1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,500 Well, today we continue our discussion about leadership in the church, and years ago, the 2 00:00:05,500 --> 00:00:13,340 U.S. Army War College did a survey of soldiers coming back from the war in Iraq. 3 00:00:13,340 --> 00:00:19,760 And in the survey, they asked the soldiers to anonymously rate the division commanders 4 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:22,700 that they served under. 5 00:00:22,700 --> 00:00:28,240 And for the commanders that rated positively, the survey then followed up by asking those 6 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:34,420 same soldiers to describe the traits, the character traits, and the skills in those 7 00:00:34,420 --> 00:00:37,520 commanders that they saw that made them easy to follow. 8 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:40,720 In other words, made them effective leaders. 9 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:45,080 And I want to share with you this morning the top eight reasons why these men were judged 10 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:46,240 to be effective leaders. 11 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:51,800 And as I do that, I want you to think not of the military context, although some of 12 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:56,320 you may be ex-military, but I want you to think in terms of church leadership because 13 00:00:56,320 --> 00:01:00,500 there are some interesting crossover principles in this list. 14 00:01:00,500 --> 00:01:05,700 The first one was this, he keeps his cool under pressure without panicking. 15 00:01:05,700 --> 00:01:08,160 That's important in a leader, right? 16 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:15,080 Number two, he gets out of the headquarters and actually visits the troops. 17 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:17,680 What a shocking thing for a leader to do, right? 18 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:24,960 Number three, he clearly explains the mission and the standards and the priorities. 19 00:01:24,960 --> 00:01:27,960 Major communication of what we're all about. 20 00:01:27,960 --> 00:01:32,880 Number four, he's more interested in doing good than looking good. 21 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:36,560 How often do we see that in our world today, especially in politics and government? 22 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:40,480 More important to have a good press conference where we say all the nice things. 23 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:43,180 If we actually do it, doesn't matter, right? 24 00:01:43,180 --> 00:01:44,180 We see it all the time. 25 00:01:44,180 --> 00:01:50,320 Number five, he's positive, encouraging, and realistically optimistic. 26 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,160 Not foolishly, but realistically optimistic. 27 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:58,560 Number six, he easily adapts when conditions change. 28 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:00,000 That's necessary for a good leader. 29 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:05,920 Number seven, he sees the big picture and provides perspective to his troops. 30 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:09,320 He sees that big picture and says, join me in seeing this as well. 31 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:14,440 And then finally, he can make tough, sound decisions in a timely manner. 32 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:18,320 I find that very interesting as we talk about issues of leadership. 33 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:23,360 Now, one of the survey's authors, a retired general, said that after they got this huge 34 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:28,160 bank of information, that the number of division commanders who got a favorable rating was 35 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:30,600 lower than he had hoped for. 36 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:31,980 He had high hopes. 37 00:02:31,980 --> 00:02:32,980 And this is his comment. 38 00:02:32,980 --> 00:02:38,800 He said, one thing we learned is that it's still easier to teach someone technical skills 39 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:44,200 than it is to teach them how to lead effectively and to gain trust. 40 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:46,600 And isn't that an interesting thing? 41 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:50,600 Leadership is hard, folks, and good leaders are hard to find. 42 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:52,680 And that survey bears that out. 43 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:57,160 Almost everywhere you look in the world, whether it's business or the military, in sports, 44 00:02:57,160 --> 00:03:01,320 in the home, or in the church, that seems to be true. 45 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:05,960 Leadership is hard and good leaders are hard to find. 46 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:07,920 That's sort of the theme for this morning. 47 00:03:07,920 --> 00:03:12,640 Now, today we're in part two of our discussion about elders in the local church, and I have 48 00:03:12,640 --> 00:03:14,160 some breaking news for you. 49 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:17,680 There will be a part three. 50 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:19,560 Moment of transparency. 51 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:21,840 Grant mentioned how difficult this week has been. 52 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:25,200 In my own wisdom and planning, I had every intention of getting us all the way through 53 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:30,500 verse nine in Titus chapter one today and just finishing this discussion about elders. 54 00:03:30,500 --> 00:03:37,000 But then God in His mysterious providence threw a couple of curveballs at us. 55 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:41,300 Number one, there was the Hughes fire that broke out just across the freeway from my 56 00:03:41,300 --> 00:03:47,800 home and put my family under the LA Fire Department's evacuation order. 57 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:51,520 And that sort of took my focus away for about a day and a half, wondering if I was going 58 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:54,320 to have a home and whether my family was safe. 59 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:55,320 So that took up a day and a half. 60 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:59,720 Then, of course, we had the Pena wedding, which is Friday the rehearsal and all that 61 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:04,560 goes with that, and then the celebration yesterday, which was amazing. 62 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:06,880 But to say the least, my week was full. 63 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:07,880 And I know I'm not alone. 64 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:09,200 Adam was the best man. 65 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:10,200 He was busy. 66 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:16,040 He had a grant in particular, hosting 130 people at his house for a wedding and for a 67 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:17,640 reception. 68 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:22,720 So it's funny, in light of the fact that we're all just a little bit worn out, I approached 69 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:26,160 some of my fellow elders at the wedding last night and I said, how do you guys feel about 70 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:31,880 me biting off a little less tomorrow than I probably want to and turning this whole 71 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:35,120 teaching on elders from two Sundays into three? 72 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:36,120 And I loved their responses. 73 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:37,360 They were like, you know what? 74 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:39,360 The Oak Hill people, they're gracious. 75 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:42,040 I'll let you do that. 76 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:45,280 So they said, just go preach what's reasonable, what you can get to, and so that's what we're 77 00:04:45,280 --> 00:04:46,920 going to do this morning. 78 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:50,800 And as I started to develop the message after the wedding last night when I got home, I'm 79 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:53,720 like, actually, there's a whole lot that we need to talk about here. 80 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:55,140 So I'm excited about it. 81 00:04:55,140 --> 00:04:57,280 So grab your Bibles and let's dig back in. 82 00:04:57,280 --> 00:05:02,580 We're going to Titus chapter one and we are continuing to look at verses five through 83 00:05:02,580 --> 00:05:05,960 nine. 84 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:09,280 Now if you're with us last Sunday, you know that we dug into this subject of what we call 85 00:05:09,280 --> 00:05:12,280 biblical ecclesiology. 86 00:05:12,280 --> 00:05:13,280 Big fancy word. 87 00:05:13,280 --> 00:05:15,320 What does it mean? 88 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:20,440 The doctrine of the church and how the church should be structured. 89 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:25,920 And the primary thing that came out of last Sunday's study was that the writers of Scripture 90 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:31,960 actually only give us two offices that should be present in a New Testament local church, 91 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:33,160 elders and deacons, right? 92 00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:37,560 Not popes and cardinals and bishops and reverends and all these other things we talked about, 93 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:40,440 but two offices, elders and deacons. 94 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:45,280 That's why you see in verse five of our text, Paul gives Titus this very clear instruction. 95 00:05:45,280 --> 00:05:50,640 For this reason, I left you in Crete, Titus, that you would set in order what remains and 96 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:55,340 appoint elders in every city as I directed you. 97 00:05:55,340 --> 00:06:00,520 So you can picture Paul saying, look, Titus, leadership is hard and it's hard to find good 98 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:04,720 leaders, but as we discussed before I left you on the island, I need you to go through 99 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:09,680 the entire place and I need you to find all the churches that have sprung up and I need 100 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:16,000 you to start appointing leaders that the believers there can trust and follow. 101 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:18,020 And that's so key. 102 00:06:18,020 --> 00:06:23,520 Establish elders, men that are qualified so that the believers there will say, I recognize 103 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:28,240 those men as my leaders, I can respect them and I can follow them. 104 00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:29,240 That's so important. 105 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:33,480 And again, considering the culture there in Crete, this was a big ask on Paul's part of 106 00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:39,120 this young man Titus, but Titus had come through before in Corinth and so Paul has great confidence 107 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:40,120 in him. 108 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:43,840 Now it's interesting, the Greek phrase that Paul uses here for set in order, this is the 109 00:06:43,840 --> 00:06:49,280 only time that phrase is used in the entire New Testament, which means Paul chooses it. 110 00:06:49,280 --> 00:06:53,160 It's an unusual choice, but he must have chosen it for a reason. 111 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:58,000 So what you have to do when you have only one use of a Greek term in Scripture is you 112 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:02,240 go outside of Scripture and see how that word might have been used in what we call extra 113 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:05,120 biblical sources, Greek literature of the day. 114 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:10,520 And what you find is the word he uses was a medical term describing the setting of a 115 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:13,240 crooked limb. 116 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:14,240 This is what he's after. 117 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:19,880 So literally verse five could read, Titus, I want you to straighten things out in these 118 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:25,200 churches, which of course implies that things were crooked in the churches in Crete, right? 119 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:29,880 And in order for them to be set straight, Paul says, look Titus, to set things straight 120 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:35,280 there, you've got to establish solid qualified elders so they can lead these churches towards 121 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:37,760 spiritual health. 122 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:40,360 Now that's a bit of a summary from last week. 123 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:46,320 I want to say this morning how proud I am of you as a congregation because you guys 124 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:47,320 are like Bereans. 125 00:07:47,320 --> 00:07:49,880 You really, I know you're paying attention to the sermons. 126 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:53,760 I know you're studying the scriptures because I get these questions from you guys during 127 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:54,760 the week. 128 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:55,760 I love it by the way. 129 00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:56,760 It's great. 130 00:07:56,760 --> 00:08:00,480 I got a bunch of follow up questions from you guys saying, could you explain this more 131 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:02,460 or could you address this issue? 132 00:08:02,460 --> 00:08:05,480 So that's what we're going to do kind of this morning is deal with some of those things 133 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:08,600 that popped up in your brains and then popped up in my brain. 134 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:11,600 And I saw them in the text and thought, let's talk about these things. 135 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:14,720 We're also, by the way, we are going to look at one verse today. 136 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:15,720 Woo. 137 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:16,720 Kind of. 138 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:19,360 No, we're going to look at one verse. 139 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:21,160 Verse six, I promise. 140 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:23,400 So I'm going to ask a series of questions here and we'll walk through. 141 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:29,320 The first one is this, somebody said, well then how do you choose these guys? 142 00:08:29,320 --> 00:08:32,960 How are elders to be chosen and how do we do it here at Oak Hill? 143 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:34,800 That is a very important question to ask. 144 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:37,440 If you're a member here, you should know the answer to this question. 145 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:39,520 How do we choose elders? 146 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:43,720 And obviously that is the very issue that's in front of Titus in this moment, right? 147 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:47,960 When I come to these cities in Crete where there are churches that have popped up, how 148 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:50,000 am I going to find the right men to lead? 149 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:51,840 It's the very thing he was dealing with. 150 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:56,200 So first of all, I hope you picked up on one of the big themes from last Sunday. 151 00:08:56,200 --> 00:08:58,920 The church is not a business, right? 152 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:04,240 The church is not a corporation and the church is not anything like the world's version of 153 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:05,280 government. 154 00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:08,240 So in the church we have very specific standards about our leaders. 155 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:14,920 We do not vote men into the office of elder because they are attractive and well-liked. 156 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:18,200 And I don't know why I've got Gavin Newsom in my head. 157 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:19,800 You know, with the hair and the whole thing, right? 158 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:24,520 We don't put people in office because they look impressive or they like have this charisma 159 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:25,900 about them, right? 160 00:09:25,900 --> 00:09:26,940 That's not what we do. 161 00:09:26,940 --> 00:09:31,400 We don't vote them in because they have the appearance of being natural leaders. 162 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:35,880 We don't vote them in because, well, they built a successful career and they're well 163 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:37,160 off. 164 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:41,000 And we don't vote men into eldership because they give generously to the church. 165 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:46,680 And by the way, those are four reasons I have personally seen in other churches where men 166 00:09:46,680 --> 00:09:52,080 were put into the office of elder because of one of those four things and in most cases 167 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:56,920 it ends disastrously because they're not qualified. 168 00:09:56,920 --> 00:10:01,540 Let me give you a few more not good enough reasons to appoint a man to eldership. 169 00:10:01,540 --> 00:10:04,240 Being a good communicator is not enough. 170 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:09,200 Just because you can communicate well does not mean that you should be put in a place 171 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:11,500 of spiritual leadership. 172 00:10:11,500 --> 00:10:17,460 Having a natural talent for administration doesn't necessarily qualify somebody either. 173 00:10:17,460 --> 00:10:22,700 And believe it or not, having a seminary degree is not enough. 174 00:10:22,700 --> 00:10:25,360 That does not mean that a man is qualified to be an elder. 175 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:30,880 Those things can be helpful and they might be good signs that perhaps that man is qualified 176 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:35,440 for leadership, but according to scripture we need to look deeper. 177 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:40,380 An elder is qualified based on his character and his integrity. 178 00:10:40,380 --> 00:10:43,280 And that's what Paul's going to get through to Titus here in this passage. 179 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:48,520 That is the basis by the way that Paul gives to both Timothy and Titus in the pastoral 180 00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:49,520 letters. 181 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:54,160 Skills are great, practical giftedness is a huge bonus to the church, but at the end 182 00:10:54,160 --> 00:10:58,600 of the day it comes down to those two things, a man's character and integrity. 183 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:01,840 By the way, that's what's going to get fleshed out in verses 6 through 9 when we eventually 184 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:03,960 get to it. 185 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:05,600 And those things are found in 1 Timothy 3. 186 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:10,500 We read the call to worship this morning, the same similar type of list that he gives 187 00:11:10,500 --> 00:11:11,500 to Timothy. 188 00:11:11,500 --> 00:11:13,880 We'll look at all those things in detail next Sunday. 189 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:17,740 Those are the things that Titus would have been looking for as he went through Crete 190 00:11:17,740 --> 00:11:19,360 looking for leaders. 191 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:21,280 And I'm going to do a little bit of speculation here. 192 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:24,960 I can't prove this because it's not in the text, but I want you to think about this for 193 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:27,840 a second because I think this is logical. 194 00:11:27,840 --> 00:11:32,640 There's no way that Titus could have truly known the men in those churches on Crete in 195 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:35,320 the short period of time that he was given. 196 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:39,660 To really know if a man is qualified for spiritual leadership would generally take months if 197 00:11:39,660 --> 00:11:43,280 not years of really living life with those men. 198 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:46,100 And he's got numerous churches to look at. 199 00:11:46,100 --> 00:11:49,620 And we know he didn't spend that much time on Crete, so the question is, how did this 200 00:11:49,620 --> 00:11:50,620 go down? 201 00:11:50,620 --> 00:11:55,220 Well, I think it's likely that Titus went to these churches on behalf of Paul, carrying 202 00:11:55,220 --> 00:11:59,640 the full weight of Paul's apostolic authority, and he must have asked the members in those 203 00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:06,320 churches, hey guys, who do you see in your church family that sort of rises to the top 204 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:09,520 in terms of spiritual maturity? 205 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:13,480 And then my guess is that once he got that sort of behind the scenes data, well here's 206 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:16,080 the five or six guys that might qualify. 207 00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:21,400 I can picture Titus sitting down and interviewing these men, asking them lots of questions, 208 00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:26,560 probing them for their maturity and for their character, and then through prayer and by 209 00:12:26,560 --> 00:12:31,240 the Spirit's guidance, he must have discerned the truth about each one of these men and 210 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:34,160 appointed the ones that he saw that were qualified. 211 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:39,160 Now again, I can't prove that because it's not in the text, but does that not make sense? 212 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:43,960 In other words, he would have relied on the church members to have eyes on the situation, 213 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:46,480 to see which men were rising to the top. 214 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:50,600 By the way, there are some similarities in that process to the way we choose elders and 215 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:52,900 establish elders in our church. 216 00:12:52,900 --> 00:12:56,540 The current elder team, you should know this by the way, the current elder team is older 217 00:12:56,540 --> 00:12:57,540 than the current elder team. 218 00:12:57,540 --> 00:13:01,520 They're always watching and assessing the character of the men in this church. 219 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:03,880 We discuss it all the time in our meetings. 220 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:09,660 We discuss which men are showing signs that they have a desire to lead and to care and 221 00:13:09,660 --> 00:13:11,180 to teach. 222 00:13:11,180 --> 00:13:15,480 And through prayer and by the Spirit's guidance, when we unanimously recognize that a particular 223 00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:19,880 man is ready, we then have a formal process that we walk through with that man, and we've 224 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:25,360 done it a number of times here, and that includes multiple interviews where we grill him carefully, 225 00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:29,160 where we talk about his character, where we talk about his private life, where he does 226 00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:33,960 a personal assessment for us, where he gives us a actually written theological statement. 227 00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:38,740 I think there's 16 theological questions on that form. 228 00:13:38,740 --> 00:13:41,840 So we put him through the ringer because it's important. 229 00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:46,040 Before we put him in leadership, and you guys have to say, I recognize him as a leader and 230 00:13:46,040 --> 00:13:50,760 I'm willing to respect and follow him, we have got to put him through that test. 231 00:13:50,760 --> 00:13:53,360 And we ask our members to affirm them. 232 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:57,480 Before they get put into office, and this is a critical step in the process, we want 233 00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:02,680 to make sure the congregation recognizes that he is qualified, that he has risen above and 234 00:14:02,680 --> 00:14:05,600 shown himself to be trustworthy. 235 00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:10,120 Because you've got to trust your leaders, just as we saw in that survey, right, of commanders. 236 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:15,180 If you don't trust your leaders, it's a stumbling block to say, I've got to follow this man. 237 00:14:15,180 --> 00:14:16,640 So these are very important things. 238 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:21,680 This is why it's so important for shepherds to live life among the sheep, so that you 239 00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:22,680 can see those things. 240 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:28,200 And it's important that they know you and that you know them, right, that that relationship 241 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:32,640 is happening because, guys, that is how trust is built over time. 242 00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:38,980 And how a church establishes a legacy of spiritual health, something that's high on our priority 243 00:14:38,980 --> 00:14:39,980 list here at Oak Hill. 244 00:14:39,980 --> 00:14:40,980 Does all that make sense? 245 00:14:40,980 --> 00:14:41,980 Good. 246 00:14:41,980 --> 00:14:43,160 That's how elders are chosen. 247 00:14:43,160 --> 00:14:47,120 All right, here's another good question that came up from last Sunday's message, and this 248 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:49,040 one deserves some time as well. 249 00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:53,840 In all the teaching that I've done on elders, you may have mentioned I only have mentioned 250 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:55,280 men. 251 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:59,480 Why are only men chosen for the office of elder? 252 00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:01,280 So if you don't know, let's make it clear. 253 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:05,400 At Oak Hill, the office of elder is reserved for men only. 254 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:11,680 And guys, I know some of you are on the younger side, you're under 30. 255 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:16,320 Can I just tell you, that teaching has been the consistent theological position of the 256 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:18,640 church for almost 2,000 years. 257 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:23,160 It is only in your lifetimes that this has even been questioned because of the culture 258 00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:24,760 that we live in today. 259 00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:29,680 But we don't hold to the position that men should serve as elders because of just church 260 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:35,240 tradition or church history or because we have a patriarchal bias here. 261 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:38,500 I know that's sort of the talking points that are out there. 262 00:15:38,500 --> 00:15:44,320 We hold to male only elders because that's what the Scriptures clearly teach. 263 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:47,960 And verse 6 in our text is just one example of this. 264 00:15:47,960 --> 00:15:56,560 If you look at verse 6, it says if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife. 265 00:15:56,560 --> 00:15:58,480 Is that not clear? 266 00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:00,140 That's what he needs to be. 267 00:16:00,140 --> 00:16:02,360 The Greek nouns here are not an accident. 268 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:09,500 Paul uses two important words, aner, which refers to a man or a husband, and gunae, which 269 00:16:09,500 --> 00:16:13,440 refers to a woman or a wife. 270 00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:15,100 Those are not arbitrarily chosen. 271 00:16:15,100 --> 00:16:16,720 Paul is being very clear here. 272 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:21,320 In the parallel passage in 1 Timothy 3, the same requirement is repeated. 273 00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:26,700 The elder must be the male husband of a female wife. 274 00:16:26,700 --> 00:16:31,480 So Paul hasn't stuttered on this issue and he's not just reflecting some patriarchal 275 00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:33,140 bias. 276 00:16:33,140 --> 00:16:40,240 And in 1 Timothy 3, he then adds this important qualifier using masculine pronouns. 277 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:45,440 It says if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of 278 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:48,400 the church of God? 279 00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:49,400 Paul is very clear on this. 280 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:54,640 And again, this is just one place where we see this principle of male headship in the 281 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:55,640 church. 282 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:59,400 Now the penultimate statement, I believe, the most important statement in the New Testament 283 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:05,640 on this issue also comes from Paul, also is found in the pastoral epistles, which is where 284 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:07,320 you would expect to see it, right? 285 00:17:07,320 --> 00:17:11,920 Because Paul is saying to Timothy and Titus, this is how you structure the church. 286 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:13,740 It comes from 1 Timothy 2. 287 00:17:13,740 --> 00:17:19,220 And it's a very simple statement, I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority 288 00:17:19,220 --> 00:17:20,760 over a man. 289 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:25,480 And that is the exact role that elders are called to, to govern the church with authority 290 00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:30,760 as under shepherds, under the chief shepherd, and to teach the congregation. 291 00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:33,680 Paul says I don't allow a woman to do it. 292 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:36,000 So women should not be put in this role. 293 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:41,320 And it's interesting that Paul grounds that teaching, not in first century culture. 294 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:43,120 He doesn't ground it in the Greek world. 295 00:17:43,120 --> 00:17:45,120 He doesn't ground it in tradition. 296 00:17:45,120 --> 00:17:48,640 What does he ground this teaching in? 297 00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:51,000 Creation itself. 298 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:54,620 So when you hear people say, oh, well, this teaching is just, it's just some cultural 299 00:17:54,620 --> 00:17:59,120 thing from, you know, from, you know, Corinth and that, that area in the first century. 300 00:17:59,120 --> 00:18:04,700 No, he says, for it was Adam who was first created and then Eve. 301 00:18:04,700 --> 00:18:06,960 And this is what we refer to as the divine order. 302 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:09,660 This is God's perfect plan for leadership. 303 00:18:09,660 --> 00:18:10,840 And it starts with men. 304 00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:17,100 Whether we like it or not, this is what God has declared from the very moment of creation 305 00:18:17,100 --> 00:18:18,460 that it begins with men. 306 00:18:18,460 --> 00:18:21,680 Now this is not because God thinks less of women, right? 307 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:24,160 This is another one of the talking points that follows the others. 308 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:27,120 All that means God, that women are second class citizens. 309 00:18:27,120 --> 00:18:28,560 That is not true. 310 00:18:28,560 --> 00:18:31,980 It doesn't mean that women are less capable. 311 00:18:31,980 --> 00:18:34,500 It's simply God's ordained plan for leadership. 312 00:18:34,500 --> 00:18:39,700 And because God is a God of consistency and order, he has established male headship across 313 00:18:39,700 --> 00:18:42,140 every sector of spiritual life. 314 00:18:42,140 --> 00:18:44,900 Think about the, the priesthood in Israel. 315 00:18:44,900 --> 00:18:45,980 All men. 316 00:18:45,980 --> 00:18:48,020 Think about the 12 apostles. 317 00:18:48,020 --> 00:18:49,140 All men. 318 00:18:49,140 --> 00:18:51,760 Think about the leadership of a husband in marriage. 319 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:57,340 Think about the leadership of a father in the home and male elders who govern and lead 320 00:18:57,340 --> 00:18:58,340 the church. 321 00:18:58,340 --> 00:19:00,940 God has been consistent in this principle. 322 00:19:00,940 --> 00:19:05,380 And the sooner we grasp that, even if it's hard and look, I know it's hard for a guy 323 00:19:05,380 --> 00:19:10,660 for me to say that I can, I know how you ladies feel about this, but you've got to get a hold 324 00:19:10,660 --> 00:19:14,700 of this and, and receive it as from the Lord himself. 325 00:19:14,700 --> 00:19:18,180 I know it's not easy, but let me make this clear. 326 00:19:18,180 --> 00:19:23,820 Ontologically, women are 100% equal to men in God's eyes. 327 00:19:23,820 --> 00:19:26,100 100% equal. 328 00:19:26,100 --> 00:19:32,260 All are loved and valued and women have the freedom to do many things in the local church. 329 00:19:32,260 --> 00:19:35,780 Even teaching by the way, because they can use their teaching gift in teaching other 330 00:19:35,780 --> 00:19:37,700 women and children. 331 00:19:37,700 --> 00:19:41,080 So they're not even being barred from the teaching authority, just not authority over 332 00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:42,940 men in their teaching. 333 00:19:42,940 --> 00:19:45,020 They could do many things in the local church. 334 00:19:45,020 --> 00:19:51,940 In fact, I will say the talents and gifts and service of women are essential for a healthy 335 00:19:51,940 --> 00:19:53,640 body life. 336 00:19:53,640 --> 00:20:00,060 But in this one area, authority vested in elders, God has clearly restricted it to men. 337 00:20:00,060 --> 00:20:01,560 Amen. 338 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:03,860 If you have questions about that, come talk to me. 339 00:20:03,860 --> 00:20:04,860 We can talk about it. 340 00:20:04,860 --> 00:20:07,020 I know it's not easy, but it's clear. 341 00:20:07,020 --> 00:20:11,200 Okay, one last really important question that came up from you guys. 342 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:15,860 How old must an elder be to serve in this role? 343 00:20:15,860 --> 00:20:17,180 So this is interesting. 344 00:20:17,180 --> 00:20:20,980 We talked last week about this Greek word presbyteros, right? 345 00:20:20,980 --> 00:20:25,260 And that, and that is the word for elder or bishop. 346 00:20:25,260 --> 00:20:28,780 It is a word that literally is associated with older age. 347 00:20:28,780 --> 00:20:31,580 That's the term elder, right? 348 00:20:31,580 --> 00:20:36,260 But still the New Testament does not give us a minimum age for elders. 349 00:20:36,260 --> 00:20:38,940 It'd be really easy if it did make sure it's this age. 350 00:20:38,940 --> 00:20:43,860 But I think in God's wisdom, he said, look, that, that number is flexible based on culture, 351 00:20:43,860 --> 00:20:44,860 right? 352 00:20:44,860 --> 00:20:46,060 So we don't have a number given to us. 353 00:20:46,060 --> 00:20:52,860 And we know that Timothy was a younger man by Jewish standards and likely Titus as well. 354 00:20:52,860 --> 00:20:56,260 Some scholars would say probably early thirties. 355 00:20:56,260 --> 00:20:58,220 So very young by Jewish standards. 356 00:20:58,220 --> 00:21:01,180 That both are chosen as apostolic representatives. 357 00:21:01,180 --> 00:21:05,740 Both are sent to provide pastoral oversight to churches in the first century. 358 00:21:05,740 --> 00:21:11,340 And not only that, we have this really interesting bit of information in first Timothy four where 359 00:21:11,340 --> 00:21:16,260 Paul gives Timothy some, I would call it forceful encouragement. 360 00:21:16,260 --> 00:21:17,760 Here's what he writes to Timothy. 361 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:21,500 He says, hey, command and teach these things. 362 00:21:21,500 --> 00:21:28,020 Don't let anyone look down on your youthfulness, but set an example for the believers in speech, 363 00:21:28,020 --> 00:21:31,140 in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 364 00:21:31,140 --> 00:21:37,100 In other words, and you get a sense that Timothy needed some like some, some building up from 365 00:21:37,100 --> 00:21:42,140 this older guy, Paul, like Timothy stiffen your spine just a bit and teach these things 366 00:21:42,140 --> 00:21:44,220 with authority. 367 00:21:44,220 --> 00:21:46,220 He needed that encouragement. 368 00:21:46,220 --> 00:21:51,240 And I know you're young, Timothy, but if you set the example for the body in these areas, 369 00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:54,220 they will respect you and they will follow you. 370 00:21:54,220 --> 00:21:57,120 That's sort of the encouragement that Paul gives to him. 371 00:21:57,120 --> 00:22:00,860 So in terms of an elder, it's less about the physical number of years that he's lived on 372 00:22:00,860 --> 00:22:01,860 the earth. 373 00:22:01,860 --> 00:22:05,020 And it's more about his spiritual maturity. 374 00:22:05,020 --> 00:22:10,300 Now I have an interesting story about this topic, a story from the very early days of 375 00:22:10,300 --> 00:22:11,300 Oak Hill. 376 00:22:11,300 --> 00:22:17,460 I'm going to embarrass Adam here for a second, because look, Adam's still a young guy. 377 00:22:17,460 --> 00:22:23,340 He said, he said, I'll take it. 378 00:22:23,340 --> 00:22:24,340 And Ken as well, right? 379 00:22:24,340 --> 00:22:25,340 We have some younger guys. 380 00:22:25,340 --> 00:22:26,340 And Grant. 381 00:22:26,340 --> 00:22:33,980 And okay, Grant too, in spite of the gray hair. 382 00:22:33,980 --> 00:22:35,680 But this was years ago. 383 00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:41,660 And there was a family who had come to Oak Hill and attended for a number of months. 384 00:22:41,660 --> 00:22:43,700 And we thought that they were, they were fitting in well. 385 00:22:43,700 --> 00:22:47,480 And this was going to be a really, a really wonderful family at our church. 386 00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:51,900 And then one day I got an email from them that said, we're leaving Oak Hill because 387 00:22:51,900 --> 00:22:57,780 you've appointed Adam as an elder. 388 00:22:57,780 --> 00:23:02,060 And the reality was this family was stuck in a particular understanding of, in their 389 00:23:02,060 --> 00:23:04,900 mind of what an elder should be, what an elder should look like. 390 00:23:04,900 --> 00:23:09,060 And in their minds, he had to be older than them. 391 00:23:09,060 --> 00:23:11,140 And in that case, Adam was slightly younger than them. 392 00:23:11,140 --> 00:23:12,560 And they said, can't do it. 393 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:15,020 Cannot respect somebody younger than me. 394 00:23:15,020 --> 00:23:17,340 And they refused to even look at scripture. 395 00:23:17,340 --> 00:23:18,420 So they just sent me an email. 396 00:23:18,420 --> 00:23:21,400 So I called them and I said, look, can we talk about this? 397 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:24,680 Because I'm not sure you're being fully informed on this issue. 398 00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:27,220 And I said, have you looked at Timothy? 399 00:23:27,220 --> 00:23:28,420 Have you looked at that example? 400 00:23:28,420 --> 00:23:34,340 Have you looked at how it's more about character and spiritual maturity than it is age? 401 00:23:34,340 --> 00:23:38,560 And then I said, and they were like, yeah, but he's so, I'm like, let me ask you a question. 402 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:42,120 Have you actually met Adam? 403 00:23:42,120 --> 00:23:47,560 Have you actually, have you gone out of your way to show hospitality to him, to ask him 404 00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:49,160 some questions about his character? 405 00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:50,280 Have you taken him to lunch? 406 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:52,340 Have you had him to your house? 407 00:23:52,340 --> 00:23:54,260 It got really quiet. 408 00:23:54,260 --> 00:23:58,980 Because they hadn't made the effort to really see if he had the spiritual maturity to serve 409 00:23:58,980 --> 00:24:00,220 in that role. 410 00:24:00,220 --> 00:24:06,020 And it's so interesting, not going to listen to me as an older man, not going to look at 411 00:24:06,020 --> 00:24:07,120 the scriptures. 412 00:24:07,120 --> 00:24:09,060 They just had it in their mind. 413 00:24:09,060 --> 00:24:10,340 This is what we believe. 414 00:24:10,340 --> 00:24:13,620 And friends, that is a dangerous place to be. 415 00:24:13,620 --> 00:24:18,100 To say, I'm not going to pay attention to what God says because I have an opinion. 416 00:24:18,100 --> 00:24:19,100 Make sense? 417 00:24:19,100 --> 00:24:23,660 Okay, so we are going to look at a whole new verse this morning. 418 00:24:23,660 --> 00:24:25,700 So look at verse six. 419 00:24:25,700 --> 00:24:30,700 We're just going to dip our toe into it because it is chock full of important stuff. 420 00:24:30,700 --> 00:24:34,760 All right, beginning at verse six, we have this critically important list of character 421 00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:36,460 qualifications for elders. 422 00:24:36,460 --> 00:24:38,620 It runs all the way through verse nine. 423 00:24:38,620 --> 00:24:41,300 And what we're going to see now and next week is this. 424 00:24:41,300 --> 00:24:45,880 First of all, there is one overarching character trait that Paul lists. 425 00:24:45,880 --> 00:24:48,600 And then there are two requirements beneath it. 426 00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:53,100 And both of those requirements speak to the man's home life. 427 00:24:53,100 --> 00:24:57,820 After that comes five things that an elder cannot be and then seven things that he must 428 00:24:57,820 --> 00:24:59,020 be. 429 00:24:59,020 --> 00:25:02,940 And the seventh of those, which we'll get to next week is important, is a description 430 00:25:02,940 --> 00:25:05,340 of his knowledge and handling of God's Word. 431 00:25:05,340 --> 00:25:08,500 So there's a ton of stuff here that we need to unpack. 432 00:25:08,500 --> 00:25:09,500 But let's look again. 433 00:25:09,500 --> 00:25:13,180 Verse five says, for this reason I left you in Crete that you would set in order what 434 00:25:13,180 --> 00:25:19,820 remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, namely if any man is, underline 435 00:25:19,820 --> 00:25:26,820 it, above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of 436 00:25:26,820 --> 00:25:29,220 dissipation or rebellion. 437 00:25:29,220 --> 00:25:36,140 So there's the overarching requirement there, to be above reproach. 438 00:25:36,140 --> 00:25:40,380 It's the same requirement that shows up again in the first, it's the very first thing in 439 00:25:40,380 --> 00:25:45,340 the list that Paul gives to Timothy about as an elder as well, above reproach. 440 00:25:45,340 --> 00:25:47,900 So Paul's making this his top priority. 441 00:25:47,900 --> 00:25:53,180 You see there, it's a single word in the original Greek, a negkletos, and sometimes you find 442 00:25:53,180 --> 00:25:56,300 it translated as blameless. 443 00:25:56,300 --> 00:26:00,020 But here's what I think is the best way for you to understand what Paul is getting at 444 00:26:00,020 --> 00:26:01,060 here. 445 00:26:01,060 --> 00:26:06,420 When it comes to an elder, there should be no glaring violation in his character. 446 00:26:06,420 --> 00:26:12,380 No point upon which a person might stand up and make an accusation, a valid accusation 447 00:26:12,380 --> 00:26:14,780 against his character or integrity. 448 00:26:14,780 --> 00:26:19,340 In fact, the Greek word that you see on the screen is a compound word. 449 00:26:19,340 --> 00:26:24,660 Its root is the word egkaleo, which literally means to make an accusation. 450 00:26:24,660 --> 00:26:28,540 And so when you put the negative particle in front of it, it negates it, which says you're 451 00:26:28,540 --> 00:26:31,000 not able to make an accusation. 452 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:32,860 So that's really what Paul's getting at. 453 00:26:32,860 --> 00:26:38,380 There's no valid reason for a person to stand up and say, that guy is disqualified. 454 00:26:38,380 --> 00:26:42,880 So the elder's life has to be seen in order for this to apply. 455 00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:46,980 He's got to be known as a man of unimpeachable character and integrity. 456 00:26:46,980 --> 00:26:50,340 And that trait is essential for leadership because again, I'm going to say it over and 457 00:26:50,340 --> 00:26:53,140 over again because that is how trust is built. 458 00:26:53,140 --> 00:26:59,620 I read a story, and this is for you old timers, Jeff Steele, you'll like this story. 459 00:26:59,620 --> 00:27:03,020 Former president and general Dwight Eisenhower. 460 00:27:03,020 --> 00:27:04,260 Anybody? 461 00:27:04,260 --> 00:27:05,260 Dwight Eisenhower? 462 00:27:05,260 --> 00:27:07,700 Yeah, good. 463 00:27:07,700 --> 00:27:11,080 In his autobiography, he tells a really interesting story. 464 00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:17,980 He actually at one point in his career forced an officer, a high ranking officer under him 465 00:27:17,980 --> 00:27:22,120 to resign from the army for this reason. 466 00:27:22,120 --> 00:27:25,100 He had cheated in a poker game. 467 00:27:25,100 --> 00:27:26,820 He had cheated his friends in a poker game. 468 00:27:26,820 --> 00:27:31,100 Now, we look at that and go, ah, you know, eh, what's the big deal? 469 00:27:31,100 --> 00:27:33,100 He's probably just messing with his friends. 470 00:27:33,100 --> 00:27:36,280 But this is literally what Eisenhower wrote in his autobiography. 471 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:40,400 If a man cheats at cards, he is not trustworthy. 472 00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:45,560 And if he's not trustworthy, he's not qualified to lead other men into combat. 473 00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:50,600 And it dawned on me as I read that, when it comes to character, little things indicate 474 00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:52,380 the presence of larger things. 475 00:27:52,380 --> 00:27:57,900 Let me say that again, little things indicate the presence of larger things. 476 00:27:57,900 --> 00:28:02,060 So if a man will cut corners in something as simple as a card game, there's a good 477 00:28:02,060 --> 00:28:08,460 chance that he's grown comfortable with cutting corners in more important things. 478 00:28:08,460 --> 00:28:10,860 And I think this is part of what Paul is speaking to here. 479 00:28:10,860 --> 00:28:15,420 If an elder is to be trusted by the congregation, he has to be a man of integrity. 480 00:28:15,420 --> 00:28:19,280 He can't live one way at church and a different way in other settings. 481 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:23,820 He can't show up on Sunday and smile and say all the right things, but then have a private 482 00:28:23,820 --> 00:28:28,560 life that is inconsistent with what he's giving off as his public image. 483 00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:30,180 That would disqualify him. 484 00:28:30,180 --> 00:28:34,840 Now, a caution with this, we always have to be careful when we interpret words in Scripture 485 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:41,260 that sound really, really forceful, like above reproach or blameless, we have to maintain 486 00:28:41,260 --> 00:28:44,660 our theological foundations and let Scripture interpret Scripture. 487 00:28:44,660 --> 00:28:49,980 So the truth is theologically that not one man who serves as an elder here at Oak Hill 488 00:28:49,980 --> 00:28:55,020 can ever claim to be 100% pure or 100% blameless. 489 00:28:55,020 --> 00:28:57,900 Just ask our wives. 490 00:28:57,900 --> 00:29:03,420 We can never be 100% free from the possibility that somebody in the church is going to nitpick 491 00:29:03,420 --> 00:29:04,420 our lives. 492 00:29:04,420 --> 00:29:06,580 I've seen that happen. 493 00:29:06,580 --> 00:29:11,340 If we claimed we could actually be 100% blameless, we'd be violating the principle that we all 494 00:29:11,340 --> 00:29:15,780 know that we all sin and that we all fall short of the glory of God. 495 00:29:15,780 --> 00:29:19,140 So no elder should be expected to live under the weight of being judged by the standard 496 00:29:19,140 --> 00:29:21,460 of sinlessness or perfection. 497 00:29:21,460 --> 00:29:26,940 That's not possible, but in a general sense, his character and his life have to reflect 498 00:29:26,940 --> 00:29:34,020 spiritual maturity and well-earned trustworthiness among those that he leads. 499 00:29:34,020 --> 00:29:36,540 Does that make sense? 500 00:29:36,540 --> 00:29:37,640 Good. 501 00:29:37,640 --> 00:29:41,820 So after Paul lays out this one overarching trait, he then turns to the question of an 502 00:29:41,820 --> 00:29:48,820 elder being above reproach in a very foundational part of his life in the home. 503 00:29:48,820 --> 00:29:49,820 In the home. 504 00:29:49,820 --> 00:29:53,840 Now you might expect Paul to say in the church first, but he starts in the home. 505 00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:55,100 And that's very, very interesting. 506 00:29:55,100 --> 00:29:56,860 Look at the end of verse 6. 507 00:29:56,860 --> 00:30:01,020 First he goes to the marriage relationship and then to parenting. 508 00:30:01,020 --> 00:30:05,640 Above reproach, he writes, the husband of one wife having children who believed not 509 00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:08,420 accused of dissipation or rebellion. 510 00:30:08,420 --> 00:30:12,540 In other words, Paul's trying to say here, look, if elders are going to be effective 511 00:30:12,540 --> 00:30:18,620 at fostering godliness in the church, let them show it that they're fostering godliness 512 00:30:18,620 --> 00:30:20,240 in the home. 513 00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:24,220 Both in the way they love their wives and parent their children. 514 00:30:24,220 --> 00:30:28,260 Now I find this a fascinating aspect of modern church life. 515 00:30:28,260 --> 00:30:29,500 Serious question here. 516 00:30:29,500 --> 00:30:35,260 If you belong or if someone belongs to a church of thousands of people, think about this. 517 00:30:35,260 --> 00:30:40,580 And they don't even know the names of their elders, let alone their wives and their kids. 518 00:30:40,580 --> 00:30:48,020 How are Christians today supposed to assess whether their elders are trustworthy to follow? 519 00:30:48,020 --> 00:30:49,020 I don't even know their names. 520 00:30:49,020 --> 00:30:51,400 I probably couldn't pick them out of a lineup. 521 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:54,460 So I certainly don't know about their marriages or their children. 522 00:30:54,460 --> 00:30:58,180 This is one of the great flaws in the modern day church in America. 523 00:30:58,180 --> 00:31:01,860 We've gotten so big that nobody knows anybody anymore. 524 00:31:01,860 --> 00:31:04,120 And this is really important. 525 00:31:04,120 --> 00:31:08,300 What this requirement of verse six tells me is that an elder's family life has to be, 526 00:31:08,300 --> 00:31:12,620 to some degree, has to be visible to the congregation. 527 00:31:12,620 --> 00:31:17,060 Elders cannot hide their lives from the flock and then expect to be followed and obeyed. 528 00:31:17,060 --> 00:31:19,500 That's actually not healthy. 529 00:31:19,500 --> 00:31:22,220 You don't know me, you don't know anything about my private life, you don't know anything 530 00:31:22,220 --> 00:31:28,020 about who I really am, but by the way, I want you to obey me and follow me. 531 00:31:28,020 --> 00:31:31,140 That is not a healthy thing, and we should recognize that. 532 00:31:31,140 --> 00:31:35,420 So elders need to be with the sheep, known by the sheep, and yes, their wives need to 533 00:31:35,420 --> 00:31:41,100 be known by the sheep, and their children, to some extent, need to be known by the sheep. 534 00:31:41,100 --> 00:31:42,980 And yes, I acknowledge that's really, really hard. 535 00:31:42,980 --> 00:31:47,340 That's really hard on a man to be under a microscope like that. 536 00:31:47,340 --> 00:31:49,320 And it's hard on their family too. 537 00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:52,660 So there is a healthy balance that we need to strike, and we need to teach on this more 538 00:31:52,660 --> 00:31:58,660 often that there needs to be visibility, but also not invasive inspection. 539 00:31:58,660 --> 00:32:00,820 There is a healthy balance to be found there. 540 00:32:00,820 --> 00:32:05,580 And yes, the congregation needs to abound in grace toward an elder and toward an elder's 541 00:32:05,580 --> 00:32:08,640 family, but we need to be visible. 542 00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:10,380 We need to be examples to the flock. 543 00:32:10,380 --> 00:32:14,660 That's one of the high callings of eldership, is to be an example to the flock, and if nobody 544 00:32:14,660 --> 00:32:18,540 is able to see our lives, how can we be examples? 545 00:32:18,540 --> 00:32:20,100 So this is a tough thing. 546 00:32:20,100 --> 00:32:24,500 No man should pursue the office of elder unless his wife and children are prepared for all 547 00:32:24,500 --> 00:32:26,860 that comes with it. 548 00:32:26,860 --> 00:32:28,940 It's not an easy thing, but it is our calling. 549 00:32:28,940 --> 00:32:33,300 And that's by the way why in 1st Timothy 3, which we read earlier, Paul says right out 550 00:32:33,300 --> 00:32:37,420 of the gate that a man has to aspire to this office. 551 00:32:37,420 --> 00:32:42,700 He has to want it, because it does come with sacrifices. 552 00:32:42,700 --> 00:32:47,540 And one of those sacrifices is, yeah, my life becomes open to inspection, and to some extent 553 00:32:47,540 --> 00:32:49,620 my wife and my kids as well. 554 00:32:49,620 --> 00:32:51,340 So it's not easy. 555 00:32:51,340 --> 00:32:52,340 Okay. 556 00:32:52,340 --> 00:32:55,060 Poor Eden, she's up here. 557 00:32:55,060 --> 00:32:56,060 Hi. 558 00:32:56,060 --> 00:33:01,900 All right, so let's talk about this phrase, husband of one wife. 559 00:33:01,900 --> 00:33:02,900 This is really important. 560 00:33:02,900 --> 00:33:06,380 What does it actually mean? 561 00:33:06,380 --> 00:33:08,780 As long as I'm not a polygamist, I'm good to go. 562 00:33:08,780 --> 00:33:12,940 I mean, is that what Paul's really getting at here? 563 00:33:12,940 --> 00:33:14,960 No, it's not. 564 00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:20,740 And it's an interesting fact that in the Greco-Roman world of the 1st century, polygamy was looked 565 00:33:20,740 --> 00:33:22,540 down upon. 566 00:33:22,540 --> 00:33:24,420 That might shock you, but it was. 567 00:33:24,420 --> 00:33:28,420 Now, having mistresses, that's fine. 568 00:33:28,420 --> 00:33:33,380 Mistresses are fine, but multiple wives, multiple marriages was frowned upon in the Greco-Roman 569 00:33:33,380 --> 00:33:34,380 world. 570 00:33:34,380 --> 00:33:35,860 So Paul's not getting at that. 571 00:33:35,860 --> 00:33:37,960 There's something else he's talking about here. 572 00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:43,180 And what I would say he means is simply this, that an elder must be absolutely committed 573 00:33:43,180 --> 00:33:45,180 to his wife. 574 00:33:45,180 --> 00:33:50,260 Whereas sometimes we say he has to be a one-woman man. 575 00:33:50,260 --> 00:33:52,000 So he has to be devoted to his wife. 576 00:33:52,000 --> 00:33:53,660 He has to cherish his wife. 577 00:33:53,660 --> 00:33:56,220 He has to build her up in the faith. 578 00:33:56,220 --> 00:34:01,240 And in all those things, what he's doing as he does those things is he's serving an example 579 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:06,180 to the younger men in the church to say, this is how you should treat your wives. 580 00:34:06,180 --> 00:34:07,500 And so again, it's visible. 581 00:34:07,500 --> 00:34:09,380 We say, look, we're one-woman men. 582 00:34:09,380 --> 00:34:10,860 This is what we do. 583 00:34:10,860 --> 00:34:15,120 Now, an adjacent question that often gets raised here is, does this verse mean that 584 00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:17,380 an elder must be married? 585 00:34:17,380 --> 00:34:22,620 I've heard that said before, but guys, we have to be careful on our exit Jesus here. 586 00:34:22,620 --> 00:34:25,420 Paul does not command that an elder be married. 587 00:34:25,420 --> 00:34:26,780 Right? 588 00:34:26,780 --> 00:34:29,060 To say that is extrapolating from the text. 589 00:34:29,060 --> 00:34:30,740 It's really not in there. 590 00:34:30,740 --> 00:34:31,740 So what do we do? 591 00:34:31,740 --> 00:34:33,420 How do we answer that question? 592 00:34:33,420 --> 00:34:34,700 Can we have single elders? 593 00:34:34,700 --> 00:34:40,560 Well, again, we look to scripture to shed light on this subject and to help us answer 594 00:34:40,560 --> 00:34:41,560 the question. 595 00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:45,120 So first of all, let me just be really practical. 596 00:34:45,120 --> 00:34:49,380 Paul wasn't married. 597 00:34:49,380 --> 00:34:52,400 And I don't think there's anybody here would say, therefore, he's somehow not qualified 598 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:53,940 to be an elder. 599 00:34:53,940 --> 00:34:54,940 Right? 600 00:34:54,940 --> 00:34:56,660 Now, we don't know for sure. 601 00:34:56,660 --> 00:34:59,060 We're not given a lot of information about Paul's background. 602 00:34:59,060 --> 00:35:01,240 It's possible he was never married. 603 00:35:01,240 --> 00:35:03,940 It's also possible that he was widowed. 604 00:35:03,940 --> 00:35:08,740 But it's clear in 1 Corinthians 7 when he speaks to this issue, he is writing as an 605 00:35:08,740 --> 00:35:10,100 unmarried man. 606 00:35:10,100 --> 00:35:16,940 In fact, he commends a man who is like himself, able to remain single and not struggle with 607 00:35:16,940 --> 00:35:19,540 sexual immorality. 608 00:35:19,540 --> 00:35:23,620 So it would not make sense for Paul to say on the one hand, well, I commend singleness 609 00:35:23,620 --> 00:35:28,060 if you're gifted in celibacy, but then say, yeah, but he's not qualified to be an elder. 610 00:35:28,060 --> 00:35:30,240 That doesn't make any sense. 611 00:35:30,240 --> 00:35:32,060 But we should also make note of this truth. 612 00:35:32,060 --> 00:35:38,540 Being a single or unmarried elder in the church does have its share of unique challenges. 613 00:35:38,540 --> 00:35:43,380 For such a man has a greater struggle to remain morally pure than a married man, especially 614 00:35:43,380 --> 00:35:45,380 in his physical and thought life. 615 00:35:45,380 --> 00:35:50,140 So the unmarried elder has to be very, very cautious to guard his heart well. 616 00:35:50,140 --> 00:35:55,380 So yes, a single or unmarried man can serve as an elder with those unique challenges in 617 00:35:55,380 --> 00:35:56,380 mind. 618 00:35:56,380 --> 00:35:57,380 Good? 619 00:35:57,380 --> 00:36:02,140 Now, I could say more about that, but I'm not going to stretch this into four sermons. 620 00:36:02,140 --> 00:36:03,140 All right? 621 00:36:03,140 --> 00:36:04,140 I'm not going to do that. 622 00:36:04,140 --> 00:36:08,780 I want to move on to the parenting piece because there's a lot of controversy here. 623 00:36:08,780 --> 00:36:10,620 Let's look at it. 624 00:36:10,620 --> 00:36:17,580 Paul says, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion. 625 00:36:17,580 --> 00:36:22,140 Again, Paul is not commanding that an elder have children. 626 00:36:22,140 --> 00:36:26,300 Again, that's an extrapolation that is not in the text. 627 00:36:26,300 --> 00:36:30,060 What he's saying is I'm talking to elders who do have children. 628 00:36:30,060 --> 00:36:35,700 This is one of those places, by the way, and you guys know I love my new American standard, 629 00:36:35,700 --> 00:36:39,580 but this is one of the places in the NASB where I think they get the translation very, 630 00:36:39,580 --> 00:36:41,340 very wrong. 631 00:36:41,340 --> 00:36:46,380 What you see on the screen there is the phrase children who believe in the original Greek. 632 00:36:46,380 --> 00:36:48,700 And the first word that you see there is correct. 633 00:36:48,700 --> 00:36:52,000 It's universally translated as children or offspring. 634 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:53,000 That's fine. 635 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:57,020 The third word you see there, pista, can mean several things. 636 00:36:57,020 --> 00:37:02,940 In fact, if you look at the root word pistas, you will find that it's used 67 times in the 637 00:37:02,940 --> 00:37:06,120 New Testament, and here's the breakdown. 638 00:37:06,120 --> 00:37:11,820 Seven times is translated as trustworthy, 11 times is translated as believing as it 639 00:37:11,820 --> 00:37:16,220 is in the NAS, 49 times. 640 00:37:16,220 --> 00:37:20,180 It's called faithful, and I believe that is the correct translation. 641 00:37:20,180 --> 00:37:21,820 That's what it should say. 642 00:37:21,820 --> 00:37:25,620 Children who are faithful, not children who believe. 643 00:37:25,620 --> 00:37:27,100 Now why am I so sure about that? 644 00:37:27,100 --> 00:37:30,280 Well, again, we have to let Scripture interpret Scripture. 645 00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:36,500 So take the general thrust of salvation theology into account and ask yourself this question. 646 00:37:36,500 --> 00:37:41,540 Should a father who's being considered as an elder have to show that his children are 647 00:37:41,540 --> 00:37:44,820 true believers in Christ? 648 00:37:44,820 --> 00:37:49,300 More importantly, does that father control the saving faith of his child? 649 00:37:49,300 --> 00:37:50,780 And the answer is no. 650 00:37:50,780 --> 00:37:53,220 None of us control that. 651 00:37:53,220 --> 00:37:56,500 That's not something we can work harder to make sure it happens. 652 00:37:56,500 --> 00:37:57,500 Why? 653 00:37:57,500 --> 00:38:00,260 Because salvation is a gift of God alone. 654 00:38:00,260 --> 00:38:03,900 Salvation is a regenerative work that God does by himself. 655 00:38:03,900 --> 00:38:09,180 Yes, the training and discipline of a father in the home, it matters, and it often leads 656 00:38:09,180 --> 00:38:13,060 to a good outcome, but God alone saves. 657 00:38:13,060 --> 00:38:17,660 And so to say that you've got to make sure every elder, their children believe, I mean, 658 00:38:17,660 --> 00:38:22,420 even at a young age, right, that's an impossible standard for an elder to live under. 659 00:38:22,420 --> 00:38:23,700 So what does he actually mean? 660 00:38:23,700 --> 00:38:28,320 Well, I think the second half of the verse actually helps us understand what he means. 661 00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:29,420 What does it say? 662 00:38:29,420 --> 00:38:34,020 An elder's children cannot be living in a way that is described as out of control or 663 00:38:34,020 --> 00:38:38,180 rebellious against his father's authority, right? 664 00:38:38,180 --> 00:38:42,580 Because if so, if a child is rebellious and out of control and wild, there's probably 665 00:38:42,580 --> 00:38:48,720 something going on in the home that requires some effort on the part of that debt. 666 00:38:48,720 --> 00:38:52,340 And if you want a more descriptive way of what this looks like practically, the Greek 667 00:38:52,340 --> 00:38:59,380 word for dissipation, I think it's debauchery in the ESV, it is the same word that you would 668 00:38:59,380 --> 00:39:06,180 use in Luke 15 to describe how the prodigal son lived when he walked away from his family 669 00:39:06,180 --> 00:39:08,820 and squandered his life away. 670 00:39:08,820 --> 00:39:13,500 That's what Paul is referring to, how the prodigal walked away from the authority of 671 00:39:13,500 --> 00:39:17,820 his father and squandered his life in foolish living. 672 00:39:17,820 --> 00:39:19,380 That's what he's talking about here. 673 00:39:19,380 --> 00:39:26,540 So just to be clear, just to be clear, an elder's children don't have to be perfect. 674 00:39:26,540 --> 00:39:30,220 Can I get an amen? 675 00:39:30,220 --> 00:39:32,740 They're not going to be free from sin. 676 00:39:32,740 --> 00:39:33,740 And you know what? 677 00:39:33,740 --> 00:39:38,300 On occasion, you're going to find them running around the NPR after the service making kid 678 00:39:38,300 --> 00:39:39,300 noises. 679 00:39:39,300 --> 00:39:42,540 It's not disqualifying. 680 00:39:42,540 --> 00:39:45,660 Right? 681 00:39:45,660 --> 00:39:48,020 An elder's children need to be faithful. 682 00:39:48,020 --> 00:39:49,020 In what sense? 683 00:39:49,020 --> 00:39:53,460 In the sense of responding well to the training and discipline of their parents. 684 00:39:53,460 --> 00:39:56,380 That they're not living as prodigals. 685 00:39:56,380 --> 00:39:59,380 Now let me bring up something that's uncomfortable. 686 00:39:59,380 --> 00:40:01,100 Another adjacent question that comes up. 687 00:40:01,100 --> 00:40:05,780 Is it possible that a father and his wife are doing everything right in the home to 688 00:40:05,780 --> 00:40:10,500 love and discipline their kids and they still be out of control and rebellious? 689 00:40:10,500 --> 00:40:11,980 Absolutely. 690 00:40:11,980 --> 00:40:13,020 I've seen it. 691 00:40:13,020 --> 00:40:14,020 I've seen it happen. 692 00:40:14,020 --> 00:40:16,300 Not in this church, but in other churches. 693 00:40:16,300 --> 00:40:18,420 Just to make that clear. 694 00:40:18,420 --> 00:40:19,920 Yeah. 695 00:40:19,920 --> 00:40:24,100 So while we would applaud the efforts of that father and pray for the child to see the value 696 00:40:24,100 --> 00:40:28,980 in obeying his or her parents, that man would not be qualified to serve as an elder during 697 00:40:28,980 --> 00:40:33,020 that season of his life until that situation got rectified. 698 00:40:33,020 --> 00:40:34,420 And you know what? 699 00:40:34,420 --> 00:40:35,780 There's practical reasons for that. 700 00:40:35,780 --> 00:40:39,900 Number one, if that were the situation and this dad is doing everything he can. 701 00:40:39,900 --> 00:40:41,200 He's doing everything right. 702 00:40:41,200 --> 00:40:45,120 Everything you would prescribe to be a good father and yet the child is rebellious. 703 00:40:45,120 --> 00:40:48,500 We would simply say, don't serve as an elder right now. 704 00:40:48,500 --> 00:40:51,780 Focus all your time and energy on the home. 705 00:40:51,780 --> 00:40:53,660 Not in the church right now, but on the home. 706 00:40:53,660 --> 00:40:57,060 Maybe later, but right now your son or your daughter needs you. 707 00:40:57,060 --> 00:40:58,300 That would be number one. 708 00:40:58,300 --> 00:41:03,300 And secondly, we have to remember that if unbelievers see that a man is an elder in 709 00:41:03,300 --> 00:41:08,580 the church and yet they witness this rebellion and out of control nature of their child, 710 00:41:08,580 --> 00:41:12,020 that threatens to shed a negative light on the gospel. 711 00:41:12,020 --> 00:41:13,020 And that is very serious. 712 00:41:13,020 --> 00:41:17,360 So we would just say to that man, go spend your time and energy with your kids and make 713 00:41:17,360 --> 00:41:19,060 sure that home life is in place. 714 00:41:19,060 --> 00:41:21,320 Does that make sense? 715 00:41:21,320 --> 00:41:25,880 So this text in Titus 1 requires that we look carefully at an elder's relationship with 716 00:41:25,880 --> 00:41:26,880 his kids. 717 00:41:26,880 --> 00:41:30,180 Does he strive to model godly behavior in the home? 718 00:41:30,180 --> 00:41:34,960 Is he conscientiously training up his children in the ways of the Lord? 719 00:41:34,960 --> 00:41:38,060 And then each situation needs to be prayerfully considered. 720 00:41:38,060 --> 00:41:41,820 It's not always cut and dried in the world of qualifications, is it? 721 00:41:41,820 --> 00:41:46,260 Every situation needs to be looked at and prayerfully considered. 722 00:41:46,260 --> 00:41:48,520 Okay. 723 00:41:48,520 --> 00:41:50,860 So the overall point here in verse 6 is obvious. 724 00:41:50,860 --> 00:41:54,160 An elder has to be a godly husband. 725 00:41:54,160 --> 00:41:55,820 An elder has to be a godly father. 726 00:41:55,820 --> 00:42:01,660 If his home life is not in order, we should not expand his responsibilities by putting 727 00:42:01,660 --> 00:42:05,660 him in a position of leadership over the family of God. 728 00:42:05,660 --> 00:42:06,660 Amen? 729 00:42:06,660 --> 00:42:07,660 Good. 730 00:42:07,660 --> 00:42:11,220 Now, if you come up with any more questions, please send them to me. 731 00:42:11,220 --> 00:42:12,220 It's great. 732 00:42:12,220 --> 00:42:13,220 We'll address them. 733 00:42:13,220 --> 00:42:16,920 And if it's not here in a sermon, I'll try to do a podcast on it. 734 00:42:16,920 --> 00:42:19,340 Because I know this text brings up a lot of questions. 735 00:42:19,340 --> 00:42:20,340 They're good questions. 736 00:42:20,340 --> 00:42:24,540 They're questions that we should know, that every person out there should know about. 737 00:42:24,540 --> 00:42:25,740 So let me wrap up with this. 738 00:42:25,740 --> 00:42:29,340 Again, leadership is hard, and good leaders are hard to find. 739 00:42:29,340 --> 00:42:33,980 Here's what studying this passage over the last couple of weeks has sort of put on my 740 00:42:33,980 --> 00:42:34,980 heart. 741 00:42:34,980 --> 00:42:40,340 And my prayer all this morning has been that these two things will land on your heart as 742 00:42:40,340 --> 00:42:41,340 well. 743 00:42:41,340 --> 00:42:47,200 Number one is just acknowledging the amazing group of elders we have at this church. 744 00:42:47,200 --> 00:42:51,660 And not taking them for granted, because it's hard to find good leaders. 745 00:42:51,660 --> 00:42:53,260 Good qualified leaders. 746 00:42:53,260 --> 00:42:54,820 We are a fairly small church. 747 00:42:54,820 --> 00:42:59,460 We have seven incredibly godly men who lead this church. 748 00:42:59,460 --> 00:43:04,900 Skilled, gifted, but most of all, their integrity is in place. 749 00:43:04,900 --> 00:43:08,060 They're willing and eager to serve and to shepherd this flock. 750 00:43:08,060 --> 00:43:11,380 And so God has gifted us with this amazing gift. 751 00:43:11,380 --> 00:43:12,980 And so I don't want you to take them for granted. 752 00:43:12,980 --> 00:43:14,780 In fact, bless them. 753 00:43:14,780 --> 00:43:15,780 Bless them. 754 00:43:15,780 --> 00:43:16,780 Get to know them. 755 00:43:16,780 --> 00:43:18,060 We do. 756 00:43:18,060 --> 00:43:19,320 But we're really, really blessed. 757 00:43:19,320 --> 00:43:24,740 Second thing that I've taken to heart from this passage is that our elders need prayer. 758 00:43:24,740 --> 00:43:28,900 Lots and lots of prayer from you guys, from our sheep. 759 00:43:28,900 --> 00:43:31,620 Because being an elder is a great sacrifice. 760 00:43:31,620 --> 00:43:33,580 And it's difficult work. 761 00:43:33,580 --> 00:43:35,440 And it requires a lot of time and energy. 762 00:43:35,440 --> 00:43:37,860 All of these guys, and you know what? 763 00:43:37,860 --> 00:43:42,980 Let's just acknowledge the wives of the elders who give up their husbands. 764 00:43:42,980 --> 00:43:45,580 Because of all the time and energy it requires to be an elder. 765 00:43:45,580 --> 00:43:48,660 Our wives, I mean, we talk about it at our meetings all the time. 766 00:43:48,660 --> 00:43:51,740 But we are, we all married up. 767 00:43:51,740 --> 00:43:54,020 We are so blessed by our wives. 768 00:43:54,020 --> 00:43:56,360 But it takes a lot of time and a lot of sacrifice. 769 00:43:56,360 --> 00:43:59,580 And the weight of being an elder does weigh on us at times. 770 00:43:59,580 --> 00:44:05,540 And so the enemy would love nothing more than to take down one of our leaders in this church. 771 00:44:05,540 --> 00:44:09,620 And so if you don't have us on your prayer list yet, would you consider adding all seven 772 00:44:09,620 --> 00:44:13,500 of us by name and asking the Lord to protect us? 773 00:44:13,500 --> 00:44:15,140 Asking the Lord to encourage us? 774 00:44:15,140 --> 00:44:20,940 Ask the Lord to give us strength to keep doing the very thing that we love to do. 775 00:44:20,940 --> 00:44:23,620 And that's to love you guys and to shepherd you guys. 776 00:44:23,620 --> 00:44:24,620 Amen? 777 00:44:24,620 --> 00:44:29,220 Let's bow our heads and pray together. 778 00:44:29,220 --> 00:44:37,060 Father, the more, the more we dig into these two passages in Titus and 1st Timothy, Lord, 779 00:44:37,060 --> 00:44:45,540 it's so encouraging to see how you have practically provided standards and qualifications for 780 00:44:45,540 --> 00:44:48,140 the men that lead your church. 781 00:44:48,140 --> 00:44:53,460 How much we need those things, Lord, to know who to put in positions of leadership, who 782 00:44:53,460 --> 00:44:55,860 will be trustworthy, who can be followed. 783 00:44:55,860 --> 00:45:01,220 And so, Lord, we're grateful for your word as always, but specifically for the practicality 784 00:45:01,220 --> 00:45:02,700 of this passage. 785 00:45:02,700 --> 00:45:08,260 Father, we are grateful this morning for the men that you have called into this position 786 00:45:08,260 --> 00:45:09,460 at Oak Hill. 787 00:45:09,460 --> 00:45:14,860 I'm personally so blessed by each one of them, by their fellowship that we enjoy, by the 788 00:45:14,860 --> 00:45:17,420 way our families are in fellowship with each other. 789 00:45:17,420 --> 00:45:21,700 It is a special and rich situation that we live in. 790 00:45:21,700 --> 00:45:23,380 So thank you for them, Lord. 791 00:45:23,380 --> 00:45:24,620 Thank you for each one of them. 792 00:45:24,620 --> 00:45:29,860 Bless their homes, bless their wives for their sacrifices, and Lord, continue to watch over 793 00:45:29,860 --> 00:45:30,940 us. 794 00:45:30,940 --> 00:45:33,980 Come back to Oak Hill from the attacks of the enemy, Lord. 795 00:45:33,980 --> 00:45:35,780 Keep us men of purity. 796 00:45:35,780 --> 00:45:39,700 Keep us focused on you with our eyes fixed upon you and nothing else. 797 00:45:39,700 --> 00:45:44,940 Lord, we know that this is what you desire for your church, and so we ask for it. 798 00:45:44,940 --> 00:45:48,740 And we thank you, God, that you are faithful to respond to our requests. 799 00:45:48,740 --> 00:45:53,220 You are faithful in your promises, and so we call on those this morning, Lord. 800 00:45:53,220 --> 00:45:54,900 Thank you for this time we've had. 801 00:45:54,900 --> 00:45:55,900 We love you. 802 00:45:55,900 --> 00:45:56,900 We praise you in the name of Jesus. 803 00:45:56,900 --> 00:46:01,900 Amen.