The sermon emphasizes honoring and appreciating faithful church leaders, especially those who teach and shepherd, recognizing their unseen sacrifices and vital role in the church’s health.
There’s a kind of quiet hero God keeps tucking into churches. You don’t always see their names in lights. You may not even notice their names at all. But you feel their fingerprints in the fabric of the family—when the doors are open early and the lights are on; when a casserole shows up at a doorstep after a hard week; when a hand rests steady on a shoulder at a graveside; when a text arrives at midnight, “I’m praying for you.” They carry keys and Kleenex, calendars and compassion. And if you pause long enough, you’ll hear their prayers echoing in hallways and hospital rooms, asking heaven for help for you.
Have you ever stopped to thank God for the shepherds He’s placed among us? Have you noticed the Sunday school teacher who studies long after the house grows quiet, the elder who stays late to listen to a restless heart, the preacher who wrestles all week so that Sunday’s bread is fresh? What would our church feel like without those who faithfully lead, teach, and care?
Today we lean into a gracious call from God: to honor the elders who lead well, and to give double honor to those who labor in preaching and teaching. This is not about applause; it is about appreciation. It is not about celebrity; it is about consistency. God’s people are healthiest when gratitude flows, when encouragement is spoken, when generous support lifts the load of those who serve.
John Wesley once said, “Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on earth.” —John Wesley
That kind of holy hunger fuels shepherds who keep showing up—pastors and elders who pray with patience, teach with tenderness, and lead with integrity. And our Lord sees. He notices every unseen visit, every whispered intercession, every sermon shaped with sweat and Scripture. He loves to reward faithful service.
Let’s read the Word that sets the tone for our time together:
1 Timothy 5:17 (KJV) “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.”
What might happen in our families, our friendships, our city, if we became a people who bless those who bless us with the Word? If our words became wind in their sails? If our prayers became the cushion beneath their calling? When a church treasures its shepherds, the whole flock flourishes. Courage grows. Joy rises. The gospel advances.
So let this be a morning of gratitude. Let this be a house where encouragement is easy and honor is ordinary. Let weary workers feel the warmth of a thankful people, and let eager hearts find fresh resolve to serve the Lord with gladness.
Opening Prayer: Father, we thank You for Jesus, our Chief Shepherd, and for the under-shepherds You have placed among us. Thank You for elders who lead with wisdom, for pastors who labor in the word and doctrine, for teachers who patiently point us to Your truth. Open our ears to hear, soften our hearts to receive, and shape our wills to obey. Grant fresh strength to those who serve, fresh comfort to those who are tired, and fresh courage to all of us to honor well. May our gratitude be genuine, our support be generous, and our unity be sweet. Holy Spirit, anoint this time, exalt Christ in our midst, and let Your Word bear fruit that remains. In Jesus’ name, amen.
God cares about how a church is led. He cares about the people who carry that work. He tells us what a faithful response looks like. He asks us to treat steady leadership with weight and warmth. When we do, trust grows. Peace grows. The work gets lighter. The Word runs.
The verse speaks first about elders who lead well. In the New Testament, elders are a team of qualified leaders. They are tested in character and life. They are known for steady judgment, clean hands, and a good name. The word for “rule” means to stand before, to guide, to care, to keep watch. It is active. It is day by day. It looks like wise decisions. It looks like clear direction. It looks like guarding the flock from harm. It looks like helping people walk in truth and love. “Well” matters. “Well” speaks to skill and integrity. “Well” shows up in fruit over time. You see sound teaching. You see fairness. You see courage when hard calls must be made. You see gentleness with the weak. You see stability when storms hit. This is not a title on paper. This is a pattern of life. This is the kind of leadership God means when He says, “that rule well.”
Then the verse says these leaders are to be “counted worthy of double honour.” That word “counted” means we think carefully. We weigh it out. We make a real choice. Honour in Scripture has two lanes. It means respect in our words and actions. It also includes material support. In the very next line Paul quotes the Law and Jesus about wages. He says do not muzzle the ox when it treads out the grain. He says the laborer deserves his pay. So this honour is practical. It is seen in fair pay. It is seen in time for rest and family. It is seen in covering health needs. It is seen in sending them to learn and grow. It is seen in public thanks and private care. It is seen in how we speak about them when they are in the room and when they are not. It is seen in how we stand with them when the load is heavy. Calling it “double” tells us to be generous. Be generous with esteem. Be generous with support. Treat the office with weight. Treat the people with care. Let it show up in budgets. Let it show up in calendars. Let it show up in habits.
The verse also marks out those who “labour in the word and doctrine.” That word “labour” means toil to the point of weariness. Sermons do not appear from thin air. Teaching that feeds the soul takes sweat. It takes hours in Scripture. It takes prayer. It takes checking sources. It takes checking the heart. It takes answering hard questions. It takes guarding from error. It takes shaping truth for real lives. The “word” is the message of Christ. The “doctrine” is the sound teaching that fits with that message. This work sets the pace for the church. It keeps the gospel clear. It keeps the saints stable. It brings correction with care. It brings comfort with strength. Because this task is heavy and holy, Paul singles it out. Give weight to those who pour themselves out to teach. Make room for study. Make room for silence and prayer. Free them from needless tasks that others can do. Help them keep fresh. Help them keep watch over their life and their teaching. When they are strong in the word, the whole body is nourished.
Honour also shows up in fair process and healthy boundaries, which the same passage explains around this verse. Protect leaders from careless talk. Do not receive a charge against an elder without witnesses. That guards from gossip. That guards from quick judgments. At the same time, do not hide sin. If a leader is in clear and ongoing sin, correct in a way that is open and just. That keeps the church safe. That keeps the office clean. Do nothing with partiality. Do not rush to lay hands on someone. Take time before setting a person into this work. Pray. Watch. Test. This is honour too. It keeps the bar high. It keeps the church from harm. It helps good men serve with confidence. It helps the whole flock trust the process. When a church follows these steps, leaders can lead with a clear mind. People can follow with a clear heart.
Paul sets the lens on a group within the group: “especially they who labour in the word and doctrine ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO
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