WEBVTT 00:00:00.430 --> 00:00:03.290 I invite you to open your Bible to 1 Thessalonians 00:00:03.290 --> 00:00:10.050 chapter 5. All of us have a need to feel accepted 00:00:10.050 --> 00:00:14.890 and to belong to a society or a community or 00:00:14.890 --> 00:00:18.949 an order or a family of some sort, such as a 00:00:18.949 --> 00:00:22.989 normal expression of being human. We by nature 00:00:22.989 --> 00:00:27.010 want to belong. There is an unhealthy trend, 00:00:27.010 --> 00:00:30.960 it seems to me. that is noted in the 90s and 00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:34.460 is predicted to increase. It's a trend toward 00:00:34.460 --> 00:00:38.759 privatization. What that means is that people 00:00:38.759 --> 00:00:43.560 increasingly want to be left alone. For a number 00:00:43.560 --> 00:00:46.539 of reasons, particularly because of the stress 00:00:46.539 --> 00:00:49.820 of life and sometimes because of the nuisance 00:00:49.820 --> 00:00:53.219 of others, people want to insulate themselves 00:00:53.219 --> 00:00:57.570 from others. Such a thing was impossible really 00:00:57.570 --> 00:01:02.030 before our day, but modern technology makes it 00:01:02.030 --> 00:01:06.090 possible to have a certain degree of isolation. 00:01:07.069 --> 00:01:10.450 One can establish a workstation in his own home 00:01:10.450 --> 00:01:15.189 using a computer. We are told that within a few 00:01:15.189 --> 00:01:18.129 years it's going to be able to block your telephone 00:01:18.129 --> 00:01:21.790 calls so that only pre -programmed numbers will 00:01:21.790 --> 00:01:24.049 be able to get through to your telephone to reach 00:01:24.049 --> 00:01:28.140 you. Technology is going to permit us to isolate 00:01:28.140 --> 00:01:32.540 ourselves to a degree that was never even dreamed 00:01:32.540 --> 00:01:38.099 of in years past. Actually this trend is anti 00:01:38.099 --> 00:01:43.260 -social and it's unhealthy and unnatural. Each 00:01:43.260 --> 00:01:46.920 of us certainly needs to be an individual and 00:01:46.920 --> 00:01:51.310 we do need to have our own space. But on the 00:01:51.310 --> 00:01:54.250 other hand, God has made us to be social creatures. 00:01:54.310 --> 00:02:00.930 He has created us to need to belong. First of 00:02:00.930 --> 00:02:06.829 all, to belong to Him. And then to belong to 00:02:06.829 --> 00:02:10.590 a people that belongs to Him. That's the way 00:02:10.590 --> 00:02:14.009 God created us, isn't it? He created us to be 00:02:14.009 --> 00:02:16.770 His, and He created us to be a part of a race 00:02:16.770 --> 00:02:20.750 of people that would be obedient. and therefore 00:02:20.750 --> 00:02:25.090 in fellowship with Him, the Creator. But sin's 00:02:25.090 --> 00:02:30.090 entrance changed all of that. Sin brought separation 00:02:30.090 --> 00:02:36.050 from God and from others. The Church of Jesus 00:02:36.050 --> 00:02:41.469 Christ is the new created order of God. It is 00:02:41.469 --> 00:02:46.650 a community of people who belong, who belong 00:02:46.650 --> 00:02:51.300 first to God and then who belong also to each 00:02:51.300 --> 00:02:56.120 other. The Apostle addresses this next paragraph 00:02:56.120 --> 00:03:01.659 to the brethren. We request of you, brethren, 00:03:02.060 --> 00:03:06.159 Adelphoi, brothers. The word literally means 00:03:06.159 --> 00:03:10.780 those who come from the same womb. It didn't 00:03:10.780 --> 00:03:13.819 refer merely to males, but it's a term that refers 00:03:13.819 --> 00:03:16.900 to all of those who are children of the same 00:03:16.900 --> 00:03:21.009 family. That's what we are. We are brethren. 00:03:21.889 --> 00:03:26.909 We are family members of the same family. We 00:03:26.909 --> 00:03:30.569 share the same life source, which is God. We 00:03:30.569 --> 00:03:34.590 share the same Lord, Jesus Christ. We share the 00:03:34.590 --> 00:03:38.830 same indwelling Spirit of God. And we share the 00:03:38.830 --> 00:03:43.129 same inheritance and destiny, a destiny that 00:03:43.129 --> 00:03:46.310 he has just reminded us of in this text. when 00:03:46.310 --> 00:03:49.229 he says that God has not destined us to wrath, 00:03:49.789 --> 00:03:53.710 but to obtain salvation. We share all of that 00:03:53.710 --> 00:04:00.189 in common. We are members of a body, a body which 00:04:00.189 --> 00:04:06.330 is a living organism. And like every other organism 00:04:06.330 --> 00:04:10.710 in God's creation, there is a basic structure 00:04:10.710 --> 00:04:16.089 and organization. to this organism called the 00:04:16.089 --> 00:04:21.310 Church. And there are certain principles by which 00:04:21.310 --> 00:04:24.889 it functions in order to accomplish its God -designed 00:04:24.889 --> 00:04:29.509 purpose. That is true, I repeat, in all organisms. 00:04:29.629 --> 00:04:34.410 You can think of an amoeba or the complexity 00:04:34.410 --> 00:04:39.550 of the human body. All organisms have a certain 00:04:39.550 --> 00:04:43.480 basic structure and principles by which they 00:04:43.480 --> 00:04:47.819 are created to function. The Church of Jesus 00:04:47.819 --> 00:04:55.600 Christ, as a living community of believers who 00:04:55.600 --> 00:04:59.740 belong to it, functions in a healthy way when 00:04:59.740 --> 00:05:04.019 it operates as God designed it to operate. That 00:05:04.019 --> 00:05:06.019 sounds like a rather simple statement, doesn't 00:05:06.019 --> 00:05:10.120 it? And it is, really. But the sad thing is that 00:05:10.120 --> 00:05:14.029 it's too often forgotten or neglected. by God's 00:05:14.029 --> 00:05:18.550 people. The church of Jesus Christ functions 00:05:18.550 --> 00:05:21.290 in a healthy way when it operates as God designed 00:05:21.290 --> 00:05:28.189 it to. I suppose that we could see the church 00:05:28.189 --> 00:05:32.250 in many different ways as to how it's basically 00:05:32.250 --> 00:05:38.930 organized, but one is this. We are a people, 00:05:39.490 --> 00:05:45.930 all of us. We are a people called to follow Jesus 00:05:45.930 --> 00:05:51.370 Christ, and we are called to follow those whom 00:05:51.370 --> 00:05:58.750 he assigns to be over us. Jesus Christ is the 00:05:58.750 --> 00:06:02.730 head of our church, but he mediates his headship 00:06:02.730 --> 00:06:08.250 through his word, through the Holy Spirit who 00:06:08.250 --> 00:06:11.970 lives in us, and through godly leaders that He 00:06:11.970 --> 00:06:18.509 places over us. Being a leader in God's church 00:06:18.509 --> 00:06:22.870 has nothing to do with one's chosen vocation. 00:06:23.449 --> 00:06:27.449 It has nothing to do with one's position in life. 00:06:29.009 --> 00:06:32.050 It has nothing to do with one's social status 00:06:32.050 --> 00:06:37.490 or with one's income. Being placed by Jesus Christ 00:06:37.490 --> 00:06:41.620 as a leader in the church has to do with God's 00:06:41.620 --> 00:06:48.420 gifts and God's calling. And according to those 00:06:48.420 --> 00:06:51.420 gifts and His calling in our lives, He places 00:06:51.420 --> 00:06:56.120 some who are leaders in the living organism, 00:06:56.519 --> 00:07:03.680 the Church. God calls us to follow and to be 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:07.019 servants, all of us. There are no exceptions 00:07:07.019 --> 00:07:11.040 to that. He calls all of us to follow and to 00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:15.779 be servants. He also calls some of us to lead. 00:07:17.600 --> 00:07:19.980 In the text, that is exactly what the Apostle 00:07:19.980 --> 00:07:23.420 is dealing with. We request of you, brethren, 00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:26.920 that you appreciate those who diligently labor 00:07:26.920 --> 00:07:31.579 among you and have charge over you in the Lord 00:07:31.579 --> 00:07:36.839 and give you instruction. and that you esteem 00:07:36.839 --> 00:07:40.240 them very highly in love because of their work, 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:45.839 live in peace with one another." I notice first 00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:49.600 in our text the duty of God -assigned leaders. 00:07:50.639 --> 00:07:55.040 Notice that it's plural. He says, those who diligently 00:07:55.040 --> 00:08:00.180 labor. Undoubtedly, the thought in Paul's mind 00:08:00.180 --> 00:08:05.160 is that of elders. Early in his ministry, the 00:08:05.160 --> 00:08:09.180 apostle practiced establishing churches with 00:08:09.180 --> 00:08:13.079 elders to oversee them. And though he doesn't 00:08:13.079 --> 00:08:15.740 use that specific term here, undoubtedly that's 00:08:15.740 --> 00:08:19.339 what he has in mind. Those in the church that 00:08:19.339 --> 00:08:23.040 are called and gifted by God to be overseers 00:08:23.040 --> 00:08:28.839 or shepherds of the flock. Now he says specifically 00:08:28.839 --> 00:08:31.970 regarding this group of people, that they have 00:08:31.970 --> 00:08:35.970 a function that is three -fold. In the first 00:08:35.970 --> 00:08:41.190 place, they are to diligently labor. The idea 00:08:41.190 --> 00:08:46.509 there is to grow weary with exhausting toil and 00:08:46.509 --> 00:08:52.629 effort. Being a leader in God's church is not 00:08:52.629 --> 00:08:57.950 a vacation. A price has to be paid to be a leader, 00:08:58.750 --> 00:09:02.000 and it's a price that must be paid willingly. 00:09:03.740 --> 00:09:08.159 Through Peter, the Lord says to us that those 00:09:08.159 --> 00:09:11.860 who are elders are to shepherd the flock not 00:09:11.860 --> 00:09:16.379 because they are constrained to do so or for 00:09:16.379 --> 00:09:20.039 sordid gain, but they are to do it willingly. 00:09:21.200 --> 00:09:23.559 Why? Because it's the call of God upon their 00:09:23.559 --> 00:09:27.139 lives. Being an elder is not an honorary office. 00:09:27.629 --> 00:09:32.330 It is an office that denotes ministry and service 00:09:32.330 --> 00:09:38.610 and diligent work. It also involves having charge 00:09:38.610 --> 00:09:45.409 over the church in the Lord. The verb having 00:09:45.409 --> 00:09:50.350 charge over literally means to stand before a 00:09:50.350 --> 00:09:57.379 group or to stand over a group. The verb also 00:09:57.379 --> 00:10:04.059 implies to develop, or to care for, or to attend 00:10:04.059 --> 00:10:08.580 to. And it ties in beautifully with Peter's thought, 00:10:08.779 --> 00:10:16.159 1 Peter 5 again, shepherd, tend to provide for 00:10:16.159 --> 00:10:21.299 the flock of God. Except that Paul uses it the 00:10:21.299 --> 00:10:24.210 same idea in a different way. He says, those 00:10:24.210 --> 00:10:27.350 who have charge over you, like a shepherd has 00:10:27.350 --> 00:10:31.070 charge over his flock. The nature of leadership 00:10:31.070 --> 00:10:35.750 is responsibility. And with the responsibility, 00:10:36.669 --> 00:10:40.970 our Lord gives authority to preside and to direct. 00:10:43.850 --> 00:10:47.590 It is interesting to me to notice the plurality 00:10:47.590 --> 00:10:51.169 that is always inherent when elders are spoken 00:10:51.169 --> 00:10:56.570 of in the New Testament. That indicates to me 00:10:56.570 --> 00:11:00.250 that in the local church there ought to be a 00:11:00.250 --> 00:11:04.929 plurality of godly leaders. Not one elder is 00:11:04.929 --> 00:11:10.490 God's plan, but a plurality of them. And it also 00:11:10.490 --> 00:11:14.549 suggests that the authority of eldering, of having 00:11:14.549 --> 00:11:20.750 charge, belongs to the group and not to the individuals 00:11:20.750 --> 00:11:24.950 that compose it. That is a principle that we 00:11:24.950 --> 00:11:27.690 try to apply here at Grace Church, Roseville. 00:11:29.830 --> 00:11:35.230 The authority that belongs to an elder is authority 00:11:35.230 --> 00:11:38.029 that belongs to the group, to the corporate body 00:11:38.029 --> 00:11:41.210 of them. When they function together, it is not 00:11:41.210 --> 00:11:44.610 authority that is to be used by an individual. 00:11:46.730 --> 00:11:48.889 They function as elders when they're together, 00:11:49.389 --> 00:11:53.620 is the point. and our Lord gives them charge 00:11:53.620 --> 00:11:58.279 over the church. They serve as a leadership team. 00:12:01.179 --> 00:12:03.820 I suppose that many of us have seen leadership 00:12:03.820 --> 00:12:10.799 abused. There are some elders, thank God not 00:12:10.799 --> 00:12:14.899 in our church, but I have seen elders who beat 00:12:14.899 --> 00:12:19.750 the sheep instead of lead the sheep. That is 00:12:19.750 --> 00:12:23.590 an abuse of authority that Jesus Christ gives. 00:12:25.889 --> 00:12:28.450 But make no mistake about it that elders are 00:12:28.450 --> 00:12:31.990 given the authority to have charge over the church 00:12:31.990 --> 00:12:34.909 in the Lord. Notice that sphere. It's in the 00:12:34.909 --> 00:12:39.409 Lord. This is not a matter of human presumption. 00:12:40.350 --> 00:12:44.360 It is a matter of divine appointment. It is not 00:12:44.360 --> 00:12:47.299 authoritarianism. It is not dictatorship. It 00:12:47.299 --> 00:12:50.360 is God designed leadership. And I repeat, the 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:52.960 Church of Jesus Christ functions in a healthy 00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:57.580 way when it operates as God designed it to operate. 00:13:00.620 --> 00:13:05.019 We notice then a third aspect of the role of 00:13:05.019 --> 00:13:09.120 an elder, a leader. It is to give instruction. 00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:15.860 The word really means to put something into the 00:13:15.860 --> 00:13:19.460 mind of someone else. Those of you familiar with 00:13:19.460 --> 00:13:22.460 J. Adams' counseling methods know that his sort 00:13:22.460 --> 00:13:24.940 of counseling is called newthetic counseling. 00:13:25.500 --> 00:13:30.840 Here's the word, newthetic, newtheo. It means 00:13:30.840 --> 00:13:36.700 to admonish, to warn, to put something into the 00:13:36.700 --> 00:13:41.740 mind of another so as to correct. It means more 00:13:41.740 --> 00:13:47.100 than merely to teach. It means also to discipline. 00:13:47.799 --> 00:13:54.480 That is the thought. Discipline is neither easy 00:13:54.480 --> 00:13:59.039 to meet out nor is it for the most part easy 00:13:59.039 --> 00:14:04.580 to receive. All of us can identify with that 00:14:04.580 --> 00:14:08.899 as both children and as parents, if we are parents. 00:14:10.669 --> 00:14:13.889 This kind of instruction and warning is not easy 00:14:13.889 --> 00:14:17.529 to give, it's not easy to take, but the fact 00:14:17.529 --> 00:14:19.909 is it's important for us to learn to do that. 00:14:20.789 --> 00:14:27.330 It can create resentment, but this kind of admonition 00:14:27.330 --> 00:14:31.690 from leadership is necessary. It's as necessary 00:14:31.690 --> 00:14:36.629 in the church as a family, as it is necessary 00:14:36.629 --> 00:14:41.909 in the family unit itself. Children who have 00:14:41.909 --> 00:14:47.830 no discipline, who are not warned, who grow up 00:14:47.830 --> 00:14:52.389 without rules and boundaries are children who 00:14:52.389 --> 00:14:58.429 are at a loss. We have some of those in Sunday 00:14:58.429 --> 00:15:03.990 school. We have some children in our Sunday school 00:15:03.990 --> 00:15:07.190 who have not learned to be disciplined at home. 00:15:07.629 --> 00:15:10.629 It is very difficult for Sunday School teachers 00:15:10.629 --> 00:15:14.929 to be both parent and Sunday School teacher. 00:15:16.590 --> 00:15:19.429 I want to encourage you who are parents to be 00:15:19.429 --> 00:15:24.929 involved in disciplining your children, to establish 00:15:24.929 --> 00:15:29.370 boundaries for them. That is God's role for you 00:15:29.370 --> 00:15:33.029 in your home as much as it is the role for elders 00:15:33.029 --> 00:15:36.639 in leadership in a local church. Indeed, it's 00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:38.580 interesting that you see a parallel not only 00:15:38.580 --> 00:15:40.820 in this third point, but in the first two with 00:15:40.820 --> 00:15:45.659 parenting. Parents diligently labor. Being a 00:15:45.659 --> 00:15:51.100 parent is not an honorary title. When you look 00:15:51.100 --> 00:15:53.700 forward to that first child, there is tremendous 00:15:53.700 --> 00:15:56.740 excitement and enthusiasm, but it takes a few 00:15:56.740 --> 00:15:59.279 weeks and you realize after the child has come 00:15:59.279 --> 00:16:01.539 that there's a whole lot of work with this little 00:16:01.539 --> 00:16:12.019 baby. It's blessed, but it's work. Parents are 00:16:12.019 --> 00:16:16.919 to be held in very high esteem because of that 00:16:16.919 --> 00:16:21.220 work. Parents also have charge over their children. 00:16:23.340 --> 00:16:26.659 They are charged by God with nurturing them and 00:16:26.659 --> 00:16:31.259 rearing them in the admonition of the Lord. That 00:16:31.259 --> 00:16:37.070 is God's charge to parents. And so you can see 00:16:37.070 --> 00:16:40.190 that being an elder in a church is not unlike 00:16:40.190 --> 00:16:47.370 being a parent in a family. The parallelism between 00:16:47.370 --> 00:16:53.610 the responsibilities is striking. And indeed, 00:16:53.750 --> 00:16:58.970 the church is a family in a certain sense. When 00:16:58.970 --> 00:17:01.830 we gather together, we are the family of God. 00:17:02.440 --> 00:17:05.640 We are brethren. We are from the same womb. We 00:17:05.640 --> 00:17:09.519 are born by the same Spirit in the Word of God. 00:17:12.160 --> 00:17:14.700 And as we gather as a family, there are those 00:17:14.700 --> 00:17:18.460 that God has appointed to give direction and 00:17:18.460 --> 00:17:21.880 leadership and discipline, when that's necessary, 00:17:22.359 --> 00:17:28.859 to us as God's family. But the text also includes 00:17:28.859 --> 00:17:35.769 our duty to God -assigned leaders. Notice that 00:17:35.769 --> 00:17:41.769 the apostle requests this. It is difficult to 00:17:41.769 --> 00:17:45.309 demand things of people. There are times when 00:17:45.309 --> 00:17:48.569 God does. There are times when the apostle does 00:17:48.569 --> 00:17:52.490 in his writings. But here he uses a softer term. 00:17:52.490 --> 00:17:57.390 He says, we request this of you as those who 00:17:57.390 --> 00:18:03.259 are our peers. Paul is not putting himself above 00:18:03.259 --> 00:18:06.559 others and saying as an apostle, now this is 00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:11.319 what you must do. He is seeing himself on the 00:18:11.319 --> 00:18:15.380 same level as the church in Thessalonica. And 00:18:15.380 --> 00:18:18.079 he speaks to friends and he says, we request 00:18:18.079 --> 00:18:23.779 of you, members of the family of God, that you 00:18:23.779 --> 00:18:26.880 respond to the leaders God has placed over you 00:18:26.880 --> 00:18:29.910 in this way. in the first place, verse 12, by 00:18:29.910 --> 00:18:33.569 appreciating them. It means more than just to 00:18:33.569 --> 00:18:38.609 know them by name, it means to appreciate. Dr. 00:18:38.930 --> 00:18:41.990 Habert in his commentary on this text says, the 00:18:41.990 --> 00:18:45.990 members seemingly had not appreciated nor rightly 00:18:45.990 --> 00:18:48.650 understood the nature and function of their leaders. 00:18:49.210 --> 00:18:53.230 The verb here clearly carries the further thought 00:18:53.230 --> 00:18:56.410 that they must appreciate these leaders as they 00:18:56.410 --> 00:19:01.089 recognize their true value. Do you realize the 00:19:01.089 --> 00:19:05.410 value of those whom God has given us as a church, 00:19:05.609 --> 00:19:15.150 as leaders? Believe me, I do. And I never fail 00:19:15.150 --> 00:19:17.450 to come away from one of our elders' meetings. 00:19:18.140 --> 00:19:20.700 Without lifting my heart to God and saying God 00:19:20.700 --> 00:19:25.440 I thank you for the quality of leaders That you 00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:32.039 have given us in this church I Hear some of the 00:19:32.039 --> 00:19:35.640 war stories of other pastors and that even doubles 00:19:35.640 --> 00:19:40.980 my gratitude But I want us to expand the idea 00:19:40.980 --> 00:19:44.230 of leadership beyond elders for a moment and 00:19:44.230 --> 00:19:46.990 say that we need to value all of those in our 00:19:46.990 --> 00:19:49.809 church who are in some role of standing up in 00:19:49.809 --> 00:19:55.549 front of others and presiding. It may be a Sunday 00:19:55.549 --> 00:20:00.230 school teacher. It may be a small church pastor 00:20:00.230 --> 00:20:04.049 or leader. It may be someone who's leading a 00:20:04.049 --> 00:20:08.630 discipleship group. It may be a person who has 00:20:08.630 --> 00:20:10.990 committed himself to the music ministry of the 00:20:10.990 --> 00:20:15.349 church. It may be a leader among the students. 00:20:16.390 --> 00:20:19.269 It may be someone who is responsible for organizing 00:20:19.269 --> 00:20:22.950 in the nursery. There are lots of ways in our 00:20:22.950 --> 00:20:27.170 church in which we have leaders, people who are 00:20:27.170 --> 00:20:33.670 responsible for others. All of us need to give 00:20:33.670 --> 00:20:38.450 thanks to God for those who respond to that sort 00:20:38.450 --> 00:20:41.990 of role in our church. Because if it weren't 00:20:41.990 --> 00:20:45.769 for the many who participate in leadership, we 00:20:45.769 --> 00:20:49.650 could not function in a healthy way. And so I 00:20:49.650 --> 00:20:53.609 exhort all of us to appreciate and value those 00:20:53.609 --> 00:20:58.049 whom God has given us to lead. We are secondly 00:20:58.049 --> 00:21:02.390 commanded and requested to esteem them very highly. 00:21:03.869 --> 00:21:05.869 It's kind of an extension of the first idea. 00:21:05.890 --> 00:21:08.970 It means to hold them in regard without any boundaries 00:21:08.970 --> 00:21:14.640 to it. But there be no reservations. And yet 00:21:14.640 --> 00:21:16.960 so often there's a natural tendency in our part 00:21:16.960 --> 00:21:20.539 to have reservations. We hear leadership say 00:21:20.539 --> 00:21:24.039 something and our human nature is to be immediately 00:21:24.039 --> 00:21:29.440 suspicious or distrustful. And I recognize that 00:21:29.440 --> 00:21:31.680 all of us are a composite of where we've been 00:21:31.680 --> 00:21:33.579 and there are people who come into our church 00:21:33.579 --> 00:21:36.799 out of situations where perhaps leadership has 00:21:36.799 --> 00:21:40.359 been abusive. And so when something happens in 00:21:40.359 --> 00:21:42.480 our church, or leaders make some decision in 00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:45.539 our church, they evaluate that through the grid 00:21:45.539 --> 00:21:49.839 of their past. We have to be patient with that 00:21:49.839 --> 00:21:53.519 and understand that. But the Word of God tells 00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:56.440 us that we are to esteem them very highly, to 00:21:56.440 --> 00:22:02.180 hold them in regard without reservation. And 00:22:02.180 --> 00:22:06.240 we're to do that with a spirit of affection and 00:22:06.240 --> 00:22:10.359 love. with a graciousness, we are to be submissive 00:22:10.359 --> 00:22:14.880 and cooperative, as we esteem them highly, because, 00:22:14.900 --> 00:22:20.380 he says, of their work. Because of their work. 00:22:20.599 --> 00:22:23.559 It may not be that we esteem them highly because 00:22:23.559 --> 00:22:28.240 of their personality, because we may not all 00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:30.640 appreciate the personality of all the leaders. 00:22:31.950 --> 00:22:35.349 but we are to esteem them highly because of their 00:22:35.349 --> 00:22:39.450 work and their value to the body of Jesus Christ 00:22:39.450 --> 00:22:43.210 and their value to the Lord who has placed them 00:22:43.210 --> 00:22:48.470 in the body with that responsibility. How important 00:22:48.470 --> 00:22:52.710 that we nurture this attitude in our lives. I 00:22:52.710 --> 00:22:55.349 think it's important for us to be reminded that 00:22:55.349 --> 00:22:59.579 we've heard it before. That our attitude toward 00:22:59.579 --> 00:23:04.779 the authority that God places in our lives Exactly 00:23:04.779 --> 00:23:09.400 reflects our attitude toward God's authority 00:23:09.400 --> 00:23:13.559 in our lives Now whether that be in the realm 00:23:13.559 --> 00:23:17.940 of the government Because they are leaders also 00:23:17.940 --> 00:23:22.079 that God has placed or be in the realm of the 00:23:22.079 --> 00:23:26.970 family or the realm of the church We are to appreciate 00:23:26.970 --> 00:23:30.750 and esteem them highly and recognize that our 00:23:30.750 --> 00:23:34.309 response to them reflects our response to God's 00:23:34.309 --> 00:23:38.609 lordship in us. And finally, he says, we are 00:23:38.609 --> 00:23:41.569 to live in peace with one another. Peace is a 00:23:41.569 --> 00:23:44.829 product of the Holy Spirit, but we are responsible 00:23:44.829 --> 00:23:49.170 to maintain it. No church can grow spiritually 00:23:49.170 --> 00:23:53.109 without its members being at peace among themselves. 00:23:53.839 --> 00:23:57.539 This is equally binding upon leaders and upon 00:23:57.539 --> 00:24:02.480 everyone. We are to live in peace. That is not 00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:09.440 always easy. It is not always easy because all 00:24:09.440 --> 00:24:13.339 of us still have sin that dwells within us. And 00:24:13.339 --> 00:24:17.980 sin is the root of war. According to James chapter 00:24:17.980 --> 00:24:21.740 4, it's the lusts in our hearts that produce 00:24:21.740 --> 00:24:28.519 wars, divisions. But we are nonetheless to live 00:24:28.519 --> 00:24:31.940 in peace. In Romans 12 the Apostle Paul puts 00:24:31.940 --> 00:24:35.200 it this way, if possible, so far as it depends 00:24:35.200 --> 00:24:43.019 on you, be at peace with all men. I think we 00:24:43.019 --> 00:24:45.640 realize that a person whose bodily members are 00:24:45.640 --> 00:24:48.880 at war and which are fighting against one another 00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:53.380 is a person who is sick. and may be in danger 00:24:53.380 --> 00:24:57.980 of dying. And so it is in a church. And so it 00:24:57.980 --> 00:25:01.440 is in a church. Live in peace with one another. 00:25:02.740 --> 00:25:06.059 All of us have need to belong. That's part of 00:25:06.059 --> 00:25:11.200 being human. We have need to belong to a community 00:25:11.200 --> 00:25:17.000 of something or some people. A community that 00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:20.740 has no order to it is a community in anarchy. 00:25:20.990 --> 00:25:23.970 Anarchy is not a word that is ever to describe 00:25:23.970 --> 00:25:27.890 the body of Jesus Christ And so let us seek to 00:25:27.890 --> 00:25:30.450 live according to the order that he has ordained 00:25:30.450 --> 00:25:35.170 in his word Belonging to God's forever family 00:25:35.170 --> 00:25:38.809 is an eternal relationship. We belong to God 00:25:38.809 --> 00:25:43.569 and to one another We join God's forever family 00:25:43.569 --> 00:25:50.079 as an act of faith in Jesus Christ That act of 00:25:50.079 --> 00:25:53.019 faith is a definite commitment on our part to 00:25:53.019 --> 00:25:58.000 Him. It involves the will. There is a choice 00:25:58.000 --> 00:26:00.880 that is involved. There is a change that is involved. 00:26:01.579 --> 00:26:04.559 It means that we trust Him alone for salvation 00:26:04.559 --> 00:26:10.000 and we give Him all that we are. It may be that 00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:15.680 you don't belong to God. And if you don't belong 00:26:15.680 --> 00:26:18.660 to God, you can't belong to his family. And so 00:26:18.660 --> 00:26:22.319 your need today is to belong to him and to join 00:26:22.319 --> 00:26:26.160 that family by faith in Christ. But there's one 00:26:26.160 --> 00:26:28.339 more thing I want to say before I bring this 00:26:28.339 --> 00:26:31.579 message to a conclusion. That is, it is God's 00:26:31.579 --> 00:26:34.380 obvious design, it seems to me, for us to belong. 00:26:35.420 --> 00:26:37.920 Not only to God's forever family, but to a local 00:26:37.920 --> 00:26:41.880 church. That's the whole context of this book 00:26:41.880 --> 00:26:45.180 that Paul has written. It's to those who belong 00:26:45.180 --> 00:26:50.640 to the church in Thessalonica. Belonging to a 00:26:50.640 --> 00:26:55.119 local church means joining. It means committing. 00:26:55.400 --> 00:26:59.319 It means submitting. It means sharing life's 00:26:59.319 --> 00:27:03.960 opportunities. It means all of that. My question 00:27:03.960 --> 00:27:10.140 is, do you belong? Where do you belong? That 00:27:10.140 --> 00:27:14.599 is not a casual question that we can shirk. It 00:27:14.599 --> 00:27:18.319 is a significant question that is involved with 00:27:18.319 --> 00:27:21.680 the very warp and wolf of God's plan and design 00:27:21.680 --> 00:27:25.700 for the order of the body. While the direction 00:27:25.700 --> 00:27:29.079 of our world is toward individual autonomy, toward 00:27:29.079 --> 00:27:37.160 privatism, toward independence, let us not allow 00:27:37.160 --> 00:27:41.029 that spirit of the world. to invade our thinking. 00:27:41.849 --> 00:27:44.509 That we can remain autonomous from the church. 00:27:45.470 --> 00:27:48.549 That we can be private and independent of it. 00:27:48.910 --> 00:27:52.990 For all of that is contrary to God's plan. It's 00:27:52.990 --> 00:27:55.250 even against the very nature of being human. 00:27:57.369 --> 00:28:01.430 To be human is to belong. And God wants you to 00:28:01.430 --> 00:28:05.930 belong. And if it is a fact that you do not belong 00:28:05.930 --> 00:28:09.259 to a local church anywhere, then it's time to 00:28:09.259 --> 00:28:13.900 do that as a part of God's plan for you, a part 00:28:13.900 --> 00:28:18.039 of God's order for the body. It may not be Grace 00:28:18.039 --> 00:28:22.059 Church. I am not suggesting that it must be. 00:28:23.160 --> 00:28:26.839 It may be. And if that is God's plan, get with 00:28:26.839 --> 00:28:30.380 it and do it. If God's plan is somewhere else, 00:28:30.400 --> 00:28:33.579 then do it there. The point is, God's plan is 00:28:33.579 --> 00:28:37.480 to belong, to join, to be a part. We need that. 00:28:37.900 --> 00:28:41.380 We need that as humans, and we need it as the 00:28:41.380 --> 00:28:47.039 children of God. Let's pray. Do you belong to 00:28:47.039 --> 00:28:51.039 God's family, my friend? Have you trusted Jesus 00:28:51.039 --> 00:28:58.380 Christ as your Savior and Lord? If not, would 00:28:58.380 --> 00:29:04.859 you today give your heart to Him in faith? And 00:29:04.859 --> 00:29:07.279 if you are a believer in Christ and you're part 00:29:07.279 --> 00:29:10.900 of God's forever family, do you belong to a local 00:29:10.900 --> 00:29:15.119 church where you're participating? Where you've 00:29:15.119 --> 00:29:21.559 joined? Where you're sharing? That's God's plan. 00:29:22.819 --> 00:29:26.039 That's not just this preacher's idea. It's God's 00:29:26.039 --> 00:29:31.140 plan. And so I encourage you today to seek God's 00:29:31.140 --> 00:29:34.430 mind and God's will and God's direction. regarding 00:29:34.430 --> 00:29:42.369 where he wants you to belong. Father, I pray 00:29:42.369 --> 00:29:46.670 for Jesus' sake that this body may function in 00:29:46.670 --> 00:29:50.569 a healthy way and that each of us as members 00:29:50.569 --> 00:29:56.390 of the body will be living under the lordship 00:29:56.390 --> 00:30:01.089 of Jesus Christ and living in such a way that 00:30:01.089 --> 00:30:06.819 we are participating and healthy members of the 00:30:06.819 --> 00:30:13.779 family of God. In Jesus' name, amen. I'd like 00:30:13.779 --> 00:30:17.900 for us to sing just a verse of number 422 before 00:30:17.900 --> 00:30:21.319 we go our way. It's the third verse I'd like 00:30:21.319 --> 00:30:23.640 for us to sing since we only have time to sing 00:30:23.640 --> 00:30:27.859 one. So would you sing, please, with me. 422 00:30:27.859 --> 00:30:42.720 verse 3. Let's stand as we sing. Take time to 00:30:42.720 --> 00:30:55.640 be holy, let Him be your guide, And run not before 00:30:55.640 --> 00:31:09.180 Him, whatever be time, In joy or in sorrow still. 00:31:26.940 --> 00:31:31.000 This thought in closing. A Christian is a mind 00:31:31.000 --> 00:31:34.339 through which Christ thinks, a heart through 00:31:34.339 --> 00:31:38.240 which Christ loves, a voice through which Christ 00:31:38.240 --> 00:31:42.289 speaks. and a hand through which Christ helps. 00:31:43.130 --> 00:31:46.390 May we this week live as Christians. God bless 00:31:46.390 --> 00:31:46.690 you.