0:05 [Music]
0:07 welcome to back to the Bible radio
0:09 featuring best-selling author an
0:11 internationally known Bible teacher
0:14 Warren where's being now we look at
0:17 first s alone Ian's chapter 5 and we
0:21 pause to pray gracious Father in Heaven
0:25 this word is living and help us to
0:28 receive it and to receive life this word
0:31 O God is our nourishment it's our
0:33 encouragement help us to receive it now
0:36 and then to practice it we pray that you
0:38 will do in our lives what needs to be
0:41 done there are many today with heavy
0:43 burdens and fighting battles we pray
0:45 you'll encourage them now and use the
0:48 Word of God in all of our lives in the
0:54 name of our Lord Jesus Christ amen the
0:56 Christian life is a very practical thing
0:59 it's too bad that many of us don't get
1:01 our lives integrated into the Word of
1:04 God some people have a Christian life
1:07 that is wholly intellectual it's all in
1:11 their minds they like to study and mark
1:13 their Bibles nothing wrong with that of
1:16 course but it has to go beyond the mind
1:19 it must not simply be an intellectual
1:23 experience by the way one evidence that
1:25 people live this way that is their
1:28 Christian living is primarily mental is
1:31 that they like to argue they enjoy
1:33 making distinctions where there are none
1:35 they enjoy fussing about things that are
1:37 not really important because the only
1:39 way to make themselves feel like they
1:41 are Christians is to go through
1:44 intellectual exercises on the other hand
1:46 there are those whose Christian life is
1:49 only emotional they live on a religious
1:51 rollercoaster and they're up one day and
1:53 down the next they're always looking for
1:56 some new experience and this is too bad
1:59 because even though emotion is certainly
2:01 a part of the Christian life it's not
2:03 the greatest part of the Christian life
2:06 there ought to be balance Paul tells us
2:08 that the will is the thing that is
2:12 involved down in verse eighteen of 1st
2:15 Thessalonians 5:4 this is the will of
2:18 God in Christ Jesus concerning you
2:22 back in chapter 4 verse 3 for this is
2:25 the will of God the will of God is not
2:28 just something we study with the mind or
2:31 something that we feel emotionally in
2:32 the heart the will of God is something
2:36 that we do doing the will of God from
2:38 the heart and so the Christian life
2:42 ought to be an integrated life where we
2:44 are interested in the admonitions of the
2:47 Word of God as well as the revelations
2:50 of the Word of God I find people who
2:54 like to linger in the doctrinal sections
2:56 of Scripture or the prophetic sections
2:59 of Scripture but when you start talking
3:01 about the practical part of the Word of
3:03 God there they're not too interested in
3:05 that and yet that's the important part
3:09 the doctrine is the foundation for duty
3:13 all doctrine must give forth duty and
3:16 all Duty must be based on doctrine and
3:19 this is why at the end of first
3:21 Thessalonians chapter 5 we have Paul
3:24 giving this series of exhortation x' 1st
3:27 thessalonians chapter 5 verses 12 and 13
3:32 and we urge you brethren to recognize
3:35 those who labor among you and are over
3:38 you in the Lord and admonish you and to
3:40 esteem them very highly in love for
3:43 their works sake be at peace among
3:48 yourselves what is God looking for in
3:51 the local church well he's looking for
3:54 purity back in chapter 4 verses 1
3:56 through 8 Paul talks about
3:59 sanctification keeping our bodies clean
4:02 before the Lord he certainly wants love
4:05 verse 9 of chapter 4 brotherly love
4:09 loving one another and he wants people
4:14 to edify one another a chapter 4 he
4:17 talks about this in chapter 5 verse 11
4:20 therefore comfort each other and edify
4:23 one another the local church ought to be
4:26 a place of purity a place of love a
4:29 place of growth and encouragement and
4:32 then he says in verse 13 of
4:34 after five be at peace among yourselves
4:37 be at peace the local church ought to be
4:40 a place where there is harmony and peace
4:44 because there is love and purity alas
4:47 too often in local churches we find
4:50 disagreements and divisions and
4:53 competition you must break the heart of
4:55 God when he looks down and sees what's
4:58 going on in some places now at the close
5:01 of this letter beginning at verse 12
5:04 through the end of the letter Paul is
5:07 focusing on exhortation to the local
5:09 church rather interesting how he does it
5:11 I'd like you to see the pattern of these excitations
5:12 excitations
5:16 first she exhorts the leaders and he
5:18 gives them a three-fold exhortation they
5:23 are to labor and lead and admonish then
5:25 he talks about special people in the
5:28 church who needs special help in verses
5:31 14 and 15
5:34 especially verse 14 now we exhort you
5:37 brethren to warn those who are unruly
5:41 comfort the faint-hearted uphold the
5:43 weak here we have three exhortation
5:46 concerning special problems in the
5:49 church then he has a word for everybody
5:52 there's a three-fold exhortation
5:54 regarding everybody the end of verse 14
5:59 be patient with all verse 15 see that no
6:03 one renders evil for evil to anyone but
6:05 always pursue what is good both for
6:08 yourselves and for all
6:11 so the threefold exhortation to all is
6:13 be patient with all forgive all and
6:17 pursue good for all so he has exhorted
6:20 the leaders to labor and to lead and to
6:23 admonish he's exhorted people to
6:25 minister to the unruly the faint-hearted
6:27 and the weak
6:29 he's exhorting all of us to be patient
6:32 to forgive and to pursue what is good
6:35 then he deals with our relationship to
6:39 God verses 16 through 22 first our
6:43 inward responsibility rejoice always
6:45 pray without ceasing and everything give thanks
6:46 thanks
6:48 then our public responsibilities in
6:51 worship do not quench the spirit do not
6:55 despise prophecies and test all things a
6:59 series of triple admonitions in our
7:02 relationship one to another now we're
7:04 going to look at leadership everything
7:08 rises and falls with leadership God has
7:11 ordained that though all of us our
7:13 members are the same body and we have
7:16 the same equal standing before God some
7:18 are called the places of leadership this
7:20 is the way God's worked it out this is
7:23 even true in our bodies in the human
7:25 body there are some organs that are far
7:28 more important than others they're made
7:29 of the same material but they're far
7:31 more important than others I can lose my
7:34 little finger and get away with it I
7:37 can't lose my heart or my brain and get
7:38 away with it
7:41 I can damage my earlobe and somehow
7:44 survive but if I damage my pancreas or
7:47 my liver I may be in trouble they can
7:50 take out my appendix but they can't take
7:53 out both of my lungs you see there are
7:55 certain parts of the body of Christ that
7:57 are more important than others doesn't
7:59 mean that these people are necessarily
8:02 better than anybody else in fact we
8:04 should all esteem one another better
8:06 than ourselves it just means God has
8:08 called them two places of leadership
8:11 someone says well the church is an
8:14 organism it's not an organization well
8:16 that that is not true
8:19 if an organism is not organized it's
8:23 gonna die my body is an organism but it
8:25 is an organized organism and when it
8:27 gets disorganized then I have to go to
8:29 the doctor and get it organized again
8:33 yes the church is an organism but an
8:35 organism has to be organized or it's
8:37 going to die and therefore God has
8:39 ordained that there are leaders in the
8:43 local church these are gifts of God God
8:45 gives gifts to people then he gives
8:48 gifted people to the church and the
8:49 local church is the place where you
8:53 discover discipline develop and dedicate
8:56 your spiritual gifts and use them to the
9:03 now if our churches are going to be all
9:07 that they ought to be we must have a
9:10 proper relationship between leaders and
9:13 followers once again it doesn't mean one
9:15 is better than anyone else it just
9:18 simply means that we are different from
9:20 each other in that God has called each
9:23 of us to a different ministry what are
9:26 the responsibilities of the leaders and
9:28 then secondly what are the
9:31 responsibilities of the members and then
9:34 thirdly what's the result of all of this
9:37 well the responsibilities of leaders are
9:40 threefold to labor to lead and to
9:44 admonish verse 12 of 1st Thessalonians 5
9:49 and we urge you brethren to recognize to
9:54 know to to believe who they are and
9:56 accept them and and honor them to
9:59 recognize those who labor among you and
10:04 are over you in the Lord and admonish
10:07 you and to esteem them very highly and
10:10 love for their works sake be at peace
10:11 among yourselves now here's the
10:13 three-fold responsibility of the leader
10:17 number 1 - labor this word means to toil
10:21 - weariness it's a word used back in
10:23 chapter 1 verse 3 remembering without
10:28 ceasing your work of faith labor of love
10:33 Paul uses it in verse 9 of chapter 2 for
10:37 you remember brethren our labor and toil
10:40 laboring night and day chapter 3 verse 5
10:45 for this reason when I could no longer
10:48 endure it I sent to know your faith lest
10:50 by some means the tempter had tempted
10:55 you and our labor might be in vain Paul
10:58 was a worker now the purpose of an
11:02 office is service a lot of people fill
11:05 offices who don't use the offices if
11:07 you're an officer in a local church a
11:10 leader in a local church that leadership
11:14 is a responsibility for work
11:18 distri is hard work people don't believe
11:20 that but it's true ministry is hard work
11:24 watching for souls watching over the
11:27 family of God is hard work
11:31 it requires diligence vigilance courage
11:34 ministry is hard work if it's faithful I
11:37 know it's some nominating committees who
11:39 sit down you know and they're going to
11:41 choose the officers for the next year
11:42 and somebody says well you know
11:44 so-and-so hasn't been coming to church
11:46 too much lately let's make him an
11:48 officer so he'll start coming you don't
11:51 do that that's the worst way to get an
11:53 officer or someone accepts an office and
11:56 has no intention of using that office
11:58 someday you're going to give an
12:00 accounting of what you've done with your
12:03 opportunity as a church officer and
12:06 therefore the job we have is to labor to
12:09 use the office not just to fill it
12:12 secondly to lead recognize those who
12:16 labor among you and are over you in the
12:18 Lord not over you in themselves they
12:21 aren't dictators no no you don't drive
12:25 sheep you lead sheep you don't drive
12:29 children you lead children to lead means
12:32 to stand before to take a place of
12:36 leadership the church is organized and
12:38 has to have leaders the church as a
12:41 family are there not leaders in our
12:43 family have you ever been in a home
12:45 where everybody did whatever he wanted
12:48 to do our family wasn't raised like that
12:51 the church is an army Paul talked about
12:53 that back in chapter 4 verse 2 for you
12:55 know what Commandments we gave you
12:57 through the Lord Jesus that word
13:00 Commandments means a military order
13:03 handed down from the officer the church
13:06 is an army if an army is not organized
13:08 with leadership it's not going to win
13:10 the battle the church is a body a
13:13 building whatever image of the church
13:15 you look at in the Bible there is
13:19 orderliness attached to it and their
13:21 leaders have the responsibility of
13:23 leading now look at the problem that
13:26 they have and we urge you brethren to
13:28 recognize those who labor
13:31 among you and are over you that is a
13:35 difficult posture to be among them as
13:39 well as over them now some people are
13:41 very good at being over and don't want
13:42 to be among they don't want to mingle
13:45 with the Saints some people are very
13:46 good about being among and don't want to
13:49 be over Peter talked about the same
13:51 thing over in first Peter chapter 5 and
13:55 think he uses similar language about
13:58 leadership first Peter chapter 5 verse 1
14:02 the elders who are among you I exhort
14:06 who am a fellow elder and a witness of
14:08 the sufferings of Christ Shepherd the
14:11 flock of God which is among you serving
14:15 as overseers there it is you are over
14:19 but you are among now for officers not
14:23 to be among the people is sin pastors
14:26 and elders and deacons we need to know
14:28 what is going on among our people we
14:31 have to be among them as well as over
14:34 them that's why a pastor has to visit
14:37 his people and get to know them and feel
14:40 the burdens of their hearts we're not
14:43 bossing we're serving the source of our
14:45 authority is the Lord Jesus Christ not
14:48 our office they are over you in the Lord
14:51 and how was the Lord in his leadership
14:55 he was a servant if you hold a church
14:58 office as a point of pride something to
14:59 brag about then you've got the wrong
15:03 attitude we accept a church office a
15:05 church place of leadership because we
15:07 want to serve if we don't want to serve
15:09 we ought to get out let somebody else do
15:12 it and so we have the responsibility of
15:16 laboring and of leading and thirdly of
15:19 admonishing they are over you in the
15:22 Lord and admonish you that word admonish
15:26 means to warn or to instruct it has to
15:28 do with the sharing of the Word of God
15:31 now believe me I have pastored three
15:33 churches and I've preached in hundreds
15:35 of churches it's no fun to admonish
15:38 people from the Word of God it's no fun
15:40 to sit down with someone and say look
15:41 you are not obey
15:47 the Word of God hebrews chapter 13 verse
15:52 7 remember those who rule over you
15:54 that's talking about spiritual rule the
15:57 the spiritual guidance who have spoken
16:00 the Word of God to you whose faith
16:02 follow we don't just teach we have
16:05 practice it considering the outcome of
16:08 their conduct Jesus Christ the same
16:11 yesterday today and forever do not be
16:14 carried about with various and strange
16:16 doctrines now get the connection there
16:19 God gives leaders who teach us the Word
16:21 of God they admonish us they warn us why
16:23 because there are strange doctrines
16:27 abroad oh how many times I've had to go
16:28 visit people and say look I understand
16:30 that you're moving in this direction
16:32 you're starting to believe things that
16:34 are not true to the Word of God now
16:38 let's stop it because we had better do
16:43 the word and the will of the Living God
16:45 and people say well pastor thanks for
16:47 warning me we don't like to be
16:50 admonished but we have to accept it now
16:51 what are the responsibilities of the
16:54 members the leaders are supposed to
16:57 labor and lead and admonish what should
16:59 the members do number one recognize them
17:03 know them accept them recognize those
17:06 who labor among you why because they are
17:11 working for you and for the Lord you say
17:13 well I can't respect some of the people
17:16 who are in leadership in our church then
17:20 you respect the office because we better
17:23 respect God's leaders it doesn't mean
17:25 you have to agree on everything but you
17:27 better respect the office because it's
17:29 the office that carries the authority
17:32 not the personality of the leader so my
17:35 responsibility the church member is to
17:37 recognize and know the spiritual leaders
17:39 in the church and by the way the
17:41 spiritual leaders in the church ought to
17:42 let us know who they are
17:45 I've often been in services where the
17:47 pastor will say now if we can be of any
17:49 help to you contact one of the Deacons
17:51 and I'm a visitor in the church I don't
17:53 know who the Deacons are they ought to
17:56 identify themselves we should recognize
17:57 them secondly we should honor them
18:01 esteem them very highly in love for
18:02 their works sake
18:06 notice this if they are faithful to do
18:09 the work God has called them to do honor them
18:10 them
18:12 now some don't work it's amazing in
18:14 local churches how people will take an
18:16 office or responsibilities and not do anything
18:17 anything
18:19 well you can't honor people like that
18:21 they ought to be replaced
18:24 we should esteem those highly who are
18:28 faithful in doing the work of the Lord
18:31 you know how much work there is to be
18:35 done let me say a word to elders and
18:37 deacons and trustees and committee
18:39 members and Sunday School teachers your
18:43 pastor needs your help he cannot do the
18:45 job alone pray for him every day that's
18:48 your first responsibility pray for him
18:52 pray for him encourage him be in the
18:56 services be faithful in your giving in
18:58 your stewardship to your local church
19:02 and encourage him as he seeks to expand
19:04 the work of the Lord
19:06 in that church oh it is a hard job and
19:10 you can't do it by yourself let me tell
19:13 you a story from my own ministry there
19:15 will be people listening who will know
19:17 this story because they were a part of
19:20 this church I was at Calvary Baptist
19:23 Church in Covington Kentucky and our
19:25 dear beloved senior minister had a heart
19:28 attack was called home by the Lord and
19:32 on a Wednesday I had the the sorry
19:35 responsibility of conducting the funeral
19:37 service and then that evening the church
19:40 called me to be his successor and the
19:43 next morning one of the Deacons came to
19:46 the church office and he said to me I
19:47 want you to know I'm a deacon in this
19:49 church I have been a deacon here for
19:51 many years you are now my pastor
19:54 anything I can do to help you in your
19:57 ministry you let me know
20:00 I will polish your shoes I will wash
20:03 your car I will do anything you need as
20:05 long as it helps you in the Ministry of
20:07 the Lord well that's the kind of deacons
20:08 you want to have
20:12 and that's the kind of a man he was well
20:14 esteem them very highly in love for
20:16 their works sake do it in love there
20:19 must be love between the leaders and the
20:22 followers we do not lead people by force
20:26 we lead them by love and then our
20:28 responsibility is to follow them we
20:32 should listen to their admonition esteem
20:34 them highly and obey what they have to
20:36 say and do it joyfully there's an
20:39 interesting word in Hebrews chapter 13
20:43 that we should notice Hebrews chapter 13
20:46 verse 17 obey those who rule over you
20:49 that means spiritual rule and be
20:51 submissive for they watch for your souls
20:55 as those who must give account let them
20:59 do so with joy and not with grief for
21:02 that would be unprofitable for you you
21:05 know what he's saying here don't add to
21:08 the burdens of your leaders make them
21:11 joyful be obedient to the Word of God
21:14 submit to the Word of God and if you do
21:17 you're gonna bring joy to them today as
21:20 they serve and it'll be joyful for you
21:22 tomorrow when they give an accounting of
21:25 their ministry to the Lord I think some
21:27 of these church problems are gonna be
21:29 settled at the judgment seat of Christ I
21:31 believe there's going to be some
21:36 apologies made our job is to follow and
21:39 to obey those who have the spiritual
21:41 rule over this this is not dictatorship
21:45 this is in the Lord Jesus Christ through
21:50 the Word of God and therefore it is
21:52 important for us that we should walk
21:54 with the Lord and follow our leaders
21:56 what's the result be at peace among
21:58 yourselves by doing what following your
22:01 leaders doing what God wants you to do
22:04 because he is the one who brings peace
22:06 to our hearts and peace to the church
22:09 when we are following our leaders as we
22:12 ought to follow them therefore let us be
22:16 obedient to the Word of God and follow
22:19 our spiritual leader
22:21 thanks for being a part of our back to
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