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Alright, today we're going to read the Pauline Confession.

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I don't know if you guys have ever heard of the Pauline Confession, but it's actually

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in Timothy chapter 3.

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So we're going to read this together.

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Are we ready?

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We are.

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Alright, here we go.

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Great indeed we confess is the mystery of godliness.

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He was manifest in the flesh, vindicated by the spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among

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the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

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That's Timothy 3.16.

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How many of you guys have ever known that there was actually a confession right there

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in the scripture?

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Pretty neat isn't it?

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One of the important things I want us to do as we go through this chapter 3 is really

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start to, hopefully you guys have seen that as we've been dealing with the issue of biblical

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manhood, the foundations of being a biblical man and the foundations of being a biblical

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woman, we then get to the point of leadership.

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And it's important as God is dealing with Timothy, Paul is trying to get Timothy to

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really understand why it's important to be the man of God that God has called him to

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be.

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Chapter 3 deals with some very important things I think in the church.

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Many churches, I want to say this gently, many churches don't follow this process.

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Like how churches should operate.

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And the importance of the structure of leadership.

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And so there's these standards that he gives concerning the leadership and then there is

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a clear understanding of these things as we go through them.

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So we're going to go through this and we really ended in chapter 2 with this understanding

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that Adam was born first then Eve and Adam was not deceived but the woman was deceived

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and became a transgressor yet she will be saved or she will find her.

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She will be well and whole as a mother, as bearing children if they continue in faith

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and love and holiness and self control.

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And all of a sudden he goes right into this statement concerning elders.

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Why?

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So before we get started there I'm going to pray and ask God that he would guide us through

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this and so you can understand why Paul wrote this to Timothy.

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Lord we want to thank you and praise you.

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You are righteous and good.

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You are a God of order.

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You have set things in place for the well being of your people, for the health of your

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church, for the proclamation of the gospel and so that all in the world may know that

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we are your people.

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Lord we praise you and thank you that you have set these things in place that your people

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may live holy and godly lives.

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We praise you in the name of Jesus.

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Amen.

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So the saying is trustworthy.

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So what we notice here is as Paul starts his, this part of the letter to Timothy, he kind

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of gives a clear understanding of where men should be in the hierarchy of the church and

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the polity of the church.

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The problem with the church in Ephesus is the women were dominant there.

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They were running things.

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They were managing things and the men were not really stepping up to do the job and so

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he lays things down quite clearly in chapters one and chapter two and then he says here

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is how things should be.

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This is trustworthy.

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If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.

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For an overseer must be a brubbly approach, the husband of one wife, sober minded, self

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controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but

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gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

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He must manage his own household well with all dignity, keeping his children submissive.

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For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's

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church?

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He must not be a recent convert.

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He may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.

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Moreover he must be well thought of by outsiders so that he may not fall into disgrace into

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a snare of the devil.

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Wives likewise must be dignified, not double tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy

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for dishonest gain.

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They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

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Let them also be tested first.

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Then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.

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Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers but sober minded, faithful in all

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things.

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Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own household

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well.

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For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great

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confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

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I hope to come to you soon but I am writing these things to you so that if I delay you

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may know how you ought to behave in the household of God which is the church of the living God,

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a pillar and buttress of the truth.

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Great indeed we confess is the mystery of godliness.

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He was manifest in the flesh, vindicated by the spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among

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the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

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So this is quite a remarkable chapter in that he gives the clear understanding of why he

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is writing these things.

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And that's in verse 15.

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Principle number one.

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The man who aspires to the episcopae.

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This is where we get the word episcopalian from, episcopae is the word here.

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So the man who aspires to the episcopae desires a wonderful occupation.

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But know this, it is a work that will require a life fully devoted to Christ.

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So I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ

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as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed.

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Shepherd the flock of God that is among you.

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Exercise oversight, not under compulsion but willingly as God would have you.

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Not for shameful gain but eagerly.

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Not domineering over those in your charge but being examples to the flock.

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And when the chief shepherd appears you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

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Notice Peter 5, 1 through 4.

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It's the supporting scripture here.

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So interesting, this word trustworthy.

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This means worthy of trust.

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Pretty simple.

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Can be relied on.

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This statement can be relied on.

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If anyone, they use the word anyone here.

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It means a certain one.

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A certain one aspires.

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Not anyone meaning women.

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This is not a woman's position.

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And I am not going to be apologetic for speaking the truth.

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This is a certain one is the word here.

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The word is this.

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A certain one aspires.

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What certain one?

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For Adam was formed first, then Eve.

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Adam was not deceived but the woman was deceived.

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This certain one.

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He clarifies this later on here which we will get to.

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So this certain one aspires.

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This certain one is to stretch, to touch, or to grasp.

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In other words, the one who is certain, the man who wants to grasp the office of overseer

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is the idea here.

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Episcopae is the word.

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And the word means oversight, overseer, office, or charge.

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This is not church's charge.

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This is God's charge for that man.

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He desires a noble task.

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The word task here is argon.

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Employment or occupation.

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Why is that important?

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Because this is not something that the man who gives his life to the service of you and

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your people, he does for free.

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He gives his entire life to the care of the sheep, to the care of God's people.

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It is the church's responsibility to give unto that man what is rightfully due for his

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work.

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They did it with the priest.

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We do it now in the church.

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I'm saying this not because you guys don't take good care of me.

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You do.

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That's not the issue here.

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I'm just trying to clarify exactly what Paul is teaching Timothy here.

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Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach.

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There is no other word better than the word reproach.

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He must be above reproach.

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He must not have any accusation against him publicly or in the church.

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The husband of one.

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The word is heis, one in one or in opposed to many, a monogamous.

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That's what this word means.

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Not one in a lifetime.

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One meaning not a polygamous man.

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Not a man who has many wives.

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One wife.

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The Lord knows one's enough.

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Just saying.

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Amen.

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Thank you, Todd.

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All right.

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I'm not going to go there.

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Cheryl will get them later.

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He is a husband of one at a time.

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One hopefully for the rest of his life, wife.

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A sober minded, the word here, sober minded means not controlled by wine, clear headed.

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It's interesting that there's two times he talks about wine or drunkenness.

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One is here, meaning sober minded, clear headed, not controlled by wine.

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And the other is a drunkard.

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It's interesting, right?

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So he must not be controlled by the outward influences.

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Clear headed.

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He must be self controlled.

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So frown is the word here, curbing one's desires and impulses.

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So self controlled means I am not going to be driven by my desires or impulses.

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That's what he means here.

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Respectable, well arranged, modest.

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You'd be kind of different if I came in with ripped jeans.

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It's kind of wild when I see some preachers behind the pulpit who come in with jeans and

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a hoodie.

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Like that's respectable.

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It's not respectable in any church.

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Remember who you represent.

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I should wear ties.

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Some of some of them wear ties.

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I can't.

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I'm not a tie guy, but button down would be nice.

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But we must be respectable.

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Hospitable, phylloxanas means generous to guests.

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You wonder why I've set an example for the last three years of the importance of reaching

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out to every single person that walks in the building.

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That is an example set for you.

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Set them an example, Peter says.

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If I do not set that example, will you?

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Every single person in our church should be going out of their way to touch and to shake

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hands and to give a right hand of fellowship to any visitor that walks in.

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Ask them how their visit was.

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Let them know we love them.

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We care about them.

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We are glad that they're here.

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Important, very important.

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Able to teach.

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I'm going to try to say this as well as I can.

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But my Greek's not perfect.

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Didaktikos.

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Oh, thank you, Jesus.

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Didaktikos means apt and skillful in teaching.

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Apt and skillful in teaching.

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I've been talking to a friend of mine from Delaware and telling me about a young man

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that he's been under and this gentleman's been through some things and he's really

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kind of young in the faith when it comes to shepherding.

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The question for every person should be considering is that man apt and skillful in teaching?

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Not that he can stand behind a pulpit and be charismatic.

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Charismatic preachers don't equip.

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Charismatic preachers make you feel real good and then you go out wondering how in the world

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can I live this Christian life and you walk out defeated every single week because they

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are not apt and skillful in teaching.

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Not a drunkard.

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Not violent, a bruiser, but quick to fight, but gentle, fair and mild, not quarrelsome.

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Amikos, not quick to fight or provoke an argument.

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Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God.

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Not a lover of money.

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Money does not mean a heck of a lot if that's all you care about.

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As a matter of fact, it's evil.

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We are given money as stewards.

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He must manage, pristime, to be over, to superintend, to preside over his own household with all

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dignity, probity, high moral standard, or probity depending on how you want to say it in English.

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I think it's probity.

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I know it's probity.

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I shouldn't have said that.

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He should with all dignity keeping his children hupatege, obedient.

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For someone does not, if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how

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will he care for God's church?

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He can't.

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He cannot.

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And this is just, understand man, this is not just about elders meaning even though

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it's speaking of elders, you should be doing this in your home.

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You are the shepherd of your house.

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This is not just for pastor or just for the elders.

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It's every man in this room.

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Whether your kids are grown up and moved out, he must not be a new convert, a neophyte,

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or a novice, or he may become puffed up with conceit.

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To fa'o means rude and arrogant, lack of respect.

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Man, we know some dudes that are like that.

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Why?

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Because they were given a position they should never have been given.

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They haven't learned to suffer through well.

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What does it mean to hold this kind of position and not lord it and domineering over it, but

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to lovingly guide, shepherd, walk with, properly discipline out of love and concern, not out

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of demand that you do what I tell you to do, but pointing you and driving you to the chief

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shepherd of our souls, Jesus Christ.

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So he must not be rude, arrogant, lack of respect, or proud.

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He must fall into epipito.

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What metaphorically means to come among robbers or to fall among robbers is the word here.

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He must not fall into condemnation.

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The condemnation he's talking about here is condemnation passed by God.

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This is God's condemnation on the man who was supposed to be the shepherd of the people,

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who is a new convert, who is proud and arrogant.

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God condemns him.

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He sentences him.

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He judges him.

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He judges him by presenting him to the accuser, the slanderer, the culminator.

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God basically, in his discipline of this man, wrecks his ability to lead.

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He is no longer above reproach.

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God ensures that this man's testimony is a mess.

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I can give you several examples of that, especially last year.

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Don't need to do that.

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God has already done that for some of these men who call themselves shepherds and are

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not.

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Moreover, he must be well thought of, good, character, and a testimony by outsiders so

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that he may not fall into disgrace.

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He may not fall into reproach or disapproval, into a snare.

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Pagis is the word here, meaning that whatever brings peril, loss, destruction, allurements

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to sin.

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The allurements to sin of who?

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The accuser, the culminator.

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Interesting.

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He writes this.

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For those assigned, second principle, for those assigned to the office of deacon are

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given a great task of stewardship in caring for God's people and properly managing God's

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money.

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If we think of eldership, understand we are held to the highest of standard and will give

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an account for everything we do and say to the living God.

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Everything.

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Being deacons, the scripture says this in Acts 6, 2-3.

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And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, it is not right that

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we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.

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Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the spirit

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and wisdom whom we will appoint to this duty.

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Meaning that these listings here really do associate very well, perfectly actually, with

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good repute, full of the spirit and wisdom whom they are appointed to this duty.

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First Timothy 3, 8-13.

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Daikonos, office assigned to the care, assigned to care for the needs of the church, family,

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and steward God's money.

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That's what this literally means.

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An office assigned to care for the needs of the church, meaning God's family, and steward

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God's money.

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No deacon should be running the church.

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There are many churches, I've come from a couple, where the deacons rule.

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The deacons don't rule.

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God's men rule here.

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That's the way.

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Why?

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Because God is the chief shepherd.

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He runs his church.

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That's the design.

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If you've ever been into a church where the deacon makes all the decisions, they've given

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too much power, that's not their job and responsibility.

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Believe me, if you were to ask our deacons how much work it takes to care for the needs

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of the people and to steward God's money, that's more than enough.

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That's a lot.

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And I think they would agree.

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Amen, deacons?

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Now likewise, deacons must be dignified.

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Semnas is the word here, respected for character and honorable, not double-tongued.

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Dialogos, or logos, dialogue-os, meaning saying one thing to one person and something different

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to another, not being consistent with their word.

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That's important.

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You go to someone, you know, they need groceries.

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You go, we're going to give you, they got two kids, husband and wife, we're going to

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give you $200 for groceries.

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Their pantry is empty.

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Next family comes in, happen to like them a little bit better.

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Same issue, two kids, husband and wife, pantry is empty.

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We're going to give you $500.

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No!

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That's not right distribution.

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That's not fairness.

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That's not being a person of honor and character.

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That's why you can't be double-tongued, right?

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That's what it's talking about here.

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So don't say one thing to one person, another to something different to another.

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Be consistent.

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Consistency is everything when it comes to the care and to the stewardship of God's stuff.

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The greatest stewardship we have is not just the money.

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It's His people.

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I have said this over and over again.

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God will provide the money.

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You better take care of His people.

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Now not addicted, the word here, given to, controlled by, much whine.

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Isn't that interesting?

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Not greedy for dishonest gain.

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In other words, not because you're trying to take money.

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They must hold the mystery.

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They must embrace and keep the Christian truths of God, of the faith with a clear conscience,

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free from guilt, living rightly.

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And let them also be tested.

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Daikimazo, examine, prove, scrutinized.

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That's why we do what we do.

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We do the same thing with the elders.

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We do the same thing with the deacons.

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We scrutinize.

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Notice it says let them be tested first before they become a deacon.

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Then let them serve.

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Dekanaeo means to serve as deacons.

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If they prove themselves blameless, unaccused, unreproachable.

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Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers.

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The word slanderers here is interesting.

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Diabolos is the word here.

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It's the same word, or a word that comes from, you guessed it, devil.

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In other words, don't be prone to slander or a false accuser.

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Be sober minded, not controlled by wine, clear headed, faithful in all things.

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Faithful in all things.

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Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children in their own households

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well.

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For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great

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confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

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So why is Timothy talking here in the church as if it's just the men who are deacons?

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Because the men weren't doing anything here.

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Can you imagine you're roughly around 19 years old and you've been called by God to shepherd

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a church in Ephesus, or the church in Ephesus, and the men are not being busy?

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It's not by accident that God calls Timothy to do this.

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His father is gone.

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He's passed away.

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He was raised by two women, his mother and his grandmother.

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And he had the responsibility to be the man of his house.

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He understood what it meant and Paul was holding him accountable.

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Third principle, God commands elders and deacons to manage their households.

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God has given us the example we must follow himself.

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When we as deacons and elders have an example we must follow Jesus Christ himself, the chief

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shepherd.

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Look what it says in Philippians 1.27, only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel

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of Christ so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are

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standing firm in one spirit with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the

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gospel.

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The reason why we are to manage our households well is because it sets an example to a world

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that desperately needs to see how God's people are with each other.

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First Timothy 3.14-15, I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you

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so that all these things that we have heard, all these things, chapter 1, chapter 2, going

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into 3, all of these things, he writes, notice what it says, if I delay, you may know, eedle

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is the word here, well known, acknowledge how, the word here is pos, in what way, so

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let me say it this way, that you may know well and acknowledge in what way you must

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live, you ought to, it is necessary, there is a need of, it behooves you, it is right

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and proper on how you should behave, how you should walk, conduct one's selves in Christ

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like character, in the household of God, oikos, when we think about how we should be living

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with each other, how we should be setting the example, how we should be purposing to

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walk side by side with each other, to serve with each other, this is how a household works,

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there are times when my kids don't want to, they are 19, don't want to have to do dishes,

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but we live in the house together, sometimes I am busy, sometimes mom is busy, it means

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it requires that you step up, same idea here, we work together, we live with and among each

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other, so if, Paul is saying if I delay, you, I write you these things so that you may know,

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that you may acknowledge in what way it is necessary, it is right and proper for you

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to walk and conduct yourself in Christ like manner, in the household, in the family of

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God, which is the church of the living God, not just any church, the word living means

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he is and be's, he is always, he be's, that is what that word living means, this is not

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just something you do on Sunday, this is a family and we must walk with each other and

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conduct ourselves with one another in a Christ like character because you are part of the

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household, why is this important, because the church of the living God is a pillar,

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a column, a buttress, a, to make firm and stable of the truth, when the church is out

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of kilter, when the church is not living in the way she should, she is not a pillar that

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holds the roof up of a coliseum, she is not the stable firm foundation that is necessary

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so that pillar does not fall over, look at our country, our country is in the shambles

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it is because the church is not the pillar and the buttress of the truth, we have accommodated

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lies, and we have stuck our head in the sand in the lies that continue to happen, I am

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not going to get on that soap box right now, I will not today, and what is left with us,

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it is interesting that Paul goes through this and he gives us this one statement right at

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the very end, what is the purpose of all of this, why should we walk in a way that is

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Christ like character, the Pauline confession, and as a matter of fact God gives his own

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confession, well the Pauline confession is God's confession, but either way he says something

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very similar in a very short concise statement to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 6,

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4, here O Israel the Lord our God, the Lord is one, great indeed we confess a common confession

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by consent of all we agree on this statement without wavering, is the mystery of godliness,

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what is the mystery of godliness, here it is that he was manifest in the flesh, who

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was manifest in the flesh, the God of all creation, the I am, the Alpha Omega, the everlasting

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to everlasting, the always was and always will be, and the one who is to come, this

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God manifest in the flesh, vindicated by the spirit, why, because he was resurrected, proven

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that he is God over and over and over again, he didn't have to, but he did, seen by angels,

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proclaimed among the nations and still proclaimed among the nations, because the devil has lost,

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he is hindered, locked up, put away, because every nation is hearing the gospel, he is

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no longer deceiving the nations, proclaimed among the nations and even till this day,

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and is believed on in the world, and then lastly he was taken up in glory, he sits at

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the right hand of God the father, he is the authority, he is in charge, he is the judge

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and he will judge everything, every dead, every living, they will be judged, every one

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of us, why is this important, because why would we be so quick to walk away from that

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confession, that being said, I think we will end it with that, father I want to thank you

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so much for your faithfulness and goodness, to you be honor and glory forever, we praise

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you and thank you that you were manifest in the flesh, vindicated by the spirit, seen

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by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory, and one

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day you will as you have promised come back for us your people, to you be honor and glory

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forever in Jesus name, Amen.