1 Thessalonians 5 verses 12 and 13. And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who 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. Be at peace among yourselves. Let's pray. Our God and Father, we thank you for the word that you have spoken, your creating word, the word that you have breathed into us to give us new life. We thank you for this time to spend in your word. We ask that you would bless the hearing, reading, and preaching of your word today. Grant that the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts would be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. For Jesus' sake, amen. You may be seated. So over the past year, I've preached a few sermons from this part of First Thessalonians, and since it's been a number of months, I thought I'd offer just a brief refresher before we move into the text. You may recall that I noted that 1 Thessalonians is a relatively short letter, and yet that even for its small size, the word brothers or brethren is more densely found here in 1 Thessalonians than in any other book in the New Testament, 18 times. So as we consider the commands here, we should be aware and should hold before us the fact that the context here in this epistle is the church as the family of God. 1 Thessalonians begins, and 2 Thessalonians as well, it's the only two books that begin this way from Paul's writings. It begins with the familial language of love and care and unity with the Father. It's addressed to the Church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. And 2 Thessalonians begins, the Church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. So twice in his letters, Paul recognizes the relationship with God the Father. He uses language, as I said, familial language in his address to them in chapter one. He talks about that we were among you as a mother nursing her children and as a father charges and instructs his children. He talks about brethren, as I mentioned, he uses the word many times. Our relationship with God as Father means that we're brothers and we're in an organic and living relationship with one another. Scripture uses language such as a tree, a field, a vine, a body, a living temple. All these things indicate how connected we are and how alive we are together. And it's by covenant that we're intimately connected with God and covenantally connected and bound up with each other. And our covenant bond is not just with Jesus. We talk about and we use the term the communion of the body and blood of Christ and the bread that we break every week. But that communion is not just with Christ, it's with one another as well. It's the bread that we break. And our life in the body is to be lived out as sisters and brothers, as blood-bought relatives. Paul uses this kind of language frequently in his epistles. For example, in 1 Timothy 5, he talks about that older men are to be treated as fathers, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters. So all of these things indicate how connected and familial we are in Christ with one another. We're in union covenantally with one another and as such the commands here are given to the church at large. He says we urge you brethren. We have duties toward each other, and these words are first and not spoken to pastors or leaders, but rather they're to the body, to the whole laity. One of the quotes that I used from my previous sermon is from Barnes's commentary, and he says, the earnest entreaty is evidently addressed to the whole church and not to the ministers of the gospel only. Now, it's not as though these instructions are only for the laity. They're also given to the pastors of the church, and we all have obligation toward one another in our various stations and callings. Matthew Poole says this. He says, as in the civil state, excuse me, the same duties are to be performed by both, although under a different obligation. As in the civil state, all are to seek the good of the commonwealth, though magistrates and governors are more specially obliged by their office. And Woolsey, a Wesleyan commentator, says this, he says, these commands serve to give the whole community a sense of pastoral responsibility. the whole community, a sense of pastoral responsibility. So as brothers and sisters and sons and daughters of the Father connected to our living Lord and one another, we all have a pastoral responsibility to study what is for edification. As Ephesians 4.16 says, the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. And Matthew Henry says this, it's the duty of every one of us to study that which is for edification of those with whom we converse to please all men for their real profit. I'll come back more to this at the end. Now you may know that I'm kind of going backwards in the text that I had been preaching from in 1 Thessalonians 5, 14 and 15. So this is kind of a George Lucas sermon. Start in the middle of the story and move backwards. So we're going from episode four to episode three today. And I honestly wasn't sure what to title my sermon. I thought it might, yeah, so I just titled it Prologue because it's before the other sermons that I preached in terms of the chronology of the text. Hopefully, my sermon won't be as bad as some of the Star Wars prologue movies have been. But into the text here, Paul says, we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly and love for their work's sake. Now, this is the text that I used in Bulgaria as I spoke on work there and especially the work of the ministry. And as I approach the end of our time here at RCC, and as we also consider the potential calling of a full-time pastor, it seemed fitting to offer encouragement with this text regarding how we at Reformation Covenant ought to consider and behave toward our leaders. In addressing the treatment and recognition of leaders, I want to offer a caveat, and that is that it might appear as though this is a look at me or honor me kind of sermon, and it's not intended in any way to be self-serving. And if it's perceived as that in any way, I'd ask you to forgive me since that's not my intent. As parents, Christian parents, we tell our children, honor your father and mother. And it's not because, you know, honor me because I'm such a great guy. It's what God has called me to do, to be your dad and your mom, to be your mom. And so that's not self-serving to tell our children that. It's a recognition of the Lord and his calling of us. And that's not supposed to be self-serving at all. So my hope is that you'll consider what gifts the Lord has given his people, not just here at RCC, but in the church at large, in the men he's given to lead the church. And I also hope to stress that we should attempt to apply this more broadly than just the church, that we owe esteem to leaders in other areas such as business, family, and government, parents, employers, legislators, police officers, et cetera. Let's let's consider the words that Paul uses here. He says we urge you brethren. And that word urge means to ask or to request. It's not a very strong word. And I think that goes along with Paul's language in the in the epistle. He's pleading patiently even gently with these saints to heed his word of instruction. And there are times when we need to speak forthrightly and strongly and even maybe loudly and harshly both in calling God's people to make a stand and sometimes against those who are in opposition to Jesus and his word and his kingdom. As Peter responded to the Pharisees, we ought to obey God rather than men. That was a very bold statement. And maybe it sounded strong and strident, but it was the right thing to say. We ought to obey God rather than men. And Joshua calls on the people, choose you this day whom you will serve. He's not very gentle there. He just says, you know, you can't serve God. You need to choose. But here, Paul is applying the same consistent familial language and appeal he used earlier in his epistle, where he recognizes their brotherhood and the way a mother nurses her children and the father cares for and teaches his own children. Paul's request, his urging here, is for us to recognize those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord. And the word recognize here I recognize an echo. The word recognize here is most commonly used as to see, and there are a couple of textual variants in it. As I studied this, the word also can mean to notice or to pay attention to or to acknowledge. The new American standard says to appreciate, appreciate your leaders. Some Greek texts actually use the word to know. And I think that all of those things help us to get what God is saying to us here. It's easy for us to miss the obvious or to forget history. God tells his people often to remember certain things. Remember the Sabbath. Remember the wanderings. Remember the manna. Remember your sinful past. The Lord graciously reminds us of these things to set the context for us or more accurately sets our context before us to help us to see our situation correctly so that we might clearly understand and hear how we are to respond to him and his works. And it's easy for us to miss the obvious I think in terms of the people that God chooses to place in our lives. We can fail to see or recognize or acknowledge the people closest to us, and we take for granted those who are right in front of us. So how does Paul describe those whom we're supposed to pay attention to? First, he says it is those who are among you, who are over you in the Lord. And the word among literally means in. It's the same Greek word for in. So Paul's not just telling us they're around us or near us but they're in us. They're in the church. And Jesus uses this word of the Holy Spirit. He says he is with you and will be in you. So I think this is a word denoting intimacy and closeness. These are the men who are literally part of you. And so we're commanded to know them. And the corollary is pastors are to be knowable. Leaders ought to be in and among their people and to be accessible, both in body and in soul. And our leaders are not just in or among us, but Paul says here that they're over you. And literally this means those who stand before you or rule you in the Lord. It's frequently translated rule. Calvin in his commentary uses the word to preside, the men who preside over you. And sometimes the idea of someone ruling or presiding might be uncomfortable for us who are liberated and free and independent Americans or autonomous teenagers. But ruling is inescapable. God has appointed authorities who are over us in the civil realm and in family and business and in the church for our good. And Paul uses the same word, the same word, who are over you, or rule, in describing the qualifications for elders and deacons who rule their own households well. Men are responsible to govern and lead and rule their households. Elders are responsible to govern and lead and rule the household of faith. Matthew Henry says this, he says, the apostle exhorts them to observe how the ministers of the gospel are described by the work of their office and that they should rather mind the work and duty they are called to than affect venerable and honorable names that they may be called by. Their work is very weighty and honorable and useful. Ministers must labor among their people, labor with diligence and unto weariness. They must labor in the word and doctrine. 1 Timothy 5.17. They are called laborers and should not be loiterers. They must labor with their people to instruct, comfort, and edify them. And ministers are to rule their people also as so the word is rendered. They must rule not with rigor but with love. They must not exercise dominion as temporal lords but rule as spiritual guides by setting a good example for the flock. They are over the people in the Lord to distinguish them from civil magistrates and to denote Also, that they are but ministers of Christ, appointed by him, and must rule the people by Christ's laws and not by laws of their own." Long quote, but I think that's very useful for us. These men rule, that is, they stand before us and we are under them and their God-given authority. Hence, we must see and acknowledge and recognize them and their position and authority in order to submit ourselves to them. And we're not just to recognize the men in their position. Paul says to acknowledge that these men, our leaders, labor among us. And this word labor that is translated here is, I think Devin can tell me if I've said this right, copiato. It means to strive or to toil or to work hard. It's the same word that Jesus uses in Matthew 6 when he talks about the flowers toil not, nor do they spin. Peter uses this word when he says, we have toiled all night and caught nothing. Now think about what Peter and his companions might have gone through when he talks about how they toiled. He rowed out to the ocean or to the sea, throw in the net, pull it back in, row some more, throw the net out, pull it back in. It's hard and back-breaking work. We toiled all night. The work of the gospel is hard, it's toilsome, it's exhausting. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11 that he suffered greatly for the sake of the church. He says, three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep, in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness, not to mention all the cares I have for the churches. Now I'd ask you, are you recognizing this in your leaders? Do you acknowledge the difficulty and the toil and the hardship and the labor that they undertake in order to shepherd you and to care for the church and to preach and bring the word to you? And children, I'd ask you, how much do you see and recognize your parents for the work that they do for you? How many sleepless nights or skipped meals? How many hardships and sacrifices have they taken on in order to serve you? It's not called labor pains for nothing. Paul says that these men, these men who toil, are the ones who are over you in the Lord and admonish you. They rule you. in the Lord. And Paul uses this term, or the writer of the Hebrews, whoever that is, if it's Paul, uses this term in Hebrews 13. He says he wants the church there to obey those who rule over them and recognize their life and the outcome of their conduct. These are men who, Paul says, admonish you. This word means to exhort, to instruct, to reprove, to encourage. Ruling and admonishing Paul puts together here, and they go together throughout scripture. A ruler is responsible to admonish and instruct, and any leader who fails to do this is not representing or honoring God and not ruling for him. As Proverbs 29, 15 says in regards to parenting, the rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. Paul does go on to say how brethren or believers are to admonish one another. But this section here tells us that admonishment is the primary duty or one of the primary duties of pastors. This is why an elder should be able to teach, as Paul says to Timothy. They must be competent handlers of scripture in order to properly admonish, instruct, and counsel the flocks that they serve. And Paul tells us that we are to esteem these men who rule us and admonish us very highly in love. This word esteem means to regard or to count them or to reckon them. And it really helps us to see here that this is not because we feel like it. To esteem something or to reckon it is just to account it as a thing because it is that, not because we necessarily emotionally respond to it in a certain way. We esteem something, we reckon something. And this is, again, not because we feel like it. It's a choice we make to regard our leaders and to love them. And the love that we're to render to them, Paul says, is very high. Very high. To esteem them very highly in love. This word highly in love is hyper agape. It's super love. The highest of esteem and regard and love should be given to your leaders who are over you in the Lord. Now you might be saying, well, why? Why should I, you know, why should why should I esteem someone like John or Roger or Michael or George or Gary or Matt? You know we're all really very fallible men and full of sin and even foolishness sometimes. And we recognize what the scripture says leaders should be men of character. Right. I just we just quoted that from First Timothy men who are godly and exemplary in holy living. Hebrews 13 7 again says remember those who rule over you who have spoken the word of God to you whose faith followers was to follow them considering the outcome of their conduct and first Peter. Peter tells us that elders are to serve as examples to the flock. So the church should ordain men who are of godly and holy character who have demonstrated by their conduct that their faithful representatives of Jesus here though God's people are not commanded to esteem their leaders or officers for their person or their character. But Paul says instead we should esteem them and love them for their office, for their works sake, for their position as leaders, and for the labors that they do. Officers, dare I say, are gifts of God to the church. As we declared in our salutation from Ephesians 4-8, when he ascended on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men. And what are these gifts? Well, Paul tells us later in Ephesians 4, he says he himself gave some as apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. So we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. When Jesus ascended, he poured out the spirit and he poured out gifts of men. Spirit empowered men given to the church for her maturity and the spirit poured out is made visible in the men who are installed as leaders. And this is you know might be where it seems like it's self-serving to say that leaders are gifts. So I'm leaving so I can say this with impunity that your pastors are a gift to the church. We're given pastors are given as a gift to the whole body so that we all It might become more like Jesus, our Savior. And as I mentioned earlier, I don't believe we should only consider this in relationship to the elders of the church, but to others, including our deacons. The diaconate is an office and it's a gift of God to the church. You have been very blessed with good deacons. These men are deacons. All deacons are called and ordained. to serve. They have very similar requirements for godly character, and they are your leaders as well. Their office and rule is different, but it is no less commissioned by Christ. So I'd encourage you to recognize them and esteem them highly in love also. By esteeming them highly in love, I want to encourage you maybe in a couple of practical ways, and that is to befriend them. Take them out for a coffee or a beer Invite them to your home. Be open. Be hospitable. Leadership can be a very lonely place. Some of you know that in business. I remember a surgeon that Teresa talked with once. We were talking with him and he mentioned he's a neurosurgeon. He said that neurosurgeons are typically very socially dysfunctional because all they hang around is their other neurosurgeons. And leaders in the church oftentimes have a very tight social structure because that's who we are. And so I really think it's important for us to be accessible to you, but you to be accessible to us as well. And for us to join together in being friends, being part of one another's lives. So I want to encourage you practically to spend time with your leaders. one-on-one and personally and with them in their homes and invite them to your homes as well. And I also want to encourage you as you consider this to esteem the wives and the families of your leaders. The wives and children of church officers often sacrifice very much and they work behind the scenes so their husbands and fathers can serve the church. Now, I want to also say that those of us who are officers who are ordained to serve in the church, we have to also regard and esteem our own office. It's no act of humility to say, well, I'm just an elder, I'm just a part time elder, or I'm just a deacon. That's actually, I think, a rejection of our calling and ultimately an act of rebellion and pride. Those of us in authority must acknowledge the position and place that the Lord has called us to. We, who are leaders and pastors and elders and deacons, must esteem our own office and regard it as God's commission to us. We stand in his place, ruling and serving his church. Calvin says this, he says, we must observe, however, with what titles of distinction he honors pastors. In the first place, he says that they labor. From this, it follows that all idle bellies are excluded from the number of pastors. Farther, he expresses the kind of labor when he adds that those admonish or instruct you. It is to no purpose, therefore, that any that do not discharge the office of an instructor glory in the name of pastors. For though kings and magistrates preside by the appointment of God, yet as the Lord would have the government of the church to be specially recognized as his, those that govern the church in the name and by the commandment of Christ are for this reason spoken of particularly as presiding in the Lord. That's what the text says there. They're in the Lord and admonishing. We may, Calvin says, however infer from this, however remote those are from the rank of pastors and prelates who exercise a tyranny altogether opposed to Christ's. The Westminster Larger Catechism says this about the sins of superiors against inferiors, and that's all superiors and inferiors, but here we're talking about church leaders. He says, the sins of superiors are, besides the neglect of duties required of them, an inordinate seeking of themselves, of their own glory, ease, profit, or pleasure, commanding things unlawful or not in the power of inferiors to perform, counseling, encouraging, or favoring them in that which is evil. dissuading, discouraging, or discounting them in that which is good, correcting them unduly, careless exposing, or leaving them to wrong, temptation, and danger, provoking them to wrath, or in any way dishonoring themselves or lessening their authority by an unjust, indiscreet, rigorous, or remiss behavior. All of us who are in positions of authority, when we speak, we are heard louder. We're naturally more visible and watched with more scrutiny. One of my favorite business books is a little book called The Thin Book of Naming Elephants. It's a strange title. It's written by a gal who did a study on the Columbia disaster. And the Columbia disaster, as you know, the Columbia was one of the shuttles that went up into space and was destroyed. And there were problems, apparently, with the design of it early on. And the team of engineers that were at the lower level understood the problems. There were foam strikes that were supposed to shield, be part of the heat shield. And they recognized there were problems in the design. But the higher level engineers basically talked them down. And everybody listened to the higher level engineers because they were the ones in charge. And the Columbia ended up going up and several people died as a result. And her point was that those who are perceived to be in positions of power need to speak carefully because their voices are amplified by their position. And I think that's true in relationship to all authorities, especially church authorities. James 3.1 reminds us that teachers will receive a greater judgment. That word greater is the root word for mega. So teachers pastors are going to be judged mega judgment. Hebrews 13 17 says that pastors leaders must give an account for the souls of those they shepherd. And this is one reason among many I believe that Paul tells the church to recognize and pay their leaders well. In 1st Timothy 5, he says, let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor, there's our word again, who toil in the word and doctrine. For the scripture says, you shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain and the laborer is worthy of his wages. In Galatians 6, Paul repeats the same theme. He says, let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. And he goes on to say that whatever a man sows, he reaps, and that we should continue doing good, especially to those of the household of faith. And so that exhortation appears in the context of sharing or giving or paying pastors and teachers of the word. And as we at RCC seek a full-time pastor who will be ministering the word regularly to us, we ought to consider how he is to be esteemed and loved and honored, and honored financially for his work. Now, I might be treading on thin ice here with my fellow elders, but I'm going to say it anyway. They might disagree with me. But I believe that all elders should be paid. And I'm not saying this because I want money. I don't. I simply believe that the scripture teaches that elders should be paid for their duties, even those who aren't full-time. The laborer, Paul says, Jesus says, is worthy of his wages. And I think the reason for that, or the fact that that is true, is why Peter needs to exhort elders to not shepherd for filthy lucre. Why else would he say that? He says don't shepherd for filthy lucre or base gain. The reason he does this is because it's normative for elders to be compensated. And sometimes it's not possible for a church to pay a pastor elder or pay them well. But I believe the ideal is that elders should be paid something and those who labor in the word should be paid especially well. And they might choose to give back everything they're given but I think they should be given something minimally to recognize their work. And I think that's the church's duty and I think it honors the Lord for the gifts of men that he's given the church. So there I said it. The command to esteem rulers, I think, as I said, should be applied beyond church leaders. The Westminster Catechism, again, in explaining the fifth commandment, exhorts us to remember that honor your father and mother means all earthly authorities because it is God who has established them. And it reminds us that there are mutual duties, both those in authority and under. It says, by father and mother in the fifth commandment are meant not only natural parents, but all superiors in age and gifts, and especially such as by God's ordinance are over us in place of authority, whether in family, church, or commonwealth. And then the question goes on. What are the duties of inferiors to superiors? The honor which inferiors owe to their superiors is all due reverence in heart, word, and behavior. Prayer and thanksgiving for them. imitation of their virtues and graces, willing obedience to their lawful commands and counsels, due submission to their corrections, fidelity to defense and maintenance of their persons and authority, according to their several ranks and the nature of their places, bearing with their infirmities and covering them in love so that they may be an honor to them and to their government. Your ministers, your elders, They're doing the will of God. They are men of prayer, men who shepherd the sheep and regard your needs above their own. They serve, they toil, they sweat and they labor. They're teachers who will face stricter judgment. They bear the rule standing in the place of our Savior Jesus and they will give account for your souls. This means your pastors and deacons and teachers in the Lord. It means presiding ministers and other leaders in the church. It means fathers and mothers. Employers, civil magistrates. Just as we who have been delegated earthly authority should regard our own office as a calling of God and act in accord with our office, so those of us under earthly authority should regard our leaders and value them and love them. And children, again, I want to encourage you. This command applies to you. Esteem and love your parents. Tell mom and dad, thank you for their love and for their discipline. Give them gifts. Show them your super love for them. Paul concludes his appeal to the brethren here in his closing phrase asking them to be at peace among yourselves. Some commentators have seen this as a separate request disconnected from the previous exhortation to esteem their leaders. I believe, however, this is actually related and Matthew Henry and Calvin agree. Henry says this. He says, some understand this exhortation as referring to the people's duty to their ministers to live peaceably with them and to not raise or promote dissensions at any time between minister and people, which will certainly prove a hindrance to the success of a minister's work and the edification of the people. This is certain that ministers and people should avoid everything that tends to alienate their affections from one another. Calvin says this. Paul, in my opinion, had in view to oppose the artifices of Satan, who ceases not to use every endeavor to stir up either quarrels or disagreements or enmities between people and pastor. Hence, we see daily how pastors are hated by their churches for some trivial reason, or for no reason whatever, because this desire for the cultivation of peace, which Paul recommends so strongly, is not exercised as it ought. When we see men failing us or we see their own personal failings and weaknesses, we are tempted to despise them or disregard their authority. As I noted, the sins of rulers against those under their authority are often very visible and evident, simply because of their position. But God says that despite this, we should esteem them and love them. And Paul says we should be at peace with them among the body. John Gill says this, For the work's sake, have peace with them, that is, with the ministers of the word. Do not disagree with them upon every trivial occasion or make them offenders for a word. Keep up a good understanding and cultivate love and friendship with them. Those who rule as pastors are to preside and lead well in Christ, laboring and toiling and sweating and serving. And both rulers and congregation are to mutually behave in a peaceful and loving way toward one another. So I encourage us all. Esteem your rulers. Love your leaders. Know them. Respect them. Acknowledge them. Honor them. Support them. Appreciate them. Be steady and faithful, knowing that God is in control and is caring for His Church. It is His Church after all. Be at peace. Paul closes the exhortation just after this in verse 15, he says, always pursue what is good for yourselves and for all. And Peter echoes these words in his epistle after exhorting husbands and wives in their different callings. He says, finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another. Love as brothers, be tenderhearted, courteous, not returning evil for evil, but on the contrary, blessing, knowing that you are called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. We are called to inherit blessing and to peace. as Jesus by his death and resurrection has broken down the walls that separate mankind, not just in race, but in rank and in station as well. For he himself is our peace, Ephesians 2 tells us, who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in his flesh the enmity that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. Let us, therefore, pursue peace, and as Paul says in Romans 12, be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor, giving preference to one another, not lagging in diligence, but fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. Let us pray. Our God and Father, we thank you for your gifts to the Church. We thank you that you have granted these gifts in your love for us, in your care, so that we might grow up into Christ. I pray that you would bless us in honoring those who are over us in the Lord as well as all authorities. Grant that the children here would love and honor their father and mother and that we all would glorify you by honoring our leaders. We ask this and commit our souls to you in Jesus name. Amen.