// Covenant Family Church

Text: Matthew 28:16-20
Guest Preacher: Pastor Yelton

Why should anyone become a disciple of Jesus Christ? Because Christ has been given authority over everything and everyone, and all people must submit to His authority. Anything less would be to rob Christ of that which is His.

Regrettably, human nature, far from submitting to that authority, is in rebellion against Christ and His rule. Therefore, people must receive the renewal that comes through the gospel.

Our responsibility is to promote His kingdom, and we are assured that Christ Himself will be present with us to help us. Then, people will submit to baptism and to the commandments of Christ.

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Text: 1 Timothy 6:1-2

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Text: 1 Timothy 5:17-25

Chapters 4-6 of 1 Timothy deal with all of the problems that Paul heard were plaguing the Ephesian church where Timothy served as Pastor. So far, Paul has given instructions on dealing with false teachers, ministerial duties, confronting sin amongst fellow believers, supporting widows, and the requirements to be on the widows list. Now, he takes up the problems that are related to church government—specifically, the Bible’s teaching on elders. We would be naïve to think that our own church, or any others we may be in throughout our life, will never have any problems. The simple truth is that from time to time all churches do have issues. But our Lord has put into place a system of church government where those problems can be addressed and dealt with. We must all come to trust God and the system that he has put into place—even though it is carried out by imperfect men.

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Text: 1 Timothy 5:3-16

The care of widows and orphans has always been close to God’s own heart. He instructs his people to proactively care for these needy individuals within their midst by adopting children into their own families, and giving support to deserving widows through the ministry of the church (cf. Exodus 22:22-24; Deuteronomy 24:17, 27:19; Psalm 68:5, 146:9; Isaiah 1:16-17). In particular, what kind of encouragement, love, and support should be offered? In this specific passage Paul gives Timothy five essential precepts to follow—show honor, evaluate needs, give support, encourage remarriage, and involve families in the care of widows. When Christ’s Church follows these explicit instructions many potential problem areas will be eliminated, and ultimately God will be glorified. Let us learn from Paul’s instructions and consistently apply these precepts—and, let us do so out of love for God, gratitude for our salvation, and obedience to his commandments.

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Text: 1 Timothy 5:1-2

The Bible writers used many colorful metaphors to describe Christ’s Church: “a vine” (John 15:5), “the body” (1 Corinthians 12:12), “a holy temple” (Ephesians 2:20-22), “the assembly” (Hebrews 12:23), “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession” (1 Peter 2:9), “the flock” (1 Peter 5:2-3), “a kingdom” (Revelation 5:10). But, there is one metaphor which is especially relevant for applying this passage to the Christian life—the Church is “a family” (cf. Galatians 6:10; Ephesians 2:19, 3:15). In order to prosper, every family must maintain proper discipline and must correct sinful behavior. Similarly, let us not naively think that the Church is exempt from sin—after all we are a group of “sinner-saints” to quote Martin Luther. And so, how should sin be confronted? This passage and several others give us very specific directions. Let us follow them!

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