We're turning to the book of Titus today. The book of Titus chapter 1. And let's read from the opening verse together. You'll find that book after 1 and 2 Timothy. And the book of Titus, Paul's epistle to Titus. And let's read from the verse 1. We'll read down to verse number 9. Let's hear God's word. Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began. But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour, to Titus, mine own son, after the common faith, grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour. For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things which are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I have appointed thee. If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God, not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre, but a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate, holding fast the faithful word, as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gain-sayers. Amen. We conclude at verse 9. Could we briefly bow in a word of prayer? Our loving Father, we come now to thy word. Lord, we are before the word today. Lord, we thank thee for this pulpit, this pulpit that exalts the word. physically, in a physical sense, it is above the people. And Lord, it does not and does not exist to exalt the preacher, but it exalts and it is in an exalted state in order to exalt the Word. And we pray therefore, O gracious God, that we will submit ourselves to the preaching of the Word of God this day. Help our hearts, Lord, to come to an understanding of all that pertains to the work and to the government of Christ's church on earth. We rejoice, dear God, that thou hast set these things in place in order that things might be done decently and in order within the collective body of Christ. And so answer prayer. Fill this preacher now with thy spirit. I offer prayer in and through the Savior's precious and holy name. Amen. Last week we began looking together at this matter of electing elders to the session of this local congregation. Something that this communicant membership will come to do on the first Thursday night of the month of October in the will of God. Last week we considered together those who will be engaged in that voting process. The membership of the local church And on that occasion, I drew to your attention the passage in Acts chapter 1, in which we came to note four distinctive characteristics that mark out or should mark out a communicant membership when they come to such an important decision within the work of Jesus Christ. We thought, first of all, of how they were to be a saved membership. They were disciples. We thought about how they were supplicating sins, for they be of this matter before God in prayer. We considered together that they were scripturally taught as Peter brought them to the word of God and showed that the matter that was outstanding within the assembly, the place that needed to be filled, was so taught off in Holy Scripture. And then we came to think about how the church was submissive to the outcome of that particular election. Submissive with regard to the leadership in the church, they were submissive. To the men who stood in the church, those two individuals, how they were submissive, how their families were submissive, and also their supporters. were also submissive to the revealed will of God with regard to this particular matter. And so these are the characteristics that are to mark out this communicant membership when they come to cast their vote on the 3rd of October. But moving on from what we considered last week, I want to think about another subject matter that is rarely preached upon. And that subject matter is with regard to church government, church government. In this message I want to set forth the case why we ascribe to Presbyterianism as the form of church government that this church ascribes to. And then I want then to draw your attention to the main responsibility of elders within a Presbyterian church setting. Now, we will come to these portions of God's Word with regard to the elders and who they are and the characteristics. We'll do that over the next two weeks, but today I want to speak about the matter of church government, the form of church government. And so I want us to think, first of all, with regard to the various form of church government that exists within the visible church of Jesus Christ today. There are really three main forms of church government that exist within the visible church on earth. I want to briefly highlight them to you, and then I want to put the key as to why we believe in Presbyterianism. First of all, there is what is known as Episcopalian church government. Episcopalian church government. As early as the apostolic father, Ignatius. He was the bishop of Antioch up until the 2nd century AD. Solidary leadership structure flourished. and bishop-orientated churches spread throughout the Christian world. The church has frequently mimicked the political constructs of the presiding culture. And such is the case when it comes to the church, evidenced by numerous individual writings of the church fathers, solitary church leadership, also known as Episcopal church government, strongly correlated with Rome's empire's leadership. As the emperor was supreme over the political world, so the bishop was supreme over the spiritual world. Proponents of this form of church government teach that Christ has committed the care of the church directly to certain men who are the descendants of the apostles in a direct spiritual succession. These state that Christ appointed the apostles and that those apostles were to perpetuate themselves and their order by the appointment of bishops. And so they teach that church government is confined solely to a body of individuals who are known as its bishops. And they base their premise or this form of church government on the fact that The name or the term Bishop or Bishop is found four different times in the Holy Scriptures. However, what they fail to understand is that the terms Bishop and Elders are interchangeable terms. in Titus chapter 1 Paul instructs Titus here having left him in Crete that he was to do what that he was to ordain elders in every city verse number five as I had appointed thee and then it goes on to give the Characteristics of what those elders are to be. They were to be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, not accused of riot or unruly. And then it goes on, for a bishop must be blameless as the steward of God. This is not a different individual. This bishop is the same word or is the same term as this term elder. These are interchangeable terms. The word bishop simply means an overseer. And we read of that in Acts chapter 20, whenever Paul speaks about the elders in Ephesus, how they were to be overseers. They were to watch and look after the flock of God over which God had set them and over which God had made them overseers. And so what we have here is an interchangeable term. Whenever Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, he came to write these words in Philippians 1, and the verse number one, if you wish to turn there. Philippians 1, and the verse number one. It says, Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, all the saints in Christ Jesus, which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons. The word bishop stands there as a term stands there as a term that speaks of presbyters or as elders. And notice what Paul speaks. He doesn't speak about a bishop, a bishop at Philippi, but he speaks about bishops. In other words, there is a plurality of bishops, not one bishop as as this form of church government states or would dictate. You see, we have in Episcopalianism, they have one bishop over many churches. But here in this single church, there were many bishops. How does that work out in Episcopalianism? There should be many bishops in a singular church. But you see, this term bishop is the same thought as that of elders. He's writing here to the elders and to the deacons or to the committee men, who were present in this local church. And so we have Episcopalianism in this form of church government. It exists still today. We find it in the Church of Rome. The Church of Rome goes a little bit further, for it places one bishop over all the other bishops. And with regard to the Pontiff or the Pope of Rome, he places himself above all other bishops and archbishops and archdeacons. He places himself. But it is a form of, this form of church government, Episcopalianism. We also find it in the Anglican Church, and then its sister or its daughter congregations here in the church. Or in Ireland, we have the Church of Ireland. The Church of Ireland is Episcopalian in its church government. And so that's one form of church government. The second form of church government is congregational. or independent church government. This form of church government is often found in Baptist churches, congregational churches, and independent churches. And it usually maintains the presence or the title of elders or pastors, and also deacons and trustees. But the power resides within the members of the congregation who come to vote on yearly budgets, church programs, and also leadership Those who follow that form of church government affirm that every local church is an entity in itself, and therefore it has the supreme power to decide everything for itself. The local church is autonomous. It governs itself. It doesn't look to any higher power in the form of a presbytery body. a singular pastor with its deacons under them, govern the church. And he is the prominent feature, that is the prominent feature of which the independent church government presides. It is an arrangement that is opposed to the plurality of elders that exists in each congregation in Bible times. There is a plurality of elders, not a singular elder, but a plurality of elders. Acts 11, verse 30. Acts 14, verse 23. Acts chapter 14. Acts 20, verse 17. Timothy 5, 17. Titus 1, verse 5. James 5, verse 14. 1 Peter 5, verse 11. All of those scriptures speak of a plurality of elders, not of a singular pastor ruling over a church. And so there is independency. And then the third main form of church government exists is the Presbyterian form of church government. This form of church government is one that is described as elder-led or presbyter-run. The word elder, it comes from the word presbyteros. From which we get our English word, presbyter. I remind you that there are two kinds of presbyters. two kinds of elders. There is a teaching elder who is the one who comes to minister the word, he's the pastor, he's the minister, he's the one who is called by God and ordained by the church to preach the word and so there is a teaching elder and there are also then ruling elders who are men who are charged with the responsibility of governing the church and exercising spiritual oversight within the church. The teaching elder is not above the ruling elders. is one among equals. He is one among equals with regard to it. Now that distinction between the ruling and the teaching elder is brought clearly forth in 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 17. Let me read that verse. Let the elders that rule well be counted of worthy be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine. And so there is a distinction that is made by Paul to Timothy. There are elders that they rule, they are the ruling elders, but there's also one who labors in the word and in the doctrine, and he is the teaching elder. Presbyterian Belize, the church, like the human body, which Paul uses to describe the church in 1 Corinthians 12, is to be interdependent rather than being independent. Evidence of that. I've drawn your attention to it before, but we'll look at it again. Evidence of this interdependency of congregations is brought to our minds in Acts chapter 15, in which a decision taken at a special convened meeting at Jerusalem, a meeting that was comprised of the elders, the apostles, stipulated what the church's position was with regard to the doctrine of justification. And that position was then conveyed to the local congregations and the local churches via a letter. You see, in Acts chapter 15, an issue arose locally in the church of Antioch. It was a difficulty, and Paul, understanding this difficulty, it was with regard to the matter of circumcision among the Gentile believers in the church in Antioch. It really was an issue with regard to the matter of justification. But instead of Paul and Barnabas ruling on that matter at the church in Antioch, they didn't do that. They didn't convene a meeting at Antioch to decide the matter, as what is taught in Independency. Those who believe in an independent form of government. It's autonomous and so it requires no outside influence or no outside help from another body. Paul and Barnabas did not call a congregational meeting and there and there, then and there, declare what the church's position ought to be. But rather, they went up to the church in Jerusalem. The mother church, the first church. And they took the matter to the apostles and they took the matter to the elders at the specially convened presbytery meeting. And as James moderated that meeting, they came to a collective decision with regard to this matter about circumcision. And should a man be circumcised in order to be saved? Now they said that the Gentile believers, that was not a requirement. In order to be saved, a man must be born again. A man must receive Christ by faith alone, and Christ alone by the grace of God alone. And so this initial problem that arose in the local church was brought to a higher authority, to a higher presbytery. And the matter was decided in that presbytery, and that decision was binding upon all the churches. that existed. You may say, well, where do you get that preacher? Well, you get it in the Word of God. Acts chapter 16. The presbytery meeting takes place. They have drawn up a letter with regard to this matter. A letter's drafted in Acts chapter 15, the verses 23 down to the verse number 29. And it contains the guidelines that are to be followed. And then we're told that it was sent. It was sent to all of the churches. And so it was sent to them. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by our mouth. Verse number 27. But notice chapter number 16 in the verse number 4. Paul and Barnabas, they visit the cities of Derbe, and they visit also the city of Lystra and other churches. Notice what it says in verse 4. And as they went through the cities, They delivered them the decrees for to keep that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem. And so we have churches, local churches, and they are now bound to keep this stipulation with regard to the matter that was decided in the Jerusalem presbytery. They were now bound to keep that which had been decided in that spatially convened presbytery meeting. Interdependent or independency doesn't allow that. Presbyterianism does. Presbyterianism does. And thus, they were bound with regard to this matter. Robert Redmond, he put it like this, the universal congregational compliance to the ruling was expected because of the mutual submission assumed to exist between the local gatherings of churches. In other words, the decision made in Jerusalem was binding on all of the churches of that day. Presbyterianism is a form of church government that advocates interdependency, not independency. And that's why in 1 Corinthians 16, verses 1 to 3, The churches in Galatia, they take up a collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem, because they recognize the unity that existed between the congregations who met in different localities. And this is why in Acts chapter 11, When Agabus informed the church in Antioch that there would be a great dearth throughout the world, that the disciples in Antioch determined to send relief to the Judean brethren. And so Acts 11 chapter 30 tells us that whenever they had gathered in the funds, it was sent who to? It was sent to the elders in Judea by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. And so we have a local congregation. They understand that they are interdependent upon each other. There is a need that's going to arise. They bring in a collection, and that collection is taken by the hands of Barnabas and Paul, and is taken up to the saints or to the elders in that particular locality, and they distribute as the need arises. There is an interdependency. There is a family-like spirit. And that's what Presbyterianism brings. A family-like spirit within the church. It's very obvious here from Paul's letter. We have been reading from Titus, from this book or this letter that Paul writes to Titus. It's very obvious that churches whose government was to be Presbyterian in form were to be established on the island of Crete. Because it says in verse number five, for this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting. And what was the thing that needed to be done? To ordain elders in every city, as I have appointed thee. It appears that in every one of the island cities, and each of those cities had a particular church. Each of those churches had a congregation. And therefore, they needed proper governmental structures within them. And how was that? What way was that to be? It was to be led by elders. Elders that were ordained in order to exercise the office of eldership within the local church. You see, from the very beginning of the New Testament church, we find that the church had a unified colloquial or leadership extending to all of its congregations. The leadership was involved and consulted at every critical point in the development of the New Testament church. For example, the reception of the Samaritans into the church in Acts chapter 8. Peter's mission to Cornelius in Acts chapter 11. This binding decision in the presbytery meeting of Acts chapter 15. Paul's ministry to the Gentiles in Galatians 2 verse 9. They were all approved by the collective church. The idea of totally isolated, fully autonomous churches is wholly alien to the New Testament. Wholly alien. Now the Jerusalem church is the most logical place to have elders. because it was the first church that was established in the New Testament on the day of Pentecost when 3,000 souls were added to its membership. However, Jerusalem was not the only church that had its elders in the form of the apostles. Being the mother church, the Jerusalem church, she really became the prototype or the pattern for all of the daughter churches that would spring up as a result of the ministry and the labors and the endeavors of the apostles in coming years. Turn there to Acts chapter 14. You'll find the Apostle Paul on his first missionary journey. Look there at the verse number 20, the verse number 21. It says, and when they had preached the gospel to that city, they're in the city of Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had taught many, they returned. They returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and to Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must, through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed." As Paul made his way through these different places, and through these cities, And as he visited these churches, remembering that they were comprised mainly of Gentile believers, we find that they ordained them elders in every church. Paul recognized that all churches, including those churches that were comprised of mainly non-Jews, needed the office of eldership. He saw it as God's plan and purpose for the church and for the orderly functioning of Christ's church on earth. you notice that word verse in verse 23 the word ordained note that word ordained the word literally means a hand reacher or it means a voter by raising the hand that's what it means in the original a voter by raising the hand and so we have here the idea of a kind of formal setting a formal means a formal way of conducting a formal voting procedure when it came to the ordination of these city of these elders in every city and in every church there was a form to it and there will be a form to our election such a formal voting procedure will take place in a few weeks time the presbytery have stipulated that a convened meeting must be held. And in that meeting, the communicant membership will be present and they will vote with regard to who they find on the ballot on that particular occasion. Presbytery has ruled that an elder must receive not less than 51% of the votes cast at a properly convened congregational meeting. And so that means this very simply, brethren and sisters, if a man's name remains on the list, that man must receive no less than 51% of the votes cast on the night. If he fails to reach that percentage set by presbytery, he will fail in his attempt to become an elder. And so it is a requirement that a man must reach 51%. I believe for a minister it is 65%. A minister must reach that with regard to calling a minister, but we're not calling a minister. It is the calling of an elder. And so 51% of the votes cast on the night must be cast towards a man. If that is not the case, then no man will be elected to the eldership of this church. And in that, we must then be submissive. But we'll leave that with the Lord. As you read through the New Testament, you'll find a plurality of elders specifically mentioned. Elders that existed in local churches. In Acts 20, verse 17, we notice that the church in Ephesus had a plurality of elders. We read there, and from Miltus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church. The elders of the church of Ephesus met Paul as he made his journey, on his missionary journey. They met him on that occasion. They were elders. Philippians 1, I've already mentioned it to you. Philippians 1, verse 1, there's a mention of bishops. It is a plurality of elders. It is synonymous, this term bishop, with the term elder. In 1 Peter 1, verse 1, and 1 Peter 5, verse 5, we see, and it shows us that the churches in the northwest providence of Asia, they all had ruling elders in them. Let me read to you 1 Peter 5, verse 1. Peter writes, the elders which are among you, I exhort, who am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. There is a plurality of elders, not one elder, but a plurality of elders. This is God's purpose, a plurality of eldership. An unprejudiced reading of the New Testament scriptures shows that elders played a pivotal role in the governing of Christ's church on earth. And thus this form of church government, that is eldership at its heart, is the form of church government that closely resembles the early apostolic church. Presbyterianism, I believe, is the biblical form of church government to which we ascribe to in this congregation. And having thought about the church government that closely resembles a New Testament church form of government, that of a church governed by elders, I want us to think about now, secondly, the responsibilities of an elder, the responsibilities of an elder. What is expected? of an elder. What are the responsibilities of an elder within a congregation? Well, let me highlight just a number of them to you. The list is not going to be exhaustive, but I'll give to you the main responsibilities of an elder. In the first place, the first responsibility of an elder is to ensure the purity of the church. To ensure the purity of the church. As faithful shepherds of Christ's church, elders are They are exhorted and called to keep diligent watch over the flock of God that is committed to their care in order that no corruption of doctrine is permitted to infect the church of Jesus Christ. We see this responsibility of guarding God's work and the maintaining of its purity highlighted to us in various passages. Acts chapter 20, the verses 28 through to 31. Addressing these Ephesian believers, or these Ephesian elders, Paul exhorted them in Acts chapter 20, verses 28 through to 31. Take ye therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you not sparing the flock also of your own cells shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them therefore watch therefore watch it is the work of the elder to watch Watch for the corruption, to watch for heresy, to watch for impurity that would enter into the pulpit and would enter into the body of Christ. In Titus chapter 1, we have read there, I turn your attention there to what Paul reminds Titus that an elder is to be. Notice in the verses 9, But the elder is to hold fast the faithful word, as he hath been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially they of the uncircumcision, whose mouths must be stopped to pervert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not for filthy lookers' sake. And so it is the responsibility to ensure the purity, the doctrinal purity of the church. The second responsibility of an elder is to govern and to discipline. Elders must exercise government and discipline according to the Scripture and take the oversight of the spiritual interests, not only of the local church, but of the church in general when we are called to do so. You see this responsibility of governing and disciplining the flock of God in various passages. In Matthew chapter 18, verses 15 through to 17, the passage brings us to consider the process that a person must go through if a dispute arises between them and another believer. And we see that the final court of appeal for such disputes is not with the courts of the land, but rather with the church. And so there is the form of governing. In 1 Timothy chapter 5 and the verse 17, we read, In Hebrews 13 verse 17, There is a governing and there is a disciplining that must take place within an eldership. and by the eldership. The third responsibility of an elder is to care for the flock of God. Caring for the flock of God. This care can be administered in various ways by an elder. It can be done, first of all, through the preaching ministry. Whether gifted for public ministry or not, elders are called to instruct and to warn and to comfort God's people. And this can be done through the ministry and through the means of preaching, a task that is primarily carried out by the teaching elder, but not exclusively. Elders can also have a preaching ministry with regard to those within the congregation, speaking to them. It is also administered, this care for the flock of God, it's also administered in the visitation ministry. An elder is to visit the sick, to care for those within the congregation, They are to care for those who are spiritually distressed. They are to care for the sick. They are to care for the aged. Acts 20 verse 35, James 5 verse 14, Ezekiel 34 verses 2 through to 4. They can exercise this ministry of care through their praying ministry. An elder is to be a man of prayer, one who privately and one who publicly intercedes for the needs of the people under the care of the church. They are then to attend the times of prayer within the congregation. That is to be expected of any elder, to be present at the times and seasons of prayer. And also, by a watching ministry, an elder is to watch for the souls of those within the congregation. He is to note whenever a person is absent in the house of God, and then he is to seek their return. He is to encourage the weak. He is to support the young in the faith. He is to edify the strong. so there is the care for the flock of God. The fourth responsibility of an elder is to be an example, to be an example. Elders set an example within the flock of God. Elders are to set that example by the discharging of all of their duties, particular to their office with diligence and due care. In 1 Peter chapter 5, The verses 2 to 3, the Apostle Peter, he writes to the saints of God, and he says, with regard to the elders that they were to feed, they were to feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight, not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lookers' sake, but of a ready mind, neither being lords over God's heritage, but being in samples to the flock. You are to be an example to the flock. The elder is to be an example worthy of imitation. They are to be worthy of that imitation in their conversation, in their manner of life, in their charity, in their spirit, in their faith, in their holiness, in their faithfulness and prayer, in their attendance at the house of God, And at the means of grace, they are to be examples. Because we all live, oftentimes we do it, we live by way of example, we follow others. And if that is to be the case, then elders are to be examples onto the flock of God, how we are to conduct ourselves. The fifth responsibility of an elder is that they must give account. they must give account. Hebrews 13 verse 17, obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief. An elder on the day of judgment will give an account to God for the way in which they ministered to the souls that were entrusted to their care. They were also given account of how diligent they were in their duties, how Christ-like they were in their interaction within the flock of God, how watchful they were with regard to the encroachment of heresy and error, how faithful they were in their attendance at the house of God, how steadfast they were in their commitment to the teaching and to the standards of Holy Scripture. All of this will come into play, I believe, when we give account to God for our exercising the office of an elder. Too often this truth can slip to the back of an elder's mind, but our inevitable meeting with God and our subsequent account to God For how we exercise the office and how we conducted ourselves within the office of eldership should cause every elder to take seriously the responsibility of eldership. For we will give account, and we will give account to God. The sixth and final responsibility of an elder is to engage in the work of the presbytery. It was a presbytery, a body made up of elders that Timothy was ordained to be a minister. Paul reminds Timothy of that in 1 Timothy 4 verse 14. And lack not the gift that is in thee which was given thee by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. And so there is a presbytery body. Paul speaks of it. I don't know where independent works, where they get their independency from. Paul speaks here of a presbytery body who ordained Timothy to become a minister. And those elders were to play a part in that presbytery meeting and in that presbytery function. It was also at a presbytery meeting, as I've already mentioned, that doctrinal issues were settled and debated upon by the apostles and elders, and thus elders as health and age permits, they are to play a role in presbytery. They are to play a role within the presbytery as an elder. These are our responsibilities, those who hold now the office of elders. This will be your responsibility if God so permits and so God so ordains that you become an elder of this local congregation. It is a heavy responsibility. It is that which we must execute to the best of our abilities and by the help of God. And so I trust that you'll consider these matters. I trust that you see, at least in its embryonic form, this establishing of the Presbyterian form of church government, that you see it here, elder-led, not one man led, not led by a single bishop, but by an eldership. also that you see the responsibilities that an elder must take to heart, must execute. I trust that God will challenge all of our hearts and now as we'll come to consider these passages more closely. We'll just look at them as we find them in the scripture. We'll just exegete the various verses of scripture we find in Timothy and Titus. But I trust that God will continue to guide all within this congregation as we come to vote for elders in coming days. Let's seek the Lord together in prayer. Our loving Father, our gracious God, we commit now to thee all that has been said, we pray, O God, that thou wilt help this congregation, its members, O God, to continually, prayerfully lay this matter before the Lord, that every man will know the mind of God with regard to themselves personally. Lord, that they'll take to heart the counsel and instruction, the teaching of Holy Scripture in these matters. Lord, that you'll help us in these days, help this congregation, and grant, dear God, the will of God to be done. Bless now as we meet around the table.