Peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, let us take this opportunity to prepare our hearts for worship. so So, so We welcome all of you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to Dayspring Fellowship. We're glad to have you with us on this beautiful day that the Lord has provided us. If you're visiting with us and you haven't signed our guest register out on the hall table, I want to encourage you to do so and also take this booklet, Ultimate Questions, that we love to give as a free gift to all who join us. for worship as a visitor. And then you'll notice if you look in your bulletins that during the Sunday school hour, we were in Romans chapter 9, verses 1 through 18, a very clear teaching on a very difficult passage. So if you missed that this morning, I encourage you to go online this week and to download Listen to that very excellent teaching from our brother David Harrell. And then notice that on Wednesday of this week, all of our activities are canceled in lieu of Thanksgiving. And I want to remind you that today is a celebratory day as we rejoice and praise the Lord for raising up our brother Bill Phillips to serve as a Dayspring Elder. So Bill's ordination will take place during today's worship service, and we look forward to that. After our congregational meeting, which will follow our worship service on Sunday, December the 1st, we're going to be decorating the chapel for Advent season, and helping hands for this project are greatly appreciated. So that's next week after our congregational meeting, which will take place after our main worship service. And then the Messiah is taking place on Tuesday, December the 3rd, so almost a week away at Hyde Park Baptist Church, 8 p.m. You can still get tickets online at austinsymphony.org. And our annual Christmas party will be held in the Fellowship Hall, 7 p.m. Saturday, December the 7th. We hope to see you all there. We're going to have brisket and turkey and ham and all kinds of delicious meats and I'm sure vegetables as well. After the Christmas party, that next day will be the second Sunday, and so we'll have our fellowship in the fellowship hall where we will eat up our leftovers from the night before. And then ladies' fellowship on Saturday, December the 14th, the ladies are gonna meet in the fellowship hall at 3 p.m. for fellowship and tea and a cookie exchange. And you can RSVP before December 8th by adding your name to the sheet that is now affixed to the cloth board right out here in the hallway. You're invited to join us on Wednesday, December the 18th, for our neighborhood caroling. We'll head out at 6.30, but you can join us for our usual Brown Bag Supper at 5.45, or simply meet us up here at 6.30. And then we are seeking Dayspringers who would like to perform a Christmas song or lend your voice to reading a Christmas passage of scripture. during our Scripture and Songs worship service on Sunday night, December the 22nd. beginning at 6.30 p.m. And if you'd like to participate, please let me or Jonathan Cantrell or Alyssa Cantrell know. Jonathan is organizing that service. And Alyssa, I know, is gonna be meeting with singers, I think, after the service today to do some rehearsals. So if you're a part of that, be sure to stay afterwards today. And then upcoming December events include our Christmas Eve service on Christmas Eve and our Watch Night service on New Year's Eve. As we begin worship this morning, please turn with me in your red hymnals to hymn number 77, hymn 77 in the red, and please stand together for our call to worship. Our call to worship this morning comes from the 16th chapter of the book of First Chronicles. Sing to the Lord all the earth. Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples. For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. And he is to be held in awe above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him. Strength and joy are in His place. Ascribe to the Lord, O clans of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. Let the heavens be glad and let the earth rejoice. And let them say among the nations, the Lord reigns. O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather and deliver us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise. Let us sing his praises together. Praise my soul, the King of heaven, To His feet your tribute bring. Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, To like me His presence bring. Alleluia, Alleluia Praise the everlasting King Praise Him for His grace and favor To our Father's tribute raise Praise Him still the same forever, sure to chide and swift to bless. Alleluia, alleluia, glorious in His faithfulness. Father, like He tends and spares us, In His hands He gently bears us, rescues us from all our foes. Alleluia, Alleluia, only with His mercy go we free. and perish, but endures unchanging on. Alleluia, alleluia, prayer of eternal one. Angels help us to adore Him. You behold Him, praise to Him. Let us pray together. Almighty God and our Father, we thank you, Lord, for the gospel of Jesus Christ. We thank you, Lord God, that through the gospel we can come boldly to your throne and approach your holiness because of our great high priest in whom you are well pleased. We thank you that we have received your divine declaration of righteousness by virtue of the perfect obedience of your son. And we thank you that even as we continue to struggle with sin, that we have received forgiveness by virtue of the once for all sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross, who bore your wrath, which burned against us, so that we might be brought into your holy presence. We pray that you would make us grateful to you for this great salvation in Jesus. Fill our hearts with the wonder and awe of the good news of Jesus, by which we've become a part of that vast multitude whom no man can number, in whose hearts your grace has been shed abroad, and who bow the knee to you as Lord of all. and live for you and love you and worship you. We come to you having nothing of our own to claim, simply clinging to your cross, looking to your son, looking to his finished work as that which has reconciled us to you. And so we pray, Lord God, that we might honor you with our singing, that we might hear your word preached to us and read to us, that you would minister to us, meet with us in communion, We pray that all that we do might be done for your honor and glory and thanksgiving and worship. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated. Let us turn together in our red hymnal to number 335, Gracious Spirit, dwell with me. Gracious Spirit, dwell with me, I myself would graciously. And with words that help and heal, Would thy life of mine reveal, And with actions bold and meek, would for Christ my Savior speak. With full spirit dwell in me, I myself would be. And with wisdom kind and clear, let thy life in my and with actual good will I'll speak the Lord's sincerity. Mighty Spirit, dwell with me, I myself would mighty be, mighty so as to prevail, O God, a mighty hope, pressing on and bearing hope. Holy Spirit, dwell with me, I myself will wholly be. Separate from sin and good, choose and cherish all things good. and whatever I can be, give to Him who gave to me. Good morning. Today's reading comes from Romans chapter 1, verses 14 through 17. I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, the righteous shall live by faith. Amen. At this time, I'd like to invite our current elders and our elder candidate to join me up here at the front. I'm going to begin this ordination service by reading from 1 Timothy 3. The saying is trustworthy. If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble path. Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well with all dignity, keeping his children submissive, For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. We have learned here at Dayspring not to lay hands on a brother too quickly as an elder. And so it's been a process of evaluation with our brother Bill Phillips. And you as a congregation have helped us in evaluating him and providing valuable input. And we as a congregation are united in recognizing that God has gifted us and raised up Bill Phillips to serve this church in the capacity of elder. Let me begin with prayer. Almighty God, giver of all good things, who by the Holy Spirit has given every gift and appointed every minister in your church mercifully, behold this your servant, now called to the work of the ministry of elder, And so replenish them with truth and doctrine and innocency of life, that both by word and deed, he may faithfully serve you in this office to the glory of your name and the edifying and well governing of your church through the merits of our Savior, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen. Bill, and as much as scripture commands us not to be hasty in laying on of hands, and admitting any person to the government of the church. We will examine you in certain articles of the faith that the congregation here may witness your confession. Are you persuaded that you are truly called to this office according to the will of the Lord Jesus Christ and the order of the church? I am so persuaded. Are you persuaded that the Holy Scriptures contain all doctrine required and necessary for eternal salvation through faith in Jesus? And are you determined, out of the same Holy Scriptures, to instruct the people committed to your charge, and to teach or maintain nothing as necessary to eternal salvation, but that which may be concluded and proved by the same? I am so persuaded and so determined. Will you then faithfully exercise yourself in the Holy Scripture and call upon God by prayer for the true understanding of the same, so that you may be able by them to teach and exhort with wholesome doctrine and to withstand and convince the gainsayers? Will you deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, that you may show yourself in all things an example of good works to others, that the adversary may be ashamed, having nothing to say against you? By God's grace, I will. Will you maintain and set forward as much as shall lie in you quietness, love, and peace among men, and diligently exercise such discipline as by the authority of God's word. I will so show by God's help. Amen. Will you show yourself gentle and show yourself merciful for Christ's sake to poor and needy people and to all strangers destitute for help? I will. Let us pray. Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, who has given you a goodwill to do all these things, please grant also unto you the strength and power to perform them. May you always be equipped by God with compassion for the flock and conviction for the truth of the gospel and competency to teach it and the character to live it. for the good of this body, for the glory of Christ, in whose name we pray, amen. And now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, guard your heart and mind in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and the blessing of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit be with you and remain with you always, amen. So much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season. One of the things that we do every Lord's Day here at Dayspring, not just the Sunday before Thanksgiving, is we celebrate the Lord's Supper. And so we invite you to the table if you're visiting with us. We encourage you to partake with us. We do ask three things of you. So we ask first, and most importantly, that you are trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for your salvation. So you're not looking to any merit on your part. You haven't cleaned yourself up and made yourself presentable for God to save. You are one who knows that you have come filthy and needy and cast yourself upon the sheer mercy of God and His grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. So you're one who's trusting in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, as your substitute in life, living the life you failed to live, and in death, dying the death that you deserved to die in your place so that you've been reconciled with God the Father, forgiven of all of your sins, past, present, and future. Then secondly, we ask that you are one who has made that salvation public through Christian baptism. We do leave the details of your baptism up to your individual conscience. So as you read Scripture and see Christ's command to be baptized, if you're able, in accordance with your own conscience, to say, yes, I have been scripturally baptized. And then finally, we ask that you not be under church discipline from your local congregation so that we might respect the work of our King, Jesus Christ, as he builds his church in the world. As we prepare ourselves to partake of the Lord's Supper and celebrate the Supper together, let's take our blue hymnals and let's reflect together on the cross by turning to number 321 in the blue hymnal. when I survey the wondrous cross. This is a less familiar tune, which gives us an opportunity, I believe, to dwell more deeply on the words as we do survey the wondrous cross together. When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the bridge O Glory Thine, my richest gain, I can't but love, and pour contentment On all my pride. Forbid it, Lord, I should burn, save in the depth of Christ my God. Sing that you'll be loved, For Clarence Gumbo's so rich a crown. See from his head, his hands, his feet, sorrow and love. Could e'er such love and sorrow meet, The thorns compose so rich a crown, Were the whole realm of nature mine, Good and far too small, oh so amazing, so divine. They meant my soul, my life, my all. second king of Israel, King David, was the picture of the warrior king. As a warrior, he mercilessly killed God's enemies. As a king, he gently shepherded God's people. But even David, as great as he was, fell far short of the glory of God. He was a great sinner. And so, he pointed to the need for a greater warrior king to come. and one from his own lineage was promised. The Messiah is often portrayed in the Old Testament promises as the warrior king who will arrive and slay all of God's enemies and make them his footstool, trampling upon them like grapes. We tend to think of that aspect of Jesus, Jesus as the warrior who comes and kills all God's enemies. Our tendency is to think of that only in terms of His second coming. His second advent, when He will tread the great winepress of the wrath of God and slay all of His enemies. And while that will happen at the consummation of Christ's victory over His enemies, it's helpful for us to remember that Jesus has already won the victory in His first coming. defeating all of his enemies as the promised warrior king, and in the most unexpected way, defeating them by dying. He defeats God's enemies by dying on the cross, which is why the apostle Paul says to the Colossian church in chapter two, And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside. That's how he conquered his enemies who were his elect. He made us alive in Christ and he conquered us by setting aside and canceling the legal debt which stood against us. Paul goes on to say, nailing it to the cross. What rich imagery. In nailing Jesus to the cross, God was crucifying all of our debt if we're believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. And what about His non-elect enemies? Paul goes on. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them. Therefore, let no one pass judgment on you." One of the things that we celebrate and participate in every time we who are many come together as one body to this table is we celebrate the great victory that Jesus won on the cross, turning those of us who were once his enemies into his friends while disarming the rest of his enemies and putting them to open shame as our victorious warrior king. And so I speak as to sensible people Judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Whoever therefore eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. Brothers and sisters, let us take this time to examine ourselves. Our gracious God and merciful Father, we thank you for nailing all of our debt to the cross of Jesus Christ. We thank you, Lord, that he has conquered every enemy on the cross by taking all of our sins upon himself so that no accusations can stand that are made against us by our accuser. Lord, we confess to you that this is our only hope in this world and in the world to come. We pray that as we come to this table, that you would stir us up to affections for you, to thanksgiving once again for your body that was given, for your blood that was shed. So we pray that you would now bless the elements here at your table. Bless this bread and this cup. Sanctify them for their holy use. Bless us in partaking of them to do so by faith in Christ, and so in a worthy manner. In the exalted name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, this is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. And in the same way also he took the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. This is the body of the Lord given for you. body of our Lord. This cup is the new covenant in Christ's blood shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins. Let us turn in the red hymnal to hymn number 585, Take My Life and Let It Be. Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee. Let them flow in ceaseless praise. Let them flow in ceaseless praise. Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love. Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee, swift and beautiful for thee. Take my voice and let me sing, always, only for my King. Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from Thee, filled with messages from Thee. Take my fervor to my goal, not all my good I withhold. Every power as thou shalt choose, Every power as thou shalt choose. Take my will and make it thine, Shed shall be no longer mine. Take my heart, it owes thine own, It shall be Thy royal throne. Take my love, my Lord, I pour, At Thy feet this treasure store. Take myself, and I will be And now in your red hymnal, if you would turn to number 799. Page 799 in your red hymnal. And let us read responsibly Psalm 40, verses 1 through 11. Please stand together. I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. The things you planned for us, no one can recount to you. Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced. Then I said, here I am. I have come. It is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, O my God. Your law is within my heart. I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly. I do not seal my lips, as you know, O Lord. I do not hide your righteousness in my heart. I speak of your faithfulness. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly. Do not withhold your mercy from me, O Lord. May your love and your truth always protect me. Let us pray together. Our God and our Father, we do praise your everlasting name and we thank you, Lord, that you are the God who works all things together for the good of those who love you, who are the called according to your sovereign purpose. We thank you, Lord, of the truth of this psalm, that your love and your truth always protect us. We thank you for your care over our souls, for healing our hurts and consoling our griefs. Lord, we're utterly dependent upon you. So we lift up all who are in need today. We ask that you would provide healing to those who are sick, comfort to those who are hurting, work and income to those who are in want. freedom and restoration to those who are entangled in sin, assurance to those who are yours, peace and contentment to those who are distracted or anxious. We pray that you would bless this congregation by filling us with spiritual love for one another. Be with every member of this church who is traveling this week for Thanksgiving. Give them safe travels and safe travels back home. We pray for the lost loved ones of the believers represented here that if they have opportunity at this Thanksgiving to bear witness to you and to your gospel, that you would give them the words, give them the courageous love, and give the lost ears to hear and eyes to see. We lift up to you our nation, our earthly leaders. We pray for Governor Abbott and President Trump and ask that decisions are made that are helpful for the advance of your gospel. We lift up to you our troops throughout the world. We thank you for the freedom they protect. We lift up to you our brothers and sisters throughout the world who are persecuted and arrested and tortured, even killed for simply following Jesus. We pray that you would turn their situation for good, that you would favor their witness, and that you would add to your church as many as are being saved daily. Lord, we pray for our missionaries. We lift up to you the need of the Carstens with the coming up of the down payment for a home that you would abundantly provide. We pray for your gospel that it would be faithfully preached in your churches today. And we lift up our brother Samuel Klintock at Park Hills Baptist Church. Fill him with your spirit as he preaches your word today. Build up the saints there powerfully in their faith in Jesus. We pray that all Israel might be saved and that the whole earth might be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. For Jesus' sake and in his name we pray, amen. You may be seated. And our children may go out to Children's Church at this time. And as they go, I invite you to take your copy of God's Word and turn with me this morning to the book of Acts, Acts chapter 20. We are taking a break from our sermon series through the book of Hebrews as I give a special ordination charge to our new elder, Bill Phillips, this morning, and then we'll be in our Advent series next Sunday, and then the last Sunday in December, it'll be our second Advent Sunday, and according to our tradition, we will have the first Sunday of the year is Bible Sunday, we'll have a message about the Word of God. When you consider the whole visible church around us, all the different traditions and denominations out there, you realize that there's quite a variety and diversity in how Christians organize and express themselves as a church. Some of you have spent the majority of your lives here at this church, and you really don't know a lot about other churches out there, what they teach, and how they're organized and governed. Perhaps the most common church out there, in America at least, is the CEO-style church, where there's just one man who's in charge, and he has absolute authority. There are also many churches following the democratic style, where the authority ultimately rests with the whole congregation, who regularly meet, usually monthly, and they vote on all church matters. There's the Episcopalian system with its hierarchy of archbishops and bishops and priests. There's the Presbyterian system, where they separate ruling elders from teaching elders, and they're all under the outside authority of a presbytery. There's the Lutheran Church with its priesthood, the Methodists with their hierarchy of bishops who oversee both elders and local pastors, and that's just a sampling of what is out there, a lot of diversity among churches. So does it just come down to preference or pragmatism, what works? Or does the Bible actually teach us how a church is to be ordered and governed? Well, our passage today is instructive in this regard, and it's especially fitting in light of the ordination of our new elder, Bill Phillips. So if you haven't already, turn in your copy of God's Word to Acts chapter 20, chapter 20 of Acts, and we'll begin in verse 17. The context here is the Apostle Paul's third missionary journey. This is his last missionary journey. He's saying his farewells to the churches in Asia before returning home to Jerusalem, where he knows the Spirit has told him he's going to be arrested in Jerusalem. He's going to suffer persecution. So he's just said goodbye to the church in Troas, where he spent a week, and that's where the young man Eutychus fell asleep as he preached. I pray none of you fall asleep this morning as I preach. And now he's landed in the Greek city of Miletus, right on the Mediterranean Sea, just south of the city of Ephesus. And he's not going to travel to Ephesus on this journey. He's not going to travel to Ephesus ever again. And yet, he loves the church in Ephesus, and he wants to meet with the Ephesian elders to give them his parting words. So Acts chapter 20, beginning in verse 17. Now, from Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. And when they came to him, he said to them, you yourselves know how long I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews. how I did not shrink back from declaring to you anything that was profitable and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself. If only I may finish my course and the ministry I receive from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to care for the Church of God which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure, fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. And from among your own cells will arise men speaking twisted things to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore, be alert. Remember that for three years, I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things, I have shown you that by working hard in this way, we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all. They embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship." What you have here in our passage this morning is the Apostle Paul's only speech His only speech in the book of Acts that is addressed to Christians. All the other speeches that we have in the book of Acts are evangelistic speeches. Paul speaks in this passage to the elders of the church in Ephesus. So these words, they're for Christians. But specifically, they're for Christian leaders. That's very fitting in this church where we've just ordained a new elder among us. And I believe that that's what's found here. It applies to us today. It's meant to be a model. Of course, some of it is about Paul's own life, so it's not a model in every respect. Not every detail applies to us in precisely the same way. Paul had a unique ministry as an apostle. Still, I believe that Paul says things that he says about his own life because it's meant to be a model and a pattern for elders. This passage tells us what the ministry of elders should look like. What does it mean to serve as an elder? What's involved? What's required? If you're thinking, well, I'm not an elder, and I'm not going to be an elder, so what does this message have to do with me this morning? Well, you're still a part of a church who has elders. You play an important role, as we mentioned earlier, in evaluating and helping us select elder candidates and ordain elders. You are to pray for your elders. You are to place yourselves under the care of your elders. You're to understand God's design for elders. So it's important for all of us to understand what is said here by Paul. Plus, many of the things that Paul says here applies to all of us. And I think that'll be obvious as we go. So let's begin. I have three points this morning, three points about elders. First, the office of the elder. Second, the life of the elder. And then third and finally, the teaching or the doctrine of the elder. So let's learn together first about the office of the elder. You see in verse 17 that Paul summoned the elders of the church in Ephesus. So notice that word elders. That's one word for this office. But in verse 28, he says the Holy Spirit made you overseers. That's the Greek word episkopos, which could also be translated bishop. In many English translations, it is. So you see the word elders in verse 17, you see the word bishops in verse 28, and then also in verse 28, these elders, these bishops, they're called to shepherd or care for in the ESV, but it's the word for shepherd, poimaino in the Greek, shepherd the flock of God. That's the word from which we get the noun pastor, pastor the flock of God. So what you see here are three terms that are used for the same office, elder, bishop, shepherd, or pastor, all referring to one office. And the rest of the New Testament backs this up. Titus chapter 1, verse 5, the apostle Paul says to appoint elders in every town. And then in verse 6, he says, elders must be above reproach. And in verse 7, for a bishop. must be above reproach. There's a four that links verse six and seven as he glides just easily from one term to the other. They're the same office. So you have evidence also in Titus that elders and bishops are the same office, just different terms that are used. Then second Peter chapter five, Peter, there he exhorts the elders, but what does he tell them to do? He says shepherd the flock, pastor the flock. And then he speaks of overseeing the flock. So you see those three terms again, elders, pastors, bishops. You know, the noun pastor, which we often use, it's only found in the New Testament as a noun one time. It's Ephesians 4.11, where Paul speaks of pastor teachers. Usually the New Testament language is that of elders, but sometimes bishops. So bishops, elders, pastors. Those terms all designate the same office. It's an office that's limited to men. 1 Timothy 2.12, I do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man. The other thing I want to say about this office is that it's the biblical pattern to have a plurality of elders, not just one elder, but a plurality of elders. So you see here in our passage, Paul called the elders, this is verse 17, he called the elders plural of the church singular. So Acts 14.23. Paul and Barnabas, they're on their first missionary journey. As they revisit the churches that they've planted, you read that they appointed elders, plural, in every church, singular. So that's very clear. They appointed elders, plural, in every church. So every church had a plurality of elders, not just one. James chapter 5 verse 14, James says, if you're sick enough to need special prayer, to summon, not the elder, but the elders of the church, singular. And surely it's not elders from a lot of different churches, but the elders from your local congregation anointing you with oil, praying over you. So another good piece of evidence that we have a plurality of elders in every local church. Timothy chapter, or Titus chapter one verse five. It's a verse that says he appointed elders in every town. So these were newly planted churches in unreached places. It's reasonable to assume that there was only one church in each town. So to say elders in every town is to say a plurality of elders in every church. Why is that important? Well, a number of reasons. First, it guards against one-man tyranny. It guards against that, and that's a good thing. It's why when I returned from vacation this last July to discover that I was the only elder, that was not a good situation. So immediately I asked for our retired elders, Ben and David, to consider being reactivated for such an occasion as this. It's good that I am not the only leader of Dayspring Fellowship, where I can just do whatever I want. I grew up in a church like that, where there was one pastor with all the power, and he decided everything. He would just do it, no questions asked. He could hire and fire anyone of the staff arbitrarily himself, without any input from anyone, without any accountability, he could just do it. That's not biblical. One man rule, why is that dangerous? Because we all have weaknesses, and we all have strengths. And so it's a good thing to have a plurality of elders seeking the Lord's will together, making unanimous decisions, and holding one another accountable. It wouldn't be good for just me, or Ben, or David, or anyone else setting the direction of the church. We complement one another. Plural leadership, it guards against one man rule. Secondly, a plurality of elders has the combined gifts and time to be able to faithfully shepherd the flock of God. One man can't physically do it all. I can't be five places all at once. I spend many hours, week in and week out, preparing Bible studies and sermons. And I pray weekly through the day spring directory for each one of you. and I'm counseling members, and there's so much more ministry to be done beyond what I am able to do. More ministry than for just one person to be able to do it all. It takes a plurality of shepherds to really be faithful in caring for the souls entrusted to our care. Third, a plurality of elders guards against a church becoming dependent on just one person. I love the fact that I am appreciated and loved by all, but I'm expendable. I could fall into a coma tomorrow, and I know that Dayspring would continue on. It would be in very good hands. With the plurality of elders, there's no leadership vacuum when one man is lost or sidelined. And it's not just a healthy thing for when the unexpected strikes, but with the plurality of gifted elders, you have the means by which to regularly send your full-time pastor on vacation. or on sabbatical without suffering from an absence of leadership, because you're not dependent upon just one man. That's healthy. Elders, bishops, pastors, it's a plural office. One last thing about the office. It's a plural office, but it's also a ruling office. Pastors are to lead the church. Hebrews 13, verse 17, obey your leaders and submit to them For they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you." So you're to submit to your leaders who keep watch over your souls. Now, pastors, elders, are not to be tyrants. They're in no way are they to be authoritarian, lording it over the congregation. That's not the type of the person that you're supposed to submit to. 1 Peter 5 makes this very clear, where Peter exhorts the elders in verse 3 to, quote, shepherd the flock of God that is among you exercising oversight, not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. So pastors lead, they lead by example. They don't domineer over, and they lead and make decisions by taking into account what's best for the flock, listening to the input of the whole congregation. We have that example in scripture in many places where the whole church is consulted. The whole congregation is included and involved in making major decisions, selecting deacons, ordaining elders, church discipline, establishing a budget, and so forth. It's much like the role of a good father within the family. I think this very connection is made in Scripture in 1 Timothy 3 and verse 4, where Paul says, I read this earlier, that he must rule his own household well, for if someone does not know how to rule his own household, how will he care for God's church? How should an elder rule? With the same love and tenderness and patience and with the listening ear that he rules his own household. One last verse to show that the office of elder is a ruling office, 1 Timothy 5 verse 17, Paul writes, let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the scripture says, you shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain, and the laborer deserves his wages. So you see here that those elders in a local church whose labor it is, whose job it is to preach and teach the word, it's right and good to pay them wages. But notice that all elders rule. And those who rule well should be considered worthy of double honor. The office of elder is a ruling office where elders lead the flock by godly example. So elders have the authority to lead The congregation has the authority to affirm good leadership or to veto bad leadership. So I just want to exhort you and encourage you to pray for us, your elders. We need your prayers. We are very fallible people, and we need prayers for our lives before God and caring for you. We need prayer for our teaching. We need prayer for insight and wisdom and counseling. So don't forget to pray for us as we pray for you. This is, I believe, the most important thing that you can do as a congregation for your elders is to pray for us, how greatly we need it. The last thing I want to say about the office, verse 28. It says, shepherd the church of God. Just a simple point. This is God's church. Dayspring Fellowship. This isn't my church. This isn't Bill's church. This isn't even the elder's church collectively. This is God's church. None of us own this church. This church belongs to God. And so does every church. It is the Lord's church. Okay, so we've covered the office of pastor. Secondly, let's consider the life of the pastor, the life of the pastor. Paul says in verse 28, pay heed. Pay careful attention to yourselves. Watch out for yourselves. Our lives are important. And here, the Apostle Paul serves as an example for us in so many ways. The first thing that I want to note is Paul's consistency in his life, his consistency. So verse 18. He says, you yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia. Isn't that a remarkable statement? You yourselves know how I lived the whole time from when I first came in. You know my life. Certainly, Paul wasn't perfect. He sinned. But he was consistent. He was a godly man. He lived in a way that people saw that his life was devoted to God. And he says, you know how I lived the whole time. Verse 31, same thing. He says, remember that for three years, I did not cease, night or day, to admonish everyone with tears. He says, I want you to remember something. I ministered to you for three years, night and day, I admonished you. There's consistency there. And it's a good word for us. I know how far I fall short of God's demands. But the elders are called upon, and all Christians, all of us are called upon, to live in a way that's consistent and godly, to please God with our lives, to be consistent, to glorify Him in what we've been called to do. Paul says in verse 19, I served the Lord with all humility and with tears." With tears. And we saw tears in verse 31 as well. In both verses, tears there are associated with preaching God's word. So why the tears? Because some don't believe it. Some are opposing it. Some resist. Some who make initial professions of faith and are baptized, they fall away. It's painful because eternal life is at stake. The future of people whom you love are at stake. So if you care for the souls placed under your care, your heart will be broken many times. There will be pain. There will be anguish. And sometimes there will be an inability to sleep at night because you think of people who are not following the Lord. Where you're leading, they're not following. So there's tears. So serving the Lord with humility, asking God for grace to be the kind of people that we're meant to be. Of course, when he says serving the Lord with tears, he's not denying that we are joyful. And those two fit together, to have tears in our lives and anguish and to be cheerful in the Lord. Ministry is a tremendous joy. In his lectures to students, the great Pastor Charles Spurgeon wrote, quote, sanctity in ministers is a loud call to sinners to repent. And when allied with holy cheerfulness, it becomes wonderfully I think that's just right. And then in verses 19 and 22 and 23, we're to be ready for persecution as elders. We're to be ready to suffer. Paul speaks in verse 19 of the trials and the plots that he faced, of the imprisonment and afflictions that awaited him. And of course, that's somewhat distinctive to Paul. We don't know that we're all going to go to prison. We might, but we don't know. We don't know how our lives will end. But we do know that we will suffer. We know that there will be plots and attacks. And as we've seen, it's not always coming from the outside, verse 30. Paul makes clear there, shockingly, the plots and the attacks will come even from the inside also. from within the church. And so all of us, we all face trials. Ministry is hard, and it requires long suffering and patience and sacrifice. But what does Paul say in verse 24? Our life is not our own, ultimately. So he doesn't count his life as his own. We live for the Lord. We live to please Him. As elders, we don't count our life as our own. As believers, we don't count our lives as our own. We recognize that there's going to be difficulties and hard times, but the Lord is sovereign even over those. The financial integrity of ministers, verses 33 through 35. Paul says, I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. I worked hard with my hands for my material needs, he says in verse 34. I worked hard in this way to help the weak. Remember the words of Jesus, it is more blessed to give than to receive. You know, the happiest people in life are those who sacrificially give. To be receiving, happiness doesn't come from that, but to be giving. That's what Paul says here, quoting the Lord Jesus. Notice how Paul emphasizes how hard he worked so that there can be absolutely no question of financial impropriety, no question. So he supplied his own needs at times. The prayer life of an elder, verse 36. Look at this tender picture. Paul knelt down and prayed with them all. Elders pray with the flock. Elders pray for the flock. Their lives are characterized by prayer. Remember back to Acts chapter 6, the reason for appointing deacons was so that the elders, so that the church leadership could devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. What was the content of Paul's prayer here for the Ephesian elders? Well, we're not told, but we have a good idea because Paul often wrote out his prayers. And he wrote out this prayer to the Ephesians, Ephesians 3.14. I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven on earth is named. that according to the riches of His glory, He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ. that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen. That's how Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus. That's how we as elders pray for Dayspring. An elder is to be a prayerful man, a man of prayer. So the life of elders, it's so crucial. We all know 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, when it talks about the qualification of an elder, what's the most important thing? Our lives, our character, the person the Lord has transformed us to be. Paul spends most of his time on that. But thirdly, the teaching. the doctrine. The teaching is also very important. So the office of elders, the life of elders, and now the teaching of elders. Paul says in verse 20, I didn't shrink from declaring what was profitable. I taught you in public and from house to house." I think that means that Paul taught publicly, and he counseled privately in homes there in Ephesus. And he taught, it says, both Jews and Greeks, verse 21. So he taught everyone. And notice the summary of what he taught everyone. Repentance toward God. and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." Repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. That's a summary of Paul's teaching. Because what it means to finish the course, verse 24, and complete the ministry, is to proclaim the gospel of grace, to proclaim the kingdom, as he says in verse 25, to proclaim the gospel. That's our doctrine. Our doctrine is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The life is important, but to be an elder, sound doctrine is also important. Every elder must be apt to teach the gospel. What is the gospel of grace? Well, he says in verse 28, it's fundamentally the truth that God obtained the church with his own blood. God obtained the church with his own blood. What a strange and remarkable statement. There's no way that the divine nature has blood. That's clear. God certainly doesn't have blood, because he's God. He is spirit. He's not a human being. So some people, they try to translate this phrase as, quote, God obtained the church with the blood of his own, instead of with his own blood. He obtained the church with the blood of his own, namely, Jesus. But that's not what it says. You can't do that. It says, it actually says God obtained the church with his own blood. Now, the divine nature doesn't have blood. But Jesus is truly God and truly man. And here these things are merged together. Just as those of you who know church history know, there was a controversy early on over whether to call Mary the mother of God, whether that was appropriate to call Mary the mother of God. And most Christians have agreed that yes, technically that's right. Not that she is the mother of the eternal son in his divine nature. He's the eternal God before Mary ever gave birth to him. And yet it's still right to call her the mother of God because she's the mother of Jesus, and Jesus is God. He's not just a human being. He is also God. He's truly God and truly man. And here's a very clear reference to both the deity and the humanity of Jesus. You can't get around this one. God obtained the church with his own blood. It emphasizes that the sacrifice that is given for us, it is not just a human sacrifice, but also divine. It's both together. This is the work of one who is truly God and truly man. And that's why it's astonishing. And that's why it's atoning, being truly man. He identifies with us, being able to stand in as a substitute, as a representative for his elect that he came to save. But it's a divine work as well. And it says that we were obtained, we were purchased, we were redeemed with His blood, with the precious blood of the divine God-man. It's that precious blood which saved us and redeemed us and bought us and liberated us, set us free. That's what the gospel is all about. The gospel is all about the cross. The kingdom is all about what God has done for us in and through his son, the king. The call of the gospel is that you need to be purchased. You need to be redeemed. You need to be set free, liberated. And that's what this verse says. And remember verse 20 through 21, you need to repent and believe. That's what the elders constantly need to teach. You need to repent and turn toward God through Jesus and in faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. A person is converted when they repent toward God and place their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. At that very moment, repenting toward God, and trusting in Jesus. Salvation is not by our works, but by faith in what Christ has accomplished for us. At that very moment, they become a Christian. They're adopted into the family of God, where no one can ever snatch them away from the Father's hand. So if you're an unbeliever here today, don't trust in your goodness. Don't put any confidence in your effort to turn your life around. Don't trust what you can accomplish. Don't believe in yourself. Trust in Jesus. Trust in Jesus Christ and the salvation that He has provided as the God-man, and you will be eternally saved. If that's you this morning, the elders, we would love to have an opportunity to talk with you more about that after the service. We're available. A Christian is sanctified when a Christian repents toward God and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. So elders constantly teach the gospel, constantly preach the cross. Paul says in verse 20 and verse 27, same expression, I did not hesitate. I did not shrink back from declaring to you anything that is profitable, from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. If you're going to be a shepherd and an elder and an overseer, you must be courageous. You must preach the whole counsel of God. You mustn't shrink back from preaching anything unpopular in the Bible. I guarantee you, you will be criticized within and without. So boldness is needed. Courage is needed. Don't shrink back from saying anything that scripture says. You say it with Jesus and his authority. Don't shrink back from saying things like those who do not believe in Jesus will ultimately suffer everlasting torment in hell. Preach the whole counsel of God. We saw such a good example of this in our Sunday school class this morning on God's sovereign election of his people, the whole counsel of God, even unpopular doctrines. There are many out there today who deny the divinity of Christ, who deny the historicity of Adam, who deny the substitutionary atonement, who deny justification by faith alone, who deny the inerrancy of Scripture, who deny God's design for marriage, who deny the fall of man, and on and on and on. And we must be bold and courageous to preach the gospel in season, out of season. And in our day and age, brothers, it is out of season. Notice what Paul says in verse 32. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. As elders, how do we build people up? That's what we wanna do as we care for the flock. We want to see the church built up. How do we build people up? Not by our own wisdom, not by the strength of our own personalities, not even ultimately by our compassionate and loving care for people. But did you see it? by the word of His grace, His word. It's His word that builds people up, not our own. And it's His word that gives the people final inheritance, eternal salvation. That's why we must be bold to preach it and teach it and not shrink back from the whole counsel of it and not speak to please people. Because we can be very popular. We know this from the American landscape. We can quickly quadruple the size of this church by preaching a message that isn't the gospel, that is less than the gospel. So verses 29 through 31, what does Paul say there? He says, be vigilant, elders. False teachers are coming. They're coming. Watch out. Even from your very own midst, he says, false brothers will arise. Beware. Beware, that's a good word. It's a good word for all of us. We need to be vigilant and courageous and speak out against someone who is moving away from the faith. And just a warning for all of us, that person could be you. It says from within our own midst. So be vigilant yourself. So I close by saying, stay close to the gospel. Stay close to the gospel. Pray for Dayspring. Pray for us as elders. Pray that false friends and false brothers and false sisters don't arise from our very midst, and that when they do, they are exposed and properly dealt with. Pray for us. We need your prayers. Pray for other churches that godly shepherds would be appointed in the churches here in our city and across our land. Pray especially for Kenny Avenue Community Church, where my friend Josh Hayward, he's the only elder, not by choice, but by necessity, just due to the lack of qualified, recognized men. Pray that God would appoint elders in all of his churches for their good and for his glory. We want to see his glory magnified and put on display, not just here in our local expression of God's church, but all across this land. Well, I close with Ezra 7 and verse 10. I pray that we would all be like Ezra. For Ezra, it says, for Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord. That's a good thing for every elder, every Christian. Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to do it. and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. See the pattern? Study, do, teach. That's the calling of an elder. May the Lord help us through his equipping, strengthening, sustaining grace. Let us pray. Our Heavenly Father, how we thank you that in your wisdom that you've chosen to gather us together into local congregations like this one, where we are shepherded and fed by elders whom you have called, gifted, and empowered. Thank you for the long and faithful shepherding work of Ben Fletcher and David Harrell, especially through this challenging season. Thank you for adding Bill Phillips to our number. We pray, Lord God, that wherever our church is falling short of your design and desire, reveal it to us so that we might repent and change. And Lord, wherever we are right in our strivings after your will, strengthen us so that we never grow weary, but help us to persevere all the more for your glory. In Jesus' victorious name we pray, amen. Well, please stand together. Before you leave here today, be sure to take a moment to welcome our newest elder. And remember, if you are singing in our Scripture and Songs service, to stay afterwards. You're going to rehearse with Alyssa. And now, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of His Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.