The care of elders

Well, we've just heard about the importance of a relationship between fathers and their children, and applying it to the home and applying it to the assembly, the importance of our relationships one with another, and the importance of encouraging one another in the way of God and in the things of God. I was thinking earlier of, you know, we had expression given of concerns of things that are changing, things that at least some would like to change, and I just thought I wasn't thinking of a father and son relationship, but I was thinking of the responsibility of elders in the assembly and our brother Max has touched on that a little as well. When I think of elders in the assembly and their responsibility to keep their ears tuned and to have a knowledge and understanding of those that the Lord has made them responsible for and over, that it takes wisdom and help and guidance from the Lord to recognize need, to see needs, to see individuals that need a nudge in a particular direction.

And I like to just think of that just for a moment before we read some of the scriptures that I have in my mind. Now, how important it is, and I'm speaking now to elders here and anyone that has a responsibility that the Lord has given them, we all do, we all have this responsibility to a degree, to watch each other's back, to watch each other's needs, things that come up. And we can tell by this individual the things that he's saying, the direction that he's going, that he is not going in the right direction.

Too often we make the mistake of maybe talking about him to someone else. We make the mistake of too easily and quickly writing someone off and not giving them the attention that as an elder I should. The moment we see a trend, the moment we see an individual going a particular direction, the wisdom of God, the wisdom of his word, the truth of God needs to begin to work in our minds.

How can I help that individual? What can I say? What can I do? How can I encourage him to get back on track? And to do it before they get off the track too far. It's a lot easier to get someone back on track before they get off the track too far. So I would encourage each one here to look at the needs around you, look at individuals around you, not with a view to criticize them, not with a view to in any way tear them down, but look at each one.

With this exercise, this individual likely is my brother or my sister in Christ, and they are family. They belong to God. They're his children, and I am one of his children, and he has put into my hand a responsibility to care for my brethren and my sisters, to have a care for them, to have that fatherly exercise, that motherly care.

We see that in the Apostle Paul, the things that he wrote and how he said them, the care, the concern he had for the church at Corinth and Rome, etc. And as a mother, as a nurse cherishing her children, he could use that picture. And so, just a word before we read the Scriptures to each one.

Look at what you can see that needs a little nudge in that different direction, and ask help of God to do that nudging, to do that directing with a desire that they might be preserved, that they might go the direction that you know the Lord wants them to go. How many difficulties would we be preserved from if we knew more of that and saw more of that amongst us, rather than the criticizing, the talking of others before others, rather talk about them to the Lord and talk to them about concerns and issues with a view to help them and to encourage them? I would like you to read with me in 1 Timothy. 1 Timothy chapter 4, but maybe before that, 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 15.

Verse 14, these things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly. But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness.

God was manifest in flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles and nations, believed on in the world, received up into glory. Just to look at maybe a little different rendering in verse 15. It would go like this, but if I tarry long, that men may know how they ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground or stay of the truth.

What an important word to us. If I tarry long, that men may know how they ought to behave themselves in the house of God. Drop down now to verse 11 of the next chapter.

These things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth. That is, make sure that there's no occasion, no opportunity for anyone to despise your youth.

Paul writing to Timothy what he has in mind. Timothy, you live in such a way that no one will find any reason, no one will find an occasion to speak against you. Let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example of the believers in word, in conversation or conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by the prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things.

Give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee.

Now, as you'll notice, these verses are all going hand in hand with what we said in our opening remarks. The concern, the care that we need to have, one for another, and for the things of God. Now, there's only a few minutes.

Notice in verse 15, meditate upon these things. Give thyself wholly to them. Now the word meditate, we don't have time to look into the word now, but there's four different words in our New Testament used for meditate, to meditate.

And look them up in your concordance, and you'll find a real blessing as you do so, because they are, it's a unique word. And if you look it up, it'll give you a valuable message, maybe to pass on to someone else sometime. But Paul says, meditate upon these things.

Give thyself wholly to them that thy profiting may appear or be evident to all. Now, the word profiting is from the word profiteer. To many of us, this is elementary.

But when we think of this, a profiteer in an army was one who went ahead, and he removed obstacles. He took away debris. He took away things that might hinder the progress of individuals, of the army as it advanced.

He made sure that there was nothing that was going to hinder them, that was going to slow them down in their progress in the battle. So he was one that gave himself wholly to it. He looked every way, in every direction.

He had one thing in mind, to remove anything that would hinder. And what a good attitude for all of us to have, to remove those things that are going to hinder my brother and my sister, to teach those things that are going to prevent their stumbling along the way. And so, Paul exhorts Timothy that thy profiting might be evident to all, that we might have that reputation amongst our brethren and sisters, that we are ones that have an interest in them.

We have an interest in all the saints, not just a few, but that our love and our care would reach out to all. There are those that maybe that is easier done with. But no, reach out to all, make no difference.

And then Paul says in verse 16, take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine, continue in them. Don't slack your hand, move forward, for in doing this thou shalt both preserve thyself and them that hear thee. The power of the spoken word of God that is able to turn lives, that is able to turn hearts to the Lord.

We'll just take time to read a few more verses in chapter 5, 1 Timothy chapter 5. Paul is continuing in his care for the assembly, for Timothy, and verse 19, against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. Then that sin rebuke before all that others also may fear. Before we go further, let's just take a little look at that, against an elder receive not an accusation.

The importance, I call this the importance of the food source. God has put in place a food source in the assembly. God has put in place a government in the assembly, and both are very necessary, they're very important.

And if you disturb that, if you take that away, you're taking away the very core, you're taking away the very thing that is making it all move in the direction that God wants it. And so the importance of not removing those things, doing those things that would hinder the operation of this in the assembly. So against an elder, receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.

And then the next verse, them that sin rebuke before all, them that go on pressing a charge that has been dealt with, rebuke them before all that others also may fear. Verse 21, I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. Prejudice and partiality.

How do we fare? How do we do? It's so hard not to be prejudiced. It is so hard not to be partial. But how important for fathers, for elders, for each one of us in our responsible places that God has given us not to be partial.

Under no circumstances, at all costs, avoid partiality, avoid prejudice. It's a trap that the enemy would want us to get into and how destructive. Then verse 22, Paul says to Timothy, lay hands suddenly on no man.

Now I used to think that meant somebody that's young, but I don't think that's what's in mind at all. Paul has just said, do nothing by partiality, do nothing with prejudice. And so there's a story that comes to your ear.

There's something that someone may tell you. And there's a danger because of who told you the story that you fly with it and you do yourself harm and you do another harm. And so Paul says, lay hands suddenly on no man.

And the force of no man is, it doesn't matter who it is, how close he is, because the danger is even greater in a circumstance like that. Because you're going to find yourself partaker of other men's sins as you find out if it wasn't quite the truth that you heard. There's something wrong with what you heard and you passed it on or you acted on it and it was false, it was wrong.

And so you become a partaker of other men's sins. Keep thyself pure. And I believe that's referring back to prejudice and partiality.

Paul knew that Timothy his son in the faith, as he was going on in his life and as Paul would be laying down his life soon, all the things that he would need to stand up for and the things that would come his way, it was so important that he was without partiality, that he was without prejudice. Well, I used to wonder why it said, drink no longer water, but drink, use a little wine for thy stomach's sake. And I thought, yes, Paul, you have experienced this.

You've experienced dealing with all kinds of issues and difficulties and problems that people have. You've heard all kinds of stories, Paul. And he knew Timothy would endure the same.

And you might need a little medicine along the way. You might need a little help along the way. Then in the last verse, our time is gone.

In like manner also the good works of some are evident, they're manifest beforehand. And they that are otherwise cannot be hid. Oh, verse 24 as well, some men's sins are open, they're obvious beforehand, going before the judgment and some men they follow after.

And all he's telling Timothy is, in these stories that you're going to hear, these things that are going to come before you, lay hands suddenly on no man, but time will show what's right and what's wrong. Some men's sins are open and obvious beforehand. And some you have to wait a little while, but don't be in a hurry.

Don't make sudden action decisions when you don't know the facts, you don't know the truth. And so Paul's word of encouragement to Timothy. And it's the word of God's word of encouragement to us, without partiality, without prejudice, with a love in our hearts for the people of God and the things of God, we reach out to others.

We seek to be a help and a benefit and fathers and mothers to one another in the assembly. God bless his word.