A. Scriptural names for this office
1. Elders (Titus 1:5; 1 Peter 5:1), presbyters (1 Timothy 4:14)
2. Bishops (Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1; Titus 1:7), overseers (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2)
3. Pastors (Ephesians 4:11), shepherds (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2)
B. Qualifications to serve as an elder (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-9)
C. Spiritual duties of the eldership (Acts 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:4; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:2; Titus 1:10-11)
II. Deacons
A. diakonos is a servant or minister (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:8-13)
B. Qualifications to serve as a deacon (1 Timothy 3:8-13)
C. Duty is service in whatever capacity appointed to them by the elders (Acts 6:1-6)
A. Where to worship (Jn.4:19-21; Gen. 22:5; Acts 8:27; 24:11)
B. Understanding in worship (John 4:22; 1 Cor. 14:15-16)
C. True worship vs. false worship (John 4:23-24; Mt. 15:8-9)
II. “In spirit”
A. The proper attitude (Psalm 122:1; Acts 2:46-47; Hebrews 10:19-25)
B. Is spirit enough? (1 Samuel 15:7-9, 13-15, 22-23)
III. “In truth”
A. Prayer (Acts 2:42; 1 Timothy 2:1, 8; Acts 12:12)
B. Singing (Colossians 3:16-17)
C. Preaching (1 Timothy 4:2; Acts 17:11)
D. Remembering the Lord’s death (Matthew 26:26-29; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
E. Giving (1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 8:7-9)
F. Is truth enough?
I. The glory of His church (1:1-4; Ephesians 3:10-11)
A. Exhibits growing faith (2 Peter 1:5-9)
B. Expresses an abounding love (1 Thessalonians 4:9-10)
C. Exudes an enduring patience (James 1:2-4)
II. The glory of His righteous judgment (1:5-9)
A. Always righteous and impartial (Romans 2:2-6, 11)
A. For the faithful, He will give rest (Romans 2:7, 10)
B. For the rebellious, He will take vengeance (Romans 2:8-9)
III. The glory of His Son (1:10-12)
A. His Son will be glorified and admired in that Day (Philippians 2:9-11)
B. His Son must be glorified in us today (Philippians 2:12-16)
A. The great eagle is Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar; the willow tree/vine is Zedekiah in Judah (17:1-6, 11-14)
B. The second eagle is Egyptian Pharaoh, Hophra (17:7-8, 15a; cf. Jeremiah 44:30)
C. Will the vine thrive? (17:9-10, 15b-21)
II. Messianic hope (17:22-24)
A. The tender one cropped off by God is Jesus (Isaiah 11:1; 53:2)
B. Planted on a high and prominent mountain – the kingdom of Christ would be exalted over all the trees of the field (other kingdoms)
III. Lessons for us today
A. In whom do you place your trust? (Psalm 46:1)
B. Integrity is vital – do not make flippant vows (Numbers 30:2; Ecclesiastes 5:4-5)
A. Prophecy (Isaiah 2:2-4; Micah 4:1-3)
B. Promise (Matthew 16:18-19)
C. Practice (Acts 2:41-47)
II. The distinctive and singular nature of the church
A. One flock (John 10:16; Acts 20:28)
B. One body (Ephesians 4:4; 1:22-23)
C. One bride (Romans 7:1-4; Ephesians 5:22-33)
III. Identifying the church of the Bible by its traits
A. The designation (Acts 20:28; 1 Tim. 3:15; Romans 16:16)
B. Organization (Philippians 1:1; Ephesians 4:11-12)
C. Worship (Acts 2:42; 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2; Colossians 3:16-17)
IV. A rejection of division
A. The Lord prayed for unity (John 17:20-21)
B. The Lord paid for unity (Ephesians 2:14-16)
C. The Lord pleaded for unity (1 Corinthians 1:10)
D. The Lord planned for unity (Ephesians 4:1-6)
V. How one becomes a part of the Lord’s church
A. The Lord is the one who adds a person to the church (Acts 2:37-40, 47)
B. Those who are added must continue in the faith (1 Corinthians 10:12; 15:58)
A. All the time, yes (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Philippians 4:6)
B. In sorrow and great distress (Matthew 26:37)
C. When we are alone (Matthew 26:21, 31, 34)
II. Where should we pray?
A. In seclusion (John 18:1)
B. Separated Himself even from His closest friends (Matthew 26:37; Luke 22:41)
III. How should we pray?
A. With persistence (Matthew 26:39, 42, 44)
B. Earnestly (Luke 22:44)
C. Humbly (Matthew 26:39 fell on His face)
D. Seeking God’s will (Matthew 26:39, 42; 1 John 5:14)
IV. What happens when we pray like Jesus prayed?
A. God hears us (Hebrews 5:7)
B. We receive strength from God
1. Through His Word (Psalm 119:28)
2. Through His servants (Luke 22:43; James 5:16)
I. Toward spiritual laborers [our elders] (5:12-13)
A. Recognize their work (done in love, 1:3)
B. Respect their authority (Hebrews 13:7, 17)
C. Regard them in high esteem [resulting in peace in the church]
II. Toward the brethren (5:14-15)
A. Warn the unruly [lazy]
B. Comfort the fainthearted
C. Uphold the weak (Romans 15:1)
D. Be patient with all (1 Corinthians 13:4; 2 Peter 3:9)
E. Do not seek vengeance (Romans 12:17-21)
III. Toward our own spiritual well-being (5:16-18)
A. Live a life of joy (Philippians 4:4)
B. Live a life of prayer (Philippians 4:6)
C. Live a life of gratitude (Philippians 4:13; James 1:3)
IV. Toward the truth (5:19-22)
A. Apply the Scriptures to your life (Romans 8:1; James 1:22)
B. Compare the words of the preacher to the Word of God (Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1)
C. Don’t be involved in evil things (Eph. 5:11; Gal. 5:19-21)
V. Paul’s closing charge (5:23-28)
A. The faithfulness of God to sanctify and preserve
B. Pray for each other and love each other
C. Spend time with the Scriptures
A. To occur when all are raised (Acts 17:31; John 5:28-29)
B. No one can escape this day (Hebrews 9:27; Matthew 10:15; 12:41-42; Luke 10:14)
C. It is a day in which we must give an account for our words (Matthew 12:36) and actions (2 Corinthians 5:10)
D. The standard is set by Jesus (John 12:48)
E. We determine our eternity by our lives (Matthew 25:46)
II. Everlasting punishment
A. Darkness (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 13; Matthew 25:30)
B. Fire (Matthew 13:42; 25:41; Mark 9:44-45; Rev. 20:10, 15)
C. Anguish (Matthew 25:30; Revelation 20:10)
III. Eternal life
A. A place of joy (Matthew 25:21, 23)
B. A place of rest (Hebrews 4:1, 9, 11; Revelation 14:13)
C. A place of reward (Matthew 5:10-12; Colossians 3:23-24; 2 Timothy 4:8)
A. The need for authenticity (Philippians 2:14-16)
B. The danger of dishonesty (Eph. 4:25; Matthew 5:33-37)
II. “Give me neither poverty nor riches—feed me with the food allotted to me”
A. Be content with God’s blessings (Philippians 4:11-13)
B. Do not worry about the things of this life (Mt. 6:25-34)
C. Focus on what really matters (Colossians 3:1-5)
III. The problem with prosperity
A. Forgetting and denying the source of all blessings (James 1:17; Job 31:24-25, 28; Hosea 13:6)
B. Self-reliance / self-sufficiency (Deuteronomy 8:11-17; 31:20; Nehemiah 9:24-26; Hosea 13:6)
C. Apathy and indifference toward the work of the church (Revelation 3:15-19)
D. You can never have enough! (Eccl. 5:10; Luke 12:15-21)
IV. The problem with poverty
A. Covetousness (1 Timothy 6:9-10)
B. The temptation to steal, betraying love (Romans 13:9; Ephesians 4:28)
C. Cursing God for not perceived neglect (Isaiah 8:21)
But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. (Acts 8:12)
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