Godly Thought

We looked at the job of elders, now in v.2 we are looking at the qualification of elders.

Though this list looks very daunting, it isn’t as restrictive as some people would believe.

It doesn’t mean you can’t make a single mistake, and if you do, you aren’t fit.

What it does mean, is that the standards God sets for those in leadership are high, not out of reach, but high.

These same standards are what God desires all believers to strive for. But the elders must have these.

Most of the time, those who God is calling to eldership will look at the list and say “I’m not qualified.” This is becasue they know the sin of their heart. That is the humble personality that you need to look for in leadership.

We serve a God who is gracious when we lack the strength, He is merciful when repent, and who equips those He calls to leadership in His church, to do what He has called them to.

1 Timothy 3:1-7

Passions

When we think of sobriety, we think of not giving in to alcohol. Though not a drunkard is something that is required and something we will discuss in the future. It isn’t the message being conveyed here.

This is a statement sober minded, is saying that we cannot be controlled or governed by our passions.

Passions can be a good thing, if we bring them under the rule of God.

Passions like love are good if we love God and our wives. Bad if we love accolades of men or fall into lust.

Fear is good if it’s the fear of the Lord causing us to work for His glory, bad if it’s the fear of man and we desire to please the people more than God.

But to often, we allow our passions to govern us. This can lead to great rise and fall of emotions that can and will govern us if we do not take every thought captive.

Romans 6:12-13

v.12

If we allow sin to reign, not God, then our passions will be in the wheelhouse of our lives.

Something happens out of our control, and we become beside ourselves with grief. Then we see the person who caused the sorrow and immediately fly into a rage.

Maybe you feel compelled by God to take a stand, or get involved something for His glory. Then the passion of fear (disguised as anxiety) get’s in the way and stops you from doing what is right.

This roller coaster of emotions is what happens when we are guided by our passions.

When you allow yourself to be driven by your passions, the people in the world will be able to take a hold of that wheel, and direct us not to the glory of God, but instead the direction that they want us to go.

You will hear statements like, “You can’t tell that person their wrong, what about their truth? Did you ever consider how that statement would make them feel?”

or “you haven’t gone through what they have, you have no right to judge.”

These are examples of people trying to steer you, by guiding your passions, your emotions.

For arguments like these are used all the time, that don’t appeal to the truth and tell us what’s right and what’s wrong. Instead they appeal to emotions, (to our anxieties, our anger, our desires) which fluctuate.

v.13

You must present yourself to God.

This means you care more about the thoughts and opinions of the one who brought you from death to life than the world’s thoughts and opinions.

You care more about the law of God & what is good, righteous and beautiful; than the emotions of the world.

In the end, this is the question, who’s opinion do you care about?

What does it mean to be sober-minded and have self-control

We want to discuss sober-mindedness and self control.

Sober-minded amounts to how we think.

Self-control amounts to how we act.

These two things are very much related.

If your not thinking clearly, you won’t act correctly.

If your thinking of issues in the world the way that the world views them, then you’ll act like the world does.

But we are to have our minds renewed.

Sober-minded, Clarity of mind

Do you look at relationships you have, your job, your marriage, politics, through worldview shaped by scripture? Or has your vision been clouded by the humanist views we find on social media and the news?

1 Thessalonians 5:4-8

v.4-5

In darkness being the lack of knowledge. We as Christians, have knowledge.

We don’t look at the world and believe it’s a series of random events that got us here, we understand that this world is governed by a sovereign, loving God.

Whether global warming happens or not, whether Kamala or Trump get elected, whether America continues or not.

While the world might be losing their minds, believing thing are going in the garbage faster than last weeks mystery meat, we know that God in heaven isn’t yelling “plan B” to the angels trying get re-organized becasue He didn’t see this one coming.

Scare tactics, shouldn’t work on Christians, for we are in the light; and we serve the God who hold’s the course of this world in the palm of His hands.

This gives us the ability to rejoice, while the world panics.

v.6

But let us keep awake, be sober. That is to pay attention…how?

The world sees things only from their temporal point of view and they do what they believe is right in their own eyes.

We have been given God’s word to guide us morally through this world, and we know that God is sovereign over this world.

We must keep close to God, through prayer and reading His word to keep awake. Not “falling asleep” to the humanistic lullaby that Satan is singing to our culture.

We take what is in His word, and we find how to apply it to our lives.

v.8

We put on armor.

Faith in God, and our love and devotion to Him. That is our breastplate.

Our love for God, guards us from loving the wrong things in this world.

We get “drunk” on the world when we love people more than God, and therefore want to please them and not God.

Knowledge of our salvation protects our minds.

Being sober-minded is how we think.

Are we protecting our minds with thinking like Christ, not like this world.

We will be governed by one of two things, a fear of God, or a fear of man.

Clarity of mind means we keep our minds clear of worldly passions and focused on Godly motives.

Sober-minded, Readiness to act

We are to keep awake, why?

So you are ready to act, your not sleepy or groggy.

We shouldn’t react (emotional response), but ready to respond (a thoughtful, prayerful response).

1 Peter 1:13

1 Peter 1:13 ESV

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Your mind is prepared for action!

We stand ready for battle, sword in hand, shield at the ready.

Our hope, is in Jesus Christ.

Our minds are being tuned to see the beauty and rule of God all around us:

To see the glory of God in every sunrise.

The majesty of God on every mountain peak.

The beauty of God on our children’s faces.

We don’t believe in Pantheism, where the trees are God and the mountains are God.

But we do believe that nature declares the glory of God.

When we minds are prepared, then we aren’t being blinded by the lies we see around us.

We see the atrocities:

The image of God being defaced in the trans community.

Children valued by God are being butchered by abortion clinics.

People who God loves being destroyed by gossip, slander, and backbiting daily.

To be sober-minded means we don’t excuse the sin.

We don’t overlook it, becasue it’s not my body, not my choice.

We look and ask, what does the bible say about these things.

We must understand, that becasue of these things the wrath of God is coming.

We give people hope, that in repenting from sin they can be made right God almighty.

We show people there can be real joy, when the baggage of sin is removed by God.

This is the gospel, are we telling the people who are lost about Jesus.

1 Peter 4:7

1 Peter 4:7 ESV

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

We pray

Keep your mind free from worldly conformity, and keep your actions righteous so you may be fit for prayer and ready to pray.

For the readiness we are called to is a readiness to go to the Lord in prayer and seek His direction.

Under stress, is when you see what men are made of, who will crumble, and who will rise?

Saul when under stress found a medium to summon the dead Samuel.

David under stress calls the priest to bring the ephod, and seeks the Lord.

Are you sober minded, thinking clearly so when your under pressure you respond the way God intended?

1 Peter 5:8-9

1 Peter 5:8–9 ESV

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

Be ready, your enemy seeks your destruction.

You cannot be caught with a spiritually dull mind. Believing and giving in to the things in the world.

If you come to the word of God, and interpret it through what you believe to be right in culture (oh that verse was cultural, they didn’t really mean that) then our adversary already has is claws in you, and is dragging you to destruction. You’ve just been lulled to sleep, and don’t even realize it.

We must be alert, and pay attention, looking at everything through the worldview of scripture.

This is needed for all believers.

But elders must not be blinded by the world.