Sermon Notes & Slides 1.17.2016
Sermon Notes
Being the Body
1 Timothy 5:17-25
Pastor John Sloan
Introduction: When God saves us, supernaturally making us new creatures by his grace and through faith in Jesus, he saves us not only from sin and death and to works of obedience, but he also rescues us from our independence. He places us into a healing community, where spiritual life can flourish. And while those believing communities vary in size and style, there are certain characteristics that all such (true) churches have in common.
[Four Marks] A faithful congregation …
01.
02.
03.
04.
Questions for Discussion & Discovery
1. How can a church honor its elders who lead well? In what ways do churches dishonor their elders?
2. “Until we’re crushed by the burden of the law, and our failure to keep it, we will never appreciate the majesty of the gospel.” What does that mean? What does this say about the need to talk about sin as a church?
3. Read Romans 8:1-4. For the Christian, “sin” is not the final word. How can we have assurance that our failures need not define us?
4. Why is it critical that accusations against elders are handled wisely and responsibly?
5. What happens when the public sins of leaders are addressed publicly (see verse 20)?
6. In what sense are the sins of some people “conspicuous” (verse 24) while others’ sins “appear later.”
2. “Until we’re crushed by the burden of the law, and our failure to keep it, we will never appreciate the majesty of the gospel.” What does that mean? What does this say about the need to talk about sin as a church?
3. Read Romans 8:1-4. For the Christian, “sin” is not the final word. How can we have assurance that our failures need not define us?
4. Why is it critical that accusations against elders are handled wisely and responsibly?
5. What happens when the public sins of leaders are addressed publicly (see verse 20)?
6. In what sense are the sins of some people “conspicuous” (verse 24) while others’ sins “appear later.”
Sermon Slides
1. “I am writing these things to you so that…you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God.” – 1 Timothy 3:15
2. Read 1 Timothy 5:17
3. A faithful congregation … 01. Honors its pastors and elders.
4. Read 1 Timothy 5:18
5. Read 1 Timothy 5:19
6. A faithful congregation … 02. Protects its leaders from false accusations.
7. “None are more exposed to slanders and insults than godly teachers. This comes not only from the difficulty of their duties, which are so great that sometimes they sink under them … but added to that, even when they do all their duties correctly and commit not even the smallest error, they never avoid a thousand criticisms. It is indeed a trick of Satan to estrange men from their ministers so as to gradually bring their teaching into contempt, and the authority of God’s holy teaching is diminished.”
– John Calvin
8. Read 1 Timothy 5:20
9. Read 1 Timothy 5:21
10. A faithful congregation … 03. Talks about and deals with sin.
11. “A God without wrath brought man without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.” – H. Richard Niebuhr
12. Read 1 Timothy 5:22
13. A faithful congregation … 04. Exercises patience and discernment in the installation of leaders.
14. Read 1 Timothy 5:23-25
2. Read 1 Timothy 5:17
3. A faithful congregation … 01. Honors its pastors and elders.
4. Read 1 Timothy 5:18
5. Read 1 Timothy 5:19
6. A faithful congregation … 02. Protects its leaders from false accusations.
7. “None are more exposed to slanders and insults than godly teachers. This comes not only from the difficulty of their duties, which are so great that sometimes they sink under them … but added to that, even when they do all their duties correctly and commit not even the smallest error, they never avoid a thousand criticisms. It is indeed a trick of Satan to estrange men from their ministers so as to gradually bring their teaching into contempt, and the authority of God’s holy teaching is diminished.”
– John Calvin
8. Read 1 Timothy 5:20
9. Read 1 Timothy 5:21
10. A faithful congregation … 03. Talks about and deals with sin.
11. “A God without wrath brought man without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.” – H. Richard Niebuhr
12. Read 1 Timothy 5:22
13. A faithful congregation … 04. Exercises patience and discernment in the installation of leaders.
14. Read 1 Timothy 5:23-25