by faith requires you to trust God. 268 00:14:17,400 --> 00:14:19,960 Servants. They may not have to teach the 269 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:23,480 word, but they have to trust it implicitly with their lives. 270 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:26,960 So they have a pure conscience. They're doing that genuinely. 271 00:14:27,280 --> 00:14:30,200 They're people that can come and serve and follow Jesus and 272 00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:33,480 invite people to follow them as they follow Christ. 273 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:38,240 So we have in this a, a grand example of what a trustworthy 274 00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:40,720 church looks like. And going back to the example, 275 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:43,760 it's, it's someone comes in and before they get to the sermon, 276 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:47,200 they get to the servant. And so often we, we measure 277 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:51,080 things by the sermon and the, the outside world is measuring 278 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:53,800 the servant. And so I'm going to invite you 279 00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:57,640 guys to consider the exchange of what it means to qualify and 280 00:14:57,640 --> 00:15:01,400 actually jump into this role, because I think there is such a 281 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:04,600 beautiful offering in the passage that we just read as to 282 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:07,760 what happens when you don't come to be served, but you listen to 283 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:10,400 this and you say, wow, what if I did this? 284 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:15,320 What if I did this with my life? But first we have the exam and 285 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:19,840 see the apostle Paul is, is giving Timothy clear orders what 286 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:23,640 to look for and how to test it. And, and in verse 10, he says, 287 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:29,680 but let these also first be tested, let them serve as 288 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:34,680 deacons being found blameless. Actually like the ordering of 289 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:39,920 the the NIV, it says they must first be tested and then if 290 00:15:39,920 --> 00:15:43,560 there is nothing against them, that's the word blameless, let 291 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:47,280 them serve as deacons. So test them, find out if they 292 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:51,440 qualify and then put them in a position of serving and, and how 293 00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:57,080 important it is for you as a follower of Jesus to know that 294 00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:00,720 you are someone that will be maturing and equipped. 295 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:04,160 And you will go through the journey of following Jesus 296 00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:09,080 through all sorts of tests. And following Jesus is a number 297 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:12,640 of tests that that show us what we really believe, show us how 298 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:17,000 to endure and, and show us that to really know God, you have to 299 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:20,600 actually put it into real life. And it's something that you need 300 00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:24,280 to know as a follower of Jesus wherever he has you serving. 301 00:16:24,440 --> 00:16:28,160 But it's also important to know that to, to have sound 302 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:32,000 leadership and oversight and servants who bring people closer 303 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:33,360 to Jesus and don't push them away. 304 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:37,440 They're they're servants who are willing to patiently go through 305 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:41,400 the test of qualification. So let me share a couple of ways 306 00:16:41,760 --> 00:16:47,200 that there is the test. First, simply the test of 307 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:50,400 whether or not your character matches what's described in the 308 00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:53,320 list that we just read. And we got that once again, 309 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:58,280 remember what we read in Acts, They're men of good reputation. 310 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:01,600 And there was a, there was a section that we read in Acts 311 00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:05,440 that actually gave us a very good bit of wisdom on how you 312 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:09,280 find the good reputation. The apostles said to those in 313 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:12,839 the ministry that raised the complaint, find amongst 314 00:17:12,839 --> 00:17:15,480 yourselves. We're not just, you know, 315 00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:18,599 putting an ad out in the paper for people who have a heart to 316 00:17:18,599 --> 00:17:20,680 serve, you know, the tables of widows. 317 00:17:21,079 --> 00:17:24,280 We're we're looking for people who are already doing something 318 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:27,480 to be known within the community of believers. 319 00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:30,000 That's why the apostle says, look around. 320 00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:32,480 Who's already helping? Let's give them an official 321 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:35,920 title. And that is a great way to go 322 00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:38,400 through the test. Just start helping out. 323 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:42,760 Start in little ways that you can showing yourself to the 324 00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:45,960 people around you and and then it will be more obvious if you 325 00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:50,880 follow or if your life matches the qualifications listed. 326 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:54,880 And I love that, you know, the example of the history, Steven 327 00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:58,360 was one of the examples. Stephen, it says he's a man full 328 00:17:58,360 --> 00:18:01,120 of faith and the Holy Spirit. And if you know your church 329 00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:03,120 history, you know, he's the very first martyr. 330 00:18:03,360 --> 00:18:07,840 He gets stoned for preaching the gospel with such power and 331 00:18:07,840 --> 00:18:11,280 trusting God through all of it. And how did he get his start? 332 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:14,440 This man that we would look at and say, OK, we got to put you 333 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:17,120 in some sort of crusade to tell people about Jesus, You are 334 00:18:17,120 --> 00:18:19,840 amazing. The apostles looked at him and 335 00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:22,320 said, this is when we pass out the food to the widows. 336 00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:23,800 Show up to that and we'll see what happens. 337 00:18:25,120 --> 00:18:29,560 If Steven was willing to humble himself and serve tables, how 338 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:33,400 much more should any one of us who look at the life of in the 339 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:36,600 example of Steven be willing to say, Lord, I'm here. 340 00:18:37,120 --> 00:18:42,120 Use me in any way that you want. So and 1st you have to see if if 341 00:18:42,120 --> 00:18:46,480 they're humble and I think that is a test to the heart of 342 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:48,960 humility. In fact, as I think through the 343 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:52,480 just the team of people we have, I think almost every one of our 344 00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:56,720 pastors has been qualified by some sort of life before the 345 00:18:56,720 --> 00:18:58,880 calling that was janitor or dishwasher. 346 00:18:59,360 --> 00:19:02,640 And I think that's kind of a good test for someone who, you 347 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:05,720 know, feels the call to stand behind a pulpit and and preach 348 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:08,480 the word of God. I'm very leery of someone who 349 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:10,120 comes to me and I've never met them before. 350 00:19:10,120 --> 00:19:12,280 And they say, listen, I've got a vision or a dream that I'm 351 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:13,840 supposed to be the next Billy Graham. 352 00:19:14,120 --> 00:19:16,360 All I need is your pulpit on a given Sunday. 353 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:19,760 And I think the answer to them is cool. 354 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:22,800 Let's start with why don't you help take out the trash for a 355 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:25,520 couple weeks? And I think some of the the, the 356 00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:29,720 heroes of the faith among us, we will all be surprised when we 357 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:37,600 get to Eternity Shore at how wrong we get the status of the 358 00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:41,880 believers that surround us. I stand on stage and you know 359 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:44,960 you can know my name if you've been around our church, but 360 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:48,720 there are heroes of the faith among us that you probably have 361 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:52,480 never heard of that make sure the coffee is warm and 362 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:55,520 everybody's got food to eat. Who's serving to make sure that 363 00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:58,720 the church is opened up so when we all get here, we can all get 364 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:01,240 to our chairs. I've seen people cleaning the 365 00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:04,000 chairs 1 by 1, fixing the holes in our ceiling. 366 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:08,360 And these people may not be seen by us, but they're seen by God, 367 00:20:08,360 --> 00:20:11,600 and they're going through the beautiful test of what it means 368 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:15,920 to know who you're serving. And so be willing to go through 369 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:19,120 the test. Of humility, Jesus says one who 370 00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:23,160 is faithful and very little is also faithful and much, and one 371 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:28,240 who is dishonest and very little is also dishonest and much. 372 00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:31,520 And I think the test also has to include your ability to endure. 373 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:34,320 You know, I think sometimes we get the idea we're going to come 374 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:36,960 out of the baptism waters and just start serving. 375 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:39,360 And we're going to, you know, preach the kids and they're all 376 00:20:39,360 --> 00:20:41,600 going to get saved. Or we're going to, you know, do 377 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:45,080 a some sort of like a missionary venture and there's going to be 378 00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:49,760 a revival. And often times serving takes a 379 00:20:49,760 --> 00:20:53,280 long time before you actually see some returns on it. 380 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:57,920 And if you're not willing to go through hard and difficult and 381 00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:00,480 moments where maybe nobody's thanking you or nobody's 382 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:03,440 noticing you, you know you, you did everything on the list I 383 00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:05,600 just described. And then and then you just came 384 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:07,440 to church and someone said, you're in my seat. 385 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:09,560 And it's like, OK, can you endure? 386 00:21:10,360 --> 00:21:15,640 Can you endure the challenges that every servant should have 387 00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:19,240 the character to, no matter what happens in your heart to serve 388 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:25,200 Jesus, You can make sure that your character is consistent to 389 00:21:25,240 --> 00:21:30,560 the tests of how you serve. You know, say the, the the 390 00:21:30,560 --> 00:21:34,680 minister is known by or the tree is known by their fruit. 391 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:38,440 And I've also heard that the, the fruit is known when you 392 00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:40,440 shake the tree. And so sometimes that has to 393 00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:43,160 happen to really know who you are as a servant. 394 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:46,360 You have to endure the times where you get, you get shook a 395 00:21:46,360 --> 00:21:48,840 little bit. And so it goes on to say, and 396 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:50,880 this is where, you know, if you've noticed in our study in 397 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:53,440 first Timothy, it's been, I've sensed there's been like a 398 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:55,400 question of the week, like what is Paul saying here? 399 00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:58,400 So let's do our question of the week really quick and it'll be 400 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:00,760 in verse 11. He says likewise their wives 401 00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:02,960 must be reverent. Did anybody when I was reading 402 00:22:02,960 --> 00:22:06,400 say, wait a minute, So it's only the wives of the deacons have to 403 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:10,360 be qualified as wives, not slanders, temperate, faithful in 404 00:22:10,360 --> 00:22:12,040 all things. And so here's your question of 405 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:15,560 the week, if you haven't already asked it, it's is Paul talking 406 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:18,600 about the wives of the deacons or is he saying that there's 407 00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:21,360 also women that are serving that need to have qualifications? 408 00:22:21,360 --> 00:22:26,000 And so like all of the questions in First Timothy, they're 409 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:29,480 debated and contentious because you can find passionate people 410 00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:33,520 on both sides of the answers. What I'll say for the purposes 411 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:38,000 of our church to inform our answer is starting with why I 412 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:41,760 think it's a bit odd that Paul would be talking specifically 413 00:22:41,760 --> 00:22:45,720 and only to wives of deacons, as though deacons need to have, you 414 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:48,440 know, wives that are qualified but not serving because he 415 00:22:48,440 --> 00:22:51,200 doesn't say anything about the wives of elders or overseers. 416 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:55,840 That seems to be just a as important a role that those who 417 00:22:55,840 --> 00:23:00,280 oversee the church also need to have wives that would be in 418 00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:01,920 conjunction with the qualification. 419 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:04,680 So if he's not mentioning it to overseers, why is he mentioning 420 00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:07,360 it to deacons? And I think that brings us to 421 00:23:07,360 --> 00:23:11,520 the better question, which is once again found in the 422 00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:16,560 limitations of language, is that there was no word until later 423 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:20,560 when the church had to develop a word for women who were serving 424 00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:23,360 in this way. The the word that is used for 425 00:23:23,360 --> 00:23:25,640 servant did not have a feminine form. 426 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:28,880 And so some translations like the NIV just use the word women 427 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:30,240 here. They don't use the word 428 00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:32,200 deaconess in the feminine. They just say women. 429 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:35,520 And some translators like the one we're reading out of have 430 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:38,120 taken that to mean, well, he must be talking about the women 431 00:23:38,120 --> 00:23:40,440 of the deacons. And and I don't think that's the 432 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:43,000 case. I think it's very clear that 433 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:47,080 what he's doing, he's saying now women who serve also must be 434 00:23:47,080 --> 00:23:48,880 qualified. And then he gives a list they 435 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:51,600 they've got to be reverent. If you're serving as a woman, 436 00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:53,760 you you can't be a slander, you can't gossip. 437 00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:57,160 If you're serving as a woman, you also have to be temperate, 438 00:23:57,160 --> 00:24:00,800 just like the guys have to be temperate and they can't, they 439 00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:03,280 can't, they also have to be faithful in all things. 440 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:05,840 And so I think what Paul is doing is saying, hey, man, 441 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:07,920 you're like this. And then women who are serving, 442 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:10,080 you're like this. And I say all of that belabor 443 00:24:10,080 --> 00:24:13,520 the question of the week to tell you why we have women who are 444 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:16,160 serving all over our church. And I think they're doing it 445 00:24:16,280 --> 00:24:19,240 according to Scripture into the glory of God, because if they're 446 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:24,440 qualified in their character, I think that God calls all sorts 447 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:28,320 of of women to serve the gathering in the body of Christ. 448 00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:30,360 Well. And so if you are women, a woman 449 00:24:30,360 --> 00:24:32,560 serving in our church, just thank you. 450 00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:34,720 I want to thank all of the servants of our church. 451 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:38,200 But I, I see the door greeters and I, I know the, the, the 452 00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:41,720 nursery through the, through the elementary is just full of men 453 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:45,400 and women serving our church. And the qualification is not 454 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:47,800 gender. The qualification is character. 455 00:24:48,120 --> 00:24:49,880 And I see that when we read this. 456 00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:53,640 And so we also, I can point you, unlike looking for overseers, 457 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:56,560 it's very difficult to find a biblical example of an overseer. 458 00:24:56,560 --> 00:24:59,120 But when you look for a woman Deacon, you can actually find 459 00:24:59,120 --> 00:25:02,320 Paul writing to to different areas of the church where women 460 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:04,760 are serving. So Romans 16 verse one says, I 461 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:10,080 commend you, Phoebe, our sister who is a servant, same word for 462 00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:13,560 Deacon of the church. So we've got examples where 463 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:15,960 Paul's saying you're a servant, you're a woman, you're serving 464 00:25:16,360 --> 00:25:18,160 and and he gives the qualification. 465 00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:22,080 So so women, you read all of this and you say, Lord work in 466 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:25,800 me, the character that would qualify me to serve your church. 467 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:30,640 And so all of that list, I think is, is qualifying the women just 468 00:25:30,640 --> 00:25:32,720 as the previous list was qualifying the men. 469 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:36,920 Then it says in verse 12, let deacons be the husbands of one 470 00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:40,200 wife ruling their children in their own house as well. 471 00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:46,000 And so once again, like last week, we see that the household 472 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:49,160 and the health of the household is at the heart of the exam. 473 00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:52,640 So rather than just take someone's word or, or even their 474 00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:56,000 internal reputation within the community, there's a great test 475 00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:59,600 for every single one of us about how we would serve Jesus based 476 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:02,240 off how we're serving in the offices of our family. 477 00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:06,120 How do you serve as father, mother, sister, brother? 478 00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:09,040 And for for Paul, he's saying, look at the household and you 479 00:26:09,040 --> 00:26:12,760 can get an idea of the resume. And, and for that, I will say, 480 00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:15,920 you know, to all of our elders and pastors and now anyone who's 481 00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:20,360 serving that the family should never die at the altar of 482 00:26:20,360 --> 00:26:22,800 ministry. There should be no children who 483 00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:27,240 despise when you leave to go, you know, do the extra biblical, 484 00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:29,440 you know, studies and all of the things you're doing. 485 00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:31,800 And, and if it's coming at the expense of the health of your 486 00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:36,040 family, then then on behalf of your family, serve our church 487 00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:39,400 community less until the Lord changes those dynamics. 488 00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:42,040 And so I think that's what Paul is getting that both for 489 00:26:42,040 --> 00:26:44,240 qualifications and just for health checks. 490 00:26:44,240 --> 00:26:46,480 If you're serving our church, how's your family doing? 491 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:49,880 Make sure that they feel as loved as the people who are 492 00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:52,440 walking in the door when you're greeting them at our church. 493 00:26:52,440 --> 00:26:56,360 And so, you know, you hear a lot about pastor kids and sometimes 494 00:26:56,360 --> 00:26:58,400 they they, they wind up a little bit crazy. 495 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:01,480 And so you can pray for my kids now. 496 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:06,360 You know, I'm doing my best, but I think deacons kids can have 497 00:27:06,360 --> 00:27:10,520 the same trajectory only, you know, less known and less, you 498 00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:12,520 know, less cared for in that sense. 499 00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:16,880 And so let us not have the servant kids of our church grow 500 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:19,440 up to say I would never step foot in that church because I 501 00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:22,920 was always competing for my parents a love and affection 502 00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:26,000 with that place. And so if you serve, make sure 503 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:28,280 your household is in order and that they, they love that you 504 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:31,360 serve and that that you can do it while you serve them. 505 00:27:31,360 --> 00:27:33,240 And so, so there's our examination. 506 00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:35,840 And now I want to get to the point that I think is the point 507 00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:39,880 for, for any of us who have come in that the point of the sermon 508 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:44,200 was not to, you know, improve our Yelp reviews, You know, so 509 00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:46,680 don't be confused by by that little moment where we're 510 00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:49,720 comparing how people come. And often times the servants 511 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:51,800 are, are are measured above the sermons. 512 00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:56,280 The point of the, the, the emphasis here is to give this 513 00:27:56,280 --> 00:28:02,880 amazing, amazing reward and and this incredible vision for why 514 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:06,520 serving the church is this beautiful way that God brings 515 00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:09,840 you in to the trustworthy. The beautiful design of the 516 00:28:09,840 --> 00:28:14,080 church is to to have people who are serving be so blessed by the 517 00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:15,960 way they're laying down their life to the Lord. 518 00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:19,480 So let let's read now the last verse of our passage in verse 519 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:21,680 13. It says for those who have 520 00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:26,160 served well, you're qualified. Your your your household is 521 00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:29,040 taken care of and the people you're serving are blessed by 522 00:28:29,040 --> 00:28:30,640 you. It says for those who've served 523 00:28:30,640 --> 00:28:37,600 well as deacons obtain or, or they receive for themselves good 524 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:41,480 standing and great boldness in the faith, which is in Christ 525 00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:44,640 Jesus. And so first let's let's point 526 00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:46,760 out what it's not saying. And I'll say it again. 527 00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:50,240 Serving the church does not mean you obtain for yourself. 528 00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:54,160 You know, a, a brick on the wall with your name on it or you 529 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:57,920 know, a, a, a countless amount of people thanking you and, and 530 00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:00,920 sending you cards for how much you've blessed their children or 531 00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:03,200 how much you meant to them. You might get those. 532 00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:08,960 And if you do cherish them, it's great to to have people see you 533 00:29:09,320 --> 00:29:12,600 representing God well. But that's not the reward that 534 00:29:12,600 --> 00:29:15,560 Paul is is telling Timothy to encourage these servants in the 535 00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:18,360 reward you'll see is a couple things. 536 00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:22,920 One, you're going to have good standing within this experiment, 537 00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:26,440 this project of God using people to give himself glory. 538 00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:31,440 And let me just say that to get good standing within your church 539 00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:36,000 community is is maybe a need. You didn't know you had to to 540 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:40,760 find your footing to find a place where within the the 541 00:29:40,760 --> 00:29:42,720 membership of the body of Christ. 542 00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:45,160 So it's like a body. There's many members and there's 543 00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:48,160 one body to to find your belonging. 544 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:54,960 Is is such a gift that you get when you start to serve and many 545 00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:59,400 people look for their church or even where they fit into the 546 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:02,080 church with all of the wrong things on the list. 547 00:30:02,080 --> 00:30:05,480 It's like if you were here with us today and you're thinking, 548 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:09,760 OK, I'm going to listen to the music and measure the volume and 549 00:30:09,760 --> 00:30:13,120 listen to the sermon and see if it speaks to me. 550 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:15,520 And and then, you know, the parking's on the list. 551 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:18,720 And that really won't give you standing with the church. 552 00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:21,920 Now, you can feel free to look for churches that do all those 553 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:25,080 things well, But the way that you actually belong to a church 554 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:27,000 is the way you belong to any community. 555 00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:32,040 You actually start to serve it. You know, you want to come to 556 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:35,360 Boise and you want to belong. Find somewhere where you can 557 00:30:35,360 --> 00:30:38,120 offer the community something to just be a blessing. 558 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:42,560 And it's the same with a church. If you're if you're new to our 559 00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:46,080 church and think, I wish I got to know people, we do little 560 00:30:46,080 --> 00:30:48,600 things to help with that. There's a new to the fellowship. 561 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:51,280 We do some, you know, meet and greet in between the song and 562 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:54,560 the sermon. But the best way you'll ever 563 00:30:54,560 --> 00:30:57,440 find your belonging is to say, how can I help? 564 00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:02,880 How can I be someone who's not coming to be served, but like 565 00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:06,280 Jesus, I'm coming to just see where the gifts of the Holy 566 00:31:06,280 --> 00:31:09,040 Spirit in me can find their membership in the body of 567 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:11,640 Christ. And if you do that, you find 568 00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:14,080 what you're actually needing, which is the community of 569 00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:18,480 believers that know you, that know who you are, that times 570 00:31:18,480 --> 00:31:19,680 they'll know what you're going through. 571 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:22,480 We'll know how to pray for you. The people in this church that I 572 00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:26,040 know that I know who you are and you know who I am, then the ones 573 00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:28,240 I know who the best are the ones that I'm just serving alongside. 574 00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:32,680 And that's true for any of you who are known at this church. 575 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:36,120 It's because at some point you went from visitor parking to 576 00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:38,360 serving. And I just encourage you to do 577 00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:39,920 that. That is not a recruitment by the 578 00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:42,520 way, that you can if you're visiting, it doesn't have to be 579 00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:44,360 this church, but it has to be a church. 580 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:47,440 And if you're, if you did on your list, find a reason to go 581 00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:50,200 to another church, that's OK. Just keep following Jesus. 582 00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:54,080 But when you are thinking you're going to land at a church, land 583 00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:55,840 there because you found a place to serve. 584 00:31:56,440 --> 00:31:59,360 And I'll say to those of you who maybe aren't in visitor parking, 585 00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:01,800 but you're, you're kind of just part of the congregation because 586 00:32:01,800 --> 00:32:03,920 you like the sermons. I want to know you. 587 00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:07,320 I want the church to know you. And the best way for that to 588 00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:10,080 happen is for you to find a place to say, here's my 589 00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:12,000 spiritual gift and here's the way I want to encourage the 590 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:13,520 body. And that's how you're going to 591 00:32:13,520 --> 00:32:14,840 have the good standing in the community. 592 00:32:15,120 --> 00:32:19,240 And I'll just extend that amazing principle to how you're 593 00:32:19,240 --> 00:32:21,440 going to have good standing with other important offices of your 594 00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:23,400 life. You want to have good standing 595 00:32:23,400 --> 00:32:24,920 with your kids, help them with their homework. 596 00:32:25,040 --> 00:32:26,960 They will appreciate it later in life. 597 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:29,640 You want to have good standing with your neighbor once in a 598 00:32:29,640 --> 00:32:30,960 while. See if you can take out their 599 00:32:30,960 --> 00:32:32,840 trash, see where it leads. They would probably have more 600 00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:35,160 needs that you can meet. You want to have good standing. 601 00:32:35,160 --> 00:32:37,360 Husband and wife serve one another. 602 00:32:37,360 --> 00:32:38,800 You'll have good standing with one another. 603 00:32:39,160 --> 00:32:41,800 You want to lose good standing, become selfish and neglectful. 604 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:44,000 And so it works beyond the church. 605 00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:46,560 But right now we're saying this is how the community of 606 00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:50,760 believers will thrive together. OK, so it's that you'll have 607 00:32:50,760 --> 00:32:54,440 good standing and you'll have great boldness in the faith. 608 00:32:54,440 --> 00:32:57,760 And I think there's two ways that because you're serving, you 609 00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:01,040 get amazing boldness. And and and I'll put this again, 610 00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:04,720 this is something you need, you may not think of to be bold in 611 00:33:04,720 --> 00:33:08,000 your faith is the point of following Jesus. 612 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:10,040 And and it's the reward of the journey. 613 00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:13,880 You know, it's not that fun to follow Jesus just with the 614 00:33:13,880 --> 00:33:16,360 systematic theology. It's not that fun to follow 615 00:33:16,360 --> 00:33:18,760 Jesus just by showing up and hearing about him. 616 00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:22,840 It's fun when you get the faith and the faith is really where 617 00:33:22,840 --> 00:33:25,000 you get the stories and the testimonies and you get this 618 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:27,000 amazing trust in God. That's faith. 619 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:29,960 And how does that come? Well, faith comes in serving for 620 00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:32,160 two ways. One, when you're serving, you're 621 00:33:32,160 --> 00:33:34,680 practicing. And just like anything, when you 622 00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:37,520 start practicing, you start understanding how the whole 623 00:33:37,520 --> 00:33:40,520 thing works. And so I think of a small 624 00:33:40,520 --> 00:33:43,520 example, it's maybe a good entry point into serving, but that the 625 00:33:43,520 --> 00:33:47,960 ministry of prayer, and this is something that is such a great 626 00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:50,600 starting point because you get to serve people by talking to 627 00:33:50,600 --> 00:33:53,720 God. And you'll see as you become 628 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:56,640 someone who serves an intercessory prayer more as you 629 00:33:56,640 --> 00:33:58,840 serve by reading those prayer requests more and you start 630 00:33:58,840 --> 00:34:00,920 praying as you serve. You say, how can I pray for 631 00:34:00,920 --> 00:34:02,640 people? How can I get qualified to pray 632 00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:07,840 for people in a more public way? What you'll find in practice is 633 00:34:07,840 --> 00:34:11,159 that your prayers become more bold and your faith becomes more 634 00:34:11,159 --> 00:34:13,560 bold because God responds to prayer. 635 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:15,440 You actually get to see God work. 636 00:34:15,560 --> 00:34:20,600 You get to see God move. Practice turns into power, and 637 00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:23,520 that is the second way where when you're actually serving, 638 00:34:23,760 --> 00:34:27,520 you get this beautiful benefit of the boldness of faith because 639 00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:30,920 you see the power of God on display. 640 00:34:31,639 --> 00:34:34,960 Now when you're in this setting right now, you're going to hear 641 00:34:34,960 --> 00:34:37,000 about the power of God because we're studying His Word. 642 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:40,159 It's full of the power of God. You may even hear testimonies of 643 00:34:40,159 --> 00:34:43,080 the power of God is is the sermon or or other people come 644 00:34:43,080 --> 00:34:45,960 up and share about a God providing or God healing or you 645 00:34:45,960 --> 00:34:49,120 get to see examples of of people walking in the power of God as 646 00:34:49,120 --> 00:34:51,239 they step out to do missions and return with the reports. 647 00:34:51,520 --> 00:34:54,880 But if you want to experience the power of God, you got to get 648 00:34:54,880 --> 00:34:57,400 in the game. And the best way to do that is 649 00:34:57,400 --> 00:34:59,520 to follow Jesus. He says he didn't come to be 650 00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:03,960 served, but to serve. Know the power of God by 651 00:35:03,960 --> 00:35:08,920 allowing him to use your life. And this is where we can, you 652 00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:13,080 know, finish where we started because if you keep reading in 653 00:35:13,160 --> 00:35:17,160 in Acts chapter 6, you're going to see how Stephen humbled 654 00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:21,080 himself full of the Holy Spirit. He started with serving tables. 655 00:35:22,280 --> 00:35:24,440 If you just read to the very next chapter, you're going to go 656 00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:28,800 through this amazing sermon that that Stephen would preach to the 657 00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:30,960 Pharisees and those who are hard hearted against Christ. 658 00:35:30,960 --> 00:35:35,000 But with boldness, he preached and it says in Acts Chapter 7 659 00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:37,640 verse 59. And then they stoned Stephen. 660 00:35:37,640 --> 00:35:39,120 I told you this is not recruitment. 661 00:35:39,120 --> 00:35:43,080 This is encouragement. OK, so the servants, there's no 662 00:35:43,080 --> 00:35:45,280 promise on how the people respond. 663 00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:49,200 But it says as he was calling on God and saying, Lord Jesus 664 00:35:49,400 --> 00:35:54,640 receive my spirit, he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, 665 00:35:54,640 --> 00:35:57,040 Lord, do not charge them with this sin. 666 00:35:57,560 --> 00:35:59,440 And he when he said this, he fell asleep. 667 00:36:00,320 --> 00:36:05,360 This is maybe the most powerful way you'll ever experience the 668 00:36:05,400 --> 00:36:09,240 the likeness of Christ in your own journey is when you can 669 00:36:09,240 --> 00:36:12,240 preach the gospel with such power that when people reject 670 00:36:12,240 --> 00:36:15,200 you to the point of death, like Jesus, you can say forgive them, 671 00:36:15,720 --> 00:36:19,160 forgive them. And it comes because Stephen is 672 00:36:19,160 --> 00:36:23,040 this shining example of someone who humbled himself to be a 673 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:27,840 servant of the church. And this is the beautiful reward 674 00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:30,280 for anyone of you who come to church and you say, you know, 675 00:36:30,520 --> 00:36:32,120 I'm this close to not being part of it. 676 00:36:32,880 --> 00:36:35,600 Thank you for the trustworthy sermon because I'm, I'm at least 677 00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:40,200 getting a case made on behalf of the the church having some sort 678 00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:43,160 of a position in my life. But this is really the sermon 679 00:36:43,160 --> 00:36:47,280 you need because no one will convince you to keep going to 680 00:36:47,280 --> 00:36:50,160 church. No one can just have the right 681 00:36:50,160 --> 00:36:51,960 graphics and the the catchiest sermon. 682 00:36:52,120 --> 00:36:56,080 What what keeps you in the plan of God for your life, which is 683 00:36:56,080 --> 00:37:00,200 to be part of the community of God is when you say yes to the 684 00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:03,480 way that God has empowered you to be part of his church and 685 00:37:03,480 --> 00:37:07,400 that comes through serving and then we'll end with this says 686 00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:11,600 you get boldness in the faith. You can't miss this which is in 687 00:37:12,560 --> 00:37:17,400 Jesus Christ and we have this. I feel like this is the way that 688 00:37:17,400 --> 00:37:19,800 every sermon in our Timothy series has ended. 689 00:37:20,440 --> 00:37:24,480 The faith has to be in Christ Jesus. 690 00:37:24,840 --> 00:37:29,120 Servants, you get this blessing that your faith is not in the 691 00:37:29,120 --> 00:37:30,720 people on the stage. You know them too well. 692 00:37:30,720 --> 00:37:32,920 Now you've served alongside them. 693 00:37:32,920 --> 00:37:35,760 You rub shoulders. So the more you get to know me, 694 00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:37,560 the more I want you to have faith in Jesus. 695 00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:42,320 As servants, you know that your faith is not in the brand of our 696 00:37:42,320 --> 00:37:47,560 church. It can't be because you know the 697 00:37:47,600 --> 00:37:51,840 the brand is fading away. But you know that the person 698 00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:56,240 you're actually serving is the Lord and he has to be the Lord 699 00:37:56,240 --> 00:37:59,520 of the the body of Christ. He's the head of the church and 700 00:37:59,520 --> 00:38:03,920 you know that the people are not your reward you you get boldness 701 00:38:03,920 --> 00:38:07,120 in in your faith because you've realized that when you serve, 702 00:38:07,120 --> 00:38:09,840 when you step out and you start loving your enemies and caring 703 00:38:09,840 --> 00:38:12,880 for your neighbor, you realize that you're actually serving 704 00:38:12,880 --> 00:38:17,200 Jesus and not people. So I want to end with just the 705 00:38:17,520 --> 00:38:21,440 the the the glory of of this reminder for any sermon we ever 706 00:38:21,440 --> 00:38:24,360 preach on on serving. It says in Colossians chapter 3 707 00:38:24,640 --> 00:38:28,120 And whatever you do, do it hardly as to the Lord and not to 708 00:38:28,120 --> 00:38:32,320 men, knowing that from the Lord you will see the reward of the 709 00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:36,920 inheritance, for you serve the Lord Jesus Christ. 710 00:38:36,920 --> 00:38:42,680 And when you hear all of this, not from a pastor trying to 711 00:38:42,680 --> 00:38:45,840 build a brand or a church or, you know, increased numbers, but 712 00:38:45,840 --> 00:38:50,120 you hear all of this as the Lord wanting you to know the beauty 713 00:38:50,160 --> 00:38:53,960 of the life that he has planned for you with good works that 714 00:38:53,960 --> 00:38:56,200 he's prepared that you would walk in. 715 00:38:56,560 --> 00:39:00,920 You get the joy of good standing and you get the amazing faith, 716 00:39:01,280 --> 00:39:03,800 not in a church that can hurt you or a pastor that will fail 717 00:39:03,800 --> 00:39:07,360 you, but in Christ who will never let you down. 718 00:39:08,720 --> 00:39:13,080 So as we prepare our hearts for communion, remember the words of 719 00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:14,920 Jesus. For even the Son of Man did not 720 00:39:14,920 --> 00:39:19,880 come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom 721 00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:23,720 for many. Let us refocus the whole mission 722 00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:28,360 of the way we offer our lives to God, the way we serve one 723 00:39:28,360 --> 00:39:32,800 another, the way that we, each member in the body of Christ, 724 00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:36,760 desire to give God glory, and the way we serve one another as 725 00:39:36,760 --> 00:39:41,640 we take the body and the cup with the shining example of 726 00:39:41,640 --> 00:39:44,960 Jesus as the ultimate example of servanthood.