The Laborer Deserves His Wages

In one paragraph

This sermon worked through 1 Timothy 5:17 through 6:2, covering three connected concerns Paul raises with Timothy: how a church should treat its elders, how it should handle discipline when an elder falls into sin, and how believers should conduct themselves in their working lives. The pastor preached it as part of an ongoing study moving through the letter in order. Paul tells Timothy that elders...

Read together

1. Psalm 92:1 opening verse read aloud before congregational singing, 'It is good to give thanks to the Lord to sing praises to the most high'
2. 1 Peter 1:3 read aloud as good news before a song, 'praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead'
3. 1 Timothy 5:17-6:2 the main passage for the sermon, covering honoring elders, church discipline, ordination, and employees
4. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 cited to show the same Greek word translated 'rule well' also appears as 'over you in the Lord'
5. Romans 12:6-8 cited to show the same 'rule well' word used for the gift of leadership among spiritual gifts
6. Deuteronomy 25:4 Old Testament source of the command not to muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain, quoted to support paying elders
7. 1 Corinthians 9 Paul's earlier use of the muzzled-ox passage to argue that gospel workers have a right to material support
8. Luke 10 source of 'the laborer deserves his wages,' from Jesus sending out the disciples to stay in homes
9. Matthew 10 parallel to Luke's sending out of disciples, 'the laborer deserves its food,' no bag or two tunics or sandals
10. Deuteronomy 19 Old Testament background for requiring two or three witnesses before a charge is established
11. Matthew 18:15-20 the church discipline passage, winning a sinning brother, two or three witnesses, telling the church, binding and loosing, two or three gathered in Christ's name
12. James 2:1-9 cited against partiality, the example of treating a richly dressed man better than a poor man in shabby clothing

Talk about it

1. Paul quotes the Old Testament command about not muzzling an ox to make a point about how we treat people who labor among us. Where else in your life do you see a principle meant for one situation that actually applies more broadly to how you treat others?
2. Pastor Carl walked through the Matthew 18 process for church discipline and noted that the whole point is winning your brother back, not punishing him. What makes it hard in practice to approach a conflict with that goal in mind?
3. Paul warns Timothy not to be hasty in laying hands on someone for ministry, and not to act out of partiality when choosing leaders. What do you think it looks like in a church today to evaluate someone for leadership without letting wealth, connections or reputation do the deciding?
4. Pastor Carl said the Bible will either bend us or we will bend it, using the example of Timothy's stomach ailment as a warning against using scripture to justify what we already want to do. Can you think of a time when you caught yourself reading the Bible that way, or when someone helped you see you were doing it?
5. The closing section about bond servants was applied to the workplace: treat your supervisor as worthy of honor so that the name of God is not reviled. What does that look like on a practical level when you genuinely feel your supervisor does not deserve that honor?