We're turning to 1 Peter chapter 5 today. 1 Peter chapter 5, and we're reading from the opening verse of the chapter, 1 Peter chapter 5, the verse number 1. The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Feed the flock of God, which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy looker, but of a ready mind. Neither is being lords over God's heritage, but being in samples to the flock. And when the chief shepherds shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that feedeth not away. Likewise ye younger submit yourselves unto the elder, yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility. For God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour whom resists steadfast in the faith knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world but the god of all grace who have called us onto his eternal glory by christ jesus After that you have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. And we'll add our own amen there at the end of the verse 11. Let's pray. Keep the word of God before you open, and we encourage you to seek the Lord now. God will minister to you through the word. Our loving Father, we thank thee, O God, that we are laborers together with Christ. We thank Thee that we are those who labor here on earth for Thee and for Thy glory. And as we now come to labor in the Word, we pray that help might be given, the anointing of Thy Spirit granted. And O God, we pray that Thou wilt encourage and strengthen all. We pray Thou wilt challenge our hearts. We pray for the help of Thy Spirit, the mind of God to be known in all matters that are before us as a congregation, guide and direct us. and help us by the Spirit, for we offer prayer in and through Jesus' precious and worthy and wonderful name. Amen and amen. Well, today I want to bring a final message on the matter of eldership that we have been giving serious consideration to over the last number of weeks. In the lead up to our Communicant membership meeting that's scheduled for the 11th of October to elect new ruling elders, to the curcession of this local congregation. Today I want us to simply look at the requirements, the responsibilities, and the reward of an elder. And so without any further introductory remark, I want us to think firstly about the requirements of an elder. Now what I'll say under this heading, I believe, will be a refresher. It will be a reminder of what I've been trying to bring to your attention from the passages that we have thought about In 1 Timothy chapter 3 and Titus chapter 1. I want to highlight the requirements of an elder under 5. We would say general headings. Headings that the communicant membership of this congregation must keep at the forefront of their minds. as they prayerfully seek to know the mind of God for who they are to select as the spiritual oversight of this congregation. The first requirement of an elder is that he is to be spiritual. He is to be a spiritual man. Not a carnal man, not a worldly man, but a spiritual man. Because the work of an elder focuses primarily on the spiritual oversight and the spiritual well-being of a congregation, the men who oversee that work must then obviously be spiritual men. In Galatians 6, I read in verse 1, Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, Restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. And that is one of the roles of an elder, an individual who falls out, by the way, an individual who backslides, who grows cold. It is the responsibility of an elder to go to that individual and to restore that one in the spirit of meekness. But they are to be men who are spiritual. who do such a work. Now it is not necessary that a man is to be a possessor of great gifts or that a man is to occupy high position within society. He doesn't have to be a man who has great wealth or great intellectual ability, but it is indispensably necessary. It is indispensably necessary that an elder is a man of God. a man of God. He is one who is to be at peace with God. He is to be a man who has been made a new creature in Christ Jesus. Therefore, he is to be a man who is saved by the grace of God. He is one who is to be walking with God. He is one who is to be in fellowship with God. He is to be simply a spiritual man and a spirit-filled man. And so with this requirement in mind, It does not tally. It does not tally that a man who claims to be spiritual is not found at the prayer meetings of this church. It doesn't tally. I'm not just speaking about attending the prayer meetings over the last two months. I'm talking about an individual who does not attend the prayer meetings of this church. There is a Wednesday night prayer meeting, there's a Sunday morning, there's a Sunday evening prayer meeting, and there's a men's prayer meeting every month. A man who says that they are spiritual and they do not attend the public times of prayer, that does not tally with Scripture. It was prayed this week that we should be choosing men who are at the prayer meeting. And that is right. Now what I'm saying has been said in other pulpits by other men of our denomination with respect to the choosing of elders. Do not look outside the prayer meeting to choose elders. Don't be looking outside our prayer meetings. Now that causes some people a difficulty and a problem because you're not at the prayer meeting. So how are you going to know who actually goes to the prayer meeting? Now, what I'm saying today is something that you should know as a Communicant membership, an individual who holds Communicant membership. Because whenever you became a Communicant member, you vowed to attend faithfully all church services, including prayer meetings. to partake of the regularly at the Lord's table, and to live a life glorifying to God in behavior, appearance, fellowship, separate from sin, and scandal, and do all that you can to promote holiness and truth in this community. That's the little card. And that is brought to your attention, at least in my time as an elder, a ruling elder, a teaching elder within this congregation. And I'm sure previous to my time being here. And so it doesn't tally. I'm a spiritual man, but I don't attend the place of prayer. Can I say, brother, that if you don't attend the prayer meetings, that's gonna cause us great difficulty in our first session meeting. That's gonna cause great difficulty. Because it will be expected of you to be at the times of prayer. And whatever you say about our elders, our present elders, you'll never be able to say this about them, that they're not faithful at our times of prayer. Not faithful, because they are. there at the place of prayer. It doesn't tally that a man who deems himself to be spiritual is absent from the assembly of the saints on a regular basis. That doesn't tally. It doesn't tally that a man would desire to be an elder who has no desire to be instructed in the word of God, whether it be public reading, whether the study of God's word, whether it be in the public ministry of the preached word. Can I say that this congregation, like any congregation, is a very discerning congregation? You're a discerning congregation. And so you are aware who those spiritual men are, men of faith, men of prayer, men of the Word of God. I would have to agree with one preacher I read when preparing for this message. He said the best way to identify potential elders is in the normal flow of church life, the normal flow of church life. They are evident by their response to what is being taught, by their willingness to serve, by the abundance of spiritual fruit in their lives, and by the many ways their giftedness is manifest in the church before they are ever singled out for leadership. And as we said on Friday night, I believe it was in prayer, that we would rather have just one man than to have just any three men. One spiritual man. And so I want to say that to the congregation, the Communion membership. Don't think on that Thursday night that you have to vote for three men. If you think that there's no man, you return your ballot with no X. If you think there's one man, vote for one man. If there's two, if there's three. Listen, brethren, sisters, we are only men. We cannot read the mind of God in this matter. We had to appeal to Presbytery for moderation. And we may be rebuked, maybe only one, maybe two, maybe none. Maybe we'll have to go again in a few years' time. I don't know. But we're trying to do this in the will of God, I believe that we are. But, brethren and sisters, this is left with you, not just three men to fill a position, but spiritual men, men of faith. Oh, may God place only spiritual men within the office of eldership, because any other man is going to be a great hindrance to the work of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ. Now, the second requirement of an elder is that he is to be scripturally aware. He's to be spiritual, but he's also to be scripturally aware. What I mean by that, as an elder, is to be a man who is acquainted with the scriptures, with its doctrines, its precepts, its standards, its teachings. He is to be an individual who has a good knowledge, a good grasp of the Word of God. Now, I'm not saying that his bedtime reading has to be Hodge or Birkhoff or Shedd. I'm not saying that the individual has to be a theologian. But he is to be a man who can convince others of the error of their ways by bringing their attention to sound doctrine. An elder is then to be a man who is acquainted with the Word of God. Do you remember that man, Apollos? Remember that couple there, Aquila and Priscilla? There in Acts chapter 28 and the verse 26, Apollos was preaching and his knowledge of the scriptures and his knowledge of God was not to the extent that it should have been. What did they do? Well, they brought him into their home and they expounded to him and they preached to him and they showed him from the scriptures how he should be preaching and the doctrines of God's word. That's what an elder should be able to do. In order to speak to an individual, we thought about that verse there, Titus 1 verse 9, don't turn there, but an elder is to discharge the duty, he's to be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayer. Well, an elder will only ever be able to do that if the Word of God is that man's daily counsel and if it is his daily companion, if he knows the Word of God. So let me ask you, are you a man who delights in the Word of God? Do you delight in hearing a preach? Do you delight in reading the scriptures of God? Do you pick up your Bible on a daily basis or does it lie at a bedside cabinet or in the back seat of a car until the next Lord's Day? Let me ask you this question. Are you convinced of the doctrines of grace? As they are presented to you in the Scriptures of truth, do you see Calvinism as a good summary of the teachings of God's Word when it comes to the doctrine of salvation? Are you convinced that the Scriptures teach the total depravity of man? That as a result of man's fall and Adam, all people are radically depraved from the inside and that their depravity affects every area of your life. Are you convinced of that? Are you convinced of unconditional election? That God and God alone see no good within us, not even foreseeing how we would accept Him or not, but out of His own good pleasure that God has elected a people to be saved from their sin and to be united to Jesus Christ. And it is not upon our merit, not upon our righteousness, not upon our works, but upon God's unconditional election. Are you convinced of that? Are you convinced of the limited atonement or what we would term particular redemption? That the purpose of the atonement was to secure redemption not for all people but for a particular people. All that God has elected and Christ has died will be saved. Do you believe in that? Do you believe in irresistible grace? Do you believe that all those whom God has elected and drawn to Christ are drawn to Christ by a grace that is irresistible, that they cannot resist when the Spirit of God begins to move upon the soul? Do you believe in the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, that the particular people that God has elected and drawn to Christ by the Holy Spirit will persevere in their faith, that none shall be lost? None that Christ has elected will be lost. You see, brother, there would be no point in you becoming an elder of a reformed Calvinistic church that this church is if you are an individual that holds to Arminian teaching or holds to dispensationalism. This church is Calvinistic. And there's no point in you coming into them or into the eldership and trying to purport such a doctrine because we do not believe that that's what the Bible teaches. So you need to be able to ascribe to the doctrines of grace, the doctrines of Calvinism. Can you do that? The third requirement of an elder is that he is to be sensible, sensible. An elder should be a man of common sense. I always have a little chuckle with myself with respect to that little phrase, common sense, because it just seems to be that it's just not so common, this common sense. It seems to be uncommon. Maybe that's what we should call it now, uncommon sense. An elder who has common sense should know when to speak and then when to hold his tongue. An elder should be a man who knows when to rebuke and then when to encourage. An elder should be a man who knows when he needs to take a stand for something. And he also needs to be a man who knows when to back down and to submit to his brethren. An elder is to be a man who knows when to approach a minister about a problem. And when for him not to. A man of common sense. David Dixon, he was a 19th century elder in one of the churches in Scotland. He has a little book, The Elder and His Work. He said this, we need as elders to be men of a meek and quiet spirit, not going from one extreme to another, men of practical wisdom and sanctified common sense. and thus able to judge matters calmly and not as partisans." Common sense. He's to be a man of sense. Fourthly, he is to be a man who is steadfast. He is not to be a man who is inconsistent in his Christian life. He's not to be a Christian whose life is marked by spurts and starts. We know people like that. They're all go, and then give them a month or two, They're nowhere to be seen. An elder is not to be like that. Rather, an elder is to be one who is consistent in his life and in his conversation, a person, as we read there, to be steadfast, unmovable, always, always abounding in the work of the Lord. Let me quote Dixon again. The usefulness of an elder, he said, will depend in the long run more on his character than on his gifts and knowledge. He said, quiet Christian consistency will give weight to his words of advice and be a daily lesson to all around. His walk and conversation, his style of living, his companions and friends, his geniality, his amusements will all have an important influence, not only in his own family, but on the people of his district and congregation. Is consistency a mark of your Christian life and walk? Are you one who just keeps going when God's work reaches an all-time low? You're just still there. You stay by the stuff. And when others jump ship, you stick at it because you pray for a better day. An individual who's not only all in it whenever the days are good and there's days of fruitfulness and souls are being saved and members are being added to the church, but you're there whenever members leave. And you're there whenever there's difficulty in the work. And when the storms rage, that you're going to be there. That's the type of man that we need. Those are the type of men that we need. Men that are steadfast. Men that are resolute. Here I stand. This is where I'm standing. I'm throwing my lot in with the people of God here. That's the type of man we need and men that we need. The fifth requirement of an elder is that he is to be sympathetic. Sympathetic. An elder is a man who can empathize and sympathize with those who make up the congregation over which God has made him an overseer. You see, the elders should be able to do what God exhorts all Christians to do. In Romans chapter 12 and the verse number 15, rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep, and weep with them that weep. One Christian writer who himself was an elder, he wrote, much of our usefulness will lie not only in knowing the wants, natural and spiritual of our people, but in having that heart sympathy with them that will make us open our hearts to them and will lead them to open their minds and their hearts to us in return. Are you known as a man who has a tender heart? Are you known as someone who is sympathetic to the needs of those within the body of Jesus Christ? Does your heart bear any semblance to the heart of the great shepherd who loves his sheep? When one member of Christ's body suffers, do you suffer with it? Sympathetic, a sympathetic man. You see, elders or potential elders must be men who are spiritual, scripturally aware, sensible, steadfast, sympathetic, as well as those men whose lives correlate with what we have in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus chapter 1. And can I say that if you missed any of those messages, you need to listen to those messages. If you're standing, if you're voting, If you weren't there, the men will run you off copies. They're on sermon audio. You need to listen to these messages again. So we have the requirements. Let's move on quickly to the responsibilities of an elder. What is expected of an elder? What are the responsibilities within the congregation? Now, as we go down the list, Well, I suppose you could do a checklist and say, well, does Mr. Sturt do that? Does Mr. Brown do that? Does Mr. Logan do that? I don't want you to do that. I trust that we do, but I want to also remind you that we are only men with finite time, with finite time given to us. We can only do so much as men. But we do have responsibilities, and the elder will also have responsibilities. Now, again, this list will not be exhaustive, but I want to give you another five. So we're in the fives today. We're doing five, the number of grace. This is all being brought to you in grace, and I trust it is. God knows my heart about this election. God knows my heart. And God knows God knows that I only seek his best for this congregation as well as do our present elders. And God only knows the sleepless nights. And I want you as a congregation to take this serious. This is certainly not a popularity contest. So take it seriously, brethren and sisters, as I trust you are. So what are the responsibilities, can I say, first place? The responsibility of an elder is to ensure the purity of the church. To the elders, both teaching and ruling belongs to spiritual oversight of the church. We have established that. As faithful under shepherds, they are called, both individually and collectively, as a curtsession and as a presbytery body to protect and to keep diligent watch over the flock and is committed to its care in order that no corruption of doctrine or morals be permitted to infect it. Now we see that responsibility of the guarding of God's work, the maintaining of its purity highlighted to us in various passages. Turn to Acts chapter number 20. We'll not turn to too many. I'll give you the references. We're turning to Acts 20. Look at the verse number 28, we've been here so many times. You'll know that Paul has gathered the elders. from the church in Ephesus, verse 17 tells us, and now he speaks to them. He says, take heed, therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, here it is, for I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them. Therefore, watch, watch elders because there's going to come men, they're going to come from outside and they're going to teach doctrine and they're going to try and destroy the little lambs and the sheep of the flock and then there's going to be people inside the church and they're going to come with their doctrine and they're going to try and impose that upon the flock of God. And you as elders, you need to watch, you need to protect, you need to ensure the purity of the fountainhead of doctrine that flows from the pulpits and in the assembly of saints. And it is the job of the elders to make sure that the minister is preaching the truth of God. Titus 1 verse 9-11 Paul reminds Titus that an elder is to be a man who holds fast the faithful words which he hath been taught that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers for there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers especially they of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped." Here again we have the thought, these individuals preaching false doctrine, and it was the job of the elder to hold fast the faithful word of God. They are to protect the purity of the church and to ensure the purity of Christ's church as best they can. God himself reads the hearts of all men. He himself reads the hearts of all men. But as much as an elder can, he is to exercise this role, this responsibility of ensuring the purity of the church. And the second, please, the second responsibility of an elder, he is to govern and discipline. Elders must exercise government and discipline according to the scriptures and take oversight of the spiritual interests, not only within the local church, but within the church generally in which they have been called to serve. Why do we see this role of governing and responsibility again in various portions of God's Word? I just want to turn you to one, Matthew chapter 18. Matthew chapter 18. I'll read from the verse 15. Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. Matthew 18 verse 15. If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother, but if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more at the mouth of two or three witnesses. In the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established. And if he neglect to hear them, tell it to who? Tell it unto the church. But if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man, and A publican, now here we have what we're to do if we have a dispute with a brother. You are not to bring that to the church session straight away. That is unbiblical. You're to go to your brother and speak to him face to face. You're to be a man. You're to speak to him face to face. And if he does not hear thee, then you're to gather witnesses. So you're going to have to gather witnesses with respect to this. And if you cannot do that, then the matter needs to fall. And if having then done that, and the man will not recount, will not repent, well then it is to be brought to the church. But there is the thought here, there is government within the body of Christ. And there is to be disciplined, exercised. And if that individual, having the witnesses brought, the evidence presented, if that individual does not repent, he is to be put out of the church, excommunicated, and to be treated like a heathen. Now that is a very rare experience, but it has happened that men are excommunicated from the church. But there is a thought here of there's governing here, there's discipline here. 1 Timothy 5, 17, let the elders that rule well. There's rule, rule. Hebrews 13, 17, obey them that have the rule over you. And so there is a thought, there is a structure, there's a body of believers over which God sets overseers who rule, who govern. That's a responsibility. And that's what we need to take seriously. The third responsibility of an elder is to care for the flock of God. Now that care can be administered in various ways by an elder. It can be done through the preaching ministry. Whether gifted for formal public ministry or not, elders are called upon to instruct, to warn, to comfort God's people. And this can be done through times and means of preaching. It can also be done by a visitation ministry. An elder is to visit and care for those within need within the congregation, notably those that are spiritually distressed, the sick and the aged. It can be done through prayer ministry. How we care for the flock of God. An elder is to be a man of prayer. I've said that. One who publicly and privately intercedes for the needs of the people under his care. And he is to be wise with respect to what he prays for in the public place of prayer. If an individual has spoken to that elder in confidence, that is not then for that elder to make that public knowledge in the place of prayer. You can speak to God privately about the matter. but not in the place of prayer. I think of the watching ministry, and elders to watch for the souls of those within the congregation. He's to make sure that a person's spiritual life is what it ought to be. He is to note a person's absence from the house of God, and then seek for that person to return again. He's to be one who notes a person's absence from the house of God. He's to encourage the weak, he's to support the young, and he is to edify the strong. He's to care for the flock of God. Fourth, he is to be an example. Elders are to set example. within the house of God and within the flock of God. They are to discharge all their duties particular to that office with due diligence and care. 1 Peter chapter 5, we've been there, you've maybe put a marker there, look with me at the verse number 2 and the verse number 3, Paul is writing to the elders We know that from the opening verse. These elders were in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia. We know that from the opening chapter. And what does he say to them? He says, feed the flock of God, which is among you, taking care over the oversight thereof, not by constraint, not willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind, neither being lords over God's heritage, but being in samples to the flock. The congregation is to be able to follow your example of Christian living, and by doing so, live a life to the glory of God. Could people do that? Could people follow my example? Could people follow your example? I'm not speaking about just your example. In this church, on the Lord's Day, on Wednesday night, I'm speaking about in your home, how you speak to your wife, how you address your children, how you discipline your children. Could they follow your example? An elder is to be an example that is worthy of imitation in word, manner of life, charity, spirit, faith, purity, holiness, faithfulness. And that's the name but a few. The fifth responsibility of an elder is to give account. I point you to the words of Hebrews 13, verse 17. Hebrews 13, in the verse number 17. Obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves. For they watch for your souls. They don't watch for your body. They watch for your soul. They concern themselves that your soul is in good health, even if the body feels. And why do they do that? Because it says, as they that must give account. They may do it with joy and not with grief, for that is unprofitable for you." You know, an elder at the judgment seat of Christ will give an account to God for the way that he ministered to the souls entrusted to his care, how diligent he was in his duties, how Christ-like he was in his interaction with the flock of God, how watchful he was with respect to the encroachment of error or heresy. how faithful he was in his attendance at the house of God, how steadfast he was in his commitment to the teaching and to the standards of Scripture, these may all come into play when a count to God is given. Too often that truth can slip to the back of an elder's mind, but our inevitable meeting with God someday And our subsequent account to him should cause every elder to take seriously the responsibility of watching over the flock of God. These are the responsibilities, at least that I see, with respect to eldership. But let me bring the message to a close by speaking of the reward of an elder. There is a twofold reward, I think, I believe. There is a reward in this world and there is the reward in the world that is to come. Think about the reward in this world. 1 Timothy 5, 17, let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor. especially they who labor in the word and doctrine. That phrase, double honor, it refers to respect, esteem. The respect and the esteem that an elder is to be held in a congregation. Because, brethren and sisters, don't forget that what will happen on Thursday night, the Providentially and sovereignly through this congregation, God will set overseers in to this body of believers. And the church will then ordain them and install them as elders. Those things, those things are reason enough why an elder why an elder should be counted worthy of honor, double honor. God has set them apart. God has set them apart. God has ordained them through the church Now they're not to be lords and they're not to take that to themselves. Remember what we read there in 1 Peter chapter 5, God resisteth the pride, he giveth grace to the humble. And so they're not to be individuals that are puffed up with the salt, but they are within the congregation to be counted worthy of double honor. A similar line of vein of thought is brought to us, to our attention, in 1 Thessalonians 5, 12-13, 1 Thessalonians 5, 12-13, let me read, And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. and be at peace among yourselves. The reward of an elder on earth is that he is esteemed and respected by God's people. But let me ask you, do you esteem very highly the present elders of this congregation? Do I? Do I honor them by how I speak to them? Do I honor them by the name and the title by which I address them? How I speak of them in my home and in the homes of the congregation? You know, brethren and sisters, we live in an evangelical atmosphere where ministers are not called by their first name. Do you call your doctor by the first name? Do you call your school teacher by the first name? God has set teaching and ruling elders within his church. These are gifts from God to you as a congregation. And people are to be respected. Never ever in my home, over the last 50 years of ministry, by the Reverend McRae. Did I ever hear my mother or father call him by his first name? Never. Mr. McRae, Reverend McRae. We do not take those titles upon ourselves, brethren and sisters, but there is to be respect. Men are to be held in esteem. And so that's why I always speak of Mr. Brown. and Mr. Logan, and Mr. Lamont, and Mr. Rowe, because I respect them. I esteem them. This casualness I don't think is befitting the gospel. Society knows nothing of respect. But that does not mean that it enters the church. Now, as again, I say, we do not lord over people. We do not do that. We understand that. But I believe that it teaches our children. It teaches your child that the man of God, and I'm a very pure example of that, but the man of God is to be respected. And all that I would live a life were by that respect, it isn't forced from you, but it is earned as I labor among you. There is a reward in this earth, double honor. There is a reward in the world that is to come. After instructing these elders that Peter was speaking to here in 1 Peter chapter five, he goes on to say to them in verse number four, and when the chief shepherd shall appear, and remember he's speaking to the elders here, when the chief shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Now the judgment seat is a time of reckoning for the elder. He gives an account, but it also will be a time of reward. The faithful elder is promised a crown of glory. That term crown, it had reference to this reward that was given to the conqueror within the Grecian games. Those crowns, they were made of flowers and olive and pine trees, parsley, and they were inserted into branches of wild olive tree. Now you would know about that, flowers and parsley, all of those things. What happens? They fade. They decay. They die, but the crown that God gives to faithful elders, the crown of glory, did you notice what it says about that crown? It fadeth not away. It fadeth not away. It is a crown that endures. Whatever their difficulties here, whatever great their labors, the chief shepherd does not forget the work of an elder. Neither does he forget the work of any child of God. a cup of cold water shall receive its reward. Sunday school teacher, you'll receive your reward. Youth leader, you'll receive your reward. Bible class leader, you'll receive your reward. Organist, you'll receive your reward. Caretakers, you'll receive your reward. Open air workers, you'll receive your reward. Prayer warrior, you'll receive your reward. But the elder has a unique reward. He receives the crown of glory, a crown that he will cast at the Savior's feet. Brother, the greatness of heaven's reward will compensate you for all the stress and all the sleepless nights and all the heartache and all the earache that you'll have to endure as an elder within the church of Jesus Christ, heaven. will reward you. Christ will reward you. God will see to it that you are adequately compensated for your labors here on earth. So here I close. I trust that I have been faithful to my Lord. And it is for you the communicant membership guided by these messages to select overseers of God's work here in Portland on Free Presbyterian Church. Political affiliation, family relationship, friendships, personal likes or dislikes are not to come into play in the choosing of elders. Scripture and the Spirit of God is to guide you in your decision. So I trust that you'll take this matter to God in prayer and you'll know His mind for the 11th of October, 2018. Let's bow our heads in prayer. My speech has been plain today. And I trust that you will take it as from the Lord, brother, sister. Take it as from the Lord. This preacher has not been primed by anyone. I have been before the Lord about these meetings and these messages. And I have had to say what God has put upon my heart, as one who will give an account for it. And so may God lead and guide us. We want to ever see the work ever going forward. This is a tremendous opportunity for the congregation, great privilege to see men put into the office of eldership. May God lead and guide you then as a congregation. Our loving Father, we come before thee, we submit ourselves to thy word, to the scriptures. We pray that every man will search their heart, every woman, Oh God, search in our hearts in these matters, give discernment, give help, give the spirits leading and guiding. We confess, oh God, that there be no perfect man, only one ever perfect man. But Lord, we are aware that we do need to get, we do need to get this matter settled and sorted. And if there be deficiencies in our lives on this occasion, Oh God, help us to put these things right so maybe at the next opportunity, the Lord will then bring us to a place where he would make us an overseer within his church. Help us not to just say, well, that's just how I am. Oh God, forbid that we would come to the teaching of thy word like that. Help us to submit. Help us to submit to the teachings of thy word. Guide us, O God, guide this congregation. We thank thee for, O God, this body of believers. What an encouragement they are to us. Faithfully coming week after week to listen to this prayer preacher, to hear from God. Bless them in their own souls, we pray. Guide them and direct them, we asked. And for those that are maybe not in membership, God, bring them into membership. Help them to submit to the teaching of thy word and help them to play a part in future days of the advancement of thy cause here in this time and in this community into which thou has providentially placed them and given them a heart for. So bless us and help in all that happens this afternoon and this evening. Bring us again to the house of God. Give us an interest. Oh God, surely, surely dear Father, if it only takes an election to eldership to bring us to God's house. Lord, we're in a dire place spiritually. We would want to be like the psalmist who said, I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. Give us that heart. Give us that heart, Lord, we pray. And bless us now, for we offer prayer in Jesus' precious and lovely name. Amen and amen. Thank you.