Alright, so we will conclude our study this evening. This will be a high-level overview, so if you look at your handout, page 7... I've given you more resources that if you would like to pursue this matter further, there are some there. And I'll make a few comments after the bulk of the lecture just to kind of go through and make sure that if you want to specify one, you know which one. If I want to know about this, this is the one I should look into. So I'll give a few comments on that for further information. so now let's pick up page five and just as a review of where we are where we've come from and what we've looked at so far we started our study with what is man that was the first part of our study man is body and spirit we looked at the specifics of the heart in the old and in the new testament what does it do what is the core of who man is and we looked at the three functions knowledge and will, and then finally the affections. And then we looked at moral implications from that, both for fallen man and redeemed man. What is the heart with respect to moral behavior? After that, we began in a study of The contrast of counseling methods. First, we looked at the humanistic counseling models of Sigmund Freud and the behaviorists, two major guiding lights, so to speak. We also looked at Christian counseling, so-called Christian counseling, as well as what is sometimes referred to as biblical counseling, very sadly not well named in the instance that we looked at. And then we began to look at what I would call a confessional counseling model. That is, according to the Word of God and our confession of faith, what are the things that counselors should know and should do? So we looked at some foundational premises concerning the nature of counseling in particular instances of people's lives. we looked at scriptural rules for lawful counseling and we looked at a series of scripture texts that deal with various aspects and just to review these since it was what we looked at most recently is first You must understand the law of God that applies to the specific case that you're counseling. You must understand the threats that God makes against sinful behaviors applicable in that particular case. And you must understand the case itself. We also looked at God's counsel is enduring and leads to prosperity and blessing, whereas humanistic counseling leads to misery and does not endure. We saw that God's method of counseling, or His counsel, leads to enjoying Him and eternal life, whereas He describes forsaking His counsel as spiritual whoredom. We saw that God's word increases the wisdom of a wise man and that good counsels must be founded on the fear of God. And then we saw that counsel must reach all moral, personal, and civil actions. All right. With that in mind, now we're going to look at scriptural means for lawful counseling. And we'll do just a brief touch on pastoral counseling and then get into Christians counseling one another. Okay, number one on page five of your handouts, part three, A Contrast of Counseling, page five, number one. Pastors are to lead the flock in counseling those under their care. In other words, just like all of the functions of a pastor, he's supposed to, or any elder, they are supposed to be showing an example before the flock, and counseling is no different. How the pastor counsels should set the example for the flock. 2 Timothy 4, 2. Preach the word, be instant, in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. Now, of course, the preaching office in scripture is not given to everyone. It's not given even to women or children at all. And then among men, it's limited to those who are ordained to that function, which we looked at this last week. But in any case, you'll notice there is something or several things that are overlaps with what duties Christians owe to one another. Instant in season. Now that literally means be there, be present. Don't be absent in specific circumstances. When someone is in need of counsel, don't be removed. And then he talks about, well, what is it that ought to be done in season or out of season, or in good seasons or bad seasons, literally. Eukairos is the word for a good season. And then if I remember correctly, it's the opposite, bad seasons. So when it's convenient, when it's inconvenient. Well, he's to reprove, rebuke, and exhort. Now, a reproof is the pointing out of a flaw. It's the charging or taxing someone with an error or a mistake. That's the idea of reproof. And then rebuke is to, again, come against a thing as being evil or inappropriate. And then exhortation is a form of encouragement where you seek to lift the spirits to come alongside, to advocate on the person's behalf, to strengthen them in good things. Let us do this. It's joining in with them to help them bear their load, which we'll look at in a little bit. Now, these are pastoral duties in particular, and they're to be done in the preaching of God's word. So this is a public, you might say, a public form of counseling. This idea of preaching the word and doing it in and out of season, reproving, rebuking, exhorting. And then the context is long-suffering and doctrine. So there's a practical interpersonal, which is, don't be easily provoked by the other parties. Pastors often complain about their flocks because they don't do X, Y, or Z, and sometimes that's warranted, but sometimes it's just a lack of long-suffering, of being able to put up with things that you know they shouldn't be doing, you know you've talked to them about this, but they're just not getting it. Long-suffering. That's why Timothy was required, pastors are required, to lead their flock. But you, in counseling others, even if not a pastor, you must have long-suffering. Because the good counsels that you give, they might do the opposite of the good counsel you give. They might fail in certain particulars of the good counsel you give. So you must be long-suffering. And then doctrine, that aims more at informing the understanding. Reproof, rebuke, and exhortation, those you might say are also aimed at the understanding, but they address the behavior, the attitudes, things that are displeasing to God, and things where a person is discouraged or their spirit is flagging. Doctrine informs the mind. Well, what is the truth? What should I think about this, that, or the other? All right. So pastors are to lead the flock in counseling those under their care and specifically in the public ministry of the Word of God, which is what he's addressing there. Number two. 1 Timothy 4, 11 through 13. These things command and teach, let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example of the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Okay, so here again, this is the Apostle Paul telling Timothy, what is the duty, Timothy, that you owe to your flock? He's to command. This is an authoritative charge given to someone of what they must do. Teach, again, is to instruct, to build up the mind, the understanding. And then, let no man despise thy youth. If you're going to be a good counselor, and you believe the truth, you can't let someone think down upon what you say. This is especially true of pastors. Because if they back off, and they let people despise them, and they lose that sense of authority, then it makes the word of God seem disgraceful, like you should be ashamed of it. Which is what many Christian pastors and scholars are guilty of, is they're ashamed of what the scriptures say, and so they won't say it. But here, Timothy is not to do that. Don't even let them despise the fact that you're younger than them. His youth, he was younger than some of the people in his congregation, that's evident. But, counseling begins with the example. the words, and the conduct. So Timothy, especially, was to be an example to all those in the flock, all those who believe in Christ, who he had charge over. Word is the things that you believe, the doctrines that you hold to, conversation, the way you conduct yourself, Charity is your love for God and your neighbor. Spirit, I would say that very likely means the spirit with which you conduct yourself under the guidance of God's Holy Spirit, not the spirit of the world. Faith, believing in God's promises. Purity, being devoted to the Lord and holiness, not being impure. and then specific things for a pastor again the reading of scripture this is a public function just like preaching commanding and teaching so reading is a public function of the pastoral office but The point being that the information of the congregation with the knowledge of God revealed in Scripture, that is a pastoral counsel that's done. So each time a minister stands in the pulpit and reads the Bible, and then gives doctrines, teaching, commandments, or exhortations based off of the text, he's engaged in some form of counseling in this way. And then he talks about, again, exhortation, which is that encouragement, and then doctrine. Read the word, then build exhortations and doctrines on top of your reading. That's the idea there, because he's giving what he's to attend to as a pastor. But even in interpersonal counseling among believers, you must read the scriptures with people. You must have them interact with the scriptures. If you're going to give them counsel for their ways, they must be learning from you what the Scriptures say that applies to them, what is the doctrine of Scripture that applies to their circumstance, what is the word of exhortation to encourage them, and what is good and pleasing to the Lord. So the pastor is to do it formally and publicly, but informally and privately, every believer should be doing this as God gives opportunities. Alright, so we have pastors to lead the flock in counseling those under their care from 2nd Timothy 4 and 1st Timothy 4 and then also in Acts chapter 20 verses 20 and also 27 the Apostle Paul said that he kept back nothing that was profitable unto you but have showed you and have taught you publicly and from house to house. Then verse 27, for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Now, a couple things here. Paul knew that there were profitable things in Scripture, which we'll look at in a little bit. This word profitable is the same idea as what 2 Timothy 3 talks about. He knew that there were things in Scripture that people would be happier if he didn't say. They would be happier if he kept certain things back. But Paul knew, well, it's in Scripture. And all Scripture is what? Profitable. Therefore, he said, I showed it to you. I didn't hide it away. I didn't put it in the background. I didn't say, let's tone that down there. Don't talk about that one. Or if you're going to say it, just mention it in passing. Don't be so stirred up about it. No, he brought it out. It was profitable for them, so he brought it out. This is very important in counseling. because people will not want to hear and it'll be hard for them to hear things that are profitable for them. But the goal of counseling is not necessarily to worship the person you're counseling or to worship yourself and your own notions. The goal is to glorify God and to edify that other person. And sometimes there are necessary things that must be said that are profitable for that person that you won't want to tell them. And you'll be tempted to say, let me keep that back, let me push that aside, let me tone that down, as opposed to, well, that's the actual remedy for the problem that they're experiencing. And your first temptation, perhaps, would be, yeah, but I shouldn't tell them that, because that'll end the counseling relationship. Well, are you to control the outcomes of the counseling? Or are you to do your duty in the counseling? And what Paul is saying is, when I counseled you, not just publicly, he says, but also what? House to house. When I was in your homes counseling you and telling you things, if there were things necessary to be said, I would tell you that. And he's actually, what he's doing here is he's justifying his ministry among the Ephesian elders. So these elders, he was counseling them. And there wasn't anything that they needed to know that he didn't tell them, that he hit off and said, no, no, no, I'm not going to tell you. He said, I shunned not to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Whatever God says, that's what he gave to them. And again, of course, as we'll see here in a moment, the counsel of God, the things that are profitable, that comes back to the scriptures themselves. So that brings us to number four. Particular scriptures are to be applied to specific sins or situations to arrive at Christian maturity. So, not every scripture applies to a particular circumstance. There may be a truth that you would find very easy to tell someone, but it has no application to their current circumstance, so what's the use? It's an irrelevant truth. Why bring it up? So, and we'll see this, let's read the text and then I think this will make more sense what I'm getting at here. 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17, all scripture is inspired or given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, really furnished unto all good works. Okay, notice, The things that Scripture breathed out by God, that's what its inspiration is when God breathes out the Scripture, just like Christ breathed out the Holy Ghost. So this idea of God breathing it out makes it profitable, as Paul said. There's nothing that was profitable for them that he withheld. Now, what is it profitable for? Doctrine? Again, that's the information of the mind. Reproof, that's where you convict somebody of an error in their thinking or their living. Correction is where you set them on the right path. Instruction in righteousness means the basic duty that you owe. You give instruction to the mind to understand what is it that God says is right in righteousness. What should you render to every man as his due? Okay, those aren't the same. Doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. There might be some overlap, but each of those is different. And the point being this, if you're going to counsel someone, you have to know what all scripture says, because their circumstance might require that they be instructed in righteousness. their situation might require that they be reproved and publicly, literally it means to shame somebody. This idea of reproof is where you point out a flaw and prove that their case is false. There are times that Christians need that. Correction, they might just need to know, okay, well, how do I do this right thing? Here's the way I've been doing it. Here's how I ought to be doing it. Correction brings them in line with what is good and what is right. Those circumstances of people's lives will dictate which one of these should I be doing. Is this a weary person who needs to be strengthened? Is this an obstinate person who needs to be publicly confronted? So there are different ways to handle different circumstances. Now, counseling is generally private. So of course, what I'm talking about with that may not apply. But this is just saying scripture is all profitable, but there are times a person needs to be taught. There are people who are ignorant who need to be taught. There are people who are obstinate who need to be reproved. There are people who are weak who need to be encouraged. There are people who don't know what exactly they're supposed to do who need to be instructed in righteousness. And then notice verse 17. It tells us why the profitable scriptures are to be given in the various forms in which he mentions. That the man. Now that tells you the purpose, which scripture often does this. It tells you here's something, or here's a duty, or here's a truth. And then it tells you why. Why should I believe that truth? Why should I do that duty? That the man of God may be. That's a purpose clause. What's the purpose for the God-breathed scripture, doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction, and righteousness? Well, it's so that there can be a Christian perfection. This is not sinless perfection. This is Christian perfection. Where a man of God comes to a point where he knows what God requires of him. And he knows what scripture says about particular topics so that he can apply it in the moment, in real time. He can apply the text of Scripture to the specific circumstances. So he says, throughly furnished. That means you have all the tools necessary. That's what Scripture does. It doesn't do it like that, like instant coffee. It does it more like a tree. that has to be grown over 25 years before it finally bears fruit, like some nut trees. Plant a nut in the ground, you want to get nuts, and next year you're not going to get it. You're not going to get it in the second year. You're not going to get it in the fifth year. You might wait 15 or 20 years, and then finally the nuts start producing, and the tree continues for however many number of years. So the idea of Christian perfection is not Fast food, it's something very different. It's like a tree planted by the rivers of water. So it takes time to grow up, and it takes nourishment, it takes seasons of cold, and it takes seasons of heat, it takes sunshine, it takes the moon, and the changing of the seasons, all these things. And that's how our Christian life is. But he says, the purpose of the God-breathed scripture is the perfection of a Christian, so that he is absolutely empowered with the knowledge and the tools to do everything that God may require of him, and every good work that God has designated, the God-breathed scriptures, they tell him what those are. They completely inform his mind, so that he may be corrected, so that he may be instructed, so that he may be reproved, so that he may be taught. from the scriptures themselves. But again, scripture must be applied to his specific circumstances. Alright, so that's the idea of pastors leading their flocks and particular scriptures applied to specific sins or situations to arrive at Christian maturity. Now number five, Christians generally have the duty to counsel one another with the Word of God. Romans 15 verse 14, where the Apostle Paul writing to the Romans says, And I myself am also persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Okay, so this, he's writing to the Roman Christians. He's not writing to Timothy, not writing to Titus, not writing to Apollos, not writing to Peter. He's writing to the brethren, all the brothers and sisters in the Lord at Rome, the saints who are at Rome. And he tells them that he is persuaded that the saints at Rome were full of all goodness. Now, goodness means that a person reflects what God made them to be. Because remember, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And when he finished all of his works, what did he say about them? It's good. It's good. It's good. And when he made man, he said, it's very good. It's very good. This work I did, reflecting my image, not vegetative, not just mere animal spirits. This is someone just like me. This is very good. So God's view of his original creation is that it is good, which means it exists, it has being, that God ascribed to it, that God gave to it, that God infused into it. So Paul's convinced that the Romans were full of goodness. They're full of God's remaking them in his image. And then he says, filled with all knowledge. The knowledge and goodness are, of course, as we've seen, since we know that the heart is primarily about knowledge, then of course, if you have a good heart, that means that your mind is well-informed with what God wants you to think as his creature, as one made and remade. He's renewed your mind so that you can think properly about things. You have knowledge of specific scripture texts The teaching of those texts, the application of those texts, so that your senses are exercised, you can discern between good and evil. So he's persuaded, he's come to a settled conviction about the Romans, filled with goodness, filled with knowledge, able, that's his third thing, able also to admonish one another. And this is very important. Admonish means to put something in a person's mind. The noose is the mind. I think we were looking at the a-noose, a-noia, when they were filled with madness at our Lord Jesus Christ because he refuted their vain thoughts. The scribes and the Pharisees were filled with a-noia. Now this word, To admonish means to put something in the noya, put something into the thoughts. And oftentimes it refers to warning someone. I'm going to warn you that if you continue on this pathway, these are the ends of that way of thinking and living. So don't go down that path. Or what's going to happen is these things. That's an admonition. I'm warning you. Warning, warning, warning. Don't go this direction. Here's the end of this kind of behavior or conduct. I'll give you an instance of this. Little children will often do things that are not in their best interest. So what do mom and dad do? Don't do that, or da-da-da-da-da. Don't touch the stove. When I was a child, my first word was hot, because my mom admonished me, don't touch the stove, it's hot. So she would point at it and say, hot. And then I would point at it and say, hot. I was trying to be learning the language or whatever. So she's admonishing me. Here's the behavior to stop or else this happens. That's admonition. So because the Romans had been renewed in their minds, recreated in the image of God, filled with all goodness, because they had been well taught in the word of God, which is profitable for all good works. They were filled with knowledge. They had the capacity to understand when they would come to a brother or a sister who is going astray. They knew what to say to him. They knew how to care for him. They were looking after his interests and saying, brother, sister, don't do this. This is what happens if you continue, you know, let's say bitterness or you have anger, resentment against people, covetousness. Thieving, wasting your time, laziness. There are results to all those vices, aren't there? And admonition says this vice leads to this. You really should not do this because here's the end of it. The wages of sin is death. And that's the general, the wages of sin is death. The particular is when you can admonish regarding specific things that people ought not to do. And this is something Paul was persuaded that the Roman Christians all had the capacity to do. You see, it wasn't some licensed Roman therapist that they had to send them off to so that they could counsel and admonish this person. No, they all knew how to do this. because they were all filled with goodness and knowledge. All right, number six, the saints are generally to seek to restore a brother or sister overtaken in sin. And this is a particular kind of admonition. Galatians 6, 1 and 2. Brethren, again, there's that word brethren. If a man be overtaken in a fault, Ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. All right, so here is a person who doesn't just need to be warned. They don't just need, hey, this leads to this. Now they've walked down that pathway a good deal. And they're fallen and trapped. They're overtaken in their sin, is what he calls it. And it's kind of like overtaken by robbers, or your garden's overtaken with weeds. It's taken control and possession. What do you do? He says that those who are spiritual, which ought to be, of course, elders should be spiritual, but all the people of God. He doesn't address the elders and say, you elders should do this. No, he says brethren. So there might be a primacy, but there's not an exclusivity to this. Restoration, bring them back. They've gone this way. They've gotten trapped. Release them from the trap. Draw them back to the right way. Set them on the right way. This is part of this general duty that Christians owe to one another. Bring them to restoration. Not as if you were there to destroy them. That's not meek. The meekness is to be under the yoke of Christ. This brother or sister is not my adversary. I love them. I care for them. I want to restore them. I want to bring them back. And if you come to crush them, you might fall into the same judgment because God is not pleased with self-righteous means of restoring people. So he might throw you in the same ditch if you're not careful. And so he says, consider thyself, lest thou also be tempted. And all of this is a one another commandment. Bury one another's burdens. Now, there are two burdens. If you look at Galatians 6 and any good commentary, you'll find that they'll point this out. There's one burden is like a pack that weighs you down so you can't carry the weight. That's this one. Then there's another burden that's like a military pack that a guy would carry whatever he could carry with him when they went off to war. So you're to bear your own burden in the second sense, like a military pack. You carry your own stuff. Don't expect other people to help you with that. But he says here, this is an overpowering burden. He cannot take the weight of it. Help him with that weight. Help him up, in other words. So this is a duty that Christians owe to one another. Next page. The public ministry of the means of grace provides a foundation for the body of Christ to build itself up in scripture truth. So this is kind of bridging the two. Christians have a general duty, pastors have a particular duty, but the goal that God has in his word is that the public ministry of the word would enable the saints to do their duty that we've just looked at. Ephesians chapter four, verse 12. Now he's just listed in verse 11 the offices of the church. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Then verse 15. But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly joined together, and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." Lots of words. Let's just unpack it very high level. First, you have public ministry to perfect the saints, for the work of the ministry to edify the body of Christ. So there's a primary edification that comes from Christ the head who gave the officers, who uses the officers as his tools to build his body. Part one. Part two is, once the saints come to the knowledge of Christ, to this fullness, this stature, then they speak the truth in love to one another. They grow up into maturity as speaking to one another these truths. And then he says that the body is fitly joint together, compacted by that which every joint supplieth. The greatest member and the least member all have their part. Every joint supplieth. It's not just one or the other. And then he says the increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. So ministers, apostles, elders, teachers, they are parts of the body. Christ is the head of the body. So Christ uses all the members of the body to edify itself publicly primarily and secondarily through the ministry of the saints to one another. And that's what he's talking about. You have the counsel and the knowledge and the admonition and the building up under Christian perfection in the public sphere. And that leads to, logically, the saints knowing what the truth is, loving one another, growing up together unto Christian perfection, being joined together, compacted together, made into one singular body, as one man, supplying every joint, every part, whatever measure of work Christ has given to that part of the body, so that the whole thing is built up in love. So there's a primary and a secondary. And that secondary is what I'm talking about. The saints have a duty in the knowledge that they learn through the ministry of the word to encourage, to supply, to strengthen, to admonish, to restore. Whatever the duties are, that's a duty that brethren owe to one another. All right, number eight. Christians are to be full of Christ's wisdom from scripture, especially to teach and admonish one another in the singing of Psalms. So it's not just counseling by one-on-one confrontation or walking alongside them. There's also a public ministry that the saints perform to each other, Colossians 3.16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, Teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Now properly framed, when we sing psalms, we're actually teaching one another. We're admonishing one another. Go through, I'll give you the psalms in advance. If you want to, you can go through and look at what are the teachings in this psalm? What are the admonitions in this psalm? Because they're always there. I give a very brief introduction, but you can go in and do the whole study yourself. What does this psalm teach? What am I saying to my brethren when we sing this psalm together? What am I warning them about? And it's not just teaching and admonition. There are other things. There are rebukes. There are other things that happen in the psalms. But when we are together singing the word of God in the public ministry of the church, that's an act of teaching and admonishing one another. All right, number nine. Christians are to comfort and edify one another with words in season. 1 Thessalonians 5, 11 through 14. Wherefore, comfort yourselves together and edify one another, even as also ye do. And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor 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. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. All right, so he starts with comforting yourselves together, edifying one another, and he ends with specific classes of people in the church, in specific circumstances and cases, and the different remedies you should apply to each one. And in the middle, what does he put? The public ministry of the church. So Christ's intention is that the truth as it's taught publicly should be practiced privately. That the counsel and admonition from the pulpit should spill out into the believers' lives toward one another. And so he says that very clearly. Comfort yourselves, that is strengthen one another for the tasks at hand. Edify one another, build one another up in your most holy faith. And then he beseeches them to know, or that means to acknowledge the laborers among you. They have a superiority over you in the Lord. They admonish you. They warn you, they tell you what's good and what's bad, which way to go and what the wages are if you walk on that pathway. And he says, to esteem them very highly for their work's sake, don't make trouble among yourselves, be at peace among yourselves. And then he says this, warn them who are a taktos is the word. Taktos is someone who is under orders. The Lord has marching orders. It's a military term. If I remember correctly, taktos is Soldiers march in unison. They fight as one man. They follow the orders of their superior officer. And then they don't leave each other behind. They accomplish their objectives. They operate together as one man. That's being toktos. A toktos is you're off doing your own thing. You won't listen to the superior. You won't follow your orders. You think you can do it all by yourself. Well, you can't. That's disorderly. So he says, those who are such, what are the brethren supposed to do? Warn them. Danger. Danger. You go out on your own. What happens to you? Danger. Danger. Warn them that are unruly. Okay, well, that's one type of person. What about a man whose conscience is weak? His knowledge of scripture is deficient? He doesn't understand? Every single thing that comes up might be a huge moral issue to him. He can't sneeze without wondering whether he just sinned. So his conscience is feeble. His mind is weak. What are you supposed to do? Oh, you're such a wimp. Smack him? No. He says, comfort him. And that doesn't mean, you know, puppies and kittens and, you know, I feel comfortable because I'm sitting on a couch. Comfort means to strengthen someone. To come along to the side of them, and to strengthen them. Fortus in Latin means strength. It's the same in the Greek. It has the idea of strength. Infusing strength into him. Because his mind is weak, strengthen his mind. Strengthen his resolves. Strengthen his knowledge of the Word of God. That's what he needs. He doesn't need to be rebuked. He needs to be strengthened, okay? And this is to all of the saints. Remember, it's in the context of the public ministry, but this is a mutual duty that equals owed to one another in the church. They're to be at peace. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak. And this idea of weak here is infirmed. They have infirmities. And these are spiritual. They could be physical as well. They are weak people. What are you supposed to do? Hold them up. They can't walk on their own. Help them. Oh, they need a crutch. Yeah, that's right. Because they're weak. They have these infirmities. The body is supposed to be like crutches to them, to help them. Not so that they can stay weak. Of course not. But so that they can walk. So that they can go. So that they can do those things that are pleasing to God, without feeling like the brethren are there to crush them. So warn the unruly, comfort the feeble minded, support the weak. And in every circumstance, he says, learn to suffer. That's what patience is. It's the ability to suffer without losing your sense of responsibility to that person that you're dealing with. Do you think it's pleasant to deal with unruly people? No, tries your patience. What about feeble-minded people? You just can't seem to get them strengthened. What about all the troubles this person has where they constantly need me to support them? Be patient toward all men, he says. But notice, as Christians edify one another, as they comfort one another, as they live at peace among themselves, there are different circumstances that arise in different people's minds. There is a brother who is disorderly. There is a brother who's feeble-minded. There is a brother who's weak. And each of them needs a different remedy. You see that? Each one needs a different remedy. And so, your counsel must take that into account. your interaction with them, the words that you speak, the manner in which you speak it, it must be different. And it couldn't be clearer than the feeble-minded versus the unruly. Warn, that's the unruly. And then comfort, the feeble-minded. Very different. The action that he commands is very different because the circumstances are different. All right, number 10. Age and sex can determine the types of counsel that ought to be given. This is very important as well. It's a matter that's lost on egalitarians. They think everybody's the same, male and female, same more or less, maybe some slight differences. So they think that pastor theologians, they should have women who are pastor theologians. What was it? Theologian housewife, housewife theologian or something, now she's a pastor, Amy Bird. So these kinds of nonsensical arguments that people make, Titus 2, 3 through 5, says that the aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things, that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." This is counseling. This is an older woman who is wise and has godly experience. She is imparting that wisdom and godly experience to younger women. That's generally the case. Now, it's not always the case. Like we said, Timothy was a young pastor who had older men in his congregation. There are exceptions, but that's not the rule. The rule is that an older woman should be further advanced in her faith, specifically in the practical application of it, and that her counsel to other women should be these things we just read. Those are the things that should occupy her counsel. So, first is her example, notice that. That they be in behavior as becometh holiness. You're gonna profess to be a holy woman? And you're going to come alongside and help the younger women? And you're profane. Why should they listen to you? Why should they have interest in what you're saying? You're a slanderer. You make false accusations against people. This word is very interesting. It's Diabola. Sound familiar? It's like the devil. She devils. And Diabolain means to cast something across. It's kind of like if you saw a picture, some of those paintings, Rembrandt or whatever, that the climatards go and throw soup on. You ever seen that? The retards who think the world's going to end because of oil. And they'll throw something on it. That's diabolos. It's throwing obliquates, throwing something ugly on something that should be considered beautiful. So the devil does that. That's his job. He goes and throws accusations all the time. He goes and throws things against people. He's constantly slandering, constantly trying to stir up hatred and strife. Don't be like that. Because if you are, what kind of counsel are you going to give the younger women? Are you going to teach them how to slander? Are you going to teach them how to be unholy and profane? Are you going to be a drunkard? Drown your sorrows in wine? Well, That's not going to do any good to anyone. So these are the things that the aged woman ought not to be. But what they should be is teachers of good things. And notice he doesn't say epistemology, and church government, and the Trinity, and redemption, and da-da-da-da-da. No. The counsel of an aged woman to a younger woman, it is sex specific. They're female. Because they're female and they have a status of married, there are specific virtues and duties that they should concern themselves with. And that's the counsel that he's talking about. Sobriety, don't be clouded in your judgment, which is very easy for young women to be and young men. Their judgment is not clear. They're not thinking correctly and soberly. They're kind of like they're drunk. Because they don't know what they're doing. They need to sober up a little bit. So the younger women need the older women to sober them up. They may not know how to love their husbands or how to properly show affection. A younger woman might think, well, this is very loving to my husband. And she might find out, no, it's not. That's not what he thinks is loving. You might buy him, let's invert the usual illustration, you might buy him a beautiful pink handbag. You think he has any use for that? Well, sometimes the relational love that a woman gives, she may not soberly think about, what is my husband actually interested in? What are the things that he thinks are important? How do I show him affection? Because that's the word there. It's not like the usual word for love. It means to kiss, literally, to show affection. Some show or display that you care about them in a practical, tangible way. So young women have to be guided in these things through the counsel of older women. So discretion, chastity, homemaking, care of children, goodness, obedience to their husbands. These are all things young women need to know. And old women are to counsel them in these things, both by example and by words. Teachers means you're saying things. Teachers of good things mean these older women are saying these things concerning these matters to these younger women. And the whole point is you can't glorify God as a young woman if you're not doing these duties. So if you're out, if the old women are out getting drunk, having their little gossip session being profane, the younger women, they're drunk in their minds. They're not sober. They're not thinking clearly. They're not showing affection to their husbands as God requires. They're not obeying their husbands. They're not discreet or chaste. They certainly don't keep home. They're not what God designed them to be in creation. They're not good. What's going to happen to the word of God? What are the heathens going to, they're going to look in and say, wait a second. Doesn't your God say that your women are supposed to be holy? Doesn't your God say that your women are supposed to keep home? Doesn't he say they're supposed to obey their husbands? Doesn't he say that they shouldn't be out making false accusations and gossiping and drunk? Well, now your religion is vain. That's what the heathens say. They'll blaspheme the word of God. Your religion is useless because you're just like us. You're just like us. And you say all this talk about religion, but you don't actually do what your God says. And so this counseling is very important because it prevents the muddying of God's name, dragging his name through the mud. and specifically his word, the scriptures, that we profess are the only rule of faith and obedience that make us thoroughly furnished to every good work, that make us know all the things that please God and all the things that displease God. And the heathen look at you and say, yeah, but you're not doing it. So what good is it? So the word of God loses its power in their eyes. They speak against it. All right, number 11. Believers are to provoke one another to love and good deeds by attending the means of grace and divine worship and in daily exhortations. Again, just like the singing of Psalms, so the actual presence, not merely of your corpse, but also of your spirit in the worship of God. Hebrews 10, 24 and 25, and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. There's another duty. This is part of counseling, the provocation unto love, which is the fulfilling of God's law. The provocation unto good works, which the scripture gives you an absolute full list of what those good works are. You can know every last one. You can find out what exactly pleases God and what displeases him through the divine scriptures. So that's the first thing. Consider. Think about one another. Ponder the other party, the other people in your assembly. And don't forsake the gathering together. Don't leave it off. Don't leave it behind. Don't think it's less important. No, I don't need to do that. I can go worship God in the forest. I'm good. I got the trees and the birds. Brother Bird, there he is. I can go out in the mountains. We're going to be good. No, you can't. That's not what God says. This is not Christianity. This is some kind of pantheism, but it's not Christianity. Don't forsake the assembling. You need to be in the means of grace. You need to hear the word read. You need to be rebuked. You need to be admonished. You need to be comforted. All the things that we looked at that Timothy was supposed to do, you need that. All the saints need that. Don't forsake it. You need to be teaching and admonishing one another in the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. You need to receive the sacraments. You need to hear the warnings of the sacraments. You need to receive the grace of the sacraments. Those are all things you need. And then he says, as the manner of some is. So some people have a settled habit, not attending worship. Very foolish. He says, but contrary to that, but exhorting one another And so much the more, as you see the day approaching, we need encouragement in our daily Christian walk. All right, so there is, to review what we've looked at this evening, there is a primacy of the pastoral or public ministry of the word in the teaching, in the exhortation, in the reading of scripture, in the example that the pastor and elders are supposed to set. There's to be a giving of the word of God rather than a hiding of the word of God. There's also a duty generally of all believers to know what do the scriptures say about this particular circumstance so that I may encourage, so that I may warn, or so that I may strengthen the feeble, whatever the particular circumstance. As believers counsel one another, someone might need to be restored who's overtaken in a fault. How do I go to them in a spirit of meekness? How do I help to recover them and bring them back to the right way? So these are general Christian duties, and God has tempered the body and compacted it together for the edification of the whole body by the measure of every part. So every member has a duty to one another. All right, now. That's the end of the study. I want to go over these resources for further study. And I'll give you a couple of just brief introductory remarks about each of these books, what I think you might get it to inform yourself concerning. First is William Perkins' Cases of Conscience. This is an excellent work. The Puritans were very good at taking the law of God and figuring practical applications of it. So how ought I to think about my memory or my conscience or this circumstance? What should I do in these cases? So cases of conscience is things that people wonder about. And they would ask their pastors, Pastor, what should I do in this circumstance? I don't know. So it came out of him counseling his congregants about how to apply the word of God to their specific lives. So very, very rich, very scriptural, very doctrinally sound. Spiritual Depression, David Martyn Lloyd-Jones or D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression, very good book dealing with how people view themselves. If I had to say it in a summary statement, how do you view yourself in the light of the gospel? What do you think and make of yourself? What do you deserve from God? And consequently, what is your attitude about his providence in your life? So that's a very good book on that topic in particular. James Usher, his Body of Divinity. Now, when they said divinity, that just means theology. It's the Latin word. Theologos is the Greek word. Divinitate is the Latin word. It means the same thing. It's the study of the divine or of God himself. So Body of Divinity, James Usher, the treatment of the gospel, and of the law, and that is just absolutely wonderful and helps to formulate your thinking in terms of your own life, the ordering of yourself, ordering of your family and all other things you're responsible for, and then if you're going to help someone else, well, what should I know? What should I be looking for? How can I discern between good and evil in the cases that people come up against? Thomas Vincent, we actually studied through this book when we did the Shorter Catechism and the Evening Worship. Thomas Vincent, he has a commentary on our Shorter Catechism, and the whole thing is very good. It's very brief, but very good treatment of our Shorter Catechism. Zacharias Ursinus, commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism. He has several commandments. What he does is he takes the biblical requirements of the law of God, And then he'll illustrate the virtues that God's law requires. And then he'll point out what are the excesses that lead to sin of those virtues. And then what are the defects, the things that are lacking, or what are the opposite errors that people tend to make? So one instance of this, he has a section on the usage of the tongue. And God requires the tongue to be used to speak truth. But there is an excess of the usage of the tongue that takes that duty of truth and turns it into, if I can say this, a whooping sort of stick. I can speak the truth so I can pummel people with the truth. So there is, yes, there is a duty of speaking truth. There's also a duty of long suffering. There's also a duty to use the tongue to edify your neighbor. So there are times in which The two duties are complementary, and if you don't take them in complement, you end up sinning by going too far in one direction. And so he has a very good, what I would call a balanced biblical approach, where he shows you, you can't make excuses for your sins by saying, well, I'm just doing what God said. Yes, God does tell you to do that, but he doesn't tell you to do it to the measure and extent or the manner in which you're doing it. So it becomes sinful because you've gone beyond the word of God rather than within the bounds that God prescribes. Another instance would be God forbids fornication, right? Okay, well, The defect of that is asceticism, where a person will not marry, even though they're not designed to be single. They refuse to marry, or they think it's more Christian not to marry. That is a defect, because God designed marriage for good purposes, and the marriage bed is honorable among all. Whoremongers and adulterers, God will judge. Not married people. It's not a sin to be married. It's not a sin to enjoy the marriage bed. So the defect of the ascetic is, I'm going to avoid fornication, the sin that's in excess and out of control, by saying, no, I'm not going to do it at all. I'm not going to have any interest in that. That's another instance. In any case, Ursinus, very good on that. The Heidelberg Catechism, by the way, our brethren in the German Reformed, the Dutch Reformed, and maybe some of the other European Reformed churches, they use that as one of their three forms of unity. All right. William Gouge of Domestical Duties, very good on helping marital couples, married couples, parents and their children, husbands and their wives. a very, very excellent detailed treatment of those topics with a good theological foundation lady. He doesn't just give you like, here's your 12 steps. He tells you what's the theology in the Bible of marriage. Then the duties that flow out of that makes a lot more groundwork and settled theology there. Jay Adams, competent to counsel, very excellent treatment on the duty of all believers to counsel one another, specifically coming against the modern Freudian and behavioristic schools of thought and demonstrating the valuelessness of their systems. Not just that they're evil, but that they're worthless. They do absolutely no good. Very good in that regard. He also has a book on church discipline cases handbook on church discipline Gordon H Clark behaviorism and Christianity Much of the quotations that I shared with you were out of that, because he just tears them to shreds. He shows how absolutely worthless their doctrines are. Just from a commonsensical perspective, there is no use for these doctrines. They can't be demonstrated by any stretch of the imagination. They're contrary to everything that man natively knows. And then also he has a book called The Biblical Doctrine of Man, which is useful in framing sort of the general notion of scripture. What we looked at is a little more extensive than what he does, but he does some similar things. Those two books are very brief, I think not more than 110 pages each. And then, of course, the larger catechism, again, giving us the theology of the gospel, the truth of the word of God, as it concerns our salvation, and then our Christian life, and our duty to God and to our neighbor, as exposited in the Ten Commandments. And Lord willing, our next study will probably take at least two weeks off. Then we'll pick up with a study of the Sixth Commandment. We did the Fifth Commandment. We'll move on to the Sixth. We might do another study before the Seventh, or we may just go right to the Seventh. But the Westminster Larger Catechism gives a lot of the scripture texts that underlie our various duties to our neighbor and to God, and in terms of counseling, can help to provide a lot of the details as to what should a person be focusing their time and energy on. What is what are the duties God requires is how do I put on the new man? What are the sins forbidden is what is the old man that I need to put to death? Because that's what Paul says put to death the old man put on the new so the catechism gives us very good broad categories What is the new man to be doing and what is the old man to be put to death? all right, and thus far just a little explanation on these resources there are more and If you have more detailed interest in some of these things, but if there are particular topics that aren't covered in those books that you are interested in, please feel free to ask me and I'll see if I can guide you to some other resources.