Amen. Amen. Let us turn then to the Word of God. 1 Timothy chapter 5. page 1265 in the blue ESV Bibles. 1 Timothy chapter 5, and for those who were here last week, we looked at verses 9 to 16. We really skipped over verse 14, and so we're We're going to begin our reading there, and we're going to spend some time looking at verse 14 now this morning. And then if you're looking at your outline, we have four points in the outline, as sometimes happens when I put four points in the outline, realize we're not going to make it to the fourth point, and that happened again this morning. So we will not make it to the first verses of chapter 6, but we will read it. They do have a common theme of being called to honor in different positions, even if that might be difficult sometimes. But we'll really be looking at chapter 6, verse 1 and 2, Lord willing, in a couple of weeks. But we'll still read through there. So we'll begin our reading at chapter 5, verse 14. We'll read through chapter 6, verse 2. Let us hear the very word of God. So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander. For some have already strayed after Satan. If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened. so that it may care for those who are truly widows. Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the scripture says, you shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain, and the laborer deserves his wages. Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all so that the rest may stand in fear. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels, I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality. Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden. Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers. Rather, they must serve all the better, since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge. these things. So far, the reading of the Holy Word of God. Dear congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, in Luke chapter 20, verse 25, Jesus says these words, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. There is honor and worship which is due to God, which is never due to any man or any woman. But yet we can speak of giving honor to men and women in various roles and various positions in different ways. And so this is what 1 Timothy 5 is about. This is certainly part of what is going on there. This is one time we're not going to consider all the ins and outs of our passage. Really, we're only going to make it through verse 21. But one of the things that is pulled through this text is that certain groups can be singled out and certain roles should be encouraged and or honored. There are, this is far from an exhaustive list. The Apostle Paul says nothing about the earthly rulers and government officials in this text. He speaks about that in other passages. And if we think in terms of the fact that women, especially young widows, should be even encouraged to marry, in verse 14, and that in this way the apostles speaking about honor which is due, value which is due to motherhood and marriage, well, we know that there are also women who are not mothers who are worthy of honor. And certainly, There are men who are not elders in that office of elder who are worthy of honor. But our text does single out these groups. It does emphasize them, highlight them, encourage these roles, and speak about the honor due to them. But again, there is finally an honor which is due to God alone. Only God is above rebuke. Only God is perfect. And so whatever earthly position you have, there is still rebuke if you are unfaithful. So our theme putting that together is this. Give honor to whom honor is due and rebuke any, whatever their position, who are in sin. Give honor to whom honor is due and rebuke any who are in sin. So we begin with mothers. And we'll briefly say something about elders, elderly members, but for those who have been here, we've been speaking about the elderly for the last few weeks. So we're looking especially at mothers. For mothers and widows, there is a time when they need to be rebuked. And we looked at that, again, for those who were here last week, especially in verses 11 and 12, and verse 15. There is not, so before we get into the value due to the mothers, which is the focus of our first point, it is not as though motherhood is such a good thing that it should always be valued, that it should always be celebrated. If you pursue motherhood, if you pursue your family life on your own terms, then that is not worthy of honor. But verse 14, which we skipped over last week, we're coming back to now, because there is such a thing as encouraging marriage, especially in certain situations, especially if it's a younger widow, and she has this call. So I would have younger widows marry their children, manage their own households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander. Brothers and sisters, this relates closely to how the Apostle says it to another young minister in Titus chapter 2 verse 4. If you turn over just a few pages to Titus chapter 2, here how the Apostle speaks about how this is a good thing, this is a positive thing, this is something to encourage, to train, And so the context, Titus chapter two beginning at verse three is this, that older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slave to much wine. They are to teach what is good. And then what is one thing that is highlighted? What's one thing that's especially valued, that's in a way honored as teach especially this? What's the one thing that's highlighted? Verse four, that the older women are to so train the young women to love their husbands and children. That's the first thing that's highlighted. It's honored, it's valued. Now I said in our introduction, this is not the only way that a woman of faith can be worthy of honor. There are times in the letters when various members of the church are highlighted, are named, are honored. And just to take one example, Phoebe is given in Romans 16, verses 1 and 2, she's highlighted as a woman worthy of honor. And we only have two verses about Phoebe, but it is almost certain that she was single, that she was not married, that she did not have children. And that's just one example. A woman does not have to be a mother to be worthy of honor. We're not giving an exhaustive list this morning. But it is something which the church may highlight, which the church may encourage in a special way. Faithful motherhood is valuable, is something to be honored. Motherhood is a sacrificial blessing. It is hard work to bring up children in the faith, to care for them, hour by hour to give up yourself, to give up your energy, to give up your freedom. How difficult is it for a mother just to have a little quiet time? It is a sacrificial love. It is a sacrificial labor. And where there is faithful motherhood, this should be honored. It should be highlighted as something to be encouraged, to be valued, to be honored. Now we're going to speak about this for each point as we go, and the fact that these are not the kind of groups that would be highlighted as worthy of value in our society today. Motherhood, especially The picture of staying at home, motherhood, raising your children, managing your household, the language of 1 Timothy 5 verse 14, the language of Titus 2 verse 4, that is not the kind of thing that our world values today. In fact, it speaks against it in various ways. I'm not making these terms up. Motherhood has been called, quote, the last bastion of the patriarchy, end of quote. or, quote, a patriarchal norm, end of quote, which should be resisted. That's the way that motherhood is now viewed. You think mothers should be in the home, raising children, managing households well? That's not what women should do. In fact, it's seen as oppressive, really, to take such a view. It is not oppressive, people of God. It is a sacrificial love and service which is worthy of special value and special highlighting and special honor. It is something to be encouraged. It is a great blessing when there are faithful mothers in the home. Faithful mothers who raise children in the faith. Again, a mother is not above rebuke. If you seek motherhood in a way which goes against the faithful commands of God, well then that is something to be rebuked. And we looked at that last week for those who were here. But faithful motherhood is something to value and honor. and certainly the elderly as well. We're just going to touch on this briefly, but I'll just point you back to, for those who are here, 5 verse 1 and 5 verse 2, highlighting older man who needs encouragement and should not be sharply rebuked, older women who are to be honored as mothers. 5 verse 5, that we should especially honor those true widows who have put their trust in God and all of this leading up to 5 verse 16, the fact that widows really stand for all of the elderly in some ways. They are worthy of honor, of care, of respect. And again, this is not a group which is singled out as being valuable in our world today. But the Word of God gives special attention to the special care and honor which the elderly should receive. Now let's come to our second point and let's come to ministers. Another group which is not typically honored in our world today is the people who are preachers, those ministers of the word. They are elders, they're not just any elder, they're the elder who labors in preaching and teaching. also called preachers, also called ministers. And just for a moment, I want you to think about how are preachers portrayed in TV shows and movies today? Well, increasingly, we're finding that they're not even portrayed at all. You just pretend they don't exist. But if they are portrayed, they're usually what? They're usually a very, very silly character or something worse. And even in faith-based films made by Christians, even there, the minister is usually some overly judgmental preacher man who needs to really loosen up in one way or another. We are surrounded by images to teach us to devalue the preaching office, the preacher. The Apostle Paul does not speak about the office of preacher in this way. He says, they are worthy of honor. It's true for all elders, and we're going to look at all elders broadly in our third point. It's even especially true, there is a double honor which is due to those who labor in preaching and teaching. They labor in preaching and teaching. And so what is that double honor? Well, it's specified in verse 18. In short, we can say it this way. They deserve not only respect, we might say the first honor, but also the double honor, they deserve remuneration. They deserve a payment. Respect and remuneration. Honor and honorarium. And so in verse 18, it's plain that this is the direction the apostle is going. And part of that honor should include being paid. And so the apostle quotes from two texts in order to prove his point. First, he goes to the Old Testament, to Deuteronomy chapter 25, and he quotes from a basic principle, that if an animal, if an ox who is working, is should be treated well and should be given food, then how much more should a man who is working be given food, be given payment for what he has done. And then the second quote is from the New Testament. These are words that are not found anywhere in the Old Testament, but they're found in Luke chapter 10, verse 7. And there, the context is more direct. It's not a principle from Deuteronomy 25 about the ox and treading out the grain. It is the time in Luke chapter 10 when Jesus sent out his disciples on a preaching assignment and sending them out as preachers, he said, don't take any money. Expect that those you are preaching to, serving, laboring for, will provide for you because the laborer deserves his wages. The exact context there is the disciples being sent by Jesus on a preaching assignment. Now there's all kinds of objections to this. Doesn't a preacher only work one day a week? Well, I certainly hope not. If a minister is laboring faithful, his work will be hard work. The verb for labor in verse 17 is the same verb used often to describe the labor of the worker in the field, the farmer in the field. Now you might say, but preaching is not literally backbreaking work. And pastor, I've even seen the slippers in your office that you sometimes wear. That's true. Sometimes I wear slippers while I'm working. I don't literally have backbreaking work, but it is labor. And if it is faithful preaching labor, it will be faithful labor day in and day out. And as it has been said, while the faithful labor of a preacher is not literally back-breaking, it may literally be heart-breaking. And any elder knows the truth of that statement. When done faithfully, it is hard labor, and it is not literally back-breaking, but it can be heart-breaking labor. Now, brothers and sisters, I'm going to step back for a moment, and I'm simply going to say, I am very glad that verse 18 is not awkward in this church. It is not awkward because this congregation provides well for its ministers. Provides well for me, has provided well for ministers for years previous before I came. And in God's providence, not only does our church provide for this minister, but this church also provides, plays a part in providing for other ministers as well who labor in various places, including church planting context, where church is getting started, including missionary context, where maybe in missionary context, there's a desire to provide for a minister, but there's not even a financial ability to do so. And so in various ways, our church not only provides for me, but also for other preachers. And I rejoice that this is not an awkward verse. That is something to rejoice in, to be glad for. It has been said that one of the attacks of Satan against the church is to perpetuate the lie that preachers should not be paid. And in many places and in many times, this verse would be awkward to preach because there have been many places and times where the idea that a preacher should be provided for is a very awkward topic. Now, for our congregation as a whole, this is not an awkward verse. But what if it is awkward to you? What if this just sounds very strange to you? Or maybe you kind of pretend that it's not awkward, but secretly you're like, why should a preacher be paid? I don't get it. That is okay. Do not make this your first concern. You know, the New Testament does make it plain that ministers deserve their wages, but this is not the first concern of Christ's servants. So, for example, the Apostle Paul speaks both in 1st Corinthians and in 2nd Corinthians about intentionally not taking wages from the Corinthian church because he wanted them to hear the gospel and he did not want them to stumble over the fact that they were paying the man who was preaching to them. And so I rejoice that as a congregation, as a whole, this verse is not awkward, but if it is awkward to you, Let the offering place, let it pass by. There is no expectation that you give. It is a free will offering. Tithes are not mandated in the New Testament the same way they were in the Old Testament nation of Israel. And I want you to know that if that's something you're struggling with, then that's okay. But Do not let the preaching itself pass by. If you're in a place where you want to be in the church and you want to be hearing preaching and you don't understand why maybe a preacher should be paid, I rejoice that you are here. Let the offering place pass by. Do not let the gospel pass by. Hear the preaching. Do not let any stumbling block stand in front of that. And know the value of the gospel. If you don't understand the value of preaching labor, fine. Know the value of the gospel. Please turn with me to how the gospel is described in terms of value in 1 Peter chapter 1. This is what must never pass us by. This is what I plead upon every single ear and heart to know. First Peter chapter one. We've already had our assurance of pardon from the beginning of this chapter earlier in this service. Now we read from verses 17 to 19 of first Peter chapter one. And if you call on Him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed. It's a ransom, it's a payment. Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold. but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb, without blemish or spot." If matters of silver and gold and silver and gold in the church family are confusing to you, But do not let the gospel pass by. Hear the gospel. Hear it again and again. Respond to the gospel. Know that you are a sinner. That your sins must be paid for. And when you trust in Christ, your sins are paid for by that which has a value beyond any of the matters of gold and silver, any earthly concerns. It is the very blood of Christ that sets you free. It is the very blood of Christ that sets you free. Now, there is much more that we can say about this. Lord willing, we will return to this as we work into 1 Timothy 6 verse 5 because there are specific warnings and rebukes about anyone who would imagine that 1 Timothy 6 verse 5, godliness is a means of gain. But we'll get to those warnings, Lord willing, in a couple of weeks. For now, let's move to our third point, which has its own warnings. Elders, office bearers. All preachers are elders, but not all elders are preachers. There are some elders who are lay elders. They are not paid. It is not a professional office. They do not labor in teaching, which requires full-time service. able to teach, looking back at the qualifications in chapter 3, but they are not preachers. They are part of the Council of Elders, which includes both preachers, elders who teach, and lay elders, elders who do not labor in teaching. So now, in verse 17, The Apostle introduces all of the elders. Let all the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor. And then he narrows in, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. And he addresses that subcategory of elders in the rest of 17 in verse 18. That's what we looked at for our second point. Now we're back to considering all of the elders. Verse 19. Do not admit a charge against an elder. And we're back to considering all of the elders. Well, who are elders? What do they do? What's their role in the church? They are the rulers of the church. They are those who rule well. They have a shepherding. They have a spiritual authority. That's why they're also called overseers. That's the title given to them in chapter three, verse two. They are called in a specific way to shepherd the flock. And so we also, because of 1 Peter chapter five, We're going to read one more text from 1 Peter. 1 Peter chapter 5, beginning at verse 1. And because of their shepherding leading role, sometimes we call them shepherds. 1 Peter chapter 5, verses 1 to 4. So I exhort the elders among you. Elders is a big term. As a fellow elder, not every Not every elder is a preacher, but every preacher is an elder, and the apostles were also elders. Elder is that ruling office. As a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, writes the apostle Paul, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you. Not for shameful gain, but eagerly. Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, remember there is honor which is due to God alone. He alone is the Chief and Perfect Shepherd. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. They are elders, they are overseers, they are shepherds. So then we may ask, how could an elder be rebuked? And so we must remember there is never a single elder in a church. The New Testament speaks of elders in churches in many places and it's always a plurality. One of the reasons is because the council of elders needs to be able to rebuke a wayward elder. And that's what 1 Timothy 5 verses 19 and 20 are about. There are men set apart in the overseeing, ruling, shepherding office in the Christ of church. but they should never be seen as above rebuke. Where there is a wayward elder, he must be rebuked. And the full council of elders must be willing to do that without prejudicing, without partiality, the end of verse 21. They can't say, well, this is a fellow elder. I don't want to rebuke him. No, anybody who persists in sin must be rebuked. And how exactly is this to happen? Well, we're not gonna work through all these details, but I'd encourage you to write down Matthew chapter 18. And if you have any questions about this, look at Matthew 18 and compare it with 1 Timothy 5, verses 19 and 20. And I'm gonna summarize the relationship. The relationship is this, that an elder is to be rebuked along the same pattern that anyone in the church is to be rebuked. And so there's even reference to the same Old Testament principle, quoting from Deuteronomy 19 verse 15 about the need for two witnesses to make a charge. In short, elders are to be held to the same standard as any member. There is to never be a domineering or tyrannical rule. any who persist in sin," see that language in verse 20, "...for those who persist in sin, whether they are elders or not elders, are to be rebuked." That language, persist in sin, is so important because if you say, well, is discipline in church a little bit like a courtroom? The answer is yes. That's why both Matthew 18 and the shorter summary of the process here in 1 Timothy 5, 19 and 20, they both quote from that principle about two or three witnesses. Where does that come from? That comes from the context of a courtroom, Deuteronomy chapter 19. Discipline in the church is a little bit like a courtroom, but it is not exactly like a courtroom. Because in a courtroom, you might get a lighter charge if you plead guilty, but the sentence does not change. In a courtroom, guilty is guilty. In the church, we know that it does not work that way. In the church, We know that where there is true repentance, then one is leaning upon Christ. Repenting of their sins, looking to Him, not persisting in sin. And so what happens? That's it. That's the end of it. Because we are all guilty apart from Christ, and we are all set free as we repent of our sins. as we desist from persisting in them. And so we know that discipline in the church is a little bit like a courtroom, but it is not exactly like a courtroom. Both the case of elders and non-elders, this is actually worked out in more detail in Matthew 18, where there is repentance, that's it. You don't need to go any further. But where there is not repentance, where there is persistence in sin, then finally they must be rebuked in the presence of all. The elders can't say, oh, well, this is going to be embarrassing. One of our fellow elders is also in sin and needs to be rebuked. We can't tell anybody about that. No, rebuke in the presence of all. And again, Matthew 18, it says it clearly, all means tell it to all the church. Tell it to all the church. You cannot just keep sins wrapped up. You can't keep them hidden. There is rebuke for anyone who persists in sin without repenting. And then there's a purpose for that. So that the rest may stand in fear. Now, brothers and sisters, church discipline is a hard thing. And we have seen that as a congregation. had to reach the final announcement more than once over the past years. And it is so easy to go the way of the world, which Let's think about this for a minute. What is the way of the world? The world doesn't even know what biblical elders is. The world can't even speak about honoring or not honoring biblical elders because it just ignores this category and pretends it doesn't exist. We live in an anti-authority world and that certainly includes the authority of the church. Forget about honoring elders. I don't even know who elders are. And then biblical elders exercising Faithful oversight over all members, including themselves. Matthew 18, 1 Timothy 5. Well, that is painful work and it's difficult work. Should we really do that? And then pastor and elders, because it's not just the pastor, it's the full council of elders who takes the lead in these things. Why do we do that? It seems like it never works. Well, you know, one of the answers people have gone to that objection. is that we do not just do discipline for the sake of those who are disciplined. We do it for the sake of everyone. Please turn in the Smaller Forms and Prayers book to page 61. Smaller Forms and Prayers book, page 61. Sometimes Church discipline is working in the sense of it's leading to someone to righteousness and we don't even know about it. Because the goal of leading to repentance and restoration and righteousness is always the goal of church discipline. But don't think it's just the case for the one who's under discipline. It's for all of us. So it's the paragraph exhortation on page 61. As we are saddened by this event, whenever we reach a point where someone persists in sin and the rebuke must be made in the presence of all, let us be warned to fear the Lord and live close to him and his word. Let us not harden our hearts, but let us place ourselves under the discipline of our master. who with a loving and firm hand renews our lives through the ministry of the word and spirit and the loving care of his church. Remember, it is not finally like a courtroom. Wherever there is repentance, there is renewal and restoration. Because we know that in Christ we are not guilty. in Christ. We are not guilty. And so, brothers and sisters, we live in a time when mothers are not honored. We live in a time when the elderly are not honored. We live in a time when preachers are not honored. We live in a time when people don't even know who biblical elders are, much less honor them. Let us not follow the path of devaluing in our world today. Let us give honor to those specific groups highlighted by the Word of God, those specific roles which are encouraged, those specific positions which we are called to honor in a special way. Doing all of this, knowing that the greatest honor, the only worshipful honor, is due to the only Chief Shepherd, Jesus. Christ. Amen. Let us pray. Our great God and Father in Heaven, may we value and honor the home and the church family and the structures of authority which you have given, which you have established. May we do all this, looking to You, our only perfect Father, the only perfect and Chief Shepherd. This is our prayer in Jesus' name. Amen. At this time, then, let's turn to 536. Stand together to sing all the stanzas of 536. Jesus calls us with a tune, all of our lives while restlessly day by day, his sweet voice sounded, saying, Christian, follow me. As of old, the apostles heard it by the Galilean way, turned from all men, toil and kindred, leaving Jesus calls us from the Virgin of the Babe, from the golden store, from each idol that would keep us, Saint Christian, love me more. In our joys and in our sorrows, days of toil and hours of ease, still He calls in fears and pleasures, Christian, love me more than these. Jesus calls us by thy mercy, Savior, may we hear thy call. Give our hearts to thy name.