How to Treat People at Your Church - Pastor Daniel Batarseh

If you have the word of God in your hands, meet me the book of first Timothy chapter five. If you've been following with us closely, there is one verse left at the end of chapter four, but we're not going to unpack it in detail because we've alluded to it many times and have drawn much from it in the first few chapters of this book. So we're gonna come to chapter five verse one. You know, when it comes to preparing a message, oftentimes, the greatest struggle is not what you're gonna say. That is there, but oftentimes, it's what you have to leave out.

And that is certainly true with this specific message that things were just, had to be focused really because there could have been so many other things that could be said. Nonetheless, we're gonna trust that God has the right thing to say to us through these verses. So if you're there, read with me in verse one. In first Timothy five, do not rebuke an older man, but encourage him as you would a father. Younger men as brothers.

Older women as mothers. Younger women as sisters. And all purity. Let's pray. Father, we believe with even a verse or two verses like this, you have something deep to say to us.

And we lean in by faith. And we ask, oh, God, that you would grant us exactly what your word has been planned to give us. That it would transform our minds. It would renew our affections for you and for one another. Lord, may this message be assisted by the power of the Holy Spirit.

And, Lord, may you cover every man, but bring to the forefront of our our sight, the eyes of our hearts, the person of Jesus Christ and all his beauty and wisdom. Lord, may his power be known this morning. May it be felt and sensed, Lord, and may we be changed by it. This is our need. This is our great need today.

Not just for more information, but Lord, for heart transformation. May it come as we seek it so desperately, Lord. We declare in your presence that we are indeed poor in spirit, and we are not ashamed of it. We are bankrupt without you. We are beggars, and we know that you are merciful to give.

We trust in you in this moment. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. It's quite fascinating to see in the Bible, the different metaphors that the Holy Spirit ascribes to the corporate identity of those who belong to Christ by faith. The scriptures regard the church as many things, a kingdom, a holy nation, a priesthood, the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, God's flock, God's adopted children, just to name a few.

But what you have heard throughout this series in the book of first Timothy is that on more than one occasion, God deeply desires for his church to function as a family. As a family. We heard it in that title that the church is the household of God and it is being emphasized again by this set of verses here, which describes something quite amazing. These practical set of commands given by Paul to this young pastor Timothy, tells us that he is supposed to relate to the congregation that he serves as members of a household. You know what that's proof of right off the bat?

That's proof that God is not satisfied with you and I just gathering together on a consistent basis so that we can corporately involve ourselves in some spiritual activities as though this was some kind of a class. No. God wants us to engage with one another with such a deep and high level of affection, familiarity, respect, and loyalty, that every single time you choose to come to one of the meetings throughout the week, you would feel as though it was a home and not an event. And the way the church can express itself as a family is not by making the building cozier. It's not by getting comfier chairs downstairs where we fellowship.

Nor is it even about gathering in program small groups though that may help to a certain extent. The main way where we can make this church and any church of any size actually feel like a family is by determining to treat each other in a certain way. It's Simple as that. With this in mind, we must seek God's wisdom in knowing the dynamics that we must be committed to in order for us to see and experience what He has designed for His church. And what will it require of us?

Well, what it requires for any family to function appropriately, a level of commitment. Commitment in various areas. And here's what I wanna say right from the beginning. If you choose this morning to hear these commitments, these vows, these pledges, that each of us must take a hold for ourselves. If you refuse it, if you reject it, if you do not take it seriously, then I have to say this boldly, but because it's true.

Nobody has the right to feel like they're an outsider in this church. Nobody has the right to complain that don't feel like this is really something that they can connect to if you cannot commit to these things that will be described in a moment. But at the same time, if you choose to say, you know, I want to really I really want to know what this is. I really wanna feel like a family. I really wanna be involved in that.

Then know this, you honor these pledges. You obey them. You commit to them. And I guarantee you, not by my own opinion, but by the authority of the word of God, you will know a deeper bond than any family you are part of. And it will be greater than what ties you by blood.

It will be something that is much more significant and profound, and that is the spirit of the living God that connects you with others. And so what kind of commitments are we talking about here? It's more than you just signing a membership sheet. Something much more sacrificial. Something much more, much more important than you having a name somewhere in a document.

Let me say this. Number one, there must be a commitment to unquestionable love. A commitment to unquestionable love. You know what's amazing Is that the sign of any healthy Christ influenced family is that it provides an atmosphere in which every member senses and is comforted and assured that they are cherished. As we just read, every person, you know what he's saying here?

Every single person, every single person in your congregation, Timothy, has a title of someone that belongs in a home. Whether you're old, whether you're young, whether you're a father, whether you're a mother, whether you're a teenager, it doesn't matter. You are somebody's dad, you are somebody's mom, you are somebody's child, you are somebody's sibling in the spirit. Nobody is left out. There's not one category of person in the church that is exempt from this.

And that requires something. The Bible speaks about in so many occasions that there is an affection that is known amongst a family and this is what's being emphasized here. But here's my question, what does that love feel like? Let's not just be theoretical here. Oh, I love you brother.

People throw that You love pizza the way you love me. You say you love everything. But what does that love feel like? What does it look like? Oh, there's many places we can go.

Right? Let's go to this one place. Turn your bibles with me in second Corinthians chapter 12 verse 14. Look what Paul says to this church. And I encourage you this morning, you gonna have to hold on to your bibles because there's much scripture to discover.

Paul says in second Corinthians 12 verse 14, here for the third time, I'm ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden. For I seek not what is yours, but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. With this particular church, Paul was concerned that there would be a stumbling block between the Corinthians and his ministry.

And he didn't wanna cause an issue, so he did not demand nor would he receive any financial support from them. Not that he would reject it in all places, but in this particular case, they were not very appreciative of Paul and he wasn't gonna be offended by that, nor was he gonna make any requests. So he said, You know what? I'm not here to put a burden on you. Because if this is gonna be some kind of a problem and it's gonna affect the way you receive the gospel and the truth of God's word, then forget about it.

I'll let go of any right so that I can boast in this. And a minister must exercise such wisdom in different seasons and circumstances as he goes along in the call that God has called them for. But notice what he says to them personally. Did you miss it? He says here, and I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours, but you.

In other words, I'm not coming to see you, nor am I coming to serve you because I have some ulterior motive to take advantage of you and satisfy some kind of selfish pleasure or pursuit that I have. I don't relate to you in such a way. I don't see you in such a manner. You see a spiritual leader in a church does not see his congregation as clients, nor as his audience, nor as his fans. Any person in a leadership position that does so, you better believe that they are exercising their gift and they are giving their time for the sole purpose of personal gain.

But this man, he was not just a teacher. He was not just an apostle. He was not just a preacher. No. He was a father.

He told the same church, you have many teachers but very few fathers. And a spiritual father does not provide for his children the same way that a restaurant caters to its customers. No. He offers his time, his attention, his resources for them not to get something from them. And that's exactly what he's saying here.

And Paul says, I'm not doing this. I'm not doing all of this for you to feel compelled that you need to repay me. That that's not my goal. I wanna win your heart to love the Lord more and more. The Lord Jesus Christ.

I want you to receive for my ministry and my fellowship in a way that it would influence your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to know that every time I step into your presence, you would sense a ray of God's love. My involvement in your life is to build you, it's to serve you, it's to fill you even if I have to empty myself. Whenever we come into contact with each other, Paul is saying, you'll be reminded that there is somebody on this earth that loves you with Christ's love. And this is not echoing the words of Jesus Christ.

Don't think for a moment that Paul here is out loving our Lord. He is just a faint example of it because our God did not pursue us to get something from us, but to have us. Right? Does the Lord need your money this morning? No.

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Does your does the Lord need your cold religious rituals? If he wanted that, he would have made robots. No. He wants your affection to be set on him as he has set his perfect love upon you.

He wants your heart. He wants you, not what you can give him necessarily. Obviously, when we give ourselves to him, things will flow out of that. But God wants what's inside more than what's outside. If we have any doubt about Paul's words here, look at the next verse in verse 15.

He says to the same church, I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. With great joy, I'll be wrung out to make sure that your spiritual health is intact, to make sure that you are sanctified in your love, in your devotion to God. I will do whatever it takes. Beat me to a pulp. Use me.

Don't pay me. Whatever it is. And we say, amen, brother. That's what they should be telling those leaders that are in training in seminary. You're right.

Pastors should Listen. The Holy Spirit expects it to be reciprocal. Because look what he says. Look at these painful, heart wrenching words. Can you feel the ache in his heart as he penned them?

If I love you more, am I to be loved less? In other words, Paul here is in his in his humanity, but also inspired by the spirit, is saying, I long for you to spend your souls for my sake as well. I'm giving myself to you, but what's amazing is though this man lived with such a sacrificial spirit, it says, I will most gladly spend. Even if you do not return the love, I will still set my heart on you, and I will do it with joy. Can I tell you something?

You know you have reached a level of love in your sacrifice when you are willing to give yourself to a people and not expect anything in return, and be totally okay with it. How much of our service is motivated by something to be returned to us, whether it's monetary or whether it's praise, Paul lived above that. He lived beyond that. I will do it gladly. Never recognize me again.

Don't recognize me at the church banquet every year. Don't say thank you, and don't put me up on a PowerPoint. I could care less. I will gladly spend myself for your souls. And that's a testimony, is it not, for this church?

That they received from a man, a spiritual father in this way. But wouldn't their testimony be greater if Paul felt the love of his spiritual children? And wouldn't it be a greater testimony still if these spiritual children loved each other and there wasn't division and clicks? Absolutely. Because that's what we're striving for.

A church to grow into a family will require each individual to grow in selflessness and a willingness to be empty so that others can be filled. It's an individual commitment that must be made. That's what we're striving for. Love streaming from every single heart in this place this morning, so that whenever anybody walks in, they will be submerged by Christ's affection. And oftentimes, that looks like big acts of service, doesn't it?

But we limit it to that. Failing to see that it's those insignificant moments in church life that hold so much value, but we don't see it. And there's so many examples of it. And let me give you one because you've read it in the gospels, I'm sure. First Thessalonians five twenty six.

You ready for this? Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. You've read in Romans. You've read it in first Corinthians. You've read it in second Corinthians.

You've read it here. And you've read it in first Peter five, where it says, kiss of love. The only place where it doesn't say holy kiss. Bible really cares. The holy spirit really cares about how we greet each other.

Doesn't he? Greet all the brothers. Don't let anybody feel left out. Even with your welcoming. Don't let one person leave there without being greeted.

And that idea of a kiss to an extent speaks of affection and warmth. It's not cold. It's genuine. It's sincere. It's it's felt.

And there's a level of cultural context here. Right? Because we know that back then, and even today, many cultures greet each other with with a kiss on either side of the cheek. That's very true for Middle Easterners, that's very true for Europeans, and it's not true for many other cultures. But the idea here is not about the way you greet, necessarily.

You remember those days. Right? Greeting one another. Talk about ancient times, where you didn't have to touch each other's elbows and look the other way. Hey, hey, brother.

How are you doing? With a virus that you have a high ninety something percent survival rate. But here's the thing. People get hung up on this verse about the kissing aspect of it. And it's not that where we have to focus, it's the word before kiss and it's holy.

A holy kiss. Do you think that the Holy Spirit only had in mind That you and I would greet one another with affection in the way our culture best expresses it? Do we really think that the Holy Spirit only had in mind that when you do welcome one another and you salute one another, that it's done in purity not in sensuality? That's there. But, oh, there's so much deeper thought in these things.

And the way to answer the question is to simply examine the bible and say, well, if there is such thing as a holy kiss, then surely the opposite is possible that there is such thing as an unholy kiss. And would you know it, the Bible does give examples of an unholy kiss. This This is where you need your bibles now. Meet me in second Samuel chapter 20 verse nine. This is when David's kingdom was in a kerfuffle.

There were some issues going on here. And there was another war that was ready to break out. And in this scene, Joab says here in verse nine of second Samuel 20. Joab said to Amasa, is it well with you my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.

But Amasa did not observe the sword that was in Joab's hands, so Joab struck him with it in the stomach and spilled his entrails to the ground without striking a second blow and he died. So picture that scene. Joab comes, and this is a fellow soldier, grabs him by the beard, pulls him in, gives him a kiss, and he has a dagger that slips out of his sleeve, and he guts him and kills him on the spot. Joab greeted Amasa with a kiss and it went a certain direction that it contradicted the warm greeting. Maybe it's not clear yet.

I know we'll get clear in this moment. Now you have to go to the New Testament and meet me in Matthew twenty six forty eight to 49. This is in that sacred garden scene. And we are told here in verse 48 rather of Matthew 26. Now the betrayer had given them a sign saying, the one I will kiss is the man.

Seize him. And he came up to Jesus at once and said, greetings, rabbi. And he kissed him. What did Paul say? Greet one another with a holy kiss.

This is much deeper than about a cultural way of saluting somebody. And the Holy Spirit has something much more important to tell us. What did Joab and Judas do with their greetings? They appeared to be genuine. They appeared to be sincere, but in reality, they were betrayers.

Filled with all kinds of evil in their hearts towards the very ones that they seem to warmly greet. So then what is the Holy Spirit asking of us? He's not just asking for you to say hello to people when they come in. He's asking that when you do greet your brothers and sisters, that your heart would be free from hypocrisy. That your heart would be free from deceit, from hatred, jealousy, envy.

Because it doesn't matter how warm it is. It doesn't matter how many kisses you do on each side of the cheek. It's unholy when you have a dagger in the other hand. Because this is what it looks like. Right?

Hi, sister. How you doing? Oh, you look so beautiful, don't you? But you've been gossiping about them all week. And you see somebody else and you have that smile on your face, but inside you are riddled.

You're riddled with unforgiveness. And you didn't have the courage to approach them about their sin, so you harbored it and you said, you know, I'm just gonna greet them and that's it. Unholy. It's an unholy kiss. And so what does that require of us?

Well, I should be able to have the confidence that every time I come to church and I'm being greeted that there's not one person that is willing to sell me for 30 pieces of silver. And there's not one person that's willing to greet me, but they have a dagger with my blood on it because they've been stabbing me in the back throughout the month. Greet one another with a holy kiss. There should be no fear that there are Joabs in the congregation. There should be no fear that there are Judases in the congregation.

There should be an expectation not only of warmth and love, but when those acts of greetings are performed, I have the confidence to know that there's an unquestionable love in their hearts for me. What will it require for us to be like a family? A commitment to an undying, uncompromised, unchanging, unwavering love. Which comes to the next commitment that we must have for one another as we're gonna be a family. That's a commitment to sanctifying inspiration.

Come back with me to first Timothy five. It's interesting to note that Paul's call for Timothy to relate to his church as a family is in the context of confronting sin. Do not rebuke. Well, when do you rebuke somebody? Well, when they're in the wrong, at least appropriately.

That's when you correct. That's when you approach. That's when you confront. And what's so fascinating is that this tells us a great deal of a major component, a major ingredient that builds the church and makes relationships within that church like a home. You say what builds a home and what makes a healthy home is love.

Sure. But is it not true that in a home, what is so natural with families that there's transparency? You are the most yourself when you're at home and the doors are closed and the only audience in your house, in your living room is your family. Right? All guards are let down.

There is an honesty. And to a certain extent, that's what God's calling the church for. A willingness to be in your face sometimes. A willingness to to observe your life and your life being exposed to mine and mine to yours so that we can keep each other in check. You know what's fascinating?

Is that if you take it up upon yourself to look through the gospels and see the mentions of church from the mouth of Christ, you will see that there's very little mention of the direct word church. Right? He talks about brothers. He talks about those who walk in the will of God are are those who belong to me, my true mother. But if you look for the word church, and out of the four gospels, what you'll find is that he only mentions it twice.

Jesus. Both times in Matthew. The first time is when Peter had that awesome revelation of who Christ was, and Christ said upon that revelation, this rock will I build my church. And the second time is just in a few chapters later where he talks about the church and out of all the things that our Lord could have explained about the practice and the habits and the ways of his church, he speaks about what? Do you know it?

Church discipline. Church discipline. Out of everything. Out of all the things that we can speak about the church just like first Timothy. The thing out of the mouth of Christ, he emphasized, he honed in on, was how believers in great detail and in a protocol should approach one another to lead them to repentance.

Wow. That tells you a great deal what the church is about. And it's so fascinating that today, church discipline is becoming less and less of a reality. When it's the very thing that Christ spoke about the most. This implies many things.

Doesn't it? Consider these two important points at least. Number one. That if you're a person in your heart that longs to join a Bible believing, like a really Bible believing church, a God fearing church, a spirit filled church, then you must be aware that you are willing to give your life to be exposed before others. In such a way where you have given them the right to confront you if needed.

In God's wisdom, he designed our blind spots to be identified by the gracious and wise eyes of other people in our lives, making the church an irreplaceable, irreplaceable contribution to our spiritual health. People who think that they're holy because they don't go to a church, because it's imperfect, fail to realize the very thing that will make them holier is the very church that they're criticizing. God designed it that way. Therefore you ready for this? No man has the right to be offended if they are in sin and members within that church or leadership within that church confront them with their attitude or actions that contradict the word of God.

That's what the church was designed for. The very system that would wash and sanctify God's people is where you're sitting today. Oh, we've made it about an event. Right? Just let me just be at a distance.

I want to hear the message. Let it make me laugh or let it make me cry, and let me get out of here as soon as possible, and I'll come back next week for the drive through sermon. That's not how God designed it. It's not how God designed it. But here's the second point in light of that.

Although it may be a vulnerable thing, right? It may be even a terrifying thing, you know yourself more than anybody else, and you know your inconsistencies, and you know your failures, and you know the fight that you have, and you know what you can fall into with your attitude or your words or your actions towards others. But here's where we are blessed. Here's where we are comforted. That the very same scriptures that call for correction are connected to the reality that you are a part of a family.

It's your family. We're your family. That's the place in which correction will take place In a home. Think about it. You think of this the the ingredients of a successful home, you say there's love.

Absolutely. There's transparency. Sure there is. But here's another thing, there's safety. There's safety.

And so I understand that there are those who are experts at rebuking and correcting and kicking out, but they're not family. They're not operating as a home. They're not operating out of that affection. And that's why Paul here by the spirit deeply binds correction with the compassion of a family. Older men as fathers.

Older women as mothers. Younger brothers, younger sisters. That's where this is taking place. Now we come and he begins to instruct this young pastor on how to deal with older men in his congregation. And the first thing is, which includes older women, that there would be times that Timothy as a young pastor would have to confront those who are older and I don't know anybody, maybe you do, that enjoys confrontation.

That is a difficult part about ministry. Pastors are not called to be nice, and how you doing? Doing well and and not no no no no no. He's been charged by God to see sin, confront it, and deal with it, but with a certain spirit. You know what's unique between a young leadership and an older congregation is that, not for all, but often, there are older saints, seasoned saints that have walked through the church throughout the years and the different ministries and are kind of set in their ways or have seen things done in a particular manner.

And when it's not done the way they're used to, it can cause discomfort. Not for all. And there is wisdom in which older people have to provide something to a church and there's no doubt about that. But sometimes that discomfort over a specific thing can turn into complaints and then those complaints can turn into conflict very quickly. And then there's murmuring and then there's there's there's things that can get really messy.

And Paul says, Timothy, look, even older people can have an unchrist like attitude in your church, but you have to make sure that when you deal with that kind of an attitude, that you have the right attitude yourself. So he says, do not rebuke an older man. Now hold on. I thought Paul, in more than one place, especially to Timothy, told him to rebuke. Second Timothy, rebuke.

So what? Do we have a contradiction here? No. We have a different word for rebuke in the Greek. This word rebuke in the Greek is the only time it is used in the entire New Testament, and it is much more severe and aggressive than just correcting somebody verbally.

The word rebuke here, speaks of striking at or beating upon. So it's actually verbal abuse. And Timothy, though you have a position of authority, you have no right to humiliate those who are older than you. You have no right to disrespect them. You have no right to embarrass them.

You have no right to tear them apart with your words. Just because there's a disagreement between you and them, or even if there's sin between them and other people. You have no right. There is a special respect that is reserved for those who are older than you and the Bible declares that from cover to cover. Even in Leviticus, when an older man walks in, it says that the younger man should stand up and respect.

And so Timothy, you better be careful on how you address those who've walked through life much longer than you. And there's so many examples of that. Even when older men are found in sin. You remember Noah? I mean, the earth just subsided.

Everything just calm down and the man becomes a drunk. Goes to show that God can flood the world but if it doesn't flood the hearts of men, nothing will change. What a picture. He drowns this entire earth and he leaves a remnant of eight people only for them to come and step foot on the earth again and corrupt it. Noah.

He becomes a gardener. He has a vineyard. He begins to drink and now he's naked in his tent. And one of his sons comes, sees it. Much debate of what he did.

Comes out of the tent and begins to tell his brothers. And the two brothers who had sense, who had some reverence, they didn't even go into the tent forward but backward with the cloth on their shoulders, and they step backward and they covered their father's shame. It would not embarrass them any further. What a picture of how we should cover the sins of those who are older than us. We're not looking to amplify what they've done.

We're not looking to shame them. We're looking to cover them and honor them. And it's true for older women as well. And we see an example of this in Philippians four. If you were here Friday, you saw this example.

But let's look at it and see it even in greater detail. In the church of Philippi, in verse two of Philippians four, we read, Paul stops in his teaching and he says, I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. So there are two ladies in the church and there's some disagreement there. And how does Paul do it? Now remember, these letters would be read out to the church.

So you would have the leaders of the church take up the letter and say it out loud in front of everybody just like in this kind of a setting. And Paul could have dealt with these two ladies in so many different ways. And sometimes drastic measures call for drastic methods. But in this case, there's a disagreement. And he goes, would you guys just agree?

Would you guys just agree? And he exposes them. Like, you can imagine the flesh faces. Right? Euodia and Syntyche.

Oh, gosh. Paul just called us out in front of everybody. But look what it says in the next verse. Yes, I ask you also, true companion. He's writing to somebody specific.

Help these women. Help them reconcile. Help them see eye to eye. And look how he goes from correction to commendation in the same breath, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together. With Clement and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life.

So the very same woman that he seeks to rebuke to a certain extent, He also uplifts in the sight of all men. Says they've helped me in the gospel. Goes to show that you can help the Apostle Paul and still have some issues with others. Goes to show that you can be a co worker with this blessed man of God and still have fleshly attitude. Paul says, look, I'm I'm gonna correct you, but I'm also gonna esteem you in the same breath.

What an example. Especially with those who are older. Now we can reverse this safely. Paul told Timothy, treat them as mothers, treat them as fathers. But can't we say the same in the opposite sense?

That those who are older in the congregation, though the spiritual leadership is younger, shouldn't they treat them as their son? Right? This is not just a one way thing that the spiritual leadership treats everybody else like family and they just look at you like you're just whatever, like a babysitter. No. So older men treat Timothy like a son.

How do you do that? Well, you give him verbal affirmation from time to time. You provide wise counsel here and there. You let them know that you're partnering with him through prayer and different means. How about older mothers?

Well, there's that maternal instinct, isn't there? And Timothy should be open and should be a recipient of their care because that's how they're wired. And not just the young spiritual leadership, but even the young people in the church. Let them mother you to a certain extent. Let them cook for you and let them invite you over to dinner and and joyfully receive that.

That's the blessing of having multi generations in a church. There's so much that's given and experienced and received and extended when you have different people of different age groups. And so we see here that these older people had a special respect reserved for them. But then there's another category. And that other category here is younger men as brothers and younger woman as sisters.

And so what was Timothy to do as a person who was in the similar age group as those who were young in the church? Well, here's the plain thing that he should not walk with an air of superiority. Well, I'm a pastor and you're not and we're around the same age. God called me, he didn't call you. Can you imagine?

It stinks with pride. And that pride can manifest the most when there is a brother or sister in sin and you confront that sin. How are you gonna do it? What words are you gonna choose? How will you sit down with him?

Will there be genuine affection or will be the sense that you are higher than them? Be careful. Be careful, Timothy. But here's a wonderful detail that's added that you're familiar with. When he comes to the sisters, he says, in all purity.

In all purity. For obvious reasons. For obvious reasons. But here's the principle, that being committed to my community's holiness is not just found in my willingness to confront them in their sin, but also in my willingness not to be a contributor to sin. Does that make sense?

Being committed to sanctifying inspiration is not me willing to watch your life and observe it, and to sit you down when I need to confront you with sin. No. It's in my willingness and my alertness not to contribute or to bring in sin in the first place. Because we all know that we have the potential to not just defile ourselves, but when you are tied in with a family, you can defile others. Timothy, you're young.

There are young ladies in your church. You better watch your step boy. Just for Timothy? Oh, yeah. Pastors that are young have to be careful, not just men in general.

Hold up. Men and women in this place, please realize that if you wanna be in a church family, you have deemed it. You have seen it as utmost of importance to come into this place and inspire people and not defile people. Here's a verse to consider. Go to Hebrews chapter 12.

Look what the author of Hebrews says to this Jewish Christian audience. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God. That no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble and by it many become defiled. Now, we read that and what comes to mind immediately? That the author is concerned that somebody would have resentment, somebody would have harbored and festering anger, unforgiveness in their bosom, and over time you know this very well that if you're a bitter person, that's going to affect your relationship with others.

Right? That's how we see it and there is application in that area. But I make the case today that root of bitterness is not the way we understand bitterness. And this audience, this Jewish Christian audience that was so familiar with the Old Testament would have immediately know what the author was alluding to when he had said this. Root of bitterness.

Oh. You're talking about what Moses said to his people before they entered into the promised land. Maybe thinking, what do you mean? Well, you gotta go to Deuteronomy 29. When you go to Deuteronomy 29, you'll know exactly what he means here by root of bitterness.

And it'll make more sense in light of the context of the book of Hebrews. In Deuteronomy twenty nine eighteen, Moses preaches to his people and he gives them warning because when you preach, you don't just encourage, you warn. And he says here in Deuteronomy twenty nine eighteen, beware. Beware, lest there be among you a man or a woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away from the Lord, our God, to go on and serve the gods of those nations. Now look at this.

Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit. So in Hebrews, it's not that the root is bitterness. It's that the root will produce bitter fruit. You know what the tricky thing is about a root? The part of the plant that's hidden.

It's underground, unseen, unnoticed, unless there's digging that takes place. It's camouflaged. It's not seen. It's not easily identified. We don't know how deep those roots go.

We know that they're there, but we don't know how deep they go. We don't know how intertwined they are. We don't know how engraved they are to the soil. And that's the truth about this root of bitterness. It's in the heart.

And you can't make it clear right away. But the danger is still there. And the danger is that when you have that kind of a root of bitterness planted in the bed of soil of a community, that if it is undiscerned and undealt with, over time it will produce a certain fruit like weeds that will choke out all the other healthy plants in God's garden. And so it calls for a discernment from spiritual leadership to be able to identify such a root. And it could come from a man.

It can come from a woman. It can come from a clan. It can come from a tribe within God's holy nation. And this root, just that those little hideous looking things is so powerful that it can bring down an entire assembly of people. Wow.

Here's the question. What is that root? Let me ask you a better question. Would you like to know this morning as you stumbled in here to know if you have that root in your heart? Because you can find out right now.

You can know right here, right now as you're sitting there, if you are a person that has this root, that has the potential to destroy every person sitting in these pews today. Would you like to know? Very easy. The way for you to know if you have this root of bitterness, read verse 19 of Deuteronomy 29. One who this is the root of bitterness.

This is how it feels like, looks like, sounds like. One who, when he hears the words of the sworn covenant, bless himself in his heart saying, I shall be safe though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart. This, what he just said, this will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike. You know what it's saying? This has the potential to actually wipe out those who are moist, filled with life and vigor and zeal and those who are dead and dry and lukewarm.

Both. What is that root of bitterness? How do you know if it's in your heart? Oh, it will manifest eventually, but it starts with a thought. And here's the thought, that every week you hear a message, no matter how much intense it is, no matter how much it is filled with warning, and you leave here without an inch of you being even convicted or moved.

In fact, on top of that, you feel this. I can live how I want. And it will be just okay. It's a perverted view of eternal security. I can live how I want.

I don't have to treat my younger sisters with all purity. I can mess around with a girl here and there. And God won't do anything. He won't chastise me. He won't discipline me.

He won't expose me. You have the root of bitterness in your heart, sir. You have the root of bitterness in your heart, young lady. Where you don't sense the fear of God. Where you not respond to the word of God with trembling, but in fact, you are deceived to say, I can still live the way I am living, though it is in contrary to the word of God, and I will be just okay.

In Hebrews, he says, make sure that none of you have the root of bitterness, defiling many. That kind of an attitude corrupts. Listen. You don't think this is real? This is real.

I'll never forget the conversation I had with somebody that was so backslidden. None of you here know them. They're not part of this. They're not here. They're not even in this state.

And And when I begin to ask and ask how did this happen, this person regularly attended church and the things he was telling me he was doing, I thought to myself, how can you even sit in God's house and listen to a worship song and be unmoved? And then he began to tell me where it all began. I said, just tell me where was the turning point? And he said, well, I began to do drugs with the worship team of that church. I said, what?

The who? The worship team. We used to go out and smoke and drink. Are they still on the worship team? And he wouldn't give me an answer.

Defiling many. Defiling many. That can happen from the leadership with a man like Timothy, who did not have the fear of God and the way he related with people, and it can happen with anybody else in this place. And so if we're gonna be a family, we're gonna be committed to sanctifying inspiration. Not just in confrontation, but in you living your convictions by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the warning. And this is the feeling that you should have when you step into this home week after week. I know that as I turn my back coming into this sanctuary away from a defiled, broken, shattered world that has tempted me all week and given me mixed messages and tried to pull me into Satan's domain, I am coming to a safe place. I am coming to a place where holiness is in the atmosphere, where people walk in the fear of God, where people will help me live above temptation and not pull me into it. If the church is a place of defilement, where can men run to?

Where can women run to to find a temporary refuge? And so therefore, we must be obligated. We must fight for holiness in the house of God because we are a family and that's what family does. Again, I bring up the point. It is a tragedy for somebody to grow up in a home where they don't feel safe in that home.

We arrest men because of that. We arrest mothers because of their negligence and their abuse. They should arrest pastors for doing the same in their churches. Because this is a home. There's no room for abuse.

There's no room for manipulation. There's no room for being sly and sneaky and deceiving, whether it's in sexual sin or any other sin, including money. You wanna know what the three things that bring down pastors? Fame, money, sex. And it goes the other way around.

It's not just leadership, as you just heard, it's the men of the church. The younger sisters should feel protected and safe. And it's not just for the men of the church, the woman of the church should also the men should be comforted to know that my sisters will not lure me. They will not entice me. They will not seduce me.

I'm safe here. I'm safe here. Now if we think for a moment that this is just pastoral epistle just for the pastor, let's go to one final scripture as we close in first Thessalonians. All the the letters with the letter t are together, so Thessalonians just behind Timothy. Look at verse 14 of chapter five of first Thessalonians.

First Thessalonians five fourteen, and we urge you brothers, not just leaders, not just pastors, we urge you brothers, the brethren in the church. We urge you brothers, admonish the idol. Admonish them. You know the idol, the lazy, those that just stay in one place throughout the years and they don't get active, they don't get involved, they don't serve. The brothers, not just the leaders, the brothers that say, come on, man.

What are you doing? Get up. I haven't seen a zeal in your heart for such a long time. What happened? Admonish them.

Encourage the fainthearted. Just like today, There are some believers that are more scared about this COVID thing than others. What do we do? We encourage them. We encourage them in light of the word of God.

We encourage them in light of truth. What? Just the leaders in the sermon? No. You encourage the faint hearted.

Help the weak and here is an application for all of it. As a family, be patient with them all. Be patient. Takes time for somebody to change. We would like in the snap of the finger.

Yes. And it can happen, but be patient. And as a church, we can testify, I'm sure you can say amen to the fact that this place feels like a family. Right? Amen.

But there's still more. There's still more for this church to explore and to experience and we gotta be patient. As it grows, as new people come in with different personalities, be patient. But as long as we are bound to these commitments, we will be on the track. We will be on the path to knowing what God longs to see in this place and what he longs for us to feel and to know and to experience.

We are a family. By the grace of God, we are a family. Let's pray. Father, this morning we've heard you so clearly. With a set of verses like this, we feel the sharpness of your sword, And yet we rejoice that this sword wounds only to heal.

God in this place, may we be a people who are committed to an unquestionable love and who are committed to a sanctifying inspiration. May we be a people that strive for nothing less than a spiritual family. Thank you for the relationships in this home. Thank you that there is a group of people here who are not satisfied with just coming to an event. Thank you that there's a people here who want everything that you've designed the church to be for themselves.

Lord, we pray that you would protect this home. Lord, help us believe by faith that no matter what the size is, it can still be a family. We ask, oh, God, that you would show us how to be intentional, how does to be involved in each other's lives. Lord, we pray that everything from our greeting to one another, to knowing the great needs that people would have that needs much intervention and provision. Lord, may it be fragrant with the love of Calvary.

We ask, Lord, that if there's any person in this place that doesn't feel as though this home is their family, Let them sense the love in our hearts. And Lord, if there's anybody in this place that doesn't feel like they're part of this family, not for the reasons that we just heard, but for the reasons of salvation, Let them hear your call. This morning, in this moment, let them hear your call to be adopted. To have a name in the book of life, but also to have a name amongst the children of God. Please, Lord, your Holy Spirit can use a message as practical as it was to save a soul.

We believe that. And we ask that your spirit would do just that even in these brief moments, God. We praise you for your wisdom, Lord. We praise you that in every verse, you could speak to our lives so deeply. And we give you honor and glory, oh God.

You are a wise God. You're a loving God. You're perfect. We acknowledge you in this moment as we worship without song or tune just from hearing the word, we wanna praise your holy name. We thank you so much, father, that you've guided us and that your promises are true that when we honor your word, you will honor our lives.

And so, lord, we submit afresh. We allow this word to wash over us and to cleanse us and to purify us. Lord, if we haven't known it yet, let it be known now that as we look at one one another, as we see each other, as we greet each other, as we do life with each other, that we would see one another as fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters. Only you can do that work in our hearts to take strangers from different cultures and backgrounds and make them feel like our own. May it be so by your grace.

In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen.