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Grab your Bibles, guys.

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We're going to jump right in this morning.

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We're going to Titus chapter 1.

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We are not wasting time.

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And as you're turning there, I want

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to start this morning by presenting to you

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a hypothetical situation that will probably never

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happen in your life.

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But it's still good to consider.

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Let's say you have a friend who is

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going to a church that is really, really struggling.

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And they share with you that here's

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a situation with my church.

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The teaching and the preaching is weak.

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There's disunity and divisions in the body.

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Immorality is commonplace.

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Everyone seems to be doing their own thing.

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So the one and others aren't being lived out.

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And there's a general lack of spiritual maturity in the body.

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And this friend looks at you and says, OK, can you help me?

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What would you recommend that we deal with first?

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Don't answer out loud what you would say.

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But what would you recommend?

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It's the number one priority, the top thing

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that you should recommend to fix that type of a church.

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Would you say, go hire a better preacher?

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Get a better worship leader.

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Start midweek small groups.

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Change the way you do Sundays or something else.

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Well, this is what the Apostle Paul

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was dealing with in Titus 1 when he

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was looking at the churches on the island of Crete

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that had all of these deficiencies in them.

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And if you look at verse 5, in Titus 1,

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you'll see exactly what Paul thought

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was the top priority that needed to be addressed.

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Look at verse 5.

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He says, for this reason I left you in Crete, Titus.

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This is why I left you there, he says,

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that you would set in order what remains.

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Some translations say, I left you in Crete

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to set right what was left undone.

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And what was left undone?

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Appoint elders in every city as I directed you.

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Now, just to recap, last Sunday we

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looked at the entire historical, cultural background

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and context of this book.

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If you missed it, by the way, be good for the rest

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of the series if you went back and listened

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to that on one of our audio platforms.

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But we talked about the history of the island of Crete.

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And it's very interesting.

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Both the origins, both mythological and ancient

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origins of the people that settled that island.

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We talked about how we think the original church on Crete

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was planted.

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And we saw how Paul later in life, on his way to Rome

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as a prisoner on a ship, first stepped foot

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on the island of Crete and then returned soon after that.

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We also looked at a profile of Titus, who was not a Jew.

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Very interesting, as a member of his ministry team,

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he is a Gentile with a very common, very strong Roman

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name.

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But he was a key member of Paul's ministry team.

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He was a guy, even before he was assigned this job

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on the island of Crete, he had been sent by Paul

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to deal with some very tough issues in the church

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at Corinth, which was a dysfunctional church.

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And he had proved himself to be both faithful and effective

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in ministry there.

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So Paul has confidence in this young man.

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Now for those of you who missed last week,

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or I see all the students who are back this week,

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welcome back.

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Great to see you guys.

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Let me show you just a couple of the important slides

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that we looked at last week.

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We looked at a map.

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That's not a surprise.

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We looked at a map and we talked about establishing boundaries

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in the west.

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The red dot on the top is Rome.

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In the east, you have the blue dot

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on the bottom, which is always Jerusalem.

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The orange dot there is Syrian Antioch.

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That is where Paul's missionary journeys are launched from.

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Then we have the, just for some context,

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the black dot is Thessalonica.

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In the area we call Macedonia, northern Greece.

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The green dot is where Ephesus is.

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The purple dot is where Corinth is.

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And circled there is, right in the smack in the middle there,

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is the island of Crete.

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So that's what we're talking about here.

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We talked about the topography of this island.

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It is very rocky and very mountainous.

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This is what it looks like today.

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So you get an idea of what Crete looks like.

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Be some beautiful shorelines.

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But not a lot of flat farmland.

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It's very volcanic and rocky.

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So just to give you an eye on some of those things.

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Good?

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So we also looked at the last few years of Paul's ministry.

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There was a time in between his time in Rome under house arrest

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and his ultimate execution around the year 66.

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It appears that he was released for a few years

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to do more ministry.

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And we talked about during those last couple years of freedom,

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he spent time visiting churches in Asia Minor and in Macedonia.

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And then we read right here in verse 5

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that he also went to Crete.

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He went to Crete with Titus.

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And he says he left him there.

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And then he took off back to Macedonia.

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So he left Titus there with another tough assignment.

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Like, look, dude, you did a great job with Corinth.

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Now I've got a real tough assignment for you here on Crete.

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So he says set things in order.

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Set things in order.

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Put in place the thing that should

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have been done from the very beginning but as of now

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is lacking.

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And what is that thing?

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The establishment of church elders.

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The establishment of church elders.

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Titus, I want you to go through the entire island.

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And we looked at it.

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It's about 160 miles.

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So it's not a cross.

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It's not a small island.

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I want you to go through all the cities where churches have

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been planted.

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And I want you to make sure that you put qualified godly men

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in place as elders.

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So that is the focus of our message this morning.

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The proper leadership structure of a local church.

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Because we have a lot said about this in the New Testament.

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And by the way, we call this ecclesiology, right?

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The study of the ecclesia or the church, ecclesiology.

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And so this is the correct answer

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to that hypothetical question that I just posed to you.

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When a church is struggling with a variety of deficiencies,

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the number one priority that needs to be addressed

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is leadership.

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Leadership.

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And not just any kind of leadership,

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but leadership is defined in the pages of the New Testament.

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And that is an authority issue that we have got

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to get straight in our minds.

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That is an authority issue that we

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have got to sort of flesh out together this morning.

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For example, do we have permission from God

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to dream up our own church structure?

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Because it makes sense to us.

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Because can we employ our own wisdom and say, well, look,

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Lord, I see what you were saying in the first century.

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No, thank you.

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I'm going to do my own thing.

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I'm going to do it a way that makes sense

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to me in the modern world.

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That's an important question.

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Do we have that freedom?

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Or should we look at biblical instructions

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like we see here in Titus 1 as prescriptive for us

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in the church today?

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Now, before we read the full passage for this morning,

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let me just first of all share with you

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a brief outline of the book of Titus,

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because we're going to come back to this throughout our study.

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And it's a really simple outline.

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The three chapters of Titus sort of lay out

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pretty neatly for us.

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Paul is going to talk about three places where godliness

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is required for those who profess to know Christ.

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Chapter 1 is all about godly leadership where?

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In the church.

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Chapter 2 is about godly saints living in the home.

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Chapter 3 is about godly citizens

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living in culture or society.

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So that's the way this is going to break down.

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Now, let me break down chapter 1 for you, where we are now.

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Last week, we looked at the greeting, verses 1 through 4.

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Now we're getting into godly leadership in the church.

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And this breaks down into two sections.

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Verses 5 through 9 is how to find qualified elders.

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Verses 10 to 16 is how to identify disqualified teachers.

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So you don't have to know all that today,

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but we'll keep coming back to that so that that outline sort

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of gets reinforced in your mind.

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All right, why don't we stand for the reading of the word?

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Let's read our passage.

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Good to stretch our legs and stand to honor God's word.

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Let's back up to verse 4, and we'll

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read all the way down to verse 9.

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To Titus, my true child in a common faith, grace and peace

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from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

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For this reason I left you in Crete,

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that you would set in order what remains and appoint

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elders in every city as I directed you.

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Namely, if any man is above reproach,

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the husband of one wife, having children who believe,

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not accused of dissipation or rebellion,

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for the overseer must be above reproach as God's steward,

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not self-willed, not quick-tempered,

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not addicted to wine, not pugnacious,

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not fond of sordid gain, but hospitable,

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loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled,

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holding fast the faithful word which

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is in accordance with the teaching,

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so that he will be able to exhort and sound doctrine

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and to refute those who contradict.

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Amen.

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Go ahead and have a seat.

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Now, I find this so interesting.

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Paul greets Titus in just four verses,

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and then he jumps right into the meat of his letter.

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He is not wasting time, because these churches in Crete

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are in need of help immediately.

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And again, this is so significant to note.

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Paul's immediate prescription for these unhealthy churches

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is get godly, qualified leaders in place.

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That is the front line strategy that Paul recommends.

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If the Cretan churches are going to adorn the gospel

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in this very difficult culture, they have got to find.

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Titus, by the Holy Spirit, has got

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to identify men on this island who can step up and step

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into these roles as leaders.

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And they've got to be qualified.

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They've got to be godly men.

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Now, that list of character traits

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you see in verses 6 through 9, we're

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actually going to cover those in detail next week.

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For today, I just want to drive home

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some really important points about what a biblical structure

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should look like.

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And I'm sharing this with you today,

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because I know that many of you will not

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be here at Oak Hill forever.

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Did you know that?

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At some point in life, there'll be some transition

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that'll happen.

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You'll move on.

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You'll take a job.

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You move out of the area.

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You'll go back home, whatever.

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And when that day comes, I want to help

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you understand how to find your next church home.

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What should you look for?

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Did you know it's not an easy thing

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to find a good, healthy church when you move to a new area?

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So we can learn some things here.

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I want principles, the principles

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we're going to talk about this morning,

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to be solidified in your heart and mind

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so that you can take them wherever you go

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and wherever God leads you in terms of finding a new church

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home.

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But I'm not trying to chase anybody out of the church.

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I love all you guys.

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Hope you stay forever.

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But that's not likely.

263
00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:11,240
But these principles will go with you.

264
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So make sure you understand this.

265
00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:16,160
And know this, the strength or weakness of a local church

266
00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:18,440
is always going to lie on a spectrum

267
00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:22,840
based on the spiritual maturity and the soundness of doctrine

268
00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:25,720
of the men who lead and teach it.

269
00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:27,640
So leadership is a critical thing

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00:11:27,640 --> 00:11:29,680
to look at when you're searching for a church.

271
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So let's talk about elders for a second.

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If I asked you, actually let me back up.

273
00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:37,280
If somebody, a non-believer, walked up to you in the street

274
00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:39,680
and said, hey, I understand you're a Christian.

275
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I hear about these things in the church called elders.

276
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How would you define an elder?

277
00:11:44,680 --> 00:11:46,760
Could you do it?

278
00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:51,040
Could you describe for them what an elder is biblically?

279
00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:54,840
Let me give you just a concise general definition.

280
00:11:54,840 --> 00:11:57,640
An elder is a spiritually mature man

281
00:11:57,640 --> 00:12:00,480
who is knowledgeable in the scriptures, who

282
00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:03,880
is recognized and affirmed by the members of a local church,

283
00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:06,640
and who is tasked with both the privilege

284
00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:10,760
and the responsibility of working with the other elders

285
00:12:10,760 --> 00:12:14,960
to do these things, to shepherd, teach, oversee, and equip

286
00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:20,280
for ministry the flock that Christ has entrusted to him.

287
00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:21,960
Make sense?

288
00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:23,320
Anybody scared by that, elders?

289
00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:26,400
You guys scared by that definition?

290
00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:27,800
It's a big deal.

291
00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:28,840
It's very, very important.

292
00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:32,960
Paul tells Titus, this is critically important.

293
00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:36,360
Now, an elder is not part of a board.

294
00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:37,680
In fact, get rid of that.

295
00:12:37,680 --> 00:12:40,320
If you've ever heard that, it's a board.

296
00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:44,440
Board committee, these are terrible words.

297
00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:48,000
Elders are not part of a board that sort of stand apart

298
00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:50,880
from the flock and just make decisions.

299
00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:52,840
Up and down, we just make decisions.

300
00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:54,360
That is not what they are.

301
00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:55,680
In fact, it's quite the opposite.

302
00:12:55,680 --> 00:12:58,640
A biblical elder is a shepherd.

303
00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:02,120
And a shepherd has to be deeply ingrained in relationships

304
00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:04,440
with the members of the flock.

305
00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:06,000
And in all my experience in ministry,

306
00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:07,600
this is one of the greatest weaknesses

307
00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:09,680
that I have seen in church leadership.

308
00:13:09,680 --> 00:13:12,120
Men who come to the office of elder

309
00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:14,360
for all the wrong reasons.

310
00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:15,760
The reason they want to be elders

311
00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:18,160
is they want to be shock callers.

312
00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:20,200
They want to move the church in a direction

313
00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:22,880
that suits what they want.

314
00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:23,640
That's their goal.

315
00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:25,200
They often want to rule.

316
00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:26,080
They want to teach.

317
00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:28,160
But the one thing they don't really want to do

318
00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:29,200
is build relationships.

319
00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:31,400
They don't want to get down in the trenches with people

320
00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:34,440
and actually care for the flock.

321
00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:36,440
They just want to be shock callers.

322
00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:37,560
And that's not good enough.

323
00:13:37,560 --> 00:13:39,080
In fact, that's dangerous.

324
00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:41,680
Those men are dangerous to a local church.

325
00:13:41,680 --> 00:13:45,600
Because biblically, the office of the elder is a servant role.

326
00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:49,260
Just as Jesus came to serve and not be served,

327
00:13:49,260 --> 00:13:51,960
elders are servant leaders.

328
00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:53,920
And yes, it does come with authority.

329
00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:55,760
Elders have authorities in the local church,

330
00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:59,040
but only in the sense that we're serving as under shepherds

331
00:13:59,040 --> 00:14:01,640
under the chief shepherd.

332
00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:04,360
And because elders serve under the authority of Christ,

333
00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:07,000
it's true the flock is called to honor and respect

334
00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:08,360
and follow them.

335
00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:11,320
But elders have to wield their authority among the sheep

336
00:14:11,320 --> 00:14:13,520
always with humility and gentleness.

337
00:14:13,520 --> 00:14:15,800
So it's a very delicate dance that

338
00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:18,640
gets done in the local church.

339
00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:20,140
Now, in spite of all the traditions

340
00:14:20,140 --> 00:14:22,240
you see among the churches of the world,

341
00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:24,880
when you look at the pages in the New Testament,

342
00:14:24,880 --> 00:14:29,600
how many offices are there in a local church?

343
00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:31,840
Two.

344
00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:32,400
Just two.

345
00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:32,920
Count them.

346
00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:34,760
Just two.

347
00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:37,440
Two God-sanctioned offices in the local church.

348
00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:38,200
What are they?

349
00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:41,960
Elder and deacon.

350
00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:43,920
It's consistent throughout the New Testament.

351
00:14:43,920 --> 00:14:45,880
And you would think that would settle the issue,

352
00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:48,800
that every church after the first century would say,

353
00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:52,320
this is the structure we should put in place.

354
00:14:52,320 --> 00:14:54,400
Because it's God's word, right?

355
00:14:54,400 --> 00:14:56,000
But alas, that has not happened.

356
00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:58,240
We're going to talk about some of that today.

357
00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:01,240
Again, just sort of a warning to those of you who someday may

358
00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:02,880
have to look for a new church home.

359
00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:05,200
You should understand these principles.

360
00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:06,960
Now, as I say, there's only two offices.

361
00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:11,240
It's possible that a particular verse popped up in your brain.

362
00:15:11,240 --> 00:15:12,600
And if it did, good for you.

363
00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:13,520
Good job.

364
00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:15,800
Ephesians 4.11.

365
00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:16,800
Anybody know that verse?

366
00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:18,560
Just, I don't have to shout it out loud,

367
00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:20,120
but you know that verse?

368
00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:22,600
It's sometimes described as the fourfold ministry

369
00:15:22,600 --> 00:15:23,280
of the church.

370
00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:24,360
I'll put it up on the screen.

371
00:15:24,360 --> 00:15:25,960
We'll recognize it when we see it.

372
00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:26,720
It goes like this.

373
00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:32,240
And he gave to the church some as apostles, some as prophets,

374
00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:34,120
some as evangelists.

375
00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:38,240
And the grammar on this basically

376
00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:41,200
says that this last office should be read as one thing.

377
00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:43,960
Pastors and teachers, for what purpose?

378
00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:47,040
For the equipping of the saints for the work of service

379
00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:49,320
to the building up of the body of Christ.

380
00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:53,240
So I have no doubt that God gave these roles, these offices,

381
00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:55,840
to the church, because that's what the verse says.

382
00:15:55,840 --> 00:15:57,840
But there's an important follow-up question here.

383
00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:00,680
If that's true, does Paul mean to say

384
00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:04,720
that every local congregation in the history of the church

385
00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:06,840
has to have all four of those offices?

386
00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:11,600
Think about that.

387
00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:13,560
Is that what Paul means?

388
00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:15,480
Because surely that can't be true, right?

389
00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:19,920
Because apostles, the guys who Christ chose,

390
00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:23,200
the guys who walked with Christ, some of whom wrote scripture,

391
00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:26,800
those guys haven't been on the earth for 1,900 years.

392
00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:28,520
So they can't be true.

393
00:16:28,520 --> 00:16:31,040
And no matter what you think about the charismatic gifts,

394
00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:34,680
I think we'd all recognize that not every congregation today

395
00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:37,920
has a resident prophet.

396
00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:39,680
And in terms of evangelists, that's

397
00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:42,520
a role that, yes, some Christians feel gifted and called

398
00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:46,320
to take up, but often as part of a parachurch ministry.

399
00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:48,520
It really doesn't fit as an office

400
00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:51,600
in every single local church.

401
00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:53,760
So the roles here in Ephesians 411

402
00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:56,040
have technical definitions that seem

403
00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:59,240
to reflect the very unique need of the church

404
00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:01,040
in the first century.

405
00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:04,400
Because apostles were active in the first century, right?

406
00:17:04,400 --> 00:17:06,600
And prophets were necessary in the first century

407
00:17:06,600 --> 00:17:10,320
because the New Testament canon was still being written.

408
00:17:10,320 --> 00:17:13,360
And our best understanding of evangelists in this context,

409
00:17:13,360 --> 00:17:15,600
they were men who went with the apostles,

410
00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:20,440
guys like Peter and Paul, on mission into the Greek world.

411
00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:22,320
The other thing I should point out on this subject

412
00:17:22,320 --> 00:17:25,760
is the truth that comes out of Ephesians 2.20,

413
00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:27,200
where Paul says the church has been

414
00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:30,200
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets

415
00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:32,800
with Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.

416
00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:35,400
You don't keep laying a foundation over and over again,

417
00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:35,920
do you?

418
00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:38,960
You lay it one time, and then you build on that foundation

419
00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:40,880
in other ways.

420
00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:44,360
So my opinion is that those offices in Ephesians 411

421
00:17:44,360 --> 00:17:47,360
were given to the church in that unique part

422
00:17:47,360 --> 00:17:49,160
of redemptive history.

423
00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:51,640
But those four offices were not all

424
00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:55,200
to pass on to every single local church

425
00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:58,280
for the rest of the New Covenant era.

426
00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:03,160
Now, what about that last role in Ephesians 411, pastor-teacher?

427
00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:04,560
Well, it's interesting.

428
00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:06,400
This is something that my opinion on this

429
00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:09,600
has shifted in my years of studying ecclesiology.

430
00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:11,800
I certainly understand the common use

431
00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:13,360
of the term pastor today.

432
00:18:13,360 --> 00:18:17,600
It's probably the most common and popular title

433
00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:19,960
to give one of those guys who leads the church.

434
00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:23,600
But we often can't even define what pastor means.

435
00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:26,600
And I'm not comfortable with accepting it.

436
00:18:26,600 --> 00:18:27,720
And I'll tell you why.

437
00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:33,200
First, it's a term that found in its noun form, poeminos,

438
00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:35,760
is found how many times in the New Testament?

439
00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:39,520
Just once in Ephesians 411.

440
00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:42,880
That's the only time in the entire New Testament

441
00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:45,560
that someone is called a pastor.

442
00:18:45,560 --> 00:18:48,640
And yet, it's the most popular term used today.

443
00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:50,960
Second, it's group of those other offices, which, again,

444
00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:54,800
I don't believe carry forward to local congregations today.

445
00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:58,440
So I'm hesitant to apply the term pastor even to myself.

446
00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:00,880
Even though I understand that many of you

447
00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:04,160
grew up using that term, it's sort of a colloquial term

448
00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:05,480
that you're still using.

449
00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:08,160
Some of you guys will walk up and call me Pastor Jeff.

450
00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:09,240
And that's fine.

451
00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:10,820
Because I understand what you're doing.

452
00:19:10,820 --> 00:19:12,400
You want to show honor and respect.

453
00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:13,920
And I greatly appreciate that.

454
00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:16,200
But honestly, can I be honest with you?

455
00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:18,280
I'd prefer if you just recognized me

456
00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:22,840
as one of the elders that serve here at Oak Hill.

457
00:19:22,840 --> 00:19:25,640
Because that's the most biblically common term.

458
00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:28,440
Now, don't call me Elder Jeff.

459
00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:29,000
Don't do that.

460
00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:31,200
Because now we sound like the Mormon church, right?

461
00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:33,320
Don't do that.

462
00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:34,920
You could just call me Jeff.

463
00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:35,520
That's fine.

464
00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:39,600
And by the way, in a technical sense,

465
00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:45,360
poeminos, in the verb form, poimeno means to shepherd.

466
00:19:45,360 --> 00:19:47,640
In the verb form, it just means to shepherd.

467
00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:52,000
So honestly, if I were to translate Ephesians 4.11,

468
00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:53,640
I wouldn't even use the word pastor there.

469
00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:55,320
I use the word shepherd.

470
00:19:55,320 --> 00:19:57,520
That's the more accurate translation.

471
00:19:57,520 --> 00:19:59,640
It means to shepherd a flock.

472
00:19:59,640 --> 00:20:05,720
So just to recap, I'm not 100% comfortable receiving

473
00:20:05,720 --> 00:20:06,680
the term pastor.

474
00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:08,840
But if that's your habit, because you grew up with it,

475
00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:12,040
or you just want to love me in that way, amen.

476
00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:12,840
That's wonderful.

477
00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:14,880
OK, let's expand on this just a bit more,

478
00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:18,120
especially in looking at Greek titles, because they matter.

479
00:20:18,120 --> 00:20:19,880
In the Greek New Testament, there

480
00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:22,880
are two words that are used interchangeably

481
00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:25,400
to describe this one office of elder.

482
00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:26,680
Let me give you what they are.

483
00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:29,560
The first one is presbuteros.

484
00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:32,840
And that is often translated just elder.

485
00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:35,880
And the second one is episkopos.

486
00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:37,440
And it's translated overseer.

487
00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:40,480
Now, you probably recognize we get prespetarian

488
00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:41,560
from the first one.

489
00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:43,920
And we get episkopal, or episkopalian,

490
00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:45,600
from the second word.

491
00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:48,760
So in its most basic meaning, presbuteros

492
00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:51,840
refers to somebody who is of an older age.

493
00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:53,560
He's an elder.

494
00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:56,520
And that term is borrowed from Jewish culture.

495
00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:59,920
It referred to a man who, by virtue of his older age,

496
00:20:59,920 --> 00:21:02,920
his wisdom and experience, he gave leadership

497
00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:04,200
to the community of Israel.

498
00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:06,840
So you see this in the New Testament gospels

499
00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:10,400
in particular, the elders of Israel, it says oftentimes.

500
00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:11,920
They're grouped together, or they're

501
00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:15,280
linked with the chief priests and the elders.

502
00:21:15,280 --> 00:21:19,720
So this term sort of carried on into the New Testament.

503
00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:22,360
Now, episkopos, in its most basic form,

504
00:21:22,360 --> 00:21:25,720
refers to somebody who does inspections.

505
00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:28,440
Biblically, we call them overseers,

506
00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:30,320
which speaks to another important function

507
00:21:30,320 --> 00:21:31,760
that an elder is called to.

508
00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:35,240
We shepherd and we oversee.

509
00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:36,360
So those are the two words.

510
00:21:36,360 --> 00:21:37,740
Now, there are several good reasons

511
00:21:37,740 --> 00:21:39,760
to believe that both of those Greek words

512
00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:42,320
are referring to the same office in the church.

513
00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:45,120
This is the important thing, the same church office.

514
00:21:45,120 --> 00:21:48,320
First of all, look again at your text in Titus 1.

515
00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:50,640
And you see both of those terms used,

516
00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:53,620
and they clearly refer to the same office.

517
00:21:53,620 --> 00:21:55,720
Look again at verse 5.

518
00:21:55,720 --> 00:22:00,600
Paul says to Titus, appoint presbuteros in every city

519
00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:02,560
as I directed you.

520
00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:04,160
Then drop down to verse 7.

521
00:22:04,160 --> 00:22:07,320
Paul starts to give the qualifications for elders,

522
00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:09,520
and he switches terms.

523
00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:14,920
For the episkopon must be above reproach.

524
00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:17,040
So same office, two different words.

525
00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:19,800
And this happens multiple times in the New Testament.

526
00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:21,080
It's very clear.

527
00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:23,840
Acts chapter 20 is another great example.

528
00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:27,320
Paul calls for the elders from the city of Ephesus

529
00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:29,160
to meet him in Miletus.

530
00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:31,800
And then he tells them that the Holy Spirit has made them

531
00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:35,680
overseers in charge of shepherding the church.

532
00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:39,400
So all those terms are lumped together in that passage.

533
00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:42,320
And you see there the verb form of pastor,

534
00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:44,800
to shepherd the church of God.

535
00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:47,800
So elders are to oversee the flock and pastor the flock.

536
00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:52,660
Again, all describing functions of the very same office,

537
00:22:52,660 --> 00:22:54,040
elder.

538
00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:56,640
One more really important passage, 1 Peter 5.

539
00:22:56,640 --> 00:22:59,000
We have to look at this.

540
00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:02,160
Peter says, I exhort the elders among you

541
00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:04,520
as your fellow elder.

542
00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:05,560
What should you do?

543
00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:08,640
Shepherd, pastor the flock of God among you,

544
00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:12,400
exercising oversight.

545
00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:14,440
So Peter calls himself an elder.

546
00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:16,040
He talks about other elders.

547
00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:18,600
And then he instructs them what they should do, shepherd

548
00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:20,480
or pastor and oversee.

549
00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:23,920
It's all one office, guys, with a series of functions.

550
00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:26,000
Does this make sense?

551
00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:26,280
Good.

552
00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:28,400
I don't like throwing Greek at you for no reason,

553
00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:30,880
but it does sometimes really, really matter.

554
00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:34,720
So the point I'm trying to make with this

555
00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:37,880
is the organizational structure of the first century church

556
00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:40,500
that was given to the church by the apostles is very, very

557
00:23:40,500 --> 00:23:42,200
simple.

558
00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:44,340
We don't have to complicate it.

559
00:23:44,340 --> 00:23:48,040
Wherever churches were planted, qualified godly elders

560
00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:51,200
should be appointed there to lead and serve the church

561
00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:54,440
under the lordship of Christ, being guided by the scriptures

562
00:23:54,440 --> 00:23:55,240
and by the Spirit.

563
00:23:55,240 --> 00:23:56,120
That's it.

564
00:23:56,120 --> 00:23:58,400
That's the ecclesiology of the church.

565
00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:04,400
Now, how has the church done over the past 2,000 years

566
00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:08,160
in following that simple model?

567
00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:11,880
Have you ever done a religious survey of Christendom,

568
00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:14,120
air quotes?

569
00:24:14,120 --> 00:24:16,400
It's not pretty.

570
00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:17,720
We haven't done this well at all.

571
00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:19,880
And it's because of the nature of sinful man.

572
00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:23,520
Why is it we always find a way to say,

573
00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:25,280
I'm going to do my own thing.

574
00:24:25,280 --> 00:24:29,600
I'm going to do it my way rather than trust God's instructions

575
00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:31,560
in spite of what we see with our eyes say,

576
00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:33,680
yeah, but God told us how to do this.

577
00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:36,640
So we're going to do it that way.

578
00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:37,600
We don't do this well.

579
00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:40,560
So in that vein, let me run some numbers by you.

580
00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:43,320
So the term overseer is found five times in the New

581
00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:44,520
Testament.

582
00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:49,080
The term elder is used 33 times, right,

583
00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:50,400
from Acts to Revelation.

584
00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:51,800
So that's a lot of times.

585
00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:55,040
These terms are all over the New Testament.

586
00:24:55,040 --> 00:24:59,040
Now, how about some other common titles in Christendom today?

587
00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:01,600
How many times do you think you see the word pope in there?

588
00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:08,920
Drip in with sarcasm.

589
00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:14,520
How many times you see cardinal or archbishop

590
00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:22,480
or ecumenical patriarch or vicar or reverend or abbot

591
00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:27,360
or nun, zero.

592
00:25:27,360 --> 00:25:29,840
Where did it all come from?

593
00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:33,320
Come from the mind of man.

594
00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:35,960
What about the term priest?

595
00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:38,040
Now, we know as we look at the Hebrew scriptures

596
00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:41,240
and under the old covenant, there was a priesthood in Israel,

597
00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:42,360
right?

598
00:25:42,360 --> 00:25:45,000
But what about under the New Covenant?

599
00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:49,160
Should there be priests in the church today?

600
00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:50,560
No.

601
00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:51,480
There's no need for it.

602
00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:54,400
There's no office given to any clergy in the New Testament

603
00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:58,440
under the title or the function of priests

604
00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:00,560
because we don't need them anymore.

605
00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:03,400
Hebrews 7 is clear that the death of Christ

606
00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:05,560
annulled the Levitical priesthood of the Old

607
00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:08,480
Testament because his sacrifice was fully

608
00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:10,920
sufficient for the forgiveness of our sins.

609
00:26:10,920 --> 00:26:14,280
So we don't need fallible sinful men to intercede for us

610
00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:17,800
any longer because we have the ultimate sacrifice in Christ.

611
00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:20,280
We don't need them.

612
00:26:20,280 --> 00:26:22,320
And this was literally demonstrated for us

613
00:26:22,320 --> 00:26:25,760
in the tearing of the veil that prior to the cross separated

614
00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:27,040
man from the Holy of Holies.

615
00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:29,520
Now we have access, direct access,

616
00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:32,720
to the throne of grace without the need for a mediator.

617
00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:35,000
Now, there is a mediator between us and God.

618
00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:36,520
Who is that?

619
00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:38,320
The great high priest.

620
00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:39,880
We don't need little priests.

621
00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:41,640
We have a great high priest who sits

622
00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:42,920
at the right hand of the Father.

623
00:26:42,920 --> 00:26:46,080
And Paul makes this so clear in 1 Timothy 2, 5.

624
00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:50,480
There is one God and only one mediator between God and man.

625
00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:51,280
And that's Christ.

626
00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:53,000
How many mediators?

627
00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:56,040
One.

628
00:26:56,040 --> 00:27:01,040
Priests are irrelevant to new covenant believers.

629
00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:03,440
In fact, Peter tells us that every new covenant believer

630
00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:05,000
is now a priest.

631
00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:08,640
You are a priest if you're found in Christ this morning.

632
00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:11,600
We are priests in a new temple that Christ is building with us

633
00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:13,640
as living stones.

634
00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:16,200
Now we don't bring physical animals to an altar anymore.

635
00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:18,920
But Peter says, and the irony is dripping,

636
00:27:18,920 --> 00:27:22,440
Peter said to be the first pope, Peter

637
00:27:22,440 --> 00:27:26,560
says we offer up spiritual sacrifices to God

638
00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:29,280
through Jesus who is our great high priest.

639
00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:31,280
That's what we do.

640
00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:33,360
And friends, there is a word of caution in this.

641
00:27:33,360 --> 00:27:36,960
I'm not sharing this with you just to say, well,

642
00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:38,360
all these other models aren't right.

643
00:27:38,360 --> 00:27:43,280
There's a caution in this that comes from the Lord himself.

644
00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:46,400
When it comes to ecclesiastical titles and functions

645
00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:49,280
like bishop or reverend or priest,

646
00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:51,600
we should heed the words of Christ on this.

647
00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:55,000
Now I told Adam this morning, I decided

648
00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:56,520
to do this late last night.

649
00:27:56,520 --> 00:27:59,880
I'm going to touch the third rail of church structure

650
00:27:59,880 --> 00:28:00,880
this morning.

651
00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:02,640
You know what the third rail is, right?

652
00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:04,600
Is that one thing you're not supposed to touch

653
00:28:04,600 --> 00:28:06,760
because it's dangerous?

654
00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:17,520
Turn your Bibles to Matthew 23.

655
00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:20,760
Matthew 23, this is getting towards the end

656
00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:21,640
of Matthew's gospel.

657
00:28:21,640 --> 00:28:26,000
Jesus is beginning to see the cross looming

658
00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:30,440
in the near future.

659
00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:33,720
And he's speaking to crowds, and his disciples are present.

660
00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:37,960
Look at verse 1.

661
00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:41,160
Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples,

662
00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:43,080
saying, the scribes and the Pharisees

663
00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:47,000
have seated themselves in the chair of Moses.

664
00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:50,080
Therefore, all that they tell you, do and observe,

665
00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:53,080
but do not do according to their deeds.

666
00:28:53,080 --> 00:28:57,480
For they say things and do not do them.

667
00:28:57,480 --> 00:29:00,240
They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders,

668
00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:02,200
but they themselves are unwilling to move them

669
00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:05,240
with so much as a finger.

670
00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:08,840
But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men.

671
00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:10,520
For they broaden their phylacteries

672
00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:12,720
and lengthen the tassels of their garments.

673
00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:14,800
They love the place of honor at banquets

674
00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:17,040
and the chief seats in the synagogues

675
00:29:17,040 --> 00:29:19,200
and respectful greetings in the marketplace

676
00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:22,240
and being called rabbi by men.

677
00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:25,720
You see what Jesus is pointing out here?

678
00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:29,560
Were the Pharisees focused on the glory of God in their role?

679
00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:33,240
Were they focused on shepherding the sheep of Israel well?

680
00:29:33,240 --> 00:29:34,480
Not at all.

681
00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:36,800
What they wanted was to draw attention to themselves.

682
00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:38,640
They wanted to be noticed.

683
00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:41,240
In fact, they even customized their garments

684
00:29:41,240 --> 00:29:43,360
so that they could make themselves distinct

685
00:29:43,360 --> 00:29:45,680
from the common people.

686
00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:48,040
And yet, even with their desire to be separated

687
00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:51,440
from the peasants, they expected to be honored and greeted

688
00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:53,880
by them and to get special favors because

689
00:29:53,880 --> 00:29:55,920
of their position.

690
00:29:55,920 --> 00:30:00,160
And from that example, Jesus warns his disciples.

691
00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:04,800
And by extension, he warns us in the church today.

692
00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:06,080
Look at verses 8 through 12.

693
00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:07,120
Look at the warning.

694
00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:09,600
But do not be called rabbi.

695
00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:11,720
For one is your teacher.

696
00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:14,240
And you are all brothers.

697
00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:17,080
Do not call anyone on earth your father.

698
00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:21,120
For one is your father, he who is in heaven.

699
00:30:21,120 --> 00:30:22,440
Do not be called leaders.

700
00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:24,760
And the better translation there is either master

701
00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:26,200
or instructor.

702
00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:27,400
For one is your master.

703
00:30:27,400 --> 00:30:29,520
That is Christ.

704
00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:31,600
But the greatest among you shall be your servant.

705
00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:33,840
Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled.

706
00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:36,840
Whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

707
00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:40,080
So don't be like the Pharisees, he says to the disciples.

708
00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:41,400
Now, Jesus knows the future.

709
00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:44,000
These guys, these disciples, are going

710
00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:46,600
to be put in positions of power.

711
00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:51,200
Jesus says, when you get there, don't be like the Pharisees.

712
00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:53,160
You're to be a humble servant among brothers.

713
00:30:53,160 --> 00:30:56,880
You're not to be high and lofty, separated from the rest.

714
00:30:56,880 --> 00:30:58,460
And this is what we do in the church.

715
00:30:58,460 --> 00:31:01,040
We create this clergy laity thing,

716
00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:03,200
where the clergy is the peasants down here,

717
00:31:03,200 --> 00:31:06,040
and the clergy are high and lofty.

718
00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:06,760
Don't do that.

719
00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:11,320
Don't take on titles of honor that further create this divide

720
00:31:11,320 --> 00:31:13,920
between you and your flock.

721
00:31:13,920 --> 00:31:15,800
Lay aside any sense of entitlement

722
00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:18,880
that you think you deserve, because you're in this position.

723
00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:21,320
Don't demand the applause of men.

724
00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:24,280
Don't put on special garments that say,

725
00:31:24,280 --> 00:31:26,800
I'm different than you, or I'm better than you,

726
00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:30,200
or I'm holier than you.

727
00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:32,000
Now, by saying this, Jesus isn't denying

728
00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:35,280
that there are still functional leadership roles in the church.

729
00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:36,720
That's true.

730
00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:38,400
And he's also not saying you can't

731
00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:41,280
call your biological parent father.

732
00:31:41,280 --> 00:31:42,920
That's not what he's saying here.

733
00:31:42,920 --> 00:31:45,840
He's talking about ecclesiastical titles,

734
00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:48,320
and the postures, and the attitudes that

735
00:31:48,320 --> 00:31:51,200
come with people who take those titles on.

736
00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:53,320
We need to be careful about this.

737
00:31:53,320 --> 00:31:55,560
As a Christ follower under the new covenant,

738
00:31:55,560 --> 00:31:58,480
you have one true rabbi, he says.

739
00:31:58,480 --> 00:32:01,880
You have one true teacher, one true father, one true master.

740
00:32:01,880 --> 00:32:02,400
It's true.

741
00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:04,160
We minister to each other.

742
00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:05,600
And you may be blessed and served

743
00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:09,120
by your brother in Christ who's in the local church.

744
00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:12,760
But it's all in Jesus' name, and it's under his lordship.

745
00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:14,680
He alone is the head of the church.

746
00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:17,800
He alone is the source of every good gift.

747
00:32:17,800 --> 00:32:22,000
So avoid these pitfalls of creating this distinction

748
00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:25,120
between clergy and laity.

749
00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:27,440
Now, here's what amazes me.

750
00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:28,880
The language here is pretty clear.

751
00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:32,360
Jesus gives a clear warning, and yet, how many Christians

752
00:32:32,360 --> 00:32:35,520
have completely ignored him?

753
00:32:35,520 --> 00:32:36,680
Completely ignored.

754
00:32:36,680 --> 00:32:40,240
Like, we're going to read right past this passage.

755
00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:40,960
And do what?

756
00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:43,080
We're going to do our own thing.

757
00:32:43,080 --> 00:32:47,840
We're going to do what makes us happy in our own wisdom.

758
00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:51,920
J.C. Ryle, great theologian, says,

759
00:32:51,920 --> 00:32:54,320
the Pharisees are not the only people who

760
00:32:54,320 --> 00:32:56,080
have imposed austerities on others

761
00:32:56,080 --> 00:32:58,520
and affected the sanctity of apparel

762
00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:00,280
and loved the praise of man.

763
00:33:00,280 --> 00:33:02,080
The annals of church history show

764
00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:04,640
that far too many Christians have

765
00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:07,600
walked closely in their steps.

766
00:33:07,600 --> 00:33:09,960
That is the truth about church history.

767
00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:12,440
How many churches within the realm of Christendom

768
00:33:12,440 --> 00:33:17,040
have done the very things that Jesus says not to do here?

769
00:33:17,040 --> 00:33:19,760
You look at the three major divisions of Christendom,

770
00:33:19,760 --> 00:33:24,840
Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Protestantism.

771
00:33:24,840 --> 00:33:27,600
Two of them boast in having priests.

772
00:33:30,680 --> 00:33:34,480
And how are you supposed to address the priest?

773
00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:36,600
You call them father.

774
00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:41,040
The very title that Jesus condemns in this passage.

775
00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:44,040
How is that possible?

776
00:33:44,040 --> 00:33:45,080
I know what you're thinking.

777
00:33:45,080 --> 00:33:48,280
Did they not read the scriptures?

778
00:33:48,280 --> 00:33:50,640
The Protestant leaders have their own set of problems.

779
00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:52,720
We're not spared from this.

780
00:33:52,720 --> 00:33:54,240
Some leaders insist.

781
00:33:54,240 --> 00:33:55,760
I mean, insist.

782
00:33:55,760 --> 00:33:57,720
You must call me pastor.

783
00:33:57,720 --> 00:34:01,000
You must call me bishop.

784
00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:03,680
They won't even respond to anything else.

785
00:34:03,680 --> 00:34:07,840
They won't even respond to anything else.

786
00:34:07,840 --> 00:34:10,160
Or worse, they'll run around saying I'm an apostle

787
00:34:10,160 --> 00:34:11,520
or I'm a prophet.

788
00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:13,520
We see this all over the place.

789
00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:16,680
Titles and veneration and applause and, of course,

790
00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:18,600
special garments that come with it.

791
00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:21,560
All of these things feed egos and build up

792
00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:23,640
the pride of weak men.

793
00:34:23,640 --> 00:34:26,120
And then there's a whole other thing where by doing this,

794
00:34:26,120 --> 00:34:29,240
we create pastoral celebrities.

795
00:34:29,240 --> 00:34:30,600
And we're not following Christ.

796
00:34:30,600 --> 00:34:34,040
We're following this guy or that guy.

797
00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:36,240
And too many of these men are comfortable soaking up

798
00:34:36,240 --> 00:34:36,800
the flattery.

799
00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:38,640
They're soaking up the praise.

800
00:34:38,640 --> 00:34:41,160
And they're soaking up all the wealth and power

801
00:34:41,160 --> 00:34:43,480
that goes with it.

802
00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:46,440
This is all over the church, you guys.

803
00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:49,280
It allows leaders to actually feel untouchable.

804
00:34:49,280 --> 00:34:52,800
In some cases, they can get away with all kinds of evils

805
00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:55,240
because they put themselves in a place where they're, well,

806
00:34:55,240 --> 00:34:57,000
I'm too important to be touched.

807
00:34:57,000 --> 00:34:58,960
I'm too important to be accountable to anybody.

808
00:34:58,960 --> 00:35:00,520
I do as I please.

809
00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:02,400
And I could stand up here, and I could give you

810
00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:06,760
a whole long list of men who have fallen into that trap.

811
00:35:06,760 --> 00:35:09,880
Jesus warned us about this.

812
00:35:09,880 --> 00:35:15,840
Now, seriously, for a second, I want you to think about this.

813
00:35:15,840 --> 00:35:18,880
The church today, in any one of those forms, Protestant,

814
00:35:18,880 --> 00:35:24,160
Catholic, Orthodox, think about what it looks like today.

815
00:35:24,160 --> 00:35:25,640
Look in the pages of scripture.

816
00:35:25,640 --> 00:35:29,920
Look at the New Testament church in Crete, in Ephesus,

817
00:35:29,920 --> 00:35:31,240
in Corinth.

818
00:35:31,240 --> 00:35:34,040
What do those churches look like?

819
00:35:34,040 --> 00:35:38,080
Groups of common people gathering in homes.

820
00:35:38,080 --> 00:35:42,000
Groups of people, just common people, gathering in homes

821
00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:45,640
to sing songs, to pray, to study the Bible,

822
00:35:45,640 --> 00:35:50,760
all under the oversight of appointed elders.

823
00:35:50,760 --> 00:35:52,000
How did we get to this?

824
00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:56,440
How do we get to this?

825
00:35:56,440 --> 00:36:00,440
How do we get to these things?

826
00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:02,400
Does this look like New Testament to you?

827
00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:08,680
How do we get buildings like this?

828
00:36:13,960 --> 00:36:15,200
I think there was one more.

829
00:36:15,200 --> 00:36:15,960
Nope.

830
00:36:15,960 --> 00:36:18,840
How do we end up like this?

831
00:36:18,840 --> 00:36:22,800
Have you seen the Vatican buildings?

832
00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:25,160
Have you seen the billions of dollars

833
00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:28,400
that reside within the structures of the Vatican?

834
00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:30,960
How do you think Peter would feel that his name

835
00:36:30,960 --> 00:36:33,800
is attached to the Basilica in the Vatican today?

836
00:36:33,800 --> 00:36:36,760
How would Peter feel about that?

837
00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:39,040
How do we get this from the New Testament?

838
00:36:39,040 --> 00:36:42,040
How do we get this from the New Testament?

839
00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:52,320
So let me ask you to speculate on something else this morning.

840
00:36:52,320 --> 00:36:56,520
If you were to ask the average churchgoer,

841
00:36:56,520 --> 00:36:59,800
who runs the church?

842
00:36:59,800 --> 00:37:03,720
How many would say the pastor does?

843
00:37:03,720 --> 00:37:04,760
It's the most common answer.

844
00:37:04,760 --> 00:37:05,600
Who runs the church?

845
00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:08,040
Oh, the pastor guy.

846
00:37:08,040 --> 00:37:11,680
Or you ask the same people, what model of organization

847
00:37:11,680 --> 00:37:13,320
is the church based on?

848
00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:16,280
How many of them would say, like a corporation,

849
00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:16,960
like a business?

850
00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:23,000
So many Christians today believe that the pastor is

851
00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:25,880
some kind of weird spiritual CEO,

852
00:37:25,880 --> 00:37:29,280
that he runs everything, calls all the shots.

853
00:37:29,280 --> 00:37:31,640
The other church leaders, elders, deacons, or whatever,

854
00:37:31,640 --> 00:37:33,320
they're the board of directors.

855
00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:36,480
And you know what that makes you guys?

856
00:37:36,480 --> 00:37:38,880
You're the customers.

857
00:37:38,880 --> 00:37:41,720
You're the customers.

858
00:37:41,720 --> 00:37:43,280
I kid you not when I say that's what

859
00:37:43,280 --> 00:37:47,240
the majority of churchgoing people today believe.

860
00:37:47,240 --> 00:37:48,800
That's where a couple of generations

861
00:37:48,800 --> 00:37:52,920
of shallow unbiblical teaching has gotten us.

862
00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:54,520
Now, is the church an organization?

863
00:37:54,520 --> 00:37:55,680
To some extent, it is.

864
00:37:55,680 --> 00:37:57,320
But it's so much more than that, right?

865
00:37:57,320 --> 00:37:58,720
It is a living organism.

866
00:37:58,720 --> 00:38:01,320
It is a moving, breathing, functioning body.

867
00:38:01,320 --> 00:38:05,640
That's why it's called a body, with Christ as its head.

868
00:38:05,640 --> 00:38:07,000
That's what the church is.

869
00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:09,200
And like a human body that needs all of its parts

870
00:38:09,200 --> 00:38:11,120
to work together, the local church

871
00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:13,440
is a living unity, where each member is

872
00:38:13,440 --> 00:38:16,160
a vital part of the body, different in gifts

873
00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:18,960
and function, but mutually dependent on one another.

874
00:38:18,960 --> 00:38:23,040
It's actually such a beautiful picture

875
00:38:23,040 --> 00:38:24,480
that God gives us to in scripture.

876
00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:25,120
What do people say?

877
00:38:25,120 --> 00:38:28,120
No, it's a business.

878
00:38:28,120 --> 00:38:30,280
It's so sad.

879
00:38:30,280 --> 00:38:32,120
The main idea of biblical church government

880
00:38:32,120 --> 00:38:36,080
is to let Jesus have his way in the church,

881
00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:38,320
to let Jesus function as our guiding head.

882
00:38:38,320 --> 00:38:41,600
It's our role to align all of our desires and ideas

883
00:38:41,600 --> 00:38:44,240
and will with his will.

884
00:38:44,240 --> 00:38:46,400
That's what church leaders are supposed to do.

885
00:38:46,400 --> 00:38:49,840
And that starts with structuring his church, his way,

886
00:38:49,840 --> 00:38:52,680
according to his word.

887
00:38:52,680 --> 00:38:54,360
Not dreaming up things on our own

888
00:38:54,360 --> 00:38:55,760
or doing things in our own wisdom,

889
00:38:55,760 --> 00:38:59,960
because it just seems to make sense to us.

890
00:38:59,960 --> 00:39:02,880
And yet, once again, most of Christendom has chosen

891
00:39:02,880 --> 00:39:03,680
their own path.

892
00:39:03,680 --> 00:39:07,120
Again, how many offices in the New Testament church?

893
00:39:07,120 --> 00:39:08,560
Two.

894
00:39:08,560 --> 00:39:10,760
I went online yesterday to see if I

895
00:39:10,760 --> 00:39:13,900
could find all the levels of ecclesiastical authority

896
00:39:13,900 --> 00:39:15,680
in the Roman Catholic Church.

897
00:39:15,680 --> 00:39:17,880
I got to 75, and I stopped.

898
00:39:21,800 --> 00:39:23,240
Yeah.

899
00:39:23,240 --> 00:39:24,900
I did the same with Eastern Orthodox.

900
00:39:24,900 --> 00:39:27,920
I counted about 26.

901
00:39:27,920 --> 00:39:34,520
Layers of titles and authority and structure.

902
00:39:34,520 --> 00:39:36,560
But this is also true in mainline Protestant

903
00:39:36,560 --> 00:39:37,520
denominations.

904
00:39:37,520 --> 00:39:40,200
Methodist, Anglican, Episcopalian churches,

905
00:39:40,200 --> 00:39:43,640
they have archbishops and bishops and regional dioceses

906
00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:48,140
and vicars and ministers, and on and on it goes.

907
00:39:48,140 --> 00:39:50,080
The Presbyterian form of government

908
00:39:50,080 --> 00:39:52,520
is probably the most complex of all.

909
00:39:52,520 --> 00:39:54,600
They have local ministers and elders.

910
00:39:54,600 --> 00:39:56,200
Then there's a group of members that

911
00:39:56,200 --> 00:39:58,000
becomes something called a session.

912
00:39:58,000 --> 00:39:59,620
And then part of the session becomes

913
00:39:59,620 --> 00:40:02,640
part of a presbytery, which is regional.

914
00:40:02,640 --> 00:40:04,480
And then it gets even wider.

915
00:40:04,480 --> 00:40:06,600
The presbytery becomes the synod.

916
00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:08,340
And then the synod is a national thing

917
00:40:08,340 --> 00:40:10,200
called the General Assembly.

918
00:40:10,200 --> 00:40:14,360
Layers and layers of authority and bureaucracy

919
00:40:14,360 --> 00:40:18,120
with less and less autonomy given to the local church,

920
00:40:18,120 --> 00:40:20,420
where the Bible says that's where the decision should

921
00:40:20,420 --> 00:40:21,960
be made by qualified elders.

922
00:40:21,960 --> 00:40:25,960
And sadly, historically, it's usually out of that bureaucracy,

923
00:40:25,960 --> 00:40:31,080
the top layers, where most of the heretical stuff happens.

924
00:40:31,080 --> 00:40:34,760
You've got bureaucrats coming to decisions about doctrine

925
00:40:34,760 --> 00:40:36,160
and laying down the law.

926
00:40:36,160 --> 00:40:38,680
And it trickles down into the congregations.

927
00:40:38,680 --> 00:40:41,640
And pretty soon, everybody's teaching heresy.

928
00:40:45,560 --> 00:40:49,240
Now, branches of evangelicalism don't escape this critique

929
00:40:49,240 --> 00:40:49,760
either.

930
00:40:49,760 --> 00:40:53,480
On one side of the scale, you sometimes find Baptist churches

931
00:40:53,480 --> 00:40:56,200
that have said, well, we reject all the bureaucracy.

932
00:40:56,200 --> 00:41:00,040
They've swung the pendulum from overly complex

933
00:41:00,040 --> 00:41:02,000
to overly simple.

934
00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:03,920
You have Baptist churches in America today

935
00:41:03,920 --> 00:41:07,120
that have a single pastor model.

936
00:41:07,120 --> 00:41:09,800
One guy does everything.

937
00:41:09,800 --> 00:41:11,200
He runs the whole show.

938
00:41:11,200 --> 00:41:14,960
He runs every aspect of church life by himself.

939
00:41:14,960 --> 00:41:17,760
He makes every decision, every decision that he makes.

940
00:41:17,760 --> 00:41:20,160
He makes every decision, every decision.

941
00:41:20,160 --> 00:41:22,280
He directs all the ministries of the church.

942
00:41:22,280 --> 00:41:24,000
He alone preaches and teaches.

943
00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:25,960
He is the man in every respect.

944
00:41:25,960 --> 00:41:28,120
And everybody in the church has to call him what?

945
00:41:28,120 --> 00:41:29,120
Pastor, pastor.

946
00:41:29,120 --> 00:41:32,160
He doesn't even have a first name.

947
00:41:32,160 --> 00:41:34,320
He's just pastor.

948
00:41:34,320 --> 00:41:35,920
I know people who grew up in churches,

949
00:41:35,920 --> 00:41:38,720
fundamental Baptist churches like this.

950
00:41:38,720 --> 00:41:41,800
That guy's not accountable to anybody.

951
00:41:41,800 --> 00:41:44,680
Nobody can question him.

952
00:41:44,680 --> 00:41:47,920
He's not relying on collective wisdom from other godly men.

953
00:41:47,920 --> 00:41:49,920
If he has a deacon team, all they

954
00:41:49,920 --> 00:41:52,920
are is yes men who run around and do what he says.

955
00:41:52,920 --> 00:41:56,400
This is so common in American churches.

956
00:41:56,400 --> 00:41:58,840
And then we have the mega churches of our day.

957
00:41:58,840 --> 00:42:00,680
And they're built almost exclusively

958
00:42:00,680 --> 00:42:05,920
on the charisma and personality of the one guy.

959
00:42:05,920 --> 00:42:08,640
The so-called senior pastor, the celebrity figurehead

960
00:42:08,640 --> 00:42:11,040
of the church who does the majority of the preaching.

961
00:42:11,040 --> 00:42:12,680
And sometimes that kind of church

962
00:42:12,680 --> 00:42:16,280
will have a Biblical structure, at least on paper.

963
00:42:16,280 --> 00:42:19,560
But who actually makes all the decisions behind the scenes?

964
00:42:19,560 --> 00:42:20,320
The guy.

965
00:42:20,320 --> 00:42:20,820
Why?

966
00:42:20,820 --> 00:42:22,880
Why does the guy get to make all the decisions?

967
00:42:22,880 --> 00:42:25,240
Because he fills the seats.

968
00:42:25,240 --> 00:42:28,360
And he brings in the tithes and offerings.

969
00:42:28,360 --> 00:42:31,240
And he's the reason why the church, the building is so big,

970
00:42:31,240 --> 00:42:35,360
it takes six city blocks because of his charisma

971
00:42:35,360 --> 00:42:36,520
and personality.

972
00:42:36,520 --> 00:42:39,240
Guys, we're a mess.

973
00:42:39,240 --> 00:42:43,680
The church is a mess.

974
00:42:43,680 --> 00:42:47,440
Now, Oak Hill is not a perfect church.

975
00:42:47,440 --> 00:42:48,560
It's not.

976
00:42:48,560 --> 00:42:50,400
I'm not a perfect elder.

977
00:42:50,400 --> 00:42:52,360
None of our guys are.

978
00:42:52,360 --> 00:42:54,640
There's all kinds of room for improvement.

979
00:42:54,640 --> 00:42:57,760
But you have to know, friends, a couple of things about Oak Hill.

980
00:42:57,760 --> 00:43:00,480
I'm not the pastor.

981
00:43:00,480 --> 00:43:03,000
I know we talk about that in membership matters.

982
00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:04,600
But let me just say it again out loud.

983
00:43:04,600 --> 00:43:07,920
I'm not the pastor of Oak Hill.

984
00:43:07,920 --> 00:43:11,240
When people think of Oak Hill, don't think it's Jeff Knows

985
00:43:11,240 --> 00:43:11,720
Church.

986
00:43:11,720 --> 00:43:14,400
Please, Lord, don't let that happen.

987
00:43:14,400 --> 00:43:16,640
It's always Jesus' church.

988
00:43:16,640 --> 00:43:17,480
I'm not the pastor.

989
00:43:17,480 --> 00:43:20,480
I'm one of seven elders who oversee and shepherd

990
00:43:20,480 --> 00:43:21,320
this church family.

991
00:43:21,320 --> 00:43:24,680
I don't run the church.

992
00:43:24,680 --> 00:43:27,880
We're not organized like a business or a corporation.

993
00:43:27,880 --> 00:43:30,480
This church is not a customer service organization.

994
00:43:30,480 --> 00:43:33,160
And you're not customers.

995
00:43:33,160 --> 00:43:36,680
You're vibrant members of a living body.

996
00:43:36,680 --> 00:43:38,120
So important to understand this.

997
00:43:38,120 --> 00:43:40,400
And again, if you ever have to go out there and look

998
00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:42,200
for another church, please understand

999
00:43:42,200 --> 00:43:47,720
these principles are critical for your spiritual health.

1000
00:43:47,720 --> 00:43:50,400
So here at Oak Hill, we're guided by simple biblical principles.

1001
00:43:50,400 --> 00:43:51,160
You ready?

1002
00:43:51,160 --> 00:43:54,960
Qualified elders and qualified deacons.

1003
00:43:54,960 --> 00:43:57,800
That's the amen moment.

1004
00:43:57,800 --> 00:44:01,000
Two offices operating under the lordship of Christ,

1005
00:44:01,000 --> 00:44:04,760
just as it was on the island of Crete in the first century.

1006
00:44:04,760 --> 00:44:07,920
Because that's prescriptive for us today.

1007
00:44:07,920 --> 00:44:09,960
This all, by the way, comes back to authority.

1008
00:44:09,960 --> 00:44:11,880
Do you know everything eventually comes back to,

1009
00:44:11,880 --> 00:44:13,000
well, what's the authority?

1010
00:44:13,000 --> 00:44:14,360
What tells you what is true?

1011
00:44:14,360 --> 00:44:16,240
What tells you what you should be doing?

1012
00:44:16,240 --> 00:44:18,520
And so why do we always talk about the Reformation

1013
00:44:18,520 --> 00:44:21,600
principle of sola scriptura?

1014
00:44:21,600 --> 00:44:23,920
Because the Bible alone is the ultimate authority

1015
00:44:23,920 --> 00:44:27,800
in all matters of faith and practice.

1016
00:44:27,800 --> 00:44:28,840
The ultimate authority.

1017
00:44:28,840 --> 00:44:31,960
Now, does that mean church history doesn't matter to us?

1018
00:44:31,960 --> 00:44:34,640
How dare you?

1019
00:44:34,640 --> 00:44:36,800
We love church history here.

1020
00:44:36,800 --> 00:44:38,800
Does that mean church traditions have no value?

1021
00:44:38,800 --> 00:44:40,400
Absolutely not.

1022
00:44:40,400 --> 00:44:42,000
Church history, church traditions

1023
00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:44,440
are wonderful things to take into account.

1024
00:44:44,440 --> 00:44:47,840
Did you know we have our own traditions at Oak Hill?

1025
00:44:47,840 --> 00:44:48,320
We do.

1026
00:44:48,320 --> 00:44:49,920
We do things that are not in the Bible

1027
00:44:49,920 --> 00:44:51,360
that have become traditional for us.

1028
00:44:51,360 --> 00:44:53,840
For example, we have a Good Friday service.

1029
00:44:53,840 --> 00:44:56,720
That's not in the Bible.

1030
00:44:56,720 --> 00:44:57,120
Right?

1031
00:44:57,120 --> 00:44:59,400
We have other annual, we have a chili cook-off.

1032
00:44:59,400 --> 00:45:02,200
Are you kidding me?

1033
00:45:02,200 --> 00:45:05,840
Annual events, they're traditions we enjoy.

1034
00:45:05,840 --> 00:45:07,960
You know, I put up quotes from great theologians

1035
00:45:07,960 --> 00:45:09,080
and preachers of the past.

1036
00:45:09,080 --> 00:45:12,520
That is tapping into church history.

1037
00:45:12,520 --> 00:45:14,840
Yes, we have a basic Sunday liturgy that

1038
00:45:14,840 --> 00:45:16,720
is rooted in Reformation worship.

1039
00:45:16,720 --> 00:45:19,560
All these things are good, healthy church traditions.

1040
00:45:19,560 --> 00:45:24,320
But sola scriptura reigns.

1041
00:45:24,320 --> 00:45:26,080
It is the ultimate authority.

1042
00:45:26,080 --> 00:45:27,640
And this is not complicated.

1043
00:45:27,640 --> 00:45:30,520
All traditions have to be constantly reviewed

1044
00:45:30,520 --> 00:45:33,280
and held up to the single standard of scripture.

1045
00:45:33,280 --> 00:45:36,440
And if necessary, subordinated to divine truth.

1046
00:45:39,080 --> 00:45:40,960
So there's freedom where the Bible is silent.

1047
00:45:40,960 --> 00:45:44,640
But if any tradition or any teaching contradicts scripture,

1048
00:45:44,640 --> 00:45:47,640
we as stewards of Christ's church, as elders,

1049
00:45:47,640 --> 00:45:51,120
must stand up and lay it aside, reject it.

1050
00:45:51,120 --> 00:45:52,760
That's all sola scriptura means.

1051
00:45:55,640 --> 00:45:59,040
Now I'm going to close this morning with one more thing.

1052
00:45:59,040 --> 00:46:01,480
And it's the one thing I want to leave with you this morning,

1053
00:46:01,480 --> 00:46:03,320
because I think it's so important.

1054
00:46:03,320 --> 00:46:08,040
And this may seem simple to you, but it's really important.

1055
00:46:08,040 --> 00:46:10,920
The number of elders in a local church.

1056
00:46:10,920 --> 00:46:13,280
How many elders should a church have?

1057
00:46:17,280 --> 00:46:20,200
That's a key word.

1058
00:46:20,200 --> 00:46:22,440
Well, Paul doesn't tell us.

1059
00:46:22,440 --> 00:46:25,600
Wouldn't it be nice if he gave us like a percentage?

1060
00:46:25,600 --> 00:46:29,240
2.5% of your member role, you should have elders.

1061
00:46:29,240 --> 00:46:30,760
He doesn't give us a minimum number.

1062
00:46:30,760 --> 00:46:32,400
He doesn't give us a maximum number.

1063
00:46:32,400 --> 00:46:36,240
But all biblical authors do say one thing consistently

1064
00:46:36,240 --> 00:46:38,080
about the number of elders.

1065
00:46:38,080 --> 00:46:40,160
There's always more than one.

1066
00:46:40,160 --> 00:46:42,760
There's always more than one.

1067
00:46:42,760 --> 00:46:47,560
It's what we call, Jesse said it, a plurality of elders.

1068
00:46:47,560 --> 00:46:49,440
In our church, we call it a team.

1069
00:46:49,440 --> 00:46:51,640
That just sounds nicer than plurality.

1070
00:46:51,640 --> 00:46:53,240
But you hear me say our elder team.

1071
00:46:53,240 --> 00:46:55,840
It's the group, it's the plurality of guys

1072
00:46:55,840 --> 00:46:58,600
that are qualified to serve in that role at Oak Hill.

1073
00:46:58,600 --> 00:46:59,600
Let me just say it again.

1074
00:46:59,600 --> 00:47:01,720
So the principle seeks in, there is

1075
00:47:01,720 --> 00:47:04,640
no example in the New Testament of a single pastor

1076
00:47:04,640 --> 00:47:08,440
or single elder led congregation.

1077
00:47:08,440 --> 00:47:09,400
It's not there.

1078
00:47:09,400 --> 00:47:11,560
In fact, in the New Testament letters,

1079
00:47:11,560 --> 00:47:13,200
I went through and looked last night.

1080
00:47:13,200 --> 00:47:16,680
We read of a plurality of elders in the churches in Jerusalem,

1081
00:47:16,680 --> 00:47:21,000
Pasidena, Antioch, Lystra, Iconium, Derbe, Ephesus,

1082
00:47:21,000 --> 00:47:25,080
Philippi, and in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,

1083
00:47:25,080 --> 00:47:27,400
Asia, and Bithynia.

1084
00:47:27,400 --> 00:47:31,400
Multiple elders in all of those local churches.

1085
00:47:31,400 --> 00:47:33,720
Is that prescriptive for today?

1086
00:47:33,720 --> 00:47:35,520
You bet.

1087
00:47:35,520 --> 00:47:37,360
You bet.

1088
00:47:37,360 --> 00:47:40,640
And knowing the nature of man and the propensity

1089
00:47:40,640 --> 00:47:44,280
that we have towards pride and the accumulation of power,

1090
00:47:44,280 --> 00:47:48,520
does that principle not make a ton of sense?

1091
00:47:48,520 --> 00:47:51,480
I mean, God's pretty smart.

1092
00:47:51,480 --> 00:47:52,680
He's pretty wise.

1093
00:47:52,680 --> 00:47:54,920
He's done a pretty good job of setting up his church.

1094
00:47:54,920 --> 00:47:58,520
If we would only listen.

1095
00:47:58,520 --> 00:48:01,200
By placing the responsibility in the hands of a group

1096
00:48:01,200 --> 00:48:04,680
of Godly men rather than in just one individual, what we see

1097
00:48:04,680 --> 00:48:09,080
is God safeguarding his church against the detrimental effects

1098
00:48:09,080 --> 00:48:12,800
that come from certain men who have overbearing personalities

1099
00:48:12,800 --> 00:48:16,480
or authoritarian tendencies or just a love

1100
00:48:16,480 --> 00:48:20,360
for the praise of men.

1101
00:48:20,360 --> 00:48:23,000
In God's good design, when it's properly organized,

1102
00:48:23,000 --> 00:48:28,000
a Godly team of church elders has to work together.

1103
00:48:28,000 --> 00:48:30,480
And that's a good thing.

1104
00:48:30,480 --> 00:48:32,520
Some of you guys, if you're a member of this church,

1105
00:48:32,520 --> 00:48:36,400
you can come to our elder meetings and see us do this.

1106
00:48:36,400 --> 00:48:38,360
We are forced to work together.

1107
00:48:38,360 --> 00:48:39,320
And guess what?

1108
00:48:39,320 --> 00:48:41,960
Seven guys, seven opinions.

1109
00:48:41,960 --> 00:48:43,680
But we've got to work together.

1110
00:48:43,680 --> 00:48:45,200
Everybody has a voice.

1111
00:48:45,200 --> 00:48:47,520
Everybody contributes in their own way.

1112
00:48:47,520 --> 00:48:50,400
When elders function as a team, we

1113
00:48:50,400 --> 00:48:53,160
have to depend upon the wisdom of one another.

1114
00:48:53,160 --> 00:48:54,840
And it's a good thing.

1115
00:48:54,840 --> 00:48:57,360
Newsflash, I do not have all wisdom.

1116
00:49:00,160 --> 00:49:03,880
I need to rely on the wisdom of my fellow elders.

1117
00:49:03,880 --> 00:49:06,840
Sometimes we just have to submit to one another.

1118
00:49:06,840 --> 00:49:10,360
I feel strongly, but the other five guys are like, nope.

1119
00:49:10,360 --> 00:49:12,400
I got to submit.

1120
00:49:12,400 --> 00:49:14,920
OK, I'm down with you guys.

1121
00:49:14,920 --> 00:49:15,760
Great.

1122
00:49:15,760 --> 00:49:18,520
Sometimes we have to make really hard decisions.

1123
00:49:18,520 --> 00:49:20,440
And that means we have to come to a agreement.

1124
00:49:20,440 --> 00:49:22,040
We're led by the Spirit in prayer,

1125
00:49:22,040 --> 00:49:24,800
and we come to an agreement on things.

1126
00:49:24,800 --> 00:49:26,120
This is God's design.

1127
00:49:26,120 --> 00:49:27,280
And it's so smart.

1128
00:49:27,280 --> 00:49:28,640
It's so wise.

1129
00:49:32,160 --> 00:49:34,160
Now, that equality among the members of the team

1130
00:49:34,160 --> 00:49:35,800
doesn't mean that everybody is the same.

1131
00:49:35,800 --> 00:49:39,760
How boring would it be if every elder was the same?

1132
00:49:39,760 --> 00:49:41,920
Each man is unique.

1133
00:49:41,920 --> 00:49:44,440
Some have stronger teaching gifts.

1134
00:49:44,440 --> 00:49:45,640
One is really good at music.

1135
00:49:49,840 --> 00:49:52,920
Another couple are really good disciplers and counselors.

1136
00:49:52,920 --> 00:49:55,600
And I mean, all of these gifts come together.

1137
00:49:55,600 --> 00:49:58,160
God calls men, puts us together as a team,

1138
00:49:58,160 --> 00:50:00,200
and we got to work it out.

1139
00:50:00,200 --> 00:50:02,520
So what is it that elders do?

1140
00:50:02,520 --> 00:50:05,280
Have you ever wondered what are the actual functions?

1141
00:50:05,280 --> 00:50:07,960
Well, we provide oversight to the church.

1142
00:50:07,960 --> 00:50:10,640
And yeah, that involves some administrative functions.

1143
00:50:10,640 --> 00:50:13,280
But primarily, guys, our job is to make sure

1144
00:50:13,280 --> 00:50:17,000
that this local church is healthy and growing.

1145
00:50:17,000 --> 00:50:18,720
That's what we want to do.

1146
00:50:18,720 --> 00:50:20,760
So that means we have to lead you guys.

1147
00:50:20,760 --> 00:50:24,880
So Oak Hill is a pasture with a fence around it.

1148
00:50:24,880 --> 00:50:29,440
And we want to, is it OK if I call you sheep?

1149
00:50:29,440 --> 00:50:30,840
It's a biblical picture.

1150
00:50:30,840 --> 00:50:33,080
So as shepherds, we want to lead you guys, our sheep,

1151
00:50:33,080 --> 00:50:38,240
into the best part of the pasture and be fed the word of God.

1152
00:50:38,240 --> 00:50:40,600
We want to make sure you get the best possible food.

1153
00:50:40,600 --> 00:50:42,520
We want to guard you while you're eating,

1154
00:50:42,520 --> 00:50:46,360
guard you from false teaching and unbiblical ideas.

1155
00:50:46,360 --> 00:50:49,400
We need to determine the ministry philosophy of the church.

1156
00:50:49,400 --> 00:50:50,480
Where are the sheep going?

1157
00:50:50,480 --> 00:50:53,080
We need to make decisions about the needs

1158
00:50:53,080 --> 00:50:54,400
and direction of the body.

1159
00:50:54,400 --> 00:50:56,480
We need to disciple and mature those sheep.

1160
00:50:56,480 --> 00:50:59,920
Some of you guys are still lambs who want you to grow up.

1161
00:50:59,920 --> 00:51:01,560
That's part of our job.

1162
00:51:01,560 --> 00:51:02,760
So we care for the flock.

1163
00:51:02,760 --> 00:51:04,440
We bind up the wounds of the injured.

1164
00:51:04,440 --> 00:51:06,280
We nurse the sick back to health.

1165
00:51:06,280 --> 00:51:10,800
And we help the young lambs grow into maturity.

1166
00:51:10,800 --> 00:51:12,560
Yeah, we have to do some practical things,

1167
00:51:12,560 --> 00:51:15,200
like oversee church finances.

1168
00:51:15,200 --> 00:51:17,600
And we have to equip the members to do the work of ministry

1169
00:51:17,600 --> 00:51:20,520
and then to come alongside them so that they grow in that.

1170
00:51:20,520 --> 00:51:22,680
Listen, elders don't have to do everything,

1171
00:51:22,680 --> 00:51:24,400
but we have to make sure things get done.

1172
00:51:24,400 --> 00:51:26,600
And sometimes that means delegating to other ministry

1173
00:51:26,600 --> 00:51:29,000
leaders and deacons.

1174
00:51:29,000 --> 00:51:33,080
And can I just tell you, it's the greatest job in the world.

1175
00:51:33,080 --> 00:51:36,640
I have the best job in the world.

1176
00:51:36,640 --> 00:51:39,840
That I get to work with these men on our team

1177
00:51:39,840 --> 00:51:42,360
and work with you guys and see you grow

1178
00:51:42,360 --> 00:51:43,840
and see you be transformed.

1179
00:51:43,840 --> 00:51:50,400
I cannot tell you how exciting it is as a shepherd and as an elder.

1180
00:51:50,400 --> 00:51:54,400
So all these things require that elders keep a finger

1181
00:51:54,400 --> 00:51:57,080
on the pulse of the body.

1182
00:51:57,080 --> 00:51:59,680
And this is what I think, and I think all my fellow elders

1183
00:51:59,680 --> 00:52:02,200
would agree, one of the things that really makes Oak Hill

1184
00:52:02,200 --> 00:52:06,120
unique is we really know our members as shepherds.

1185
00:52:06,120 --> 00:52:07,720
And the sheep know us.

1186
00:52:07,720 --> 00:52:10,400
That is a huge priority for us.

1187
00:52:10,400 --> 00:52:12,680
If you really want to test the health of a church,

1188
00:52:12,680 --> 00:52:16,920
you talk into a friend, say, what are the names of your elders?

1189
00:52:16,920 --> 00:52:18,280
Do they know?

1190
00:52:18,280 --> 00:52:19,480
Have they been in their homes?

1191
00:52:19,480 --> 00:52:20,600
Have they met them?

1192
00:52:20,600 --> 00:52:24,360
Do the shepherds even recognize them?

1193
00:52:24,360 --> 00:52:26,040
These are important questions, right?

1194
00:52:26,040 --> 00:52:28,520
It's one of the best tests on whether an elder team is

1195
00:52:28,520 --> 00:52:30,480
fulfilling its God-given mandate.

1196
00:52:30,480 --> 00:52:32,040
Do the shepherds know their sheep?

1197
00:52:32,040 --> 00:52:37,200
And do the sheep know and trust, trust their shepherds?

1198
00:52:37,200 --> 00:52:40,000
For that to be true, these elders

1199
00:52:40,000 --> 00:52:43,360
need to be men of high character.

1200
00:52:43,360 --> 00:52:45,640
And that's what we'll talk about next week.

1201
00:52:45,640 --> 00:52:47,360
Amen?

1202
00:52:47,360 --> 00:52:48,160
Let's bow our heads.

1203
00:52:53,280 --> 00:52:59,520
Father, thank you for the amazing design of your church.

1204
00:52:59,520 --> 00:53:01,240
Sometimes we take it for granted, Lord,

1205
00:53:01,240 --> 00:53:03,160
and we only think pragmatically and we

1206
00:53:03,160 --> 00:53:07,120
don't think about the beautiful design, the theology behind it,

1207
00:53:07,120 --> 00:53:13,240
the way that you have formed this living body over 2,000

1208
00:53:13,240 --> 00:53:17,960
years now since the time of Jesus.

1209
00:53:17,960 --> 00:53:21,880
Father, I am grateful that you have raised up godly men here

1210
00:53:21,880 --> 00:53:24,280
at Oak Hill to serve on our elder team

1211
00:53:24,280 --> 00:53:26,320
and that you have put in the hearts of our men

1212
00:53:26,320 --> 00:53:30,080
a desire to know the flock well and to be known by the flock

1213
00:53:30,080 --> 00:53:32,440
and not to separate ourselves and act

1214
00:53:32,440 --> 00:53:35,720
like we're holier than now, but to be with our brothers

1215
00:53:35,720 --> 00:53:38,640
and sisters on the floor with one another,

1216
00:53:38,640 --> 00:53:42,520
even right here today, to be amongst the body,

1217
00:53:42,520 --> 00:53:46,760
not standing off, not separate, but with the flock.

1218
00:53:49,360 --> 00:53:51,120
God, thank you that you have put on our hearts

1219
00:53:51,120 --> 00:53:54,920
a desire to stay true to scripture,

1220
00:53:54,920 --> 00:53:59,120
to stay anchored in your word that is prescriptive for us

1221
00:53:59,120 --> 00:54:00,640
in the church today.

1222
00:54:00,640 --> 00:54:04,920
Father, protect us from ever straying from that principle,

1223
00:54:04,920 --> 00:54:06,480
that you would continue to solidify

1224
00:54:06,480 --> 00:54:10,280
what it means to look to scripture alone for all

1225
00:54:10,280 --> 00:54:13,240
of our standards for faith and practice.

1226
00:54:13,240 --> 00:54:15,400
So Lord, thank you for this practical teaching today.

1227
00:54:15,400 --> 00:54:18,240
I don't know the hearts of everybody out here

1228
00:54:18,240 --> 00:54:19,760
this morning, Lord, but you do.

1229
00:54:19,760 --> 00:54:21,560
And so I pray that you would work in their hearts,

1230
00:54:21,560 --> 00:54:23,800
that you would encourage them if that's what they need.

1231
00:54:23,800 --> 00:54:26,160
If you need to convict them of some truth, Lord,

1232
00:54:26,160 --> 00:54:28,200
would you do that by your spirit?

1233
00:54:28,200 --> 00:54:30,000
And would you lift us up and encourage us

1234
00:54:30,000 --> 00:54:33,280
and unite our hearts more and more together as a church?

1235
00:54:33,280 --> 00:54:34,680
Thank you for this time this morning.

1236
00:54:34,680 --> 00:54:38,640
We love you and we praise you in the name of Jesus, amen.