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Well, good evening, everyone. 
It's good to see you all once again. You can turn with me your 
Bibles to the book of First Timothy, Chapter 5. At Surrey, we're going through 
Mark in the morning and First Timothy in the evening. We're 
looking at the pastoral epistles. So tonight we're going to look 
at First Timothy, Chapter 5, verses 1 and 2. And I'll just 
read those two verses for us. 1 Timothy 5, begin reading at verse 
1. Do not rebuke an older man, but 
exhort him as a father. Younger men as brothers, older 
women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity. 
Amen. Well, let's pray. Our Lord God, 
we're thankful for your work at creation, and we're thankful 
for your creation of man, how you made man in your image, in 
your likeness, how you made male and female in your image and 
in your likeness. We're thankful, O God, for the 
institutions that you set up, even at creation. We're thankful 
for the roles you give to men and women in this world. And 
we pray, O God, that we recognize those places, even in the church, 
even in families, even in the civil sphere as well. We're thankful, 
O God, that you do give us instruction how your people ought to live 
and how we ought to function. And even in your church, how 
members ought to treat one another, how pastors ought to care for 
members, and how members ought to treat their pastors, how members 
ought to treat one another. And we pray, O God, that we would 
consider others better than ourselves, that we would know our proper 
place in this world and in the church as well. We're thankful, 
O God, that you do give us instruction in these things. And we're thankful, 
O God, that there is forgiveness in the Lord Jesus Christ. Even 
when we fail, even when we violate the fifth commandment, we confess, 
O God, that we violate it so very often. And we're thankful, 
O God, that we are forgiven in Christ for those that have believed 
on him. We pray, O God, you'd be pleased to save those who 
do not know you, ones who violate this commandment very often. 
We're thankful, O God, that all the sins of your people are forgiven 
past, present, and future in the Lord Jesus Christ. We're 
thankful even this one is as well. We ask, O God, you'd send 
forth your Spirit. We ask, O God, that your Spirit 
would be pleased to bless the preaching and the teaching as 
it goes forth. Teach us more about you. Teach us more about 
ourselves. Teach us more about your glory. And we're thankful, 
O God, that we have your written word that we can seek to read 
and study and understand. But we ask once again, you'd 
give us illumination from on high. We pray in all things you 
would be glorified. We pray these things in the name 
of Christ. Amen. Well, there seems to be in our 
society an overall lack of authority. There has been a lack of the 
fear of God in this world. And even we see that within the 
church as well. Seems to be missing in the worship 
of God amongst the church of Jesus Christ. And this lack of 
reverence for God, unfortunately, has trickled down even to human 
relationships as well. How we treat those who are older, 
how we treat those of the opposite sex, seems to have dwindled in 
our modern context. There seems to be a lack of care 
and concern for those of the opposite sex, for those even 
who are older than us as well. The idea that we must respect 
our elders seems to be lost. There's a low regard for the 
Fifth Commandment. So Paul comes and gives Timothy 
an exhortation, an instruction here in verses 1 and 2 about 
how each member group ought to treat one another as it pertains 
to both gender and it pertains to age as well. He's already 
been writing in the book of 1 Timothy to deal with false teachers, 
men who've come into the church, men who teach false ways of salvation, 
teach salvation by works, and that threatens the church, it 
threatens the truth, it threatens the household of God. So he's 
written already about that, what that looks like, what that means. 
He's writing it in chapters one through three, then he transitions 
to the application section in chapter four. We talked, or Paul 
talked about Timothy's ministry, talked about what a good minister 
looks like, then he transitioned to specific scenarios within 
the church. We see specifically and over a general exhortation, 
verses 1 and 2. Then we see widows, we see elders, 
we see masters, all pertaining to the Fifth Commandment, pertaining 
to how we treat one another. And really, one problem that 
we can glean from this text is really a misunderstanding of 
one's place in the world and in the Church. Young people can 
disrespect older people, whether it's in age or in authority, 
and even sometimes older people can be overbearing and lack concern, 
lack prayer, lack understanding about where one is in one's life, 
especially as is towards younger people. non-members to enter 
into a church and begin to speak up and say things that they shouldn't 
say, talk about everything wrong with the church as soon as they 
walk in, rather than just coming in, sitting down, listening for 
a good while, and then once you've developed some sort of, once 
you get to know one another, then it's time to speak. But 
in our modern context, perhaps maybe because of social media 
a little bit, there is this wall we can hide behind that our opinion 
matters, that our opinion counts. And sometimes we feel like we 
need to assert that in a certain type of way. But we must remember, 
God has given certain authorities in this world, or not both, but 
in the family, in the church, and in the civil sphere as well. 
God has given certain roles to certain people within those three 
spheres. Especially even tonight, we're 
going to look at the church and how members ought to treat one 
another and how pastors ought to treat So that's what we see 
in verses 1 and 2. Paul is giving instruction how 
members ought to be treated by age and by gender. And we'll 
look at this treatment of members under two headings this evening. 
First of all, how to treat men, verse 1. And then how to treat 
women, verse 2. So everything you need to know 
about how to treat men and how to treat women will come out 
tonight in verses 1 and 2. Just kidding. It's just a general 
exhortation. So how to treat men, how to treat 
women. Notice in verse 1 then how to 
treat men. He starts with the older men 
and he gives this prohibition. Do not rebuke an older man. Now I think this language of 
rebuke does apply to all of the categories, to young men, old 
women, young women, and especially old men as well. Do not rebuke. 
And the language that, what it means, what the word means, carries 
the idea of rebuking sharply or harshly. You're not out to 
get anybody. You're not out to hurt them. 
And perhaps for Timothy, there might have been some who've been 
overbearing towards him. They've been mean, they've been 
grumpy, they've told him what he should and should not do, 
and then that person engages in something they should not, 
and Timothy then has to deal with them. Timothy can't go, 
yay, finally, my turn, time to slap these guys silly for all 
they've done to me. There's a certain way, there's 
a certain way in which people ought to engage in difficult 
things. There are times to rebuke, there are times to reprove, but 
there's a way in which it ought to be done. We're not meant to 
strike with force. We're not meant to hurt people. 
We ought to do it in a loving, kind, tender way, and especially 
the way in which we do it pertains to the one we are speaking to 
based on age and based on gender. And perhaps if you've been married 
for some time, you know sometimes you need to say something to 
your spouse, and maybe it's true what you say, but it doesn't 
always come across in the nicest way. Yes, the truth is still 
there, but we also all need to work on how we say certain things. And so the language does apply 
to each category. Do not rebuke. But certainly, 
specifically, it does apply to older men. Timothy, a younger 
man, probably in his 30s, has to deal with older men. He ought 
to do it in a certain type of way. Now, just because someone 
is older doesn't always mean they're wiser. It should be the 
case, and hopefully it's the case, that as one has lived in 
this world for a long period of time, that those hoary hairs 
act like a crown of wisdom upon their head. But it's not always 
the case, is it? Sometimes people become senile. Sometimes people lose their minds 
a little bit when they get older. But it doesn't necessarily matter 
how they act, there's a way in which Timothy ought to act, and 
in turn anyone who is younger than someone who is older. And 
even though that person may not necessarily be wiser than Timothy, 
there is still some level of deference. There still is some 
level of respect. There still is some level of 
recognizing this person's place in the world. See, the golden 
rule goes like this. Do unto others as you would have 
them do to you. I know Pastor Butler has preached 
this here, because I sat in that pulpit, I sat in the pew with 
you when he preached it. Do unto others as you would have 
them do unto you, not on how they actually treat you. So even 
someone who is older, regardless, he doesn't say, just the ones 
who deserve respect, just the ones who are actually... No, 
he says older men. Do not rebuke an older man. Do not rebuke one with hoary 
hairs upon one's head. And so this really is what he's 
saying here in verses 1 and 2 and what he fleshes out through the 
rest of chapter 5 and into chapter 6 really it focuses in on the 
fifth commandment. And notice again the fifth commandment 
is not just fathers and mothers but it's about all relationships. 
In fact, tonight I'm going to read several questions that come 
from the Westminster Larger Catechism. If I were to ask you, which commandment 
do the Westminster Divines spend the most time on, you might say 
the first. I said the first initially when 
someone asked me that question. You might say the tenth. You 
might say the sixth. But in reality, it's actually 
the fifth. 10 questions, or 11 questions, 123 to 133. And question answer 124 says, 
who are meant by father and mother in the fifth commandment? Answer, 
by father and mother in the fifth commandment are meant not only 
natural parents, but all superiors in age and gifts, and especially 
such as by God's ordinance are over us in place of authority, 
whether in family, church, or commonwealth. God has set up 
certain authorities in this world, and we ought to know our place 
with respect to those authorities. We ought to submit, we ought 
to respect, as long as they don't cause us to sin. But there is 
a certain order in this world, a moral order that God has set 
up. Based on his Ten Commandments they are the Ten Commandments 
are written on the heart of mankind and certainly it applies to the 
Church of Christ Those who've been saved and then how is how 
it is we ought to live based on that salvation in Jesus Christ 
so older men Do not rebuke an older man. He's focusing here 
on age at this point. Certainly the same word is used 
in verse 17 for those in office, but here he's referring to age, 
those with hoary hairs, those with gray hairs, or just those 
who are older based upon age, maybe a 10-year-old to a 20-year-old 
or 15-year-old to a 30-year-old. That applies regardless of age, 
regardless, even, you know, yes, certainly kids should respect 
their parents and submit to their parents and obey their parents, 
but certainly we must all understand to some degree our place in this 
world. Now that doesn't mean, a caveat 
here, doesn't mean sin shouldn't be dealt with. There are methods 
of church discipline. Difficult things still need to 
be said, even from young pastors to older people. Difficult things 
still must be engaged in, sins must be called out, and sometimes 
the church has to engage in church discipline. Paul is in no way 
saying we shouldn't do those things. He's just highlighting 
the way in which it ought to be done. So do not rebuke. You're 
not out to get them. The purpose isn't to slap them 
silly for all the mean things they've said to you. The purpose 
must be to encourage and exhort. And he says that. Do not rebuke. 
Do not do this thing, but positively, here's what we can do, but exhort 
him as a father. Encourage him. Do it in a respectful 
way. In fact, the same language is 
used in verse 12. Let no one dis- or sorry, in 
verse 13 of 1 Timothy 4, till I come, give attention to reading, 
to exhortation. to doctrine. So certainly there 
is this public exhortation that Timothy engages in, that a pastor 
engages in. Everything we do, everything 
we pastors, anyone who preaches here, does in the pulpit is to 
exhort and encourage so that maybe we don't have to do some 
sort of private exhortation. And hopefully, but if there is 
a time to do private exhortation, there is a way in which it must 
be done. And really too, Paul is reminding 
Timothy of the authority that he has, because Timothy is going 
to have to deal with older men, older false teachers that have 
infiltrated the church. He's going to have to say some 
hard and difficult things. And Paul often reminds Timothy 
of the prophecy that was given to him, the laying on of hands, 
verse 14, verse 12 of chapter four, let no one despise your 
youth, but be an example even in your age. And then even all 
the way back in chapter one, verse 18, as he challenges and 
charges Timothy to commit or wage the good warfare, he talks 
about the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by 
them, that is, he can look back on what God has done, he can 
look back on the encouragement he's been given, he can look 
back on the process as he was set apart as one who would be, 
one who would carry the gospel to others as well. So he has 
this authority, he has this office authority that has been given 
to him, but even though he still has that, he still must engage 
with those older in age in a certain way. So he must not rebuke harshly, 
but exhort kindly, encourage privately, do so in a way that 
is consistent with the one he's speaking to. In this case, one 
who is a father, one whom we ought to respect. Now yes, it's 
true, sometimes fathers aren't always the ones who deserve respect, 
but he doesn't say that, does he? He says, exhort one who is 
an older man as a father, regardless of how that one treats So, exhort. Pastors have to say hard things. They must do it, treat him like 
a father. This familial-like relationship 
that is consistent with the Church of Jesus Christ, that is connected 
with Christ himself. In fact, when one is saved, we 
are what? We are adopted into the household of God. We are 
brought into the, we call God our father. And we all do that 
individually as God's people. We call him our father. In other 
places, Jesus is called our elder brother. And as such, when we 
are brought into the church of God, we are members of a church, 
we are considered a family. Just by way of an aside, notice 
that Timothy is interacting with people of every age and gender. 
There's no segregation going on here. There's no church ministry. There's no youth ministry. There's 
no men's ministry. There's no men's pastor. There's 
no women's pastor. There's no hear the cry pastor. 
There's no community life pastor. There's no pastor of whatever 
because we can't find a job for that guy pastor. There's none 
of those types of pastors. Timothy engages with everyone 
in his church, regardless of age. Women, older men, younger 
men, older women, younger women. And so he must treat older men 
with respect. He still needs to be firm, but 
he must treat them with respect and do so in a proper way. So he treats older men as a father. But then Paul transitions to 
younger men as father. Brothers, again, the command 
to exhort carries over, the encouragement carries over, and notice, he 
now must treat these ones of similar age or younger men as 
brothers or as equals. What's interesting, again, even 
though Timothy has authority and he can use that authority, 
he still must defer with older men, but even as he engages with 
younger men, he treats them as equals. And even, we must remember 
as well, brethren, pastors are members too. Even though pastors 
have authority, it doesn't mean we're better than everybody. 
We have our struggles, we have our sins, we have our difficulties, 
we have our say at members meetings, we have our votes when it comes 
to certain votes. Pastors are members too in the 
trenches with God's people. Yes, they have an authority, 
but they are still with God's people and equal with God's people. So question answer 131 says, 
what are the duties of equals? The duties of equal are to regard 
the dignity and worth of each other, in giving honor to go 
one before another, and to rejoice in each one's gift and advancement 
as their own. We all have an exhortation, we 
all have a command from Paul to consider others better than 
ourselves in the book of Philippians chapter two. How often is it 
the opposite? How often is it me, me, me, and 
myself? How often is it I'm gonna do 
what I want when I want based on what I think? Even too when 
it comes to how we treat others, others who should have, we should 
defer to. Think even for young men for 
a moment. Young men who are cage-stage Calvinists for a moment. Young 
men who've just learned about predestination for a moment. 
And all they want to do is throw down with everybody concerning 
predestination. You know what you should do? 
Don't do what I did. You should just relax. Just come 
to church, just listen, just pay attention, don't blog, don't 
try and write a book, read John Owen, and once you've read John 
Owen, all of it, then you can blog. But first of all, come 
and listen, and pay attention, and learn. Too often we young 
people, and yes, me, I'm 31, and yes, I'm talking to my younger 
self and still talking to me right now, we just need to chill 
out and relax. We don't need to throw down with 
everybody. We don't need to say, you're 
wrong, you're wrong. No, no. There are certain things pastors 
can say from the pulpit that young men should never be saying. 
And I used to think, wow, Pastor Butler said that. But then, as 
I've learned now, I am not Pastor Butler. And in that moment, as 
I look back on myself, I was not Pastor Butler in that Moment 
and even to sometimes young people not just young people, but maybe 
in our modern context I've seen it more is the fact that we assume 
a lot of things with very little information An ounce of information 
leads to a pound of presumption. And what we like to do is then 
we like to say, well, I see this little tip of the iceberg thing 
that's happening, so I'm going to share my two cents with you 
on what's going on in your life. Maybe we just need to stop and 
listen to somebody first and say, I'll pray for you, rather 
than trying to give them advice. Maybe we just need to pay attention 
and just care for them and listen to them, rather than thinking 
we know better than they do on their own life. In fact, in 1 
Peter 5, as Peter encourages the young people to submit themselves 
to their elders, the reason he does that is perhaps the young 
people were getting a little bit, you know, fired up. They're 
a little cage-stagey. And perhaps they were like, you 
know, Peter, or churches, or elders, why aren't you doing 
certain things? And maybe those certain things, these fired up 
cage stages we're going to do, would have put the church in 
jeopardy. And so they had to humble themselves That's hard. They had to humble themselves 
and just trust and listen to their elders. And listen to their 
elders, not just with gray hair, but also the elders in the pulpit 
as well. So we must consider others better 
than ourselves and defer, be slow to speak, quick to listen, 
slow to give our two cents. Now I will say, Perhaps with 
young people, there is a little bit more firmness that can be 
used with pastors towards young people. I think young men do 
need a kick in the pants sometimes, maybe a little bit more so than 
an older man. Again, you treat someone based upon their age. So older men as fathers, younger 
men as brothers. And really, this doesn't just 
apply to pastors, but it applies to all of God's people. how we 
treat men, men to men and women to men, how we treat older men, 
how we treat younger men. Again, this is a general exhortation 
how members should encourage and build one another up rather 
than tear one another down. And hopefully, as members are 
doing that, the pastor doesn't always have to be the go-to guy. 
They don't always need the pastor all the time. So the pastor's 
so busy, he can't do his 3,000 sermons a year. Because everybody 
has to, you know, care. I guess maybe in our churches. 
Maybe it's not 3,000 sermons, but sometimes it does seem like 
a lot in our circles. Because there is a lot. Sermon 
prep takes time. Two sermons on Sunday, Wednesday, 
it does require a lot of focus. And certainly, yes, we are happy 
to meet with people. Hopefully it doesn't seem like 
I'm not willing to meet with people. I am very much willing to meet 
with people. But hopefully, too, as the church 
is interacting with one another, we can bear one another's burdens. We can be patient with one another. 
We can hear what other people are going through. And even Paul 
to Titus and Titus 2 talks about the order in the church. He talks 
about older men. He talks about younger men. He 
talks about older women. And he talks about younger men. 
Women the pastor doesn't always have to be the go-to guy for 
every scenario hopefully the Church of God is caring for one 
another and Considering others better than ourselves treating 
older men as fathers and treating younger men as brothers So younger 
people to older men, older people to younger men, older men to 
older men, younger men to younger men. The application very much 
applies to all of God's people as we treat older men and younger 
men. How to treat men. So that's the 
first point. Let's then look secondly at how 
to treat women. Verse two. So he continues this 
contrasting. Paul contrasts a lot. He gives 
one side and he gives the other side. And so we see older men, 
younger men. Now we see verse two, older women 
and younger. So the exhortation carries over 
once again. This is where we can come to 
question answer 127. What is the honor that inferiors 
owe to their superiors? And in this case, I'm speaking 
about the pastor to an older lady, not speaking as a woman 
as less than men. He's just talking in a certain 
way. owe to their superiors. And this applies to employees, 
to employers. This applies to kids, to parents. This applies to anyone who is 
under authority. And the answer is, what inferiors 
owe to their superiors is all due reverence in heart, word, 
and behavior. How often is it sometimes when 
the boss goes away and you start thinking terrible things about 
your boss because he's being too mean? Maybe not you, but 
I certainly have done that. Prayer and thanksgiving for them. 
Imitation of their virtues and graces. Willing obedience to 
their lawful commands and counsels. Due submission to their corrections. Fidelity to, defense, and maintenance 
of their persons and authority. according to their several ranks 
and the nature of their places, bearing with their infirmities 
and covering them in love, that so they may be an honor to them 
and to their government." That's difficult, isn't it? All those 
things that are mentioned, just go back afterward, read the Westminster 
Larger Catechism, question answer 123 to 133. In fact, chapter 
5 verse 17 all the way to chapter 6 verse 2 is talking about inferiors 
to superiors. members to their elders, how 
they ought to treat their pastor, how they ought to treat the one 
whom God has gifted with certain abilities over them, not to be 
a burden to them, not to bring them down, not to tear them down, 
but to build them up. to recognize the gift that God 
has given to pray for them. All God's people should be engaging 
in that towards their pastor. The pastor certainly should love 
their flock, pray for their flock, care for their flock, prepare 
for their flock, but also the flock should be recognizing their 
pastors as well. And he says in verse 17, let 
the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor. In that 
case, pay your pastor. Then verse chapter six talks 
about bond servants to masters as well. So inferior to superior. So how Timothy ought to treat 
older men and older women as well. And he might have to tell 
women difficult things. Because the reality is women 
can do sinful things, right? Women can do terrible things 
as well, can't they? Not just men. A lot of people 
sometimes think to assume that it's the men who are the worst 
scum of the universe, but women do terrible things as well. Husbands, 
don't always listen to your wife. Happy wife, happy life is not 
a very good saying, is it? Holy wife, happy life. That's what it ought to be. In 
fact, God's ways actually do work. I've always wondered to 
myself, are feminists actually happy? Like, I've actually thought 
that. Are feminists actually happy? They want to be strong 
and mighty, and they want to rule over their husband. Brethren, 
that is just the common curse, isn't it? Because of sin, because 
of the reversal of authority that happened, Adam was supposed 
to have authority, then the woman, then the serpent, and then at 
the fall, the reversal happened. The serpent has authority, and 
then the woman, and now the man. See, men's Nancy-ness is a problem 
of the fall, and women's feminism is a problem of the fall as well. 
Men need to be mighty and strong, and women need to be, I'm not 
saying they shouldn't be, you know, speak up sometimes, they 
should speak up, but they ought to submit to their husbands as 
well. There ought to be a dual-sided 
thing going on. Husbands, love your wives, give 
yourself up for her, don't be a Nancy boy, tell her she's wrong 
sometimes. And wives, submit to your husbands. God's ways really do work. Those people who follow those 
things are actually generally the happiest people I've ever 
seen on the earth. Feminists always seem sour and 
grumpy, and men who are Nancy seem kind of sour and grumpy 
all the time. as well. So women do sinful things and 
sometimes pastors have to say difficult things even to ladies 
as well. Now there is prudence involved 
in how it is done. Circumspection. Make sure it's 
conspicuous. Maybe have her husband there. 
Maybe have the wife of your wife as a pastor there. Maybe another 
elder officer there. There's a way to avoid, you know, 
a difficult scenario with ladies, but sometimes ladies have to 
have difficult things said to them. But again, there's a way. 
As mothers, tenderness, love, respect. They are the gentler 
sex, and we need to recognize that and see that. And as a pastor, 
and not just a pastor, all God's people, if they have to deal 
with sins of You know, ladies, it ought to be the case it is 
done as mothers, in a kind, tender type of way, with respect, with 
love, and with reverence. So, older man as a father, younger 
men as brothers, older women as mothers, and then lastly, 
younger women as sisters. The identity of these ones is 
further fleshed out. Even older women, younger women 
is further fleshed out actually with the widows in verses three 
and following. How we determine one is actually 
a widow. How do you determine one who 
should be brought into the role of widows to be cared for. I 
mean, there's a very specific application to verse 2, older 
women and younger women, how they ought to be cared for. The 
ones who are really widows provide for them. Younger ladies who 
like to get married and, you know, go away or like to move 
away from Christ for marriage, perhaps they fall in love with 
an unbeliever and say, I love him, rather than recognizing 
their place their allegiance to Christ and they go with the 
guy who loves them rather than the Lord Jesus Christ. By the 
way, conversion dating never works. If you are dating someone 
who is not a believer and you profess to be a believer, break 
up with that person right now until they become a believer. 
Conversion dating never ever works. You must marry in the 
Lord. But what if I love him? What 
do you believe? What does the Bible say concerning 
what that looks like? You must marry in the Lord. And Paul does give some exhortation 
on specifics with that. He doesn't want them to marry 
unbelievers. He does want them to marry believers 
in verses 11 and following of chapter five. But for the general 
exhortation, treat younger women as sisters. Again, a care and 
a tenderness. a respectfulness again with these 
ones, and he gives a qualification with all purity. The word itself 
is used in verse 12 with respect to in all purity. Perhaps there's 
a general reference, moral purity. I think certainly in verse two 
that moral purity is involved, but the focus more is on chastity, 
propriety, sexual protection, making sure that one does not 
look upon young ladies with lustful intent. That's what he's trying 
to say. That's what he's highlighting here. Treat them as a sister. Remain chaste. It's your first 
duty towards the youth one to recognize that they are your 
sisters with all purity. And so again, they are equals 
as far as age, younger men and younger women, brothers and sisters. Now, even though they are equals, 
I figured here would be a good time to refer to the question 
answer that refers to superiors to inferiors. Pastors, to some 
degree, do have authority based on their ecclesiastical role. 
But even though they have that authority, we're not meant to 
lord that over people. We have to assert it at certain 
times, certainly, and be strong in that. But at the same time, 
we must defer to others as well and recognize the place of members 
in our church. And so question answer 129, what 
is required of superiors towards their inferiors? It is required 
of superiors, according to that power they receive from God and 
that relation wherein they stand, to love, pray for, and bless 
their inferiors, to instruct, counsel, and admonish them, countenancing, 
commending, and rewarding such as do well, and discountenancing, 
reproving, and chastising such as do ill, protecting and providing 
for them all things necessary for soul and body, and by grave, 
wise, holy, and exemplary carriage to procure glory to God, honour 
themselves, and so preserve that authority which God hath put 
upon them. It's a great responsibility in 
a role of authority. It's a great responsibility as 
one who is a superior, whether it's parents to children, that's 
a great responsibility. Whether it's in your work scenario, 
whether you own a business, whether you teach, whatever. If you're 
in a role of authority, that's a great responsibility. And pastors 
as well have a great responsibility and authority that is given to 
them to care for their members in a certain way and to protect 
them while still calling them out. to make sure to recognize 
that's difficult to do. How to say certain things, brethren, 
is a difficult practice to engage in. It only comes through actually 
having to say difficult things. And when you say a difficult 
thing, you don't always say it in the nicest way. Perhaps sometimes 
you have to say a difficult thing to an older man, and it doesn't 
come across towards him like it would towards a father. It 
is more slapping and wanting to bring down. Or a younger woman, 
or an older man. We mess up in those areas, as 
long as the motive and the intent is to care for the flock that 
has been given to them. And I do know, throughout history, 
and it's wretched and terrible recent history, pastors, religious 
men, have used their position of power to fulfill their own 
desires. And it's wretched and wrong. 
But whatever happens to those people in those scenarios is 
tragic and wrong, and those things need to be dealt with. Those 
pastors need to be removed. Those pastors need to be taken 
out. Those ones who've sinned need to be called out and dealt 
with. There's church discipline for those. things. Pastors have 
a great role, have a major role towards their flock, and it ought 
to be engaged in with love and tenderness, but authority and 
having the best interest of their flock at heart, even towards 
younger women. And some practical thoughts with 
how a pastor deals with younger women. He is never alone with 
a woman. In our modern context, that just 
should be the scenario. Never alone with a woman. Perhaps 
the wife of the pastor is there, or perhaps the pastor can encourage 
her to see another older woman. There are certain ways to avoid 
very, very precarious scenarios. And they ought to be avoided 
at all costs. So, Timothy, older women as mothers, 
younger women as sisters, with all purity. And again, the application 
is towards all members, how we treat older women and how we 
treat younger women. And one general observation we 
can make with respect to how women ought to treat one another 
is highlighting the importance and place for women to care for 
one another in the Church of Christ to avoid those very difficult 
scenarios. I know sometimes in our modern 
context, because of feminism, women want to preach and teach. 
They want to stand in the pulpit. But God said, I had a word. I 
don't care if God said you had a word. The Bible says otherwise 
about your role and place in the church. You cannot preach 
and teach. But that doesn't mean you're 
sub-human. That doesn't mean you're less 
than man. But brethren, there is still 
a place for women in how they can help in the church. How they 
can be of encouragement in the church. And that's caring for 
one another. Pastors, again, to avoid certain 
things, it might be the pastor says, hey, young lady, why don't 
you go see this older lady? Or maybe some young lady can 
just go see that older lady without even having to deal with the 
pastor. You see, it highlights the place 
and importance as members of the Church of God for all of 
us to care for one another. And notice it's not always a 
special ministry. We're gonna have breakaway ministry 
just for these ladies. and then we're going to do this 
for these ladies and then we do this for men. It's just organic 
in how it operates. Brethren, sometimes I think we 
think in our modern context the pastor has to decide everything 
that happens in the church or the church has to do everything 
for me. Brethren, God has given us responsibility to use our 
brains to use our noggins. And if someone is hurting, you 
don't have to come and ask the pastor. Go and help them. Pray for them. Care for them. Love them. And if you're struggling 
and you need help, it's not wrong to call upon another member in 
the Church of Jesus Christ. These things can happen organically. and in a very special type of 
way to build one another up, to care for one another, to bear 
one another's burdens. It doesn't mean we have to have 
knitting class. If you want to knit, I don't 
care. I want to have a get together with everybody knitting. That's 
fine. But we don't always have to have those things. These ways 
in which we care for one another can develop organically in the 
Church of Christ. So it's good, we see the place 
of all the members of Christ's body, of the members of Jesus 
Christ, members of the church, members of the household of God. 
And how we treat women, we must treat women, especially men, 
all other, treat women with chastity. And certainly the exhortation, 
younger people to older men, and older people to younger women. So even in these two verses, 
Paul does give some sort of exhortation, explanation, in how we ought 
to treat one another. How the pastor certainly should 
treat members in his church, but also how members should treat 
one another and care for one another. Because we are part 
of that family of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. We call him 
our Father. Brother, I don't think we sometimes 
realize how revolutionary the Lord's Prayer is. The fact that 
individuals can call upon the God of heaven and earth as our 
Father in such a blessed and familial way because of Jesus 
Christ, because of our elder brother. Brethren, there's something 
very special about the doctrine of adoption. I think it gets 
lost between justification and sanctification. It actually is 
between justification and sanctification. The confession, it's only one 
paragraph, but it gets lost in there. We sometimes forget that 
we are considered children of the living God. We are considered 
sons of the living God. We are part of the family of 
God, and we have an inheritance that is given to us in the Lord 
Jesus Christ. We long for it. We desire it. 
We hope for it. But even God, in his word, gives 
us exhortations in how we ought to care for one another as the 
household of God. God is our father. Christ is 
our elder brother. And thankfully, For those that 
violate the 5th commandment, just like may we violate the 
6th and the 7th and the 8th and the 9th and the 10th and the 
1st and the 2nd and the 3rd and the 4th, there is forgiveness 
for violating the 5th commandment as well. There is forgiveness 
for not doing what all the Westminster divines said there. One thing 
that's so wonderful about what they do in the Westminster Larger 
Catechism, as they expound the 10 commandments, we're all found 
out in it. There is no sin that is not uncovered 
when we read the Westminster larger catechism on the 10 commandments 
We might think we're pretty good with this one and then you read 
it and you're like wow Here's how many of those little explanations 
I violated and so I then in turn have violated that commandment 
and perhaps as we've read the fifth commandment and seen all 
the the moving parts, the equals, superiors to inferiors, inferiors 
to superiors. Hopefully we see the wonder of 
Christ, that he kept all of that in perfection. He kept it all 
perfectly. He came to, and he did so, he 
kept all of it, one through 10, in a perfect way for his people. Sinners aren't just the murderers 
like Paul says he was, and he was in chapter 15 of 1 Timothy 
chapter 1. But thankfully there is salvation 
for the insubordinate, and there's also salvation for the tyrannical 
as well in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you confess your sins to him, 
if you've been a tyrannical parent, or a tyrannical boss, or a tyrannical 
whatever, there's forgiveness in Christ. And if you've been 
an insubordinate worker, an insubordinate child, an insubordinate whatever, 
there is forgiveness in the Lord Jesus Christ. For he came to 
save his people from their sins, and certainly the fifth commandment 
falls under the explanation of what sin is. Christ kept it perfectly. He honored his father and mother. 
He honored authorities. He honored those in high places 
for his people. Well, let's pray. Our Lord God, we are thankful 
again for your word and for the whole counsel of God, even on 
things pertaining to how we treat one another. We pray, O God, 
that we would not rebuke each other sharply, But we pray, O 
God, that we would exhort and encourage one another based upon 
gender and based upon age. Help us, O God, to admonish or 
to encourage those who are older men as fathers. Help us to encourage 
younger men as brothers. Help us to encourage older women 
as mothers and younger women as sisters. And we're thankful, 
O God, for the blessing it is to be part of the household of 
God, to be part of the family of God. We're thankful, O God, 
that it is in our elder brother, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was 
perfect in every way. We're thankful that he kept every 
iota of the commandments in a perfect, righteous way. We're thankful 
for his active obedience in this. We're thankful, O God, for his 
perfect law-keeping. We're thankful that this is the 
basis for our righteousness. We're thankful, O God, it's not 
a righteousness that is our own, but it comes from Christ and 
Christ alone. And we're thankful that it's 
alien, it's outside of ourselves, and it's because of this righteousness 
imputed that we are not guilty before you, that we are justified 
in your sight. And we're thankful, O God, for 
this justification. And we pray, O God, as well, 
that you'd help us in our sanctification, help us as your people, help 
us as the church, help us as members of the household of God, 
to love and care for one another, to build one another up, to encourage 
one another, to consider others better than ourselves. Confess, 
O God, that we fail in this miserably and mightily, but we pray, O 
God, you'd help us by your Spirit. We know, O God, that you are 
the one who works, even though we ought to work out our salvation 
with fear and trembling, You're the one who works in us both 
to will and to do so we pray Oh God you would work by your 
spirit in the hearts of your people We pray Oh God that you'd 
sanctify us and that we'd be sanctified by faith in you Recognizing 
that you can help us even in these things though as well Oh 
God forgive us for our selfishness wash us afresh in the blood of 
Christ we're thankful there is much forgiveness in this one 
and we're thankful that the church is the household and a household 
and the family of God and We pray that you encourage us now 
as we go into the world. We pray, O God, you be glorified in all 
that we do. We pray these things in the name of Christ. Amen. 
We'll close with a brief time meditation. The piano's finished. 
You are dismissed.