Sermon Tone Analysis

Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

In these pastoral letters, the last of Paul after released visiting, aware that his time is short.

Aware that the church is going to be around until Christ returns and that as Apostles’ complete their work and lives, need from first to second missionary journey to set up eleders and deacons.

But even more as the church faulters, flickers, as speculations, myths replaced the real gospel as what was alked about , people busy with, as , Paul in chapter 1 with law and gospel gave us the first worthy saying, then not just about us individually getting the gospel, but otgether as a church, in God’s administration of gospel for everyone… togeher in our worship - if we want to see a return tot he church as a flame of truth and passionate love of God to our world, we saw Paul dip into OT prpehsy about in every place temple of God as place of real prayer sor slavation, and then of equal importance next - palce where we don’t come to press our speculataions and ideas - quiet submission to the CHrist - authoritaitve word - Sciprtures explained by .

Like a housheold Adam and Eve , church learning and leaning on instruction - not a curse, but bring forth salvation.

Don’t lose the forest for the trees, yes male female roles discussed, but only in so far as touch on these two essentials that must be recovered for the church to really be the church again.

But now Paul gives a third essential for how the churh is to function that is so imporant that he raises it to the level of one of the 5 trsutworthy saying, title given to Christ the trustworthy and true.

Hope you memorize and pray over for your wn life and for the good of this church, mutlitgenerational for generations to come!

You need to feel the empahsis of what Paul is saying here, its not on the various tasks that elders in Christ’s church must do, This is not about the honour of the office , status, position of some.

And it is not even so much about who should or shouldn’t fill thesese positions.

As Augustine put it: this is about the title of a work, not of an honour.

So that he who loves to govern rather than do good, is no overseer.

You have got to feel this in that word noble - it is not the person, or poostion that is noble, but it is this good work - in the church that is real godly leaership ovesight, best summaried in the bible as shpeherding that caring guidance provision, correction.

Personal touch of a shopehrd among the sheep in the mix.

Paul in this letter says, that wasn’t happening in a noble way that Christ in hismelf was doing this task in the people’s lives.

Those false teachers, some had become elders, and so Paul warns: Through church history - people who want power, push their agenda, argumentative with no real love for th sheep - left God’s peple like the Old Testament as sheep without a shepherd.

And God cared about that so much he said, I myself am going to come down.

Ezekiel Jesus did din’t he, but what you need to feel is that he still does this work, through through instruments of elders who will not so much hold a position, as engage in this godly noble shepherding work.

Key Truth: Stewarding the gospel in your life requires the noble task of Christ’s shepherding through elders.

A) You Need the Noble Work of Shepherding because that is How Christ Now Provides, Guides and Leads His People

Notice how I said taht not that Elders lead God’s people but by their faithful doing of the noble tasks , Christ Hisemlf not hey themselves is actually leading.

Where do I get that from, the role of apostle delegated power of attorney for Christ in church of all ages.

But when they are gone, can’t be everywhere, a real appointment that we are to see by God Himself for others to do those tasks on Christ behal and in Christ’s manner!

Listen to how Paul put it to these very elders from Ephesus before his first arrt and imporionment in Acts 20:28

We’ll see that in a moment, that the way a father is to care, provide, protect, guide get involved in his children’s lives, in away that is repsected, valued, not aggravation - so too elders are to do Christ’ work of caring for God’s church, overall and invidiually of members.

Wow, Listen to Christ is the Ceif shpeherd but apointed elders - they are to shepherd the flock, and Paul says we need to value and support, and long and welcome and give that noble work.

here and make sure provided for generationto come.

Paul in stressing the nobln ess of that work, is contrasting it with the false teachers who were stressing the “wworks of the law”, their techniques and speculations instead of this shepherding work of the lder in the people’s lives.

LIsten to how Calvin describes it: It is no light matter to be a representative of the Son of God, in dischargin an office of such magnitutde.

The object of which is to erect and extend the Kingdom of God, to procure the salvation of souls which teh Lord Himself has purchased with his own blood, and to govern the church which is His inhertiance.

Please feel this - these people here are those redeemed by Christ for a prpose, blood bought, Hosly SPirit equipped, sent out people, and together this body here is Christ inheritance, and one day going to be presented to Christ, need to be led to that high calling, need to be portected , need to be cared for - steward not just the gopsel, but take care of god’s inheritance here!

It is not like people just bleive and the church is a holding tank unto heaven where you just come and have nice fellowship and get God to make your life on earth gon smoothly.

NO the church is a household, God’s household, yes care and nuruture, but also industry and direction, in the ancient and good sense ofd his world, a household invovles a heirachry, how the how world was looked at - an order where heaven and earth - together and heaven ruled eearth.

Of couse this heirachy got distorted and gets distorted by sin in teh Fall.

But it is not just feminist that hate heirachy and any sense of authority, Paul has just raised up Adama and Eve rejecting God’s order, to show how they through off God’s instruction and shpeherding, sure shows how when househol of faith trusts grace, Eve bear child that bring slavation, and women cotnribute in most beautiful way, not only way but in child bearing salvation extended in godly homes.

We live in an age that is anti-order, anti-authroity, live witht he myth that all should be leaders and no one should tell us what to do.

But if we had pure democracy, if we had pure inidual rule, egalitarianism - imagine the mess we’d be in?

Imagine if we in this congregation had no elders - when problems came inthis church - pasotral relationships inpapportoprite, doctrinal crissi in the Classis, worship wars, .

We absoltuely need Christ working through ordained leaders to serve his people by bringing leaership oversight, correction, care.

When reversal of of roles, throwing out idea of leadership in Christ’s church - church’s breakdown.

Oe of the kindest, gentlest pastor’s I know, recently looking back said: but there is a need for firm leadership, that actually listen names get others to dsee and deal with real sin, real problems, - church’s break down when just a bunch of indivudals cruise on any which way,

Now I hope you not only see that Christ appoints elders in his church, but that he desires their function to thrive among us, each of us.

Paul is going to go on to describe others ways poeople serve in Christ’s church, leadership in theminstiry of mercy, deacons 7 chraceteristic,s then deacons wives, deacons assitants, pssibly even deaconess as differnt office (4) characteritics.

But this task of spiritual oversight gives double the characteristics.

What’s the point?

14 qualities everyone of us is to strive afer as a a Christian, but together, a bit of a portrait of those suited to lead among us in this way.

B. All Christians must seek after these qualities, but Elders must exercise these for Effectiveness

B.

Interesting that if we were to read these ina leglaistic checklist way, none of us perfectly matches it, and yet we know we are all called to these characteristics.

So what is it about these characteristics that is tobe applied to elders?

A big hint is in the first and sumarizeing quality:

Above reproach is not the same thing as blameless.

And even blameless in the OT TAM is not the same thing as sinless.

Above reproach means not perfect, but in the context of a bunch of imoral falseteachers filling this role as elder, and outsiders and insiders laying also sorts of charges - this poerson is supposed to be exhbiiting all these qualities in a way that people can’t really lay a charge against his character.

The qualities break down in three main categories - those exhbitied with others in the church, those exhibited in the inner life of the individual, and those exhibitied to the outsiders aroudn the church in the commuinty.

Heading the list and promientent in Titus where elders needed to be apopinted, is hsuband of one wife.

Clearly not speaking quantity, but quality.

TImothy and Paul not married at this point, other apstles were, Paul lays down grounds for which a divorceee could remarry, and also how widows could.

NOt about whether married or not.

But speaking the way this phrase used in Roman culture “one-woman man.

IN Ephesus the state of marriage was in trouble: mistress were common, homoesexuality while married, adultery rampant, frequent divorces.

And an overseer, usually married, was to show the he took repsonbility an cccountailty for the covnenatla framework of Christian marriage.

Liten to

Infideltiy was a problem, so much so some went to the other extreme no sex, no marriage- exeterem asceticism.

Interesting in our culture both extremes too, so much so asexual one of the dientities some are chosiong, neither maelle nor female ,.

But Paul says edlers are to teach a firm comttment to marriage and family, a ehlathy sexuality.

They are to set the tone - being a caring spousenegaged an loyal spouse.

Then we have three ways they are to related to church members aroudn them - Next they are to SOBER - a shallow person just lives for primarliy sensual pleaure - noramlly we think of drunkennes sbut that comes up later, This is borader - in regard to all food all drink, all physical pleasures - well balanced and careful.

Sober and serious not in the sense of sad, but moderate in his habits so he can live more deeply for more important pleasures, spirutal relationship, moral ones.

SELF-CONTROLED - challegne of every man, not to be swayed by sudden imopulses but to exercise mastery - word is acutally more like sound minded, sensible always ready and willing to learn, - so govern gates of life well, life like a city - living with purpose.

RESPECTABLE - not just dginified in clothing, but more that persons behaviour is is cvirtous, orderly, shows moral strength.

HOSPITABLE: What does that word sound like?

Hosptial what happens there - you take someone ina dn take care f them.

In Greek the word is love for doing this with strangers.

phil-xenon, xeonphoia fear of stranger.. .In the church do you invite people who are outsiders, new , different - love them care for them, Is your life and your home, your frinedsihp open to include others?

Gospel comes with a house key… In Paul’s day, letters delivered by friends, exiles driven out.

In Luther’s day, monasty became like hotel,Calvin, refugees arriving from France.

Some knock on our church doors.

too.

SF

ABLE TO TEACH.

That is all Christain given to learning so move on to share it.

Pual will descibe women calling to teach other women, he will describe how interpersoanlly admonsih teach, Priscilla and Aquilla husband wife team Appolos.

But among elders exhbiti learning in the gosel, and wiliingness and readiness to teach when called on, and interpersoanlly to aply God’s Word to situations God’s peole face.

Some of the elders more ruling, others to preside over the teaching of the church.

BUT now come the INWARD QUALITIES and there is a real connection between them

BUT now come the INWARD QUALITIES and there is a real connection between them

While alochol is not condemend inthe Bible ieven received as good gift, induglence in alochol, addiction and yeidling your self-control in the Spirit to the influence of lachol, durkneess is condemend swquarely.

To linger long at drink, becomes not sjust a sin but areal problem for the ill repute that it brings on Christ’s work in our lives and in his church.

So sad to report friend of mine, left minstry because couldn’t do both - needs help - real warning.

TOer friend though still propensity, sober and able to serve.

But look what is connected to it: VIOLENT.

Not just a brawler, literally a stirker phywically.

But what goes with drunkenness os often:

Inhibitions gone, some get redy with thier fists, others eager to engage in an agurment.

LIke backwoodsman, when one notices a chilp of wood on his shoulder, excuse to fight.

How quick are you to take fofence and wiling to start a feud with someone.

These are people who may not be arroagant, but they are quick tempered and start wouding withthe tongues and deal with threats and minuplation!

Then the positive to that one - gentle.

LIterally long suffering.