So if you haven't already, please open your copy of God's Word to 1 Timothy chapter 5, verse 17. The outline is on the back of the bulletin. And I mention that, I know you're used to me saying that, but I mention it because it's helpful to me when I'm listening to a message. And we get into one of the points deeply to remember where we've been, where we're going to. So the outline gives you a snapshot of the passage and how we, a good way to understand the passage. So having it in front of you I think is helpful. Gives you a place to take notes. But that's for you to decide, but it's there for you to use. I want to summarize before we get into the passage what we learned from the Bible concerning pastors and pastoral care using statements from an article that appears in the New Geneva Study Bible. So here's just some summary statements. about the pastorate, about elders, overseers, from this Bible's commentary. The apostles told all Christians to watch over each other with loving care and prayer. That's part of our covenant, by the way. But they also appointed in each congregation, the apostles did, guardians, usually referred to as elders, who would look after the people as shepherds look after sheep. leading them by example away from all that is harmful into all that is good. By virtue of their role, the elders are called shepherds or pastors and overseers and are spoken of in terms that express leadership. The congregation each local church, for its part, is to acknowledge the God-given authority of its leaders and follow their lead, as their leaders seek to follow the Lordship of Christ. This pattern is already present, I'm still quoting, in the Old Testament, where God is the shepherd of Israel and kings, prophets, priests, and elders, local rulers, are called to act as his agents in the under-shepherd role. That's from the Old Testament, and we see that. In the New Testament, Jesus, the good shepherd, is also the chief shepherd, our Lord. And the elders, or pastors, are his subordinates. Elders are able to teach. We saw that in chapter three. and through teaching, equip the flock for ministry. Ephesians 4 is a special text on that. The pastoral role of elders demands mature and stable Christian character, we saw that in chapter three, and a well-ordered personal life. And the elder who serves well, excuse me, will be rewarded. That's what we see, one of the things we see today. Now in scripture, we see that the words pastor, elder, and overseer are all referring to the same position, same role in the church. In a parallel passage in Titus 1, It tells us that the elders appointed in every city are actually called overseers. So those two words are together. In 1 Peter 5, 1, and following, the elders are exhorted to shepherd or pastor the flock, exercising oversight. So that's a place where all three words are seen together. In Acts 20, verse 17, Paul sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. But down in verse 28, he says, be on guard for yourself and for all the flock among whom the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. In our passage today, 1 Timothy 5, 17 through 25, Paul instructs Timothy as to priorities that a healthy church should practice toward its pastors. Now this should be especially significant to us for two reasons. We are in transition to our next senior pastor. We've made that decision, but a transition is taking place and a search committee is working hard to call another associate pastor. So these things should be very important to all of us because in our church, we are all involved in the decision of who that next pastor will be. Priority number one, the way the church should view this role is provision. Verses 17 and 18, provision for the elders. Verse 17, the elders. And the context indicates Paul is now talking about the office, the pastorate, not older men as he was in verse one of chapter five. So he is, it's the same word, but it's used now for this role of pastoring. The elders who rule well, that word has to do with managing or administrating. The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor. There's different thoughts of what that double honor is. Honor itself is giving what is due in this context. I think it's double honor because they are due honor as elders. called to that position, gifted to the church by Christ. So they're due honor as elders and extra honor as those who do well. I think the answer to the interpretation is right in the verse. The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. I want you to note here that God, because God is inspiring Paul to write this letter to Timothy, God is interested in pastors administering well, managing the church well, and preaching and teaching well. Do you see that in verse 17? Please see that. Pastors should know how to administer. They should also know how to preach and teach well. And God is telling the church, if you wanna be healthy, Such men should be honored with support. That's what worthy of double honor is pointing to, and we see that in verse 18. For the scripture says, you shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing. Well, that might be an odd expression to us. It comes from Deuteronomy 25 and verse 4. It means the ox should be free to eat while he's at work, while he's doing the work. And Paul uses the same quotation from Deuteronomy in 1 Corinthians 9, 7 through 11. You might want to turn back there. It's a little more lengthy passage from verse 7 to 11 of 1 Corinthians 9. He's talking about the pastorate here, who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense. Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock? 1 Corinthians 9, 8. I'm not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the law also say these things? In other words, this isn't from me, this is from scripture. Verse nine, for it is written in the law of Moses, you shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing. God is not concerned about oxen, is he? Or is he speaking all together for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written. Because the plowman ought to plow in hope and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops. And then he brings the application. If we sowed spiritual things in you as ones leading you in ministry, is it too much if we reap material things from you? And the question is answered with, no, it's not too much. It ought to be done. Now back to verse 18. The scripture says, you shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing and the laborer is worthy of his wages. It's interesting. Paul is putting this Old Testament quote and the conjunction and the labor is worthy of his wages. Where does that quote come from? It comes from Jesus' words. In Luke chapter 10 and verse 7, Paul considered Luke's gospel, and he knew Luke, Dr. Luke, traveled with him. Paul considered Luke's gospel to be on the same level. I want you to see that as a side note in the sermon, the same level as Deuteronomy that was obviously considered scripture. So here's another evidence that they understood scripture was being written. in the early church days through the apostles and those the apostles knew. So you shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing and the laborer is worthy of his wages. Now, verses 17 and 18 are important for every local church. First of all, they show the work of the pastor. His work is leading. This is done through the scripture. That is, the pastor leads the church and the members to follow God's word in all aspects of life as revealed in scripture. A couple of cross-references that point to that. 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 12. We request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you and have charge over you, that's the administration, have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction. So it's not, I mean, the giving instruction, I guess, could come from any source, but contextually, we know that means from Scripture, from the Word of God. Hebrews 13, verse 7 and verse 17. Remember those who led you, who spoke the Word of God to you, and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. And in the same context, further down, obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over you. over your souls as those who will give an account. So the ruling of the pastor, it is leading according to scripture, and it is something to do well. Pastors must take this to heart. My prayer always has been, that scripture would bring burden to our hearts, and burden in our hearts would translate to types of ministry that we should be doing, whether you're using your gift or whether it's a new ministry we're not doing, and that's the application of what we are learning in the scripture. So scripture brings burden. Burden is then matched with resources of the church and people, and ministry takes place. So you see the connection in my mind, my heart, between the preaching of God's Word and that leading to active ministry one to another and in the community. So leading through the preaching of the Word, and then secondly, it's singled out preaching and teaching. All elders should be able to teach according to 1 Timothy 3.9, Titus 1.9, Some pastors, certainly at least one, have this as a primary duty, and it is acknowledged here as the most important duty of pastors. Many times that one pastor, if there's a plurality of elders, which if every church could have one, they would, according to Scripture, but would be called the senior pastor. So preaching and teaching are closely related and should go hand in hand. That's how God puts it in this verse. Scriptures should be explained and then application, implication made clear and a response called for. You might say teaching leans more toward the explanation part of a sermon. Preaching would lean more toward the calling for a response. And it is something to work hard at. something for pastors who teach and preach to work hard at. And it does take time. A pastor should block off his most productive study time and keep it for study. I'm thankful that I had professors in practical ministry who ingrained that in us to do that. And so that's been my pattern over the years. And it has worked well, and this church has respected it. So the work of the pastor. But these verses also show the appreciation of the church for the pastor. Work of the pastor, leading, preaching and teaching, the appreciation of the church. Honor the pastor's leadership and teaching by submitting by applying what you're learning, what the pastor is leading you to do, and honor the pastor by fully supporting him financially as soon as possible. Not all churches can do that right away, but when it's possible, it should be done. I think that's the teaching of scripture, the encouragement of scripture. And when such support is in place, then the pastor or pastors can focus more on doing excellent work, have time to put into the ministry, to not feel overwhelmed in the ministry. Listen, one way you can tell what's important to anyone is to see where they spend their money, right? Where do you spend your money? That's generally important to you. God wants churches to see that pastors are important. And he wants you to spend money there. And you all have. And this has been a church that's been a good example of that. But I want you to see it in the text, because it's not me saying that, oh, I want more. No, you all have been, you've been a blessing to Jody and I, and a blessing to Matt. and his family. But I want you to see it in the text that God wants pastors to be important to the church by following their example and their teaching, but also by supporting them. Priority number two. Priority number one, provision. Priority number two, protection. Expect your pastors to faithfully fulfill the qualifications of chapter three. We looked at those earlier. and hold the pastor accountable. Just to take a quick look at those, back to chapter three. In case you weren't here or don't know what I'm referring to, if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it's a fine work. An overseer then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, and it goes on. And so many character qualities are given there. We're to hold the pastor accountable to that description of what God, of God's job description for the pastor. But protection. First of all, protecting the pastor. Verse 19, do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Now you might that might ring a bell, two or three witnesses. That comes up several times in scripture. It begins in Deuteronomy chapter 19. I want to read where it comes from. Deuteronomy 19, 15 through 20. A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed. on the evidence of two or three witnesses, a matter shall be confirmed. If a malicious witness rises up against the man to accuse him of wrongdoing, then both of the men who have the dispute shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who will be in office in those days. The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is a false witness, and he has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him just as he had intended to do to his brother. Thus you shall purge evil from among you. The rest will hear and be afraid and will never again do such an evil thing among you." God is telling us in Deuteronomy chapter 19 that false accusation is a reality and it's something he hates, he doesn't want it to happen. And he doesn't want it to happen to pastors. And so this idea of protecting the pastor, Paul is saying, follow that counsel from Deuteronomy chapter 19. Now notice here, it seems to me that Timothy is the one who would receive the accusation in that he's been given charge over the church at Ephesus. The appropriate place to report an accusation is to another pastor or, if necessary, to a deacon. And that doesn't mean you can't begin following Jesus' words in Matthew 18 and go to that one that you think is doing the wrong. I don't mean that. But an appropriate place, it seems to me, where is who's going to take care of this since this person is leading the church? Well, it's going to be another pastor, or in our church we allow for deacons to be a part of that ministry as well. If a pastor or deacon receives an accusation against a pastor, what should they do? Well, one of the things they should do is ask, did anyone else observe this? Is there another witness? And then, Whether there is or whether there isn't, certainly you should say, let's talk to the pastor about it. Let's go to the pastor. If that person is willing to do that, it shows some sincerity in their heart that they do believe the pastor has done something wrong. And then it seems to me in this text, verse 19, if the pastor credibly denies the charge, keyword credibly, in a way that the leadership believes he's in the right, then you don't proceed past talking to the pastor if there's no one to substantiate the accusation. And this protects the pastor from false accusations. But I want to say something else here, and it's been a part of our culture in the past several years. What should another pastor or deacon do if a woman claims a sexual advance has been made and there are no witnesses. How do you handle that? Let me just give some suggestions. We pray to God, of course, through all of this. But if the accusation is judged to be sincere, and I'm using the example of a woman. So if her accusation seems to be sincere, then the pastor should be approached according to Matthew 18, where Jesus gives specific instruction for church discipline. If your brother sins, Go and show him his fault in private. If he listens to you, you've won your brother. If he does not listen to you, then take one or two more with you so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses, every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. So if the pastor denies any wrongdoing, another deacon or elder should be brought in, hear the accusation firsthand from the woman. And if the accusation again is judged to be sincere, I think they approach the pastor again. And even though these two elders or deacons did not witness the sin, they, if necessary, I think can become the witnesses that can move needed discipline forward in the church, and that they would see sincerity in the one making the accusation. I mean, we have to admit there are some things that are not seen and witnessed by others, and people do lie. And so there's got to be a way to work through this. To me, this makes sense, and it seems to honor Matthew chapter 18, Jesus' words there. So God is interested in protecting pastors, but also, B, please notice that on the outline, protecting the church. Because Paul looks at verse 20 at those who might be sinning as elders, those who continue in sin after being confronted privately, refusing to repent of false teaching or immorality, rebuke. in the presence of all after the prescribed steps of Matthew 18, so that the rest, the rest of the elders especially, and the church as a whole also will be fearful of sinning. One of the purposes of church discipline is that we together as a congregation would be fearful of sinning in ways that require church discipline. So the church must conduct discipline impartially. And hear this, pastors are not above church discipline. Some of the reasons problems come out in the news is because churches did not discipline their pastors. Realize a couple of things here under protecting the church. Realize that God is witness. Verse 21, I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of his chosen angels. Now, this is serious. Presence of God, Christ Jesus, and his chosen angels. Those are the angels who who did not disobey, did not follow Satan and his rebellion, they will serve as witnesses at judgment. So Paul is emphasizing that under the very eye, with the full approval of the Godhead and his angels, full accountability to God, that these directives have been given. to maintain, so realize God as witness and be without bias, maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. So pastors are not above accountability. Their respected and honored position does not shield them from needed church discipline. wants to protect the pastors from false accusation, but certainly we see also through Paul here protecting the church when pastors need to be disciplined. Priority number three, examination, 22 through 25. Be careful who you ordain as a pastor. Ordaining is the setting apart of one who we believe is called by God to the office of the pastorate. How should we be careful? Well, by being deliberate. Verse 22, do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily. So the process should not be a fast one. Why should we be diligent? Well, because we will be held accountable, verse 22, do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others. Keep yourself free from sin. If you're ever part of an ordination council for someone in the office of deacon or pastor and something makes you uneasy, deal with that because that would be hasty if you don't deal with that. Some of you may not sit on such ordination councils, but I'm talking to the deacons in here, and I'm talking to the pastors in the room as well, who would share in that. The rest of the church would expect us to be careful, to be diligent, because we will be held accountable. Paul tells Timothy, keep free from such sin. Be careful who you ordain. And this personal word I think is what leads to the parenthesis in verse 23. And it is a parenthesis. And Paul gives some personal advice to Timothy. I don't know how it is related to what we've been talking about, but it is good advice for Timothy. And it's interjected here. No longer drink water exclusively is probably the point. But use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. We don't know why this advice is given. Perhaps the water available was impure. Perhaps Timothy's stomach was not doing well with the water, Paul suggests a little wine. Doesn't seem like it's enough to be affected by it, but a drink that would not cause the stomach trouble, the trouble of the stomach that the water was causing, if that was the case. So for a medicinal reason, then, Paul suggests using wine. I think the greater principle here is for pastors to take care of themselves, to be good stewards of their health so that they can continue to serve well. And now back to examination. How do we examine? Investigate a man's life. Look for sins that make a man unfit for office. Verse 24, the sins of some men are quite evident. going before them to judgment. So there are men who have flaws and they're, if we think about it biblically, they're not fit to be elders. Don't overlook those sins because someone is a compelling speaker, for example. Oh, he can preach so well. No, you look at the life. Look back at chapter three. Yes, he's to be able to teach, but it doesn't say anything about being the best orator out there. It talks about his character. So don't overlook evidence sin because of other reasons that you like. For others, Verse 24 continues, their sins follow after. In other words, they come to light later. In this case, the sins are not obvious, so questions have to be asked. And on ordination councils that I've been a part of, they are asked. And we're depending on honest answers from the candidate, but the questions should be asked and some time should be given. Observation of the man's life should be made, if at all possible. Those ordaining him should know him, if at all possible. Should have some history with him. Secondly, look for deeds that make the man fit for office, verse 25. Likewise also, deeds that are good are quite evident, and those which are otherwise, that means good deeds that aren't evident, cannot be concealed. I think verse 25 can be condensed to this sentence, over time, or the second part of it anyway, over time, character is revealed. And if a person is a good man and a good candidate, that there's fruit in their life that show that he would be a good candidate as a pastor. So in looking for sin, looking for good deeds, be alert not only to the obvious, but the hidden things as well. Talk to family, talk to close friends, talk to neighbors if at all possible. What is he like in the home? What is he like in the community? Be able to get some understanding of that. I remember when when I was applying for a work study job, a co-op job, when I was at Virginia Tech, it was with the National Security Agency. And they do background checks. And they came to my neighborhood without me knowing it and talked to my neighbors. Some of my neighbors told me about it later. What were they doing? They were protecting the integrity of the work of the National Security Agency and protecting the security of the nation. Well, listen. We in the church are protecting the integrity of the Lord Jesus Christ and his church, especially when a pastor is called from another location and is not known by the local church, do a thorough work of examination. Thankfully, the search committees that I've been on, we do our best at that. And I know this one will as well. Take it to heart. Take Paul's words, take God's word here to heart. Implications, four of them. Number one, appreciate the work of your pastors. Follow our leading and teaching. If you have questions or problems, talk to us. We're not perfect. We can make mistakes, but we wanna be faithful to Jesus. Thank you for the way you support us, that we can give our full work week to ministry. Number two, hold your pastors accountable. If you believe there's sin in our lives, that is a reproach to the church, some immorality, some false teaching, come to us privately. And if that's not something you can do, or uncomfortable doing, go to one person, maybe the other pastor, maybe your deacon, or your husband, that they can approach us. And if we continue in sin, and there are two or three witnesses, the pastors, the deacons must get involved. This church is the Lord's church, it's not Pastor John's church, it's not Pastor Matt's church. If either of us have been given the proper opportunities to repent of sin in our life, but we refuse to do so, we need to be publicly rebuked at a meeting of the church called for that purpose. And if that doesn't bring repentance, the church should vote to dismiss us, no matter what good we've done, because you put the Lord and you put the church above any man who has served as pastor. Sometimes in situations that come up in churches, I have seen churches reach out for counsel from a director of missions like Dan Sheffield or from the denomination for a representative to come in and help them. Sometimes there's a place for that as well. But hold your pastors accountable. Number three, Let us be careful who we ordain as a pastor. Ordination councils must attempt to question the public and private life of the candidate, not just listen to sermons. And then something else is here in verse 24. Those who want fire and brimstone. Be ready for judgment. Verse 24, the sins of some men are quite evident going before them to judgment, for others, their sins follow after. I want you to see in verse 24, judgment is a reality that everyone in this room will experience. What is your hope in judgment? What is your hope? It better not be you. because you will fall short of the righteousness of God. We all fall short of the righteousness of God. The only hope that I have and that you could have in the day of judgment is that you have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ who came, who lived a perfect righteous life, who laid that life down on the cross, taking your sin debt upon himself, paying the full penalty of it, showing that he did and defeated death through the resurrection of his body. That's our hope in judgment. And he's returning and everyone will be raised from the dead and stand before him. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for this word of exhortation to the church that we might be healthy in how we prioritize the pastorate in these ways. And Father, I pray for each soul in this room that in the day they stand before judgment, they would have confidence because they have trusted Jesus Christ as Lord, as Savior. So for all who can say thank you, we do say thank you. Thank you for so loving us that you sent your Son, that believing in Him, we will not perish, but have eternal life. And Lord, I pray that for any in this room who do not have that hope. In Jesus' name, amen.