and they will have the opportunity
to do that in the service tonight. Let's go to our Lord in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, Lord, we
come to you today, we come to you this morning so thankful
for Another day of life and another opportunity to worship your holy
name. Lord, we are truly. Grateful
to be. Gathered among your people and. Each one of us pray called your
people. Lord, we desire to be. Your sheep
we desire to be. one of your own. And Lord, we're
very grateful for all of your goodness to us, every good and
perfect thing you give to us in this world, all of your provisions
and everything that you do. But Lord, we are so grateful
for the gift of eternal life and eternal salvation. It's truly
overwhelming. And we give you thanks, Lord. We bow before you. Our hearts
bow before you. We praise your holy name. We just worship you in thankfulness. And we pray, Lord, that you will
allow us to enter into your word and enter into your messages.
We pray, Lord, that you would teach us today. We desire to
Learn and grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ. We pray, Lord, that you will
prepare our hearts for what we're about to do now and what we will
continue to do throughout the day, and that's hear the gospel
preached. Prepare our ears and our hearts,
our minds, our souls, Lord, help us and bless us and speak to
us and meet with us. We deeply, desperately, need
your spirit. We pray, Lord, for our teachers,
that you'll help them and bless them, and we pray for these children,
Lord, plant a seed in their hearts. We pray, Lord, that you'll be
with our brethren all over this world. We pray for all who preach,
wherever they may be. Lord, bless your people. Receive
glory and honor. Please forgive us. Please save,
Lord. Please be merciful to sinners
in need. We ask all of this for Christ's
sake, amen. Turn with me to Titus chapter
one. Titus chapter 1, Paul is writing
this letter to Titus who has become the pastor in
the congregation of Crete, that's an island in the Mediterranean
Sea. And Paul's instruction to Titus
is as the gospel grows and as it spreads and more Congregations
are formed, more men and women start to believe this truth,
and they gather with others who believe this truth, and as congregations
are formed, he said, ordain pastors for each one of these congregations. The land mass size of Crete is almost, it's a little bit less,
but it would be almost twice the size of Tri-Cities. You think
about Kingsport, Bristol, Johnson City, almost twice that size. So it's a pretty good space of
land, especially if you're walking. And plenty of room for multiple
congregations. to be formed, and the heading
at the top of my page here says that Paul's letter to Titus is
concerning the necessary qualifications of ministers. He said you are
to ordain ministers, and he's given the necessary qualifications
of ministers. Paul said Titus, you need to
ordain pastors for every congregation, And this is what you need to
look for in the man. We're picking up with verse five
today, but let's begin reading in verse one. Paul, a servant
of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith
of God's elect and the acknowledging of the truth, which is after
godliness. in hope of eternal life, which
God that cannot lie promised before the world began, but hath
in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed
unto me according to the commandment of God our Savior, to Titus,
mine own son, after the common faith, Grace, mercy, and peace
from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. Now verse five says, for this
cause left I thee in Crete that thou shouldest set in order the
things that are wanting or left undone and ordain elders in every
city as I had appointed thee. Ordain elders, and then he goes
on in the next verses to describe these qualifications, and we
will not make, I was going to go there, but we didn't make
it that far. I want to say something about elders before we even look
at that. The word ordain means, you know,
people talk about being ordained. Well, he's an ordained minister.
The word ordain means designate, appoint, establish, put in place,
acknowledge. That's all it means, is just
acknowledge. Okay, he's the minister. Officially
acknowledge. You know, we do it now. I have
a certificate. It means nothing other than to
turn it into a state to say that I can legally marry people if
the law requires it in that state. That's the only reason for it.
Ordaining is of God. When God ordains a man, he lets
everybody know, this is the man. And everybody says, I think the
Lord has gifted that man. That's how it works. God ordains,
but he lets it be known, and then his people acknowledge.
This is going to be the man ordained. The word elder is the same word
as bishop. You see, if a man desires the
office of a bishop, people love to be called bishop, you know,
bishop, elder, doctor, reverend, so and so. Well, all that that
means is pastor. That's all it means. Elder is
the same word as bishop, which is the same word as pastor. The word means overseer. That's what it means. Overseer. Now, this is important. I've
told you these things before, but it's important that I tell
you these things again. It means overseer, okay? Not
in the way, though, that self-righteous, arrogant, prideful man tries
to make it mean. It means overseer, but not in
the way that ridiculous man tries to make it mean. Elders are not
rulers. I can't tell you how many times
I've had people come to this church over the last 13 years
and say, you know, we would like to attend here. I just need to
know who will I be answering to. Who are your elders? I say, well, we don't really
have any in that way. You know, I guess I was ordained
to be a pastor, a bishop, an elder. And we have other men
who handle the preaching of the word and spiritually speaking,
that's what the job is. It could be a pastor. It could
be a teacher. But elders are not rulers. I mean, this is coming from God's
word. You're not going to find it.
Elders are not decision makers. Well, we need to get the elders
together and make a decision on this. Elders are not decision
makers. Pastors are not decision makers. And I'll go ahead and just say
if a decision is going to be made, it's going to have to come
from this book. If it doesn't come from this
book, we're not going to make a decision on it. Elders are not the bosses of
God's people. It's not the elder's job to go
around keeping God's people in line. Our Lord said, don't think
it's your responsibility to pick the toothpick, the splinter out
of your brother's eye. When you have a beam coming out
of your own eye, you know, hold on, let me, let me get that splinter
out of your eye. And you're just like knocking
people over with this two by four coming out of your own eye.
Elders are just, anybody who wants to, I don't go around introducing
myself, and this is so humbling to me. I want to approach this
very humbly and not arrogantly or anything like that. But by
God's grace, thankfully, I do not introduce myself as Pastor
Gabe Stoniker. You don't need to know I'm a
pastor. You know, if God reveals that, fine. Elders are not rulers over God's
people. There is one ruler over God's people and his name is
Jesus Christ. His name is Jesus Christ. God's
people don't answer to elders. They answer to their master and
God alone. It's not the responsibility of
elders to make rules for God's people. God has already made
his rules for his people. The number one question that
ought to be asked to elders, anytime you find an elder who
sees himself in the way that we're mentioning right here,
the number one question that ought to be asked to that elder
is, who in the world do you think you are? What do you think you
are? Elders are not authorities. Elders are servants. They are
servants. God is the authority. My goal
here is to knock men down and lift Christ up. That's the goal
for this Bible study. We're going to knock this man
down and every other man down. God is the authority. Look at
how Paul, who is an elder, addressed Titus. Look at verse one. He
said, Paul, A servant, a servant, that's what I am, that's what
we are. We're just servants, servants of God. Paul, a servant
of God. The responsibility of an elder
or a pastor is not to rule over God's people. It's to serve them. It's to serve
them. And how do we elders or pastors
serve God's people? Here's how. By preaching God's
word to them. By preaching the word. We are
not overseers of God's people. We're overseers of what God has
to say to his people in his word. We're overseers of the dispensing
of the word. We are overseers of the setting
forth, the delivering, the preaching, the guarding of this pulpit to
make sure that a lie on this word is not told to God's people. Overseers of the preaching of
the word. Turn with me over to 1 Peter 5. 1 Peter 5 verse 1 says, the elders which
are among you I exhort who am also an elder and a witness of
the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory
that shall be revealed Verse 2 says, Feed the flock of God
which is among you, taking the oversight thereof. Taking the oversight thereof
of feeding God's Word to His people. The feeding of the Word
of God to His people. Two, feed the flock of God, which
is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but
willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind. Now watch
verse three. Neither as being lords over God's
heritage. The margin in my Bible says overruling. We are not ruling over God's
heritage. They already have a ruler. Jesus
Christ is his name. He is all of our ruler. Verse
three, neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being
examples to the flock. That's what we're called to be,
examples. Examples, followers and believers
of God's word, along with the rest of God's people. Believers
of the word, followers of God's word, not brow beaters with it. encouragers with it, nourishers
with it, feeding and nourishing God's people to Christ, their
Lord, their master. Turn with me to Romans 14. Romans 14 verse 1 says, Him that is weak in the faith,
receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. That means not
to judge his doubtful thoughts. Receive him, but not for the
purpose of judging his doubtful thoughts. You're not his judge. I'm not his judge. Verse two,
for one believeth that he may eat all things, another who is
weak eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise
him that eateth not, and let not him which eateth not judge
him that eateth, for God hath received him. Who art thou? that judgeth another man's servant. Who do you think you are? What
do you think you are? Who art thou that judgest another
man's servant? To his own master he standeth
or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up, for
God is able to make him stand. This thing of elders being rulers
over God's people, and the decision makers who decide of their own
opinion what God's people are allowed to do or are not allowed
to do, that's hogwash. I really do hope some poor soul
who's under the bondage of another man will hear this. That is hogwash. That's self-righteous, ignorant
man trying to lift himself up on a pedestal by putting others
down. That's what it is. The man who does that is a fool.
The man who does that is a fool. Our Lord said in Luke 18 verse
14, everyone, everyone that exalts himself shall be abased and he
that humbleth himself. shall be exalted. Every man who
is called to be an overseer of the dispensing of God's word
needs to be warned, starting with this one right here, needs
to be warned. If we do not humble ourselves
under the mighty hand of God, he will humble us. He will humble
us. We are not just in the ministry
of sheep. Well, you know, you got to herd
sheep, you got to whip sheep, you got to drive sheep and whatever.
Wrangle them in, make sure they stay inside the fold. We're not
in the ministry of sheep. God Almighty has called his people
kings and priests. That's what he calls his people,
kings and priests. And we need to approach this
calling fearfully and reverently and humbly as servants. We are servants. Turn with me
to Matthew 20. Matthew 20. Look at verse 25, Matthew 20,
verse 25. It says, but Jesus called them
unto him and said, you know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise
dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority
upon them. But it shall not be so among
you. But whosoever will be great among
you, let him be your minister. That word minister means waiter,
like waiting tables. Has anybody ever waited tables? Anybody ever had to wait tables
at a restaurant? If you have, did you feel like
the exalted one, the reverent one, That's what the word minister
means. I'm a minister. I'm a waiter. What I do is I
go back and I, you know, God is the cook. God is the chef. He prepares the meal, if it's
of him. But we put it all on a plate, we put it all on a tray,
and we carry it in very nervously. We don't want to drop it. And we serve it. And we serve
it. How is everything? Is it okay? I didn't mess it up, did I? We're
waiters. We're waiters. Let him be your
minister. Verse 27, whosoever will be chief among you, let
him be your servant. Let him be your servant. Why
is that? Why did our Lord ordain it to
be that way? Look at verse 28. Even so, that means because. The Son of Man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister. He didn't come to be waited on.
He came to wait and to give His life a ransom for many. That just touches my heart. Our
Lord said, that is exactly what I did for you. That is exactly
what I came to do for every single one of my elect. Salvation is
not what we're going to do for God. He did not come to this
earth to be ministered to, for us to minister to him. He came
to this earth to minister. It's not what we're going to
do for God. It's what he came to do for us. That is the gospel we preach.
That is his gospel that we minister. God the Father said in Isaiah
42, Behold my servant. Behold my servant, Jesus Christ. I have sent him to accomplish
the work. The work of giving his life and
offering his blood as a payment to God to redeem his people from
all their sins. Behold the servant. Behold the
servant. If our Lord took that humility
upon himself, shouldn't we? Shouldn't we? Look at Matthew
11. Matthew 11, verse 28. Our Lord said, come unto me,
all ye that labor and are heavy laden. and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn
of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find
rest unto your souls. God's work requires and it demands
a great deal of humility, and I will say this is very convicting
to me. I have to say this, but it's
very convicting to me. Because our Lord humbled himself
and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross,
God's work of salvation was finished. It was accomplished. And the
declaration of Christ's finished, accomplished work needs to be
declared in the same humility it was accomplished in. It was
accomplished in humility. And it needs to be declared in
the same humility it was accomplished in. This calling, this ordained
calling requires and it demands a great deal of humility. Paul
said concerning himself. And it has been pointed out that
he said this in three different locations over the span of his
life. As he got older, the first statement
is his youngest statement, and then the last statement is he
was at his oldest, I guess, hopefully most mature point of being a
believer. First he said, I'm the least
of the apostles. That's a big statement. He was
an apostle and all the other apostles are better. You know,
it'd be like me saying I'm the least of all the pastors. Well,
that's good. But then he realized a little
bit more about himself and he said, I'm the least of all saints. All believers are better than
me, greater than me. And then he went on a little
longer and he saw a little bit more of himself and he said,
I'm the chief center. I'm the worst human being in
all the world. That's humility. That's humility. Look what John the Baptist said,
turn with me to John chapter three. John the Baptist was. Of our
Lord called the greatest. Greatest preacher to ever walk
this earth. Man born of a woman, John the Baptist. Verse 29, John
3 verse 29. John said, he that hath the bride
is the bridegroom, that's Christ. But the friend of the bridegroom
which standeth and heareth him rejoiceth greatly because of
the bridegroom's voice. This my joy therefore is fulfilled. Verse 30, he said, he must increase,
but I must decrease. Christ must increase, and Gabe
Stoniker must decrease. That's humility. That's humility. Here's one of
my favorite examples of this. I just deeply love this. Turn
with me to Jude, the only chapter there is. Jude 1, just before
Revelation. Jude 1. The scripture says that, earthly
speaking, the Lord Jesus Christ, okay, Jesus of Nazareth, and
James, and Jude, the scripture says
they were brothers. All right, earthly speaking,
they were born into the same physical family, or family tree. Galatians 119 calls James the
Lord's brother. The Apostle Paul said, you know,
the Lord, I went to him, he revealed himself to me and I didn't see
any of the other apostles besides James, the Lord's brother, called
him the Lord's brother. All right, look what Jude says
about himself. Jude 1 verse 1, he said, Jude, the servant of
Jesus Christ. and brother of James. Yeah, I'm James's brother, but
I'm Christ's servant. I'm his servant. The humble calling of being an
elder, that needs to be the first attribute we look for in the
man. that God will raise up. Humility. Humility. It's a beautiful thing
if God gives that true humility. And this is my prayer that God
will give it to me for your sake. And I pray God will give it to
all of us for Christ's sake. We need it. We just desperately
need it. Amen. All right. You're dismissed.