Recognition and Installation

God's Judgment: Removal of Competent Leaders

0:05 chapter of the book of Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 3 and follow as I read the first verses. This is part of Isaiah's prophecy concerning Judah and Jerusalem. We learn that from chapter 2 and verse 1. God is prophesying through his servant the judgment that is about to come upon Judah and Jerusalem for their sin. Isaiah 3 verses 1 to 8. For behold the Lord shall take away from Jerusalem and from Judah stay and staff the whole and the whole stay of one mighty man and the man of war and the elder the captain of 50 and the honorable men and the counselor and the expert and the skilled.

1:17 Isaiah 3 verses 1 through 4. For I will enchant her and I will give children to be their princes and the people shall be oppressed every one by his neighbor and every child and the child shall behave himself proudly against the old man and the base against the honorable. The man shall take hold of his brother in the house of his father saying thou hast clothing be thou our ruler and let this ruin be under thy hand. In that day shall he lift up his hand and he shall lift up his hand and he shall lift up his hand and he shall lift up his up his voice, saying, I will not be a healer, for in my house is neither bread nor clothing.

2:00 Ye shall not make me ruler of the people. For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen, because their tongue and their doings are against Jehovah to provoke the eyes of his glory. Now, as a background for our study in the word of God, I have read in your hearing this relatively obscure passage from the book of Isaiah. Now, why have I done this?

2:33 Well, because this passage graphically illustrates a most crucial principle of God's action in his world, especially his action among his covenant people, the people enriched and blessed with his sovereign choice, privileges, and other covenant mercies. And what is that principle? Simply stated, it is this. When God's people provoke him to anger by their sin, one of the most severe judgments God can bring upon them is to take away all competent leaders and to give them incompetent leaders. Do you see that principle in the text? We read in verses 1 and 2, that the Lord will take away, and then he mentions what we would say stable foods, but not only stable foods, but beginning in verses 2, continuing through verse 3, he says he will take away competent leaders.

3:49 As surely as he will take away stay and staff, the whole bread and water, he says, I will take away the mighty man, the man of war. The judge, the diviner, and the elder, the captain, the counselor, the skillful. God says, I'll curse you by removing every vestige of competent leadership throughout the entire land. As an act of judgment, he says, that curse will have another dimension to it.

4:24 He says in verse 4, and I will give something, then he says, I will give to be their princes, and they shall win. They shall rule over them. He not only will take away competent leaders, in his sovereignty over men's actions, he will actually impose upon them the curse of incompetent leaders. And children will go around begging one another, saying, hey, you've got the kind of clothes that look like they might sit in the royal court.

4:59 Why don't you be our prince? Nobody even wants the job. Do you see that in the passage? Do you see it with your own eyes?

Relevance to Trinity Baptist Church's Manifesto

5:07 That when God's displeasure is manifested, manifested against his covenant people, one of the ways he ignores his displeasure is by taking away all competent leadership, and by cursing them with incompetent leaders. And what is the relevance of all of this? This very hour, very simply, that in the course of our present series of Sunday morning expositions entitled, A Manifesto of Trinity Baptist Church, I identified three things. First of all, I want to make clear to you that this is not the case.

5:40 This is not the case. This is not the case. We have identified, two Lord's days ago, this tenet of the manifesto, determined to pursue a biblically established standard for church officers. This is for those who will give the primary biblically defined leadership within this congregation of God's people.

6:08 And as in the days of Isaiah the prophet, prior to the fall of Judah and Jerusalem and their entrance into the country of Israel, we have established that the concept of the into captivity. So in our day, one of the most frightening ways in which God can manifest His discernment with any congregation of His people, taking away competent leadership and cursing them with incompetent leadership. Now do you see the relevance of this passage to our manifesto? To pursue a biblical standard for church officers. And if we do not pursue that standard, or if we so grieve the Holy Spirit and become indifferent to that standard, it will be one of the ways in which God's curse will be manifested upon us, His covenant people. He will withdraw competent leadership and give children to rule over you to your

7:17 own. And therefore it is crucial that this sixth affirmation of the manifesto become a matter of visceral as well as intelligence. The Jeremiahand the Old Testament all end with the word affirmation. The Biblical word affirmation, in the same way as the prophetic word affirmation, is also present in this chapter. It is a subject of great interest, as we are beautiful lives on earth. If scientists want to observe the value of God, let them know the importance of the word affirmation. In fact, what we have done is that we have done the same thing for many years. We have taught and directed the kids into following a gospel. That is, we are teaching them to believe in God, and that is the right way to do it. And the Bible also tells us in the Bible that God is the only God, and that is the only God. And so we all have the power to believe in God, and to be a true believer in Him. In fact, we all have been saying the same thing. by the mandate of Scripture.

Crucial Aspects of Biblical Standards for Church Officers

8:04 And when we say we're pursuing a biblical standard, we are affirming that with reference to everything pertaining to these offices, we are committed to at least with all of our hearts have the Word of God regulate our thinking and our actions. And then we began to address the most crux of the biblical standard for church officers. If we are determined to pursue a biblical standard, what are the most crucial aspects of that standard? And thus far we've studied three of them.

8:43 The name and number of these offices. Their name, Elder, Pavasir, the old one office, and secondly, Deacons. So that a well-ordered New Testament church will fit the framework of the Philippian church addressed as the saints in Christ Jesus, with the overseers and the deacons. Secondly, we have seen that a crucial aspect of the biblical standard is the gender of these offices, and the officers who fill them.

9:20 And Scripture is clear that they must all be adult males. Apostolic example, by apostolic instruction, and by apostolic prohibition of their functions to anyone other than those who are adult males. And this in no way is inferring a lesser dignity, worth, or standing to females of any age, but rather underscoring that functional differentiation is a matter of divine will, and true liberty is found when we embrace it from the heart. And then last week we looked at the third most crucial aspect of the biblical standard, namely, the qualification of the heart. The qualifications for these offices, as given to us in Scripture, and we saw that they are unquestionably indispensable. A bishop must be. Let these first be proved, then let them serve.

10:21 As deacons, they are realistically attainable. The standard is not there as a noble ideal to be praised and admired, but to regulate our actions. And they are predominantly ethical. That is, the predominant emphasis is of all of us, that is, the predominant emphasis is of all of us, that is, the predominant emphasis is of all of us, that is, the predominant emphasis is of all of us, that is, the predominant emphasis is of all of us, and therein lies the grace, and character, and maturity of Christran grace and character and maturity of Christran grace and character in a man possessed of the necessary gifts for the function of either office.

The Standard for Recognition and Installation

10:45 in a man possessed of the necessary gifts for the function of either office. Now then, we come this morning to take up just one further strand, I'd hoped to play perhaps 2, but it would be unrealistic to do so within the time allotted, but it would be unrealistic to do so within the time allotted, the fourth aspect of any biblically established standard for church office, the、 fourth aspect of any biblically established standard for church office, is the physical organization, which is not literal. will be concerned with a biblically established standard for the actual recognition and installation of church officers. A biblically established standard for the actual recognition and installation of church officers.

11:28 Now, do you see the logical progression of concern? I hope you do, because I didn't just throw all these things in a hat and say, which one should we take? But I tried to think them through. Once we are determined to recognize only those whose name and number matches the word of God, namely elders and deacons, and once we are committed to seek them only from the ranks of the adult males within the congregation as scripture warrants, and once we're determined to seek such adult males with the divinely given standard before us, a biblically established standard for the actual recognition and installation of church officers, and once we are determined to seek them only from the ranks of the adult males within the congregation as scripture warrants, and once we are determined to seek them only from the ranks of the adult males within the congregation as scripture warrants, of their qualifications, the question is how to recognize them and see them in the form of elders and as deacons. So concern of a biblically established standard must move from the name and number of the officers, the gender of the officers, the qualification of the officers, to the issue of the actual recognition and installation of these officers. To go back to the analogy of last Lord's Day, the king, not only given directives for the qualifications of his captains and his quartermasters in his army,

12:53 given at least some guidelines, a little mini-manual concerning the process and procedure by which he is to recognize her captains and her quartermasters. Last week we focused in that analogy upon the fact that king had given a manual with the standards, the qualifications. If there's anything in his manual, that says, all right, how do we actually go about seeing who needs those qualifications and having done that, actually seeing them installed and recognized in their office of captain and quartermaster, i.e. elder and deacon.

Christ Equips and Gives Officers by the Holy Spirit

13:38 Now some of these things were answered when we were dealing with our fourth affirmation in the manifesto that we are determined that our life and ministry will confirm the unique place of the church. And I will not go back over that ground, but I have just two basic issues to set before you this morning. Having a more lengthy review, I determined I would not load your mind with excessive material, and there are simply two basic things that I want to rivet, I hope, to your understanding, to your conscience, and hopefully to our actions as a congregation until the Lord returns. And these are the issues I want to set before you.

14:21 Number one, be a corporate understanding and conviction that it is Christ who equips and gives these officers by the operation of the Holy Spirit.

14:39 About the actual recognition and installation, church officers must begin with this fundamental issue, a corporate understanding and conviction that it is Christ who equips and gives these officers the mission of the Holy Spirit. Number two, be a corporate understanding and conviction that it is Christ who equips and gives these officers the mission of the Holy Spirit. By corporate, I don't mean something that goes on at Wall Street among the big corporations. I simply mean something that goes on among all the members of the congregation.

15:23 Number three, an understanding and conviction shared only by the leaders, not only by the most mature believers, but an understanding and conviction shared by the whole congregation. That's what I mean by the whole congregation. By the word corporate, there must be a corporate understanding and conviction. Now what do I mean by those words?

15:49 You've got to know something in your head. You've got to know in your head some knowledge that must be perceived and retained in the sanctified brain of a believer with reference to this matter of recognizing and installing church officers. There must be a corporate understanding, I add the word conviction, just to throw in another word, no, there must be a persuasion of this will please God. That's what I mean by conviction.

16:29 You see, you may understand a lot of things for which you wouldn't be willing to shed a drop of blood. You wouldn't even be willing to endure a pinprick. There are other things which you understand for which, by the grace of God, you'd spill your life's blood. That's what I'm talking about when I say conviction.

16:44 There must be a corporate, widespread, congregational understanding, and conviction. Again, I'm talking about the fact that Christ himself who equipped officers by the operation of the Holy Spirit is a priest. And what I mean by those words is simply this, and then we're going to turn to the scriptures and unpack them, is that in this whole matter the activity of Christ and the Holy Spirit are not theoretical. Actual.

17:18 They are real. Reality. To be excepted. That's what I'm trying to say in these things.

17:29 And this is crucial. And we've had it. In the light then of those that it is Christ. and gives these officers by the operation of the Holy Spirit.

17:48 I've never seen Christ come down in this congregation and put a mark on a man's head with a big D as a deacon, and another man's head put a big E, that's an elder.

18:00 Christ has never come down upon anyone with a prophetic utterance, I, the Lord, say unto thee, James Jones shall be an elder. What does it mean that Christ himself and the Holy Spirit himself, his nemesis, no. You should open your Bibles. I don't want anyone being lazy and just listening to me.

Scriptural Proof: Christ's and the Spirit's Role

18:21 I want you to see it with your own eyeballs and hear it with your own ears. And these are the pivotal texts, and I'll not load you with many texts, but I want to give you several front-ranked texts. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 10. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 10.

18:42 Speaking of our Lord Jesus, who is the one who parcels out gifts to his church, who dispenses gifts? I'm sorry, to his church. We read in verse 10, He that descended, that is Christ, is the same that ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some priests, and teachers for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of men.

19:27 Who was here upon the earth, who died, who descended into the lower parts of the earth. That's the Bible's description of his season of being buried. Though he was buried in what we would say is an above-ground tomb, nonetheless the concept of burial is spoken of as his descending into the lower parts of the earth. And he has come out from the grave.

19:54 He's gone back to the right hand of the Father, the exalted, enthroned Lord, and he is that one who personally gives evangelists and teachers for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of service. And as Christ gave in the apostolic age, so he continues to give no more apostles,

20:28 prophets, and we could establish that if that were the purpose at this time. It is quite as if he gives evangelists in the sense that it's used, here, but one thing is clear. He continues now that we have a completed and scripturated revelation that contains the apostolic doctrine and the prophetic utterances we need. Chapter 2 tells us the church that is now being built is built upon the foundation of a...

21:01 Thank God he's continuing to give pastors and teachers who by use of the apostles and prophets found within the... The pages of this book minister to the building up of the saints that they might in turn do the work of service and might be made stable and mature and grow up into the fullness of the stature of Christ.

21:31 And therefore any view of the actual recognition and installation of church officers that stop short of seeing Christ and provision for his people.

22:05 20 and verse 28. 20 and verse 28. 20 and verse 28. 20 and verse 28.

22:15 20 and verse 28. Ministry. Actly convinced that he did these things for he gathered the elders of the church at Ephesus to him according to Acts 20 and verse 17. He sent to Ephesus, called the elders of the church and where they were come he said to them.

22:39 Now as he speaks to them, notice what he says in verse 28. Take heed unto yourselves and to all the flock.

22:50 Now notice. It doesn't say in which the apostles. Or apostolic representatives made you bishops or overseers. In which the congregation made you elders, bishops, overseers, pastors.

23:05 No. He says take heed to the flock in which the holy have made you overseers. Now could language be more plain? Every one of those elders was to regard himself as being an officer in that church by the direct agency of the church.

23:26 By the direct agency of the church. By God, the Holy Spirit. Now if the text doesn't say that, I don't know what language means. Were to regard themselves in that light.

23:39 He didn't say take heed to yourselves and to the flock in which your ecclesiastical politicizing made you overseers. In which all your buddies got together and put pressure on the congregation and made you overseers. Your own carnal acts made you overseers. And so Paul is forever establishing that whenever a man comes into a biblically designated office in a biblical way, it's God the Holy Spirit who puts him in that office.

24:17 And how does the Holy Spirit do that? Well he does it by imparting both the necessary gifts. That's why. But the gifts attributed to the work of the Holy Spirit.

24:31 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Here where Paul is dealing with a number of gifts. Some of which were temporary. Some of which are permanent.

24:40 One thing is clear with reference to this diversity of gifts which appear within the body of Christ. Verse 7 of 1 Corinthians 12. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit withal. For to one is given.

24:58 Now notice. Another word of knowledge according to the same. To another faith in the same Spirit. To another gifts of healings in the one Spirit.

25:12 To another working of miracles. To another prophecy. To another discerning of Spirit. Diverse kinds of tongues.

25:18 Interpretation of tongues. But all these worketh the one in the same Spirit. Dividing to each one severally as he will. It's almost as though you think Paul forgot what he had said.

25:33 He keeps emphasizing. By the Spirit. By the Spirit. By the Spirit.

25:37 By the Spirit. In other words, any and every gift which is an endowment of the body of Christ to profit the body is given by the direct activity and will of the Holy Spirit. And when he expands that list later on in the chapter, he mentions among the gifts. Verse 28.

25:58 That elders need to do their ordinary work in the standing offices of the church. Are indeed gifts given by the Holy Spirit. And likewise with graces. Chapter 3.

26:24 The apostles are setting the standard. For those first deacons there at the Jerusalem church. What are they to look for? Out among therefore from among you seven men of good report and of wisdom whom we may appoint over this business.

26:49 And they chose Stephen, verse 5, and of the Holy Spirit. You see, being full of the Holy Spirit is sandwiched between men of good report and of wisdom. That's significant. The ability so to walk with consistent guidance.

27:07 Consistent godliness come from. For here it is love, born suffering, goodness, spiritual wisdom come from. By which a man may be able to administer the affairs of Christ's church as a God's quartermaster in God's arms. A man whose mind and judgment are under the impress of the precepts of the word of God.

27:41 To take that knowledge and rightly to use it in the given and all perplexing situations and to take the most approachment are involved. That's what wisdom is. That comes from the Holy Spirit. So in these pivotal texts we see that it is the ascended Christ who gives pastors and teachers.

28:06 It is the Holy Spirit who constitutes overseers. It is the Spirit who imparts the gifts. It is the Spirit who imparts. And if that's so, mission must never, never, never be regarded as a matter of personal for position and influence about this issue.

Practical Implications of Divine Appointment

28:52 That there are only two called evangelical scholars on the other. God rewrites his word. Determined, 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 and 1 Peter 5 will never be a nation of whom should be recognized for elder and deacon. These are the king's stewards for his captains and his quarters. But then we will add to it this next dimension.

30:04 We will never, with the conviction, only elders and deacons, only men, we will try to push our buddies into office. We'll try to knock them out. We'll try to knock them out. We'll try to drag our fair-haired boys into office.

30:21 No, we leave. That's why I said this is the first thing I want under God to rivet in your minds. That there must be a corporate understanding and conviction. It is Christ himself who equips and gives these officers by the operation of the Holy Spirit.

30:40 Then we will continually look to Christ that he will equip and he will give shepherds after his own heart. He will give deacons who are men full of the Spirit and of wisdom. We will be convinced that Christ alone can mark them out. Christ alone with the graces and gifts necessary.

31:07 If we, dear people, had ascended Christ, went on high bearing the gifts and the graces, we will turn away from an act of fanatical claims of gifts of the Spirit.

32:05 We will testify to God that he will fill men with the graces. Grace is essential to these offices. And we will pursue a climb in which we don't breathe in the way by our arrogance or by our carnal attempts to put men into office according to our own will and our own sentiments and our own likings and our own notions. You see how practical it will be?

32:37 To us, Christ's giving and the Holy Spirit's endowing will not be theological abstractions in a lecture room where Pastor Nichols teaches ecclesiology. It will be a corporate conviction in itself in its unified heart. That's what's essential. That's the first thing I want to lay on your consciences.

The Whole Church's Active Role in Recognition and Reception

33:03 I said only two, so I come to number two. All right? There must not only be a corporate understanding and conviction that it is Christ himself who equips and gives these offices by the operation of the Holy Spirit, but there must be a corporate understanding and conviction to start out the same, that the whole church must be active in the recognition and reception of these offices. There must be a corporate understanding and conviction that the whole church must be active in the recognition and reception of these offices.

33:43 In other words, actual recognition and reception is not a matter of professional clerics outside the church who alone have the glasses to recognize Christ's gift and have some special authority to put their hands on those gifts and then say to the rest of the church, hey, you lucky people, we've done the job for you. This is a gift of Christ taken. Churches have been all too willing to let professional clerics take that to themselves. Don't you ever let them do it.

34:17 It is not the to a group of outside clerics and listen carefully, it is not a task given to your internal clerics. That is your existing elders and deacons simply to perpetuate the office by men that they alone are convinced are gifts of Christ. Are you listening to me? You got both ears out?

34:43 Are you hearing us? How much you love and trust your elders at any given point or your deacons. Recognition and reception and then inform you. You must understand and be convinced responsibility this holy priest and this solemn.

35:14 How do you do that? Are you listening? This is your job. Not mine.

35:27 Not mine. I can't do it for you. Only in so far as I am part of the congregation. Number one, intelligent assessment.

35:37 Quickly mandated suffrage and I don't use the word voting deliberately because voting has connotations that don't belong in Christ's house. So I use suffrage as a good old word and their functions. Those are the three ways which you as the people of God must be in the recognition and reception of your officers. And you must understand that this is your duty and your privilege.

Three Ways the Church is Active: Assessment, Suffrage, Acceptance

36:18 We'll just look at several texts under each of those three heads. Number one, by corporately intelligent assessment. Now where does God lay that on you? We go back to Acts 6.

36:29 Have a vast congregation out of Jewish background so it isn't as though they were raw pagans immediately called out of darkness. You remember when Paul established churches in paganism there was a slower process of recognizing office bearers. A period of approximately two years passed in the Acts 14 passage but here you had people steeped in old covenant religion. Many of them no doubt old covenant believers who had come to some measure of maturity relatively quickly.

37:05 And now when it comes time to have not just captains although apostles were more than captains I've got to change my imagery. They were at least up not generals. I don't like generals. The Lord's the general in his army.

37:20 But they were at least majors. All right? And when the majors said the captains they were the only elders at that time that we need some quartermasters. We can't carry on our work without some quartermasters.

37:35 Not fit that we should forsake the word of God and serve tables. That's the conclusion they came to. Verse 2. The twelve called the multitude and said it's not fit that we should forsake the word of God and serve tables.

37:47 They made the decision as a group of leaders. They did it all on their own. They didn't come before the people and say we've got a problem we don't know what to do. Will you help us?

37:55 No. The leaders took the lead and came to a tentative assessment of what course ought to be taken and they told the multitude. And then they gave them a directive. Verse 3.

38:05 Look among you brethren the seeding today is the whole multitude. We would call intelligent assessment of the men among them and they picked out the seven that they were convinced met the standard and they presented them to the apostles and the apostles the existing leaders. Amen their decision and showed it by laying their hands upon them and these men were installed and recognized as the servers of tables caring for the temporal needs of the church that the captains might give themselves to the ministry of the word

39:30 and of prayer. But there was coarseness to urge that upon God's people is either on the part of the existing leaders a desire to usurp an authority that doesn't belong to them an act of desperation because people are too spiritually lazy to do what they ought to do. Have mercy that neither of those things will happen in this place. As one indwelt by God one who has Titus 1 and has levels of interaction with potential office bearers that the office bearers don't have in certain ways you separately are responsible to make a biblically intelligent assessment. Then secondly mandated suffrage. I mean by that some way of a personal conviction that this one has been suggested as a gift of Christ to manifest the necessary graces and gifts endowments of the Spirit does indeed carry your conscience that Christ's biblical requirement is a gift that the Lord Jesus is given

40:58 and one whom you desire to recognize. Where do we get the notion that the people of God are to be involved in that? Well, the very passage we've looked at did they come to select these seven the whole multitude? The little committee that first of all people contacted and there may have been twenty I don't know what the specifics were but one thing is clear that all the brethren were involved and that when the final seven were put forward it's clear that the multitude was happy with the choice and had been involved in the choice.

41:36 They had some form of suffrage and then in Acts 14.23 as you've been told on other occasions those of you who've been with us for some time that we have a newer folk among us and I'll just remind you of this briefly excuse me when Luke says that the disciples when Paul, I'm sorry and his companions had appointed for them elders in every church Acts 14.23 and had prayed with fasting they commended them to the Lord the word appointed for them elders is a Greek word used only here and one other place in the New Testament and it's a compound verb made up of the words which literally translated would be the stretching out of the hand and its original connotation in secular usage did often refer to the word you would use that they voted for someone by the stretching out of the hand and the only other usage in the New Testament it clearly bears this connotation 2 Corinthians 8 verse 19 and not only so but who was appointed by the churches to travel with us in the matter of this grace here was a brother who was chosen by the suffrage of the churches to be Paul's companion

43:05 the churches had some voice or vote some way of expressing their consent that this brother whose praise in the gospel was spread through all the churches was a worthy companion to accompany Paul and his associates in taking up this collection for the poor saints in Judea his reputation was above reproach it was known throughout the churches and by some method of common suffrage they expressed that conviction Douglas Bannerman who's written a one volume classic on the church the doctrine of the church not James Bannerman who has the two volumes familiar to some of you let me quote him briefly on this very passage or these passages it seems a fair inference from all the circumstances of the case that the choice of the elders in each congregation was entrusted to the members of the church it can hardly be said that the words of the narrative in themselves assert this though that has been strongly maintained by many competent interpreters both in earlier and later times in other words they have taken the Acts 1423 passage and like John Owen he takes five pages to demonstrate his conviction that the only responsible exposition of that verse and the use of presses upon us the concept of common suffrage

44:33 now Bannerman is saying well I'm not ready to go that far although that position has been maintained by others then he goes on to say according to it the term here and in 2 Corinthians 8-9 means simply to appoint without determining the manner in which it is done that is most translators translate it appoint they don't translate they appointed by vote or they appointed by the stretching out of the hand the fact that the original meaning of the term was to appoint or elect by show of hands is favorable so far to the view that the appointment of elders was by the choice of the members of the church in which they were to hold office there can be little doubt that this was the method by which the messengers of the church at Corinth were appointed the passage I just read to you as referred to in the only other passage in the New Testament in which the word occurs other considerations point more decisively in the same direction the very object of the delay from the first to the second visit to these churches was to give time for the members to know and test the qualifications of the brethren who might seem fittest for the office they only could say who had been proven and found blameless they only could know who had a good testimony from them that were without they only could know who among them were apt to teach the confidence always shown by the apostle Paul

46:02 in the powers of self-government inherent in the members of the Christian communities which he founded his own his reliance on the gifts of the Holy Spirit bestowed upon them in the form of wisdom and knowledge and discernment his practice of leading the appointment of their representatives to important matters to the choice of the churches themselves these are all facts that underscore and then he reiterates this position both in the appointment of the seven deacons the election was made by the whole body of the disciples though the confirmation of the choice was referred directly to the Lord in one case that's in the case of the 120 when they chose a new apostle they narrowed it down to two and there was the casting of the lots he says there are these exceptional incidents so this is not a novel position dear people but it's one that lays upon you a solemn responsibility because you must as a congregation understand and be convinced that the whole church is to be active in the recognition and reception that means you must be engaged in a corporate biblically intelligent assessment secondly in a corporate biblically mandated suffrage by which you express your conviction that this man carries your judgment

47:30 that he does meet the standards of the king for those who are to be captains and quartermasters of the church and that indeed you have seen with your own eyes and heard with your own ears in your interaction with him that he is a gift of Christ and then thirdly it involves corporate biblically framed acceptance of the officer and his functions biblically framed acceptance of the officer and his functions 1st Timothy 5.22 Paul says lay hands hastily upon no man what was that Timothy do not formally accept the fact that a man is a gift of Christ and by the church hastily let enough time pass that you can be as sure as you can be without direct revelation that there is a biblically intelligent assessment by the people a corporate biblically mandated suffrage expressed by the people and be cautious as you proceed when the multitude chose the seven and presented them to the apostles and the apostles said send them to the apostles what they say we agree with you twice that's fine no they laid their hands upon them there was a formal recognition an action by which everyone could say from here on in these are the seven who are set apart to serve tables they are the official quartermasters now we know

Conclusion: Interconnectedness and Warning

48:58 who they are the thing was done in a distinctive formal way likewise in Acts 13 when the Holy Spirit separated Paul and Barnabas to a new task hands were laid upon them not to confer grace tidy up what God had already made plain and make it evident that the entire church was convinced of the mind and will of God and so by corporate biblically framed acceptance of the officer and his functions our task as a congregation is then complete in the recognition of the church officer in conclusion I hope some of you are beginning to see the points of the manifesto are tied together you begin to see it determined to have a biblical standard for church officers and that standard involves a number of those clearly revealed in scripture only the gender mandated by scripture but nothing other than the qualifications outlined in scripture and then a means of recognition and acceptance warranted by scripture you see what this is saying you better have a congregation where the scriptures are first of all

50:27 widely known mandated come in wise that's a script impact is felt upon the minds and consciences of the whole congregation so you watch out for anything that takes away the centrality of preaching in your life it won't be long before it will chip away at biblical standards in your leadership as well as biblical standards in your worship it's all tied together folks and the second thing it tells us is you see why we insist on pursuing the standard of a truly regenerate membership unregenerate people don't want to be submissive to scripture they want a king who's the tallest and handsomest in the land there's no other reason why they wanted Saul but that he who stood head and shoulders above others he was fair to the eye of carnal desire see when you begin to have a church they don't want faithful shepherds who are going to truly watch for their souls point out their sins

51:55 exercise godly discipline where necessary offerings that are offensive to their flesh and it's always a grass roots erosion of the membership that precedes a lowering of the standards of the captains and the quarter masters it's all tied together folks and if we grieve the holy spirit and Christ's presence is just a name and not a reality we will not see him conferring gifts upon men and graces and then god will say alright I've had enough of your foolishness you go on claiming to love me and be evangelical and believe the bible and even reform but you so greed me you know what I'm going to do I'm going to curse you like I cursed my ancient people I'm going to take away and I'm going to give you and we come right back to Isaiah chapter 3 God's going to take away competent leaders and listen I'm not using the word carelessly if God ever takes away competent leadership from this place for a month all hell will break loose around you and then he'll give who won't teach you the word of God who won't keep your conscience sensitive and keep you close to Christ and to his cross

53:24 who will countenance sin that like leaven will infect others until a whole congregation sees with the infectious influence of leaven sin not doubt in a biblical way let me say it faster you're getting paranoid in your old age my friends that's a wicked thought I'm not being paranoid in my old age I'm being realistic in the light of my bible you're going to call Paul paranoid when he said I know that from your very own selves men shall arise to draw away disciples was he paranoid when he says wolves he was a realist and that's why he put before you the word of God so when anyone's proposed you can say he carries my quartermaster of the kings

54:49 dear people don't take these things lightly no greater curse could come to you than for God to say I'll take away and I will give you if I thought it would be unto edification I'd take a whole service couldn't do it in a sermon you wouldn't be preaching I'd violate what I've said say we're going to have a special meeting some Friday night I'm going to give you a true tale of horror the kind of messes I'm called upon to try to help people thorn out principle men of God and he's given them boys and incompetence to beat them and maybe you believe the danger's real in this place but look to our dear Lord Jesus Christ and say Lord Jesus will you not continue to give and will you not so work among us we'll be worthy it will not so grieve you and so dishonor you that you'll take away competent leaders and curse us with incompetence

56:12 before the light of your word we thank you that you have given the solemn solemn privilege to your people to recognize the gift of true shepherds of true say that that privilege will never be treated lightly nor abused in this place but oh God so rivet these truths to the hearts of the rising generation that they will be prepared by your grace to operate by them jealously guard them endure their perpetuity to another generation Lord we would be bold to ask that for your glory for your glory Lord for the honor of your name not ours for the honor of your beloved son and his cause in the earth would you not make it plain to subsequent generations that the Lord Jesus tarry that erosion and declension from the standards of the word of God in leadership is not a necessary result of the passing of time Lord Jesus would you not glorify yourself

57:40 by sustaining your own standards in this place until you break through the clouds and come in power and in glory seal your word to our hearts mercy upon those who have no knowledge of you in your glory may the things they sensed and felt in this place today shake them and disturb them until they come to know the graciousness and the loveliness of the Christ of whom we have spoken oh Father seal your word we plead for your glory and our good Amen