Tonight, I would invite you to turn with me to two passages in the New Testament. First of all, 1 Timothy chapter 3, I had indicated that we read the first 13 verses, but we'll just read the entire chapter, a few more verses. 1 Timothy 3 and 1 Peter 5, verses 1 through 4. And we read this in connection with our consideration of our Belgic Confession of Faith, article 31 we have been considering in recent weeks specifically the confessions dealing with the doctrine of the church and then of course the government of the church and tonight article 31 the ministers elders and deacons and you might think well what can we say about ministers elders and deacons that we don't already know but it is wonderful what our lord has to teach us and or remind us and even to help confirm us as a congregation in our understanding of the offices of the church and in our practice of these offices, as well as how the congregation and those in office are to deal with each other and see each other. So we read together, first of all, 1 Timothy chapter 3, and then turning over to 1 Peter 5, the first four verses. Hear now the Word of God. Here is a trustworthy saying. If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church? He must not be a recent convert or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap. Deacons likewise are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be tested, and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers, but temperate and trustworthy in everything. A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well. Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus. Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great. He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. 1 Peter 5, the first four verses. To the elders among you I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings, and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed. Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers, not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be. Not greedy for money, but eager to serve. Not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. Shall we bow together in prayer, asking for God's blessing? upon His Word tonight. Father, again in Jesus' name, we come before You as those needy, those who depend upon the work of the Holy Spirit to make Your Word powerful and effective in our hearts and lives. We thank You for Your Word. We pray for Your blessing upon it again in this evening hour. And Father, we pray that You would open our hearts to be recipients, vessels into which You pour Your Word by the power of your Holy Spirit that we might be blessed, O Lord, by you and equipped to walk in greater faithfulness to you day by day. Father, hear our prayer for Jesus' sake and in his name alone. Amen. Beloved of Christ the Lord, 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 12 and 13 tell us, Respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord, and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard, in love, because of their work. And of course, we're familiar with Hebrews 13, verse 17, which speaking of spiritual leaders says, Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. Now, as we said a few weeks ago, as you may recall, By nature, the truth is, by nature, we don't like rules very much. And we don't like to be ruled. We don't like to be watched over, having others look over our shoulders. We don't like to be held accountable, especially by other sinners, you see. And life, even life in the church, gives evidence that those who are called to lead in the church are not sinless. Greedy televangelists. Pedophile priests. And we must admit, even some in small Reformed congregations from time to time, whether ministers, elders, or deacons, have given in to Satan's temptations and have not only compromised their calling with regard to their office, but they have also given to the church and the ministry a bad name. Yet, even though all of that may be true, beloved, none of that changes the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ has chosen to govern His bride, the household of faith, as Paul says, the church, as the Bible teaches, with and through the offices of minister, elder, and deacon. And we are called to respond to and obey the authority of those He has placed over us, not because they are sinless, but by virtue of their calling from God, by virtue of the work to which God has called them. We must see the office bearers of Christ's church as God sees them. In them we must see the one in whose shadow they stand. We must see them as those called and appointed to be servants of our Savior, Christ the Lord. Beloved, for her protection and for the glory of God, Christ has given His church the gift of office bearers. I forgot to tell you, it's on page 85 in the back of the Psalter hymnal, article 31. If you would turn there, if you haven't already, the top of page 85, article 31. And in God's good providence, it just so happens that the elders and deacons are beginning to talk about, or will begin to talk about, men for nomination once again. And the congregation, you as a congregation will have the opportunity once again to submit names of men that you think ought to be considered for nomination. So it's good and well, maybe, that we consider this article tonight. Article 31, the ministers, elders, and deacons. We believe that the ministers of God's Word, the elders and the deacons, ought to be chosen to their respective offices by a lawful election by the church with calling upon the name of the Lord and in that order which the Word of God teaches. Therefore, everyone must take heed not to intrude himself by improper means, but is bound to wait till it shall please God to call him, that he may have testimony of his calling and be certain and assured that it is of the Lord. As for the ministers of God's Word, they have equally the same power and authority wheresoever they are as they are all ministers of Christ, the only universal bishop and the only head of the church. Moreover, in order that this holy ordinance of God may not be violated or slighted, we say that everyone ought to esteem the ministers of God's Word and the elders of the church very highly for their work's sake and be at peace with them without murmuring, strife, or contention as much as possible. This article, beloved, summarizes the teaching of Scripture with regard to the proper election of office bearers, the preferential equality among office bearers, and the practiced esteem to be given to office bearers. Now you remember that Article 30 introduced us to our Lord's government of His church through office bearers when it says that there must be ministers or pastors to preach the Word of God and to administer the sacraments, also elders and deacons who together with the pastors form the council of the church that by these means the true religion may be preserved and the true doctrine everywhere propagated, Likewise, transgressors punished and restrained by spiritual means, also that the poor in distress may be relieved and comforted according to their necessities. Now, in reality, in these offices, we see continuity with the church of all ages. In the Old Testament, God called and appointed men to special offices of ministry. And these offices were that of prophet, priest, and king. And, of course, these offices pointed forward to and were perfectly fulfilled in the one great prophet, priest, and king, Jesus Christ. Now, an office is a specific task or mandate given by God. A position of great responsibility, authority, and honor. And a prophet, we know, was called to reveal God's will and to instruct the congregation in the service of God. And this office, we might say, is reflected in the office of minister. The priest was called to maintain the ministry of reconciliation in the tabernacle and temple between God and His people. We might say it was an office of mercy, and that office then is reflected in the office of deacon. And a king was to rule over the people in the name of God, to protect, to care for, to discipline them. And this office then is reflected in the office of elder. And beloved, the offices of minister, elder, and deacon are what we might say special offices with a specific task given to certain men who have a special calling. We all have a calling, but a special calling with respect to the up-building of the church of Christ. As Paul says in Ephesians 4, to prepare God's people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. These offices and those who fill these offices are Christ's gift to His church for her protection and for the advancement of God's kingdom and for God's glory. And these offices are filled through a proper election. But boys and girls, it's not an election like we're used to. For example, when the presidential or recently for the city of San Diego, the mayoral candidates try to sell themselves. They go out and candidate for office and tell us why they are the best candidate for the job in order to try to win your vote or my vote. When names are placed before the congregation to consider, before we have the congregational meeting, we might joke a little bit with some and ask, Well, are you campaigning for the job? But that's not at all how it really is. Scripture teaches us that office bearers are elected through the cooperation of the congregation after prayer and are then appointed and ordained by existing office bearers. As we said a few weeks ago, Scripture doesn't prescribe every single last detail when it comes to church government. that God gives us broad outlines and apostolic examples which are to be used decently and for good order. And this includes, again, that the congregation works. You work in electing office bearers under the supervision of and in close cooperation with the offices already appointed by Christ and His church in the past. We see this in Acts chapter 1. when the replacement for Judas Iscariot was chosen. There we read, So they proposed two men, Joseph called Barsabbas, also known as Justice, and Matthias. Then they prayed, Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry which Judas left to go where he belongs. Then they cast lots, and a lot fell to Matthias, so he was added to the eleven apostles. And then in Acts chapter 6, the 12 apostles then gathered the congregation of disciples, the church, and said, Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. And of course, that was the beginning of the diaconate. The congregation has been given an important task, a task which we believe is given by God and then used by God. Hebrews 5 verse 4 says, No one takes this honor upon himself. He must be called by God just as Aaron was. It is God who calls one to serve in office. Men, God doesn't ask you to serve. He calls you to serve. There's a big difference. I'll let you think about that. But He doesn't ask you to serve. He calls you to serve. At the time of the Reformation, there were two extremes when it came to serving in office, both of them contrary to the teaching of Scripture. On the one hand, there was the practice of the Church of Rome, which we call hierarchicalism. This is kind of a pyramid scheme with the Pope on top. Priests were and continued to be appointed by bishops to churches. Sometimes they were as personal favors, other times because of large contributions. but often with little or no regard to the church or the flock in that particular place. On the other hand, there was a large Anabaptist movement in which some would rise up all by themselves claiming to have some hidden inward calling. And they would gather a number of followers who bought into their teaching and then they would go further and they would demand subjection to themselves. They would become laws unto themselves. They would interpret Scripture according to their own way of thinking until lives were literally destroyed. These leaders have been described as having a kind of a Messiah complex. And we might think of some extreme examples that we mentioned a few weeks back. Jim Jones in Guyana. Or again, David Koresh in Waco, Texas. But both of these extremes violate the clear teaching of Scripture. Now, 1 Timothy 3, verse 1 says, Here is a trustworthy saying, if anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Men, it is commendable when you desire to serve in church office. And we trust and we pray that that is the Lord working in your heart, preparing you for that. But, that personal desire to serve is not the end of the story, as important as it is. It's not the end of the story because it may be. And it can become a matter of sinful pride. We hope not. We trust not. But it could be. In Acts 8, when Simon the sorcerer saw how the Holy Spirit came upon those upon whom Peter and John laid their hands, he tried to purchase that power with money. He tried to buy his way into that office that became known as Simony. Now, Article 31 says, Therefore, everyone must take heed not to intrude himself by improper means, but is bound to wait till it shall please God to call him, that he may have testimony of his calling and be certain and assured that it is of the Lord. Now, of course, we know that not all those who desire this good work are lawfully elected by the church. On the other hand, some are lawfully elected who may not necessarily desire this work. How do we explain that? Do these men err in their desire? Or is the congregation in error when it fails to confirm their inward desire by its lawful election? John Calvin helps us by making a distinction between the internal and the external call. It is God through His Holy Spirit who prepares the hearts of men to desire to serve with a proper motive. Not from pride or the desire for prestige and power, but for the honor of God and for the advancement of His cause in the world. As a congregation, we are in no position to judge the hidden motives of one's heart, but we are to be guided by a man's public confession and conduct. As a congregation, we too must seek to be faithful and not let the election turn into some sort of a popularity contest or simply vote for men because of our personal preferences or according to some standard of our own making. You see, the church, the congregation must avoid this just as much as a man must not try to take the honor of office upon himself or intrude himself, as the confession says, into office without being called of God. God has given to us the proper standard by which to consider men for office. As we read in 1 Timothy 3 and as Titus 1 teaches us, And believers in the church must realize the weight of spiritual and moral responsibility placed upon them. When we elect office bearers following the practice and standard God has given, then God uses His church to confirm a call which first comes from Him. And that's why the election must take place with calling upon the name of the Lord. That's the pattern that we see over and over again in Scripture in Acts 1 with Matthias. In Acts 14, we read about Paul and Barnabas appointing elders with prayer and fasting in every church. And beloved, that prayer must not just begin when you have the names in your hand. It must begin already now. It must be ongoing to continue to pray that God prepare the hearts of men to be raised up to take office in His church. Dr. P.Y. DeYoung says, guided by the Holy Spirit and in prayerful dependence upon Christ, the church conducts her elections in the conviction that those whom God is pleased to use at that specific time will be chosen. Even as the writer of Proverbs says in Proverbs 16, verse 33, the lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. And beloved, this means that these elections should be regarded. If we seek to be faithful in doing things the way God prescribes in Scripture, these elections should be regarded as God's attestations, His stamp of approval, if you will, that His internal call is valid. And man, as godly men wait until it pleases God to call them, then when lawfully elected, a man may be certain and assured that this call is of the Lord. Dr. DeYoung also says, by observing this delicate and divinely ordained balance between internal desires and gifts and external approbation on the part of the believing church, Christ provides His people with a continuing ministry for His glory and the salvation of souls. And beloved, it works the same way for ministers of the Word and sacraments. A man may struggle as I did with the idea of ministry for many, many years. He may sense an internal call or he may desire to preach and he may go through the proper seminary training, but he is only truly called and sometimes it takes time. He is only truly called when a true church recognizes in him the gifts for ministry and then in the name of the Lord extends a call to him. Only after that call is given and accepted is that man then ordained to the office of minister. In the second place, the confession also speaks of the preferential equality among office bearers. That second paragraph says again, as for the ministers of God's Word, they have equally the same power and authority wheresoever they are, as they are all ministers of Christ, the only universal bishop and only head of the church. Now, we don't really need to say a whole lot about this, it should be quite clear, but this is talking about how office bearers, especially ministers, are to behave toward and treat one another. There's only one head of the church, Jesus Christ, her Lord. All power and authority in the church, whether to formulate doctrine or to govern the congregation or to care for the poor, is rooted in Christ alone. He exercises that power and authority through the offices of the local congregation. Not just one man somewhere. Not even a small group of men over a bunch of churches, but the local congregation, the offices in that local congregation. Christ is the sole head and therefore no church may lord it over another church and demand that another church submit to them. No minister may lord it over another minister. A minister who is over a congregation of 50 people has the same status, the same authority as a minister of over 10,000 people. Here in this church, Pastor Donovan and myself are co-pastors. We're co-pastors. I'm not over him. He's not over me. We labor together under the authority of the elders. Together. And of course, the same then is true of elders and deacons, that they may not lord it over other elders and deacons. Some may be wiser than others. Some more articulate than others. Some better at carrying out their tasks than others. But all share an equality in Christ. And all are to treat each other with preference, with humility as servants of all. Indeed, there may be a difference in spiritual gifts among the office bearers, but there is no difference in spiritual status. Peter warns the elders against lording it over the congregation and no doubt each other. Even he, the great apostle, puts himself on their level. He begins, as we read, to the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder. I'm one of you. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 20, we are therefore Christ's ambassadors. Jesus says in Matthew 23, verse 8, But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have only one master, and you are all brothers. You see, beloved, over and over, the apostles themselves teach that those who are privileged to be called and appointed to office in Christ's church are equally servants of Jesus Christ. And they are called to respect each other as fellow servants, again working toward the same goal, the glory of God, the edification of His people, and the advancement of His kingdom. But then God's Word also instructs the congregation how God's people are to view, to treat, and to consider those whom God has placed over them in His church. There is a practiced esteem that is to be given to them. The last paragraph. Moreover, in order that this holy ordinance of God may not be violated or slighted, we say that everyone ought to esteem the ministers of God's Word and the elders of the church very highly for their work's sake and be at peace with them without murmuring, strife, or contention as much as possible. Now, beloved, we must understand that when the Bible says, as we quoted those verses at the beginning, when the Bible says, Respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord, and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard, in love, because of their work. And when it says, Obey your leaders and submit to their authority, they keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. When the Bible says that these words, you see, we must understand, are not directed to office bearers. So that God is saying, Now you office bearers, you must demand this respect of the people. You must earn it from them. You must demand it. No, these words, beloved, are directed to you and to me. The congregation being cared for. It's not a matter of whether you and I think an office bearer deserves to be respected or if he has earned that right. Indeed, we know that an office bearer can lose the respect depending on how he conducts his office. Many have lost that respect and even the right to be respected. But until such time as they lose that, they deserve to be respected and they deserve that right by the virtue of their office. Now, because of sin, we might not always like each other personally. We might not always get along. Indeed, we hope we are liked. But that's not the point. Both those who lead and those who are led have received from Christ rights and responsibilities. And where these rights and responsibilities are mutually recognized, the church lives in peace and prospers by the blessing of the Holy Spirit. Church office, according to Scripture, is not so much a position of prestige as it is of trust. Those called by Christ must render service for His sake. And that means that the offices are not bound by the wishes of the congregation, first of all, to function as the congregation wants or to carry out the demands of the congregation. But office bearers are called to be faithful to Christ. in carrying out their assigned tasks. Ministers faithfully proclaiming God's Word and administering the sacraments. Elders ruling and caring for the flock in Christ's name with all diligence. Deacons being faithful stewards of the gifts of God's people in administering mercy and as well caring for the poor. But then the responsibility of the flock falls in line with this. as those lawfully elected to office, as the confession says, ought to be esteemed very highly for their work's sake. For their work's sake. Now hopefully you notice already how scriptural that is. Going back to that first verse we quoted, hold them in the highest regard in love. Why? Because of their work. Office bearers are to be measured not first of all by their abilities or their disabilities or by their likability or lack of likability, but rather again by the high calling they have received from Christ. Office bearers are to be honored because of their work. That means we are to understand their work. And when we do, then what a wonderful meaning this work has for believers and their children in the church. But failure to honor the office bearers leads to and is a consequence of a disregard for the Word of God. We honor and obey God by showing respect and submission to His office bearers in all things lawful according to the Word of God. In the same way, we dishonor and disobey God by failing to show respect and submission to His office bearers and all things lawful. The article rightly says, be at peace with them without murmuring, strife, or contention as much as possible. Now, beloved, the offices of the church are not regarded and respected as they once were. I fear that that may be because we put the individual and our likes or our dislikes about that individual above their office, but that's wrong. Or because of, at times, office bearers do not themselves respect their office as they should, and that shows to the congregation. But for most of us in our lifetimes, we have seen that it has become easier and easier to murmur, to complain, and to grumble against office bearers, thereby disturbing the peace and doing this most often for petty reasons or without a just cause. But, beloved, this violates Christ's command through Paul in Ephesians 4, verse 3 to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. And this, of course, results in strife and contention, which the devil simply loves. Beloved, very simply, no one ought to take sharp issue with those who rule in the congregation except on substantial scriptural grounds. Now, this doesn't mean that all decisions are praised. or even that they're thought to be the wisest and the most advantageous. But if they do not plainly conflict with God's Word, believers ought to abide by them readily and cheerfully. Isn't this how it is in our homes, or we would like to have in our homes? As parents, our children don't always, if ever, like our rules and our decisions. And sometimes, if we're honest as parents, when we look back, we have to confess that sometimes our decisions aren't even the very wisest decisions that they could have been. Yet by virtue of our office as parents, our children must abide by them. And beloved, in the council or the consistory room, believe it or not, the decisions that are made are not always unanimous. But those who are in the minority graciously accept them as being the wisdom of the body. And they support those decisions. They do not undermine them and try to gather a little crowd around them to undermine those decisions. Beloved, we teach our children to respect adults by addressing them as Mr., Miss, or Mrs. We teach them to respect their teachers. We must also teach them through our respect. We must teach them of the dignity of the offices Christ has set up in his church. Teaching them that an elder is not simply a man who is older than me, but an elder in the church is a man with an office given to him by God. An office that is to be respected. That the deacon as well has been given as a high calling from God to administer mercy and to teach us as a congregation how to administer mercy. As a young boy, we lived about a block from the church in the Parsonage, and I remember very clearly one time I was playing outside, and our minister was walking down the sidewalk, probably to go visit someone. And he saw me, and he said, Good morning, Philip. I responded, Good morning. He responded to my response, Good morning, Reverend Volgozang. And I responded to him then, Good morning, Reverend Vogelzang. And I know, because I know him through the years, that he was not trying to teach me as a young boy that he was so powerful and almighty as a man, as a person, but he was teaching me in his own subtle way about the dignity of the office that God had given to him and how he humbly respected the office himself that God had given to him. Beloved, when your elder calls to come to see you for a family visit, don't deny him the opportunity to do his task and thereby, if you deny him, you disobey God. Welcome him as one who loves you and has your best interest at heart. When the elders or the elders and the deacons together make a decision you don't like or that you don't agree with, don't murmur about it in your home or among your group of friends, but handle it as mature Christian adults. When the preacher preaches a sermon that is dull and unmoving, yet it was faithful to the Word of God, pray for him. And pray that God would still feed you with the bread of life that was presented. When the deacons put a need before you, in that, hear the call of God to give as you have been blessed and have received from Him first. And most of all, pray. Pray for your ministers and your elders and your deacons. Pray that God would equip them day by day with wisdom and with the strength of spirit. You see, their task is not always easy. Very rarely is it glamorous. Yet at times it is oh so joyful. Pray for them as they seek to represent Christ and His work among us. And together, beloved, may we rejoice that Christ builds His church even through the efforts of sinful saints whom He has called to serve in office. And may we see these offices and those who serve in them as Christ's gifts to us to bless His church, to keep our sin in check, and to build us up in the most holy faith. Indeed, we should all desire to serve according to the gifts and the abilities that God has given to us and according to the circumstances in which He has placed us. Boys and young men, pray. Pray that God would even now begin to prepare your heart for service one day as an elder, as a deacon, maybe even as a minister. Men, as we begin again, as I said a moment ago, to consider nominations to fill offices for elder and deacons, pray that God would prepare your heart with a proper response should you receive a letter from the council. Girls, young women, and older women, God has worked for you as well in His church. Maybe it's not in the offices of minister, elder, and deacon, but there are many places for all of us to serve. Praise God for the work to which He calls each one of us. And may we thank Him especially for caring for our spiritual lives which He has redeemed. Thank Him for caring for our spiritual lives through His servants, the office bearers. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, we praise You for Your wisdom. Your wisdom in all things, but especially Your wisdom in governing the church which You have saved with the precious blood of Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. We thank You for the offices that You have established in Your church and for those You call throughout time and history to fill these offices. Again, we pray for these men, each and every one here in this place and around the world. Bless them, Father, as they carry out the tasks and duties You've given to them. May we as a congregation be in prayer for them daily, understanding the great work to which you have called them and thanking you for that, for caring for us enough to protect us and to guide us and to lead us through these offices. Father, we thank you for the family of God. We thank you for the love and the joy that we share together. And may we live in that joy day by day with one another. In Jesus' name we pray these things. Amen.