Know Them That Labor Among You

Driving home: to go up into the study those same hours day after day and pour over the word of God and pour over the books that feed my own mind that I might understand the truth better and understand people better and pour over the p…

Martin recounts an interaction with a gas station owner who, seeing him in work clothes, assumed he was 'working for a couple of days.' This illustrates the common misconception that physical labor is 'work' while spiritual labor (study, prayer, pastoral care) is not, contrasting it with his own experience of physical work as 'play' compared to the toil of ministry.

and the word labor here is a very strong word it means diligent toil even unto weariness in other words exercising spiritual oversight is a very taxing responsibility now most people don't believe this I had a very vivid illustration of this yesterday I stopped at the Sunoco station wherever I need gas when I'm in town and can't wait to get out to the Hess station why I go to the Sunoco station and Johnny the man who runs it there we're on good speaking terms he saw me in my work clothes I've been over at the building working and I had some spackling compound all over my trousers and my shirt ...

11:43 - 13:10 Read in full sermon

Driving home: the word know can mean nothing less than what it means in the context of these other passages which I've quoted it means to regard with peculiar affection and favor

Martin uses the example of loving a doctor who genuinely cares for one's health, even more than his own, to illustrate how believers should love and esteem elders for their work's sake – their concern for the spiritual well-being of the flock.

an unusually disciplined mind can follow and say I think I know what the preacher's driving at I think I can follow I believe I'm beginning to sense what's going on here what is it what is their work well it's the work you see of wanting your spiritual good above anything else in life can you love the doctor who makes you feel your body's the most important thing in the world to him and the health of that body man it's easy to love a doctor we started going to a different doctor recently and we fell in love with him just like that and you know why it wasn't but the second visit in there when w...

30:53 - 32:21 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He explains the indirect responsibility to 'be at peace among yourselves,' arguing that dissension among the flock breaks elders' hearts and hinders their work, thus undermining…

He draws an analogy between a parent disciplining a child out of love and an elder admonishing the flock. This illustrates that correction from elders, like parental discipline, stems from love for the good of the one being corrected.

what a delight for the parent who can convey this to his children and says to them I discipline you because I love you too much to let you do everything your little depraved heart wants to and go out and ruin yourself I love you enough to discipline you and what a delight when you get a homemade Father's Day card that says in its first statement I love my daddy because he disciplines me and you say I love my overseers because they discipline me because they point out my sins because they correct me when I'm wrong or do you have the petulant attitude of a spoiled brat nobody can tell me what to...

32:21 - 33:50 Read in full sermon

The point: Aspire to an ever-increasing experience of the beauty of the elder-flock relationship and seek to preserve it.

Martin compares the elder-flock relationship to marriage, the most intimate human relationship, to explain that greater intimacy brings both greater potential for blessing (ecstasy) and greater potential for hurt (agony).

now because there are some very practical observations and applications I want to move off the strict exposition of this passage now we've looked at what the responsibility is of the people of God to their overseers now consider with me several very practical observations and applications number one may God help us to be amazed at the beauty of a biblically oriented elder, pastor, bishop flock relationship to me there's nothing more beautiful except it be the relationship of a husband and wife with a scripturally oriented relationship but in some ways this is even more beautiful because it's a...

35:18 - 36:47 Read in full sermon

The point: Discern the wickedness of rebellion and disrespect for constituted leadership, understanding it as anarchy against Christ.

He cites the student revolt and their desire to dictate course matter as an example of the lawless, arrogant spirit of the age that rejects accumulated wisdom and constituted authority, highlighting the challenge this poses to church authority.

what a privilege I wonder if we really appreciate this great gift that God has given to his church in constituting the office of eldership bishops overseers to care for us I think increasingly as we breathe the spirit of our age it will be more and more a mark of a true church of Christ do they recognize constituted authority within the church we live in a lawless age that says nobody's gonna tell me nothing I care what men in the past have discovered in terms of history in terms of this discipline or that one of the marks of the present student revolt is we want to dictate our course matter y...

41:14 - 42:43 Read in full sermon