The Laborer Deserves His Wages
First B Jackson
2018-06-10

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Alright. We're on. Good morning, church. How are we doing this morning? Good.

It's good to

see you.

What a gorgeous morning. Thankful for him. And glad to see you. And would you stand up with me? And as you're standing, I wanna share a verse from you.

The song that we're singing comes right out of this Psalm, and it is a song to be sung on the Sabbath day. It's good to give thanks to the Lord to sing praises to the most high. Amen to that? Let's sing. Alright.

It is good to

praise you. It is good to praise you, Lord, and make music to your name, almost high. Let's sing that again. It is good to praise you, Lord, and make music to your name, almost high. Almost

Alright. Let's sing that again.

It is good to praise. It is good to praise you, and may music to your name, almost high. It is good to praise you, for all of my life, they're my song till you rise, almost high.

Alright. Let's sing again that verse.

It is good to praise. It is good to praise you, Lord And may music till your name

this morning. First of all, youth group is going to take a week off this week. Youth group is off, not Tuesday, 06:30 to eight. If you come here, probably will not be youth group here. So, youth group is off this week.

Today is one of our photo days. We're trying to update our directory but also our bulletin board with the names and pictures that's down the hall. So, if you would, please, before you leave today, would you see Nick's there? Nick, will you do a jumping jack right there in the back? Simon didn't say.

Anyway, there you go. Alright, Josh Griffith also, the sharp dressed man back there. If you'll get Josh or Nick to take your photo today before you get out of here, we would really appreciate it. Thank you. We've also got other announcements.

Oh, Amanda McMullen is serving this year as an intern here at the church and she is doing a project on the history of First B. This is not a formal history. It's not just a list of pastors or a list of who did what at what time, who was the moderator for how many years. It's a it's a history, a living history of this church and we have the history of this church fairly well contained from 1911 to 2011. We had one hundred year celebration.

We did tons of research and we got all this together but she'd like to hear some of what's happened since 2011. So, if you would, contact the church office and you could tell your story to Amanda McMullen. She would either type it down, write it down, interview, whatever, take it in Email format, whatever but she's doing a project on the history of this church and would love to have y'all help with that. Thank Patriotic five ks Color Run is happening. June 30 at 10:07AM at the Jackson Hole High School Stadium.

This is put on by Young Life and so this ought to be a lot of fun. You can register for it right there at that website. Jacksonhole.younglife.org and this should be a really really good time. Dress up. If even if you don't want to run, dress up in your red, white, blue and go out and have fun trying to support Young Life which is primarily a ministry for unchurched teens.

Wildlife is for middle schoolers and young life for high schoolers and it's a great great organization and they're getting going. That's what they're doing. Connect hour. Y'all know, most of you, that in between services, we have coffee and usually donuts and fruit and stuff like that down at the other end of the hall. That's the connect hour because we have one service at nine which usually ends tenish, 10:07, somewhere in there and then we have another one that starts at eleven but in order to keep this be in one church and feeling like that, we have the connect hour where you connect connect with other people.

Well, we have had a coordinator for the past couple of years who moved and when she moved, the coordination of that has kind of dropped. We covered it for this week. I think Mike actually covered it for this week and but if you would, this could be you. That anonymous figure right there. That could be you.

The connect our coordinators. So, we want to give the opportunity to serve. If you feel like that's one of your giftings or even if you want to just try it out and see, We would love to hear from you. If you want to help with that, let us know, please. Rolling River Rampage, the Rolling River Rampage Vacation Bible School is happening, June 25 through the twenty seventh.

It's nine to twelve noon the mornings. If you would like to sign up, you can do that online through our webpage, firstbjackson.org or you can see Liz Owings and she will get you signed up and get you signed up to volunteer or to bring kids in. Either one. Rolling River Rampage is a theme. So that is one ugly looking river rat up there.

Don't let it scare you. This cute little otter is gonna be our mascot for the week. If you do not know what this is, I wanna let you know what this is. Right now media, who has heard of this? How many of y'all heard this?

So, probably, maybe a third of you. Right now, media is like the Christian version of Netflix. There are thousands of Bible studies, thousands of Christian resources, kids, programs, all kinds of stuff. We as a church have this as a service and just because you come to church here, you have this as a service but you have to let us know. If you let us know, we can sign on administrator blah blah and computer stuff and get you in there, okay?

If you want to see it, you can just stream these things live just like you do Netflix or Amazon Prime or whatever but right now, media is a great great resource. So, let us know. You can let the church office know that you want to be signed up and we will sign you up. Monday nights at first b is happening. There's another song for you.

Yep. I'm not responsible for that slide, but I will say this, we are meeting tomorrow at six, meal music message, and know that the door is open and we'd love for you to join us.

He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.

I think that's an elk on Mars, which has nothing to do with tomorrow, but we've got a creative sound guy.

That's right. If there's anything that we have forgotten Diane, is there anything that I've forgotten? Okay. Thank you. If there's anything that I have forgotten, it should be written down in your church bulletin, the actual paper bulletin.

When you come in, we hand those out. If you didn't get one, you can grab one on your way out. You'll see all of the other announcements and a list of prayer requests and thank you for just coming out and being here this morning. Graduation day yesterday was a day of parties. All day long.

It was a day of parties and it's good to celebrate those milestones. So, would you stand up and greet one another and we will bring you back together with Pepe song.

Makes me white as stool, no under mountain. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Is Alright. This is all my hope and peace. Is all my hope and peace. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. This

Amen. Let's let's pray together. God, these lyrics that we sing in the in the song are are true. You you are our hope. You are our peace.

You are our confident assurance, that nothing can can make us right with you except through that sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and and we believe that in faith. And, I thank you, God, for the hope that you give us, for the peace that you give us. Thank you for your overwhelming, never ending love for us. Amen.

Before I spoke a word, you were singing over me. You have been so,

Here's some more good news from first Peter. It says, praise be to the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ and his great mercy. He's given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This hope that we have is a living hope. Since God is not dead, our faith is not dead.

You can have a seat. I'll invite the frontline team up here, and I'd love to to just take a moment and and pray. God, thank you. We're singing the overwhelming, never ending, reckless love of you and knowing that you have stood in our place for our sin, that you took our punishment on yourself, that you went to the cross, that atones for our sin. We are now in right relationship with you through belief.

These are all just these tenants that we hold on to in the faith that we cling to that are important. They give us life, and I thank you for the life that you have given. I thank you for each person in this room today, and I pray that you would be speaking to each person in this room today. God, you are alive. Your Holy Spirit is alive in in us, and I pray that, we'd be convinced and convicted.

However you so decide today, through your word, through song, through whatever it is by whatever means, grab a hold of us, that we would grab a hold of you. Thank you, God, for every gift that comes from you. I thank you, God, how the the gospel spreads. I thank you for the hope that it gives. I thank you for the peace that it gives, for the joy, and so much more.

And I pray that you would use these gifts, to extend the the good news of the gospel, not just here in Jackson, but all over to the ends of the earth. In Jesus' name. Amen. Would you sing this song with us? The the lyrics will be on the screen.

The splendor of the king.

He wraps himself in the light. And the darkness tries to hide and trembles at his voice and trembles at his voice.

And they

say, how great, how great is our God. Sing me how great is our and the end. Beginning in the end. God had three in one. How great is great is our God.

Sing me how great is our God. And don't see how great, how great is our God.

Let's sing that again. How great is our God.

How great is our God. Sing with me. How great is our God. Yeah.

Thank you, Carl. How are y'all this morning? Good? Alright. First Timothy five seventeen six two.

Wait a second now. Are their kids getting up and leaving? No, there are young ladies getting up and leaving. That's good. There's no children's church this morning but there is a high school, middle school, high school girl study going on.

So, there they go. First Timothy five seventeen through six two is what we're going to cover today. This is almost where I left off last week. It's where the it's where the bulletin left off last week. So, we're going to go forward and this is, I started to try to name it.

Sometimes, put a name for the sermon on the slide. I didn't really have a name because this is the beginning or maybe a continuation of the barrage. So, Paul writing to Timothy, his true son in the faith, he's left Timothy in charge of the church or sent Timothy out. God, the Holy Spirit has put him in charge of the church at Ephesus and there is heresy going on and there is some trouble among Jewish background believers and pagan background believers and there is some trouble with the way that they are ministering and getting along. There are certain persons he calls him in the first chapter that are false teachers.

He calls him later on and they're spreading certain heresies. One of em is that marriage is of no use. The resurrection has already happened and so there's no reason to marry which can throw your whole system into arrears. The family is the basis of, I mean, the the family is based in God's word. It's his plan.

It's his design. So, that was a little bit confusing of what was going on and we had last week talking about older widows. I actually skipped over a passage about younger widows. I hope to hit it today. We'll see.

The first part of this barrage and this is honoring elders. So, honoring elders is where he starts and Imma try to title these because it bounces a little bit. Listen fast. I got a lot to say, okay? First Timothy five seventeen says, let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor in me as an American.

See, rule and just think, woah, that's a little strong. I don't like to be ruled It does say rule well greatest form of government is a philosopher king, right? This benevolent dictatorship but it says, let the elders who rule well. So, I started looking up that word First Thessalonians twelve five twelve and thirteen uses the same word right here. We ask you brothers to respect those who labor among you and are over you.

Not exactly the same as rule but it is exactly the same. The words are same. Who are over you and the Lord and admonish you. We see the same thing in Romans twelve six through eight. Talking about the gifts that the spirit has given.

Having gifts that differ according to the grace that's been given to us. Let us use them if prophecy, then in proportion to our faith, if service, in our serving, the one who teaches and is teaching, the one who exhorts and is or exhortation, the one who contributes in generosity, and the one who leads us the same word, the rule well word, one who leads, let him do so with zeal. The one who does acts of mercy, let him do it with cheerfulness. So, this is the word, and this is what it means to preside which might actually be worse than rule. Well, to rule over, to give attention to, direct, maintain, or practice diligently.

It is a positive term though. It's not a negative term. It's not a it does have not does not have any connotation of negativity. It's one who is diligent to take the lead. It underlines the effectiveness of influence people by having a respected reputation, building a solid or having built a solid track record and that happens by setting the example of excellence by living in faith.

What is Paul constantly said to Timothy this whole book? You stick to what it says. You're going to run up against opposition. You're going to run up against them but you stick to what this says and live the life that you know in Christ Jesus submitting your will to his. You keep on acting out of what it is that you believe.

So, right here he says, let the elders who practice diligence in their lifestyle, who fit the qualifications that he laid out in chapter three, who rule or lead 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. Now, that's an old testament scripture, right? It's from Deuteronomy twenty five four and it says just that, you shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain. How many of y'all have an ox?

Does anybody have an ox? There might be some people who are not here because they had to help someone get an ox out of a ditch. But you shall not muzzle an ox when it's treading out the grain. What does that mean? Well, I've got a little fairly modern picture of this and this is the threshing floor.

Around this you will see a row of rocks that are the thresh hold. It's holding in the thresh which is what they get out of the field, cutting down the stalk and the grain and these oxen are walking around and treading this. If you'll notice, if you could see that on this side, you might be able to see it. There is no muzzle on there. They can eat whatever they would like while they are doing this job.

People need the grain. Oxen need both grain and chaff actually, But they wander around on this and they continually stomp it. You see the piles of it that are around everywhere. And so they're doing this and these guys have winnowing forks and they're throwing it up in the air and letting the wind blow the chaff away. The grain settles back down and the oxen keep on walking.

It's a steady job, okay? And so, God says, law of Moses, Deuteronomy, second statement of the law, he says, don't muzzle an ox while he's treading out the grain. So, we've heard this from Paul before. When there's a white slide, it usually means we've covered it here before. We're doing a chronological study going forward in scripture in the order that the epistles were written.

First Corinthians nine says, do I say these things on human authority? Does not the law say the same? For it is written in the law of Moses, you shall not muzzle an ox. When it treads out the grain, is that for oxen that God is concerned? So, I'm going to throw the question out there.

You think that it's for the oxen that God was concerned? Just wondering what you think. Does he not certainly speak about for our sake? It was written for our sake. John Calvin in his commentary on this passage said this and this is just like Calvin.

It's long, I know. Though the Lord commands consideration for the oxen, he does so not for the sake of the oxen but rather out of regard for men for whose benefit even the very oxen were created. Therefore, the humane treatment of oxen ought to be an incentive, motivating us to treat each other with consideration. In fairness, God is not concerned about oxen to the extent that oxen were only creatures in his mind when he made the law and he was thinking of men and wanting to make them accustomed to being considerate in behavior so that they might not cheat the workmen of his wages. For the ox does not take the leading part in plowing and threshing, but man, and it is man's efforts and the ox itself is set to work.

Therefore, when he goes on to add, he that ploweth ought to plow in hope, etcetera, it's an interpretation of the commandment as though he said that is extended in a general way to cover any kind of reward for labor. Okay, are you with Calvin? One of you is already asleep. Luther, around the same time period, Luther wrote this, in his commentary on Paul's use of Deuteronomy 25, he agrees with Paul that it is for us because and this is the extent oxen can't read. I love that.

It's a long time when you're laboring in the scriptures before you hit something really funny and I think that's funny. So, anyway, if we have sown spiritual things among you, Paul is saying because when he was in Corinth, he knew that money was their thing, right? He knew that money was their thing. So, when he was there, he worked in making tents. Pretty much the whole time.

Leather work, he was making tents, he was working and by vocational pastor, right? He was teaching them too. So, says, if we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? He's saying, we do actually have that right. I didn't take that right because I would rather be wrong.

Does that make sense? He says, I would rather go through and show you that it's not about the money but I did have the right. If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more. They were listening to other teachers and Paul was saying, you're paying them.

Here we go. He follows it up with this that makes it a certainly, the laborer deserves his wages. In first Timothy five, you shall not muzzle a knock when it treads out the grain and the labor deserves his wages. Now, this is a restatement of Luke who says, and remain in the same house eating and drinking what they provide for the laborer deserves his wages. This is when Jesus sent out the disciples and said, go and stay in a house with someone.

They and I will provide for you through them. The laborers deserves his wages. Don't take anything with you. Matthew states it this way, no bag for your journey or two tunics or sandals or staff for the labor deserves its food. So, Corinthians goes on to say, in the same way, the Lord God commanded that those who proclaim the gospel, those who preach should get their living by the gospel.

So, that's the end of that section. Honoring elders, paying pastors. There is a notion actually that pastor shouldn't be paid. They should love it so much that they shouldn't be paid at all and we should take turns and I actually like the taking turns. Who's who's next?

So, don't mind the taking turns. Thanks so much but I think that that's really really good. I think we ought to all the elders ought to be apt to teach, able to teach, ready to teach but there is something to be said for it and Paul just said it. So, church discipline is next. First Timothy five nineteen, do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.

Now, this is also Old Testament background. OT says this, Deuteronomy 19, a single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he's committed only on the evidence of two witnesses or three witness shall a charge be established. Matthew 18 is the typical prototypical church discipline passage everybody goes to. If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens, you have gained your brother.

The whole point of Matthew 18 is gaining your brother, winning your brother, right? Having relation that is a good relationship with your brother but if he does not listen, then take one or two others along with you that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. He's pointing back to that Deuteronomy passage. If he refuses to listen, then tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector.

Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. Whatever you lose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, I say to you, if tour, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. Actually, we use that two or three are gathered in my name a lot.

It didn't realize it in the passage about church discipline but it is. The same thing he says, don't frivolously allow a charge. If you're in the position of elder or pastor, don't frivolously take it seriously. This was two or three witnesses and I will say right now, I know that there are crimes that happen that do not have witnesses. I know that there are in particular within the church.

It has been too long that people have gotten away with abuse and offenses because they had an individual in the office and they didn't have anybody else in there that could establish that. In the day of the Me Too movement and everything else, I I really want I want to say, I know and if you have any kind of an inkling that you have been harmed or abused, the church needs to know about it. They do and we need to know so that we can help you get through it. As for those who persist in sin, as for those who persist in sin. Now, he's not saying elders are infallible.

He's not saying that elders are not to be charged at all. They can have faults. Even if they fit all the qualifications, they're still human beings and they still have a sin nature. For as for those who persist in sin, then rebuke them in the presence of all. Right here, in the presence of all.

I mean, go to em first and and try to win your brother and then go with one or two others and try to win your brother but if they persist beyond that, then, it's time to bring it before all. Is it all elders? Is it all the church? I think that all elders is a reasonable middle step but if they persist in sin, it eventually needs to, has to come to the church. It's difficult but necessary.

Just like any kind of discipline, it's difficult but it does help. So that all the rest may stand in fear. That's what it says. I mean, to know that you're not above the law, above the rule, above scripture. You can't just do as you want to do.

We're trying to submit ourselves to God's law. He speaks through his body of Christ. He continues that So, that the rest may stand in fear. All reverence but it means fear. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels, I charge you to keep these rule without prejudging, without prejudging.

So, in this section, doing nothing from partiality. When he mentions that, I immediately think of James, my brothers, James two. My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. You don't treat people differently. You treat people like this or if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in.

If you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing, you say, you sit here in a good place while you say the poor man, you stand over there. Sit down at my feet. Have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? What can we gain from this rich man? Or really, I don't want anybody to see that other guy.

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. You're doing well but if you show partiality, you're committing sin and you're convicted by the law as transgressors. Now, this partiality, didn't we just go through a list of the people who have qualifications as elders? Didn't we see that? That's not, we're not being partial to the good boys.

We're being trying to do the best to get people in the right seats on the bus as the book says, right? Trying to get people in there and it's not because they're wealthy. It should not matter their wealth, their material status at all. It should matter about the content of their characters, Martin Luther King said. It should matter about their their devotedness to Christ.

He goes on right from there to this. So, this is, do not be hasty in the laying on of hands. What in the world does that mean? If you come from outside the church, sometimes I try to read scripture without my baggage, my church baggage that I've grown up with my entire life and I just think, what in the world would that mean? They're going to people are going to actually put hands on somebody.

Are they are they taking him down in a rest? Are they grabbing hold of him? What's the question there? Don't be hasty in the laying on of hands. Well, it's talking about ordination for ministry.

Ordination, I I believe in this time they actually ordained elders and we do ordain them but we don't go through all of the same processes that we do for ordaining the pastor. Last chapter in four six through 16 verse 14 said this, do not neglect the gift, Timothy, that you have, that gift that was given to you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. So, they ordained him for gospel ministry and when they did that, they bestowed on him a gift and it is this gift of being in the position of authority to speak God's word and to help, teach individually and collectively. So, don't neglect that gift. Practice these things.

Immerse yourself in them so that all may see your progress. It's not saying that they're perfect because they're elders but it is saying that we are submitted to allowing God to transform and progress us. So, this week, you know, last week, I was speaking about widows and miss Bennett, my beloved Sunday school teacher, missus Annie Bennett, had passed on Tuesday. This Tuesday, we ordained Rinsey Reno. He has been working as a Christian counselor in camps for like seven years, met his wife there.

They have ministered in various churches as youth ministers, youth directors, and here as a youth director for four years. If he had remained, he he's been gone for almost exactly a year. If he had remained around, we were going to ordain him last year but when he broke the news, we held off. But he has been up there in Sheridan and and looking around and he feels like God is leading him into this ministry, into gospel ministry. It's not specific about the church but he's also going to do a wedding and he said, I couldn't feel right about going on the internet and just signing up to the International Church of Light.

And and getting an ordination just by asking for it but we ask him if he would come back down and be ordained. We didn't do that frivolously or quickly. We know him. We know his character. When I read that list, it was really hard when I was reading the list of overseers a few weeks ago to say, kind of like Renzi because he's like that.

Do not be hasty the laying on of hand. By the way, we changed our elders meetings to 06:00 in the morning. Instead of 06:00 in the evening, they're at 06:00 in the morning. Yeah. That's what I thought too, Martin.

I looked up the word. It is quickly or hastily. I thought it was going to say do not be early in the laying on of hands but it didn't go. It's hasty or quickly. Don't do it without really considering it.

Hasty in the laying on of hands nor take part in the sins of others. Wait a second, that seems odd too. Why might Paul say or take part in the sins of others? He's talking about ordination. It seems like a real leap.

For me, I think these aren't all completely disjointed. As I look through this and study it and thought about it, prayed about it. I think that when he says, I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality. I can see him working through and building up an elder board and trying to work through. They're already an established elder board in place and so, he's got some push pull politics going on and Paul is saying, listen, stick to these rules without prejudging.

Don't just say, oh yeah, that guy is rich. He's on. Does that make sense? Or yeah, that guy is the cousin of so and so and the and the brother so and so, he's powerful. Let's pick him because he has favor in the government, whatever.

He's saying, it has to be about the heart. Are you with me? Everybody with me. Okay. So, he then says, keep yourself pure.

There may be other guys who have the wrong motives but he's saying, Timothy, just keep yourself pure. Make sure that your heart is right before God. It may be that one of those rich guys is exactly the right guy but let it be because he's exactly the right guy, okay? And then he goes into this, no longer drink only water but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. Commentators, it's so fun to read commentaries.

When you read commentaries, they're saying, well, this is proof that Paul really wrote this because nobody, you know, sometimes they say, when was the date of this? This was around the 6064, 6564, usually is when this book is dated and so, people say, that's gotta be Pauline. That's not somebody in the three hundreds writing back because nobody would put drink in the Bible. They wouldn't do that. We're not going give anybody that justification.

He says, no longer drink only water but use a little bit for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments, medicinal purposes. So, the four imperatives I had last week, this reminds me of this. Be honoring. We were talking about be honoring to those widows who are truly widows. Be distinguishing.

Be able to tell the difference. In that case, it was about widows but this is one of those places where being distinguishing is important. Be serving and be concerned about Christ's reputation. That was a closing question or a closing charge last week is, are you concerned about Christ's reputation? The be distinguishing in this place where he says, use a little wine.

Don't justify self on this, okay? If you struggle with alcohol and you know that you've had struggles in the past, do not use a little wine and do not blame it on your stomach. If it's like an allergy for you where you take one drink and immediately you take two, three, four and you are drunk and then you keep on drinking. Don't do that. Don't do it because Paul told Timothy that his stomach was bugging him.

Ephesus was a town that was decaying. It had built up and by this time was silting in and the plumbing system was terrible. Ditches in the street, right? And he was probably suffering from dysentery. He says it's frequent ailments and he said, use a little bit because the water is nasty.

So, let me back up to chapter three if you're questioning me. In the list, not a drunkard. So, not someone who has given to wine or someone who lingers long over the wine. For the deacons. So, it's overseers.

No. Deacons, not addicted to much wine. Be distinguishing, okay? Don't just use the Bible to justify self. If we pay attention to it seriously, then the Bible will bend us or we will bend it.

Don't bend it. Let it say what it says, alright? Use a little for the sake of your stomach and frequent ailments Remember granny on the Beverly Hillbilly? She always had her little brown jug with the three Xs on it and She said, For medicinal purposes. It was always for medicinal purposes.

Don't use that excuse, okay? All right. The sins of some people are conspicuous. Sorry. The sins of some people are conspicuous.

You can see some sins easier than you can see other sins. Do you agree with that? Some of em just stand out. Going before them to judgement. We can see those things and when we see em, we know immediately, oh man, disqualified, right?

Because it stands out. Your reputation precedes you. What it is that you sow is what you're going reap and part of sowing is how you are, how you act, what you do. Your reputation precedes you but it also says, but the sins of others appear later. We're all sinful.

We all are. There are some sins like the ones that he list and that qualifications for elders. Those things are obvious to everybody around and you can be discounted just like that and so, he says, the sins of others appear later. For those who persist in sin, he says, there's a mechanism. Anyway, first Timothy five seventeen.

I mean, five twenty five says, so also, good works are conspicuous. You can see some things that people do and it's like, man, that's a good old guy. Look at what he's done. Missionaries get put up on a pedestal all the time. Man, look at that.

Wow. But even those that are not conspicuous, obvious to everybody, they can't remain hidden. God sees what is happening In a steady, vast, unchronicled witness is how the church grows. So, I charge you like Paul charged him. Just keep on doing good.

Keep your head down and plow forward. Pay attention to how you are, who you know, who you believe in, and allow him to do his work in and through you. Six one, I think this bridge is over. The paragraph six one and six two and if it if you if I lose you at bond servants or slaves, I'm sorry. I'll update it in just a minute but at this time, there were slavery was an institution.

Remember last week where I said, Paul is writing to an original culture and Paul's view on that culture is it should not be that way but it should be this way and he's pointing over there. Trajectory hermeneutic as it were. Wish I had the slides, Blake probably does. Don't go for them. X, Paul's view is Y and he's pointing to the ultimate ethical application.

Well, we're not in Paul's position. We're not in Ephesus position. We don't have slavery anymore. We're past that point. So, I'm going to change the words in just a minute, just a little bit because I think it still stands.

It's certainly a good concept. Let all of you who are under a yoke as bond servants, let you regard your own masters as worthy of all honor. May they not be? May they not be worthy of honor at all? It's possible that they're not worthy of any honor at all but he says, let all of you who are under your yoke as bond servants regard or treat your masters as if they are worthy of all honor.

So that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the grounds that they're brothers. We're going to take communion in just a minute and it does not matter how much money you have, how many people you have working for you. If you're the lowest man on the totem pole, lowest gal, just got here for summer, you're working for a few weeks, does not matter who you are, if you believe in Christ, then your brothers and sisters and this we're going to say, in just a minute, unifies and brings us together. Those who have believe in masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers, sisters.

Rather, they must serve all the better. Since those who benefit by their good service are believers and they are beloved. So, if your boss is not a believer, let's go here. Let all who have to work. There are some of you here who don't have to work but there are a lot of you here who have to work and so let all that have to work as employees regard your own supervisors as worthy of all honor.

Whoever they are, whether they deserve it or not. So that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. If you live well, the gospel of Christ. If you live out that gospel well, it will cause other people, even people who are in authority over you to take notice and they will begin to wonder why. You have a better platform if you work well.

Those who have believing bosses must not be disrespectful on the ground that they're brothers and sisters rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved. Paul is saying to Timothy and I'm saying to you, it does not matter who it is you're dealing with. If you will deal with them in all Christian virtue and love and look to those people as someone who Christ loves and loved and died for. If you look for em like that, if you pray for em like that, then you will treat them better. I think that's the last verse of the day today but we do have communion right here and we're going to go into it.

Now, for some of you who are coming in from the outside, first time you've been to First B, I want to tell you, we practice an open table. If you believe in Christ Jesus, if you have for eighty years or if you in the middle of the message today said, you know what? I believe it. It's an open table. You may take communion.

It's a symbol, meaningful symbol of Christ's sacrifice. His perfect life well lived without sin. His voluntary giving of that perfect record for your sake. God has accepted him as the ultimate sacrifice for all who would believe. So, we're going to celebrate that right now.

So, I'm going get the elders to come forward. If you would, please. Now, pray and Florine, would you play something pretty? God almighty, in Jesus name, we come together this morning and I pray lord that you would impress upon us all that you would have us submit and change and do. There's a strong warning by Paul to the Corinthians that let not anyone take this unworthily.

Lord, we know we all have sinned but you have promised. First John one nine, that if we confess our sins, you're faithful and just to be forgiving our sins. Throw on em as far as east is from the west. Throwing them into the sea of forgetfulness, remembering them no more, and lord, cleansing us from all unrighteousness. So, I pray right now that you would forgive me of my shortfall, my sins, and shortcomings and lord, I pray that others would do the same before we celebrate this.

Body and blood of Jesus Christ given on our behalf. In Jesus name, amen. On the same evening that Jesus was betrayed, he took bread after supper and after he had given thanks. He told his disciples, this is my body which is given for you. Take this and eat it and do it in remembrance of me.

Jesus, we thank you for the life that you lived here on earth tempted in every way as we are tempted but yet without sin. We pray lord. I pray. I want to yield my life to you and have you live that out in me daily. I thank you for your cleansing blood that though my sins be as scarlet, though our sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow and lord now, we distribute this cup, this little plastic cup of grape juice as a symbol for the blood that you shed on Calvary.

Jesus name. In the same way that he had taken the bread, he took the cup and he told his disciples there that this was the new covenant in his blood. It's a covenant of grace. Unmerited favor. His perfect life well lived, given as a sacrifice for all who would put their faith in him.

The new covenant in his blood and he told them and I'm asking you in celebration of that fact. To take this and drink and do it as often as you will in remembrance of him. Before these elders sit down, would you all stand up? And I think we'll just end with the doxology today. So, sing out.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow praise him all creatures here below Praise him above ye heavenly host. Praise father, son, and holy ghost. And to him who loved us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and has made us a kingdom, priest to his God and father, to him, Jesus, be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.