1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:03,560 A tremendous hymn. Now our Bible reading this 2 00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:08,039 morning is taken from First Thessalonians chapter 5. 3 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:15,000 I'm going to read from verse 12 to the end. 4 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:22,200 OK, First Thessalonians chapter 5 reading from verse 12 to the 5 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:28,440 end. Let's hear the word of God, 6 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:36,760 reading of course from the King James Bible, First Corinth, 7 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:39,760 First Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 12. 8 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:46,760 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among 9 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:53,080 you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to 10 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:57,720 esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake, and be at 11 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:02,080 peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, 12 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:07,040 warn them that are unruly. Comfort the feeble minded, 13 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:10,360 support the weak, Be patient toward all men. 14 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:15,200 See that none render evil for evil unto any man, but ever 15 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:20,080 follow that which is good both among yourselves and to all men. 16 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:25,760 Rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, and everything give 17 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:29,160 thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning 18 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:33,960 you. Quench not the Spirit, despise 19 00:01:33,960 --> 00:01:40,080 not prophesying, prove all things, hold fast that which is 20 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:44,800 good, abstain from all appearance of evil, and the very 21 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:47,880 God of peace. Sanctify you holy. 22 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:51,880 And I pray God, your whole spirit and soul and body be 23 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:55,960 preserved, blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:00,760 Faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it. 25 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:06,080 Brethren, pray for us. Greet all the brethren with an 26 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:10,199 holy kiss. I charge you by the Lord that 27 00:02:10,199 --> 00:02:13,280 this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. 28 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:18,480 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, and we 29 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:21,720 know that God will stamp with his own approval and blessing 30 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:25,680 this reading of His own precious and infallible Word. 31 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:33,240 Now this morning we are continuing with our series of 32 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:39,680 expository sermons in First Thessalonians, and my text today 33 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:45,160 is First Thessalonians chapter 5, verses 12 and 13. 34 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:51,280 Let's read it together, and we beseech your brethren to know 35 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:56,440 them that labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and 36 00:02:56,440 --> 00:03:01,760 admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their 37 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:07,040 work's sake, and be at peace among yourselves. 38 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:13,560 Now I have entitled this message The Spirituality of Leadership 39 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:20,120 in Christ Church. The closing portion of First 40 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:24,840 Thessalonians contains a series of short but powerful 41 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:31,000 exhortations for the life of Christ, Church and the Apostle 42 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:34,920 Paul having written at length about the personal, visible, 43 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:38,800 bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ of this earth, which, of 44 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:42,440 course, is the great hope of all true believers everywhere of the 45 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,680 out the world. Having written about that, he 46 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:50,240 now turns his attention to the practical matters concerning how 47 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:54,600 the church is to live together in this present age. 48 00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:58,320 Remember, the congregation in Theftnanenka was a very young 49 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:03,640 church, three to six months old. It had been planted in the midst 50 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:06,480 of persecution and much opposition. 51 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:09,960 These believers were facing much hardship. 52 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:14,440 Some had suffered imprisonment, some were even put to death for 53 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:17,560 their faith. And now they're learning what it 54 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:22,320 really means to be a child of God and in fellowship with the 55 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:25,400 people of God. They're conscious now they live 56 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:29,120 in the midst of a hostile, Christless world. 57 00:04:29,840 --> 00:04:34,960 And in such circumstances, some of the greatest needs in the 58 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:41,040 church was the need for peace, the need for order, the need for 59 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:45,360 stability, and the need for faithful leadership. 60 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:48,280 So here's Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, 61 00:04:48,840 --> 00:04:52,240 and he addresses the very practical matter of the 62 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:57,080 relationship between the congregation and those whom God 63 00:04:57,080 --> 00:04:59,720 has placed in leadership over them. 64 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:04,640 Look with me at our text, First Thessalonians 5, verses 12 and 65 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:07,720 13. Listen again to the words and we 66 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:13,360 beseech your brethren to know them, which labour among you and 67 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:16,680 are over you and the Lord that admonish you and esteem them 68 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:20,280 very highly in love for their work's sake, and be at peace 69 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:25,240 among yourselves. These two verses, and it's easy 70 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:29,080 to skip over them. They reinforce the subject 71 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:35,120 matter of spirituality of leadership in Christchurch. 72 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:39,040 Now I want you to look at the text very carefully. 73 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:44,800 I want you to think first of all of the reality of spiritual 74 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:51,440 leadership in Christchurch and that that's a conjunction. 75 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:54,320 So it's linking up what he's previously said. 76 00:05:55,280 --> 00:06:00,000 And we beseech that's a strong word to encourage and exhort. 77 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:03,360 Notice this and we beseech your brethren. 78 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:05,960 So he's writing to born again believers. 79 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:09,920 And what's he beseeched them about? 80 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:14,120 To know them, which labour among you, and are over you and the 81 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:20,080 Lord, And at monish you notice the three things to know them, 82 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:25,480 which labour among you, and are over you and the Lord, and at 83 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:29,560 monish you. Now on the surface, what does 84 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:31,800 that mean? What does that say to you? 85 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:38,600 It means this, that Christ as the head of the church has 86 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:43,000 established a structure of government over his church in 87 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:49,080 order for peace, in order for order, stability and harmony in 88 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:51,480 the church. You see, there's not to be 89 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:55,680 anarchy in the church, but there has to be an acceptance of 90 00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:58,960 authority. There's not to be chaos in the 91 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:04,040 church, but there has to be council, consideration, and 92 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:08,280 compassionate care. And these verses, I believe, 93 00:07:08,280 --> 00:07:16,240 speak directly to the life of a Presbyterian Church because we 94 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:19,800 believe that Christ governs his church. 95 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:22,440 In what way does he govern the church? 96 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:25,160 As the sole head and only king of the church. 97 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:29,520 He governs the church through the ministry of the Word. 98 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:33,720 You've got to think about the absolute authority of the Word 99 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:37,640 of God, the final arbiter to do with creed and conduct. 100 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:42,600 The final thought is what saith the Scriptures. 101 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:50,640 You see what God says, the Bible says, and what the Bible says, 102 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:53,760 God says and the. Dr. Ian Brown, he was preaching 103 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:57,000 yesterday in stanfast in the Faith Conference, emphasised the 104 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:02,320 absolute authority of the Scriptures in the church, and he 105 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:07,720 also governs his church. Listen to me carefully through 106 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:12,880 the eldership of the church, those whom God has called to be 107 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:17,720 shepherds of his flock. Listen to what Paul said to 108 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:25,880 Timothy, First Timothy 5 and 17. Let the elders that rule well be 109 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:32,400 counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in 110 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:39,039 the word and doctrine. Now the Westminster Confession 111 00:08:39,039 --> 00:08:44,360 of Faith in chapter 25 reminds us that Christ has given the 112 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:49,880 ministry, the oracles and ordinances of God for the 113 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:54,400 gathering and the perfection of the Saints. 114 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:57,960 And in the form of Presbyterian government. 115 00:08:58,560 --> 00:09:02,960 We believe that Christ exercises His rule not only as the head of 116 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:06,560 the church, not only through the absolute authority of the Word 117 00:09:06,560 --> 00:09:12,160 of God, but through the teaching and the ruling elders. 118 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:18,800 And that is exactly what 1st Thessalonians 5 verses 12 to 13 119 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:22,880 is teaching. It is teaching how you're 120 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:28,480 healthy spiritual relationship blossoms and develops and 121 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:34,360 manifests itself in the church. Here is how spiritual leaders 122 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:38,360 and the membership of the church should function. 123 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:43,520 Remember what he says in Ephesians chapter 4 and in verse 124 00:09:43,560 --> 00:09:47,320 11 and 12. And he gave some apostles that's 125 00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:51,200 to his church, and some prophets and some evangelists and some 126 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:54,600 pastors and teachers. What was the purpose for the 127 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:58,840 perfecting of the Saints, for the working of the ministry, and 128 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:01,360 for the edifying of the body of Christ? 129 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:05,160 Verse 13 says, Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and 130 00:10:05,160 --> 00:10:08,240 of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto 131 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:12,400 the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. 132 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:19,720 What does text is teaching? Is this Christ appointed 133 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:24,120 spiritual leaders in his church? They have been appointed to 134 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:28,120 labour, to rule, to admonish, and the congregation is called 135 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:33,280 upon, every local congregation to recognise and respect and to 136 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:38,080 love and to labour and to follow the lead of the spiritual 137 00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:44,480 leaders. They're to do this for Christ's 138 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:47,280 sake. They're to do this for the 139 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:52,000 harmony of the worship and the work and the witness and the 140 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:55,800 proclamation of the Word of God. And this is an order that peace 141 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:59,080 may flourish within the body of Christ. 142 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:02,680 The pursuit of peace must be fulfilled. 143 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:05,720 I have no doubt that the devil will seek to undermine and 144 00:11:05,720 --> 00:11:10,560 destroy the peace of the church. Remember what Paul writing to 145 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:15,080 the church at Corinth said. And 2nd Corinthians chapter 13 146 00:11:15,080 --> 00:11:18,600 verse 11 finally, brethren, farewell, be perfect, be of good 147 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:23,520 comfort, be of one mind, live in peace and the God of love and 148 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:29,200 peace shall be with you. You see every true born again 149 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:35,800 believer along with every church leader who saved in in a 150 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:41,000 spiritual frame of mind. They must seek to nurture, to 151 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:45,160 strengthen and deepen the peace of Christchurch. 152 00:11:45,160 --> 00:11:49,000 Now, let me ask you very quickly, how do you view this 153 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:52,720 church? How do you view Carried Off FPC? 154 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:55,880 If someone asks you to give a description of Carried Off FPC, 155 00:11:56,200 --> 00:12:00,200 how would you describe it? Let me tell you what it's not. 156 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:05,280 It's not a business that merely exists to provide benefits for 157 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:09,040 its members. We're not in the consumer 158 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:11,360 business. You see, in the United Kingdom, 159 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:15,960 also in the United States of America, professing born again 160 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:19,960 believers, they often shop around for a church that 161 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:21,960 provides certain benefits for them. 162 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:25,600 And once they find what they're looking for, they support that 163 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:27,920 church. And the minute that church stops 164 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:32,000 being beneficial to them, they stop supporting that church. 165 00:12:32,400 --> 00:12:35,600 But we are not marketing the church in this way. 166 00:12:36,560 --> 00:12:39,400 Do you know that some churches have a pastor of marketing? 167 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:45,560 That is, they devise means to how best to market and promote 168 00:12:45,560 --> 00:12:49,680 their church. A woke ideology, a user friendly 169 00:12:49,680 --> 00:12:51,800 approach. They are delighting to tell 170 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:54,640 people what we don't stand for, what we don't believe. 171 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:57,000 And one of the things they don't believe, of course, is in the 172 00:12:57,280 --> 00:13:02,000 awful subject of hell. But carried off, FPC is not in 173 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:06,040 the business that competes in the religious marketplace. 174 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:08,840 What are we? We are part of the body of 175 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:14,920 Christ, and in that sense we are a living Organism comprised of 176 00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:18,320 those who have been born again and those who have trusted in 177 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:21,640 Christ for salvation. You see, whenever we're born 178 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:25,080 again and regenerated by the Spirit, the Holy Spirit has 179 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:31,160 baptised us into the body of Christ, who is the head of the 180 00:13:31,160 --> 00:13:33,080 Church. And of course our bodies are 181 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:40,960 highly functional organisms, our bodies are organised and just 182 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:46,000 like our bodies are highly functional organisms and have to 183 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:50,680 be organised. So the church needs order, the 184 00:13:50,680 --> 00:13:55,160 church needs peace and stability and management and organisation. 185 00:13:56,040 --> 00:14:00,000 But Christchurch is not only part of the body of Christ, it's 186 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:03,080 a family of believers. It's part of the household of 187 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:05,200 faith. Again, if we go back to 188 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:10,760 Ephesians, Ephesians 2 it says in verse 19 Now therefore ye are 189 00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:13,680 no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens 190 00:14:13,680 --> 00:14:17,240 with the Saints and of the household of faith, and are 191 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:19,840 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. 192 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:24,160 Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom all 193 00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:27,480 the building fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy 194 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:32,760 temple in the Lord, in whom also ye are build it together for 195 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:36,720 inhabitation of God through the Spirit. 196 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:43,040 And we beseech your brethren, that is, those who are born 197 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:47,440 again of the Spirit, those who are part of the body of Christ, 198 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:50,840 those who are part of the household of faith. 199 00:14:53,520 --> 00:15:01,600 He's teaching them this, that leadership has been delegated by 200 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:07,840 Christ and that leadership is delegated by Christ to be 201 00:15:07,840 --> 00:15:13,480 exercised in Christchurch. So that's the reality of the 202 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:18,000 spirituality of leaders in Christchurch. 203 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:24,760 The second thing is this very quickly, the recognition of 204 00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:27,720 spiritual leadership in Christchurch. 205 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:36,360 You see, the church has a threefold responsibility towards 206 00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:41,640 its leaders. That is, to know them is not 207 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:54,240 what it says to know them which labour among you, to know them 208 00:15:54,960 --> 00:16:03,120 which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord and manage 209 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:10,840 you. Do you know that submission to 210 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:18,320 godly and good holy spiritual leadership is in a saying of 211 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:23,160 submission to Christ? You see, Jesus Christ is the 212 00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:25,920 head of the Church, not the Pope. 213 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:30,720 And Christ has his own people, people that he's called out of 214 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:33,560 the fallen mass of humanity, people who were once dead, 215 00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:35,880 people who were blind, people who are diseased. 216 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:38,880 And by the mighty operation of the Holy Spirit, as the Word of 217 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:41,880 God has preached, they have been regenerated in the newness of 218 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:44,600 life. And the Lord rules and reigns in 219 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:48,480 their hearts and minds by his word and by his Spirit. 220 00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:53,040 Christ in that sense is an an absolute monarch, and he's the 221 00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:55,280 absolute monarch over the whole of the universe. 222 00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:58,360 There's not an atom that moves in the universe without Christ's 223 00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:00,280 power and without Christ's input. 224 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:02,400 He's the monarch of all the nations. 225 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:06,520 He's the monarch of all men. He's head over all things to the 226 00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:12,000 church, and this monarchy is administered in the Church by 227 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:14,880 men elected to the office of the eldership. 228 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:18,079 Now that's important. You need to get a hold of that 229 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:23,240 and not only face that reality, but you've got to think about 230 00:17:23,319 --> 00:17:26,079 the recognition. Recognise 3 things. 231 00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:28,760 He's pleading with his church. Now let's look at them very 232 00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:31,920 quickly here it says to know them. 233 00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:37,200 OK, You should underline that the simple Greek word is no. 234 00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:42,600 That's the Greek verb. Modern translations put 235 00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:44,800 different words. They change it for copyright 236 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:50,080 reasons, which is sad. Respect and appreciate, but it's 237 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:53,560 simple to know. And what does that mean? 238 00:17:53,560 --> 00:17:57,720 It's not just to know that they exist, not just know things 239 00:17:57,800 --> 00:18:00,800 about them, not just to be aware of the existence. 240 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:03,880 It does mean to recognise, it does mean to respect. 241 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:10,120 But it does mean that the men who are elders, the Church must 242 00:18:10,120 --> 00:18:15,040 recognise them as those whom Christ has placed in spiritual 243 00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:17,560 leadership. And that implies of course the 244 00:18:17,560 --> 00:18:20,000 existence of an office that exists. 245 00:18:20,360 --> 00:18:24,240 It implies the men are saved. It implies spiritual minded men. 246 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:27,880 It implies men of a certain calibre and certain character. 247 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:32,400 It's as if Christ is saying to this young church, I have placed 248 00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:37,640 within you certain men over you for your well-being and for your 249 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:40,360 good. Nobody in the church was to ask 250 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:43,040 why have they taken on a leadership role? 251 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:47,120 Nobody in the church is to ask, well, who do they think they are 252 00:18:47,120 --> 00:18:50,480 to say this and that? You see often times in the 253 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:54,720 church, leadership and membership relationships can 254 00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:57,560 break down. Often times there can be abuse 255 00:18:57,560 --> 00:18:59,880 of power. Often times there can be 256 00:18:59,880 --> 00:19:05,360 resistance to the oversight. Well, let's remember this, that 257 00:19:05,360 --> 00:19:10,720 the Lord has established the office and He has placed men in 258 00:19:10,720 --> 00:19:14,200 that office. And if Christ has set up the 259 00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:17,240 office, He has set it up for a purpose. 260 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:22,680 And the purpose is this for the church's spiritual growth and 261 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:25,800 spiritual development. And that's why we believe, of 262 00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:27,520 course, in the office of eldership. 263 00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:31,560 That's why we believe in a church membership. 264 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:38,040 Are there no verses that teach about A membership being in 265 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:41,280 submission to the leadership? Are there no verses that teach 266 00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:44,600 about leadership being spiritually minded men? 267 00:19:44,760 --> 00:19:47,960 Yes they are. And here's just one verse. 268 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:52,640 And notice in this recognition them that labour and no them 269 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:55,960 that labour among you. You see, let me emphasise that 270 00:19:55,960 --> 00:20:00,280 the word labour means hard work to the point of weariness. 271 00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:05,080 Spiritual leadership in the Church is not a position of 272 00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:08,720 ease. But of endurance, it's not a 273 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:13,760 position of wantonness, it's a position of a work ethic. 274 00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:18,880 You see part of the teaching elders workload. 275 00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:23,360 He has to be in the study. There has to be the preaching of 276 00:20:23,360 --> 00:20:26,480 the word of God. Here's his job description. 277 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:29,600 Preach the Word. That's what we're seeking to do 278 00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:32,800 this morning, every Sunday morning, Sunday evening Bible 279 00:20:32,800 --> 00:20:34,880 study. There's expository preaching on 280 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:37,680 the text to examine the truth of the Word of God. 281 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:39,480 There's prayer for the whole congregation. 282 00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:42,680 There's pastoral visitation. There's the care of every soul. 283 00:20:42,840 --> 00:20:44,880 The well-being of everyone is important. 284 00:20:45,560 --> 00:20:48,360 There's the administration of the two sacraments, baptism and 285 00:20:48,360 --> 00:20:50,520 the Lord's Supper. There's the oversight of the 286 00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:53,960 church. That's where the curt session 287 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:57,440 comes in and the deacons, there's administration, there's 288 00:20:57,440 --> 00:21:00,320 the care and maintenance of the place of worship, there's 289 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:05,560 funerals and there's weddings. And often times that labour is 290 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:09,800 unseen and much of it is in private. 291 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:13,440 Much of it's done quietly and you're not even aware that's 292 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:15,920 going on. But such labour is essential 293 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:21,600 because as I'm here, I'm a servant under Christ, not living 294 00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:25,520 life independently and living in life submission to Christ. 295 00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:28,960 And he has called me to be a teaching elder. 296 00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:31,120 Then this is part of my job description. 297 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:35,160 This is what I do week in and week out and I do it unto the 298 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:38,880 Lord. Not only notice their labour, 299 00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:43,720 but notice their lead. It says and are over you in the 300 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:47,160 Lord. Now this speaks of an individual 301 00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:49,440 who acts like a Sergeant in the army. 302 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:53,240 He has got spiritual authority over the men. 303 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:59,560 This speaks of submission. And you see, true spirituality 304 00:22:00,120 --> 00:22:03,800 includes that. But notice the limitation in the 305 00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:07,080 Lord. The authority of church leaders 306 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:10,120 is not personal, it's not absolute. 307 00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:16,680 It's delegated, it's derived. It comes from Christ, who alone 308 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:19,280 is the head of the Church. That's why the Western 309 00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:22,080 Confession of Faith says that there's no other head of the 310 00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:24,040 church but the Lord Jesus Christ. 311 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:32,800 And Christ exercises authority only as the servants of Christ, 312 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:35,720 only according to the Word of God. 313 00:22:36,360 --> 00:22:39,960 The final authority for creed and conduct is the Word of God. 314 00:22:40,400 --> 00:22:42,360 And in the Free Presbyterian Church, like in other 315 00:22:42,360 --> 00:22:45,400 Presbyterian churches, this authority is exercised 316 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:48,800 collectively by the eldership. It's not a single individual 317 00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:52,080 acting independently. That's the pattern of the New 318 00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:55,160 Testament church. Notice thirdly here, notice 319 00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:59,240 these words and admonish you. What does the word admonish 320 00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:01,520 mean? It means to warn, means to 321 00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:04,840 instruct. He's a teacher of the truth. 322 00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:10,800 He's a watchman in the walls. He's a a shepherd who counsels 323 00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:15,360 and and corrects his sheep. It's all about giving guidance. 324 00:23:15,360 --> 00:23:17,640 It's all about the offering of advice. 325 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:20,480 It includes the teaching of truth revealed in the Word of 326 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:22,560 God. Remember, sanctify them through 327 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:26,120 thy word, Thy Word as truth. It means warning against error. 328 00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:30,000 It means exposing falsehood. It means contending for the 329 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:32,480 faith. It means correcting sinful 330 00:23:32,480 --> 00:23:35,360 behaviour. It means a call for guidance 331 00:23:35,360 --> 00:23:39,080 towards a life of holiness. It means a call to faithful 332 00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:44,400 service. You see, this is all about 333 00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:49,600 wisdom. This is about patience. 334 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:56,040 This is about love and care. This is about devotion. 335 00:23:58,360 --> 00:24:02,920 Notice also the responsibility for faithful leadership, not 336 00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:06,200 only the recognition. You see, leadership is not about 337 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:09,160 status and about prestige. As I've said, it's all about 338 00:24:09,160 --> 00:24:12,480 service. It's all about responsibility. 339 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:17,840 I'm called to labour in the Word and a doctrine. 340 00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:22,520 I'm called to lead as a watchman for your souls. 341 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:31,080 I am called as a learner to try and teach and help you remember 342 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:36,000 what Paul says over there in Hebrews, Hebrews 13 and verse 343 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:37,320 17. He says this. 344 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:40,120 Obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves, 345 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:43,080 for they watch for your souls as they must give an account that 346 00:24:43,080 --> 00:24:45,600 they may do it with joy and not with grief, for that is 347 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:50,320 unprofitable. For you see this is what a good 348 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:55,400 leader will do. There'll be the preaching to the 349 00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:58,760 flock. His primary job will be 350 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:00,720 preaching and teaching the Word of God. 351 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:06,480 That's primary responsibility, and it must be faithful 352 00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:09,840 preaching of the Word. Second Timothy four and two 353 00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:14,000 preach the Word. The church is built up upon the 354 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:17,360 preaching of the Word of God, and without the Word, the church 355 00:25:17,360 --> 00:25:19,640 cannot grow in fee, Ethan in holiness. 356 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:23,280 It will not function properly. It will not grow right. 357 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:25,920 So the preaching of the Word is primary. 358 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:27,520 The preaching of the Word is central. 359 00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:31,080 That's why we've got a pulpit in the front of the church. 360 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:36,240 But on top of that, there's not only the preaching of the Word, 361 00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:44,600 but there's the pastoring of the flock, the pastoral work behind 362 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:50,080 the scenes, the encouragement of the weak, help for all who are 363 00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:55,000 facing difficulty, the bereaved, the sick prayer. 364 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:58,760 Another aspect is not only preaching and pastoring the 365 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:02,840 flock, but protecting the flock, guarding the church. 366 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:06,640 A faithful leader will guard against false doctrine and 367 00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:09,040 error. It will guard against spiritual 368 00:26:09,040 --> 00:26:11,360 danger. Remember what Paul said to the 369 00:26:11,360 --> 00:26:14,080 church at Ephesus. He says, Take heed, therefore 370 00:26:14,080 --> 00:26:16,960 unto yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost 371 00:26:16,960 --> 00:26:19,800 has made you overseers, and to feed the Church of God, which He 372 00:26:19,800 --> 00:26:21,360 had purchased with His own blood. 373 00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:24,040 For this I know that after my departing shall grieve His 374 00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:26,640 wills. Enter in among you, not sparing 375 00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:30,400 the flock also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking 376 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:33,440 perverse things to draw away disciples after them. 377 00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:36,520 There's a need for Watchmen. And not only is the the 378 00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:39,880 preaching to the flock, and not only the pastoring of the flock 379 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:43,240 and the protecting of the flock, but there's also the purity of 380 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:45,240 the flock. And part of my job was to 381 00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:51,480 exercise spiritual discipline. Exercising discipline is not a 382 00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:54,680 punishment. The discipline that's exercised 383 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:58,800 is always for restoration. The goal is always repentance 384 00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:01,040 and healing and the honour of Christ. 385 00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:06,120 The confession of Faith states that censures are necessary. 386 00:27:07,080 --> 00:27:10,320 Why? For the reclaiming of offending 387 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:15,720 brethren whose sin preventing others from going headlong into 388 00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:18,760 sin. And that's the responsibility of 389 00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:22,240 the leadership. So we've saw the reality of 390 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:26,200 leadership. We've saw the recognition of 391 00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:29,880 leadership. We've saw the responsibility of 392 00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:32,520 the leadership. Now listen to this as we finish 393 00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:35,600 the respect for faithful leadership. 394 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:39,800 If you look at verse 12, we've read it. 395 00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:41,560 We beseech you therefore, brethren, to know them with 396 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:44,000 labour among you and are over you and the Lord and among us. 397 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:48,240 You notice these words and to esteem them very highly in love 398 00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:56,880 for their work's sake. You see, healthy relationships 399 00:27:56,880 --> 00:28:02,680 don't blossom automatically. Relationships take hard work and 400 00:28:02,680 --> 00:28:06,560 effort. It requires faithfulness not 401 00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:10,080 only in the leadership but also in the membership. 402 00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:13,320 You see, there's not to be any Mavericks. 403 00:28:14,120 --> 00:28:15,880 I'm going to do what I want to do. 404 00:28:16,360 --> 00:28:19,960 I'm going to do what I like. You see, that attitude is 405 00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:24,080 totally unscriptural. That attitude is wrong. 406 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:28,280 Notice these words and to esteem them very highly. 407 00:28:28,360 --> 00:28:32,720 The word esteem means to respect, respect the office, 408 00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:34,840 respect the work that they're doing. 409 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:38,720 It means to think of, it means to consider. 410 00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:42,520 It's not based on personality. It's not based on popularity or 411 00:28:42,520 --> 00:28:45,840 prominence or promotion. It's based on the work that God 412 00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:50,680 has called them to perform and to esteem them very highly. 413 00:28:50,720 --> 00:28:56,160 Notice these words that means to display gratitude, support, 414 00:28:56,240 --> 00:29:00,040 encouragement, trust and prayer, Confidence. 415 00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:02,800 Leadership in the church can be a lonely place. 416 00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:07,120 It can involve carrying a heavy burden. 417 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:12,600 And to be a faithful leader in the church needs a support of 418 00:29:12,600 --> 00:29:15,040 congregation. And I've encouraged you in the 419 00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:16,760 past. If you're hurting, if you've got 420 00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:19,600 a problem, if you want to raise a concern, something you're not 421 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:22,200 happy with, then come and speak to me. 422 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:25,120 I'll certainly not bite you. I love you and the Lord. 423 00:29:25,120 --> 00:29:27,680 I'll pray for you. I'll pray with you and I'll try 424 00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:30,560 and help you. You see, this is to be done. 425 00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:34,000 Notice the words and to esteem them very highly in love. 426 00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:37,800 It is not the key for their work's sake. 427 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:41,720 You see, it's not based on something that's institutional. 428 00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:45,480 It's based on we're a body of Christ. 429 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:50,240 It's based on we're a family of brothers and sisters in Christ. 430 00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:53,240 And it's having a love for people, having a love for the 431 00:29:53,240 --> 00:29:56,720 brothers and sisters, seeing an individual as a child of God, 432 00:29:57,000 --> 00:30:01,760 seeing them as one for whom Christ bled and died. 433 00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:05,440 And, and, and the love of God in Christ is prominent. 434 00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:10,240 The church, of course, has to be a place of spiritual warmth and 435 00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:13,400 a place of mutual love. And there's the respect. 436 00:30:13,760 --> 00:30:17,640 This is what we are to do, we are to esteem them very highly 437 00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:21,520 in love for their work's sake. And here's the result with this, 438 00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:25,080 we finished this morning the result of spiritual leadership 439 00:30:25,080 --> 00:30:29,720 in Christchurch. And be at peace among 440 00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:32,960 yourselves. That's not accidental, that's 441 00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:37,920 something that's acclaimed. You see, if God's order is 442 00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:43,880 honoured and the Labours labour faithfully and they lead 443 00:30:43,880 --> 00:30:51,280 faithfully and they seek to learn by way of admonishment the 444 00:30:51,280 --> 00:31:00,040 congregation, as a result of that, there will be peace in the 445 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:05,080 church. And that's a very important 446 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:07,800 concept because that's on their mind. 447 00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:10,880 The devil seeks to overthrow that. 448 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:14,640 People forget that. But that's what we're called 449 00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:25,400 upon to do, to be at peace among ourselves, not defiantly, but 450 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:30,200 deliberately, and devotion. And if we are peace among 451 00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:34,240 ourselves, that unity will be seen, that love will be seen, 452 00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:36,880 that care and that devotion will be seen. 453 00:31:37,040 --> 00:31:40,480 And it's all flowing out. Once we grasp the reality that 454 00:31:40,480 --> 00:31:43,520 God has established a leadership in the church, there's office of 455 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:48,320 eldership that exists. And not only do we accept that 456 00:31:48,320 --> 00:31:50,840 reality, but then there's the recognition. 457 00:31:50,840 --> 00:31:54,360 What what is it going to do? And here's the responsibility 458 00:31:54,360 --> 00:31:55,800 that flows from that recognition. 459 00:31:55,920 --> 00:31:59,120 And here's the respect for it. And this is the final result. 460 00:31:59,800 --> 00:32:03,960 And the result is and be at peace among yourselves. 461 00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:08,040 I pray this morning the Lord will take these few thoughts and 462 00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:11,520 bless them to you as we have tried to figure our way through 463 00:32:11,880 --> 00:32:13,840 what this verse actually teaches. 464 00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:16,960 And I pray that the Lord will help us and help me. 465 00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:23,320 And I value your prayers as I seek to labour here and be over 466 00:32:23,320 --> 00:32:28,880 you and the Lord and seek to admonish you for Christ's sake. 467 00:32:29,920 --> 00:32:31,520 We're going to leave it there for today. 468 00:32:31,520 --> 00:32:36,080 We'll look at the few more verses as the Lord gives us help 469 00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:37,200 next week.