Sunday Morning Service 8:30AM-

All right. Good morning. It's good to see everybody. I'm glad you're here. I want to invite you to stand with us. We'll pray and we'll get started.

Father, we thank you for the day. We give you glory for another day. We thank you for allowing us to be here, Lord, to be in your house, to lift praise and worship to you, Lord. Lord, help us to focus on you this morning, to set everything else aside that's going on in our lives. And just to lift praise to you. Lord, we ask your blessing upon this time and on your word as it goes out.

In Jesus' name. Amen. See it if you like, or for just how good and how good all the ways that you work, all the ways that you're changing us.

Is our God. Sing with me how great. Is our God. And all will see how great.

So God is free. We just give you praise for the salvation we have. We know that you're coming again soon. Lord, Lord, this morning I pray as Pastor Ryan comes or that you would speak mightily through him. Lord, speak to our hearts this morning. God, transform our lives this morning. God, renew our minds. Father, we love you. We praise you in Jesus name. Amen.

Guys, let's go and take some time and greet one another.

Good morning. You could begin to locate your seat. Grab a bulletin. We'll get ready to go over some announcements.

Welcome to Calvary Chapel. I'm glad that you have joined us this morning. Some things to take note of in your bulletins. As always, the things on the left-hand side. And then over in the middle section, just a reminder that there is a new ladies Bible study starting up this Tuesday. There's a sign-up sheet there in the lobby and all of the information is right there.

And then the only thing that's not in your bulletin is that next week for the Sunday school classes will be Promotion and Mission Sunday. So it'll be a wild day, but it'll be a fun day. So, those are the things that are going on that I'm aware of. If you would, make sure that your mobile device is silenced. And for our responsive reading this morning, we are going to be in Psalm 112.

112. We'll be looking at the New American Standard for this part. If you need a copy, should be one in a row around you. And as you are turning to Psalm 112, if you are able, please stand in the honor of the reading of God's Word. Amen. I will read the odd verses. If you will follow along with Pastor Allen and the even verses. Psalm 112.

It is well with the man who is gracious and lends. He will maintain his cause and judgment. For he will never be shaken. The righteous will be remembered forever. He will not fear evil tidings. His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is upheld. He will not fear until he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries. He has given freely to the poor.

His righteousness endures forever. His horn will be exalted in honor. The wicked will see it and be vexed. He will gnash his teeth and melt away. The desire of the wicked will perish. And Father, we come to you now and I do pray that we would be those people that fear the Lord. Lord, that honor you in everything that we do and say and honor you in every aspect of our lives.

And so Father, fashion in us the hearts of those kinds of people today. And Father, be with us as we spend time in your word. Lord, may we be drawn near to you. May we see you more clearly. And Lord, know in an even better way how you would have us to act. And so Father, be with our time now in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated. If you would open up in your Bibles to the book of 1 Timothy chapter 5.

1 Timothy chapter 5. Today we come to the second chapter. The second part of faithful in how you treat people. Faithful in the way you treat people. Again, Paul has been advising Timothy and really all pastors and churches on how they are to act. And the theme of it all has been faithfulness. To act faithfully in the things that you do. And in chapter 5 we have seen that what God wants us to do is to be faithful in the way that we treat others.

And so we said that there were three things that he would cover in the aspect of faithful in the way that we treat others. The first is that we would be faithful in the way that we treat the congregation. And he dealt with the respectful way to deal with the older men, the younger men, the older women, and the younger women. And then he dealt with how to deal faithfully with the widows.

In particular, the vulnerable of the church. Well today, we'll look at the last portion. And he's going to talk to us about being faithful in the way that we treat leadership. And so picking up in verse 17, it says this. It says,

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, and of his chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias. Do nothing in a spirit of partiality. Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily, and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others. Keep yourself free from sin. No longer drink water exclusively, but drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach,

and for your frequent ailments. The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment. For others, their sins follow after. Likewise also, deeds that are good are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed. And so as we look at this last set of verses, there's three things he's going to say that we must do with leadership within the church.

And really principles that can be dealt with in general within the church. He's going to deal with honor. He's going to deal with accountability. And he's going to deal with purity. The first thing that we'll deal with is honor. He said, The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

He says, The elders who rule well. What he's dealing with there is those men that are in leadership. We dealt with, a few chapters ago, the qualifications for what it looks like to be an elder, to be an overseer. Especially in the pastoral ministry. And now he says this is how you should treat these elders. And I want you to notice how he describes these men.

They are men who rule well. They are men who work hard, especially in the areas of preaching and teaching. So I want to just deal with this for just a moment. These elders who rule well and work hard. And I want to address a couple of things. First of all, it's important to understand that the ministry is hard work. And anybody who thinks that they want to get into the ministry to avoid hard work should probably not think about getting into the ministry.

In any kind of ministry. Somebody reached out to me at one point in time and said, I'm looking at this ministry job. And it's somebody I've known for a long time and I love them dearly. I'm looking at this ministry job. I'm trying to decide if I'm fit for it. And I want to make sure that I'm choosing to do this not because I'm looking for the easy way out. Or an easier job than I'm doing right now.

And I said, I want you to know something. If you're taking a job in ministry, it's not easier than whatever you're doing right now. I don't care what you're doing right now. It's not easier than what you're doing right now. Because the ministry is really hard work. And if you think it's not hard work, it's absolutely not for you. Because that's exactly what ministry is supposed to be.

It's supposed to be hard work. It's supposed to be something that encapsulates every aspect of the energy of the individual that has taken part in it. It's something that is to be considered of high importance. To be considered of highest honor. Because it's something that requires the most dedication. Because when you're in ministry, there is no part of you that's not in ministry.

Every other job, you get to quit when it's time to quit. Not in ministry. In ministry, you bear the ministry 24 hours a day. Whether because you're on call 24 hours a day. Or whether because you bear the burdens of people 24 hours a day. Sometimes you wake up thinking about it. Sometimes you go to bed thinking about it. Sometimes you wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it.

Because it's the burden that you bear as a minister. And so he says they're worthy of double honor because it's hard work. But the second thing I'll say is this. The work of teaching and preaching is hard work. I don't know that I would have agreed with that statement to the level that I do today 20 years ago. 23 years ago. Whenever I got into this. Because I knew it was hard work because I grew up in the home of a minister.

I grew up in the home of somebody that was in ministry. But you don't know the kind of work it is until you do the kind of work that it is. And the hours that you put into preaching and teaching. And I'm just giving you a little bit of a window into life. A little bit of window into ministry. Because you put an incredible amount of time into preparing a sermon or a teaching or a preaching or whatever it is that you do.

And it requires hard work. It's easy to phone it in. As a matter of fact, I've heard that some pastors have other people do their research for them. And listen. I'm not trying to judge anybody that does that. I'm saying if I don't do my own research, have I really put the sermon together? If I don't do my own research, is it really God that spoke to my heart?

Because at some point in time, if I don't put in the energy, if I don't put in the effort, if I don't put in the work, then why would I stand up here in front of you and tell you to be diligent in the way that you handle yourselves in the word of God? It requires a lot of work. And I'll be really honest. I spent most of my 20s working construction. I put in really long, hard days in working construction.

Now maybe it's because I'm older now than I was when I was in my 20s. But I can walk away from a Sunday morning more worn out than the longest day I ever worked in construction. Because it is hard work. And I tell you that just for the window into what it means to be in ministry and why Paul says what he says. Because he says they're worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard in teaching and preaching.

The last thing I'll say is this. There is a great amount of pressure in the work of ministry. And I don't care if you're the Sunday school teacher. Or you're the senior pastor. There's just a lot of pressure in the work of ministry. And it's important pressure. And it's pressure that you bear with all of the joy that you can imagine. Because you know that God has seen fit to put that pressure on you.

But it's still pressure. Because I remember the first Bible study that I taught. Feeling the pressure of knowing that I was representing God to this group of 18 to 22 year old kids. And I had to make sure that I represented God well. And I cared about their souls. And I cared about them knowing Jesus and all those kinds of things. And now that I have a lot more than just a small group of 18 to 22 year old kids.

The pressure is more intense. And yet it's so much more joyful. Because I get to see what God is able to do. And so he says those elders that rule well. That work hard in teaching and preaching. They are worthy of double honor. They're worthy of double honor. So what does that mean worthy of double honor? Well he kind of gives us a little bit of an understanding of it in verse 18.

He says for the scripture says you shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing. And the laborer is worthy of his wages. So what does he mean by double honor? Well I think there's two aspects of this. One of it he covers in verse 18. The other is just covered in the fact that he rules well. I think that the idea of double honor means that he's not only worthy of respect.

But he is worthy of compensation. So let's take those two things together. First of all the minister is worthy of respect. Because there is an aspect of knowing that whoever it is that takes upon themselves the mantle that God has given them. Should be looked at and said that person has taken on a difficult work. They've taken on the work of the ministry. They have taken on the work of being God's representative to the people.

And overseeing and shepherding a flock that God has given to them. And there should be great respect that goes into that. Now they should be respectable. We've already talked about that. The requirements for them are great. But there's great respect. And can I just go ahead and say you all love me more than I could have ever imagined. Like you all show me respect that I could have never imagined.

I don't know how many of you that when I became the senior pastor started calling me Pastor Ryan. And I'm like you don't have to call me Pastor Ryan. Just call me Ryan. But it was really important to you. Because you wanted to show respect because that was important to you. And I appreciate the body that I have here at Calvary Chapel of Arc City. And so there's an aspect of respect for that person.

That is in ministry. But the second aspect is that there's compensation for that person. That if the church is able they meet the physical needs of the ruling elder. That they care for their physical needs. That they make sure that financially they are taken care of. So that they can devote themselves wholly to the ministry. Now Paul deals with this an incredible amount in his writings.

Because there are points in time where he said the best way that I can preach the gospel. The best way that I can be an effective minister of the gospel. Is to set aside my right to receive compensation. So that I can prove that I am a minister who cares more about the ministry than the money. That I am a minister who cares more about the people than the compensation.

Because there were others who were taking advantage of it. And so he says the best way for me to handle this is to set aside my right to work a secular job. For him it was a tent maker. So that he could then minister the gospel more effectively. He said but there were other times where the best way that I could minister the gospel more effectively. Is if I was not distracted by working a secular job.

So that I could focus wholeheartedly and completely on the ministry of the gospel. And he says that's an important thing to be able to do for the minister. So that they are worthy of that honor. But also so that they can take care of themselves and for their families. And he gives biblical backing here. It's kind of interesting he quotes two different sections of scripture.

The first one comes out of and I think I had her put these up there. Deuteronomy chapter 25 verse 4. Where he says you shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing. Well who is God concerned about? Oxen or is he setting a principle for those who do the work of the ministry? Well Paul makes it clear that while God does care about the oxen. He's setting a principle for those who would labor in the ministry.

And so he says out of Deuteronomy 25 verse 4. You shall not muzzle the ox while it's threshing out the grain. But interestingly enough he also quotes a New Testament scripture. He quotes Luke chapter 10 verse 7. Jesus speaking to his disciples as they got ready to go out on their first short term missions trip. He said eat what's put before you because the laborer is worthy of his wages.

And so this is not just an Old Testament principle. It's a New Testament principle that's confirmed by Jesus. Now as an aside. Sidebar here real quick okay. It's interesting that Paul puts the writings of Luke on a parallel with the writings of Moses in Deuteronomy. Indicating that the New Testament. Scripture has as much authority as the Old Testament scripture.

Because he refers to both of them as scripture. I think that's a really important point that needs to be made right there. And that's the place where Paul puts that. And so he gives this understanding that a minister is worthy of double honor. But the minister should rule well. The minister should work hard. And the minister should endure the pressure that ministry brings along with it.

And so he deals first of all. With honor. The second thing that he deals with is accountability. He says do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Do not accept an accusation against an elder unless there are at least two or three witnesses. Now again I would like to make a couple of statements. To sort of color what we're about to talk about.

Number one. Is that you have to understand that anybody in leadership. And listen. I don't care if this means that you're in a church leadership position. Or a secular leadership position. These are principles that are true on both sides of that equation. On both sides of that coin. Okay. Being a leader is an invitation to be misunderstood. Being a leader is an invitation to be misunderstood.

Because people will apply their own motivations that they think you have. To whatever it is that you do. To whatever decision you make. To whatever statement you make. To whatever you do. Being a leader is an invitation to be misunderstood. You can ask any president of the United States ever. Good. Bad. Ugly. Otherwise. Disagree with them. Not disagree with them.

Whatever. They will all tell you the same thing. Being a leader is an invitation to be misunderstood. Sometimes I read quotes of even people that I disagree with. Of people that I don't like. And I see what. You know. I'm a conservative. And so. So I'll read what the conservative media will do to a liberal leader. And I'm like. I don't actually think that's what he said.

Like. Like I get it. I disagree with almost everything that this guy says. But. But that quote. I don't think that's. The way you're taking it. That's not what he said. That. That's not what he meant there. So let's be fair about this. Because being in leadership means that you're going to be misunderstood. The second thing is that being a leader is an invitation for criticism.

Being a leader is an invitation for criticism. It's almost like you put a bull's eye on yourself that says please criticize everything I do. Criticize everything I say. And all of the decisions that I make. I have watched this my entire life. I grew up with parents who were in ministry. And I grew up with parents that ran a school. And I watched as my dad. Who in my opinion is one of the wisest human beings I've ever been around in my life.

I would watch as he would make decisions. And I was a part of the school. I was a kid when this was happening. And I would hear what the other kids were saying. And I knew at a point in time that what they were saying was actually what their parents were saying. It wasn't what they were saying. And so because I'm like well no kid comes up with that. Right? Like they've heard this at home.

They've heard a parent say this. And so I would listen. And I remember it hurting me. Because I was like man that's my dad. And I know why he made that decision. I know why he's doing that. And I remember a point in time defending him at points in time. And being like no, no you don't understand. This is why he's doing this. This is why. And then I eventually gave up.

It's like people are just going to do what they're going to do. And they're going to say what they're going to say. And it's one of the lessons that you learn in life. Is that you're going to be criticized by people when you're in leadership. And so it's important that if you're going to hold leaders accountable. That there is a standard for how you hold them accountable.

Now listen. We're living in an era right now where all of a sudden a lot of things are coming out. About a lot of leaders. Especially Christian leaders. That had these things been followed. What we're about to talk about. We would have solved a lot of problems before they ever happened. We would have solved a lot of problems before they ever got to this point.

If you'll follow principles that are scriptural. So the first thing he says is do not receive an accusation against an elder. Except on the basis of two or three witnesses. I wish I could remember the baseball player's name that plays for the L.A. Dodgers. But he just won a defamation lawsuit. Because a woman stood up against him and said he sexually assaulted her.

And he fought it vehemently. He's like this did not happen. One witness. One person. And he just won a defamation lawsuit. Because not only was she found to be lying about the situation. But what she did to him was unthinkable. And you know what's unfortunate about situations like that? It ruins it for everybody else that has actually truly been abused. Every other woman that has ever been through what she claims to have gone through.

Now has to deal with the fact that she lied on such a public scale. That everybody in the world went so maybe she's not telling the truth either. And that's an unfortunate thing. But reasons like that are why there should be two or three witnesses. There should be two or three people who see it. Because otherwise listen. Every time somebody comes with something.

Well do you know what he said? Do you know what he did? I think this is what he did. It's happened to me before. I've had people come after me and say do you understand what somebody's saying about you? And I'm like well it's just not true. And they were the only human being that said that. They were the only human being that said it. Because it wasn't a true accusation.

It wasn't a true statement against me. And so we have to be careful in these situations. And you need to be careful about getting in the middle of the gossip circle. Where one person is saying well do you know what they did? And make sure that there is actual substantial evidence behind what a person has to say. He says do not accept an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses.

You know what's interesting? The Old Testament says the exact same thing. Matter of fact you might write Deuteronomy 19.15 in the margin of your Bible. Because in Deuteronomy 19.15 it says on the basis of two or three witnesses a matter shall be resolved. That's the situation. There's got to be the two to three witnesses. And the reason why God did that is because he wanted there to be a protection.

A protection against those who would be falsely accused by individuals. That's why when they brought the woman caught up in adultery Jesus called out for witnesses. That's why when Jesus stood trial before the Sanhedrin there were supposed to be witnesses. That's why Paul says what he says here. There should be at least two or three witnesses for this to take place.

And so there should be that substantial evidence. So if you start to hear accusations against an individual. The first thing that you need to say is let me hear the whole story. Can anybody else corroborate this? That should be the first thing. That should be the first thing that you ask. Because if they can't then you need to start questioning why. And so he says however those who continue in sin rebuke in the presence of all.

So that the rest also will be fearful of sinning. In other words if it is found that that's true on the basis of the two to three witnesses. Then that elder that person in leadership should be dealt with. In the scale of leadership that they have. If they have done something that's on a scale that's public. Then it needs to be dealt with in a public way. So that all will fear.

Who are the all? Well some commentators say that it just means the elders. I tend to think it means everybody. Yes all of the elders will go ooh I better keep my nose clean. Because otherwise there is a public disgrace that comes with that. But at that point in time the entire church is purified by it. Because the entire church looks and says. That leader fell.

Therefore I should keep watch over myself. That leader was dealt with publicly. I should keep watch over myself. Now as I was studying this and thinking about this. I thought so what is the proper way to deal with accusations that come up. What is the proper way to deal with issues that come up. Either between individuals or with a leader in the church. Well go with me one place in scripture.

Go over to Matthew chapter 18. Matthew chapter 18. And I want you to look at verse 15. Matthew chapter 18 verse 15. It says this. If your brother sins against you. Go and show him his fault in private. If he listens to you. You have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you. Take one or two more with you. Almost just like what Paul just said. So that by the mouth of two or three witnesses.

Every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them. Tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church. Let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I say whatever you bind on earth. Shall be bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you. If two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask.

It shall be done for them. By my father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered in my name. I am there in their midst. So how do we deal with issues that come up? I think this is an important thing to talk about in the church today. I think this is an important thing to talk about for leaders. I think it's an important thing to talk about for individuals.

Because if we'll use Matthew 18. The gossip circles can't take place. If we'll use Matthew 18. All the backbiting can't happen. If we use Matthew chapter 18. We don't form cliques that we're against them and they're against us. It prevents factions within the church. So what do you do? Well let's look at this. He says. First of all. If someone sins against you.

Or you have an issue with someone. The first thing you should do. Is go talk to all of your friends. And make sure that they understand. No. That's not what it says. The first thing that you do. Is you go to the individual. That's why when somebody comes to me and says. Have you heard what so and so did? I say. Have you talked to them about it? You know what usually happens?

Nothing. They're done with it. Because they don't want to talk to them about it. They want to talk about them. That's the problem. So the first thing he says is. Go to that individual by yourself. And listen. If you have a problem with somebody. That's the first thing you need to do. Now if you need to seek the wise counsel of a leader or an elder. For the best way to handle that.

I have no problem with that. But that won't require your entire group of friends. Hearing all of your story. Every single time you talk to them. Right? So the first thing you do. Is you go to that person. And you say. This is what happened. This is why I'm upset. This is what I've witnessed. This is what I've seen. This is the problem that I have. And if everybody is walking with Jesus.

And everybody surrendered to the Lord. Then that individual either says. I had no idea. I'm so sorry. I didn't know that that was taking place. I was unaware of it. Or you're right. That is an issue that I'm having in my life. Or something along those lines. Or. There's complete denial. And you have to move on then. And gather two or three very trusted friends.

Who are still a part of a close group. That is seeking godly counsel with you. And then you go to them. So that when you say. Listen. I talked to you about this once. And it's still an issue. You're refusing to see that it's an issue. And so. I've brought these people to come and talk with you. So that there are witnesses to what's going on. And then you have the conversation again.

Listen. There is something powerful. About bringing other believers into a situation like that. Because there is something powerful about the presence of the Holy Spirit. Which is what he just said there. Amongst the two or three that are with you. But there's also power in numbers at that point in time. And if what's taking place is in a spirit of restoration.

Not just in a spirit of confrontation. Then hopefully at that point in time. You have won your brother back. And they admit their sin. They confess their sin. They repent of their sin. And then there can be forgiveness and restoration. If that still doesn't happen. Then we move to what Paul just mentioned in 1 Timothy. Then it has to be brought before the whole church.

Listen. This is the issue that's taken place. And it's a very public issue. And it's become a public issue within the church. It's become a public issue amongst people. And this individual needs to be dealt with. And Jesus says. You have to understand at that point in time. You're operating not on your own authority. But you're operating on the authority of Scripture and the Holy Spirit.

Because he says. Where two or three of you are gathered together. I am there in your midst. That's one of those verses that we tend to take out of. We make that the prayer verse. Right? Like Lord we're praying now. And there's more than one of us here. And where two or three are gathered. I know that you're there in their midst. It's like well that's a. I mean I understand what you're saying here.

But that's not actually the context of that verse. The context of that verse is confrontation. That there's confrontation. And that's important. And then with those two or three. You have brought the authority of the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit with you. Because where two or three are gathered in my name. I am there in their midst. Right? That's the direct context of that.

So Paul says these things have to be dealt with. Again. I can think of several instances. Publicly. That have taken place with pastors. Or leaders. Or elders. That have had to step down in very public ways. That had this been followed initially. Either one. They could have stepped aside in a much less public. Embarrassing for them. And the church. And the work of the gospel.

Sort of way. Or it could have just been dealt with. You know I think about. I shared this a couple of Wednesdays ago. There's a Christian singer that has absolutely fallen from grace. Michael Tate. He was a part of DC Talk when I was a kid. And then he was a part of the Newsboys more recently. And some absolutely horrific things have come out about him. And it's very public now.

And I just read this short snippet of an article. Not enough for me to give full credence to it. Although it does make me question. Why didn't we use this? Why didn't we use this principle? If you're a bunch of Christian singers. To go to him and say. Dude. You either have to stop. Or you've got to get out. You either have to stop what you're doing. Or you've got to quit representing God to all these people.

Because you're ruining the faith of people. You're ruining the faith of kids. And God does not take that very well. As a matter of fact. God has very harsh things to say about that. So either give up. Give up. Give up. Give up. Give up. Give up. Give up. Give up. Give up. Give up. Give up. Give up. Give up. Give up. Give up. So either get out. Or stop. But nobody ever did that.

And we can see that over and over and over again. But if we will follow biblical principles. It's amazing. How they play themselves out in such fantastically beneficial ways. Well we go back over here to 1 Timothy. So we see this. He says. Not on the. Not just on the opinion. Or the accusation of an infidelity. He says. individual, there should be two to three, so that it's not just someone's bias against an individual,

but there's actual evidence that holds it up. But if there is sin that it needs to be dealt with, and it needs to be dealt with, unfortunately, because that person's in a public setting in a very public sort of way. But then he gives Timothy an exhortation. He gives him this exhortation for how to deal with accountability. He says, I solemnly charge you in the presence of God

and of Christ Jesus and of his chosen angels to maintain these principles without bias. Do nothing in a spirit of partiality. This is at least the second, if not the third time, that Paul has charged Timothy to do something difficult that he has just laid out the principle for in this letter. You know why he does that with Timothy? I know exactly why he does that

with Timothy. Because as I've said before, I feel like I understand Timothy. Because Timothy was a nervous individual. Timothy was a non-confrontational human being. He was a nice guy, right? And as a nice guy, he would have had a hard time with this. And he was the young guy. And so it would have been hard for him as the young guy, as the nice guy, as the non-confrontational guy, as the guy

who had a little bit of tummy trouble because of his nervousness, which we'll see here in just a moment. It would have been hard for him to do this. And so Paul's like, Timothy, I'm telling you, I charge you in the presence of God and of his holy angels, you have to do this. You know why? Because he knew Timothy would come up with every reason in the world why

that shouldn't happen. I know because that's what I struggle with. I don't like to have to be this guy. I don't like to have to confront people. I don't like to have to do those things. But sometimes they just have to be done. He says, I charge you to do it. Only he, when he says, I charge you to do these things, he says, I charge you to do these things. I charge you to do these things. He says,

two little caveats to it. Without bias and without partiality. What does he mean by that? Well, you can't have bias against somebody. Some of your translations may even say without prejudice. In other words, you can't bring accusations or hold people accountable just because you don't like them, where you're looking for reasons to hold them accountable. Great, I finally have a way to

get this person out. No, you can't do a bias, right? You can't do a prejudice. You can't just be looking for things against somebody. You can't do a prejudice. You can't do a prejudice. You can't be against people. Nor can the people in your congregation be just looking for reasons to get people out, right? Being obnoxious is not a good reason to confront somebody, right? He says, but

you also can't do it without partiality. Or you also have to do it without partiality. In other words, just because you like someone doesn't mean you can't confront them. And that probably is always the hardest part. And that's why so many people go unchecked in their sin. It's because everybody likes them. Or because they do something for you. Or because they

benefit your life somehow. And sin goes unchecked because that's the nice guy. He would never do that. Sin goes unchecked because he's the biggest tither. I don't want to do that. Sin goes unchecked because everybody likes him. And if I deal with that, there's going to be a ripple effect throughout the entire church. It might cause a church split. Listen, at the end of the day,

these things have to be handled without bias and without partiality. We live in a world today that shows partiality to everybody, right? Like people are just looking for a reason to not hold other people accountable because of the effect that it's going to have. Honestly, we've just lost our guts in this culture. We have just lost our stomach to handle difficult things in this

culture. You see it in pulpits. You see it in businesses. You see it in politics. We just don't have the stomach to handle hard things. And because of that, we're in a place where we don't do hard things. And so, he says, if you're going to be faithful in the way that you treat the leadership, number one, there should be honor. Number two, there should be accountability. But number three, there should be purity. He says, the first thing he says is,

don't be too hasty. He says, he says, don't be hasty in the way that you lay hands on people. In other words, you have all the time in the world to choose your leaders. When I first took over as the pastor, they were like, okay, Lord, I know I need to do this and this and this. And I want to see this happen. I want to do this. And as I started having all these thoughts flood my mind,

the Lord spoke one word to me. You have nothing but time. You have nothing but time. And so, I just started slowing down and going, okay, Lord, we'll do things in your way. I'll slow down and do things in the way that you want me to do them. And sometimes that is a problem because sometimes it means that there should be action that takes place a little quicker than maybe I would always like to.

But I have found that it's easier to be slow and make the right decision, and make a little slower than you should have, than to be hasty and make the wrong decision and have to undo it. Because I'm here to tell you right now, undoing a wrong decision is a whole lot more difficult than being a little bit slow and making the right decision. Because once you put the wrong person in places, it's really hard to deal with it at that point in time. You just have to deal with it and move on. And so, he says, don't be hasty in the laying on of hands,

in the choosing of your leaders. Don't be hasty about the way that you do it because you have time and you want to make sure that they're the right people. You want to make sure that they're proven. You want to make sure that they're tested. You want to make sure that they are people that you can trust in every aspect of their lives because those are the people who are not only representing you, but they're

representing God to the people. So, he says, don't be hasty. But there's a second aspect of not being hasty. The second aspect of not being hasty with the laying on of hands is the aspect of restoring a leader who has fallen in sin. Restoring a leader who has fallen. fallen in sin. Now listen, I think one of the greatest truths about who God is, is that God

takes fallen people and he restores them. He puts them in ministry for the first time, or he puts them back in ministry again. There's just nothing more beautiful than that. There's nothing more beautiful than to see an individual who has fallen in sin, who has admitted that they've fallen in sin, lives with the brokenness of the fact that they fell in sin, and then they come back and minister again because they have been restored by the Holy Spirit. You know why? Because their

entire ministry from that point on is marked by a humility that can be caused by nothing but the brokenness that comes from the knowledge of how far you can and did fall. And there's just something beautiful about that, and I'll tell you a perfect picture of that is Peter, right? Like we dealt with that right after we talked about the resurrection, as we took that week to look at the restoration of Peter, and how God took him who had sinned so greatly, and he restored him, and he restored him, and he restored him, and he restored him, and he restored him, and he restored him, and he restored him, and he restored him, and he restored him, and he restored him, and he

brought him back to this place. And then Peter became the one who would not only humbly give out the gospel, humbly give out the truth, and even when he's healing someone, not take credit for it for himself, but put all of the credit back on Jesus Christ and get everybody focused on Jesus. But he goes on to minister to the people that he at one point in time would have hated, and helps establish the early church, not only to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles. Because that's what God does in his ability to restore people.

Is he takes the broken, he takes those who have fallen, and he heals them, and he restores them, and he uses them again. But you have to be careful how you do it. You got to give people plenty of time to heal. And only God knows that. Which is why we have to really listen to the Holy Spirit. When somebody has failed, and we see, hey, I see that like things are happening in their life right

now. Things are happening in their life right now. And I see that they're not doing what they're doing. Things are moving in their life right now. I see God at work in their life right now. And our first inclination is to say, let's put them back in. And God's like, just wait. They're not ready for that yet. Because remember what we said ministry is full of? Ministry is full of pressure.

And so if you put somebody who has just healed in a great deal of pressure, they may default back to their previous sins. Because what we learn about sin is, sin is our sad place of comfort, right? Sin becomes our emotional support thing. And every time things go bad, we default back to that sin again. And that's what happens with an individual that's put back in too soon. He says, that's why you have to be

careful with laying on hands too soon. Because otherwise, you partake in their sin. Because otherwise, you are held partially responsible for their sin. And so he says, listen, take time. Take time. And it's a really hard thing to do in our culture, right? Like, I know people get, you see celebrities get saved, and we're so good at doing this as the church.

Some celebrity gets saved, and we just immediately want them out everywhere giving their testimony. It's like, maybe we should just give them a few minutes to understand exactly what their testimony means. Maybe we should give them a few minutes so that they can understand what it means to be who they are in Christ. If you want to read a fantastic book about that, oh gosh, I'm not gonna remember the name of it, but it's about Brian Head Welch from Korn. It's not the one about him getting saved.

It's about him actually understanding what it means to be a musician and a Christian at the same time, because that's kind of what the church did. It was like, hey, let's make him this Christian musician now. And he couldn't handle the pressure of it, and kind of went through a lot because of it. They laid hands on too quickly. He basically says that exact thing. And it's a fascinating

read about that, because he talks about the pressures that he went through. And so he says, don't be hasty in the laying on of hands. I've developed a saying a long time ago, and I developed it when I was trying to find that special someone that I would spend the rest of my life with. So it was a long, long time ago. God kind of gave this to me, and it's, in the will of God, you have nothing but time. In the will of God, you have nothing but time.

God gave me that early on in my life, and I'm here to tell you right now, I have used that with almost every human being I've ever worked with that is so stressed out about trying to figure out what they're going to do, where they're going to go, who they're going to marry. Is this the right person? Is this the right person? Is this the right person? Is this the right person? Is this

the right person? Is this the right person? Is this the right person? Is this the right person? No, you don't understand I have to act now. No, you don't. Because in the will of God, you have nothing but time. So he says, don't be hasty. Number two, he says, keep yourself free from sin. Keep yourself free from sin. That's literally the last part of that verse, the last

part of verse 22. That word keep is a fascinating word. It means to exercise a careful watch, to exercise a careful watch. Now remember, Paul is writing to a young pastor who is going to deliver these principles to not only his church, but other young pastors and churches in the region. Paul is writing timeless truths to be paid attention to. And he says, one of the most important things that

you can do with a leader and as a leader is to keep yourself free from sin, is to exercise a careful watch over yourself. Do you realize this is at least the second time, again, that he has said this in this letter? This is the second time that he has said, you need to keep watch over yourself. Do you know why he says that? Because when you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the enemy hates you. And he wants

to put anything in your path possible to pull you away from God and to ruin your witness and your testimony. And one of the greatest ways that he can do that is to throw temptation your way and then make it seem like not that big of a deal. So he says, keep watch over yourself. Until you fall into it, and then he'll condemn you and tell you it was the biggest deal of anything you could have ever done in your entire life. And so he says, exercise a careful watch over

yourself because as a believer, you have an enemy that wants to destroy you. But remember, he's not just writing to believers, he's writing to leaders. And as he's writing to leaders, you have to understand that if you're a Christian, the enemy wants to destroy you. If you're a leader, that is amplified. Because if he can take you down, he can take a church down. And if he can take a church

down, he can take a community down. If he can take a community down, then he can ruin the lives of a lot of people. And so for a leader, the temptations that are always thrown in your path are immense. The pressure that's thrown in your path is immense. And the attack is intense, always on you. And so he says, exercise careful watch over yourself. C.H. Spurgeon in his book,

Lectures to My Students, in the very first chapter of the book, is called The Minister's Self-Watch. In the entire lecture, which that's what it is, it's a chapter, but it's a lecture that he gave to his seminary students. The entire lecture is about the importance of a minister keeping watch over their life, defending their life against all of the things of the world that would pull them away from God. Do you know what a lot of celebrities, especially pro-athletes, have? They have lifestyle managers.

Now, that sounds really awesome, but what that means is, is that person is their mom or dad. They are the one who watches over their life to make sure that nothing comes into their life that will keep them from doing the thing that they are supposed to be doing. That's not only making themselves money, but it's making organizations money. A lot of times, organizations put those kinds of people in charge of pro-athletes so that they can keep them from doing the thing that they are supposed to be doing.

They keep from falling into the garbage that will end up ruining them. Well, that's what you have to be over yourself, is you have to take that job seriously to keep watch over yourself. And what are we to keep watch over ourselves about? Sin. We are to keep ourselves free from sin. Let me read this to you in a couple of other translations. He says, keep yourselves pure. Keep yourselves upright. Keep your life,

honorable. You get the idea? He says, keep your life in such a way that nothing is pulling you away from who you are in Christ, from knowing Christ, and from serving Christ. Keep yourself from sin. Number three, he says, don't be legalistic. Don't be legalistic. Notice what he says in verse 23. No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach

and your frequent ailments. Okay, so let's deal with what this says and what this doesn't say. Okay, the number of times I have heard people say, well, you know, he told Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach. I'm like, yeah, that means take your medicine. Okay, so Timothy was one who was probably pretty hard on himself. Again, I'm projecting a little bit of myself

on Timothy right now, but I feel like as I read letters to Timothy, I'm like, I feel like someone would write this to me, right? And so Timothy was one who had a distinct desire to be successful. He was one who had a distinct desire to be successful. He was one who had a distinct out apart under the things of God. You know, Paul never really had to come down on him hard about

being holy. He had to come down on him hard about not being legalistic, because that's what Timothy was just a little bit. And in the culture that they lived in, the water was oftentimes very contaminated, and they would develop stomach issues because of it, right? I remember when I lived in California, and we'd have missions teams go down to, they'd go down to Mexico, and they'd come back with what they oftentimes referred to as Montezuma's Revenge from drinking the water, which is why there's all these t-shirts that say, don't drink the water in Mexico, right?

And so there were these issues with the water. And so a frequently prescribed medicine to deal with these stomach issues was wine. They would have them drink a little bit of wine. Now, the wine that they would have drank, especially for that, was not a full-strength wine. It would have been contaminated. Three parts wine to two parts water, according to what I've read about this. And

so it was... A diluted wine, but it would help to solve some of the issues within the stomach. And so that's what he tells them to do. He says, don't be so legalistic that you won't take care of your health. Take a little wine for your stomach. Now, what he's not saying is, you should drink whenever you want to, because he already dealt with that in the qualifications for an elder, right? Now, I would

actually equate this like this. Take your anti-anxiety meds. Take your antidepressants. It's okay. If the doctor prescribes you medicines, it's okay. But I thought God was going to heal me. He is, and he's going to use your doctor to do it. Oftentimes, that's the way we need to look at things, because right now in our culture, there's a little bit of an asceticism that says, now we're

throwing everything medical out, right? We're like, well, doctors are dumb. All of medicine is stupid. We just need to use our essential oils, and we need to, you know, eat. What's the bread everybody's eating? Right now, everybody just eats sourdough bread, and take your vitamins, and everything's going to be great. You don't ever need to take, stop taking your medicines. No, listen to your

doctor. Don't be legalistic about it. Take your medicine. It's okay. And so that's what he tells him. He says, don't be legalistic about the way that you handle things. It's okay. So he moves on from there. Number three, or number four, he says, and be legalistic. Be discerning. He says in verse 24, He says, listen, you have to understand, some people's sins are very evident. They go before

them to judgment. You can see them coming a mile away, and you understand, hey, I see the sin all over that person, and it's quite clear. Others follow after them. That's why you got to watch. That's why you have to be discerning, and say, let's take some time, because some people's sins, they show up a little bit later. They start strong. They look like they're doing great.

I've seen it happen before. We were like, wow, that person has so much zeal. They have so much energy. Maybe we should put them in this place. And God says, hold on, just watch. And then pretty soon, the sins start following behind, and you're like, oh, there it is. He says, and the same is true with good works. You can't hide good works either. You can't hide

the reality of who you are in Christ either when somebody's really producing those kind of good works. Basically, what he says is, it's hard to hide who you really are, but we still have to be discerning in the way that we view people. We still have to be discerning in the way that we view leaders. And so he says, use discernment in the way that you handle the leadership, in the way that you handle purity. And so he says, listen, if you're going to handle leadership properly,

then you need to be faithful. In the way that you treat them, they should be treated with honor, but they should be held accountable, and they should be pure, because that's what faithfulness really looks like. Amen. Okay, now as we close out, I want to share one thing. I didn't know if I'd have time for this or not, so I waited till the end. So as many of you know, the U.S. sent some planes over and bombed

some places over in Iran, and I know what happens in these moments. It's just like last weekend. I know what happens, right? All the prophecy buffs are out right now, and you're excited, and we're about to start predicting the rapture. And listen, we have to be careful about those kinds of things, and we have to maintain our focus, right? I was reading this week, and I'll just share this with you. I was reading

this week in Acts chapter 1. I always love Acts chapter 1, because it sets such a perfect tone for the church, right? So Jesus is just getting ready to ascend into heaven, and he's standing there with his disciples. And his disciples have seen so much happen. They have seen so much prophecy fulfilled, and it's finally starting to make sense to them what Jesus did. But there's still some things

that don't totally make sense just yet to them, because they still view Jesus as a political leader to an extent, who is going to establish his kingdom here on earth, which he will, but not yet. And so they look at him, and here's Jesus just getting ready to ascend into heaven, and they say, so will you at this time establish the kingdom? And Jesus looked at him and he said, it's not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father has set in motion. You go, tarry in Jerusalem, and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit, and then go and be witnesses of me in Jerusalem, and Judea, and Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. Are we watching amazing prophetic things take place right now?

Absolutely. And you should be very excited. You should get into your word, and you should study some of the prophetic things that are happening right now. And you should get into your word, and you should study some of the prophetic things that are happening right now. Because there are incredibly exciting things that go on. But don't lose your focus in the midst of the excitement.

Remember a few things. Remember the fact that Iran has a lot of Christians living there right now that have no part of what's going on. They are not the ones trying to build a nuclear bomb. They are the church there, and you should pray for them. You should pray for the believers there because the church is strong there right now. You should remember that there's a lot of people

fearful. You should pray for the believers there because the church is strong there right now. You should pray for the believers there because they are the ones trying to build a nuclear bomb. You should pray for the believers there because they are the ones trying to build a nuclear bomb. About what's going on in the world right now, both in the Middle East and in the United States of America.

And you should be there not as the force to tell them to be more fearful because of all the prophecy, but you should be there as the hope to point them to the one who is in control of all the prophecy, and that's Jesus. You've got to remember these things, okay? Because the world doesn't need us to be freaked out right now. The world needs us to be cool as a cucumber right now, knowing that Jesus is in charge. So seek the power of the Holy Spirit,

be witnesses of Jesus everywhere that you go and keep people focused on the right things. Amen? Let's all stand.

And if you'd bow with me. Father, we come before you. And Lord, I just thank you that you have blessed us with your word. Lord, that you have blessed us with the truth of it. And Lord, that you have blessed us with the Holy Spirit to help apply it. And so Father, I pray that you would do that now. As always, I pray that only the things of you would remain, that the things of Ryan

would fall by the wayside and be forgotten. But Lord, the truth that you want to continue on from here would remain. And Lord, help us to be the balanced men and women of God that you want for us to be. The focused men and women of God that you want for us to be. And Father, as always, I pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Father, that you would be with the Jewish people.

Father, that their hearts would turn back to you. Lord, that they would desire the salvation that truly comes from you. And Father, we thank you and praise you. In Jesus' name, amen. Be blessed.

You held me in your sight So you made a way to the great divide Left behind heaven's throne To build it here inside And there at the cross You paid the debt I owed Broke my chains, freed my soul For the first time I heard I had hope Took my place By the blood Praise God.

Just thank you for this time and for your word, Lord God. Let's pray as we leave here, Lord. That you would just be glorified. That your Holy Spirit would move in our lives and transform our hearts, Father. We love you and we praise you in Jesus' name. Amen. You guys have a wonderful week. God bless you.