God's Description of Elders in His Church

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the sermon by asking listeners to consider their idea of an ideal pastor, then presents John Bunyan's portrait of a serious, heaven-focused man of God from…

John Bunyan's description of a serious, heaven-focused man with the law of truth on his lips from Pilgrim's Progress is used to illustrate a human idea of an ideal pastor, contrasting it with God's divine description.

to his voice to his spirit to his attitude to his actions in functioning as a pastor if you had the power to create an ideal pastor what would he look like well the famous dreamer in a Bedford jail by the name of John Bunyan he gives us an insight to how he would answer that question you'll remember that early in pilgrims progress when Christian is brought into the house of interpreter that the interpreter takes him into a private room and bid his man open the

3:31 - 4:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Those in authority should seek to express legitimate authority graciously and kindly, using entreaty when it will work, reserving commands for necessary situations.

Paul's appeal to Philemon, and Peter's exhortation to elders, serve as examples for parents, teachers, governors, rulers, and pastors to use entreaty when it will work, reserving commands for necessary situations.

and what is Peter doing here? They both recognize this very basic principle that wherever God puts us in leadership, whether in society, in the home, in the school, and in the church, those in authority should seek to express the legitimate, dimensions of that authority as graciously and kindly as they can without eroding anything of the stuff of that God-conferred authority. When an entreaty will work, use it, even though to command would not be sin. A great lesson for parents.

15:31 - 16:13 Read in full sermon

Driving home: He wants these elders to know, in those various churches in Asia Minor, that he is no heretician, no abstract theologian. That he is a practitioner of the trade concerning which he is going to speak.

The phrase 'haunting burden' is used to describe the weight of Hebrews 13:7, where leaders watch for souls as those who will give an account, emphasizing the seriousness of pastoral responsibility.

Peter wants them to remember that he with them feels the haunting burden of Hebrews 13.70. Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit to them, for they watch for your souls as they that shall give an account. I don't know what else to call that but one of the haunting, at times, all-encompassing.

50:54 - 51:17 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It's a frightening thing to be pouring out a cataract of words week after week, decade after decade, and know that they'll all meet me in the day of judgment.

Martin shares his personal experience of the 'frightening thing' of pouring out words week after week, knowing they will all meet him in the day of judgment, explaining why he doesn't tell many jokes in sermons.

It's a frightening thing to be pouring out a cataract of words week after week, decade after decade, and know that they'll all meet me in the day of judgment.

51:58 - 52:08 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Peter identifies himself as a 'fellow elder' to show he is a practitioner of the trade, familiar with the haunting burdens, sobering judgments, exhilarating joys, and crushing…

Martin explains why their pastor's conference invites speakers who are 'in the trenches as pastors,' using the analogy of enlisted men who paid their dues and have scars, rather than officers who came 'smack out of Annapolis or West Point,' to emphasize shared experience and credibility.

Now, some reasons are, some of them wouldn't come to our little rinky-dink conference.

53:39 - 53:43 Read in full sermon