Jason Dohm's sermon on 'Defining Elder Authority' explores the biblical role and authority of church elders. He begins by emphasizing the divine inspiration of scripture and the importance of Psalm 23 and John 10 in understanding the shepherd-like role of Jesus and, by extension, church elders. Dohm defines elders as mature men appointed by God to serve and help the church grow, not to wield power. Elders are to emulate Jesus, serving rather than being served, and exercising authority as a form of service. This authority is delegated by Jesus, the chief shepherd, and is limited by scripture. Dohm outlines the roles of elders: leading, feeding, caring, protecting, and correcting the flock. He stresses that elders must understand their scope of authority, distinguishing between church, family, and government jurisdictions, and must not overstep these boundaries. The sermon also addresses the character of elder authority, encouraging a Christ-like, humble, and patient approach, warning against heavy-handedness and misusing authority. Elders are reminded to model themselves after Jesus, laying down their lives for the church and acting within the boundaries of their delegated authority.

As you're turning to Psalm 23, put a finger in John 10 as well. And while you're turning to Psalm 23, I just want to give this as an exhortation to my brothers and sisters and all who are here. One of my favorite verses in all of scripture is 2 Timothy 3, 16, as a reminder to all of us that these words that we're holding are holy, that they're delivered to us by the mercy and grace of a mighty God. Part of the routine that's so beautiful for us and we should have routine. The routine as we go through this week in and week out, this is one of the most beautiful times to me because it's where we exalt the Word of God and where we prepare our hearts even further for the word that's about to be preached.

I just want to remind you of this before we get to Psalm 23, that all scripture is given by inspiration of God. It's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and instruction in righteousness In this word inspiration if you look up this word, it's the new status And that new status part of that Greek word is the same that we use pneumo or lungs It's the breathe out by God. This word is breathed out by God for us Let's consider that as we now prepare our hearts for What Jason will come and preach to us is Psalm 23. Breathe out by God. The Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Our second text, John 10, turn with me.

We're going to pick it up in verse 11, John 10, 11 through 15. You'll see a similar theme. John 10, verse 11. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.

But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he's a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the Good Shepherd and I know my sheep and am known by my own as the Father knows me even so I know the Father And I lay down my life for the sheep. Would you pray with me? Oh Lord that you would breathe out words from heaven and give us knowledge of you.

Oh These words are beautiful Lord So much of your love and your mercy and your grace in these words today. Oh God, would you awaken souls now. Would you awaken my soul and every soul here? Prepare our hearts right now as Jason comes to deliver a teaching out of these beautiful words that you've given. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Well, sorry for the change of plans. We would have normally been in John 6, and I can't wait to be in this text in John 6. But James and Michael and I and sons that we took with us had a marvelous time considering eldership this weekend and we wanted to just bring back some of the blessing from that. And also it kept me from writing another sermon yesterday in the car. So, that was a fringe benefit.

The topic today is defining elder authority. In other words, elders have authority in churches among the people of God. Where does it start? Where does it stop? And I'd like to begin with a question, and the question is, who are elders?

Elders are men who the Lord has raised up to maturity, this is how it's supposed to be. No elder should be an elder if the Lord hasn't raised him up to maturity. But God has raised him up to maturity in order to serve the Lord's people and to help his people grow and make progress. So they're not there to be the boss. They are there to be servants of the Lord's people and to help them grow and make progress in the faith.

Like their master, The Lord Jesus, they are not to be served, but to serve and lay down their lives for the benefit of His precious blood bought people. This is what Jesus says of Himself, I didn't come to be served, but to serve and to lay down my life for many. And the point is if it's true of Jesus who deserves to be served more than any other being in the universe, who should be served more than Jesus and yet he's laid that aside in order to lay down his life for us, to buy us back from sin, and to cleanse us from our sins. How much more the leaders in his church are they not there to be served, but to serve and lay down their life for his people. Jesus is the chief shepherd, and elders are his under-shepherds.

Jesus loves his people and wants them to be lavishly cared for. So he raises up men to maturity and he gives them as a gift to his church. They are to love his people in very practical, boots on the ground kind of ways. Paradoxically, part of that service to his people is to exercise the delegated authority given to them. So I'm arguing that part of the way in which they serve is to exercise authority.

Now the modern mind cannot accept that premise. The modern mind cannot imagine a kind of love and service which is expressed through the exercise of authority. But so it is among the Lord's people. The fact that the Lord Jesus exercises authority over us doesn't mean that he doesn't serve us. He serves us in so many ways, so many precious ways.

So it is possible to serve people in the exercise of authority. You certainly see that with the Lord Jesus. The New Testament directs elders to exercise authority, but it is delegated authority. It's not their own authority. It's not inherent within themselves.

They are exercising authority on behalf of another whose authority it really is. The authority belongs to the chief shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he puts men in place to exercise a tiny slice of the authority that is inherent to Jesus, not inherent to elders. And so it's delegated authority and it is limited authority. Elders aren't put in place with a carte blanche, the ability to be able to do whatever seems good and right to them, he's actually given them an instruction manual. It's quite extensive, this is a big book.

And so these are the marching orders for the men that he gives these delegated authorities to. It has all sorts of limitations to the authority. They're not to do whatever they want or think they should do. They are to do what is in the written instructions, the Bible, the Word of God. I think all of us would acknowledge the mess that we've seen, the big problems that arise when people in authority don't have a clear sense of the other jurisdictions.

In other words, the church isn't the only jurisdiction in the world. God also made the family, God also made the civil government. And when authorities in each of those God-given, God-designed, God-ordained institutions, the family, the church, and the civil government, don't have a clear understanding of those other jurisdictions and where the boundaries are, they therefore aren't careful to honor the boundaries of their jurisdiction and the other jurisdictions, and they make a mess. Here's a classic example of that. Sexual abuse scandals in the church are a classic example of one jurisdiction overstepping and usurping the authority given to another jurisdiction.

Meaning that we've seen many instances of churches who experience sexual abuse within the church body and they say, we'll just handle all of that here. That's overstepping. Dealing with evil. Rendering justice for evil. There's an element of that that is given to the church.

I'm not saying a church shouldn't do anything in that instance, but when they say, we'll do everything in that instance, they've overstepped and usurped authority that was given to another jurisdiction. Romans 13 actually says of the civil magistrate that he is God's minister to render justice and to suppress evil. As we come to our topic, Let's pray. Ask the Lord to help us. God, I thank you for the beauty of your kingdom.

It is a beautiful kingdom where the king dies so that his subjects can live. Where can we go to find another kingdom like your kingdom? Where the king lays down his life, where the king doesn't exist to be served, but exists to serve. The great mission that he's given himself is to serve and to lay down his life. Oh, Lord, what a beautiful kingdom.

Help us to love your kingdom. Help us to function properly in your kingdom. To see our place in your kingdom. To be people who are laying down our lives as well. Thank you for your lavish care that you desire and put in place for your people.

We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. In Hebrews 13, verse 7, the writer of Hebrews says, remember those who rule over you. Then just a few verses later, same chapter, Hebrews 13 verse 17, the writer says, obey those who rule over you and be submissive. And then a few verses later, same chapter, Hebrews 13 verse 24, the writer says, greet those who rule over you.

So three times. Remember those who rule over you, obey those who rule over you, and be submissive to them, and then finally greet all those who rule over you. Other good English translations, like the NASB and the ESV, instead of those who rule over you, render it your leaders. When I go to blueletterbible.com and drill down into the Greek word that's being translated and see where it's used in other places in the New Testament to get a sense for this word. To me, those who rule over you has too hard of an edge.

It's not an inappropriate translation. Translators have a hard job. So they picked that word, God bless them. It seems like it's a little harder, it has a harder edge on it than the actual Greek word that they've been given the task to translate. And leaders seems a bit soft when I look at the usage.

So there you have it. Translators cannot please me. One's too hard and one's too soft. But when I look at those words, it seems like it's sort of something in between. In any event, it's the same Greek word in Matthew 2 verse 6.

Listen to Matthew 2 verse 6, a very familiar verse to you. But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah. For out of you shall come a ruler, there's that word, a messianic prophecy about who Jesus will be. Out of you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel." This is Matthew quoting Micah 5 verse 2. It's a prophecy about the Messiah.

Jesus is the fulfillment of that prophecy and Jesus is the ruler who will shepherd his people Israel. This fits right in line with what church leaders are. They are leaders or rulers who shepherd on behalf of the Lord Jesus. Here's the point. Church leaders, elders, have real authority.

They don't just show up and keep the meeting moving. Let's have some sort of organization here so we all make sure that we're in the know where we're supposed to be and what we're supposed to be doing. Yes, that's part of the work, but it's real authority. It extends well beyond that. So I'd like to spend the rest of our time just speaking of two categories.

One, the scope of elder authority. Where does it start, where does it end? What is the scope of elder authority? And then secondly, the character of elder authority. What's it like?

What should be the flavor, the sense? What should the feel of the exercise of this authority be? The Bible has a lot to say about the scope and the character of elder authority. So, number one, the scope of elder authority. Where does it start and where does it end?

I want to come at this indirectly, and here's why. The best understanding of the authority of elders is had by seeing things in relation to the roles of elders. In other words, if you want to understand the authority, you understand what's the work, what are they supposed to be doing, what are they made responsible for. If we get our minds wrapped around exactly what elders are given to do, their areas of responsibility, then defining the boundaries will follow from that. In other words, I'm arguing, and I think irrefutably arguing, that the authority is because of the work.

Why are elders given authority? So they can be the boss in a sphere? No. They're not given authority to be the boss, they're given authority because they've been given work, responsibilities, things to do. And the authority actually gives them the latitude to do their work.

So what are the key roles of elders? What are their primary areas of responsibility? Paul and Peter both say something which is enormously helpful in understanding the roles of the elder. Elder work is shepherding work. Paul and Peter both say that.

Elders are shepherds, and more precisely, under shepherds. There's a chief shepherd who puts them in place. They're completely under his authority in marching orders. Paul in Acts chapter 20, he's exhorting the Ephesian elders and he says, shepherd the flock of God. 1 Peter 5, Peter identifies himself as he's exhorting elders.

He identifies himself as a fellow elder. What does he say? Exactly the same thing. Shepherd, the flock of God. Shepherding elder work is shepherding work.

Elders are shepherds. They are under shepherds. Now what do shepherds do? Well, that's why the sermon text today was Psalm 23 and John 10. Because those two texts, an Old Testament text and a New Testament text, talk about God as shepherd and tell us what God as the shepherd of his people does for his people.

And his under shepherds are put in place to serve the Lord's people in those same ways. What do we see in Psalm 23 and John 10? Shepherds lead the flock. Shepherds feed and water the flock. Shepherds provide care for the flock in many other practical ways but the whole point of those other areas of practical care is the welfare of the flock.

In spiritual terms, fatness and happiness. God wants His people spiritually to be fat and happy. God, through Jesus, has a fat and happy flock, spiritually. And so he raises up men to maturity, he puts them in place in order to help his people be fat and happy, spiritually. Shepherds protect the flock.

The flock has many enemies. Shepherds correct waywardness in the flock. And all of this is about the love of God for His people. All of this is about the love of the Lord Jesus Christ for His people. Jesus wants His people to be lavishly cared for.

He doesn't want care for you to be skimpy. Care for me to be skimpy. Poultry. He wants it to be lavish so that we'll be fat and happy sheep spiritually. So what does that mean?

Those roles mean in terms of establishing the boundaries of elder authority? Because remember, the authority is so you can get the work done. That's why you're given authority for the responsibilities that have been given. So let's look at each shepherding role and then the implication of that role. First, shepherd's lead.

You saw that in Psalm 23, right? He makes the sheep lie down in green pastures. He leads them beside still waters. He leads them in the paths of righteousness. Shepherds lead, John chapter 10, that my sheep hear my voice, they know my voice and they follow me.

This is the shepherd who is leading and the sheep know his voice, hear his voice, and follow him. Shepherds lead. Here's the implication of that. Elders have delegated authority to order the life of the church according to the word of God. So I'm going to hit each role and in each role I'm going to give an implication and every time I'm going to say the same thing but I'm going to be filling in a blank.

I'm going to say they have the delegated authority to just press the point repeatedly that the authority of an elder isn't inherent authority that is his just because he's him and a great guy, but it has been delegated to him by God. And then I'm going to say at the end of everyone according to the Word of God. Elders don't just make this stuff up, have the freedom to do whatever they want, they have an instruction book, they have to act according to the instruction book. So here we go. Shepherds lead, the implication, elders have delegated authority to order the life of the church according to the Word of God.

Elders don't tell everybody what to do in every area of their life. But elders are accountable to God for ordering the corporate life of his people. We have a life together. This is part of our life, our church life. They are elders of the church.

They're not elders of your family. We're elders of people who are in your family, and your family is here, so maybe in some sense it would be appropriate to say I'm an elder of your family, but not in the sense of authority. The authority over your family is not me, the family has a head of that family, and I'm not the head of your family. So they're elders of the church, not elders of the family in that sense. They're elders of the church, they're not elders of the civil government.

If I go to the mayor of Youngsville and say, you know, I'm here to tell you how to do your work, he's going to tell me to take a hike. And you know what? He'll be right in doing that. I'm not an elder of Youngsville. Never intended to be.

I'd like to recommend a rigorous study of the regulative principle of worship. I probably wasn't familiar with that term until I was thirty years old and then when I got familiar with it I thought, how come nobody ever told me? But essentially the regulative principle of worship says this, corporate worship has always been something that is more precisely regulated than the other categories of life. Meaning, in the other categories of life, the Bible tells us what we need to know. The Bible gives us principles to operate by, but corporate worship, because God demands to be worshiped in the way that pleases Him, not in the way that pleases us.

Corporate worship, from Genesis to Revelation, has always been more precisely regulated than these other categories of life where we take broad principles and apply them. This is not how we act in the local church. We have much more freedom in other areas of life than we have in the area of our corporate life together because God has determined how it pleases Him to be worshiped. These are not to be inventions of our own minds, and He has said, worship Me this way. So that if there are things that seem to be a good idea to me, and yet we don't have a dark, unbroken line to instructions from the scripture to say worship God in that way.

I'm not free to implement that here. No God regulates his worship. He's the object of worship. He says how he ought to be worshiped and how it pleases him to be worshiped. And we follow those instructions.

This is the work of elders. Churches are filled with people who have awesome ideas. Just ask them. And Elders are men who have awesome ideas. Just ask me.

I got a hundred ideas and they're all good, believe me. And so elders cannot afford to be passive and just let the offering of any good idea take the church in a direction. No, not their own ideas, not your ideas, none of our ideas. God's ideas is what governs the local church. So we need to have a bold, dark, unbroken line between the things that we're doing in our corporate life in the local church and warrant for it from Scripture.

And so elders need to be able to hear those ideas and oftentimes say, no thank you and here's why. This can't be part of our corporate life, though you're free to pursue this outside of our corporate life. And here's why. We don't have specific warrant for that in the Holy Scriptures. We want a drama ministry for corporate worship.

No thanks, and here's why. We don't have any warrant for that. We don't have any commands to do that. We don't have any patterns or principles in the Word of God that would take us here. We're not at liberty to do that here.

So that's for a shepherd's lead. Next, shepherd's feed and water. Shepherd's feed and water. In Acts chapter 6, that's the text where one group of widows in the Church of Jerusalem are being looked after and the other group of widows are being neglected. And the leaders of that church ask the congregation to bring forward trustworthy, Holy Spirit, faithful man in order to give attention to that.

And then they say, but We will give ourselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the Word. You faithful men, go make sure the widows are well cared for and we'll give ourselves to praying for the church continually, be devoted to praying for the church, and we'll give ourselves to the ministry of the Word continually. We'll devote ourselves to the ministry of the Word. This is about feeding and watering the sheep of God. The food is the Word of God.

And churches need to be filled with food, the Word of God. This is exactly what we see in Psalm 23. He makes them lie down in green pastures. God gives His people green, like the best pasture land. And He leads them beside the still waters.

Elders, here's the implication. Elders have delegated authority to provide and govern the teaching of the Word of God. Elders have delegated authority to provide and govern the teaching of the Word of God. Who should be teaching? Normally an elder should be teaching.

It's his job to bring the people on behalf of the chief shepherd into green pastures where there's the best food. There are big churches, so they need a lot of teaching. Well then they should have a lot of elders. Elders should provide most of the teaching in a church. I say govern because it is fine that others teach.

Meaning that while elders should provide most the teaching in a church. Why? Because It's their job. Oh, but I'm a great teacher, but I'm not qualified to be an elder. I don't need to say more.

That tells you what you need to know. The ones who do most of the teaching need to be qualified to be an elder. But I also say, govern, because it is fine, good, that others teach from time to time, but there's never a time where the Word of God is taught to the people of God in a local church that the elders are not accountable for it. They might not do it, but they're accountable for it. And if something's not good about it, it's their job to step in and correct that, to retrace the steps and to make sure people understand this wasn't right.

They might not always do it, but they are always accountable to God for it. That's part of being an under-shepherd, under the chief shepherd. You own that, from a human standpoint in that church. Defining and defending sound doctrine is a key element of elder work. So we're talking about shepherds, feed, and water.

So a big part of that is defining and defending sound doctrine. I'm really thankful that we're in a place that says, hey, we have this confession of faith that's stood the test of hundreds of years from the year 1689, we believe this reflects sound doctrine. Boy, does that make our job easier. We've defined this is sound doctrine, so now we can give our attention to defending it. That's our job.

So we have the authority to define and defend sound doctrine. What would that look like in terms of defining? We've already said we have made part of this church holding to the 1689 confession. Well, let's say one day one of us said, there's something in this confession that's not right. We need to change and have an exception to it.

That's possible to do. Many churches have done that. Many good confessional churches have done that. Charles Spurgeon did that with the 1689 confession in his church in a couple of places. That may happen here one day.

The elders would lead that effort of defining sound doctrine. We have the authority to do that. God wants his people to have an abundance of good food, right? Fat, happy sheep, but also to be kept from poison. Some things you eat and die.

Some things are poisonous. Not all food is created equal. So there's kind of the two sides of the coin. One is feeding lots of good food. The best food, the greenest pastures.

The other side is there's poison out there keeping the sheep from poison. And this is all about the love of God for His people. He wants His people to have an abundance and to be kept from things that are harmful. Next, shepherds provide care. Shepherds provide care.

In many other ways, John 10, the shepherd is bringing into the fold and is laying down his life for the sheep. And of course, primarily, what is in view there is Jesus dying on the cross. It gives life to his sheep. But there are also many other practical ways where shepherds lay aside time, inclinations, preferences in order to serve the sheep. Jesus did that many times during his life in the Gospel accounts.

Jesus is opposed and railed against and he doesn't respond in kind. So shepherds provide care in many practical ways. Here's the implication. Elders have delegated authority to help people grow and make progress according to the Word of God. Elders have delegated authority to help people grow, make progress According to the Word of God.

This means that elders have authority to make demands on people's time and participation. Do you believe that? Well, I believe that. I believe I have the authority, the right, under the chief shepherd, according to his word, to make demands on your time and participation. Is this absolute and unlimited?

Absolutely not. It is not absolute, and it is limited. It is not so that I can micromanage your life. It is love to help you grow and make progress. This means that elders have a right to expect a reasonable level of access to people's lives.

I have the right, Michael has the right, James has the right, to a reasonable level of access to your life. In other words, it will not do for you to say, I'm here for Sundays, but leave me alone the rest of the time. We're not going to leave you alone. We think we have the authority to expect a reasonable level of access to your lives. In Acts chapter 20, Paul is talking about his life among the Ephesian church.

He spent three years in the church of Ephesus. And he's recounting how he lived among them and he says, I taught you publicly, period no. I taught you publicly and from house to house. If Paul were here, he'd want to be in your house. He'd want to be teaching in your house.

He'd want to be bringing spiritual progress and growth into your house by bringing the Word of God to bear, by being with you. Alexander, I wish you could have heard him, but he spoke very powerfully on our first day together about just the value of the presence of elders among the people. They're not just Sunday administrators Who make sure things run okay on Sundays. No. We're to be together.

We're to walk with you. Two things. When shepherds meet with people, they routinely ask hard questions about sensitive topics. Please don't resent that. Not only do we have the authority to do that, well we have the authority to do that because we have the responsibility to do that.

We're going to meet with you. We're probably going to ask you hard questions on sensitive topics. The aim is to help you grow and make progress. Secondly, when shepherds meet with people, they bring the Word of God to bear and make observations on things that are completely outside their scope of authority. I might meet with you and I might have a fair amount to say about things that aren't my call at all.

I might desire to bring the Word of God to bear and make observations on things that are your call. So elders can speak to anything. Elders have outer limits to their authority where it's their call and they can insist that they can speak well beyond that boundary marker and should be speaking well beyond that boundary marker. When I was in Montgomery with a bunch of fellow elders, I said, brothers, we have to be very judicious and a light touch when we're doing that. We can't give the impression when we're speaking of those things that are on the other side of the boundary and speak of them as if they were within the boundary and it's our call.

No way. You have to speak of those things in a way where they understand you know where your limits are but you're speaking, you're trying to bring the Word of God to bear on something that's outside of your authority. I think there's more on that in a minute. Next, shepherds protect. In Acts chapter 20 Paul is with these Ephesian elders and he's saying savage wolves are going to come in among you and scatter the flock.

And the implication is you are there to stand against that and protect the flock. There are always savage wolves outside, sometimes inside, who are looking to disrupt the life of any local church, to disrupt the life of the people of God. The implication? Elders have delegated authority to deal decisively with harmful people and harmful doctrines according to the Word of God. Elders have delegated authority to deal decisively with harmful people and harmful doctrines according to the Word of God.

Now, there are ravenous wolves and there are cantankerous sheep. Sometimes they're hard to tell apart. How do I know about cantankerous sheep? Well, I've been a Christian for more than 30 years, and there have been times where I was a cantankerous sheep. I was very ungrateful and grumbling against my elders.

When I look back on it, I'm embarrassed at times about how I've grumbled against former people who have had authority over me. So I know a little something about cantankerous sheep. But the point is, for ravenous wolves and cantankerous sheep, they harm the people that shepherds are charged to help, and so the shepherds must act. They have the God-given authority to confront them, both ravenous wolves and cantankerous sheep, and to rebuke them, first privately and then, if necessary, publicly. I don't think I need to develop this point that there are terrible teachers who are representing themselves as Christian teachers.

Who represent themselves as leading people into green pastures, but really they're feeding poison. I suppose you can see them live, but these days we don't really see them live. We listen to them on audio, we read their books maybe, or their blogs. And elders have the delegated authority to say you shouldn't listen to that. You shouldn't be reading that.

And you cannot promote that here. If you promote that here, you're going to find yourself nose to nose with a unified elder team who are going to put a stop to it, not here. Elders have the authority to do that when harmful people are bringing harmful doctrines into the church. Next, shepherds correct waywardness. When a sheep wanders away, what does Jesus do?

Bye sheep. No, he leaves at 99 and he goes after that sheep. He doesn't leave that sheep to just... Wherever that sheep wants to go, I guess the sheep just wanders away. Oh well, dumb sheep.

That's not how Jesus operates. That's not how his under-shepherd should operate. In Ezekiel 34, it's a chapter about bad shepherds. One of the rebukes in Ezekiel 34 is there was a scattered flock and the shepherds were not going after the wayward sheep. The implication, when necessary, elders have delegated authority to address sin and lead the congregation in disciplinary processes according to the Word of God.

When necessary, we hope it's never necessary, sometimes it is necessary, elders have delegated authority to address sin and lead the congregation in disciplinary processes according to the Word of God. It's going after sheep that are straying. In our church the elders have the explicit right, meaning this is in writing in our Constitution, have the explicit right to carry out certain forms of discipline ourselves. We can always go to you and speak to you about things that are concerning us in your lives. We can actually, This is explicit, this is in writing.

We can require you to meet with us. When you join here you say, yes, if you call me over concerns in my life and you want to address them and talk about them, I'll come. The elders here can remove people from responsibilities that they've been given if we're addressing waywardness. The more serious forms involve the congregation, but it's led by the elders. And the most serious form, putting someone out of the church, is an act of the congregation.

In other words, the elders cannot do that. The voting members enact that here. But in any event, in any of those, it was sort of a continuum. I have the right as an elder to have lunch with you and speak to you about something that concerns. That's sort of the lightest touch.

All the way through being put out of the church, in any event, Members have the explicit right, again, this is in writing, in our church documents, members have the explicit right to appeal to the congregation. If they feel like the elders are being heavy handed, are using their authority inappropriately, wrongly, you can appeal to the congregation if you're a member here. You have the right to do that. And I think that's right. Unaddressed sin is leaven.

What does that mean? What does leaven do? Leaven works through the whole batch. You leave sin unaddressed, what are you going to get? More sin.

Spreading sin, that's how leban works, that's how sin works. Unaddressed sin is a blight on the name of Jesus Christ. The Lord's people are to be a holy people. Are we holy? No.

But we are to be growing in holiness. But when we are growing in unholiness, we have to step in and elders lead that. For the name of our Savior, Shepherds have the responsibility and authority to address sin. So that is a bunch of thoughts on the scope of elder authority. Now Let's talk about the character of elder authority.

What should the exercise of authority be like? What should it feel like? What should it have the taste of? After all, not all expressions of the exercise of even rightful authority is created equal. It's not all created equal.

Even within the boundaries. Here's a question. I think this question helps us think about this. How often does a man who has been a Christ-like husband for a decade... Are you with me so far?

Man has been a Christ-like, lay down his life, wise, self-sacrificing husband for a decade. So that's our man. How often does that man have to put down his foot in his marriage? So he's been washing his water in the word like Christ does with his bride. He's been laying down his life for that woman.

In almost every case, if a man's been acting like Christ in his marriage for a decade, he's not putting down his foot every week or even month in his marriage, or maybe even year. That's not how it works anymore with him. He's been leading this thing in a Godward direction for a long time. So the instances where he's got to put down his foot and say, no, I know you don't agree, but we're doing this, or few and far between, maybe never anymore. That's the goal for elders.

Okay, three texts I'd like to take us to that speak to the character of elder authority. The first is Matthew 20. Turn to Matthew 20. Matthew chapter 20. I'll be reading verses 25 through 28.

This is right after the mother of James and John come to Jesus and says, I'd like for there to be places of honor for my sons in your kingdom. I'd like for one son to sit on your right, and the other son to sit on your left. The other disciples are not happy about this request. In Matthew 20, verses 25 through 28, that Jesus called them to Himself, this is the disciples, Jesus called them to Himself, and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them, and those who were great exercised authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you.

But whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave. Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many." If you take that phrase, the exercise authority over them, if you take that literally and say this means that Jesus says the disciples don't have authority, the rest of the New Testament is not going to make sense to you. The rest of the New Testament is about them actually having great authority over the Lord's people. He's talking about how they go about the exercise of their authority, and he points to himself.

The great truth of this text is that Jesus is the model for the exercise of authority. Does Jesus exercise authority? Is He the head of the church? Of course He is. How did all this start?

He went to the cross, he bled, he died for his people, he bought them their life. That is the context for the exercise of his authority. The cross is the context for the exercise of Jesus' authority over His people. Let me ask you this question. Do you resent Jesus' authority over you?

Well, in your sane moments, you don't. From time to time, We are bent that we're going to sin, so we resent His authority. But that's our problem. Almost all the time, we don't resent it. Why?

Because He has proved what this is about at the cross. He has proved that his authority and how he exercises it over us is for our good. If you ever doubt that for a moment, you just look to the cross and all of that just melts away and you know Jesus is in it for your good. Everything he's doing, commanding you to do, keeping you from, is for your own welfare. You know for sure because he has laid down his life.

That should be the context for the exercise of elder authority. That they're laying down their lives for their people. With all their flaws and with all their sins, the people in the church seeing the shortcoming, the people in the church should be, hey, This guy is a knucklehead from time to time, but he really is laying down his life for these people. For us. Ephesians chapter 6 verse 4 begins, Fathers do not provoke your children to wrath.

This is about the exercise of their authority. They are to bring up their children in the training and admonition of the Lord. So they are to exercise authority over their children, but he doesn't start with talking about exercise your authority to bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. He starts that sentence, do not provoke your children to wrath. So it's not fathers do not exercise authority, but it's a recognition that there are ways that you can exercise your authority that exasperates the people who are under your authority.

Fathers can do that. Civil governments can do that. Church leaders can do that. Do you have the rights to exercise authority? Yes.

Do you have a right to exercise your authority in a way that provokes to wrath? No. It is unkind and sinful to tempt the people of God to sin by clumsy, heavy-handed exercise of our rightful authority." That's a mouthful. I think it's an important sentence, so I'm going to read it again. It is unkind and sinful for me, as an elder, to tempt the people of God to sin by the clumsy heavy-handed exercise of my rightful authority.

Let me unpack that for a second. I'm acting within my bounds. I'm within my jurisdiction, within my rights. Maybe I'm addressing sin and I have the right and even responsibility to address the sin, but because I do it in a clumsy and heavy-handed way, I provoke you to sinful wrath. That was unkind and sinful of me.

This is the same with our children. It really is unkind and sinful for us to parent in a way that tempts them to sin. Children, don't use that as a weapon against your parents. They're the ones who are in the position to decide if that's the case or not. So if you quote me this week and it gets back to me, you are in trouble with me.

We have the phrase in this text, Lord it over them. That's how the Gentiles do it. They just Lord it over them. In the context of the local church, this is an elder who has lost sight of the chief shepherd. He started to act like he's Lord.

I'm the Lord here. And he say, you do. Lording it over. The whole phrase chief shepherd means you aren't the chief shepherd. You don't own those sheep.

Elders don't own the sheep. Elders are in place to serve the sheep. Elders exist to serve the people. The people do not exist to serve the elders. James and Michael and I exist to serve you.

That's the only reason for us being elders. You don't exist to serve us and to fulfill our grand vision of what the local church should be like. We have a grand vision of what the local church should be like. We should worship God with all of our hearts and we should press forward the boundaries of the Kingdom, the Great Commission. That's it.

That's the grand vision. We're not needed to produce a vision. We have the vision and our job is just to kind of by example and by teaching lead us there to the grand vision that Jesus has given us all. Okay, that was Matthew 20. 1 Peter chapter 5, turn to 1 Peter chapter 5.

There's a lot, there's half dozen or more, it's more. There's more than half a dozen important elder chapters in the New Testament. If I had to throw them all away, I could only lay claim to one, it would be 1 Peter 5. It's my favorite. It is so rich.

1 Peter 5 verses 1 through 5. Peter identifies himself as a fellow elder. He's an elder of a local church too. Along with being an apostle, he's an elder in a local church too. 1 Peter chapter 5 verses 1 through 5.

Peter writes, the elders who are among you I exhort. I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed. Here's his exhortation, verse 2. Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly, nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

Likewise, you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud that gives grace to the humble." Peter's exhortation, shepherd the flock of God. In other words, it is the flock of God, it is not your flock. He owns that flock, it is his flock, It is his possession. You shepherd it.

Then he tells us how our shepherding should and shouldn't be done. It should be done willingly. It shouldn't be done by compulsion. In other words, if someone has to make you to do it, quit. Elder work should be a privilege in your heart.

If it's not a privilege to serve the Lord in this way, go do something else. You're not compelled to do this. This is a voluntary service of worship to the Lord. It should be done willingly. It should not be done by compulsion.

It should be done eagerly. It should not be done for dishonest gain. Alexander Strouk quoted some statistics and had some anecdotal stories of how widespread stealing is among church leaders. Shocking for dishonest gain. It should be done being examples.

It shouldn't be done as being lords over. Here's what Jeff Pollard said in a sermon on this topic several weeks ago. Jeff Pollard said, elders are not just imperious leaders, Kings, there to tell you how to live, but ones who walk with you and show you how to be Christ-like by example. Bingo! That's it.

Elders walk with people. They've lived a long time under the Lord's discipleship and under the discipleship of more mature Christian men. And they've grown and they've been through the wars so They know how to walk with you, because they've seen this stuff that is common in the Christian life. They can help you make progress and grow in the faith because they've made progress and grown in the faith. Not in every way, not in every category.

They're not the gold standard. Jesus is the gold standard. But elders are ones who walk with you and show you how to be Christ-like, by example. The people God has appointed us to serve, has appointed elders to serve, need to see us going about our work in this way, giving attention to the shoulds, being so cheerful and willing and eager and honing our example of what it means to be Christ-like all the time, and they need to see us being careful to stay away from those shouldn'ts. There's never a sense that we're doing this by compulsion.

There's never any theft or dishonest gain, and that we're not acting in a high-handed, lording it over kind of way. He is the chief shepherd, he owns the flock, and we are put in place to serve and bless his people. There's a parable that Jesus says of a servant, while the master is away, who begins to mistreat and beat his fellow servants. And when the master comes back, there is a fearful reckoning. Elders should live in the shadow of that parable.

Knowing that the people they are serving, at the end of the day, are fellow servants. We're all serving Jesus, our fellow servants. And if we forget that and start to mistreat, abuse our fellow servants. The Master is coming back to take possession of his people, and there is going to be a reckoning for all of that. Should be a fearful thought for every local church leader.

Finally, 2 Timothy chapter 2. 2 Timothy chapter 2, what a precious section of Scripture. 2 Timothy chapter 2, I'll be reading 23 through 26. 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 23, Paul writes, but avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel, but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know the truth and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

This is from a pastoral epistle. There's a group of New Testament books that are known as pastoral epistles because They are written to give counsel to church leaders. This is one of those. 2 Timothy is a pastoral epistle. Paul is writing to Timothy here in order to give him pastoral counsel.

How should you conduct yourself among the Lord's people? Now sometimes elders are dealing with a ravenous wolf and this text does not apply. They can't act like this. They have to be forceful and decisive but most of the time elders can and should be acting like this. They should be patient, they should be gentle, they should be humble.

Unless you have confidence that you're nose to nose with a ravenous wolf, and you need to be forceful and decisive, this should be the mark of how elders are among the people of God. Patient, gentle, humble. Elders must always be asking themselves this question. Fathers? Mothers?

Not a bad question for you either. Does this text describe the rule for me or the exception? So in dealing with waywardness, that's what we're talking about in the text, we're talking about not quarreling, but being patient and gentle and humble. Is that the rule for me, or the exception? When we find those exceptions, we need to repent.

And we need to resolve to be more patient, more gentle, more humble going forward. There's a natural aversion to authority anyway. Meaning, this happens in my heart, I know this happens in your heart, that just the fact that someone is saying what I should do is a problem for me because I'm a human and we're on this side of heaven. So there's that in play. You just inflame and aggravate that by not being patient, not being gentle, not being humble.

Applications. Here's what I said to the elders, to my fellow elders in Montgomery, Alabama. Four things. One, elders must have very clear in our minds where the boundaries of our office are. Where are the boundaries?

Where do they start? Where do they stop? You've got to have that clear in your mind. People are going to make choices in this church, in every church, that the elders think are very unwise, but are not within our authority. We think, I've seen this movie before and I know how it ends.

They are on a track to disaster. But it's not your call. They're Determined to send a son or a daughter into an environment that you think is going to be a bad, harmful environment for that son and daughter. Guess what? It's not my son or daughter.

At the end of the day, it's not my call. Things that are going to be watched in homes, and allowed to be watched in homes, that I think are poisonous and harmful. People are going to spend the hours after we leave here today, it's the Lord's Day, we have a confession that speaks to what we think the Lord's Day is, people are going to spend those hours in a way that we think is unprofitable and maybe even against what the Lord's Day is to be about. I'm talking about what happens here on these grounds while we're here. I'm talking later in your home.

That's not my call. By the way, you might find some of the things that we do at the domicile unprofitable and against what the Lord's Day is all about. This can happen in any direction. The first application is elders have to have it clear in their mind where is the boundary marker where I might have a strong view but it's not my call. Elders have to know where that marker is.

Number two, elders speak to anything. I can speak way beyond that boundary marker. I could talk to you about how you spend the hours after we leave here today. If I think it's good, it would be profitable. While being careful to operate within the boundaries and acclimating my speech to whether I'm speaking to something under my authority or not.

I talked about this earlier. I might say to a man, brother, at the end of the day, this is your call. I got it. This is your authority, not my authority. But I want to just do my best to appeal to you based on the Word of God.

Like, let's look at this text. Hey, I'm worried about what's happening under your roof because of this text, and Here's how I see it. It's your call. I got that. But I'm appealing to you just to consider what the Word of God says here.

Number three. Elders should not be timid when acting within the boundaries of our authority. Elders can actually harm themselves and their work considerably by being timid when acting within the boundaries of our authority. I'm not saying we shouldn't be patient, gentle, humble. I'm saying timid.

I think those are different. This is a counter reaction to clumsy heavy handed exercise of authority. We've all seen it. We know it happens in churches. We all hate it and sometimes elders as a result of that over rotate and they'll apologize every time they exercise their authority.

That's a mistake. Timidity actually erodes your God given, God delegated authority because you're acting like you don't really have it. Try this with your children. You know this with your children. When you're too timid about your authority, next time it's really hard to exercise it because you've acted like you shouldn't have exercised it the first time.

You've given up ground that God gave to you. Some of us need to stop apologizing for the exercise of our authority. In our homes, in the church. Here's the reality. Sometimes an elder will be within the bounds, clearly having authority, and he'll exercise that authority in the right way, gently, humbly, patiently, and it will still be resented and maybe even raged against.

This is a reality in an elder's life. He had the right to exercise it, He wasn't being a jerk, and it's still resented. He might as well have been a jerk. Not really. It wouldn't have had a different result.

He gets raged against anyway. Here's what I said to my brothers in Montgomery. Get over it. Get over it. You've been that way in time past too.

It is part of life on planet Earth. If you have a thin skin and you can't take resentment of your authority, go find other work to do. We cannot be oversensitive children. We're here to serve and bless and help and sometimes it will go unappreciated. Oh well.

Number four, finally. For elders one thing is needful, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. He's the chief shepherd. Really, the weight is on the shoulders of the chief shepherd. Elders can get wrapped up into knots as if they owned the flock.

Nothing can end well unless they do just the right thing at just the right moment. Elders aren't thinking right when they do that. The weight of the flock is on the shoulders of the chief shepherd. His shoulders can bear it all and then. So the job of an under shepherd is just to look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, to cry out for wisdom.

The people you're serving are his people. He can make it all end well the way he wants to. Here's how I closed with these brothers in Montgomery. So look to him. He will help you exercise the authority.

He is delegated to you. Look to His Word. And then try to act like Him among His people. This is the great task for an elder. Try to act like the Chief Shepherd.

Lay down your life for that flock. Wash them in the water of the Word. Feed, protect, correct waywardness. All these things that we see Jesus doing for His people, God doing for His people, you're a little part of that. Go act like him among his people.

Why? Because he loves his people. That should give every local church shepherd such confidence and joy. All this is about the love of Jesus Christ for his people. He hasn't left us or forsaken us.

He's here helping all of us and helping elders. He loves elders and He loves His people. And elders can count on God showing up when He's needed. Elders don't need to wonder whether he's going to show up with what's necessary when he's needed. He will.

He loves his people. Almost every Sunday, if I'm nervous about a sermon, or I'm feeling like it's inadequate or something like that, this thought occurs to me multiple times per month, I know the Lord loves His people, I know the sermon is not what it ought to be. Well, okay, God loves His people, He will feed His people today. I can count on God showing up, even if the sermon is not what it ought to be. Father, I thank you.

Your kindness and goodness is stunning. Your lavish care for us is stunning. I pray, God, among your people, in the churches in our community, you would raise up such a crop of men who have been served well by their leaders, who have been discipled by the Lord Jesus Christ, who have been brought to maturity not to be served but to serve. That they would lay down their lives for your people so that we might grow together. We might make progress in the faith together.

We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.