1 Timothy for the life of..

Welcome to Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church. Thank you for using and sharing our resources. What you're about to hear is God's Word from one of our teaching elders. We trust that God's Word will inspire, instruct, and bless you. For further teachings or information on our ministry, please visit us on our website at cornerstonerbc.

com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. So we're going to continue with our studies on practical matters and practical instructions that the apostle Paul is giving to his disciple Timothy in this beautiful letter. And this evening, by God's grace in Christ, we're going to be addressing verse 17 and 18 of chapter 5.

versus 17 and 18. Our brother has already taken us through versus one through 16 last time addressing widows and. And this evening, we're going to be now getting into a section in which the apostle is going to be given instructions to Timothy on things that pertain to the role of the elder. So we're going to be addressing, as I said, verse 17 and 18. But let's read together from verse 17 all the end to the chapter.

So this is the word of God. Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the scripture says, you shall know muscle and knocks when he treads out the grain. And the labor deserves his wages. Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.

As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, and of the elect angels, I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality. Do not be hasty in the laying of hands, nor take part in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden. Amen. The Word of God, as I said, verses 17 and 18, in which the apostle is going to be giving clear instructions to Timothy on what to do with the elders. He says, Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.

And then he gives the reason in verse 18. He says, why? For the scripture says, you shall not muzzle an ox when he treads out the grain. and the laborer deserves his wages." Now, beloved brethren, we have in front of us a couple of verses that are very misapplied or misinterpreted by many people, and therefore applied in the Church in a way that does not correspond to what Scripture really teaches.

So it's very important for us to ask ourselves within the context of Scripture what Scripture really teaches and what the Apostle, what is the real instruction that the Apostle is giving to Timothy in these couple of verses. The life of the church, if you want, when it pertains to the ministry of the Word of God depends on a correct understanding of the verses that are here when it comes to the role of the elders. But something that I want you to notice before we get into understanding what the apostle is saying to Timothy is what the apostle has done generally in the whole letter. And this is given preeminence and very high importance to the ministry of the word of God. The ministry of the word of God in the life of the church is vital for the operations and for the health, the spiritual health of the church.

And therefore, because the elders have been called by God to fulfill the role of the ministry of the word of God, then the ministry of the elders becomes a variable upon which the spiritual health of the church depends. So it is not that the elders are preeminent or more important than the other members of the church. We've said that by faith, all of us are united to Christ. We have put on Christ and then we are all of us one in Christ. This is what Apostle Paul says in Galatians.

There is no distinction. There is no one that is more important than other. We are all members of one body. But because the Word of God, as it is spoken and is conceived in the Holy Heart of God, it is the substance that defines the spiritual growth of the Church, and the elders are the appointed means by God and the Spirit, through which the Word of God is given to the Church, then the spiritual health of the elders is a variable upon which the spiritual health of the Church depends, and the way that the elders exercise their ministry in the life of the Church is vital and is important for the Church as a whole. There is a clear correlation between the spiritual life of the elders, or those who are in the Church as the elders, or those who are ruling or guiding, and the church as a whole.

That's why the Apostle finishes chapter 4 with this very important verse that we've read now many times in verse 16. He's saying to Timothy, an elder, a pastor of the church, keep a close watch on yourself and on teaching. is speaking to an elder. Persist in this, keeping watch on yourself and on teaching. Why?

For by doing so, by so doing, you will save both yourself and your hearers. And the hearers are those who are in the church. So that is that the giving of himself or the giving of oneself to protect and keep oneself and spotted from the things of the world and given oneself to the doctrine and to teaching. It is not only for the benefit of the soul of the elder, but it's also for the benefit of the soul of the congregation. So you see how important it is for the church that we might protect ourselves by protecting the doctrine and the teaching as a whole body and the prayers of the saints for the elders of those who are given the ministry of teaching is vital and it's very important, not only for the one who is teaching and preaching, but also for the whole congregation.

The reason why I'm saying this and why I'm setting that foundation is because we are not going to understand the verses or what we have here in verse 17 and 18 if we do not see the big picture of this important correlation between the elder and the congregation. The verses that we have here, 17 and 18, speak of the financial reward that some elders among the congregation may have. That is the wages or the financial reward, the money that they may receive because of the performing of the role that they have been given or entrusted by the Spirit of Christ. So we're going to be dealing with very important matters. Everything that pertains to money is difficult and therefore we need to deal with it in biblical terms and with the clarity of having the spiritual matters of a supreme authority, of supreme importance, of higher importance.

We need to have as a congregation clear all of these matters, the spiritual matters, so that we might be able to understand the dealings of the material matters. In this case, wages or money or these monetary rewards that some elders within the context of the congregation may receive. The Apostle is presenting his argument in verse 17. He's saying, let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor or those who work in preaching and teaching. And then he gives the reason, taking two quotes of the scripture, one from the Old Testament and another one from the New Testament.

He says, why? Because the scripture says, you shall know Maslow and Knox when he treads out the grain and the laborer deserves his wages. So the elder here is that laborer that deserves his wages. This is the reward, the financial monetary reward that the elder deserves because of the duty that he is performing within the context of the church. Now, beloved brothers and sisters, the correlation or the relationship between the elder and the church is so important.

that the spiritual health, this is perhaps the most important principle that I want you to hear from me this evening, that the spiritual health of the elder affects the spiritual health of the congregation as a whole. That the way that the minister or the way that the preacher or the way that the elder provides or administers the Word of God to the congregation, defines, of course, that is by grace and in the Spirit of God, defines the spiritual growth of the congregation. And that reward is the most important for the preacher rather than the financial reward. the reward of seeing a congregation being built up in the conformity of Jesus Christ, the reward of seeing a congregation that is exceedingly loving one another and being united in the Word and being united in the truth, that reward exceeds whatever financial reward or monetary reward that a preacher may receive from the Church. This is very important because in our flesh, we tend to give more importance to those things that have numbers rather than the spiritual things.

When we deal with money, we have to give or set the spiritual priority where it belongs, because the Lord speaks of serving two masters, right? And one of them is money. So we need to have clarity when it comes to that. Plus, beloved brethren, The scripture clearly speaks not only of that vital relationship between the spiritual health and the ministry of the preacher or the elder, and the life and the spiritual health of the church in the context of the reward of the preacher. This is the most important thing.

I want to show you that principle first, before we get into this, from scripture, so that our minds are always set in the importance of this spiritual reward, or the lack of it, in the relationship between the minister and the congregation. This is what the apostle Paul, the same apostle Paul, teaches in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. So if you go to 1 Corinthians chapter 3, you're going to find there a passage that is often and many times used to speak about the fruit of an individual Christian, or the work of an individual Christian. You may have heard many times, you know, people speaking of that our work should be founded upon gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay and straw. Probably you've heard this many times, but let's just read from the context what the apostle is really teaching.

And I want you to see here the reward, the true, the most important reward of the elder or the minister of the word within the context of the church as the building of God that is being constructed and increasing in size. Let's just read from chapter 3 from verse 5. You may remember that the church at Corinth was having many different issues of division, and some people were choosing a man, some other people were choosing another man. And there were lots of difficult situations within the context of the church because of this. Now, the apostle is going to give us a very important teaching here.

Let's go in verse five. It says. What then is Apollos addressing the men that were causing this type of division, or at least these sections of the church that were directing towards these men? What then is Apollos? What is Paul?

And then he says, they are servants through whom you believed as the Lord assigned to each. I, Paul, planted. Apollos, watered. But God, gave the growth. Now, in your minds and in the context, Paul and Apollos are like the elders who are preaching the word, who are bringing the gospel to the congregation.

And one is the one that is watering, planting, and the other one that is watering through the ministry of the preaching of the word. And then, therefore, God is giving growth to the congregation through the words of God. This is what he's teaching. Number seven. So neither he who plants, that is Paul, nor he who waters, that's Apollos, is anything.

but only God who gives the growth, the growth of the church. Now, verse eight, pay attention to this, because this is the real reward that the man of God is going to receive. How he says he, but he who plants and he who waters are one and each will receive his wages. according to his labor. And this labor is exactly the same word that the Apostle Paul uses in Timothy when he speaks of this double honor, those who labor in preaching of the word and teaching.

Now, verse 9. For we are God's fellow workers." Speaking of Paul and Apollos, and speaking of the church, he says, you are God's field, God's building, right? So he's saying, Paul and Apollos, we are fellow workers of God, and we are the ones that are planting, we are the ones that are watering this building that is the preaching of the word. But God is the one that is bringing growth to this congregation, to the church.

Now, verse 10. according to the grace. This is the source by which the one who plants and the one who waters work according to the grace of God given to me. That means Paul, who is the one who was planting like a skilled master builder. I laid a foundation and someone else that is Apollos is building upon it.

Now, please bear with me and what my explanations within the text. Beloved brethren, because now Paul is moving from the analogy of the one who plants and the one who waters this plant that is growing, now into the analogy of the builder, the one that is building upon a foundation. Now he continues, he says, According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder, I laid a foundation and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it." Speaking of the minister or the stewards of God, who are the ones that are administering the Word of God to the congregation.

For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now, if anyone, speaking of those who build the congregation, namely Paul or Apollos or elders or preachers. Now, if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or straw, speaking of the building of the congregation, Now, each one, that is, each preacher, each elder, or in this case, Apollos or Paul, each one's work will become manifest. And this should make us tremble here, beloved brethren. Each one's work will become manifest, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire.

And the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he, the preacher, will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he, the preacher, will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only through fire. Now, this speaks that those who build our instruments of building up the church, the elders, the means by which God gives growth through the church, through the administration of the Word of God, that the work that they are establishing is going to be put through fire. that the churches, or churches in general, they are going to be put through fire.

And the fire is going to test upon what foundation these churches were established. If the church was established upon gold and silver, which is not necessarily that the building has to be built upon gold or silver, but rather that the church is growing upon the not corrupted Word of God, as it comes from the lips and the heart of God, and not through the wisdom of men, then the church will be established and will remain. Now, verse 16. Verse 16. Do you not know that you are God's temple?

Now you have U there, but this is plural. In the King James it says E. Speaking of you guys, you plural, it says, Do you not know that you all are God's temple and God's spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroyed God's temple, that is the collective, God will destroy him for God's temple is holy and you are that temple. Now, brothers and sisters, the only thing that I wanted to do is just to connect those wages of the preachers the wages that speaks in verse eight with the outcome of the church.

There is not better reward. There is no better payment if you want for a preacher or for an elder than to see the congregation of God being built upon the words of God and therefore strong so that when fire comes, The work remains because it's not established upon the wisdom of men, but it's established upon the power of the Spirit. This is the analogy that the Apostle gives to the believers in 1 Corinthians chapter 2, when he's saying, I came to you with fear and trembling, and I did not preach the gospel with wisdom of men or with words of wisdom, but I preach the gospel with a demonstration of the power of the Spirit so that Your faith, the church, may not stand on the wisdom of men, may not be built upon the wisdom of men, but upon the power of God, upon the Spirit of God. Because the faith of the church, or the faith of men, even worse, can be built upon the wisdom of men. And what is built upon the wisdom of men, the fire comes and then is dispersed and it is destroyed.

This is very important. This is where the heart of the elders and where the heart of the church should be. Not in a financial reward, not in a payment, not in money, not in material things, but rather in things that are immaterial that give a strength to the church and to the hearts of those who belong to the church. So then when we come back, and I hope that this is clear in your mind, when we come back to the verse that we have in front of us now, here we have the apostle giving instructions to Timothy and to the elders of the church, not about a reward that is spiritual, namely, the consistency and how solid the church is spiritually, but now he is speaking about a financial reward. The word that we have there, double honor, it has a financial, a monetary, monetary is the word, right?

Monetary a connotation that comes from money, that is wages, that is salary, if you want, the money that the elders may receive within the context of the congregation. Now, I'm going to point to at least three things that I want you to learn that this verse does not teach. And perhaps we will be more blessed if you learn the things that this verse does not teach. Because these are the things that sometimes churches say that this verse teaches and then misapply within the context of the church. Now, let's just go to verse one and pay attention to three words where the apostle says, let the elders who rule well, he says, let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor.

especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. The ruling will of the elder speaks of the role of the elder. They have been called by the Spirit of God to lead and to rule in the congregation by the exercising of authority that does not come from them, but that comes from the Word of God, that by the grace of God is given to them so that they will teach it to the congregation. We studied that in chapter number two, that it is their role when it speaks of ruling. Well, but then it speaks of the preaching and teaching that is the gifts that the elder will have, the gift of one of the requirements of the elders, preaching and teaching.

Our brother explained that to us from chapter three, that an elder is supposed to be apt or able to teach the teach the word of God. And then this word honor, that that is the respect or the honor that he's supposed to receive from the congregation, not because there's any value in and of himself, but rather because of the great, majestic, glorious calling that the Lord has entrusted to this person. So the first thing, beloved brothers and sisters, this verse is not teaching that there are some elders who rule well and there's another elders who do not rule well. the ruling well is an expectation of all the elders. Otherwise, if they are not ruling or leading well or guiding the congregation well, well, then they are not fulfilling the requirements of their calling.

And therefore, they are supposed to not be an elder. So there's no distinction between elders who rule well and elders who do not rule well. But beyond this thing that I want you to have in your mind, There's no such a distinction between elders who rule the church or who lead the church and elders who do not do that. All the elders have been called to rule and to lead in the church because they have the same value, if you want, or the same calling that comes from God. So there's no distinction.

That term of senior pastor and associate pastor or whatever other thing pastor is unbiblical. is not biblical. Everyone is a pastor, everyone is an elder. Those who have been called, they are equally the same in terms of calling in front of the Lord. These terms and preeminence are terms that have not been given in the Bible.

All elders, when they have been called according to the biblical requirements as they are given to us in Scripture, they are the same in the eyes of the congregation and in the eyes of God. Not because of how good they are, but because the value that they have, it is given in their calling that is from the Spirit. So there is no distinction. Now, second thing, going to this preaching and teaching, beloved brethren, There's no such a thing as elders who teach and preach and elders who do not do it. Why?

Because preaching and teaching is a requirement of an elder. So for an elder to be an elder, he has to be able to teach. And for a person to be able to teach, that means that this person has taught or has proved that he is able to teach. Therefore, the congregation as a whole has to be benefited from the teaching of all the elders of the congregation. Now, sometimes there may be times in which one of the elders has a role that it is more active in the office of teaching or in the activity of teaching, but all the elders are supposed to exercise their gift of teaching and preaching.

Now, this is another thing that we need to also have in our mind, beloved brethren, that teaching and preaching is not only something that happens in these moments when we come together. when we have conversations, when we have conversations that are based on the Bible, we expect that the elder or that the elders will be able to direct that conversation in such a way that the things that come out of their mouth are biblical teachings, so that we are sharpening one another constantly, that the instructions are being given according to the words of God. So the ministry of the word happens both privately and also corporately. But brothers and sisters, there is no such a thing as elders who do not teach or cannot teach or who never teach or who never preach or that are unable to do it. This does not exist in the Bible.

teaching and preaching is a characteristic of those who have been called to lead and to rule the church. Very important that you have those things clear in your mind. Now, the second thing is with the honor, because here we have an interesting thing that the apostle is giving this instruction to Timothy, that certain elders, he says, let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor. Brothers and sisters, this does not mean that there's going to be some elders that are worthy of honor and there's some other elders who are not worthy of honor. Whether there are some elders who are worthy of quantitatively speaking, more honor than other, because simply honor is not something that you are able to quantify.

But as I'm going to try to prove to you later, this is speaking of a particular type of honor that some elders may receive from the congregation that some other elders may not receive because of providential circumstances. But all the elders are worthy of honor. And a very important thing, it's not because of who they are, but it is because of the calling that has been entrusted to them. When we take our eyes and we put them in men, even if we call each other brother and sister, but when we take our eyes and we put it in men, then pride comes easily from the heart. The eyes of the congregation, both the people and those who rule and lead through preaching, has always to be set in the person of Jesus Christ, so that biblically we can understand the roles that have been given to us.

without taking or absorbing or producing pride within our hearts because of the calling that the Lord has given us by His grace. That's what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3, according to the grace of God. This is when we can see each other as equal as members of the body even if some are called to teach and open their mouth and to teach and they seem to have a preeminent role just because their voice is heard the most? They are exactly the same than the members of the church who may not have this preeminent role in speaking and teaching and opening their mouth to be heard. This is very important that we understand.

So now, if this is not what the Apostle is trying to communicate to Timothy, so then what is he saying? What is he saying? If there is no distinction among the elders when it pertains to their calling, all have been called by God according to the requirements that have been given to us in 1 Timothy chapter 3. All their calling has to be founded upon those things. If all the elders are worthy of honor, not because of who they are and the things that they know can do or the things they cannot do, but because of the calling that has been given by the Spirit and the calling of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And if all of these teachers are supposed to be gifted, with the gift of teaching. So then what is that distinction that the apostle is given us was making in verse 17? And this distinction pertains to financial support. So now, simply put, beloved brethren, there is times and this is just the simple teaching, the clear teaching of the verse. There are times in which by the providence of God, God is going to lead the congregation, not amen, not to men, but God is going to lead the congregation as a whole to allocate or to give a providential distinction, if you want, to a group of elders among the elders for the benefit of the church, so that this elder or group of elders among the elders may give themselves entirely to labor in the Word of God.

Just remember what happened in Acts chapter 6. Remember what happened in Acts chapter 6? when there was the appointment of the deacons, that there were some complaints that came to the apostles, and then the apostles, what they decide to do is that they are going to appoint deacons so that the deacons may take care of physical matters. And then he says, so that we may be able to give ourselves to prayer and the Word of God. So the giving entirely of certain men to the Word of God and to prayer within the context of the church, it is not for the benefit of those men, but it is for the benefit of the congregation as a whole.

So there are times, beloved brethren, brothers and sisters, There are times in which God is going to lead providentially the whole congregation to come to the conclusion that it is for the best and the benefit of the church that a brother might be set apart so that he will dedicate himself entirely to the ministry of the Word without having to go and labor in the world so that he will labor entirely in the words of God and in teaching. Why? Because it is for the good of the congregation. All the elders are the same. All the elders have gifting.

All the elders have equal honor. But it is the best for the body that a particular brother or a particular group of brothers among the elders that they may labor in the words of God by preaching and teaching some other brothers. may have this gift. Some other brothers may have, of course, they have to have the calling and they're worthy of honor, but providentially the Lord is providing for their physical needs through the work that they perform outside of the church. So that means that they will continue fulfilling the requirements of their calling as elders, but also means that they will have to give themselves to fulfilling certain duties that they will have outside of the church, namely work, so that they will be able to provide for themselves and for their family.

That means that their time is going to be reduced for the ministry of the things that pertain to the word of God within the congregation or in the context of the church. Of course, if one of the elders or if the elders are working on a particular day, then the church cannot gather on that particular day to preach the word through the elders because the elders simply will not be able to be there. But providentially, the Lord will lead the congregation to identify this point of this moment or of these people or this group of men within the elders that it is the best benefit for the church that this man or this group of men within the elders may be given time and the financial support from the congregation so that they will labor, so that they will make a living from giving themselves to teaching and from preaching the Word of God. while all the elders remain equally the same. Some people might confuse those things and therefore give preeminence to the people that eventually end up taking that role of full-time pastor or they have this type of words or definition that sometimes are just taken from the secular world given to a servant of God.

But it is simply that the church is supplying the financial needs of this brother so that this brother may be able to fulfill also the requirements which is providing for the needs of his family. Now, brothers and sisters, providing for the brothers within the context of the church is something that is biblical. Providing for the needs of those who preach the gospel is something that is biblical. There's examples in which the Apostle Paul himself was gathering offerings or financial support for the sake of His ministry or for the sake of the ministry of those who were with Him. And I want to show you a couple of examples so that we will see that the financial support of the congregation to those who minister the Word of God, it is vital and it's also important.

So go please to 2 Corinthians chapter 8. I want to show you only three examples of this so that you will see that the providing of this physical means of financial support is something that it is biblical. And the beautiful thing about this is that the Apostle Paul never refers to money, or let's not say never, but most of the time when the Apostle Paul refers to money in the sense as an offering for a brother of the church or an offering for the elders or for those who teach or preach the gospel in the context of the church, he does not use the word money so clearly, but usually he uses nouns or he uses words that speak more of the attitude in giving the money so for instance in first timothy chapter 5 the one that we have with us 17 he does not speak of this money as money but rather he calls it honor so he uses words that speak more that go beyond the financial aspect. And I speak of the attitude, if you want, of the heart of the one who is given this honor, which, of course, contains the financial help. But here in Second Corinthians, chapter eight, let me show you, biblically speaking, three examples that prove that financial support to those who preach the gospel is something that has been instructed by God.

Chapter eight, verse one, it says, We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia. For in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. for they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor. This is the offering, if you want, or the grace, other translations will translate it, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints. And this is not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord, and they by the will of God to us.

Accordingly, we urge Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace." Go to Galatians 6 and then you will see it more clearly here how the Apostle also gives this instruction in Galatians 6. He calls it here good things. He does not speak of money, but he speaks of good things. Verse six, chapter six, verse six, let the one who is taught, so the one who receives the words of God, let the one who is taught the word shared all good things with the one who teaches.

Let the one who is taught share the good things with the one who teaches. And let's go to another passage that clearly portrays this truth in Philippians chapter 4. Go to Philippians chapter 4. Philippians chapter 4. Verse 15.

And you, Philippians yourself, know that in the beginning of the Gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment and more. I am well supplied having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent."

Now pay attention to this. The gifts of the church, this is the financial support of the church to the ministry of Paul, he's going to call it this. a fragrant offering, a sacrifice, acceptable and pleasing to God." He's saying, basically, that this was a sacrifice, a spiritual sacrifice of the church, given as a fragrant aroma to the Lord, the providing for the physical needs of this brother. He's going to speak more clearly of all this whole thing in 1 Corinthians Chapter 9.

Let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 9, beloved brethren, because I want to show you a couple of very important principles when it pertains to money. The Apostle Paul here in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 is going to speak of this as a right. So he's going to teach in First Corinthians nine that those who preach the gospel is the right to receive these financial if you want support from the congregation. Now, let's read from. Let's read from the beginning of the chapter.

Paul is speaking here, and he says, 1 Corinthians 9, Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

This is my defense to those who would examine me. Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? Who serves a soldier at his own expense?

Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruits? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk? Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the law say the same? For it is written in the law of Moses, You shall know Maslow's nox when he treads out the grain."

Using exactly the same verse from 1 Timothy. Is it for oxen that God is concerned? So he is going to explain here. Does he not certainly speak for our sake, those who minister the gospel, those who preach the word? It was written for our sake because the plowman should plow in hope and the treasure thresh in hope of sharing in the core, in the crop.

If we have so many spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Now pay attention to this. Nevertheless, he's basically said, I have the right to receive some financial support or material things from you because we have provided that which is spiritual. Nevertheless, verse 12, we have not made use of this right.

So that means that those who preach the gospel, those who serve in the ministry of the word, they have the right to leave of the gospel and to leave of these things. But he says, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. Why is he saying that? Because you might remember that the apostle, even though he had the right to receive financial support from the churches, and he did receive support many times or sometimes from the churches, that he decided to work with his hands so that he will not put the financial burden on the church. I think this is Acts 19.

Acts 19, when he speaks of Aquila and Priscilla as being tent makers, ten makers, because he was laboring with his hands so that he will not put the burden of the financial support upon the church and he will not become a burden to the church, even though he acknowledges that him as the other apostles and as the other brothers in the faith had this right. Verse 13. Do you not know? Verse 13, put your eyes there, beloved brethren. Do you not know?

that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings. This is taken from the Old Testament, the sacrificial system in which the priest will leave of the things of the temple. And then he's given equivalence or equating the priest to those who serve in the context of the spiritual temple of God, the church. In the same way, verse 14, in the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should gather living by the gospel. But verse 15, he's going to teach us something very important.

But he's got the right. The Bible, in the Old Testament, gives him also the right, by inspiration, he says, the priests lived of the things of the gospel, those who minister in the spiritual house will also live of the gospel. Verse 15, but I have made no use of any of these rights. nor I am writing these things to secure anything such provision." So he's saying, I'm not writing this so that you will give this money or this financial support to me.

For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel, he says. My ministry and my preaching does not depend on the financial reward that I might receive, because His eyes were put in the high spiritual reward, which was the building up of the church, presenting the church blameless, without a spot, before the Lord Jesus Christ, so that when fire will come, the church will remain solid and established upon the faith, not upon Paul, upon Christ.

Verse 17, For I do this on my own will. I do this on my own will. I have a reward. But if I am not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward?

That in my preaching I might present the gospel free of charge, as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. This was the heart and the attitude of the Apostle Paul. But, beloved brethren, We are not supposed to impose the hearts of the Apostle Paul on every single preacher because the Bible gives the biblical right to those who minister of the altar to live of the things of the altar. So if we have presented all of those things, let me just go back to the text and then just give you the principle upon which we should make the decision of this financial support for the life of the elders within the context of the church. So go to 1 Timothy again and let me give you the principle which is given to us in verse 18.

The apostle now, he's spoken in verse 17, that there are some elders, those who rule well, does not mean that the others rule bad, but those elders who, by the providential leading of the church, the church decides that some elders who labor in the preaching and the teaching of the word. Now he's going to give us a principle. And I want you to have that in your mind. Verse 18, he's going to give us two statements from scripture, right? He's going to give us one from the Old Testament from Deuteronomy chapter 25 and the other one from the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ is the second one.

He's going to give us a negative one and he's going to give us a positive one similar to what Peter was doing in the sermons that we preach. Two statements that are going to give us the foundation of our principle. One that it is a negative one and the other one that it is in the positive one. The first one it says You shall not, this is why it's negative, you shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain. So you shall not muzzle an ox or you shall not prevent the animal from eating when the animal is working.

So that's the first principle. And the second principle says, he takes this now to a human being, the laborer deserves his wages. Two principles that scripture is given us there. The service of the elder or the office of the exercising of the service of the elder should not prevent the elder or the person from fulfilling his physical needs and the needs of his family. That is, if an elder is going to serve in the life of the church, and by serving in the life of the church, he's not going to be able to eat for a month.

Well, after a month, we will not have an elder because he will not be able to survive without eating and without providing for his physical needs. So that means that the service of the elder should not prevent him from providing or obtaining the provision that he needs for him and then also to fulfill the requirement of providing for his family. The service should not prevent him from that. And the second thing is that in light of that, the laborer, that is, the elder, deserves, that is, is his right. And I think that I've proven from 1 Corinthians 9 that this is what the Apostle teaches, that is the right of the laborer to receive his wages.

Those are the two principles that speaks of the provision of the church or of God, ultimately, to the elder. The service that the elder performs within the context of the church as an elder should not prevent him from providing for his physical needs. And as he does that, then he deserves the wages or the reward for doing so. The Lord may provide for his physical needs either through the church or through work. And that is then left to the providential circumstances of the congregation, and also, as you saw in 1 Corinthians 9, to the will of the person, that is to the conviction of the person, that is, the Apostle Paul knew that he had the right, yet he decided out of his heart, he was led by the Spirit of God to say, I do not make use of the right and I'm going to give myself to work to not to put the burden on the congregation.

And that is left to the Spirit of God to work in the heart of a man or in the congregation as a whole. Now, beloved brethren, when we speak about things of money, these are dangerous things. That's why the congregation as a whole should have freedom to speak of things of financial matters and things of money, so that we might protect ourselves from falling into temptation in things that come and that are related to money. This is the warning that the Apostle Peter gives to the elders in 1 Peter chapter 5, and I want to finish with that. 1 Peter chapter 5.

See how glorious it is to be an elder and a pastor, an overseer, but also how dangerous it is. First Peter, chapter five. So I exhort the elders among you as fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed. This is what he's exhorting the elders. Verse to shepherd the flock that is among you.

exercise in oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you, not for shameful gain." Not for shameful gain. Why, beloved brothers and sisters? Because even though, providentially speaking, the Lord may provide the wages of the laborer through the church and the offerings of the church, the mind of the elder and the mind of the pastor and the mind of the men of God should be always set on the higher spiritual reward, which is the edification of the church. He says, but eagerly, not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples of the flock.

And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. You will receive the unfading crown of glory because the reward of those who minister the Word of God, it is not money. That will be an insult to Christ. That will be an insult to God, that our heart will be moved by money that is passing away, by money that is going to disappear when fire comes. But the treasure has to be placed in heaven, not only the treasure of the preacher and the elder, but the treasure of each one of us.

And building that treasure in this time, it is not by collecting money and having material things, but brothers and sisters making the church Christlike. filling the word with it the church with the word of God so that the foundation might be established not upon the wisdom of men but upon Jesus Christ so that when fire comes we might glory in Christ because the work that was done according to the grace of God in Christ Proof that the Word is sufficient to strengthen each one of the members and to keep them knit together for the glory of the Savior. Amen.