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Living Waters of Grace - 01.07.26 · Living Waters of Grace / Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland Sunday Services

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This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Lewis
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Harold, assistant pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland
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County in Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Lewis as he
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continues teaching through God's Word.
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You don't pay a pastor to be a pastor.
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You don't pay them to do the work of the pastor.
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That's not why a pastor is paid. That's a hireling.
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That's a hireling. They're paid to do a job.
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That's a hireling. And the Bible says, Jesus even
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says himself that a hireling doesn't care for the sheep.
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So you don't even want a hireling.
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That's not what a pastor is paid for.
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A pastor is given support so that he can be free to be a
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pastor. That's what a true pastor is
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being paid for. What does it mean to be a true
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shepherd? In today's message, Pastor Lewis
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makes it clear you don't pay a pastor to do the job.
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You support him so he can freely be the shepherd God called him
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to be. If someone works for wages and
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flees when trouble comes because he truly doesn't care for the
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sheep, Jesus warned about that. A true pastor's heart is for the
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flock, not the paycheck. It's not payment for services,
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it's a partnership and ministry. How do you support your pastor
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so he can shepherd properly? Now?
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Here's Pastor Lewis in the Book of First Timothy, chapter 5,
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with today's edition of Living Waters of Grace.
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The widow was the one that would say, well, if they don't have
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anywhere to stay, I'll take them to my house.
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I got room, I got space. They'll take them in their house
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or other, you know, some of the other people that may travel
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with them, I'll give them somewhere to stay.
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Hospitality. They have a spirit of
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hospitality goes on. If she has washed the Saints
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feet. Now washing the feet is
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something that we don't typically do.
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That doesn't happen that much in the church.
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There are some churches now I want to say there are some
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churches that still do that. They will wash feet.
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They'll have what they call a foot washing ceremony, not sure
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what that looks like, but they do that and they'll wash feet.
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But what Paul's talking about here is being a humble servant,
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being able to do or be willing to do menial things, things that
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maybe other people wouldn't want to do or see themselves above
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doing it. Paul said, you know, this widow,
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a widow, a humble servant will do those kind of things.
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And then he goes on and he says, I love this one.
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If she has relieved the afflicted, this is a woman who
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is truly, truly filled with the spirit of mercy.
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If there's an affliction, she goes to help.
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If someone is afflicted, she goes to help.
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You know, I'm always struck talking to firefighters and
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police officers, those that are what they call the first
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responders, I'm always struck talking to them because I
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realized that things that they run to most people run away
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from. Like if it's a really bad fire,
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I'm not going to run to this fire, I'm going to run away from
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it. But the first responders,
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firefighters and people of that nature, they run to it.
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Police officers, if someone is out in the street, they're
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shooting, I'm going to hide. I'm going to find somewhere safe
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to hide. But there are people who serve
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in our, in our law enforcement that their, their first instinct
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is a run to it, run toward it to try to resolve the situation.
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And this is what happens with these widows where other people
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may not want to deal with someone else's affliction, to be
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inconvenienced by someone else's affliction.
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This woman who was a true widow and had the heart of mercy, she
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runs to these people. She runs to them to offer
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whatever relief that she can. Rather, it's relief because
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they've had some crisis in their life.
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May they lost a loved one. Maybe their their house burned
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down and they need things to help them.
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Rather somebody who just needs to be ministered to.
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Maybe someone who fell in sin and they're now dealing with
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adversity from that this person runs to them to offer relief,
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relief. And then it also goes on and
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says if she has diligently followed every good work, that
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just simply means that she has been very, very committed to
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serving in every good work. Now in verse 11 is when Paul
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makes a distinction now for those who should not be
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supported by the church. And in verse 11, he says, but
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refuse, do not give support to the younger widows for when they
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have become wanton, when they grow wanton against Christ, they
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desire to marry, having condemnation because they have
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cast off their first faith. Now let's walk through that.
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He refuses those young women because see, what can happen
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from time to time is that a woman who is younger, if she
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loses a husband at an early age, I mean, she is distraught.
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I mean, she's broken. I mean, really hurting.
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And at that particular time, you know, she may say, you know
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what, I'm not getting married again.
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I'm not getting mad anymore because I'm never going to meet
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another man like this in my life.
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So I'm just not going to get married again.
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I'm going to just give myself to the whore.
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I don't even want to get married again in those times.
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It's like a reaction. It's just a reaction.
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It's a, it's a very fleshy reaction.
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I mean, it's in the, you know, it's out of emotion, but they
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make that reaction. They say, I'm not going to get
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married. So they make that pledge.
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I'm not going to get married anymore.
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But then what may happen is that later on, they develop a
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friendship with someone of the opposite sex.
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And that ends up maybe there's some sparks that start flying.
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They get interested, you know, in each other and start seeing
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each other a little differently. Now all of a sudden, all those
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emotions that she had suppressed and those things that she
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thought had gone dormant, all those feelings start coming
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back, and all of a sudden her body starts to respond again and
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her mind starts to respond. She wants companionship again.
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So she decides that they're going to marry.
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Paul's not saying that it's a bad thing that a person marries.
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That's not a bad thing. In fact, like we said before,
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it's better to marry than to burn with lust.
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But what Paul is saying is that what happens with these widows,
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rather than to take them in as widows and have them make that
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pledge that they're going to give the rest of their life to
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God and not to anybody else, rather than to have them do
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that, just let them remarry. Just let them remarry so that
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they don't have to worry about that if they decide to.
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They don't have to make a pledge because what happens, as it says
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here in verse 12, having condemnation, that's self
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condemnation because they made this pledge and now they broke
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it. So it's like self condemnation
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for themselves because they cast off their first faith.
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And that first faith is really what it means is that their soul
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promise, their solemn promise. They made a solemn promise and
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now they're breaking it or they're retracting it, they're
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forsaking it. So Paul is saying rather than
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them doing that, let them marry. And then here in verse 13, it
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says, and besides, now this is the other part, the other
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warning that he had for Timothy about bringing these young women
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in when they're so young and taking care of them in the
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church, having them make these pledges, he said.
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And besides, they learn to be idle, wandering from house to
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house, and not only idle, but also gossips and busy bodies
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saying things which they are not.
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So they're not working. They're not working.
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They're going from house to house because they got all this
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time on their hands. They don't have a family, so
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they're going from house to house.
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They got all this time on their hands.
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And so now they may have started off with a conversation, may
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have been edifying, may have been a very spiritual
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conversations at first talking about Scripture.
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But then all of a sudden it starts to, you know, every
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conversation starts to deteriorate and it starts to get
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into gossip and talk about other carnal things and fleshy things.
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And they start to say things that they just shouldn't be
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saying. Getting in other people's
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business, using the cover up we need to pray for so and so.
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Did you hear what happened? You know, I mean, getting into
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all those kind of things and just sharing other people's
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business in ways that they need not to.
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And he's saying, look, rather than to do that.
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Verse 14. Therefore he says, I desire that
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the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house and
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give no opportunity to the adversary to speak
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reproachfully. Paul says, look, if they're
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running around behind kids, they ain't got no time to be going
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busy bodying. You know, we got people here
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with kids. You know, you ain't got time to
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be busy body. And if you got kids, you running
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around behind them. They keep you busy.
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They keep you busy. You're pouring into their lives.
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And it's so important to listen. I don't ever want to minimize
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the significance and importance of being able to pour into a
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child's life. I don't ever want to minimize
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that. You know you are, regardless of
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what situation is, whether it's your children or whether it's
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someone else's children that for whatever time period you have
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responsibility for rather it's keeping them or you're teaching
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them or you're a mentor to them. They look up to you and they're
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spending time with you. There is such a blessing for you
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to be able to be a mentor and pour in spiritual things to
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young kids at a young age, to get them on the road of walking
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with the Lord at a young age and being example of a godly woman
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before young girls. That is valuable.
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It's valuable for men to be godly examples for young boys.
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We need that. And that's what God is talking
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about when He says multiply after yourselves, after your own
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kind. It's a blessing, it's an honor.
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So Paul says, look, as opposed to becoming busy bodies, as
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opposed to being tempted to go out and do ungodly things, go
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ahead and get married. Go ahead and get married.
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And then at the bottom of that, verse 15, it says for some have
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already turned aside after Satan because see what happens that if
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you are suppressing these things and you act like you don't want
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to get married, you start sneaking around.
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And what happens is that eventually you start opening
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yourself up to ungodly things, ungodly relationships, you know,
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so instead of getting married, you're moving in with somebody
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you know, and fornication. All these things are taking
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place that's just running after Satan.
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You're not even honoring the Lord at all anymore.
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And what you're doing in terms of relationships, not living as
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a widow, nor are you living as a godly woman.
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Paul says, for some have already turned aside after Satan.
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And then in verse 16, it says if any believing man or woman, he
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goes back and he repeats here what he talked about in verse 4
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and verse 8. That's how serious he is about
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that issue of people in their own homes taking care of their
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own family members who are widows.
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If any believing man or woman has widows, let them relieve
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them. Do not let the church be
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burdened. Why not that the church don't
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want to take care of widows. That's not it.
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But that the resources that the church has, let those resources
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be given to someone who really, really needs them.
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Who really needs them? A widow who was a true widow.
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She's not going to go to work and work 8 hours anymore.
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She's not going to marry and have a man take care of her
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anymore. That's not going to happen.
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She's a true widow. She has needs.
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Let the resources that we have be there for them.
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And then it goes on in verse 17. Now we're going to switch from
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being from talking about widows to talking about elders, and
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this is going to close us up. He says here, let the elders who
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rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those
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who labor in Word and doctrine. For the Scripture says you shall
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not muzzle the ox while treads out the grain, and it also says
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the labor is worthy of his wages.
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So Paul said the elder should be worthy of double honor.
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And that double honor in a lot of places is translated.
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It should be the honor of respect and also the honor of
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remuneration, you know, financial support for elders.
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Now, I want to just say this point before we move on to the
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next point. And the fact is you don't pay a
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pastor to be a pastor. You don't pay them to do the
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work of the pastor. That's not why a pastor is paid.
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That's a hireling. That's a hireling.
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They're paid to do a job. That's a Harlem.
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And the Bible says, Jesus even says himself that a hireling
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doesn't care for the sheep. So you don't even want to hire
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Lane. That's not what a pastor is paid
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for. A pastor is given support so
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that he can be free to be a pastor.
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That's what a true pastor is being paid for or being
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supported for. It's not even being paid.
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It's being supported so that they can be free to be a pastor,
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so they can be free to put time in the study in prayer, be free
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to go into calling the sick or those who are shut in, be free
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to be able to administer the people when they need it.
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And I don't have to worry about checking in with a job first.
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Well, I got to do it after work. You know, they can be free to do
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that. That's why support is given to
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elders or pastors, not to pay them for their work.
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That's a Harley. So then he goes on and he says
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here, do not receive an accusation.
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Now this is talking about the discipline.
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We're getting into the discipline of elders, and this
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is for elders. Keep that in mind.
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This is not just for the general congregation.
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This is for elders. Do not receive an accusation
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against an elder except from two or three witnesses, pastors,
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elders, they're targets. They're targets.
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And it only takes someone to be offended by something that a
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pastor may not even be aware that he said or did that
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offended someone and that person then slanders it has happened.
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The person may slander a pastor or or or say things that just
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aren't true or misconstrue some things.
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It all of a sudden accusation comes up that this pastor have
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committed a sin. So Paul says in order to try to
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avoid those things from happening, Timothy, these
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misunderstandings or these false accusations, in order to try to
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avoid that from happening, don't even receive the accusation
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unless you get two or three witnesses that this is going on.
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So in other words, if one person comes to Pastor Clark and says
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Lewis is sinning, this is what he did, only one person, that
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person could have an issue that might not even be true.
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But if two or three people come to him and said, Pastor Clark,
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I've seen Lewis do this, I saw him do this, well, now that's an
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issue. That's an issue that needs to be
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dealt with. So then that particular point is
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confronted. The elder is confronted about it
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and given an opportunity to own it and repent and turn from it.
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That's an important part of repenting.
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OK, not only repenting and asking for forgiveness, but
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returning from the sin. You can't continue to do it.
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So here in verse 20, he says those who are sinning rebuke in
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the presence of all that the rest may fear.
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Now when he says those who are sinning, that means that they
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did not repent and they did not turn from it and they're
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continuing that same old activity.
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They're continuing that behavior.
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He said for those now you got to take it before the other elders.
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You got to rebuke them in front of the other elders.
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So then he goes here to verse 21 and he says I charge you before
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God. I like the way he said this.
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He said I charge you before God. And if that one enough and the
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Lord Jesus Christ and if that one enough and the elect angels
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that you observe these things. Now this is the important part.
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He says without prejudice. That means it can't don't be
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harder on someone that you don't like.
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So you're more prone to receive the accusation and to do
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discipline because this is an L that you don't like.
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This is somebody you got something against.
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He said don't judge this thing with prejudice and he says and
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also do nothing with with partiality.
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That means you're covering up a sin for someone that you do like
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or you're dismissing it or you're being a little softer on
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that person because you like them.
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He said no, in the foot of the cross, we're all the same.
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We are all the same. God said several times, I am no
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respecter of persons. There's no one more important
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than someone else, no one rather than this house or rather than
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any other church. No one is more important than
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anybody else to God. We're all the same, no respecter
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of persons. And then he goes on here in
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verse 22 and says, and do not lay hands on anyone hastily nor
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share in the other person's sins.
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Keep yourself pure. Now, I love the way he put this
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because what he's saying here is that in order to try to avoid
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this from happening, Timothy, don't lay hands on people.
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Suddenly don't lay hands on people's.
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Don't just rush people into the position of eldership or
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pastorate. Take some time, view these
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people, look at their life, look at different situations.
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How do they act in different situations or circumstances?
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He said you got to take some time to do that.
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And then he said nor share in other people's sins.
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That means if you know that someone is not right and you're
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still putting them in place, then you are sharing their sins,
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you're sharing in their sins. Or if you're trying to help them
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to cover the sins so no one else can see it, then you're sharing
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in their sins. You're sharing in their sins.
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And he says here, or if you reinstate someone too soon, you
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restore them too soon while they're still sinning.
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That is being a Co conspirator in their sins.
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But he said, keep yourself pure. Keep a pure heart, Timothy.
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Keep a pure heart when you do it, it's not worse for someone
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else than it is for another guy. Keep your heart pure.
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So that also be a good example so that you don't send before
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the other elders as well. Now here in verse 23, it's
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interesting because in the midst of all of this, he now takes
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time to speak to Timothy personally.
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All these other things were just like wide open general
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instructions. But now he speaks to Timothy
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personally and he says, and by the way, Timothy, by the way, I
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know this ministry has taken a toll on you.
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Your stomach is bothering you. I know that and I care about
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you, Timothy. So don't just drink water.
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Drink a little wine with your water.
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Purify that water. Use wine as a disinfectant to
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try to get some of those germs, some of those parasites out of
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that water because it may be bothering your stomach.
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What a sensitive thing to say in the middle of all this godly
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instruction. But guess what?
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That's exactly what God does to you as you're reading His word.
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He takes time to speak to you directly and say, you know what?
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By the way, this part is for you.
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This is just for you. I'm not speaking this to
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everybody. I'm just giving this to you.
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I care about you. This is something you want to
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take a look at. Take a look at this change that.
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Give us that alert, that nudge. It's personal.
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I love you and I know you by name.
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This is just for you. Maybe you're going through some
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hard times and say I love you, but I'm going to give you a
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scripture. This is not for everybody else.
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This is just for you to encourage you.
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You need encouragement. That's God.
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That's how loving He is and how gracious He is in the midst of
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all that. Then in 24, he goes back to
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talking about how to choose elders.
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So some men's sins are clearly evident, okay, Preceding them to
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judgment. In other words, you ain't going
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to choose them because you can already see that they're
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sending, so you're not going to put them in place.
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They're sending right in front of you.
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So that's an easy choice, but there are some Mens who follow
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later. That means you don't see it
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right away. You put them in place and then
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later those things come up because you didn't take time to
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observe them. And then he says in Likewise,
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the good works of some are clearly evident.
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We can have good works, right? In the beginning, it looks like
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this is a good choice because look at all the good works he's
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doing and then he said, and those that are otherwise cannot
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be hidden. In other words, there may be
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works that you don't see, but that person is doing good works.
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And later on those things come out.
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If it's us who is doing sins that are not evident right now,
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we want the Lord to show us what those sins are because we don't
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want to be in a situation where we get the judgment and then
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have to deal with those sins too late.
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Lord, show me now what it is that I need to change in my
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life. Show me now where I'm out of
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order. Show me now where I'm in
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disobedience to Your word. Show me now.
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That should be our prayer that we see these things now so that
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our light can shine before men. I just want to say in closing
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that obedience to God is important.
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I mean, that's why we walk in obedience to Him and we walk in
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holiness, which is obedience to the Lord.
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And it's interesting because as we walk in obedience, we get the
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opportunity to truly live out the heart of God.
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So when we get these instructions, they help us to
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avoid those troubles and problems that Timothy was trying
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to avoid. Paul was saying, basically, I'm
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giving you these things so that you can avoid pitfalls.
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Timothy, I don't want you to go through the problems that some
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others may have had to go through because they didn't obey
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this. So I'm giving you these things
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clearly, specifically, methodically.
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And the Word of God does the same thing for us.
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He gives us His Word to help us, to try to avoid pitfalls, to try
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to avoid some of the issues that may happen.
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Yes, we're still going to suffer.
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We're still going to deal with afflictions, but they don't have
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to be self-inflicted. They don't have to be
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self-inflicted. Jesus Christ was our example of
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one who was obedient. In fact, the Bible says He was
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obedient unto death, unto death. And because He was obedient, he
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benefited from a lot of things that His Father did in his life,
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but he still had to suffer. In fact, it was because of his
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obedience that He allowed himself to suffer.
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But the benefit of that is what we have here, believers,
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salvation, eternal life. He did that for us.
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You've been listening to Pastor Louis Harrell here on Living
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Waters of Grace. We're digging into all that Paul
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shared with Timothy in the books of First and Second Timothy.
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Timothy was commissioned to do the following fight the good
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fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were
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also called, and have confessed the good confession in the
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presence of many witnesses. Timothy would be carrying on
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what Paul had taught him and continuing on in ministry, even
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though Paul knew that more hardships would come for
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Timothy. This is the Christian life.
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It's not glamorous. It's not some celebrity status.
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It's hard fought. It's gritty, it's unpopular, but
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it's worth it. Do you believe that today?
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Are you willing to fight the good fight even at the cost of
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earthly pleasures? Living the life of a follower of
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Jesus will have its heavenly rewards.
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To be a part of a community that's looking forward to that
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heavenly reward, we invite you to join us at Calvary Chapel
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Westmoreland. If you're in the Greensburg, PA
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area, come be with us this Sunday at 10:30 AM at 400 E
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Pittsburgh St. Ste. 6B.
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Check out Calvary Chapel online.com For more information
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on directions and any other details you might want to know.
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You can also download our mobile app from our website
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thatscalvarychapelonline.com. If you have friends or family
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members who want to tune in, encourage them to listen on
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Grace FM 91.7. One last thing.
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This radio ministry relies on your support to keep things
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going. If you're willing to donate
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financially, send gifts to Grace FM, PO Box 716, Greensburg, PA
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15601. Thanks for prayerfully
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considering this, and thank you for listening to Living Waters
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of Grace.