1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,800 You please stand for reading of God's word. 2 00:00:07,900 --> 00:00:10,500 This morning, I'm reading into different passages. 3 00:00:12,500 --> 00:00:15,800 Both have to do with the church in Ephesus. 4 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:20,000 The first is first, Timothy 3 and then I'll be reading and 5 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,500 Ephesians chapter 4. First Timothy 3 beginning in 6 00:00:23,500 --> 00:00:26,300 verse 1, Paul writes the saying is trustworthy. 7 00:00:26,700 --> 00:00:30,100 If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble 8 00:00:30,108 --> 00:00:35,600 task, therefore an off, overseer must be above reproach, the 9 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:39,400 husband of one wife sober-minded self-controlled respectable 10 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:43,300 hospitable able to teach not a drunkard, not violent, but 11 00:00:43,300 --> 00:00:47,000 gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money, he must manage 12 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,400 his own household. Well with all dignity, keeping 13 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:52,500 his children's submissive for someone does not know Know how 14 00:00:52,500 --> 00:00:55,700 to manage his own household. How we care for God's church? 15 00:00:56,100 --> 00:00:59,600 He must not be a recent convert. May be puffed up with conceit 16 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:02,000 and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 17 00:01:02,500 --> 00:01:05,000 Moreover, he must be well thought of by Outsiders. 18 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:08,200 They may not fall into disgrace into a snare of the devil. 19 00:01:08,900 --> 00:01:12,700 Deacon's likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, 20 00:01:12,900 --> 00:01:16,000 not addicted too much, wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 21 00:01:16,300 --> 00:01:18,900 The must hold the mystery of Faith with a clear conscience, 22 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:21,600 and let them also be tested first. 23 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:24,000 Let them Service deacons. If they prove themselves 24 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:28,200 blameless their lives wives likewise must be dignified, not 25 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:31,800 slanderers, but sober-minded faithful in all things. 26 00:01:32,300 --> 00:01:35,500 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife managing their 27 00:01:35,500 --> 00:01:39,100 children and their households, well for those who serve well as 28 00:01:39,100 --> 00:01:42,100 deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great 29 00:01:42,100 --> 00:01:44,800 confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. 30 00:01:45,300 --> 00:01:48,800 Now Visions, for beginning of verse 11, And he gave the 31 00:01:48,808 --> 00:01:51,700 apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the Shepherds and 32 00:01:51,700 --> 00:01:55,500 teachers to equip the Saints for the work of Ministry for 33 00:01:55,500 --> 00:01:59,400 building up the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity 34 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:02,100 of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God to mature, 35 00:02:02,100 --> 00:02:05,000 manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of 36 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:06,500 Christ. So that we may no longer be 37 00:02:06,500 --> 00:02:10,500 children tossed to and fro by the waves carried about by every 38 00:02:10,500 --> 00:02:13,800 wind of Doctrine by human cunning by craftiness and 39 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:16,800 deceitful schemes. Rather speaking the truth in 40 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:20,000 love we are to grow grow up in every way into him. 41 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:24,300 Who is the head into Christ from whom the whole body joined and 42 00:02:24,300 --> 00:02:27,100 held together by every joint with which it is equipped? 43 00:02:27,100 --> 00:02:31,000 When each part is working properly makes the body grow so 44 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:33,300 that it builds itself up in love. 45 00:02:33,900 --> 00:02:37,700 This is the word of the Lord. You may be seated. 46 00:02:40,500 --> 00:02:45,400 In 1979, Gallup ran a poll to gauge the trust that Americans 47 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:49,700 had in public institutions and every year since then, they have 48 00:02:49,700 --> 00:02:55,200 run that same poll serving Americans, to see how much we 49 00:02:55,200 --> 00:03:00,900 trust the institutions that have authority over us institutions 50 00:03:00,900 --> 00:03:06,100 like government police military Banks, the school system, the 51 00:03:06,100 --> 00:03:09,800 media and big business. Do you want to guess how we're 52 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:15,300 doing? If you look at this pole, each 53 00:03:15,300 --> 00:03:21,200 and every year, it's a downward trajectory showing an eroding of 54 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:26,300 public, trust in institutions, So much. 55 00:03:26,300 --> 00:03:30,600 So that last year, we had an all-time low. 56 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:36,300 Americans simply don't trust our institutions anymore. 57 00:03:36,900 --> 00:03:40,800 Why is that Well, I think it's because so many of them have let 58 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:44,700 us down. They've disappointed us, we've 59 00:03:44,700 --> 00:03:47,400 lost confidence in them, they've even hurt us. 60 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:51,600 They've wounded Us in some ways and that has left a cynical and 61 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:53,500 jaded. And I wish it weren't true. 62 00:03:53,500 --> 00:03:56,700 But you could say the same thing about the American Church. 63 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:05,300 Do you trust the church? With all of the distrust that 64 00:04:05,300 --> 00:04:08,600 you might have of other institutions and organizations 65 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:14,000 do you trust the church? Do you trust the people? 66 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:17,200 God has called to lead the church? 67 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:22,200 A couple years ago. Christianity Today, published a 68 00:04:22,207 --> 00:04:24,900 podcast that went viral almost overnight. 69 00:04:26,300 --> 00:04:29,800 Immediately had 2.5 million downloads him. 70 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:34,600 The number one religious podcast on Apple top three podcast and 71 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:38,900 any category was called the rise and fall of Mars Hill. 72 00:04:39,700 --> 00:04:41,100 Some of you may have listened to it. 73 00:04:42,900 --> 00:04:47,300 It tells a tragic story of a church in Seattle that was 74 00:04:47,300 --> 00:04:49,200 founded by a pastor named Mark Driscoll. 75 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:54,000 And it Chronicles in great detail. 76 00:04:55,300 --> 00:05:01,300 This sad and tragic story. Of what happens when ego and 77 00:05:01,300 --> 00:05:06,700 pride and unhealthy leadership do great damage to the church 78 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:09,100 and have to admit. That it was a hard. 79 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:12,500 Listen for me. Not simply because it was 80 00:05:12,500 --> 00:05:15,700 painful to listen to and it was, but because it hit too close to 81 00:05:15,700 --> 00:05:19,300 home. You see because before I became 82 00:05:19,300 --> 00:05:22,000 a pastor and the Presbyterian Church in America. 83 00:05:22,500 --> 00:05:26,800 I was part of a network of churches called Acts 29 the very 84 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:32,200 same network of churches, that Mars Hill belong to the very 85 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:35,300 same network of churches that Mark Driscoll lead. 86 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:41,400 I have worshipped at Mars Hill. I've been to Ministry 87 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:46,300 conferences at Mars Hill. I've been to pastors, Gatherings 88 00:05:46,300 --> 00:05:52,100 and Mark, Driscoll's backyard. I saw firsthand. 89 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:58,500 Just how dangerous it is when there is a culture of unhealthy 90 00:05:58,500 --> 00:06:02,700 leadership in the church. And I saw that not only in 91 00:06:02,700 --> 00:06:05,500 others, but I was beginning to see it in myself. 92 00:06:07,100 --> 00:06:10,300 And in many ways, that is why I'm Presbyterian today. 93 00:06:11,900 --> 00:06:21,000 Not because we are perfect for not. but because of the way that 94 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:26,700 we, as Presbyterians, Describe the church. 95 00:06:27,700 --> 00:06:31,400 And how she is to be organized and more important. 96 00:06:31,700 --> 00:06:35,700 Because of the way we envisioned the church to be. 97 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:40,400 What is the church? The church is not an 98 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:45,000 institution. It's not a building, it's not an 99 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:47,300 organization. It's not even a Ministry 100 00:06:47,300 --> 00:06:50,200 organization. It's not a philanthropy. 101 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:53,200 It's not a social club. It's not even a thing. 102 00:06:53,200 --> 00:07:02,100 We go to The church is a people. I counter cultural community in 103 00:07:02,100 --> 00:07:07,900 Christ, Jesus Redeemed by his death and Resurrection to 104 00:07:07,900 --> 00:07:14,200 fulfill the Great Commission and bring the kingdom of God Here. 105 00:07:14,300 --> 00:07:20,800 And Now And since the beginning of the church, God has called 106 00:07:21,100 --> 00:07:28,000 Elders to Shepherd and deacons to serve and every Christian to 107 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:32,200 build up the body of Christ and love. 108 00:07:33,100 --> 00:07:37,400 And so this morning, I want us to look at how every one of us 109 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:42,800 has a role to play in that mission and I want to begin with 110 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:45,200 the office of Elder. I want you to look with me at 111 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:50,600 first, Timothy 3 verse 1. Paul tells us that the saying is 112 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:55,200 trustworthy, if anyone is fires the office of overseer, he 113 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:59,400 desires a noble task. Now, before we get into it, I 114 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:02,700 just want to say a couple things about the context of what Paul 115 00:08:02,700 --> 00:08:04,800 is writing. He's writing a letter, A 116 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:08,300 pastoral letter to a young Pastor named Timothy who's been 117 00:08:08,300 --> 00:08:11,600 called to lead the church in Ephesus and he's writing these 118 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:15,800 words to help Timothy deal with all of the complexities of 119 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:18,600 church leadership and how church is supposed to function. 120 00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:21,300 Function. And so he says the saying is 121 00:08:21,300 --> 00:08:23,100 trustworthy. In other words, this this is 122 00:08:23,100 --> 00:08:24,500 going to be true. What I'm going to say, you can 123 00:08:24,500 --> 00:08:27,100 trust it. He says, if anyone aspires to 124 00:08:27,100 --> 00:08:30,800 the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 125 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:34,600 Now that word overseer comes from the Greek word Episcopal. 126 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:36,400 So that's where we get the word Bishop. 127 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:39,200 It's the same word that's used throughout the New Testament to 128 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:45,400 describe the office of Elder an elder or an overseer. 129 00:08:46,100 --> 00:08:50,600 It's the language that Peter uses to describe the way Jesus 130 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:56,100 Shepherds and leads us as his people first Peter 225 Peter 131 00:08:56,100 --> 00:08:59,300 says you were straying like sheep but you've now returned to 132 00:08:59,300 --> 00:09:03,400 the shepherd and overseer of your souls. 133 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:06,500 That same word Episcopal has that. 134 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:10,800 Jesus is the chief shepherd, He is the lead Elder, he is the 135 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:14,000 true overseer. He's the head of the church. 136 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:18,200 It's also the word that the Apostle Paul uses again in 137 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:21,900 addressing the church, in Ephesus and acts 20:28. 138 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:26,000 Paul here is speaking to the Ephesian Elders for the last 139 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:29,200 time before he has to leave them forever and this is what he 140 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:32,300 says, he says, pay careful attention to yourselves elders 141 00:09:32,300 --> 00:09:35,400 and to all the flock and which the Holy Spirit has made you 142 00:09:35,700 --> 00:09:39,200 overseers same word to care for the Church of God, which he 143 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:43,100 obtained with his own blood and then Paul's words here in acts 144 00:09:43,300 --> 00:09:46,600 are very helpful. Because they tell us a lot about 145 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:50,900 what it means for an elder to be the overseer of the church. 146 00:09:51,700 --> 00:09:54,700 The first thing it tells us is that it is God. 147 00:09:54,700 --> 00:10:00,900 Who calls an elder? This is not a man-made office of 148 00:10:00,900 --> 00:10:04,300 power. This is a work of the holy 149 00:10:04,300 --> 00:10:07,600 spirit in a spiritual calling. Want you to listen again? 150 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:11,600 What Paul says, the Ephesian Elders, he says the Holy Spirit 151 00:10:11,700 --> 00:10:15,500 has made you overseers. This is why I love Ben's answer 152 00:10:15,500 --> 00:10:19,100 so much. That he had first had to see was 153 00:10:19,100 --> 00:10:23,600 the Lord calling him to serve as an elder in his church because 154 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:31,300 this is not a man-made position. This is a spiritual calling set 155 00:10:31,300 --> 00:10:35,300 apart by Jesus himself. The second thing we see in what 156 00:10:35,300 --> 00:10:39,200 Paul says here is that the church belongs to Jesus. 157 00:10:40,300 --> 00:10:44,800 This is his church Paul even says that he paid for it with 158 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:49,800 his own blood. Have any of you shed blood for 159 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:57,200 your church? Jesus bought us with a price and 160 00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:00,300 that means Park Cities. Presbyterian Church as a local 161 00:11:00,300 --> 00:11:05,800 expression of his church belongs to Jesus, it doesn't belong to 162 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:08,900 me, doesn't belong to mark, it doesn't belong to Tommy, it 163 00:11:08,900 --> 00:11:10,700 doesn't even belong to our session. 164 00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:16,600 This is Christchurch and he alone is the head, the 165 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:20,200 foundation, the Cornerstone. But the last thing, I think we 166 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:24,200 seen what Paul says here in the book of Acts is that we see that 167 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:28,700 first and foremost, the call of a elder or overseer of the 168 00:11:28,700 --> 00:11:35,700 church is to be a shepherd. He says, pay attention to the 169 00:11:35,700 --> 00:11:38,900 flock. Because as his people, we are 170 00:11:38,900 --> 00:11:45,200 sheep and we need Shepherds to lead us back to Jesus each and 171 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:48,000 every day. What that means is that in the 172 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:50,600 same way that the church is not an organization or an 173 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:55,200 institution, Elders are not called to be a board of 174 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:59,500 directors. Elders are called to be a 175 00:11:59,500 --> 00:12:05,800 community of shepherds. Called by Jesus himself to 176 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:11,400 Steward, the people, the flock, the sheep that he is entrusted 177 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:14,300 to us. And our denomination. 178 00:12:14,300 --> 00:12:17,300 The Presbyterian Church in America are book of church 179 00:12:17,300 --> 00:12:18,600 order. Puts it this way that the role 180 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:22,400 of an elder is one of spiritual oversight, instruction, 181 00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:26,600 evangelism, discipleship, prayer, and care. 182 00:12:27,500 --> 00:12:33,500 We are called to Shepherd the flock because Jesus is the chief 183 00:12:33,500 --> 00:12:38,600 Shepherd And in an Elders, shepherding of the flock. 184 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:40,000 We should see something of Jesus. 185 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:42,300 So, how did Jesus Shepherd the flock? 186 00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:44,900 He tells us in the Gospel of John. 187 00:12:46,100 --> 00:12:49,300 We're in John 10 verse 11. Jesus said, I am the Good 188 00:12:49,300 --> 00:12:52,600 Shepherd. The Good Shepherd, lays down his 189 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:56,600 life for his sheep. So, what is the role of an 190 00:12:56,600 --> 00:13:00,900 elder? The role of an elder is to die. 191 00:13:02,300 --> 00:13:08,300 The role of an elder is to lay down his life for the Sheep to 192 00:13:08,300 --> 00:13:14,300 Shepherd sacrificially because that is what Jesus has done for 193 00:13:14,300 --> 00:13:17,500 us. So as Paul talks about the role 194 00:13:17,500 --> 00:13:21,600 of an elder in 1st Timothy 3, he then moves to a different role 195 00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:24,000 in important role as the role of Deacon. 196 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:26,900 The second thing I want you to know just as Elders are called 197 00:13:26,900 --> 00:13:29,600 to Shepherd deacons are called to serve. 198 00:13:29,608 --> 00:13:33,700 I want you to look with me first Timothy. 3 verse 8. 199 00:13:34,900 --> 00:13:38,900 Deacon's likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, 200 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:43,200 not addicted to much wide, not greedy for dishonest, gain the 201 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:45,900 word Deacon here is a transliteration of the Greek 202 00:13:45,900 --> 00:13:49,800 word, diaconis transliteration. And that it's not simply a 203 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:53,700 translation, but it's an English representation of a Greek word. 204 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:57,500 What's interesting about this word is it's used 29 times in 205 00:13:57,500 --> 00:14:01,300 the New Testament, but only a few times that used to describe 206 00:14:01,300 --> 00:14:04,200 an office or a role every other time. 207 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:06,800 It's used more generally just to describe Ministry. 208 00:14:07,700 --> 00:14:12,200 Our service of others. So a deacon is called to serve. 209 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:16,400 And we see this word used again in the book of Acts. 210 00:14:17,100 --> 00:14:20,400 We're giving that the description of the very first 211 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:25,000 deacons who were called Acts chapter 6, and a 6 were told 212 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:28,100 that the church had grown so much that the ministry. 213 00:14:28,100 --> 00:14:32,800 You had become too much for the apostles to handle on their own. 214 00:14:33,700 --> 00:14:39,400 And so they set aside seven men to serve the tables and others. 215 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:43,400 In other words, to serve widows in the needy so that they could 216 00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:47,500 do the work of prayer and Ministry of the word. 217 00:14:48,100 --> 00:14:52,800 What we see is two roles being distinguished for very specific 218 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:57,000 purposes and reasons to offices, the role of Elder to minister 219 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:00,300 the word and to pray and the role of deacons to serve the 220 00:15:00,300 --> 00:15:04,600 needy among the body. And that is what a deacon is. 221 00:15:04,700 --> 00:15:09,400 Deacon is called to be a servant to serve the needy Among Us. 222 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:13,200 Again, The Book of church order I think, is helpful saying that 223 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:16,900 the role of Deacon is one of sympathy and service addressing 224 00:15:16,900 --> 00:15:20,000 others in time of need serving, those who are sick and the 225 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:26,000 friendless and any who may be in distress all and the example of 226 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:32,100 Jesus, who not only is our Good Shepherd but is the true servant 227 00:15:32,700 --> 00:15:36,500 the one whom Paul said in Philippians 2, took the form of 228 00:15:36,500 --> 00:15:41,100 a servant to the point of death, even death on a cross. 229 00:15:41,900 --> 00:15:45,300 So what is an a deacon called to do? 230 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:50,000 Well, just like an elder. A deacon like Jesus is called to 231 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:56,600 die to lay his life down for the flock to serve them. 232 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:01,600 And to care for any who are in need. 233 00:16:02,900 --> 00:16:05,000 As you hear those roles described you might be asking 234 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:09,900 well, who can do those things. Well, the answer is none of us 235 00:16:09,900 --> 00:16:13,900 apart from Jesus. But this is why the Apostle Paul 236 00:16:13,900 --> 00:16:17,600 goes on after he describes these roles to talk about their 237 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:23,000 qualifications who is qualified to serve as an elder or Deacon 238 00:16:23,500 --> 00:16:26,100 and were given a somewhat similar list with a few 239 00:16:26,100 --> 00:16:30,100 differences for each. I want you to go back to verse 3 240 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:35,700 Again, building off of this idea in verse 2 that an elder, an 241 00:16:35,700 --> 00:16:39,000 overseer must be above reproach and the husband of one wife and 242 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:41,800 several wounded and self-controlled and respectable 243 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:46,800 he goes on and on talking about all of the different things than 244 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:51,600 an elder is supposed to embody. And I just want to mention a few 245 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:53,400 of them. And as I do, I want you to see 246 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:57,400 them in the list that Paul gives he says, an elder should be 247 00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:01,600 above reproach husband of one, wife self-controlled, 248 00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:03,900 respectable holy disciplined, hospitable. 249 00:17:03,900 --> 00:17:07,800 Well, thought of by Outsiders not a drunken are violent, not 250 00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:11,000 arrogant, or quarrelsome not greedy or a lover of money. 251 00:17:11,599 --> 00:17:15,200 His children are be faithful and submissive he must not be a 252 00:17:15,208 --> 00:17:19,200 recent convert Miss Hannah hold firm to the word and able to 253 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:23,599 teach We see a similar list given later and First Timothy 254 00:17:23,599 --> 00:17:27,800 394 deacons that they must hold mystery of Faith with a clear 255 00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:30,400 conscience that they must be tested first and serve as 256 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:38,100 deacons if they prove blameless. These lists are exhaustive. 257 00:17:39,300 --> 00:17:43,000 And I think we can tell a couple things about what it means to be 258 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:47,500 an elder or Deacon by them. First thing I want you to see is 259 00:17:47,500 --> 00:17:49,900 that God is interested in the heart. 260 00:17:52,100 --> 00:17:55,900 The qualifications of Elder and Deacon are not about human 261 00:17:55,900 --> 00:18:00,600 competency. They're about gospel character. 262 00:18:02,100 --> 00:18:06,800 And none of these things are possible apart from the powerful 263 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:09,800 and transforming Grace of Jesus Christ. 264 00:18:10,700 --> 00:18:13,900 And so an elder or Deacon is not called to be perfect. 265 00:18:15,100 --> 00:18:19,700 They're called to be dependent. Called to follow Jesus to know 266 00:18:19,700 --> 00:18:23,700 what it looks like to be repentant to be changed and 267 00:18:23,700 --> 00:18:28,100 shaped and formed by the gospel each and every day to do. 268 00:18:28,100 --> 00:18:31,700 What Paul said. When he said follow me as I 269 00:18:31,700 --> 00:18:37,200 follow Christ, and many ways elders and deacons are called to 270 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:44,700 be the lead repenters And the lead abiders. 271 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:51,200 The ones who know, just how desperate we are for the saving 272 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:54,900 work of Jesus. I think the other thing that 273 00:18:54,900 --> 00:19:00,100 this list tells me, Is that there is a huge difference in 274 00:19:00,100 --> 00:19:04,300 the kinds of things that we expect from leaders and what God 275 00:19:04,300 --> 00:19:08,100 wants of them. In a world, where were used to 276 00:19:08,100 --> 00:19:10,800 human institutions? We think of a certain kind of 277 00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:14,600 values and characteristics that God doesn't seem to be 278 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:18,400 interested. Reminds me of something that New 279 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:21,300 York Times columnist. David Brooks said a few years 280 00:19:21,300 --> 00:19:25,700 ago, talked about the difference between resume virtues and 281 00:19:25,700 --> 00:19:29,800 eulogy virtues resume virtues are the kinds of things. 282 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:32,500 You put on your resume your accomplishments, your skills, 283 00:19:32,500 --> 00:19:37,000 the things that you think you are good at But eulogy virtues 284 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:38,800 are the things that will be read at your funeral. 285 00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:43,400 Things about the heart, the kind of person you are. 286 00:19:44,900 --> 00:19:50,600 These lists to borrow from this distinction or eulogy virtues. 287 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:54,200 And they're impossible apart from Jesus. 288 00:19:55,600 --> 00:20:00,800 I wonder as you hear these lists and here the kind of men that 289 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:05,400 God is calling to be officers in the church to serve as Elders or 290 00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:08,300 deacons some of you might be asking this morning. 291 00:20:08,300 --> 00:20:12,300 What about the women It's a fair question. 292 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:16,300 It's a fair question, not only because of our cultural moment, 293 00:20:16,300 --> 00:20:19,200 but I think it's a fair question because so many men in the 294 00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:23,500 history of the church have done abuse in the name of being an 295 00:20:23,500 --> 00:20:27,600 elder or a deacon. And if you've experienced that 296 00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:30,200 yourself, this morning, first I want to say I'm sorry. 297 00:20:32,100 --> 00:20:35,300 And then second just want to spend a minute or two. 298 00:20:36,100 --> 00:20:38,500 Talking about what Paul is saying here about Elder and 299 00:20:38,500 --> 00:20:43,800 Deacon what that means for the role of women. there's a few 300 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:49,100 responses to that, I guess the question would be What is Paul 301 00:20:49,100 --> 00:20:52,600 saying by saying that elders and deacons are to be men? 302 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:55,400 We see that In this passage, we calls them to be husband of one 303 00:20:55,400 --> 00:21:00,100 wife. 1st Timothy 3, building off of First, Timothy 2, which 304 00:21:00,100 --> 00:21:03,000 is all about the difference in the roles of men and women in 305 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:05,800 the church. And you say, so what are we to 306 00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:08,700 do with that? Paul says that elders and 307 00:21:08,700 --> 00:21:11,200 deacons are to be men. And if that's our practice, 308 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:14,000 which it is here at pc, pc than what are we saying? 309 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:16,300 As a church. We saying that somehow men are 310 00:21:16,300 --> 00:21:18,000 more important and women are less sir. 311 00:21:18,900 --> 00:21:22,900 No. We deeply believe in the value 312 00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:27,000 dignity and worth of every woman. 313 00:21:28,900 --> 00:21:32,800 So, what do we do with this one response is the egalitarian 314 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:35,800 position? it says that women and men have 315 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:38,800 equal worth and dignity and value and therefore they should 316 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:45,200 have equal roles and they come to a passage like 1st Timothy 3 317 00:21:45,700 --> 00:21:48,200 and they say, well, I think perhaps things could be 318 00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:51,800 interchangeable here. That really what Paul means is 319 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:55,900 spouse of one spouse or you could maybe interchange husband 320 00:21:55,900 --> 00:22:00,300 and wife and it could be wife of one husband, But I think what 321 00:22:00,300 --> 00:22:03,300 Paul is saying in the original Greek doesn't allow us to do 322 00:22:03,300 --> 00:22:05,700 that. And so what do we do? 323 00:22:07,100 --> 00:22:09,500 When opposite response would be called patriarchy. 324 00:22:10,700 --> 00:22:13,600 That says, men and women actually don't have equal value. 325 00:22:13,900 --> 00:22:17,000 That men are more important than women and therefore should have 326 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:19,000 more important roles in the church. 327 00:22:20,500 --> 00:22:25,900 Let me offer a third way. I would argue a better way and 328 00:22:25,900 --> 00:22:28,300 it's the way that we practice here at pc pc. 329 00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:34,200 It's called complementarianism. It says that men and women have 330 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:38,800 equal worth dignity and value. In fact, I would go so far to 331 00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:43,200 say that when you read Genesis and the creation of male and 332 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:46,900 female, it is actually both of us together that bear the 333 00:22:46,900 --> 00:22:51,300 fullness of the image of God. and without the other that image 334 00:22:51,300 --> 00:22:56,100 is incomplete, So complementarianism in the truest 335 00:22:56,100 --> 00:23:00,100 sense of the word says that men and women are equal and worth 336 00:23:00,100 --> 00:23:03,500 and dignity and value. But they have been given 337 00:23:03,900 --> 00:23:09,900 distinct differences. That when they fulfill those 338 00:23:09,900 --> 00:23:16,000 different roles, produce a fuller picture of flourishing 339 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:23,300 and the body of Christ, they complement one another. and so 340 00:23:23,300 --> 00:23:28,900 here, Do the Apostle, Paul is saying elders and deacons belong 341 00:23:28,900 --> 00:23:31,800 to men. The Bible. 342 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:38,200 From beginning to end shows us the value worth and importance 343 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:42,700 of women in the body of Christ. It was women who were there to 344 00:23:42,700 --> 00:23:48,300 First bear witness to the empty tomb women, who first proclaimed 345 00:23:48,300 --> 00:23:50,700 that Christ had risen from the dead. 346 00:23:52,100 --> 00:23:56,000 Well, it's Apostle Paul here who says that Elder and Deacon are 347 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:59,700 called to be men. He says elsewhere in the Book of 348 00:23:59,700 --> 00:24:04,900 Romans with a long list of women by a name, just how invaluable 349 00:24:04,900 --> 00:24:09,600 they had been to the mission of the church and he Praises them 350 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:13,400 by name and Philippians. He calls out to women and he's 351 00:24:13,400 --> 00:24:16,800 Praises them for their partnership in the gospel. 352 00:24:18,300 --> 00:24:24,100 In other words, every single person in the church has a role 353 00:24:24,100 --> 00:24:29,300 to play both men and women. And when we play these roles as 354 00:24:29,300 --> 00:24:33,200 men and women and the fullness of how God has designed us to 355 00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:36,300 be, we build up the body of Christ. 356 00:24:37,300 --> 00:24:41,100 So that's the final thing I want you to know before we sing I 357 00:24:41,108 --> 00:24:44,100 want you to know. Well, Elders are called to 358 00:24:44,100 --> 00:24:46,800 Shepherd and deacons are called to serve. 359 00:24:47,100 --> 00:24:50,700 Every Christian is called to build up the church and I want 360 00:24:50,700 --> 00:24:55,400 you to look with me at Ephesians 4 verse 11, As I told you of 361 00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:58,900 First Timothy is Paul writing to one of the pastor's of the 362 00:24:58,900 --> 00:25:02,300 Ephesian church and Ephesians is Paul writing to the church 363 00:25:02,300 --> 00:25:04,700 itself. And so it's a helpful partner as 364 00:25:04,700 --> 00:25:08,300 we try to understand the church in Ephesus and how it was 365 00:25:08,300 --> 00:25:14,600 organized. notice what Paul says in Ephesians 4 verse 11, it says 366 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:17,000 he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the 367 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:21,500 Shepherds and teachers, These god-given roles to lead the 368 00:25:21,500 --> 00:25:27,500 church, why? To equip the Saints for the work 369 00:25:27,500 --> 00:25:29,700 of ministry. You want to guess what? 370 00:25:29,700 --> 00:25:31,900 The word ministry is an original Greek. 371 00:25:33,300 --> 00:25:38,000 Diakonos. In other words, God has called 372 00:25:38,100 --> 00:25:43,700 elders and deacons, not to do the ministry, but to equip the 373 00:25:43,700 --> 00:25:46,900 Saints for the work of ministry, who are the Saints. 374 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:51,400 Everyone who was a follower of Jesus Christ. 375 00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:56,300 God has given us elders and deacons to lay their lives down 376 00:25:56,300 --> 00:25:58,700 for the flock to Shepherd and to serve. 377 00:25:58,700 --> 00:26:02,500 So that we as the church would fulfill our mission to build up 378 00:26:02,500 --> 00:26:07,900 the body of Christ in love and the metaphor that Paul uses is a 379 00:26:07,908 --> 00:26:12,600 body, not an institution, not an organization, but a body. 380 00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:17,500 Where Christ is the head. Not only the head as one who's 381 00:26:17,500 --> 00:26:21,700 an authority, but the head of a body and that he is the source 382 00:26:21,700 --> 00:26:25,700 of all life and wisdom and godliness. 383 00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:30,100 So, brothers and sisters Christ Alone is the head of the church. 384 00:26:31,300 --> 00:26:35,400 He's called Elders to Shepherd deacons to serve, he's called 385 00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:40,100 every one of us to build up the body and love because when 386 00:26:40,100 --> 00:26:45,200 Christ is the head, the church becomes the great apologetic and 387 00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:48,500 are fractured world and a world that has lost trust and 388 00:26:48,500 --> 00:26:52,200 institutions and a world that is increasingly hopeless. 389 00:26:52,500 --> 00:26:58,400 We place our hope and Christ alone and we embody who he is 390 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:02,800 and how the gospel changes us and The way that we fulfill our 391 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:07,200 god-given roles and building up one another with a Love Of 392 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:09,500 Christ. Let me pray Father in heaven. 393 00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:14,000 We pray that we would now embody what it means to be the body, 394 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:17,700 even as we sing that as we sing this final him, we would 395 00:27:17,700 --> 00:27:20,200 consider not only you Jesus as the Cornerstone. 396 00:27:20,200 --> 00:27:22,800 But as we listen to the voices, singing around us, we be 397 00:27:22,800 --> 00:27:27,400 reminded that we are not alone in this that you've given us the 398 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:31,500 church that you've given us elders and deacons and that 399 00:27:31,500 --> 00:27:34,100 you've given us the Saints around us. 400 00:27:34,500 --> 00:27:38,300 And you've each given us a very specific role to play. 401 00:27:39,100 --> 00:27:42,500 Help us to seek your will and knowing what that role is and 402 00:27:42,500 --> 00:27:45,800 help us by your grace to embody that role. 403 00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:49,500 So that we might bear the love of Christ to a lost and Dying 404 00:27:49,500 --> 00:27:51,400 World. We ask this in Jesus name. 405 00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:53,400 Amen, let's stand. Let's sing together.