"The Wisdom of Elders"

Hi there this is Lon Solomon and not like to thank you for joining us today. You know, God has blessed us and allowed us to be on hundreds of stations around the nation, declaring the uncompromising truth of his work for the wonderful privilege and honor it is to do that. I want to thank you for your generosity because only with your help. Are we able to stay on these stations and hopefully go one more stations with enough giving by our partners and our friends. So go to Lon Solomon ministries.com and everything there. You need to know is on that website and now let's get to the word of God morning everybody is great to have you here the Bible and open it together. Chapter 14 were going to be continuing in our study of the life of the great man. The apostle Paul.

Remember, the apostle Paul and Barnabas are outdoing itinerant preaching.

They are on what we call the day Paul's first missionary journey. Paul left Antioch in Syria.

He's gone over to Cypress and then he's gone up the pergola he's gone to Antioch to I Cody him to withdraw and now he's gone to Derby now in Antioch. He got thrown out of town and I Cody him he got going out of town in less drug.

He got virtually stoned to death and is going to pergola now in his verse 21 here says he's let a lot of people to Christ. Okay. Well, Paul is pretty much reached the zenith of his first missionary journey that is pretty much over and it's time now to go home to go back to Antioch in Syria and there's two ways to get there. He can either started Derby where he already is. Simply go to Tarsus which was his hometown see his mom and dad and then go on to Antioch. That's a fast way to get home and the other nice thing about going home like that is, you don't go back to all these towns were people would love to have another opportunity to Schwenk at you again right okay the other way to go home is to go back to each one of these towns to go started Derby go back to list or go back to I Cody and go back to Antioch back to pergola and then sailed for home.

Which way do you think the apostle Paul chose well of course he chose the hard way that Paul but it wasn't just because it was hard that he decided to go this way let's read and see what happens. Chapter 14 verse 21 middle of the verse it says and then leaving Derby.

They return to Lysistrata I Cody him and Antioch meet all these towns were people wanted to get out of again, yell, why did he do it. Verse 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. You see, Paul understood that in every single one of these cities, there were young new followers of Christ, most of them he had led to Christ himself. He thought a responsibility to these folks not to leave them floundering, but to go back in his verse 22 says, to strengthen them and to encourage them to remain true to the Lord.

Paul went this way folks because he had the heart of a shepherd and a shepherd doesn't put his where welfare first, he puts the welfare of the sheep first and that's why Paul did what he did well when he went back to the cities. One of the things Paul did to help these young believers grow strong and stay strong in the Lord is.

He set up some system and one of the systems he set up was a system of spiritual leadership in each of these churches look at verse 23, it says, and Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and with prayer and fasting.

Paul and Barnabas committed those elders to the Lord in whom they, the elders had put their trust. The spiritual leadership system with the apostle Paul put in place in each of these churches was that he appointed elders for them and we want to stop for a moment and let's talk about this whole process in these elders that Paul appointed now. The Greek word elder the translated elder.

Here is the Greek word press pewter we get our English word Presbyterian from this word press pewter Austin Greek literally just simply means an old man and aged man and AARP member. This is over talking about here now.

Paul chose these men and he gave them the spiritual leadership of each of these churches and in doing this. Paul didn't come up with this idea out of the blue Ohno Paul knew the Bible and in the Bible in every age. This is how God has set up leadership Moses number 21 out of the wilderness with all these Israelite what he do God said to Moses, Moses, 270 elders to help you rule the people once they went into the promised land.

God instructed Joshua want to go in Deuteronomy 21.

I want you to set up elders to rule over every city in the promised land in the New Testament we find it, every synagogue whether it is real or out of Israel was governed by a group of elders and so right here the apostle Paul. We see is simply following the biblical model of appointing New Testament church elders everywhere he went to rule over those churches that we need to realize that God's choice to put senior people in positions of spiritual leadership that that is a deliberate act of God, that is an intentional act of God and the reason God did. This is because of God's worldview on older mature believers listen. Leviticus 19 verse 32 rise in the presence of the agent.

Show respect for the elderly and thereby revere your God. Proverbs 23 verse 22. Listen to your father and do not despise your mother when they are old. My good is if you listen to it any time at all to be when they're all why because that's when I got of wisdom to help you. And the reason God tells us to respect and esteem. Older people with grown older and the Lord is because they have acquired wisdom over living all of those years and they can dispense that wisdom to us and keep us from making a lot of stupid mistakes.

It will just listen. They said on you. You certainly understand that just because a person gets old doesn't automatically mean they get why well, you're right, absolutely. I agree with you sometimes and people get old. All they get is crotchety and salmon, but but if we are growing older in connection with the Lord were walking with God. As we grow older in humility and with teachability it is certainly true that in most cases as we experience things and as we age God grants us wisdom and when it comes to spiritual leadership in the church, God tells us in the Bible to identify people like this were wise and seasoned and godly to place them in positions of spiritual oversight and authority and then to listen to them to follow their lead.

To submit to their wisdom or else the results can be disastrous. You know, one of the greatest examples of this principle in action is found in the Old Testament is found in second Chronicles 10 you don't have to turn there, but let me tell you the story. There was a King Solomon. Of course, who expanded the borders of Israel to the largest they've ever been. And then he died. And any left the kingdom to his son.

A fellow named Ray about what will revel in gets all Israel together with her first town meeting.

He's a brand-new King and look what the people say to it. They say verse 14. Your father put a heavy yoke on us. Were they talking about well if you remember King Solomon was a wonderful builder. He not only built the first Temple in Jerusalem to do chariot cities all throughout the kingdom. He built all kinds of stuff and remember in Israel.

There was no slavery, so there wasn't this huge pool of slave laborers to build all this up how to get it built will he press three men in the service and made them go build all these things and that's what they're talking about the going hey I'm not is enough and they go on to say, lighten the heavy yoke that your father put on us and will serve you well. Rehoboam said, give me three days to think about it some home and look what he did stinking. Rehoboam consulted with the elders, which served his father Solomon and he asked them how would you advise me to answer these people the elders said, if you will be kinda to these people and if you will give them a favorable answer hey there, ready to serve you. King will follow you wherever you want to go that's what you should do. Then Rehoboam the Bible says went on and consulted with the young man going grown up with him. The testosterone team as I like to call and look at the advice they give it they say what to tell these people that my little finger is thicker than my father's way what in the world is that me well that's Bible talk for you ain't seen nothing yet is actually pretty funny if you got Bible talk, you'd be laughing now because you say that's funny will and you okay but the point is he's trying to say hey using my father was bad you thinking Solomon was bad. Friends you will you wait till you see me know what you advised anything.

Verse 13 then the king rejected the advice of the elders and he follow the advice of the young man the answer. The people harshly and as a result, the 10 northern tribes rebelled in place the new king over themselves.

Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to Ray about your cell Rehoboam that he split this nation write down the key and the really tragic thing is that he didn't have to happen. The tragic thing is that it will happen if you just listen to the wisdom that these elders had they gave him the right advice.

Now that comes to the end of our passage because we want to ask the most important question of the morning and the most important question of the morning. Everybody knows it right so everybody readies rank of honor here go deep breath. You go through ready 123 wow that was really good was that one. I mean it's wonderful that God tells us here to honor older people. I mean, the reason he tells that is probably because God, old himself, you know so twice as well. I don't know but but you know that's not simply what this is about you say well you know that help me Monday morning but friends would not just talking about wisdom that comes with years that elders bring to the table and running the church were also saying here that God wants to give you in the wisdom that comes with years of walking with him that we can bring to the table and running our family that we can bring to the table and running our businesses that we can bring to the table, running government agencies or military units or whatever the case may be. God doesn't want us to find six or seven men who are have the wisdom of elders and the stop there. He wants every single one of us to begin process of growing into these kind of men and women you understand. He wants you to be at the point was somebody one day will look at you and go not there is a wise woman.

There's a wise man so I want to share with you today. In closing, some of these lessons that I hope you will inculcate into your life lessons I learned 53 years 1130 of them walking with the Lord lessons that have come with age that I hope will make you a wiser person. I learned most of these things the hard way friend. I don't want to learn the hard way like I did. Maybe by talking about a mental health care.

They get here we go number one. What are some of these lessons of wisdom and age.

Number one, I've learned people are the most important thing in the world you know when when Paul met with the elders of the church of Ephesus for the very last time. Here's what he said to ask 20 verse 28.

He said keep watch over the flock over which the Lord has made you elders be shepherds of the church of God which he purchased with his own blood, that isn't it interesting, here's the apostle Paul giving final instructions to these leaders of the church of Ephesus in an interesting where his focus is you don't hear you mention nothing about budgets or buildings or programs or attendance figures or numbers of baptisms or denominations that were supposed focus. He said take care of the sheep take care of the flock protect and guard these people these precious people that Jesus died for on the cross. That's where his focus is not want to know that when I was younger in my head but I gotta tell you, it is taken, the passing of years for me to get it in my heart and my spirit. I think I finally got but it took a long time for me to get it and I made a lot of mistakes and heard a lot of people along the way until I did get and that's why here McLean Bible church on number one core value is people matter to God, not buildings, not programs. People matter to God in a matter to us is how we try to do everything we do in this church putting people first, because that's wisdom, we live in a culture that doesn't do this friend. God wants you and me to go out there and represent a different set of values to this culture. People are first number two second lesson I learned in 53 years of living is that every hill is not worth dying on. Now let me read to you, Luke, chapter 4, all the people in the synagogue were furious and Jesus is the Naz with his hometown and they drove them out of town and intended to throw them off the cliff that the town was built on. But Jesus walk right through them and went on his way on the lives of these are people rejecting Jesus there at Tronic Killian that there throwing off his authority as the Messiah. Me, don't you think Jesus, called out lightning from heaven, it will be gone, don't you think when they tried to throw them off this cliff that he could recall 10,000 angels.

The comments, yet he could. Jesus didn't do that, you know why his attitude is how I can win this fight.

If I wanted to put this in the hill were Donald keep the hill go about my business when you're young when you're macho you think every hill is a hill worked on. I've been there. You don't nobody takes the hill from you understand what I'm saying. I've been there. You know what I learned as I've gotten older. Yeah there are some hills were Donald, but there's a whole lot less open than I used to say in smart people don't raise waste all their resources try to hold on the heels of her. Let's body else have it. Who cares save your resources for the hills. It really matter and are just aren't as many as I used to think you'll be smarter if you learn to realize not every hills were dying. Number three.

I've learned with God's timing is everything. This was a really hard one for me to learn.

I gotta tell you that Ecclesiastes will chapter 3, verse one.

There's a time for everything in a season for everything under heaven. A time to be born in time you got time to week and a time to laugh at time for this at a time for that in one of the things I've had to learn as I've gotten older friends is that everything doesn't have to be done yesterday. I have learned Isaiah 55, nine, God's ways are not our ways.

God's thoughts are not our thoughts and may I add God's timing is never our timing and you know what I have been ahead of God.

So many times on the right idea but just about 10 steps ahead of the timing of God and made a mess out of so many crazy things.

Smart people learn to live in neutral. You know what I mean by that. The motors running you're ready to put it in first and rip the clutch but God says not to know.

I'm working on some stuff you just sit there and you just be content to be in neutral and when I want you to pop the clutch. I'll call you smart people learn that's okay. Smart people learn to be very comfortable to sit in neutral for month for year for two years so you just live in neutral when it's time to pop the clutch will tell you. Believe me, and until then just get real comfortable sitting there with the motor paren just wait for further orders. Number four I learned that in life.

Some failure is a good thing we find the Bible telling us to some failure some law, some setbacks, some suffering is a good thing is can you say that watch.

Jesus said whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, but whoever humbles himself shall be exalted, and how do we get to the place that we become humble people. Let me tell you not through success. Success never humble anybody its failure and loss that brings us to the end of ourselves. It's suffering and heartache that drives us to our knees, its failure that forces us to depend upon God its loss and setbacks that humbled our high opinion of ourselves and that's a little bit of logic here. Follow me if God wants to bless every follower of Christ, and he does give God blesses the humble and that's what Jesus just said and give failure is what causes us to become humble and that's true, then some failure in life is a good thing because it humbles us, so that God can bless us friends. There are some doorways to the blessing of God that you can only get to by crawling on your bill. The doors only about 4 inches or 5 inches high.

You can't walk through it.

He got a call and on the other side is huge blessing from God. But you gotta crawl on your belly through it and only thing to get you and me on our belly's failure.

Trust me I know I've had crawl through some of those doors. 91 crawl through Frank that in like rolling through when I got on the other side us for that was really good. I went through that door, but it was God get me on my belly to heartache the got me through the door. Some of the best places God ever taken me took me by the path of failure is a lot how to work in anybody in their right mind.

Look at failure like this well because a number five number five is the secret. And here's what it is I've learned that the followers of Jesus Christ. Romans 828 always comes true. What is Romans 828 say all things work together for good to those who love God, that God is not saying all things are good. Getting wrong what God is saying is he will take the good the bad and ugly still take the things you do understand and the things you don't understand will take the things that make sense to you and the things that don't make any sense to you and by the time he's through with them. Didn't some time trusting in every single one of those things is going to come out for your blessing in your benefit. I tell you friends in 30 years. Walking with Jesus. I have learned this always, always, always is the case, but I've I'll be honest and tell you that sometimes I really doubted God on this. I've had things come in my life I've said Lord in my wildest I could not see in my wildest imagination.

How you could ever turn this into anything good will mean for me of something I'm not God. Not good is wonderful and God took everyone anything that I couldn't see what he was going to do with them.

And today I shake my head affirmatively about everyone on the go. You know what God I had to eat my words. You were right. I was wrong. Look what you did with these friend. If you got something in your life that you're looking at as a follower of Christ, and you're going there is no way under the sun God could ever turn this into any good. I got news for you. You're not God is good and God says he's going to turn it into something good is going to do it in a way that you're not smart enough to figure out what you figured out asking you to figure it out only what you do is trust and he's got it figured out. Trusting. I've never seen this fail in 30 years. Walking with God I've never seen a sale and will fail for you either and that's why failure is not a problem. That's why loss is not a problem. That's why setbacks on problem.

Why should they be if God's going to take a ball and turn them into good anyway. What is the problem. I've learned this essay that you're here and you've never trusted Jesus is real and personal Savior that this promise comes along with trusting Christ that this promise was made every American in this promise wasn't given by God. Every human being alive is its Presley for followers of Jesus Christ. And when you give your life to Christ. Guess what, you get this promise is part of the package is wonderful. I mean, you talk about a golden parachute when God promises you.

He's going to see to it that every single thing that enters your life turns out for good pay golden parachute to get the one at work.

It's puny compared to this one is the best golden parachute and you get it when you give your life to Jesus. Then I sure hope you do that why the world would anybody walk away from a promise like this operational in their life.

Think what summarize were done. God wants us to respect the wisdom of elders, but God more than that wants you and me to acquire the wisdom of elders in our lives to become true men and women of seasoned wisdom and faith. And what are some of the lessons God wants us to learn number one. The people are the most important thing in the world. Number two that every hills not worth diagonal. It's okay to leave the hill to go around it. Number three that with God's timing is everything. Get comfortable living in neutral. It's okay. Number four that some failure in life is a good thing and we don't have to worry about failure because number five Romans 828 always comes true for followers of Jesus Christ and if we go out living. These five principles we go out as representatives not of an American worldview, but a biblical worldview.

Let's go out and live like good Christians following a biblical worldview. Not just good Americans following an American world for Jesus, thank you so much for talking to us about write down where we live. Because yes, true every single thing we talked about today. Our American culture has back in God.

My prayer is that you would help us be better followers of Christ in our worldview and worry more about what you tell us in the Bible than what our culture tells compass go out and represent to our culture.

A worldview that reflects the heart the attitude and the reality of God in an accurate way. Thank you for the elders you given us in this church Lord, may we respect and honor them their gift from you. The Lord help everyone of us aspire to grow and be such people in our own lives, men and women that others would look to in the years ahead and say wow what a person of wisdom.

I need to listen for make that our goal that we try to live up to and work in our lives to make it a reality. We pray in Jesus name amen need to say what Dr. Lon Solomon plan is an outrage in the salon found in ministering to listen to today's message, or for more information visit our website. Lon Solomon ministries.org. Thank you for your support. If you would like to contact us, please visit our website or call us at 866-788-7770 and you will join us next time in line. Answer one of life questions