The sermon titled 'Children of Light and Their Leaders' by Jason Dohm explores the dichotomy between the children of light and the children of darkness as described in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13. The children of light are urged to live according to their identity, embracing conduct that reflects faith, love, and hope. This includes being sober, vigilant, and wearing the metaphorical armor of faith and love. In contrast, the children of darkness are depicted as unaware of their spiritual danger, living in a figurative state of sleep and drunkenness. The sermon emphasizes that salvation through Jesus Christ is the transformative work that enables believers to live as children of light. Dohm discusses the role of leaders in the church, highlighting three marks of leadership: labor, authority, and admonishment. Leaders should labor diligently, exercising authority with care, and providing instruction designed to edify and guide the congregation. Members of the church are encouraged to recognize and highly esteem their leaders, acknowledging their labor and authority 'in the Lord.' This relationship is grounded in mutual love and respect, facilitating spiritual growth and peace within the church. The sermon calls for church leaders to reflect the servant leadership exemplified by Jesus, while urging congregants to support their leaders and foster a peaceful church community.

We rest in the promise that the Lord shall wash her right and shed every tear and will prosper his word for what he sent. Sermon text today is 1 Thessalonians 5 verses 12 and 13, but I'm going to read starting in verse 4, four contexts. But you, bread, are not in darkness, so that this day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

Therefore, let us not sleep as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Therefore, come for each other and edify one another just as you are also doing.

And we urge you, Breton, to recognize those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love for the worse sake. Be at peace among yourselves. The title of the sermon this morning is Children of Light and Their Leaders. I'm picking up right at where we left off last week about the children of light. The title of the sermon last week was, Act Like What You Are.

And in last week's text, that's really what we're exhorted to. Paul and Silvanus and Timothy in writing to these New Thessalonian believers are arguing that there are only two families on earth. They are the children of light and they are the children of the darkness and each family has conduct that's fitting for that family. The children of light have conduct that's fitting for them. With the grace of God having been lavished on them and with the Word of God having been delivered to them.

There is conduct that suits that. The same is true with the children of darkness. So it's not enough to talk about which family you belong to. We are actually called to walk according to the conduct that's fitting for the family that we're laying claim to. And so the children of light should watch and they should be sober and they should put on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of hope of salvation.

So we have the picture here of the children of light and it's a picture of a warrior on duty. Breastplate on, helmet on, ready for action, watching, being sober minded. It is the picture of a warrior on duty. And then there are the children of darkness who sleep and get drunk. Obviously all of this is figurative language.

It's not literal sleep. We're allowed to sleep at night. And It's not literal drunkenness, although it can include literal drunkenness. The point is that the children of darkness are not sensible of their danger, and they're not sensible of their duty. That's the conduct that's fitting for them.

There's a conduct that's fitting to people who have no sense of their danger or their duty. That's how the children of darkness live. And then last week's text ended with this beautiful place. That there's a great work that produces this contrast. In other words, there is only one reason that we don't all live like children of darkness.

All the world would be plunged into the conduct of sleep and drunkenness, figuratively speaking, except for one great work, and it's the great work of Jesus Christ on the cross. We are saved from wrath. God is right to be angry against sin, and we are sinners, and so we deserve that his anger would be directed at us, but in Christ that anger is redirected away from us, the sinner, and placed wholly, completely on the shoulders of Jesus Christ. It is redirected away from us and we are actually appointed to obtain salvation. We are saved and we can live free.

This week we are getting more on the conduct that is fitting for the children of light. So you have to see everything in this week's text in that context. This is simply conduct being described by Paul and Silvanus and Timothy that is fitting for our family. We're children of light. If you've really repented and believe the gospel, you're a child of light.

And there's conduct that's fitting for you and that includes how you relate to leaders in a local church. So that's our topic for today. As we go to the text, let's go to the text in prayer. God, I thank you for what we are, all who have truly been saved by repenting and believing the Gospel. I thank you for an identity in Christ that is free from your wrath against sin, having obtained salvation.

And that not only are we no longer your enemies, we are your sons and daughters. It's almost unthinkable to us that we could go from being your enemies, deserving your anger, to being brought into your family, and having you as a loving, kind, caring, nurturing Father. We thank you for this God. The contemplation of this is so sweet to us. God I pray that you would help us to walk consistent with that to more and more as dear children to imitate you and to be conformed into the image of your Son.

I know that's what you're exhorting us to in this text, and I pray that you would send your Spirit to come and use your words in a mighty way to conform us into Jesus' image, how we need it. We pray for this in Jesus' name. Amen. So I want to read the text again. It's 1 Thessalonians 5 verses 12 and 13.

I'm not going to split it up today. I'm going to have two main points, but since it's just two verses, I don't think there's a point in splitting them. So I want to read the verses and then begin to speak about them. First Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 12 and 13. Paul and Silvanus and Timothy write, And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake.

Be at peace among yourselves." You're probably thinking, how can he get an hour out of this? I'm thinking, how am I going to be able to fit this in an hour. It's only two verses. Here's the first main point I believe that we have in these two verses. The first main point is leaders in the Lord.

Paul and Silvanus and Timothy in writing to these new believers in Thessalonica speak of leaders in the Lord. In other words, the Lord has given his people leaders and Our authors speak about these leaders and what they're to be like and what they're to do. So if you're taking notes on the handout and filling in the blanks, Lord fills in the blank. Leaders in the Lord. This phrase, in the Lord, is very important.

You cannot just skip over this phrase, in the Lord, because it is vital to the understanding of this. There is a way that the children of light ought to relate to their leaders, but the basis of this leadership is foundational. Meaning, you've got to start here with the basis for it. It is in the Lord. The leadership is in the Lord.

What does that mean? I think Matthew Poole has nailed it. Matthew Poole hits the nail right on the head. Listen to what he says in speaking of this phrase, in the Lord. It is from the Lord by institution and to be managed according to His laws and directed to His service and glory as its end.

So Matthew Poole says there are three things wrapped up in this phrase in the Lord. And I think he is right. I don't think he is reaching in saying any of these things. There are three things wrapped up in this phrase in the Lord. I think he is right, I don't think he is reaching in saying any of these things.

There are three things wrapped up in the phrase in the Lord. First, it is his idea. It is his institution. This isn't man's idea. Leadership in the local church isn't man's idea.

It has been given by God that there would be leaders in the local church. So it is by the institution of the Lord. And secondly, it's to be managed according to his laws. Leaders in the local church don't have the freedom to do whatever they want to do. It's his kingdom, it's his church, and it's his laws that are to govern his people.

Law is king in the church. Church leaders aren't kings in the church. They are not popes in the church. God's law is supreme. The leaders in the church are always looking to the Word of God to see how the people of God ought to be governed.

That's The second thing that Matthew Poole says is to be managed according to his law. And then finally, it's to be directed to his service and glory as its end. The end point of Leadership in the local church is the service of God and the glory of God. It's all to serve God, not the leader. It's all to bring glory to God, not the leader.

So nothing else gets served by this. Nothing else gets glorified by this when it's happening according to what the Word of God prescribes. So, lots wrapped up in the phrase, in the Lord, and it serves as the basis for the leadership. You can never be disconnected from it. Listen to Romans chapter 13 verses 1 and 2.

I'll be done reading before you get there, so I'm just going to ask you to listen to it. Romans chapter 13 verses 1 and 2, Paul writes, Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves." Then Paul begins to develop this in the realm of the civil magistrate, meaning state government. Paul is arguing in Romans 13 that state government is also God's idea and that civil magistrates, governors of the state, are actually there to serve God's ends in their duties in civil government. But this is true across all the spheres of life.

Any sphere where God has appointed an authority, it's true. It's God's authority. God is the ultimate authority. So all authority among humans is derived from God. God has appointed those authorities, and so it is in church life too.

That is why in 1 Peter 5, when Peter is talking about authority in the church, he begins in 1 Peter 5 by exhorting elders to shepherd. Meaning that leadership in the church has a certain quality to it. It's like shepherding. And so these leaders in the church are exhorted to shepherd, and then in verse four he says, and when the chief shepherd appears. Now think about that.

This is how authority works in the local church. There are elders who are leaders in the local church and they are exhorted to shepherd. That's the nature of their work. And then in verse 4 he says, And when the chief shepherd appears, if you've served well, you'll receive a crown that won't fade. Meaning, no man is the chief shepherd in the church.

The church has a chief shepherd, but elders are just under-shepherds in the church. They report to King Jesus, to the chief shepherd. And the chief shepherd puts under shepherds in place in the church to serve the church and to lead his people but always according to his laws. Just always in the Lord. Peter is really saying the same thing.

So Romans 13 says what 1 Peter 5 says what our chapter in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 says which is leadership in the church is in the Lord. It's God's idea. It has to be according to his law and it's to glorify him in the Lord. Now back to our text. This leadership in the Lord bears three marks.

We get three marks of this leadership in our text. By the way, listen to F.F. Bruce in his commentary. He says this, Since the three present participles are governed by a single definite article, the reference is to one group of people who perform three specific services in the church. We're talking grammar here and that's a confusing quote.

Let me break it down. He's saying that grammatically in the Greek that there is a single definite article that relates to these three activities in the church. The implication of that is that one group of leaders does these three things. You could look at it in the English and you could say well this could mean that One group of people does this function and one group of people does this function and one group of people does this function? And there are different groups of people but ff Bruce is saying The Greek is clear that that's that's not what Paul and so Venus and Timothy are teaching here They're saying that there's one group of leaders who fills these three functions, all of them.

So that's what we're dealing with here. Now here are the three marks of the leadership in our text. The first mark, it is characterized by labor. Here's the first mark of local church leadership. It's characterized by labor.

Those who labor among you. The NASB as a translation adds diligently. So those who labor diligently among you. And the Greek actually supports that. No translation gets it perfect at every spot.

And so this is why we compare translations and then look back at the Greek and say, you know what, this one might be a little bit better in this spot. I think the NASB is a little better in this spot. Listen to what the Greek actually means. If you go to the Greek word that is being rendered here, and you go to the lexicon, here is what you find. To labor with all weariness and effort to toil.

To labor with all wearisome effort to toil is the word. So labor by itself doesn't really give the full breadth of meaning of this word. I like adding diligently to that because you are talking about laboring to exhaustion. Here is the first mark of leadership in the local church and what it is supposed to be like. God raises up men to lead his people and how do they do it?

They work their fingers to the bone. They labor till they are exhausted or at least that is what God is calling them to. Now just flip back to chapter 2 verse 9. This is just earlier in the letter. Chapter 2 verse 9, For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil, for laboring night and day that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preach to you the gospel of God.

Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, the authors of the letter, have already said, here's how we lived among you, we labored and toiled, we worked our fingers to the bone, we worked to the point of exhaustion. And So our authors have set an example and then called the leaders that have been left in place in this church to follow their example. They set the pace. So the mature among them are now called to follow after the way in which Paul and Silvanus and Timothy lived among the Thessalonians for the probably months that they were there. Here's the point.

Leadership among the Lord's people is a position of labor, not privilege. You serve the people you are leading not the other way around. That is how it works in the kingdom of God. That is how it works among the Lord's people. The leaders are supposed to be working the hardest, not the least.

They're supposed to be working to exhaustion to lead and serve and help the Lord's people. Turn to Mark chapter 10. This is a little bit longer so you can get there before I'm done for sure. Mark chapter 10. This is Jesus speaking on the same topic and he's going to be driving the same point home.

This position of leadership is a position of labor, not privilege. Mark chapter 10. I'm going to begin reading in 35 and then I'm going to skip some and then I'll pick back up and I'll tell you as we go. So it will be easy to follow along. Mark chapter 10 beginning in 35.

Then James and John the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus saying, Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask. And Jesus said to them, what do you want me to do for you? They said to him, grant us that we may sit one on your right hand and the other on your left in your glory. I'm going to translate or add commentary. Jesus give us places of privilege.

Like the good seats, The one on the right to him and the one on the left to me Like in your kingdom. We want the places of privilege now. We're going to skip down to verse 41 to see what Jesus says. I'll read 41-45. When the ten heard it, the other disciples heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.

Why do you think that is? Because they want those seats. They also want the seats of privilege. But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles, lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you.

But whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many." So Jesus here and what he's teaching, when he's asked, when your kingdom comes, can we have the seats of privilege? He says, no you're gonna have to follow me. And he sets himself forward as the example of how those who will come after him in leadership among his people, they're going to have to behave like he behaved. How did he behave?

He came and served. So if anyone in leadership among the Lord's people deserves to be served, it's Jesus. We're all going to nod yes on that one. If there is a spot of privilege, Jesus deserves it and can have it and is worthy of it. But he didn't take the spot of privilege.

He took the spot of service. And When we read the Gospels, we find him laboring to exhaustion, to bless his people, to serve his people. And this is the calling of those who labor in leadership among the Lord's people now, to act like Jesus. Not to clamor for the place of privilege, but understand that this is a position of labor and that those who follow after Jesus in leadership have to lead like he led, which is to work to exhaustion. So that's the first mark of leadership in the Lord.

It is characterized by labor. Here's the second mark. It is authoritative. It is authoritative. Within boundaries, but Paul and Silvanus and Timothy don't talk about the boundaries in this text, so I'm not going to either.

I want to concede the point that It is within boundaries. We go to other texts for that, but I'm not going to spend time there, because it doesn't come out of our text today. Maybe we can explore that during the extended teaching time at the end of the sermon. It is authoritative. Our text says, Our text says, and are over you in the Lord.

The Greek word combines authority and care. Meaning the Greek word means both of these together. Never authority without care. The Greek word doesn't mean that. It doesn't mean a boss who doesn't care about the people who are under his authority.

It's not that. And It's never care, all care without authority. I care for you, I'm serving you, but there's no authority here. The Greek word doesn't mean that either. It means authority and care blended together.

It has these two elements. And so it's less of a boss and more of a caretaker or guardian. You get that? It's less of a drill sergeant who barks orders to underlings and more of a father. Now you have to be really careful when you start making analogies between church leaders and fathers.

There are many principles that apply, but they are different enough that to confuse them is not good. But the point is, there is real authority here. Yes, it is to serve like Jesus, but there's also real authority. In fact, this word that is rendered over you in our text of 1 Thessalonians 5 is rendered rules in 1 Timothy 3 which is talking about the qualifications for elders leaders also leaders of local churches and in in first Timothy 3 verse 4 it says that one of the qualifications is that he rules his own house well. It's the same word Over you and the Lord or rules his own house well is the same word in the Greeks.

Same word used both places. It's that sense. It's someone who yes has authority but also has those under their authority their interest at heart they care for them. So the first mark of leadership in the Lord is characterized by labor. The second mark is authoritative.

There is real authority there, but it is always blended with care. The third mark involves admonishment. It involves admonishment. And admonish you in our text. It involves admonishment.

Here's my definition of admonishment. I'm going to give you my definition and then the Strong's definition. You can probably go to the bank with the Strong's one, but I hope to make a point. My definition is this, instruction with an edge. Instruction with an edge, meaning that it's not simply a transfer of information.

There's that kind of instruction. Like, how do I change spark plugs? Well, here's how you do it. There's no edge to that instruction. So it is a transfer of information, but it's not simply a transfer of information.

It's the kind of information that's designed to move you, to get you to change, often to contradict you and to redirect you. It's instruction with an edge. Here's the Strong's definition. To put in mind, to caution or reprove gently. That's the edge, the warning, the caution, the gentle reprove.

So it is putting things in mind. It absolutely is the transfer of information, but it goes beyond that. And it's designed to move you, to redirect you, maybe to contradict you and gently reprove you. They reprieved you. The Lord's people are to grow.

We're not born again fully developed. The analogy holds, right? When you're born you're not fully developed, you're a baby. And so it is when you're born again. You're a baby.

There's lots of room for growth when you're first saved by the grace of God. So much room for growth. So many things you don't know, so many patterns that need to be reshaped. And some completely overthrown and replaced. So you are grafted into the Lord's people, You weren't part of the Lord's people, but now you are part of His family.

He saved you from wrath and you have obtained salvation through Jesus Christ. To put it into the words of 1st Thessalonians 5. And now you are to grow. You need to grow. And God has given you people to help you to grow.

Leaders in his church. They are to admonish you. They are to give you an instruction with an edge. To change you, to move you off of where you are and forward more into conformity to Jesus. That's the goal for all of us.

We're not very much like Jesus and we need to start being more like Jesus. So we've got to change. There's resistance to change in all of our hearts. Every heart has resistance to change. That isn't, that's not completely overthrown when you become born again.

You still have some resistance to change in there. God gives you leaders among his people, and it's their job to help move you forward. Hopefully not dragging you kicking and screaming but to help move you forward with gentle reproofs. So this needs to be acknowledged. Church leaders cannot always be your buddy We just got to acknowledge that that's not going to work nobody changes if all we are is buddies God has put people in all of our lives, yes to be our friends, but to be our friends, and then also This other thing that helps us move forward.

So all of us need to be on the lookout. Because there's something in you that doesn't like authority. And again, That doesn't all die when you become born again. Among real, live, born again people, there's something still in here that isn't all that happy about authority. So there's something in you that's still not that enthusiastic about authority, and there's something in me that really, really, really wants to be liked.

So all of us are going to have to be on the lookout for this. Because these realities that all of us still have something in us that doesn't like authority and all church leaders have something in them where they really, really, really want to be liked and thought well of and these realities can be an obstacle to me being faithful in the duties that God has given me in leadership in church and to you growing and making progress. So if all we are to each other is buddies, and there's no other dynamic in play, then I won't be doing my duties faithfully, and you won't be growing at the rate you should be growing. That doesn't mean we can't be friends, and doesn't mean that we shouldn't be friends. We're coming to love in the text.

Love is supposed to be the foundation of the relationship between church leaders and the Lord's people. Love, love, love. Friendship is wrapped up in that. We should be friends and our friendship should be growing. The only point that I'm making here is, is that our growing friendship cannot mean that admonition gets put into the backseat because you don't like authority and I really want to be liked.

It means we can't shove that in the backseat because God has called us all to things And those things are going to be neglected if we prioritize friendship over the things that God has given us to be faithful to. That's the only point I'm trying to make. There's also an opposite danger. What do they say in the military? In the military they say, officers aren't to fraternize with the enlisted men.

No fraternizing with the enlisted men. You find your friends somewhere else officers. You can't be going and mixing it up with the enlisted men because tomorrow you are going to have to go and be an authority and that will hamper that. The Church of Jesus Christ isn't the military where the officers can't fraternize with the enlisted men. How do we know that?

Because in our text it uses this phrase in verse 12, among you. And we urge you brethren to recognize those who labor among you. You find the same phrase in 1 Peter 5 which is about leadership in the local church. It's an exhortation to elders, 1 Peter 5 is. And it says that the elders should be among the people and then it says the people should be among the elders.

In other words, we're supposed to be mixed up. We're supposed to fraternize with one another. We're supposed to be fostering friendships here in the local church. And that is absolutely 100% supposed to cross over between lines of leadership and not in leadership? Absolutely.

So that was the first main point I think that is in the text. Leaders in the Lord and these three marks of leadership in the Lord. Here's the second big point from the text, I think. How the children of the light should relate to their leaders. So if you're taking notes on the handout, you're filling in blanks, the blanks are should relate.

How the children of the light should relate to their leaders. Verse 12 begins, and we urge you brethren, so Paul and Silvanus and Timothy are making an earnest appeal to family members. We urge you Brethren, they're urging Christians on, starting with the new believers in Thessalonica and extending to the year 2016 in Sovereign Redeemer Community Church. We're being urged, it's a family exhortation. It's a family exhortation.

And it's meant to increase the effectiveness of these leaders in the Lord. That's why they're writing it. That's why they're making the exhortation so that the people will hear the exhortation and they'll do what's being called for and it'll make these leaders in this church more effective. So that is the end of the exhortations that we're looking at in 1 Thessalonians 5. In these verses is that leadership will actually be effective.

That the purpose for which God gave leaders to his people would be fulfilled and his people will grow faster as a result of it. That's why they're writing to help these leaders to do their job more effectively. Here's what they say, here's what our authors say, the children of light are to relate to the leaders that God gives them in two ways. So Thessalonians, God gave you leaders. And you are to relate to them in these two ways number one they should recognize their leaders And we urge you brethren to recognize those who labor among you.

They should recognize their leaders. We should acknowledge our leaders. Now we don't know who is in leadership in the Thessalonian Church. We don't know how they got into leadership. Did Paul and Silvanus and Timothy appoint them during the few months they were there?

We don't know. Did Timothy appoint them when he returned to get a report about how they were doing? We read about that in chapter 3. We don't know. Is there some other way where this leadership arose?

We don't know. Were they elders? We don't know. They're not called elders in the text. Were they leaders before they could qualify men and call them elders and put them into that office?

We don't know. But here's what we do know from the text. The fact that we don't know means that stuff is irrelevant to the exhortations. If it was relevant to the exhortations and we needed to know it in order to obey these exhortations then it would be there. Here's what we do know.

These leaders were recognizable. They were recognizable. And so, Paul and Silvanus and Timothy call, recognize them, acknowledge the leaders who are there. It's implied, you know who they are, now recognize them, acknowledge them. And they're calling the Thessalonians to this, to say this in their hearts, I am to follow these men.

These are my leaders. God gave me these leaders. So I should be following them. Today, in 2016, we might say, not my internet pastor who is not my pastor at all, but the real guy that I know and whose hand I have shaken and is real flesh and blood to me not just digitized sound. I'm not saying you shouldn't listen to other teachers.

This is the age of access to wonderful preaching. Better preaching than you get on Sundays, as much as I hate to admit it. So go, fill up on it. Load up on it. But don't think that those guys are your pastors.

They're not your leaders. They might teach truth from the Bible that you should follow. That's not the same thing. This is talking about people that you look in the eye, who know you, and who can bring you instruction with an edge. They can admonish you because they live with you.

Who have a real care for you. The digital pastors, they don't know who you are. They don't even know your name. They're not an authority over you. They don't care for you.

It's not because they're uncaring. It's because they're just sermon audio to you. They're not your leaders. So you have to recognize your leaders and say, God has put these men in my life to help me make progress in this way. So number one they should recognize their leaders.

I'm saying they should recognize your leaders because Paul and Silvanus and Timothy are saying they're exhorting them to recognize. What is implied there? You can withhold it. If Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy have to exhort you to it, it means that you can withhold the recognition. You can withhold the acknowledgement that God put these leaders in your life to help you.

More on that in a minute. So that is the first way in which the Lord's people should relate to their leaders. They should recognize them. They should acknowledge them. They should say in their hearts, these are the ones that God has given to help me And to be authorities in the local church of my life.

Here's the here's the second way number two Second way the Lord's people should relate to their leaders. They should esteem their leaders in love. It's right out of the text. They should esteem them in love. The text says, Esteem them very highly.

The NIV renders this, Hold them in the highest regard. God is calling his people to acknowledge their leaders and then to hold them in the highest regard. When you look at the Greek, you see a word that you can tell our word hyper comes from. It looks almost exactly like hyper. You're being called to hyperestime.

Hyperestime. Like hold in the highest regard. The English words really won't quite hold us, hold it, that's what Matthew Poole says. The English words don't, like we can't quite find ones that does it justice. Like beyond measure.

The truth is church leaders can't lead very far without respect. Church leaders are not going to lead you very far unless you extend to them respect, esteem. If you want your church leader to lead you far, you have to extend to them your highest regard. You have to esteem them very highly. And again, the exhortation comes because you can withhold it These are things that are happening or not happening in your heart There might be outward manifestations that I can pick up on, but really I don't know whether you recognize me, whether you acknowledge the authority that God has given me among His people or not.

That happens in your heart. That's either extended to me or withheld from me in your heart. I don't know whether you hold me in the highest regard or not. That's extended to me or withheld from me in your heart, but the truth is, I can't lead you very far in the Lord unless you recognize me and esteem me highly. If you don't recognize me and if you don't respect me, then there's not much I can do to help you grow.

The text says this, in love, in love. Okay, this is not the grudging respect that you give to the drill sergeant Because he's in a position where he can scream in your ear and make you do it. This is not that. You will respect the drill sergeant. At least outwardly you will respect him.

But that's not what church life is like and that was not what our Lord is calling for here. He's calling for the Lord's people to extend to their leaders, esteem, high esteem, in love. So when Paul and Silvanus and Timothy say, God has taught you to love each other but increase more and more. Do you remember that from last chapter, chapter four? I don't need to write you about brotherly love.

God has taught you that you ought to love one another, but increase more and more. Pile it up. So when Paul and Silvanus and Timothy have taught that, all the brethren were included in that. So we're all supposed to be growing in love, piling it up, increasing more and more in brotherly love. That includes church leaders and all the Lord's people.

And the basis for this given in our text today is for their works sake. You should say in your heart, these men are laboring to lead me into growth. I have a deep debt of high regard and love to pay to these men. Thank you God for putting church leaders into my life. Thank you God for raising up certain men among your people to serve them and to help to lead me into growth.

For that, I owe them a debt for their labor, for their work on my behalf. I owe them a debt of high regard in love. So I have to respect them a lot and I have to love them. I owe them that debt because they're working their fingers to the bone to try to help me to grow. So the fundamental starting point of our relationship of church leaders to the Lord's people is two-way love.

Two-way love. I owe you a debt of love, you owe me a debt of love. And we go from there. All the other part of this is not going to mean much if we don't have two-way love. It's grounded in me loving you as a church leader and you loving me as someone that God has put in your life to help you to grow.

Two-way love. At this point, I want to examine two other New Testament passages that I think throw light on the subject. I'll ask you to turn to both of them. The first is 1st Timothy chapter 5. 1st Timothy chapter 5.

I think it throws a lot of light on this. It says many of the same things. But also adds depth to what is taught in 1 Thessalonians. There are only two verses. We're not working with a lot in 1 Thessalonians.

There's a lot packed into it, but it's really unfolded in a couple of other places. So we're going to these other places where the same themes are unfolded a bit more. The first is 1 Timothy chapter 5. The context of it is 1 Timothy chapter 3 where Paul has written to Timothy to say, elders must be this. You don't put anyone into church leadership until you have first verified that they're mature, They have mature Christian character demonstrated over time and that they are able to teach.

So that is already what we are going to only read in 1 Timothy chapter 5. But you have to know that that is in the background of 1 Timothy chapter 5. Is Paul saying no one should be in church leadership until it's been verified beforehand that they have mature Christian character and that they have an ability to teach the Lord's people. Now 1 Timothy chapter 5 I'm going to read verses 17 through 25 and I'm going to be sprinkling in comments. So follow along.

1 Timothy 5, beginning at 17. Let the Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. Here in verse 17 you can see we're talking about the same thing. We're talking about not a position of privilege but a position of work, of labor. It's those who labor, who rule well, and who labor in the word and doctrine who are to get the double honor.

Verse 18, For the scripture says, You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain, and the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear. I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality." So I want to stop here and make a couple of comments. First, there are two forms of honor that are spelled out.

So that first verse says, you should honor your elders and you should double honor the ones who rule well and labor, that's the same word by the way, labor to exhaustion in preaching and teaching. And then in these verses that follow that we're given two forms of honor. One is financial compensation that will allow someone in a local church to spend their hours that way. It's like not muzzling an ox that's treading out the grain. Feeding the ox allows them to keep working in your grain.

One form of honor is financial compensation that allows a man to spend his hours that way. The second form is a high bar for bringing accusations. Meaning, we all do have a level of resistance to authority in our hearts, so if we're not careful we'll be quickly indicted against our authorities, so we can allow people to just fly off the handle and bring accusations if they don't have their mess together. That's a very loose translation of the text. But it really is.

Don't entertain accusations from people who don't have their mess together against an elder. That is a form of honor is to say, Nope, we don't entertain this until the ducks are in a row, until you've got something substantial that can be substantiated by others. That's a form of honor. Now we're picking up in verse 22. I think this is the most crucial part of the text.

By the way, I'm going to skip verse 23, which is about drinking a little wine for your stomach's sake. That's not relevant to our topic. So I'm going to read 22 and skip 23 and keep going. Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins. Keep yourself pure.

Some men's sins are clearly evident preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow after. Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden. Here we have an admonition really critical to our topic. To be careful and take your time to put men into positions of leadership among the Lord's people. Don't lay hands on anyone hastily.

Now there are certain spheres of life where You don't have a choice. You don't get to pick your dad. Like, dad, I'm qualifying you to be dad. I'm not sure you meet the qualifications to be my dad. That doesn't work.

Okay? Your dad is your dad. But There are other spheres of life where you actually have the ability to determine who the authority is going to be. Now, you do and don't have that with the civil government. If you don't like being an American citizen and being over this government, you can conceivably immigrate and go somewhere else and say, I'm placing myself under that authority, not this one.

It's the same in the church. No one says you have to be here at Sovereign Redeemer. If you don't think that this is where the Lord would have you, you can go and say I'm not under the authority here, I'm under the authority there. And that is not a violation of anything in the New Testament, to my understanding. And so the local church is one of those spheres where you actually have an input into who your authorities are.

And what what Paul is saying in 1st Timothy 5 is be very very careful. This is going to have an impact on you for a long time to come. Getting people into authority is easy. Getting them out of authority is sometimes impossible. You let an unqualified man who doesn't have mature Christian character demonstrated over time into a position of authority, getting him out of that position of authority because he is acting in an ungodly way is going to be hard and maybe impossible.

So don't you lay hands on someone hastily. And then he goes on to say, some men's sins are clearly evident. In other words, you don't need intuition for that guy. Everybody can see that mature Christian character is not here. So we're avoiding him.

But for other people, you need time. I think that's what is being taught here. You need time. So you better not do it hastily. You better live together for a good long time so you can say, we've been observing his life through a period of years, and we know that this isn't just a good week or month in this man's life.

He's the real deal. So now we can lay hands on him. And the same with virtues. Some men you look at, not much there, but the longer you live with them, the more you see there's depth that isn't there on the surface. But if you live with them for a while, you see virtues that you never saw before.

I think that's what's being taught here in this text. We're seeing the same things that we see in our text in 1 Thessalonians. That it's a position of labor, not privilege, that there's real authority here, and that it is work that involves teaching and admonishing, and that we're to highly esteem those leaders, and give them even double honor. That's not even a phrase that's used in 1 Thessalonians. Here's the other place I'd like to go.

Hebrews chapter 13. There are two verses set apart in Hebrews chapter 13, so please turn there, that have a direct bearing on what we've been studying in our text. Hebrews chapter 13, let's read verse 7, and then 17. Hebrews chapter 13, verse 7. Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow considering the outcome of their conduct." Now skipping to 17, obey those who rule over you and be submissive for they Watch out for your souls as those who must give account.

Let them do so with joy and not with grief for that would be unprofitable for you." So here we see many of the same themes about the work that is part of leadership among the Lord's people and the recognition and submission that is due to those men once the Lord puts them into leadership. In addition to that we learn something additional about the labors of church leaders. They watch out for your souls as those who must give an account. Here the author of Hebrews is asking us to give consideration to something. The weight of the work.

I can just tell you, I don't know church leaders who don't have a sense of this, who don't feel this. I think the writer of Hebrews is in a sense calling for some compassion. Like your leaders, they feel a weight. They are watching out for your souls as those who must give an account. There is a sense of seriousness about the work and what is going to be required of them.

And So account for that in the way that you relate to them. The writer of Hebrews actually appeals to our self-interest. We usually think of self-interest as a bad thing, but it is not always a bad thing. Every once in a while it lines up with what's good. And this is one of those blessed times where our self-interest lines up with what's good.

If we submit to our leaders, and we relate with them rightly, then it's profitable for us. And the opposite is also true. The opposite is actually what's said in the text. If you won't let those leaders labor with joy, that is going to be unprofitable to you. Back to 1 Thessalonians 5.

Okay, back to 1 Thessalonians. Back to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. Verse 13, at the very end, an exhortation is given that I believe is closely related. Be at peace among yourselves. I do not think this is a dangling miscellaneous exhortation.

They just couldn't find another spot for it So they stuck it in at the end of verse 13. I don't think it's that. I think it's very closely related. In local churches, peace and order are closely related. Good order in a local church where leaders labor to exhaustion and they exercise authority in the Lord and they faithfully admonish, they give this instruction with an edge to the Lord's people to help them grow and where the brothers and sisters in Christ recognize their leaders, they acknowledge them, they say these are the ones that God has put in my life to be an authority over me in the church and help me to grow and they highly esteem them in love.

That is a church where peace is flourishing. They are related. When leaders really lead like Jesus led And when people really follow like the Lord's people are called to follow, you have peace in that church. When you have leaders who love the authority but don't want the labor, who are looking for a place of privilege, or who are exercising their authority not in the Lord but in a heavy-handed way, or who are withholding faithful admonishment because they'd rather be friends than contradict their friends, peace takes a hit. When you have people who give into the thing that's in all of us, it's not really wild about authority, so they're always kicking against authority, peace takes a hit.

Here's what Paul says in Romans chapter 12 verse 18, if it is possible as much as it depends on you live peaceably with all men. The same exhortation is being given in our text. That's Romans 12 verse 18. If it's possible, what does that mean? Sometimes it's not possible.

Sometimes it's not time for peace, it's time for war. But if it's possible, as much as it depends on you, peace doesn't always depend on you. Live peaceably with all men. So peace isn't the ultimate virtue. Peace shouldn't be an idol that we worship.

Sometimes you have to forgo peace to hold on to truth, but you should have a bias towards peace. You should, our default position should be I want peace. So here's my exhortation. Value peace more. However much you value it, value it more.

Not to make it an idol that we worship and sacrifice truth to, may it never be, but increase the value of peace in the church, in your heart. Protect peace more. Peace has to be protected. If we go back to the old way, if we let the old man have sway, and come back from the dead, and rule the day, we'll tear each other to shreds and no time flat. That's how it works.

We still have those old inclinations in the flesh. Even though our spirits have been resurrected and we're born again, we still have some anchors holding on to us. And if we allow those old inclinations to rule the day, we'll be at each other's throats and a heart and a knee. Peace has to be protected. Okay, applications.

There are two. The first is to me, but not really. Okay, I'll explain what I mean. A church leader has to come to this text and say, is my leadership in the Lord? Is it being regulated by what God has said or are my ideas being given too much sway?

It's God's church and his people to be regulated by his laws. Period. Amen. And church leaders are put in place to see that the word of the Lord rules among His people. So is my leadership in the Lord?

Am I laboring to exhaustion? No not really, I've got room for growth. Am I exercising authority in the Lord or is sometimes it too heavy handed? Yeah, sometimes. I got room for growth.

Am I faithfully admonishing and not holding back so we can be better buddies? Sometimes I do that. I have room for growth. On that topic, here's what Paul says in Acts 20 when he's exhorting the Ephesian elders. He said, I did not shun to declare to you the whole council of God.

I didn't hold back. Anything that was helpful, I said it. Church leaders should strive to have that testimony at the end of their labors. I did not hold back. The whole council of God.

I taught publicly, I taught privately, and when the instruction needed an edge, I didn't blunt the edge. I said this one is for me, but not really. Here's what I mean. Wait a minute. This is broader than just church leadership.

These principles apply to everyone who is in authority. School Teachers should take this to heart. Fathers should take this to heart. Mothers should take this to heart. Employers should take this to heart.

We are the people of God. We are governed by the Word of God. These principles apply. Fathers should absolutely be asking the question, is my leadership in this home in the Lord? Am I laboring to exhaustion to lead and serve these people that God has put in this home under me?

Am I faithfully admonishing? Fathers and mothers have that same responsibility given to them to impart instruction with an edge, and to contradict their children, and to redirect their children through their instructions to admonish. That was number one, is my leadership in the Lord, everyone who is in leadership has a position of authority, should be asking themselves that question and applying the standards from our text. Number two, and lastly, I want you to ask this about how you're relating to church leadership. Is there any sense in which you have been holding out?

Holding out on church leadership. If there is, I'm not really aware of it, meaning out like, I don't see blatant manifestations of you withholding an acknowledgement of authority in the church, or withholding esteem and respect. But I bet it's happening way more than I have a sense of it. I bet there are people who are listening now who are holding out. Here's what I want to say.

You're not holding out on me. I'm the least of your worries. God has told us to relate to each other in this way. And when you won't acknowledge the leadership that God has put in your life, you're holding out on God. When you withhold the respect and the esteem that is due to your leaders, not because they're respectable every minute, and are at all times what they ought to be.

Now, if you're waiting for that, you'll wait forever. So the question is, am I going to wait forever for my leaders to be what I never will be myself? Am I going to hold out in that sense? I have to have those things to do the work that God has given me to do. Do you get that from the text?

You have to have it. You have to acknowledge it. You have to acknowledge the authority that God has given me and to esteem me very highly or I can't do my work. You might say, well you could be more worthy of it. And I just say amen to that.

I know that. But we're talking about you and my ability to help you. So Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy write to tell the Lord's people, relate to your leaders in this way so that they can help you make progress in conforming to the image of Jesus Christ. We need the help. You may think I don't need the help I can get just as far if I withhold a recognition of authority and I withhold the esteem I can get just as far.

You know what? God doesn't agree with you. That's what our text says. God doesn't agree with you. God actually designed it so that you would need the people who he has raised up to help you make progress.

If you throw that off, you throw off your own progress. Let's pray. Father, I do, God, I thank you. I can see faces in my mind of men that you've raised up among your people who have had such a profound impact on helping me make progress. I thank you that you do this among your people that you raise up not people of privilege but people of service and labor to work hard among your people.

I pray that you would help me to be more like that. And I pray that you would help us to relate to one another rightly so that we make the most progress in becoming like Jesus. Oh how we need to become like Him, more like Him every day. I pray that you would bless us. I pray that you would send your Spirit among us to stir us up to these things and to help us make more progress faster so that we can be useful to you and bring glory to you in this world we pray in Jesus name amen