back to index02-02-2020 A Sermon on BCC Covenant #10
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Now we're going to be going through BCC Covenant number 10 this morning, and I'm sure as you 00:00:15.920 |
guys have been able to see in our announcement sheet, the title of the sermon is called A 00:00:29.040 |
The reason I chose that as a title was because as I was just kind of preparing for today's 00:00:35.880 |
sermon it dawned on me there are many different ways I could have approached this, many different 00:00:44.440 |
And so because I'm approaching it one way, it is not the sermon on BCC Covenant number 00:00:51.000 |
It is not the perspective on BCC Covenant number 10. 00:01:03.440 |
I desire to be kept accountable by the leadership and other members at BCC and to keep others 00:01:09.280 |
accountable of the above covenants and teachings of scripture. 00:01:14.320 |
As you guys already know, you guys are very well familiar by now, every single covenant 00:01:20.160 |
point is not a covenant point that is in addition to the scriptures, right? 00:01:28.280 |
It's not like they're the scriptures, but we're going to be Berean and we're going to 00:01:35.160 |
In fact, there's a direct prohibition against that. 00:01:41.080 |
Rather, what the covenant points are, including this one, it's a summation of teachings in 00:01:48.000 |
the scripture that are made more easily digestible and for various reasons that are included 00:01:55.840 |
Now for that reason, I'm going to go over a lot of verses today, a hefty amount of verses 00:02:03.600 |
The reason I chose to do it in that manner is because I want to show you that this topic 00:02:13.320 |
It's not something that BCC decided to hinge on one verse. 00:02:18.880 |
We want to do this this way, so let's find a verse and let's hinge on it. 00:02:23.480 |
Rather, scriptures speak of this covenant point in detail and in many different places. 00:02:31.480 |
I'm going to approach this morning's sermon via three points. 00:02:39.160 |
Peer accountability, submission to elders, the example, reason, and the goal. 00:02:48.240 |
Peer accountability, submission to elders, the example, reason, and the goal. 00:02:55.120 |
Number one is going to be connected with number three. 00:02:58.160 |
Number two is going to be connected with number three. 00:03:00.720 |
It doesn't make any sense now, but it should. 00:03:05.960 |
Father, we come before you this morning ready to hear your word. 00:03:14.440 |
Not man's word, not what man has to say, but your word. 00:03:19.720 |
If there is anything that I say that is from man, please take it away and lay for your 00:03:26.880 |
children only the pure seed of the word of God and may that, the word of God, be implanted 00:03:33.920 |
into every individual and may that be the vehicle that causes fruit. 00:03:43.720 |
We ask and pray these things in the name of your son. 00:03:48.600 |
Peer accountability, point number one, peer accountability. 00:03:55.560 |
I desire to be kept accountable by other members at BCC and to keep others accountable. 00:04:01.280 |
I desire to be kept accountable by other members at BCC and to keep others accountable. 00:04:08.320 |
Now, the fact that I told you that the Bible speaks extensively about accountability won't 00:04:15.240 |
come as a shock to probably anyone in this room. 00:04:19.040 |
The Bible speaks extensively about accountability. 00:04:22.980 |
It talks about it in very explicit terms, but it also talks about it in very implicit 00:04:29.520 |
I'll give you an example of an implicit way it speaks of accountability. 00:04:33.080 |
Every time the Bible says that we are part of one body, that necessitates that you're 00:04:41.240 |
Every time the Bible speaks of us being in one body, that means that you can't live on, 00:04:45.680 |
like, intentionally live on an island and practice faithful Christianity. 00:04:51.040 |
Every time the scriptures say, "Love one another, be kind to one another, exhort one another, 00:04:59.880 |
meet one another," that necessitates the concept of a community. 00:05:05.800 |
Now, let me take a step further to equate this with accountability. 00:05:10.320 |
I don't think anyone follows those commandments perfectly. 00:05:15.440 |
I don't think anyone follows those commandments perfectly. 00:05:23.280 |
We're called to do much more, and no one does it perfectly. 00:05:27.880 |
And so there, the idea of accountability is born implicitly, but also very explicitly, 00:05:36.080 |
Just so that we don't take anything for granted, I want to read to you a lot of verses. 00:05:40.320 |
There's going to be a lot of verses on the screen. 00:05:42.120 |
You don't have to turn there because I'm going to be going through a lot, okay? 00:05:45.160 |
But just try to follow with me mentally, okay? 00:05:47.680 |
1 Thessalonians 5.11 says this, "Therefore, encourage one another and build up one another 00:05:58.000 |
Proverbs 27.17 says this, "Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." 00:06:03.440 |
Ecclesiastes 4.9-10, "Two are better than one because they have a good return for their 00:06:09.520 |
For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. 00:06:12.760 |
But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up." 00:06:25.120 |
And if he sins against you seven times a day and returns to you seven times saying, 'I 00:06:42.560 |
But in order to fully understand accountability, I want to talk about the why for a second. 00:06:52.200 |
In order to do that, let's go to the beginning. 00:06:55.840 |
When you and I became a Christian, when you and I were converted, what happened? 00:07:11.080 |
You went from that state, darkness, complete, utter darkness, right? 00:07:18.360 |
You weren't just a bad man or a bad woman, right, that God made good. 00:07:28.160 |
That is how the scriptures speak of conversion. 00:07:31.720 |
So naturally what flows from that is that things change about your life. 00:07:37.320 |
The way you view things, your value system, your interests, your hobbies, your pursuits. 00:07:43.080 |
Because your pursuits and your interests and your hobbies and your value system before 00:07:47.560 |
were that of a dead man, were that of a blind man, right? 00:08:01.920 |
Even though the scriptures clearly speak of our salvation as one that is final and victorious, 00:08:09.160 |
I don't need to convince you that we still stumble. 00:08:22.280 |
If you were to read portions of scripture in a vacuum, and you're not a human being, 00:08:27.240 |
you're just some apparition, you're reading portions of scripture in a vacuum, you might 00:08:31.680 |
not understand that the believer is still living in the fallen flesh. 00:08:41.600 |
Ephesians 2, 5 through 6, and 21 through 22 gives this juxtaposition a little bit more 00:08:49.400 |
Let me read it to you and you'll see what I'm talking about. 00:08:54.320 |
Even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ, by grace 00:08:58.960 |
we have been saved, and raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly 00:09:04.960 |
In the same chapter, in verses 21 through 22, it says this. 00:09:10.520 |
In whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, 00:09:18.560 |
in whom also, you also, are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. 00:09:26.080 |
If you were to read 2, 5, 6 in a vacuum, Ephesians 2, 5, 6, you would think, "Well, we're with 00:09:34.800 |
But at the same time, we are being fitted together, we're growing into a holy temple, 00:09:41.760 |
and we are being built together into a dwelling of God by Spirit. 00:09:53.240 |
But even though our salvation is one of complete victory, there is the now that we have to 00:10:04.560 |
But on top of that, on top of living in a fallen tent, we also live in a fallen world. 00:10:16.320 |
God is in complete control of every single event since the creation of time. 00:10:22.320 |
Every single atom that bumps into another atom, he's in control of. 00:10:30.440 |
But within that umbrella, within that umbrella of God's omniscience and sovereignty, there 00:10:37.760 |
is an aspect in which this world is under the control of the evil one. 00:10:43.240 |
If it was in every angle in control of Christ, there would be no sin in this world. 00:10:55.840 |
On top of that, you have the wicked one himself. 00:11:00.440 |
So we are victorious in Christ, but we live in a fallen tent, we live in a fallen world, 00:11:08.280 |
and we still have to contend with the wicked one. 00:11:11.240 |
Ephesians 2.2 and 6.12 says this, "The prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that 00:11:18.680 |
is now working, and the sons of disobedience." 00:11:21.240 |
6.12 says this, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against 00:11:26.040 |
powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness 00:11:33.960 |
It is in that context that Peter says in 1 Peter 5.8, "Be of sober spirit, be on the 00:11:43.440 |
Be not like Jerry the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." 00:12:01.920 |
Jeremiah 17.9 says this, "The heart is more deceitful than all else, and is desperately 00:12:10.440 |
The heart is deceitful, more deceitful than all else, and is desperately sick. 00:12:16.000 |
Now at this point in time, I don't want to go into, I get Jeremiah, and I get that we 00:12:21.360 |
have the mind of Christ, I don't want to go into the theological implications of that. 00:12:25.680 |
However, the principle behind this, that sin is so sublime, so subtle, so beguiling, that 00:12:39.360 |
it can trick you, that it can trick me, that is the very nature of sin. 00:12:55.300 |
Maybe you know the scripture, maybe you don't know the scripture. 00:13:04.040 |
We are seated with Him in the heavenly places. 00:13:07.000 |
But what is also true at the same time is we are being sanctified right now, we are 00:13:11.440 |
being fitted together, so we still live in a fallen tent, in a fallen world, under the 00:13:17.320 |
control of the wicked one, and sin is that deceitful. 00:13:29.480 |
If you're of sober spirit, and you understand the reality that is, this will not be a question 00:13:41.960 |
I'm not saying that you better get plugged into some church program. 00:13:46.320 |
There's not enough programs at church to plug everyone into an accountability group. 00:13:51.040 |
But in the pursuit of Christ and the abstaining of sin, what is also true is that you and 00:13:57.320 |
And if we are called to be in a body, that means none of us can live in isolation, and 00:14:02.440 |
that we cannot practice our Christianity individually. 00:14:10.120 |
And then if that is the case, if your pursuit of Christ is all-encompassing, why not follow 00:14:17.240 |
the commands that is already laid out in scripture to seek accountability? 00:14:22.680 |
Aren't there things in your life that you don't see that other people see? 00:14:28.080 |
There are things in my life that I do not see that other people see. 00:14:33.120 |
Maybe there are things in your life that you don't see, but you don't understand the severity. 00:14:38.080 |
Let me say one other point about accountability. 00:14:40.460 |
If you are in an accountability group already, I really hope that it's centered on the word. 00:14:46.160 |
I really hope that it is centered on the word. 00:14:49.960 |
Not a, "You're good, and I'm good, it's like the blind leading the blind, we're all good, 00:14:54.800 |
But a pursuit of Christ using the very lamp of God, which is his word. 00:15:03.840 |
Because if we are in darkness, if we are in darkness, which the Bible says we are, and 00:15:09.880 |
if the word of God is a lamp, then what else would you use to guide whether or not your 00:15:16.440 |
pursuits, your value system, the things you spend your time and money on, all those things 00:15:32.640 |
James chapter three, verse two, says that we all stumble in many ways. 00:15:40.040 |
Second Corinthians 5.10 says this, that we must all appear before the judgment seat of 00:15:46.160 |
If we all stumble in many ways, and we will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, 00:15:57.760 |
Or maybe you think you can do it on your own. 00:16:00.400 |
And I've gotta tell you, if you do think that, you stand in contradiction to scripture. 00:16:08.880 |
So let's keep each other accountable with our intake of the word, with our prayer life, 00:16:15.800 |
where we spend our time, the things that we value. 00:16:19.600 |
Let's keep each other accountable, because we cannot see clearly all the time. 00:16:25.720 |
And when we do so, let's hold it up to the measure of the word. 00:16:34.160 |
And I gotta tell you, as I'm saying this to you, it's cutting me. 00:16:41.800 |
And it is clear from scripture that it doesn't matter how long you've been a Christian for. 00:16:54.280 |
Now you never actually say that, but you think it, right? 00:16:57.600 |
It doesn't matter how long you've been a Berean for. 00:16:59.600 |
It doesn't matter if you're a small group leader. 00:17:01.320 |
It certainly doesn't matter if you're an elder. 00:17:07.560 |
I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality. 00:17:21.240 |
I don't think it's gonna go well for me if I appear before Christ and I tell him that 00:17:27.720 |
I didn't really think I needed accountability because I was voted by men as an elder. 00:17:33.280 |
So I just felt like it wasn't really necessary. 00:17:42.120 |
As we think about this BCC covenant point, and as you think about accountability, think 00:17:51.600 |
And as you consider what reality is, don't look to your own understanding of what reality 00:18:04.480 |
Look to what the Word of God says as to what reality is, and then make a decision as to 00:18:11.160 |
whatever choice you make in life, especially as it relates to accountability. 00:18:15.640 |
So if you are mired in sin, if you are mired in sin, consider getting accountability. 00:18:22.600 |
If you are in a place where you clearly know that your accountability group is not running 00:18:27.960 |
on the wheels of scripture, consider getting out. 00:18:33.200 |
And in all things, are you moving towards the upward call of God in Christ Jesus? 00:18:48.160 |
Now, I'm smiling here because I'm an elder, right? 00:18:55.440 |
And anything I say at this point, it could come off self-aggrandizing, self-rewarding, 00:19:08.960 |
Because what I'm about to tell you could be taken as, "Submit to me." 00:19:16.320 |
And as I was preparing this portion of the sermon, I thought to myself, "Man, this is 00:19:22.920 |
But in the spirit of 2 Corinthians 11, 1, in the spirit of 2 Corinthians 11, 1, I wish 00:19:30.160 |
that you would bear with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you are bearing with me. 00:19:34.360 |
I hope you would bear with me in a little foolishness. 00:19:39.780 |
Because what I'm going to give you at this point is not what I say, but what the Word 00:19:49.560 |
1 Corinthians 16, 15 to 16 says this, "Now I urge you, brethren, you know the household 00:19:56.160 |
of Stephanas, that they were the first roots of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves 00:20:00.280 |
for ministry to the saints, that you also be in subjection to such men, and to everyone 00:20:07.000 |
1 Thessalonians 5, 11 through 12 says this, "But we request of you, brethren, that you 00:20:12.240 |
appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord, 00:20:16.440 |
and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their 00:20:23.720 |
1 Peter 5, 5 says this, "You younger men likewise, be subject to your elders, and all 00:20:29.800 |
of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another. 00:20:32.760 |
For God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 00:20:37.680 |
Hebrews 13, 17 says this, "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over 00:20:43.720 |
your souls as those who will give an account." 00:20:46.000 |
Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. 00:20:52.680 |
A note on Hebrews 13 with respect to the Greek words obey and submit. 00:20:58.640 |
The word for obey that's used here in Hebrews 13 and 17 is the same word that's used in 00:21:05.600 |
relation to Jesus trusting in God in Matthew 27, 43. 00:21:13.640 |
They would include, but are not limited to, to be assured of, to have confidence in, to 00:21:19.520 |
be convinced of, to be persuaded, to trust, and to be induced by one's word to believe 00:21:39.060 |
This is from Strong's Concordance dictionary. 00:21:44.120 |
The word for submit means to yield and to surrender. 00:21:49.080 |
The word for submit here means to yield and surrender. 00:21:52.920 |
So in Hebrews 13 and 17 it says, "Obey your leaders and submit to them." 00:22:09.600 |
First Corinthians 16, First Thessalonians 5, First Peter 5, Hebrews 13. 00:22:17.280 |
But let me address the elephant in the room for a minute, okay? 00:22:22.220 |
When you and I hear the word submission, when you and I hear the word submission, it's kind 00:22:27.580 |
of a dirty word because it comes with a lot of cultural baggage. 00:22:44.960 |
I love what it represents and what it stands for. 00:23:09.480 |
But you know what word we dislike even more than supervision? 00:23:14.720 |
When you go to a wedding and you hear vows and you hear the word submission, you know 00:23:22.720 |
Ain't no one going to say that word unless they're believers in the Bible. 00:23:32.120 |
You are a chauvinist and you are a Neanderthal. 00:23:35.480 |
So unless you have complete loyalty to the word of God, that word submission is not happening. 00:23:43.680 |
And even when you have submission to the word of God, that word might not be used even then 00:23:51.200 |
So there's a lot of cultural baggage that comes with that. 00:23:57.040 |
If you and I were to wake up next morning, we turn on the news and we hear of a corrupt 00:24:05.080 |
No one's going to be like, "Oh, I never heard of such a thing. 00:24:12.880 |
You hear of a corrupt religious leader, no one's going to be like, "There's a corrupt 00:24:25.280 |
When you hear a story of a politician with integrity, you're like, "Wow, that's like 00:24:32.400 |
And so that word is connected with submission because submission is connected with leadership 00:24:41.880 |
And if those two things are corrupted, why in the world would I submit? 00:24:52.520 |
Even within the church context, the context of a true church, there are many people who 00:25:01.280 |
would love to occupy the place of spiritual blessing. 00:25:18.520 |
It's not enough for you to stand back and see God working. 00:25:21.640 |
You need to be used by God or else God is not glorified. 00:25:30.160 |
Even within the context of the church, it seeps in. 00:25:44.360 |
This is the context and all of a sudden you hear the word "submission." 00:25:54.400 |
But let me point, let me paint something else for you, okay? 00:26:00.160 |
That's why people are corrupt now in government, in religion. 00:26:06.800 |
Sin was also around when 1 Corinthians 16 was written, when 1 Thessalonians 5 was written, 00:26:14.400 |
When Hebrews 13 was written, sin was still around. 00:26:31.200 |
This is going to be a tough pill to swallow, okay? 00:26:36.560 |
God mediates much of his rule through people. 00:26:43.800 |
God mediates much of his rule through people. 00:26:53.040 |
God imparts the clouds and says, "James, this is what you're going to do today. 00:26:57.720 |
You get together with this person and this is what you do." 00:27:00.560 |
And I meet that person and that person says, "Yeah, God imparted the clouds this morning 00:27:18.720 |
God deliberately and intentionally chooses to mediate much of his rule through people, 00:27:26.880 |
which is why it says what it says right here. 00:27:30.800 |
It says these verses right here because that is the case. 00:27:39.680 |
If you don't have a submissive attitude towards your leaders, if you don't have that, it is 00:27:48.200 |
indicative of your spiritual maturity or lack thereof. 00:27:55.940 |
It is more reminiscent, more indicative of your spiritual immaturity. 00:28:15.120 |
And when you are confronted with the fact that there is an apparent deficiency in a 00:28:20.360 |
holistic knowledge of the scriptures, it still doesn't change your mind. 00:28:26.420 |
Moreover, moreover, Hebrews 13, 17 says, "Obey your leaders and submit to them." 00:28:34.460 |
If it says, "Obey your leaders and submit to them," how can you be a mature Christian 00:28:46.040 |
You're a mature Christian, but you're in violation of God's commandment. 00:28:49.960 |
Maybe you lack a belief in the sovereignty of God. 00:28:55.360 |
Maybe you lack faith in the way God has designed the institution of the church. 00:29:05.020 |
Because what I've quoted to you is God's word. 00:29:08.460 |
I'm not the one that said, "Obey your leaders and submit to them." 00:29:18.980 |
So if you don't have a submissive attitude, a logical conclusion to that is that maybe 00:29:30.140 |
Maybe you don't have faith in the word of God. 00:29:33.620 |
Maybe you don't have a complete understanding of the scriptures. 00:29:38.740 |
Now I want to put in a plug right here, okay? 00:29:43.020 |
Because what I said right now, it is severe and it is cutting. 00:29:53.740 |
I want to pull this plug in right now so everyone in here hears it. 00:29:59.920 |
If you have a question about anything, is that word exhaustive enough? 00:30:07.580 |
If you have a question about anything, come and ask me. 00:30:15.460 |
There's no reason why you should be in the dark. 00:30:21.220 |
I don't know if you have questions about something. 00:30:24.300 |
But if you have a question about something, feel free to come and ask. 00:30:36.500 |
It's not like I became an elder and I forgot, okay? 00:30:40.100 |
Submission in any context is extremely difficult. 00:30:46.780 |
You submit to God, not all the time, but you ultimately submit to God because you know 00:30:53.100 |
And because you know He's good, that helps you to submit, right? 00:30:57.100 |
My point is, a lot of times, if you know the why, it'll help with submission. 00:31:03.300 |
And I want to do everything humanly possible to make this portion of Christian life easy 00:31:12.180 |
I don't want to speak truth to you and just say, "Good luck with it." 00:31:26.060 |
And I still need to speak what reality actually is. 00:31:30.260 |
But I can do what is humanly possible to make this commandment as easy for you as possible. 00:31:38.500 |
I think a lot of times, if you know the why, if you just know the why, "Why did we decide 00:31:49.980 |
You might disagree, but you see that thought was put into it. 00:31:57.780 |
There is no need for anyone to be just hiding in the back. 00:32:03.060 |
There's absolutely no need for that when I've given you an open invitation. 00:32:07.220 |
And if anyone is not here, I said the same exact thing at first service. 00:32:11.340 |
If anyone is not here, this is an open invitation to the entire church. 00:32:14.620 |
You want to ask me about something, feel free to come and ask me. 00:32:18.420 |
If it's one person, if it's five people, if it's 10 people, if 20, whatever it is, we 00:32:25.100 |
20 of you want to gather together, I'll go there by myself. 00:32:29.300 |
I want to make this as easy as possible for you. 00:32:33.180 |
Now, there are some things I might not be able to, like if you ask me, "Well, what does 00:32:43.540 |
But if it's something that I can help you with, with respect to submission, because 00:32:46.660 |
I know how hard it is, it's not like I don't, I still have to exercise submission, obviously, 00:32:57.820 |
That is my personal plug to you, knowing that this commandment is difficult. 00:33:06.180 |
I want to cover one other rather ugly point as it relates to submission to elders, because 00:33:12.060 |
it kind of gives a glimpse as to why it's important and what the elder must do. 00:33:16.900 |
But before I do that, I want to read to you two verses. 00:33:21.140 |
Second Timothy 2, 14 to 17, and Philippians 2, 14. 00:33:25.940 |
Let me read Second Timothy 2, 14 to 17 to you. 00:33:29.100 |
It says this, "Remind them of these things and solemnly charge them in the presence of 00:33:33.620 |
God, not to wrangle about words which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. 00:33:38.940 |
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be accurately 00:33:43.840 |
handling the word of truth, but avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further 00:33:49.760 |
ungodliness and their talk will spread like gangrene." 00:33:55.860 |
Philippians 2, 14 says this, "Do all things without grumbling or disputing." 00:34:04.180 |
Part of an elder's job, and perhaps why the scriptures call us to submission, is that 00:34:17.380 |
Every Christian is called to confront and rebuke sin. 00:34:25.540 |
There is no job within scripture that is pertaining only to an elder and not to a Christian. 00:34:49.860 |
If there were a person in here, he became a member, right? 00:34:53.540 |
And I'm giving an incredibly facetious example. 00:34:58.980 |
And he just goes and he kills three people, right? 00:35:03.140 |
Because he's like, "No, I think it's okay to kill people." 00:35:04.900 |
We're like, "Oh, it's not okay to kill people." 00:35:08.380 |
I don't think anyone in here would have a problem with that. 00:35:12.180 |
Nobody in here would have a problem with that. 00:35:14.300 |
Because the remedy is not disproportionate with what we're doing, with his conduct, excuse 00:35:21.620 |
The remedy is not disproportionate with the remedy, okay? 00:35:25.020 |
But when you engage in godless chatter, and you murmur, and you cause dissension, on a 00:35:32.540 |
human level, on a human level, whenever that is dealt with, whenever that is dealt with, 00:36:01.020 |
Philippians 2.14, "Do all things without grumbling or disputing." 00:36:04.900 |
So even though you might think it's not a big deal, the scriptures stand in contradiction 00:36:14.100 |
And if you think about it for a second, because everyone else thinks it's no big deal, because 00:36:19.460 |
everybody else thinks it's no big deal, that's the reason why it could spread. 00:36:25.500 |
Serial killing is not going to spread, because nobody thinks it's a big deal. 00:36:30.580 |
But that murmuring that's kind of innocent and not innocent, oh, that can spread, and 00:36:36.980 |
And be careful that you divide the body of Christ. 00:36:59.340 |
I don't want anyone to get the idea that there's some implication that I don't like it when 00:37:16.220 |
Don't make an implication that says, "Well, I guess he doesn't like it when questions 00:37:21.620 |
I just said, "Ask me any question anytime you want." 00:37:39.820 |
But at the very least, the elders must deal with it. 00:37:46.100 |
That is a difficult job, and perhaps that's why the commands to submit to elders in part 00:38:03.780 |
I'm pretty sure you know who I'm talking about when I say the example, the reason, and the 00:38:09.100 |
I'm going to connect point number one to this point, and I'm going to connect point number 00:38:27.340 |
"Then they came to Jerusalem, and he entered the temple and began to drive out those who 00:38:32.460 |
were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the temples of the money changers 00:38:36.380 |
and the seats of those who were selling doves. 00:38:38.820 |
And he would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple. 00:38:42.320 |
And he began to teach and say to them, 'Is it not written, my house shall be called a 00:38:46.220 |
house of prayer for all the nations, but you have made it a robbers den.' 00:38:50.140 |
The chief priests and the scribes heard this and began seeking how to destroy him, for 00:38:54.500 |
they were afraid of him, for the whole crowd was astonished at his teaching." 00:39:09.700 |
In your accountability group, it's supposed to lead to Christ-likeness, right? 00:39:35.680 |
Everybody wants to be the John 9 Christ, where he says to the blind man, "Go wash," and he 00:39:43.940 |
And inwardly, everybody wants to be the Christ that's shouted, "Hosanna, Hosanna." 00:39:49.500 |
So you have a picture of who Christ is, don't you? 00:39:53.180 |
You have a picture, and you take parts from the Bible, but the whole counsel of God must 00:39:59.460 |
And if Christ-likeness is the goal in your accountability group, do you remember Christ 00:40:10.280 |
When you hear this passage, do you feel a kinship with Christ? 00:40:16.100 |
Or is it so far from your spiritual vocabulary that you wouldn't ever dream of doing such 00:40:24.600 |
Remember Christ, the zeal of God so consumed him that he is okay with being misunderstood. 00:40:33.280 |
He is okay with having his reputation destroyed. 00:40:40.560 |
He is okay with that because of the joy set before him. 00:40:45.840 |
Christ in the temple, he is looking at those he would later save through his blood, and 00:40:52.760 |
those people are the ones putting him to the cross. 00:41:01.000 |
If you and I were alive during this time and we witnessed this event, what would you and 00:41:11.080 |
I get what Jesus is doing, but I would have done it more wisely." 00:41:13.800 |
Or, "I get what Jesus is doing, but I would have been more loving." 00:41:35.680 |
This is actually his second time cleansing the temple. 00:41:37.840 |
At least, his second time cleansing the temple. 00:41:42.760 |
At the very same time, does your accountability group lead you, and does it include a picture 00:41:52.040 |
Paul says it in a different way, capturing the same concept. 00:41:55.680 |
Philippians 3, 7-11 says this, "But whatever things were gained to me, those things I have 00:42:02.880 |
More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing 00:42:06.960 |
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but 00:42:10.880 |
rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in him. 00:42:14.640 |
Not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law, but that which is through faith 00:42:18.400 |
in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know 00:42:22.840 |
him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings being conformed 00:42:30.320 |
to his death, in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." 00:42:35.760 |
If Paul had it his way, he would have been transported with Christ in the temple. 00:42:46.600 |
There's another way that Christ in the temple connects with accountability. 00:42:53.480 |
The temple is a place where Jews came, or proselytes, Jewish proselytes came to meet 00:43:03.160 |
Where you give your devotion, where you give your time and your sacrifice to Yahweh, right? 00:43:15.320 |
Post-Pentecost, meaning today, where is the temple of God now? 00:43:25.040 |
First Corinthians 6, 19-20 says this, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple 00:43:31.600 |
of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 00:43:48.360 |
In your accountability group, will you allow Christ to cleanse the temple? 00:43:56.400 |
And let it be one, as you're good, I'm good, and everything's good, right? 00:44:09.280 |
Because we are the temple of the Holy Spirit that is in us. 00:44:26.520 |
In order for me to illustrate this point, it's gonna be helpful to know what an elder 00:44:35.560 |
Okay, it's gonna make a lot more sense, so I'm gonna go through that first. 00:44:39.200 |
And this is, these are in Titus 1.5-9, 1 Timothy 3.1-7, and 1 Peter 5.1-4. 00:44:45.680 |
It's not exhaustive, it's not exhaustive, right? 00:44:49.840 |
Now, I have a list here, I'm gonna read it to you. 00:44:55.080 |
Above reproach, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to 00:45:03.760 |
wine or quarrelsome, gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money, manage their own household 00:45:11.480 |
I don't know who this describes, it certainly doesn't describe me, right? 00:45:20.600 |
Be fast to word, exhort those with sound doctrine, refute those who contradict, shepherd the 00:45:25.160 |
flock without compulsion, be an example, mete out the administration of the church, pray 00:45:29.760 |
for all, deal with divisiveness, determine and enforce discipline. 00:45:36.780 |
If you have any depth with respect to understanding what I said, this is all humanly impossible. 00:45:48.360 |
In John 10, 11-15 it says this, "I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd lays down 00:45:54.000 |
He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the 00:46:00.800 |
And the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 00:46:02.960 |
He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. 00:46:07.120 |
I am the good shepherd and I know my own and my own know me. 00:46:10.960 |
Even as the father knows me and I know the father, I lay down my life for the sheep." 00:46:19.760 |
But the principle here is right, every elder is an under-shepherd of Christ. 00:46:26.280 |
Elders are not bosses, they're stewards, they're deputy shepherds. 00:46:32.000 |
And just as every single Christian is called to mimic Christ, the elder better mimic Christ. 00:46:39.520 |
So if you consider the list that I've just given to you with respect to what an elder 00:46:43.720 |
must be, with respect to what an elder must do, on top of that you have the example of 00:46:49.040 |
Christ in John 10, who does not flee when the wolf comes. 00:46:54.760 |
And the reason that is difficult is because the wolf will come in sheep's clothing. 00:46:59.720 |
And when the shepherd defends the sheep from the other wolf, the sheep are looking at you 00:47:04.840 |
because the wolf is dressed in sheep's clothing, thinking, "What are you doing? 00:47:13.480 |
Because the wolf is dressed in sheep's clothing. 00:47:15.840 |
But the shepherd must continue to feed the sheep. 00:47:20.920 |
And sometimes maybe the hand that feeds them might get bitten, but nonetheless the shepherd 00:47:30.760 |
All of these requirements taken in aggregate, the execution of what an elder must do is 00:47:51.360 |
What about the throngs of people that shouted "Hosanna" to the King of David, the Son of 00:48:04.080 |
I see a lone man taking on the corrupt religious establishment, making sure that everyone has 00:48:22.720 |
It should not be news to you that at some point in your Christian life, in some circumstance, 00:48:33.760 |
And as elders, and as elders, we visit this a lot because we are under-shepherds. 00:48:49.720 |
The requirements and the execution of what we have to do is humanly impossible. 00:48:58.040 |
Knowing all that, knowing all that, will you submit to us? 00:49:28.000 |
But I don't want to tell you, the Scripture commands it. 00:49:43.480 |
"Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who 00:49:54.400 |
"Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you." 00:50:09.720 |
There's another horizontal relationship that has the word "submission" implied, explicitly 00:50:49.600 |
We will love you unconditionally and we will love you deeply, no matter what you do. 00:51:00.400 |
But just like in marriage, when submission is practiced correctly, within the confines 00:51:07.880 |
of Scripture, maybe it'll become a witness to a dying world. 00:51:14.360 |
A dying world where their picture of submission is encapsulated. 00:51:20.720 |
It is filled with everything that is sin and corruption. 00:51:25.560 |
But maybe when they step inside the church and they see submission done the way of Christ, 00:51:47.440 |
It is the same exact picture within the church. 00:51:59.280 |
Because of the example, the reason, and the goal. 00:52:04.520 |
I know what I stated this morning is difficult. 00:52:10.260 |
And just like I said earlier, I love questions, and if you want to talk, let's talk. 00:52:16.680 |
If some of you here are offended by what I said, before you act on your state of being 00:52:23.840 |
offended, think to yourself, what is propositional truth? 00:52:31.980 |
Don't be offended and then read into the Scripture. 00:52:39.000 |
There are others of you who are rebuked, who are challenged. 00:52:45.160 |
Maybe you're even despondent because the Word of God tends to cut.