House Rules

If you have a bible today open it up 1 Timothy 5. I have titled the message this morning House Rules. House Rules. Pray with me.

So as we have studied this book we have seen alot of practical, and theological truths. That we need to add to our playbook, when it comes to the church. But today we are going to set some House Rules.

If you have ever walked into a home sometimes they will have house rules posted somewhere where people can see. Business do this sometimes, Air B n Bs ect, some examples of this I saw this week were be kind, learn from your mistakes, say sorry, drink more water, embrace change. If you open it close it. If you move it, put it back, if it belongs to someone else, get permission. Turn the lights off when you leave the room, treat others with respect ect..

Now for the church to have house rules may seem a bit odd, but according to Paul and the Word of God this is not the case.

I have said this before, and will continue to say this God is a God of Order, and obedience is not legalism, the desire to be obedient comes when are hearts are changed by Jesus Christ.

So when it comes to house rules, this is what I want you to understand today as our main idea.

God created house rules so we could love and serve one another properly.

And today we are going to see that very thing..

We are covering a-lot of ground today in this sermon so I am going to break up the reading as needed for each point today.

verses 1-2 say this.

1 Timothy 5:1–2 ESV

1 Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

Rule #1 Love Christian brothers and sisters as family.

One of the things that was going to be important for Timothy and just as equally important for us is that we should respect others, this includes respecting our older people.

Treating them as you would your own parents, now some of us may have more affections towards some of the older people in the church than our parents, but the reality is this we should love our fellow older brothers and sisters in the faith and encourage them, now encouragement should come natural to the people at Agape. Its one of our missions here.

The realationship here that Paul speaks of is one that has lost its place in many houses of worship, and with many of the people of God. There is to much of a disconnect between our older and younger people in the church, and its a shame, and part of that reason I believe is because we don’t treat our older folks properly, but we also don’t treat our younger folks well either. Older people, and younger people often have the idea that they are right the other side is wrong, but the reality according to the scriptures is that older people are to be encouraged, and older people are to treat younger men as brothers, and he doesn’t mean your baby brother that you treat as a punching bag he means to treating them as you would want to be treated as a believers in Christ. If our men of all ages acted like we are part of a family then we would truly be in a better place.

Then Paul gets to tell Timothy and us how we should treat our older women. Ill leave it to you all if you want to put yourself in this category. But he is calling him and us to treat our older women as mothers.

Respect and honor those who could be your mother. Finally he says respect women as sisters, in all of purity.

The younger women whom Timothy would minister to should not be objectified but loved as sisters. And young men should see that as well today.

I like what one man said.. Churches are indeed a family, a faith family, and members should relate to one another accordingly. When you see fellow members, treat them like brothers and sisters because they are! Jesus said that the world should realize that we are His disciples if we love one another. we want to bear witness to the world and maintain unity in the church we will obey this Scripture and teat one another with love and respect.

So Rule number 1 love christians brothers and sisters as family.

Rule #2 Care for those who need it.

1 Timothy 5:3–16 ESV

3 Honor widows who are truly widows. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. 5 She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, 6 but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. 7 Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. 8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 9 Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, 10 and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work. 11 But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry 12 and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. 13 Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not. 14 So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander. 15 For some have already strayed after Satan. 16 If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are truly widows.

James 1:27 ESV

27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

One of the things God calls the church to do is take of Widows. Its something that James says is true religion. Now Paul does a great job defining how we are to care for widows. and how we should support those who are truly widows. Now understanding the context here is important, because widows during that time did not have the same things today that can help them, because they were dependent on their husbands for incomes. Today we have things that help widows more than before, but those things don’t discount the fact that true widows need to be taken care of.

Paul indicates in the text that women who have a support system should be cared for by them. This does not mean that the church does not help these women, but the burden of the majority of care is to fall on them. He gives the example of a women’s children or grandchildren providing support and reason why they should because it pleases God and it helps the church. Paul makes it clear that we are to provide for our relatives if we can because its a testimony of our faith in Christ. In fact Paul goes so far to say that if you don’t you are worse than an unbeliever. This is strong language indeed.

So the first line of defense for widows should be the family.

Now for other Widows who are older over the age of 60, who have no-one to help them, widows who are prayer warriors depending on God for help for all these who were faithful to their husbands. Now this wife of one husband I believe points to having only one husband at a time. These widows who have a good reputation for good works, bring up children if they had them, women who have shown hospitality, Paul says women who have shown that by washing feet, and taking care of those who are need, doing good works, the church is to take care of those women.

One example of that in Scripture is Anna. Luke 2:36-38

Luke 2:36–38 (ESV)

36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Anna was a women who night and day worshiped God waiting for the king to come Jesus Christ who came in her life, and a widow of God is to be like Anna working night and day praying to God that Jesus will return again, or that they may go and see him face to face before he returns.

The church are to help these women, we have one here that the church takes care of miss Lois who longs to see the Lord, yet she is here loving and serving the church as she can for his glory. One man I read this week said we are to Enlist widows for service who meet those standards while take care of them as well.

Now we have one group of widows who Paul says does not need care, he says refuse to care for younger widows, and he gives reason for that, and before I give those reasons this does not mean the church does not help widows who are younger we should, but Paul says younger ones should remarry.

Paul by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is convinced that younger women are not going to be able to have the kind of self control to be able to devote themselves to the Lord fully and so they should re marry. Paul in fact says that remarrying is good for them because it keeps the, from Satan.

These younger widows Paul warns must avoid laziness, laziness is a sin if you did not know. But Paul seems to indicated that this laziness breeds other sins such as gossip which Paul says is not godly. Laziness and gossip have no place in anyone’s lives especially those who are widows.

Finally Paul says if a younger widow is able she should take care of those widows in need so the church is not burdened.

The church is called to take care of those who truly need it, and other people are called to do their part so the church is not burdened.

But the church must always take care of people in need.

Next rule is this.

Rule #3 Care for your Pastors.

This might be my favorite point today.

Lets read some more scripture.

1 Timothy 5:17–18 ESV

17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”

Paul in the text shows us that we are to care for pastors in a few ways. One he says pastors who preach and teach should have double honor. What does this mean? Scholars have pointed out that it means that pastors should be respected. One of the ways you can care for your pastor is by respecting him.

1 Thessalonians 5:12–13 ESV

12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

Preaching and teaching requires work. It might not be like the work many of you all have, but the time put into lessons, and sermons, prayer outreach are quite tedious. And the church should respect and honor that kind of work, just like you would any other job.

Second this double honor means he pastor deserves pay. Paul quotes the Old Testament here one scholar said… An ox at least was allowed to eat as he labors, and the same should be true for pastors. Otherwise, we are treating those who minister the Word worse than the a beast.

I am thankful this church despite its size seeks to honor me as the pastor as best they can and all those who labor, and as a result I want to work hard for the church and the Lord because of the provisions made.

Lets look at verse 19.

1 Timothy 5:19 ESV

19 Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.

I know of alot of pastors who have been accused of something because people did not care, and Paul makes it clear in the text to not do this lightly.

Its one thing to be mad at a pastor for a suggestion he makes to a committee and try to get him fired, but its another thing to bring an accusation against him for a sin if its not proper.

I like what one man said.. The reason Paul said elders deserve this kind of treatment has to do with the public nature of the elder's position. Failure to dismiss false accusations would undermine the trust the congregation had in him. And if a prominent leader were destroyed and later it was found out that the allegations were unfounded, it would be a black stain on the church in the eyes of the world.

In light of what we've seen, then, let us be zealous to do whatever we can to protect the reputation of those who preach and teach in the church, not because they are a special class of Christians but more importantly because the church is the "pillar and foundation of the truth" (3:15)

We don't want the display of God's glory diminished in any way, and we don't want the gospel to be hindered in its advance as a result of people in the church or in the community who don't trust the integrity of elders. By God's grace let's be eager to eliminate unfounded accusations. Let's put an end to unhelpful and ungodly criticisms that bring down the reputation of those who labor in the ministry of the Word.

However Paul says that sometimes elders to need to be rebuked listen to verses 20-21

1 Timothy 5:20–21 ESV

20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. 21 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.

We were talking about this on Wednesday night that pastors are people to, and sometimes pastors have major sin problems that are not taken care to the point where it damages there witness, and it damages the church, and Paul tells timothy this so that pastors in the future take sin seriously, and he says this so the church does as well.

If a pastor has so great a charge that it needs to be brought to the church then the church should see that as a warning to them. Everyone is a sinner, but when someone persists in sin they need to be rebuked even if that is the pastor.

pastors have those certain standards which they are to live to and that is why Paul says this in verse 22- 25

1 Timothy 5:22–25 ESV

22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. 23 (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.) 24 The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. 25 So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.

I talked about last week how special the laying the hands was to me and my journey as a pastor, and Paul tells Timothy tells the churches dont be quick to do this, It would have been a disservice to me and the church if when I surrendered to the call to ministry when I was 24 they laid hands on me right then, and Paul says we should not do that because sin, some things are not seen at first that come out later, but everything comes out eventually, to show you care about those being called to ministry protect them, watch them so they can later watch you.

A church is to care for its pastors.

Rule #4 Care for servants.

1 Timothy 6:1–2 (ESV)

1 Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. 2 Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.

Now I didn’t use the word slaves here, because of our context, but I will speak of that in a moment. Now for Paul he was writing to a world that was full of slavery. Slavery was a normal way of life. slavery happens is a fallen world.

In the Old Testament we see slavery was a very real thing that happened because someone was so poor that they gave there lives to a master just so they could escape extreme poverty. Lets read its purpose from the bible.

Leviticus 25:35–43 ESV

35 “If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you. 36 Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God, that your brother may live beside you. 37 You shall not lend him your money at interest, nor give him your food for profit. 38 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God. 39 “If your brother becomes poor beside you and sells himself to you, you shall not make him serve as a slave: 40 he shall be with you as a hired worker and as a sojourner. He shall serve with you until the year of the jubilee. 41 Then he shall go out from you, he and his children with him, and go back to his own clan and return to the possession of his fathers. 42 For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. 43 You shall not rule over him ruthlessly but shall fear your God.

During Paul’s time Roman slavery was its economy. It was thought that during that time 1/3 to 1/2 of all people were slaves.

Can you believe that an incredible amount of people. One scholar described this kind of slavery he said this.. there were a variety of differen practices of slavery in this era of history. Some slaves were simply employees who did a variety of different kinds of work: teachers, craftsmen managers, cooks, and even government officials. Many slaves owned slaves themselves. It's also important to recognize that Roman slavery was not fundamentally based on ethnicity or skin color but on economic and social status. In order to gain Roman citizenship and thus enter into Roman society, many people would sell themselves into slavery. In many Cases slavery was beneficial for poorer individuals, providing security and stability for slaves in a variety of different venues. There were also opportunities beyond slavery, for many slaves were released by the time they were 30 years of age, as they had become capable of providing for themselves at that point.

Despite the more humane practices of slavery in some cases, we don't want to paint an idealistic picture of slavery. After all, a slave was still a slave--marginalized, powerless, and often prone to disgrace or insult.

While some slaves were indeed salaried employees with great responsibilities, others were subjected to grueling labor and harsh treatment, including sexual abuse. Slavery could be and sometimes was extremely degrading and destructive. Yet we shouldn't make the mistake of thinking that all slavery in the Greco-Roman world was inhumane. This system, which was so ingrained into the economy of the Roman Empire, was in many ways different from the slavery of the antebellum South.

Another bit of slavery we know about is the slavery we had in this country. Based on free labor from African Americans who were not treated as humans, rather as objects.

The sad reality is that slavery has truly be apart of every nation and every culture, and for many of those people they are not treated properly. This could have its own sermon, and maybe one day it will, because there is so much to say about this evil that continues in a variety of different ways in the world like sex slaves, human trafficking but I say these things because we need to understand what is going on in the text, and apply it today.

Paul never says slavery is ok, but he knows the context he is living in and that both masters and slaves are coming to know Jesus Christ by faith. So he says these things for a purpose.

He wants those who are slaves to act in such a way to glorify God where they honor their masters so that Christ is magnified in their lives. Though they may not be free physically, these slaves are free from the real bondage and that is the bondage of sin, and Paul goes further to say for those who serve masters who believe serve them well because they are your brothers like we see in rule 1.

So how does that apply to us? Well in our work places we are to serve as we are serving the Lord. As a young man I wish I had this perspective more, because we are always no matter our audience no matter our boss are to please Jesus. And if we get the honor of working for believers work to not disrespect them because they are our family in Christ. Care for those who serve in all aspects of life, it will make everyone’s life better if you look to care for those who serve you.

Finally I want to touch quickly on why we should follow those rules. Last point today is this…

Christians follow house rules, because we are slaves to Christ.

The unfortunate thing about slavery as we know it is it stewed our views on what it means to be a slave for Christ. I would argue that this point is not understood for the majority of believers.

What Christ did for you and I believer is he purchased you with a price, and that price was more than just silver and gold, it was with his very own life. And the reality is this you are a slave of something, a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness. There is no in-between. You either follow the master Christ or the master of this world Satan.

I have reference this verse before but its so powerful, and so accurate of our condition in just a few works. Romans 6:17-18

Romans 6:17–18 ESV

17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

Friends before Christ came and bought you you were a slave to sin, a slave to all your passions, and desires, but thanks be to God that he changed that very thing. Its an incredible work that God does when he saves a person, the scripture says he takes the heart of stone, and gives you a heart of flesh, the text in Romans here says he makes you obedient from your very own heart to be commited to the standard of teaching.

What does that mean that you want to follow the word of God, why because you have been set free, from sin. Paul says you were a slave to sin now you are slaves of righteousness. A new type of slave.

A slave to Jesus. Let me close reading this from someone it fired me up and I hope it does you as well. Ultimately, given everything we've seen so far, the Bible redeems slavery. By that I mean that God's Word takes slavery, a product of sin, and turns it into a powerful image of God's goodness. Consider the beauty of Christ and the gospel reality that our Master has become our servant. As Paul said in Philippians 2:7, the same Jesus who was full divine emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men" (emphasis added). The word "slave" in Philippians 2 comes from the same word we see in 1 Timothy 6:1-doulos. Christ took the form of a slave. Jesus took this posture in John 13:4-5 when He wrapped a garment around His waist and washed His disciples feet.

And Mark 10:45 says something similar with regard to the purpose for Jesus' coming: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life--a ransom for many." That's the gospel in a nutshell. That's good news!

The essence of Christianity is that our Master has become our servant and so, in turn,'we gladly become His slave? The word Paul often uses to describe himself at the beginning of his letters is this same word--doulos--translated as "servant" or "slave." A slave is one who belongs to another and is under the authority of another. That was the way Paul wanted to be identified.' and that is the way every Christian should want to be identified. We are slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ

and unlike the sinful pictures of slavery we see in the world, slavery and service to the Lord Jesus is glorious freedom!

It is glad service rendered to a gracious Master. At the end of the day, the question is not whether we are slaves but whose slaves we are. Either we will serve sin and Satan John 8:34; Rom 6:11), or we will serve the King of kings.

So good, So believers ask yourself can you follow House Rules, the answer is Yes because I am a slave to Christ. If today you say I have been a slave to sin for far to long, and I want to be set free, truly free from the bondage of sin, you can be repenting turning away from your sin, and trusting in Christ as Lord and savior and you will be forever changed.

Let us pray.