The Church
The Church’s Shepherds: Elders Who Lead, Protect, and Love the Flock
Elders are not administrators or figureheads—they are shepherds entrusted with the spiritual care of Christ’s people. From 1 Timothy 3, we learn that the office of overseer is a “noble task” , shaped not by skill or charisma but by Christlike character. This sermon explores the four biblical words for elder—episkopos (overseer), presbyteros (mature leader), poimēn (shepherd), and didaskalos (teacher)—and shows how each reveals a facet of godly leadership. Elders oversee the church with humility, protect the flock from falsehood, feed believers with the Word, and nurture them with gentleness. Their authority is not domination but burden-bearing love: “to take the burden of the sheep… to care for you” . As a church family, choosing such men matters deeply, because their priorities shape the tone, health, and gospel focus of the entire body.
1 Timothy chapter 3. The saying is trustworthy. If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach. The husband of one wife, sober minded, self controlled, respectable, able to teach. Not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not crowsome and not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well. with all dignity keeping his children submissive. For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert or he may become puffed up with conceit and forward to the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders so that he may not fall into disgrace into a snare of the devil. Dear Father, ask Lord that you would take your word. and that you would make it transformative in our hearts. Lord, that by the power of your Spirit, you would do something, you would not let your word return to you void, but Lord, you would go out and achieve what you set it out to achieve. So Father, would you grant us understanding and wisdom? Lord, would you help me to speak with clarity? Father, we might grow together as we behold your face from one degree of glory to the next. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Now, I have a fun word for you guys. Have you ever heard of the word ecclesiology? No, because it sounds super boring and for the most part people tend to think it is. But... As we have an AGM coming up soon, and that tends to be the kind of thing where we sit there and go, ah, cool, the business side of things that no one actually cares about and doesn't really matter. Well, I would like to speak to, I understand it, I get bored in them too, but there is actually a very important side to things like this. And this word ecclesiology sounds really fancy, but when you have ology on the end of anything, all it means is the study of. And ecclesia is the Greek word, it's very, For church, you know what it actually means? Assembly. Literally people just getting together. That's all it means. In Greek, if you went to Greece or something like that, people would be, oh, we're go have, you know, I'm hanging out with the guys, we're gonna go have an ecclesia. Probably not quite, but you know, when the people would gather together for a reason, it was a secular word. And over time, it became to mean the church. And obviously have a lot more meaning than the original word did. But. The reality is, the reason you probably never heard the word ecclesiology is because we don't really give much thought to it. The idea of what actually is the church? What actually is this thing we're a part of? Is there actually any kind of guidance as to what it should look like, what it should be? What is its purpose? What is the point of it? and we just don't really care for the most part, but there's actually a lot of detail given in the Bible about it. And so there's many different things you could cover, but we're going to look at three in the next three weeks. Basically the three distinct, they're called offices or roles within the church, which are those of church members, those of deacons and those of elders. And when I say church members, I just mean the church body. I don't mean the weird thing where people can vote and can't vote, everyone who makes up the body. So. Again, this is not just a topic for theological nerds and academics and things like that. This is something that directly concerns us because the people that we choose to be a part of this body, the people that we choose to be our leaders, even if you don't have an intimate relationship with these people, will impact you. Because the people you choose to be your leaders will be the ones who guide the church, who even guide you in your own walk. even in indirect ways. And so they will actually impact you more than you realize. So what we're gonna look at today, part one and a part two, what an elder does and then some things that you want in an elder. We're not going through intense detail about all the traits. We'll kind of wrap them all up in one, but anyway, we'll go through it. Now, the first thing we're gonna look, so again, we normally... People tend to have different ideas of what an elder is, things like that. There are four different words that you'll find in the Bible that are kind of used interchangeably. The first one, if you guys wanna learn some Greek today, and this is cool, because I get to flash my skill for once, which no one's actually all that impressed by, we have the word, our first word, four words that make up elders. First one is episkopos, which if you've ever been in an Episcopalian church, is where they get that name from. It has this idea. of oversight. It's also the same word that's translated bishop. So, back in that day, episkopos in the Greek, it just meant someone who was over something, right? It was like a project manager over a project, right? He was there to organise the logistics and basically manage the whole affair. This is exactly the phrase that's used in our passage. Those who are episkopos, elders, overseers. And so they are the ones who direct manage and lead the affairs of the church. Right? They have this, it's this idea where you're kind of, it's like, you know, sometimes we have this vision of God where it's kind of like he's this big guy up in the sky and he kind of opens up a big window and he can kind of look out and everything, they look like little ants down there. Just so you know, that's not what it's actually like. But it's this idea of this big picture view, this bird's eye scale where you can see everything that's going on. And so the reality of eldership, it's not about micromanaging. That should definitely not be what it's about. We're not people who seek to control every single detail, but a caring elder knows what is going on in their church. They have an overview. They see everything that is going on so that they might be able to guide each and every individual. And so an elder is deeply concerned with the spiritual health of the church in every aspect. And so also they do have an understanding of the inner working and the details, but they're not seeking to simply control it. And so you see, all of this is because an elder's like a, you imagine a site foreman, right? Someone on a work site. If there's a good foreman, you know. If there's a bad one, you also know as well, because no one likes being on that work site. You see, one boss can change a whole place, right? because they just change the tone, the environment of where you are. And so it is the exact same thing with elders, right? Their priorities and the things they have in their mind will become the priorities and the tone of the church, right? If your elders love missions, our church will be about missions. Hopefully your elders love the gospel, for our church will be about the gospel. If your elders love to fight and bicker, guess what the church is going to do? Fight and bicker, right? Because it is just what happens, it naturally trickles down. And so you see, those that are there, their focus is their priorities will become that of the church. And so hopefully, what is it that our elders are seeking? To conform their lives to the Word of God, to seek Him with all their might, because then hopefully what will the church fellow suit in? Doing the exact same thing. As we all walk together. Now, of course the reality of this word, it's probably the one that we struggle the most with, is authority. Now, there's a reality. When we put people in eldership, they do have an authority over the sheep that make up this church. But that authority is not unrestricted, right? Putting someone in authority doesn't give them the right to tell you absolutely everything you want to do in your life, right? You have a business? I don't really have a right to tell you who and who you shouldn't hire. Within reason, maybe there are some weird, wacky people you want to hire, but for the most part, it's your business, right? If you want to send your child or do something with your child, send them to some school, I don't really have a right to tell you what to do. Why? Because my authority, the elders authority, is governed by the Word of God, right? We can go no further than that. So if it is not explicitly commanded in Scripture, I can offer wisdom, I can offer advice, but I cannot tell you what Christians are to do. because the Bible does not speak explicitly to it. It doesn't mean we shouldn't listen to wisdom, but the reality is that is where the authority lies. So you see, as elders, we have the authority to command you in the ways that we are to observe God's commands, right? How we are to walk with God. Now, basically we are to show you how you are to walk with God. Now, Instantly when we think authority, we're like, well that means instantly when you get that phone call, oh goodness, I'm gonna get told off. Because what's the first thing you think about with your parents? When they call your full name, right, Matthew Lee McPherson, that's not good, right? They're exercising their authority and it's not gonna end well for me, right? But you see, that shouldn't always be our view of authority. Our parents' authority is very much something to protect us, to love us, to care for us, right? They have a direction for our lives that they are pushing us in and so they have a responsibility to care for us. And so it is the same thing with the authority of the elders, right? It may be through preaching, right? I'm telling you now what elders are. That comes with authority, what they are to be, because it comes from the word here. So also it might happen over dinner. might happen over coffee as we're reading the Bible together, right? It can happen in many different ways. It's not like I'm sitting here and suddenly, oh, know, an elder rocks up and said, I've got my authority hat on now, so you've got to start listening. No, no. But it simply means they've been given the responsibility to show you how God wishes for us to live what we are to know. And so, I really prefer when authority is interpreted like this, not as power to abuse, but as responsibility and burden. That is what the role of an elder is, to take the burden of the sheep. Each and every one of you have struggles in your lives. And all of us are called to help you and to support you, but there is a special burden that is placed on elders to care for you, to actually know what is going on in your life and to worry about it. know, Paul in 1 Corinthians, sorry, 2 Corinthians 11, he goes through a list of weaknesses. All the things he has suffered and at the very end he says, And let alone all that, the anxiety there constantly feel for all of the churches. You see, he was a guy who could not help but put the worries and the struggles of other people on his own back so that he would just labour in prayer for them because he was worried, because he cared, because he loved these people. That is what authority is meant to be. It's not domineering, it isn't controlling. It is a love that people would walk in the way of Jesus. So, If we have elders that aren't like that, if we have elders that are controlling, what do we do? As a congregation, we don't vote them back in. We vote men who love the shepherd, people who use their authority not to control, but to care. And now a really quick note before we jump into the next thing, because it has to be addressed, but I don't have a whole sermon to do it on. in this church plainly, we don't permit women to be elders. I'm going to explain it really quick, but basically it comes from this. 1 Timothy 2.12, I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man. Now teach and authority, when you read through the passage that we went through, well one, I've just been talking about how eldership has authority, and also the number one thing that defines an elder and differentiates them from a deacon or a church member, they are able to teach. Now when you have the literally exactly the same two words that make up, Naturally, we interpret that as meaning women shouldn't be elders. Now, this is not a competency thing. This has nothing to do with competency. Some women would probably make better elders than most men. I don't doubt that for a second, right? And this is definitely not a sexism thing or anything like that. And also this passage wasn't a temporary thing, right? Because if you read later on in the passage, Paul bases his assumption in the order of creation that Adam was made first and then Eve. So again, If you would like to talk about that further, I am really happy to talk about it. If you think I'm a misogynist, please come tell me. All right? I'm happy to talk about it. Because I really don't think I am, but we're just seeking to conform our lives to it. Anyway, sorry I don't have tons of time to cover that, but we have to go on. Second word that we have. Another Greek word for you to learn, presbytos. If you wondered at all, that's where Presbyterians come from. So, because their church is filled with elders. So. This word was rooted, this is a very Jewish word, because it was the word that would become elder for them. And you see the elders in the Jewish synagogues and in the Jewish community, they were mature, older men who were given respect in the community and were able to decide basically, know, people would bring their cases before them and they would decide. But in this most simple and basic meaning, it means this, if you read from 1 Timothy 5.1, do not rebuke an older man. but encourage him as you would a father. Older man, that's the word presbytos. So at the end of the day, what is a presbyter? An old man, right? Now, what's the point of this? Is it literally just saying that, we just want our elders to be really old? No, that's not the point, right? Because what actually do we associate, hopefully, with that comes with age, wisdom and maturity? That is why these men were set up as leaders within the community because they were seen as wise and respected people. People that ones they could look up to, to imitate. And ones that they could trust to judge for the welfare of their people. And so age typically brings greater maturity and wisdom needed to guide. But you see, this is an important thing. Again, obviously I speak up here as a 26 year old elder pastor, technically. So the reality is, what are we looking at here? It can't just mean old man. The reality is when you read through the passage, right, through 1 Timothy 3, what are all the traits? They're all character traits. You notice how they're not about giftings, but they are concerned with the character of the person. Because what is true maturity in Christ? Not all 80-year-olds are saved. Not all 80-year-olds are mature Christians. But it is someone who's grown in godliness. Someone who looks more like Jesus. That is really, honestly, if you read through the traits for an elder, it just looks like Jesus. That's all you want him to be like. And so the reality is that we don't want to be putting people in eldership purely because they may be skilled, purely because they may have giftings in a certain area. You see, Paul is desperate that Timothy would put elders in that are godly, that have grown in maturity, not just that possess the skills. And because you can see this, he speaks later on another letter to Timothy. He talks about false teachers. Second Timothy 3.5, they have an appearance of godliness, but they deny its power. You see, false teachers, they can put on this exterior facade, right? That they look godly, but when you actually dig underneath the surface, when you actually get to know them, they're the most selfish and private people you'll ever meet. But you see, the reality is we can put on an appearance of godliness. And you see, we have to be careful as well because we also too look at other things for godliness rather than character. How often has it been where you see a young fella get up or something like that and man, you might be good at preaching or something like that or you know, they're really taking positions on or they just seem like someone who has a calling on their life. Well, they should be an elder. But sometimes it isn't quite so obvious because you see, sometimes we mistake natural leadership giftings for godliness. That is not always the case. Just because someone's good at leading people doesn't make them a good leader. Not in the church. character is what must come first. And so you see all these qualifications, all of this thing about age is that, and that is being painted in this passage here, is we're painting a mould, right? Of the kind of people that we are looking for to lead us. Now, this isn't a standard of flawless perfection here in 1 Timothy 3, but it is a mould that we are looking at and you know, you kind of put some fellas in and say, Oh, you know, they actually fit pretty well. We're not looking for a perfect fit because the reality is most people who read that passage say, I could never ever possibly attain to that. Right? But we are looking for people who aren't just simply fitting the mould but would grow into that mould as well. Right? The reality is no one has ever perfectly fulfilled this passage. They're continually growing in it. And so hopefully the people we put in as elders are not just simply spiritual thick and flicks where they just come up on the nomination thing and you're like, oh, they look good enough. But they are men that when we look at them, they appear to fit into the mould of 1 Timothy 3 because they appear to look somewhat like Jesus. And so hopefully that does typically come with age. That is not something, people can come into the church with many giftings, but character is a thing that grows with time. These are men. And as it says in 1 Corinthians 11, 1, that we would be imitators of them as I am of Christ. So anyway, we'll continue on. I mean, much to go through. So the next word, poymen. So this is shepherd or pasta. Now, if you think about it, right, this is the source of where we get our English word pasta from, right? And what does pasta really mean? Yes, me, I'm a pasta, but initially before that, pastoral, right? Pastoral grazing, livestock, it is where, and... shepherding, Shepherd, livestock, all those kinds of things. And so you see, this is painting a picture, another picture of elders, which is to be a shepherd. Now, if there's anything that Jesus describes himself as more, it's a shepherd. He loves to paint himself as a shepherd. John 10, if you just go and read it, my goodness, he spends a whole chapter showing how he is the true shepherd. And you see, it paints this picture of what the elders are to be, of their character, of their nature, which you'll see. I just want to tell the short story of Jesus. There was a time where he was very hungry. People had constantly come to visit him. He'd been healing endlessly for days and days. He barely had anything to eat. He barely had any sleep. And so he says, look, disciples, Let's hop on a boat and let's go to the other side because we just need some solitude, just some silence because I'm so tired. He gets to the other side and guess what's there? Another crowd. They found him again. Is he angry? Is he frustrated because he just wants a bit of silence? It says in this, Matthew 9.36, when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. He was moved to compassion, right? And then he spends time not feeding himself, but feeding them. After that is the story of the feeding of the 5,000, right? He's constantly giving of himself, even at a time when everything is being taken from him for the sake of the sheep. And so you see this too is to be the attitude of the shepherds. They are people who give of themselves. three things they do, they feed. They feed the flock. We talked about it here with the kids, right? But not with physical food. If you need physical food, happy to supply. But for the most part, it is feeding yourselves, right? What did Jesus say to the devil when he is tempted in the wilderness and he offered him some bread made out of the rocks? Right, well said, make some bread out of the rocks. Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord, right? It is a role of the elders to feed, to offer you guys rich, meaty meals that you may be able to chew on, digest and grow, just as a child would. A second thing that elders have to do there, protect the flock. I go back to the example of David, right? He defended his sheep against lions and against bears, much more than we kind of have to do nowadays with livestock. You can just kind of sit in the tractor with a 22 and you're all good, right? Or maybe something bigger than that, but anyway. But you see, and who is our enemy? 1 Peter 5, 8, your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion. You see? The pastors. The elders are called to protect you guys. They do it one by preaching the truth, by teaching the truth, one-on-one in groups. And here when we gather as a congregation, we do it not just by speaking the truth, but also by speaking against that which is false, right? Those things, those lies which the devil puts before us, which we so easily fall into. And if it must come, we must confront and remove people who speak against the truth of the gospel from the church. That is something that must be done for the sake of the sheep. And now the third thing is they nurture the flock. You see how I did that illustration with the kids when I said God knows every single hair on your head. And again, that's a number that doesn't remain. Some of you, you get three hairs and then you shave it straight off because you like looking that way. That's fine. Right? Some of you have many more on there. God knows all of it. And you see, this is the same kind of character that ought to be in the elders. They are people who reflect Jesus' gentleness, a desire to nurture. They are men who take this command seriously from James 1.19. Be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger. You get this picture of a shepherd who's just sitting beside his sheep and imagine the sheep talk and he just listens to him. He just spends time with them because he wants to know about them. And so you see, this isn't just a glorious picture of what Jesus is like. This is hopefully a picture of elders who are happy to stop, to take the time and to get to know the people under their care. Because if they don't know what's going on in their lives, how can they possibly know about the spiritual health of the church? And so they desire to build relationships with the people under their care. So elders serve as under shepherds beneath Jesus. helping to shepherd each and every person's soul into eternity. And you see, one of the hardest things, and you see, we don't typically like talking about this topic because one, it can be a bit boring, I get that. But also the reality is it's an understanding that, wait, I actually need someone other than just me. There's actually someone that God has placed a burden on to care for me. I don't need the help, I'm all good, I'm all sorted. But the hard thing is that when God saves us, he doesn't save us into just a relationship with him. He saves us into a church, into a family. And that family has a structure and people who are set aside to particularly care for it. And so the last one, trust me, it'll speed up from here, didaskalos, which means teacher. So this, obviously and plainly, is one of the central ministries and aspects of the eldership. Particularly, we'll look at it next week when we go through deacons. Deacons were first put into place so that the apostles, who would then later on nominate elders, would be set aside for the work of the ministry, for ministering the Word and for praying. Because you see, that is their primary task. You think, well, okay, teaching, that's nice, fair enough. And they're to devote all this time to prayer? There is nothing more caring than to know that your elders are praying for you. That is one of the most important things that they can do. And so you see, all believers are taught to encourage one another with Scripture. But elders carry a specific gift, a deep understanding of Scripture to explain it and to apply it to your lives. So yes, they must know the Scriptures well. Yes, they must be able to spot and refute false teaching. One of the most important things is they have to be able to take the concrete doctrines of Scripture and apply it to the messy and complex lives that we all have. That when you come to them and say, I'm just struggling, they know how to take the sovereignty of God, they know how to take the high priestly role of Christ and bring you comfort through that. And so they're to defend the gospel because that is their primary role. Now, again, one thing I want to emphasize and then we'll get into the last part. Being a good teacher, what does it look like? Being a good teacher doesn't mean that you go up to the elder and they have every single answer to every speculative detail in the Bible. That if you go up and say, so why did Lamech only live for 777 years in that genealogy in Genesis? There is actually a detail to that, but the reality is, is that primary the call of the elder to know every single tiny detail? And you see, sometimes you'll run into people in the church who seem to just know everything, every tiny little detail that doesn't inherently make them a good teacher. nor is it that person who can somehow, you give them a whiteboard and they can draw lines to a million scriptures and all these verses where you look and you're like, well, I don't know what it means, but man, you sure know what you're talking about. That's not a good teacher. A good teacher is someone who can take truth and make you understand it and better yet, who takes core gospel truths. I could know every detail of Daniel and every single way to interpret it. But if I cannot communicate to you the core central message of the gospel, I am not a good teacher. A good teacher is someone who knows the plain truth, who teaches the plain truth plainly, and then longs to see you cling to that plain truth. And so you see those are the four things that make up what an elder is. And so I want to just detail just a few things. Obviously you've got the passage there of things we should be looking for an elder that mulled, but just a few other things. Because the thing to emphasize, this list here of qualifications isn't exhaustive. It doesn't contain everything, right? I would like it if my elders knew the gospel really well. You know what actually doesn't say that in the list? Right? There are other things, right, that we look for in our elders. So what might be some things? Now, of course, we want, first one, character that is above reproach. So now we have to understand what that means. It's the very first trait that we're given there, that they're to be above reproach, which means charges can't come against them, right? Now, often when we read through the list, again, we just sit there and we're like, who can possibly fulfill that? But if we read this list in such a way that no one can actually uphold it, the list is useless. The list doesn't make any point. So we have to understand this list isn't about perfection. but the point of it being above reproach. It doesn't even mean that elders won't have charges brought against them. What it means is that when those charges are, there is no evidence and no testimony that could possibly stick. No charges can stand up against them. And so you see, what we are looking for in these men isn't, you know, the fact that, they had one slip-up, right? Just because you see a man one time kind of get a bit angry with his child and maybe smack him, that doesn't make a bad elder. but possibly a repeated pattern of anger and quick-temperedness towards their children may. You see, we're not looking for isolated events. We're looking for continual patterns for actual problems. And so, onto the next thing. They'd be lovers of the gospel. When you read through the rest of 1 Timothy 3, you get to the very end and Paul says, great indeed we confess is the mystery of godliness. And then he has this whole summary of the gospel basically. And it seems really disjointed from the rest of the passage. It kind of seems like, why are you adding all of this in? But it connects to a point which I don't know why Paul didn't include it in the elder part. but you can see it in the deacons. Or he says, sorry, I just have to find it here, in verse nine, they must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. Now you see, I believe that Paul connects this leadership criteria to the mystery of godliness, which is the gospel, that Jesus is the one that makes us godly. Because he wants that to be a central component. of our elders and our deacons, and hopefully every person that makes up the church. Because the reality is it isn't just about character. We can have some very godly people, but my goodness, if they do not know how to articulate the gospel, if they do not love it, if it is not their thing, they should be elders. Now you see, this isn't just possessing a head knowledge, this isn't just being able to say it. You should actually see that they love it, right? You should actually find in your elders a deep joy that stems from the fact that they know the gospel, that they're saved by Jesus. In many ways, it should almost be like when you simply mention the name of Jesus, an elder would just smile because they're just reminded of their savior. I'm not saying they actually have to smile every time the name's mentioned. But the reality is they are so happy. They love it. Because again, remember, like I said, if their priority, if their love is not the gospel, it probably won't be the love of the church either. so they'd have a deep affection for Jesus. And so we go on to the third thing. They'd be teachable and humble. Now, our first thought that always comes with worldly authority, we think of politicians, we think of prime ministers and things like that, and we always think of abuse of power. We think of people that have been given power and use it for their own benefit, use it to lauded over others. Is that the picture we're given in the Bible though? Is that the picture of what it should be like? Jesus redefines what it should be like. Mark 10, 43 to 44, but it shall not be so among you. For whoever would be great among you must be your servant and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. So you see the core of a shepherd is to lay down his life for the sheep, to give of himself for the sake of others. You see when it says in Philippians that we are to count others more significant than ourselves, that is to be most typified. in the elders, that they lay aside their own needs and their own wants for the sake of others to build them up. And so that makes them humble people. People who are not considering themselves but considering others. And so my friends, if you're just thinking about considering someone that you might want to nominate or someone you might just think might be a good elder, ask them to read through the list in 1 Timothy 3. If they say, man, I actually think I fit that. Yeah, you know, like I can't see many ways in which I'd kind of stuff that up. That's not a good elder. All right? I know I said yes, it shouldn't be a perfect mould, but they definitely shouldn't be sitting there reading through that and say, man, I've got it all together. Because the reality is if they can't see that they at least fall short in some areas, that is because they are blind. They cannot actually see themselves clearly. You see, a humble person is someone who's been humbled by the truth, who's seen who they really are, know they're imperfect, because they've seen themselves in the light of Jesus. And so they're humbled, right? They see themselves as simply lowly servants. But the person who reads that list and says, yeah, I've definitely got that all together, that is someone with pride. A qualified person reads that list and feels unworthy due to the awareness of their own flaws. And so my friends, this leads to another point. One of the most important things about a humble elder is that you'll find is that they are also teachable. You see, it's a funny thing. The defining trait about an elder is that they are able to teach. But you know what you need to be able to do in order to teach? You need to be able to learn. Right? You need to be someone who takes things in, who doesn't think they already have it all together. Right? Do you guys think that the point of me being up here and preaching most weeks is because I'm a fountain of knowledge, that I simply gained it all and I simply spew it out for the masses to learn? No. I'm there during the week learning as well. Right? Because I don't have it all. I'm still learning. I'm still studying. There's still more to grasp. And because you see the person who thinks they have it all, who is still teachable, they will never be correctable. They will never learn, they will never grow. But you see, the person who has been humbled is that person who is most happy to sit under and still learn, to still sit under the master's teaching. They think little of themselves. And so our elders ought to be our best learners. And so final thing, and we'll draw it all to a conclusion, is they ought to desire to be an elder. It literally starts in the very first verse of 1 Timothy 3, if anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. What Paul is saying there is that they ought to want to be elders. Now, this isn't requiring that they're absolutely sitting there just being like, oh, I can imagine nothing else. I have no doubt or worry in my mind. I'm unwavering in my desire to be an elder. No, they can doubt, they can have anxiety about it, they can worry. But if there is no genuine internal pull within someone, there shouldn't be one. Because what will happen? As they are forced into that position, they'll say, oh, I can't believe I got forced into this. And who are the ones that forced me into this? Well, it's the church. And they'll begin to despise the very people they're called to serve. And so you see, when we desire to place people in places of leadership, God will put that burden on their hearts. When we try and force our own plans for what we think the church should look like without God's initiative, it's not going to go well. It just won't. Okay. And so drawing all this to a conclusion, I know this has been a lot of information. I know this probably hasn't been the most exciting of sermons ever. But the reality is we must talk about this. Because then as it fades on, as we get to the more exciting sermons like, I don't know, talking about Judah and Tamar, or things like Joseph, or Moses and Exodus, we must realise that the people who are preaching, who are teaching us, are our elders. That the reason that we have a love for the Gospel in this church is because of our elders. If we pick the wrong people, you guys will not get the good teaching. You guys will not grow. This is not pointless theology. You see, when we take seriously the truth of Scripture, that we're not saved into just a relationship, but also into a family, we realise that who we choose to lead that family matters. And those things actually matter to us. So understand these men that you choose. They are not just random men. You see, everyone has a role to care and to support one another. But you see, at the end of the day, the responsibility for your own soul is on you. but also a few other select men. That the reality is, before God, each of you must answer for your own actions. And yet it also says in God's Word that I and the elders must give an account for every person under our care. The rest of you don't have to do that. We do. Because we care about you guys and God wants us to care for you. And so that is why He holds us accountable for you. And so I have a responsibility, the elders have a responsibility. All of us share it together in many ways, but there is a great burden laid on them that each of you would make it into eternity and that each of you would be cared for now. And so if you're not being cared for now, I'll pray that will change. If you feel like you're not, please come and tell us because we do actually want to care. And so, let us wrap up in prayer. Now, Jesus, Father, You are here and You are with us. You are our true shepherd, watching over our souls. You care for us, You love us. Father, yet You have called us into a family as well. Salvation is not just salvation from sin, but is salvation into a church. into a gathering of people that are called to care for us as well and over whom you have placed elders. People who are to watch and to care and who have a burden placed on them to care for the souls of the people in this building. Then when others may turn their back, then when others may not care, these men will not turn. They will always love and care for those sheep that are lost. And so Father, would you help and raise up men who would be like that? Would you raise many leaders, Father, in this church who have a desperate desire to care for those around them? Would we have a desperate love for others? Lord, would we count ourselves less significant than others? And Lord, would you help us to serve one another? And would you help us, Lord, to put in place leaders who love your gospel and who will stand firm against the world? and his temptations that will lead us away from you. Let us seek you together, Father, we pray in Jesus' name, amen.