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May I turn in your Bibles to 
1 Timothy chapter 3? 1 Timothy chapter 3, this evening 
we're going to consider a call to the ministry. It is assumed 
in the Scripture that there will be a man or men that desires 
the office of bishop or overseer, as Paul states here, and the 
church needs to be informed needs to be instructed and needs to 
understand these things so that she will be able to determine 
men that are fit for gospel ministry. If you look around in some of 
the churches of our own day, our own generation, you'll see 
that oftentimes men are not fully committed to preaching the word. 
Perhaps they do not hold to these biblical qualifications, and 
that's a shame. We ought to demand from men that 
they be biblically qualified elders that are able to teach 
the word, and men that do fit the profile as given by the Apostle 
Paul. So tonight I want to do three 
things. set forth the necessity of a 
biblically qualified eldership. Secondly, define some terms to 
see the specific office in view in verses 1 to 7. And then look 
thirdly at the elements involved in a call to the ministry. The 
elements involved in a call to the ministry. So I'll just pick 
up reading in chapter 3 at verse 1. This is a faithful saying. If a man desires the position 
of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, 
the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, 
hospitable, able to teach, not given to wine, not violent, not 
greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous, 
one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission 
with all reverence. For if a man does not know how 
to rule his own house, how will he take care of the Church of 
God? Not a novice, lest, being puffed up with pride, he fall 
into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover, he must 
have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall 
into reproach and the snare of the devil. We'll just continue 
reading to the end of the chapter. Likewise deacons must be reverent, 
not double tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for 
money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. 
But let these also first be tested. then let them serve as deacons, 
being found blameless. Likewise, their wives must be 
reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons 
be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their 
own houses well. For those who have served well 
as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness 
in the faith which is in Christ Jesus." These things I write 
to you, though I hope to come to you shortly. But if I am delayed, 
I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself 
in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, 
the pillar and ground of the truth. And without controversy, 
great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh, 
justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the 
Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, 
thank you for this, your word. We pray now that you would guide 
our study, guide our minds and hearts, and give us the grace 
to receive these things. We pray for men that you would 
raise up to be fit for ministry, to serve in that capacity. We 
pray that you would truly raise up preachers that understand 
scripture, that understand good sound theology. Men that will 
not stand simply to entertain a crowd, but will seek to preach 
the word of the living and true God. We pray now for the forgiveness 
of all of our sins, we pray for the mind of Christ, and we ask 
through Jesus our Lord, amen. Well, first of all, let us look 
at briefly just the necessity of a biblically qualified ministry. The Lord God Most High sent His 
Son into this world, sinners to save. He sent His Son to die 
and to rise again. The way that sinners come into 
saving contact with the living and true God is by faith in the 
Lord Jesus Christ. And we see that God has been 
well-pleased to establish preaching as a primary means whereby He 
calls sinners out of darkness into marvelous light. 1 Corinthians 
chapter 1 verse 21 sets forth this necessity. Now, in highlighting 
this, I'm not suggesting that someone can't read their Bible 
and get saved. That can most certainly happen, 
to be sure, But as well, God has ordained the faithful preaching 
ministry as a means whereby He is pleased to save sinners. Verse 
21, for since in the wisdom of God the world through wisdom 
did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of 
the message preached to save those who believe. Now the emphasis 
falls on the message, the emphasis falls on the content, the emphasis 
falls on the doctrine, the reality that Christ lived, died, and 
rose again But nevertheless, that doctrine, that truth is 
preached. And this is what Paul says, is 
blessed of God to the salvation of sinners. And then in 2 Timothy 
chapter 4, 2 Timothy chapter 4, another very important passage 
which underscores the necessity of a biblically qualified eldership 
in order to preach the word of the living and true God. 2 Timothy 
chapter 4, verses 1 to 5. I charge you therefore before 
God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and 
the dead at His appearing in His kingdom. Preach the word. be ready in season and out of 
season, convince, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and teaching. 
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, 
but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, 
they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn 
their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. 
But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work 
of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." So Paul sees a time 
coming when men would not endure sound doctrine. Rather, they 
would seek out teachers that would simply tickle their ears. 
This wasn't just a problem, or this isn't just a problem in 
21st century North America. It was a problem throughout the 
history of the Church. And Paul says, in order to combat 
that, there must be faithful, biblically qualified men who 
preach the Word. Men who are ready in season and 
out of season, men who convince, rebuke, and exhort. And in the 
language of the Second Helvetic Confession, chapter 1, paragraph 
4, they state, the preaching of the Word of God is the Word 
of God. In light of that reality, the 
necessity for a biblically qualified eldership is absolutely crucial. I hope that you see that with 
just this sampling of texts. Let's look secondly at the office 
in view. You notice that the apostle is 
dealing with two offices in 1 Timothy 3. If you jump to the end of 
the chapter for just a moment, I want us to understand something. 
Verse 14 of chapter 3, Paul says, these things I write to you, 
though I hope to come to you shortly. But if I am delayed, 
I write so that, here's his purpose, you may know how you ought to 
conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of 
the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. We glean 
from this that the church is not a free-for-all. The church 
isn't just a mess or a bedlam where people are able and free 
to do whatever they want. The church is not to be innovative. The church is not to be creative. 
The church, rather, is to be obedient to its master, to its 
Lord, to its living God. He says, I want you to know how 
you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God. You see, 
in my house, I make the rules. In your house, you make the rules. 
In God's house, he makes the rules. The church is simply to 
obey. So Paul tells Timothy, I want 
you to know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house 
of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and 
the ground of the truth. This finishes the section begun 
in chapter 2. Chapter 2, verse 1, Paul says 
the church ought to be prayerful. Prayer ought to be the backbone 
of every local church. He then highlights the place 
of male leadership within the church. The men are to lead in 
public worship with reference to prayer. Women are to be modest. Women are not to teach or exercise 
authority over a man. And then he deals with two offices 
in chapter 3. He deals with the office of elder 
and he deals with the office of deacon. And the elder is that 
office that is tasked with teaching and preaching and ruling or leading. And when we look at the New Testament 
documents, the word elder is used synonymously with the word 
overseer and with the word pastor. If you look at verse 1 of chapter 
3, it says, if a man desires the position of a bishop. Now 
that word carries a lot of negative baggage, especially for those 
of us who are brought up Roman Catholic. We hear bishop and 
we think big hat. We think power, we think prestige, 
we think money. Bishop conjures that up to those 
of us who have come out of a Roman Catholic background. Bishop simply 
translates the word episkopos. It means to oversee. The other 
word that we translate as elder is presbuteros, where we get 
the word Presbyterian. And then the other word is poimen, 
which is pastor. or shepherd, and we see that 
this terminology, this verbiage, is used interchangeably and synonymously 
in the passages that deal with such things. So here Paul describes 
the office of bishop, the office of overseer, the office of the 
episkopos, and then in chapter 5, verse 17, he is speaking of 
the same office, and here he calls them presbyroi, He says, 
let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, 
especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. If you 
turn over to Titus chapter 1 for just a moment. Titus chapter 
1 verse 5. He says, for this reason I left 
you in Crete that you should set in order the things that 
are lacking and appoint elders in every city. Then notice in 
verse 7 he says, for a bishop or an overseer must be blameless. He's not talking about two separate 
classes. He's not talking about the bishops 
over here and the elders over here. He is applying these terms 
to the one office, that one office that is tasked with preaching 
and teaching and with leading and governing. 1 Peter chapter 
5, we see a synonymous use there as well, this time with the term 
shepherd or pastor. 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 1, Peter 
says, the elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow 
elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker 
of the glory that will be revealed. Now notice, shepherd, the flock 
of God, which is among you, serving as overseers. He's speaking to 
elders, he tells them to shepherd the flock among whom you serve 
as overseers. And then one final passage in 
the book of Acts, Acts chapter 20. Acts chapter 20, just showing 
you the terminology, showing you the office that is in view. 
And that the qualifications specified in 1st Timothy 3 verses 1 to 
7 apply to that class of men identified either as pastors 
or as elders or as overseers. All those terms apply to the 
self-same office. Christ has ordained two abiding 
offices in the church. The elders who shepherd, who 
feed, who teach, who lead, who govern, and then the deacons 
who serve. They are the ministers of mercy. 
The deacon serves the table of the Lord, he serves the table 
of the poor, and he serves the table of the minister. That's 
the way that Gil explained the deacon. But notice in Acts 20 
verse 17, from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the 
elders of the church. So he addresses these elders 
of the church. And then notice in verse 28, 
he says to the elders of the church, therefore take heed to 
yourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has 
made you overseers. That's that word Episcopoi. He's 
addressing the Presbyteroi. They are to function as shepherds 
or pastors. That's the next phrase, to shepherd 
the church of God which he purchased with his own blood. So the apostles 
use these terms interchangeably and synonymously. So when we 
go back to 1 Timothy chapter 3 verses 1 to 7, we're dealing 
with elders, overseers, bishops, and pastors, but not four classes 
of men, just separate terms describing various nuances of their office 
as they function within the context of the local church. All right, 
everybody's alive still. Lay some groundwork. I actually 
gave this material yesterday. You ought to be very fortunate. 
We're not going to deal like we did yesterday. Most, some 
of you may know, every other Saturday some men gather together. 
And I call it, I don't know that I've officially sanctioned this 
with my fellow elder, the Free Grace Theological Study Session. I don't, it's kind of something 
I'm playing with. Call to the Ministry. Well, we 
took two and a half hours yesterday, so don't worry. We won't do all 
of that tonight. Part of that, though, was reading 
a bit of Spurgeon for some very necessary comic relief. Spurgeon, 
on his Call to the Ministry section in his lectures to my students, 
describes how he had started a pastor's college, and it was 
basically his job to ascertain if a man was ready to enter into 
the college. And Spurgeon was brutal. I mean, 
just brutal. In a good way, I think. But anyways, 
the way he describes some things. I'll read one small segment tonight, 
but it's quite humorous the way he explains this whole ordeal, 
our whole process. We've seen the necessity. We've 
seen the particular office in view. Now let's look at the elements 
involved in a call to the ministry. And I'm taking this specifically 
from Pastor Albert N. Martin, who for many, many years 
served as the pastor of the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, 
New Jersey. I do not believe there's a better 
way to approach this subject than with the four points that 
he has given, though I have added a fifth to highlight the need 
for the church to be involved. So the four elements that Pastor 
Martin suggests, I will supplement or augment with one final, and 
then we'll make a few concluding applications. But first, with 
reference to the gospel ministry, number one is desire born of 
right motives. desire born of right motives. Notice in verse 1 of chapter 
3, this is a faithful saying. If a man desires the position 
of a bishop, he desires a good work. Notice Paul doesn't say 
if a man desires the office of a bishop, he's a wretch, he's 
proud, he's arrogant, he's sinning. No, Paul assumes that in a properly 
functioning church, in a biblically ordered church, that within the 
ranks of the congregation, there will be men who gravitate toward 
this particular office. It is not sin to desire. It is 
not wicked to want. It is not evil to say, one day 
I'd like to serve in that particular capacity. But we need to highlight 
the reality that it's a desire born of right motives, not a 
desire born of wrong motives. Some of the wrong motives that 
we see in the scripture, one of them would be money. A man 
ought not to desire the eldership or the preaching ministry simply 
to make a buck. 1 Peter chapter 5 indicates this 
reality. 1 Peter 5, verse 2, he says, 
"...shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as 
overseers, not by compulsion, but willingly, not for dishonest 
gain, but eagerly." There was gain to be had within gospel 
ministry, gain to be had within philosophy, gain to be had within 
religion. People would pay their teachers. 
So if a man says, there's a lot of coin, a lot of bank to be 
made in the gospel ministry, I think I'm going to pursue that. 
I shared with the brothers yesterday, Spurgeon said, if a man wants 
to get rich, he ought never to enter the Baptist ministry. I 
thought that was kind of funny. But there are some men, especially 
in a climate like what we see in North America. I mean, we 
see churches the size of stadiums. Former sports arenas have been 
converted to churches. There is money to be had in this 
situation. If a man desires the office of 
bishop simply for the money that is associated with that calling, 
that is wrong. It is wicked. It is ungodly. A second problem, a second wrong 
motive, would be for prestige. A man has a desire to be a leader. A man has a desire to lord things 
over people. A man has a desire to be the 
head cheese. Well, that's not a good motive 
for serving the Lord of Glory. Good motives are a desire for 
the glory of God Most High. A genuine, earnest desire to 
see men and women within the Church formed into Christ's likeness. A genuine compassion, a genuine 
heart, not as Jesus, not as well as Jesus to be sure, but there 
should be some inkling there. A man doesn't desire gospel ministry 
in a legitimate way, simply for money or for prestige. Spurgeon deals with another situation, 
the desire born of a wrong motive with a guy who's tried everything 
else. a man who has tried all sorts 
of other jobs and he can't keep those jobs, so now of course 
the ministry will take him. Here's Spurgeon. One brother 
I have encountered. One, did I say? I have met 10, 
20, 100 brethren who have pleaded that they were sure, quite sure, 
that they were called to the ministry. They were quite certain 
of it because they had failed in everything else. This is a 
sort of model story. Sir, I was put into a lawyer's 
office, but I never could bear the confinement, and I could 
not feel at home in studying law. Providence clearly stopped 
up my road, for I lost my situation. And what did you do then? Why, 
sir, I was induced to open a grocery shop. And did you prosper? Well, 
I do not think, sir, I was ever meant for trade, and the Lord 
seemed quite to shut my way up there, for I failed and was in 
great difficulties. Since then, I have done a little 
in life assurance agency and tried to get up a school besides 
selling tea. But my path is hedged up, and 
something within me makes me feel that I ought to be a minister. 
My answer generally is, yes, I see. You have failed in everything 
else, and therefore you think the Lord has specially endowed 
you for His service. But I fear you have forgotten 
that the ministry needs the very best of men, and not those who 
cannot do anything else. A man who would succeed as a 
preacher would probably do right well either as a grocer or a 
lawyer or anything else. A really valuable minister would 
have excelled at anything. There is scarcely anything impossible 
to a man who can keep a congregation together for years and be the 
means of edifying them for hundreds of consecutive Sabbaths. He must 
be possessed of some abilities and be by no means a fool or 
a ne'er-do-well. Jesus Christ deserves the best 
men to preach his cross and not the empty-headed and the shift-less. So those are some wrong motives. 
Money, prestige, I failed at everything else, certainly I 
can do the ministry. It must be a desire born of right 
motives. The glory of God, the good of 
souls, the desire to see Zion built and strong and vibrant 
and growing. The desire to see the church 
managed properly and effectively. the church functioning the way 
she ought to. The ministry is for men who are 
committed to the Lord God Most High, to the Lord of the harvest. And so it is not wrong to have 
a desire, but it is necessary that that desire be born of right 
motives. Secondly, the second element 
involved in a biblical call to the ministry is graces indicating 
genuine Christian experience. graces indicating genuine Christian 
experience. In other words, the man must 
be a Christian. The man must know something of 
what he wants to traffic in. A man must himself have come 
to the Lord of Glory and there must be graces that indicate 
this genuine Christian experience. That's what the remainder of 
the section does. It gives these qualifications. The man must be. This is to prove. This is to determine. This is 
to see. This is to validate and confirm 
that, in fact, there are graces indicating genuine Christian 
experience. And I think they break down into 
four sections in this particular passage. The first is personal 
holiness. personal holiness. The man must 
be blameless. The man must be the husband of 
one wife. Even before all that, the man 
must be a man. The man must be a man in order 
to serve as an elder and a deacon. It's the office in the church 
that is staffed by men. There's not to be skirts behind 
the pulpit. There's not to be Pastor Diane 
behind the pulpit. It is to be men. men qualified, 
men set apart, Paul prohibits women from teaching or exercising 
authority in the context of the local church. Chapter 2 verse 
12, I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over 
a man but to be in silence. He doesn't argue based on culture. 
He doesn't argue based on social norm. He argues based on creation. For Adam was created first, and 
then Eve. And then Eve transgressed. Eve was deceived, and being deceived, 
she fell into transgression. So God has ordained that men 
function in the capacity of eldership. So the first section is personal 
holiness. He must be blameless. He must 
be the husband of one wife. Essentially that means he is 
faithful in marriage. He is faithful in sexual matters. He must be temperate. He must 
be sober-minded. He must be of good behavior. 
He must be hospitable. He must not be given to wine. 
He must not be violent. He must not be greedy for money. 
He must be gentle, he must not be quarrelsome, and he must not 
be covetous. In other words, the man of God, 
the biblically qualified elder, will guard his heart against 
gold, against glory, against gulls, and against gab. He will 
guard his heart against gold. He will not covet money. He will not be greedy for money. He will guard his heart from 
glory. He's not in it for what he gets in terms of prestige 
and recognition. He will guard his heart from 
girls. He will be faithful to the wife of his youth. He will 
have eyes for her. He will have love for her. He 
will have affection for her. When God says to Ezekiel, I am 
taking the desire of your eyes, Ezekiel did not have to ask, 
who are you talking about, Lord? He meant his wife. And he must 
guard his heart against gab. That means running his mouth 
in an uncontrolled, ungodly manner. In some, George Knight says, 
the bishop's life is not to be dominated or controlled by wine 
or money, nor may it be one of strife, but rather it must be 
one of peace and gentleness, personal holiness, graces indicating 
genuine Christian experience. The second category is domestic 
faithfulness. Verses four and five. One who 
rules his own house well, having his children in submission with 
all reverence. For if a man does not know how 
to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of 
God? He not only rules his house, but he does it well. He rightly 
relates to his wife. He's in love with her. They are 
a picture of Christ and his church. Unfortunately, not always the 
best of pictures, but by God's grace, they persevere and they 
strive for those things. The man rightly relates to his 
children. He rules them well. That doesn't 
mean he just restrains them from abject wickedness, but he seeks 
their heart. He wants them to love him back. 
He wants to cultivate a good relationship with them. Paul's 
argument is from the lesser to the greater. If he cannot rule 
his own house, how will he take care of the church of God? Interesting 
terms that he uses. We rule our own house. We steward 
the house of God. God owns the house. God rules 
the house. The pastors, the elders, the 
bishops, the... What's the last term? The overseers, 
they come and they steward that house of God. So, he must engage 
in domestic faithfulness. Thirdly, he has to have experience 
in the faith. Notice in verse 6, not a novice, 
not a novice. He mustn't be new in the Christian 
life. He mustn't be a neophyte, a new 
convert. He mustn't be one newly planted. But it's important for us to 
remember that Paul is not attaching an age requirement here. In Titus 
chapter 1, we have a very immature church in Crete. Paul says, I 
want you to set in order the things that remain. I want you 
to appoint elders in every city. Well, you wouldn't have had men 
that were Christians for 20 years in Crete. In Acts 14, on the 
first missionary journey, the apostle goes through a particular 
path and then he returns back that way. And when he goes back, 
he stops in the various churches and they appoint elders in those 
churches. So those men hadn't been Christians 
for 20-25 years. Paul is highlighting in this 
particular requirement Spiritual maturity. Later on in 1 Timothy 
chapter 5 and verse 22, he gives this principle. Do not lay hands 
on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins. Keep 
yourself pure. So he must not be a novice, but 
again we must not say if he hasn't been a Christian for 20 years 
he can never serve. as an elder. As William D. Mount 
says, the application of this rule would depend upon the relative 
age of the local church, its speed of growth, and many other 
factors that would vary from place to place and from time 
to time. A similar injunction does not occur in Titus 1. The 
text is not calling for age setting, this is me now, but rather it 
is calling for the church to tread cautiously to ensure that 
our elders are mature. I said to the brethren yesterday, 
we need men wearing big boy pants. Miles traded in his diaper for 
big boy breeches. That's what the ministry needs. 
Not guys wandering around in diapers or skirts. Unless you're in Scotland. I 
guess there is an instance where a skirt behind the pulpit is 
okay. If you're in Scotland. Maturity. Maturity is what the 
apostle calls for. So these graces indicating genuine 
Christian experience, seen in personal holiness, domestic faithfulness, 
experience in the faith, and then fourthly, testimony toward 
outsiders. Notice in verse 7, moreover, 
he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, 
lest he fall into reproach in the snare of the devil. It's 
intriguing to me. He must rule his own house well. He must have a good testimony 
with those who are outside. Now, when we compare this with 
2 Timothy 3 in verse 12, all who desire to live godly in Christ 
Jesus will suffer persecution. As I mentioned to the brothers 
yesterday, if your workmates despise you, let it not be because 
of your conduct. They may despise your creed, 
they may despise the fact that you have gently chided them or 
reproved them for blaspheming the name of the Lord, but they 
cannot say anything about your work performance. They cannot 
say he's the biggest whiner, he's the biggest grumbler, he's 
the biggest baby in the shop. Let not a man be able to take 
that shot at a minister of the gospel. He must have a good testimony 
among those who are outside. Again, they may despise, abhor, 
and loathe our creed of Christ Jesus and Him crucified, but 
let them not see us live like big, fat hypocrites. He must 
have a good testimony among those who are outside. So those are 
some graces indicating genuine Christian experience. The third 
element involved in this biblical call to the ministry is gift 
indicating divine provision. Gift indicating divine provision. By my counting, in the personal 
holiness category, there are twelve virtues. Twelve things 
that the man must be or must not be. Twelve graces. Twelve similarities to the Lord 
Jesus. And then there's one gift, one 
ability, one task, one thing that the elder must be able to 
do, and that is in chapter 3, verse 2. He must be able to teach. You see, a man may be these other 
things. He may have the virtue. He may 
be godly. He may be serving the Lord Jesus. He may have his own household 
ruled well. He may have a great testimony 
with those outside. He may have a glowing report 
everywhere he goes. He may walk into a room and it 
shines the light upon him. He may be attended by bluebirds. 
He may walk down petals of roses. But if he cannot teach, he mustn't 
be an elder. This isn't a sin, it's not a 
crime, it's not a bad thing, it's not evil. You don't blame 
a man because he doesn't get a gift. There's nothing wrong 
with this. Not everybody is going to be 
an elder. The ones that God has equipped, 
the ones whom God has furnished with this gift and this ability 
to teach, they are the ones that you must consider. Again, Spurgeon 
says it this way, God certainly has not created behemoth to fly. And should Leviathan have a strong 
desire to ascend with the lark, it would evidently be an unwise 
aspiration, since he has not furnished it with wings. If a 
man be called to preach, he will be endowed with a degree of speaking 
ability, which he will cultivate and increase. If the gift of 
utterance be not there in a measure at the first, it is not likely 
that it will ever be developed. Spurgeon, in another place, says 
it this way. He speaks to this particular 
issue. Again, I'm not reading this just 
because I think it's great, because I do. I'm not reading this just 
because it is somewhat humorous, because it is. But listen to 
what he's saying. There must be gift. You know, 
the pastors, the elders don't come up and persuade people to 
live godly based on example alone. It must be example, but it's 
preaching. It's the declaration of the truth. 
It is the word of the living God. He says, physical infirmities 
raise a question about the call of some excellent men. I would 
not, like Eusthenes, judge men by their features, but their 
general physique is no small criterion. That narrow chest 
does not indicate a man formed for public speech. You may think 
it odd, but still I feel very well assured that when a man 
has a contracted chest with no distance between his shoulders, 
the all-wise creator did not intend him habitually to preach. 
If he had meant him to speak, he would have given him, in some 
measure, breadth of chest sufficient to yield a reasonable amount 
of lung force. When the Lord means a creature 
to run, he gives it nimble legs. And if he means another creature 
to preach, he will give it suitable lungs. A brother who has to pause 
in the middle of a sentence and work his air pump should ask 
himself whether there is not some other occupation for which 
he is better adapted. A man who can scarcely get through 
a sentence without pain can hardly be called to cry aloud and spare 
not. There may be exceptions, but 
is there not weight in the general rule? Brethren with defective 
mouths and imperfect articulation are not usually called to preach 
the gospel. The same applies to brethren 
with no palate or an imperfect one. Application was received 
some short time ago from a young man who had a sort of rotary 
action of his jaw of the most painful sort to the beholder. 
His pastor commended him as a very holy young man who had been the 
means of bringing some to Christ, and he expressed the hope that 
I would receive him. But I could not see the propriety 
of it. I could not have looked at him while preaching without 
laughter if all the gold of Tarshish had been my reward. And in all 
probability, nine out of 10 of his hearers would have been more 
sensitive than myself. A man with a big tongue, which 
filled up his mouth and caused indistinctness. Another without 
teeth. Another who stammered. Another 
who could not pronounce all the alphabet. I have had the pain 
of declining on the ground. that God had not given them those 
physical appliances which are, as the prayer book would put 
it, generally necessary. You see, there must be gifts 
indicating divine provision and ability to teach. That assumes 
the man has the ability to understand, to grasp the doctrine himself. He can assimilate the truth, 
but then he can communicate that truth successfully to the hearer. You see, he may be godly, he 
may be holy, he may be righteous, he may have his family in order, 
but if he cannot teach you the word of the living God, he is 
not to function as an elder. In Titus chapter 1, after giving 
the qualifications for eldership, for Titus in Crete, he highlights 
this reality in chapter 1 verse 9. Holding fast the faithful 
word as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine 
both to exhort and convict those who contradict. So you see, he 
receives the sound doctrine, he holds fast to that word, and 
then with that sound doctrine he does two things. He exhorts 
those who agree with him. He preaches on Sunday in his 
church. The people love to hear the Word 
of God. They're built up, they're edified, 
they're strengthened, they are exhorted by sound doctrine. But 
it doesn't stop there. He must also be able to convict 
those who contradict. He must be able to defend the 
faith. He must be able to give reasoned 
answers. He must be able to declare the 
truth of God to those who oppose that truth. And he must be able 
to do it effectively. You see, when we come to this 
issue of gifts indicating divine provision, we see the absolute 
necessity in 1 Timothy 3 verse 2 and in Titus chapter 1 verse 
9. It is not a popularity contest. It's not just that the man has 
done well in his world of finance. It's not that he has the best 
family in the church. Can he teach? Can he preach? Can he effectively communicate 
the truth of God? Now, we're not quantifying that 
by saying, can he teach like Spurgeon? Does he preach like 
Bunyan? You know, John Owen, that Puritan 
divine, the John Calvin of England said, I would gladly give up 
all my learning if I could preach like the Tinker, speaking about 
John Bunyan. We're not saying that a man or 
men has to be John Bunyan. We're not saying that a man or 
men has to be C.H. Spurgeon, but what we are saying, 
what we do demand in light of 1 Timothy 3 to Entitus 1.9 is 
that the man understands the system of revealed truth and 
he can communicate that to others. Absolutely crucial. We've got 
desire born of right motives, graces indicating genuine Christian 
experience, thirdly, gifts indicating divine provision, and fourthly, 
opportunity indicating providential opening. Opportunity indicating 
providential opening. I shared with the brothers yesterday, 
in the 15 years that I have been here, there have been on a couple 
of occasions, men who have visited our church, and within the first 
five minutes of me talking to them, they have said how they 
ought to be teaching Sunday school or preaching. Now maybe they 
should. But generally speaking, when 
a man is that forceful at the outset, it gives me a bit of 
caution. Because the Proverbs tell us 
very clearly, a man's gift makes room for him. Not the opposite. The man does not make room for 
his gift. The man does not show up and 
say, hey, you ought to be very thankful that I'm here. You ought 
to be very happy that I've arrived. In fact, Spurgeon gives in detail 
this man who came to the pastor's college, and he was such a great 
guy. Spurgeon says to him, you can't 
enroll in the college. We're just common folk. There's 
nothing we can do for you. You far exceed us all. We need to be very cautious. 
A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men. There will be opportunity indicating 
providential opening. If God is installed in a man 
or men, desire, graces, gifts, you can be sure that He'll open 
doors, that He will guide that man, that He will guide the church, 
that He will guide the brethren, that He will navigate him, that 
He will see him through. to that end. And then the fifth 
thing that I add to the list is recognition by the local church. And I know Pastor Albert N. Martin 
agrees with this, it's just I've added it right along there with 
the elements. Desire, graces, gifts, opportunity, and recognition 
by the local church. Recognition by the local church. That means the people of God 
recognize. Not in the sense that we pass 
around a ballot with two names because we've got to get a body 
that breathes to satisfy a requirement for two years. But no, we are 
looking for a man that fits these qualifications. Look out among 
you, brethren, in Act 6 and select from among you seven men full 
of the Holy Spirit and wisdom that we may task with this task. 
In Acts 14.23, the text suggests that the church was participating 
with the apostles in the appointment of the elders. The fact that 
1 Timothy 3.1-7 and Titus 1-9 are in our Bibles indicates that 
the church must have a grid, a frame of reference, a point 
by which they can examine men for gospel ministry. The church is crucial to this 
process. The church is absolutely necessary, 
it is absolutely necessary that the church think biblically, 
the church be prayerful, the church be in tune with God's 
word on this matter. Our confession of faith says 
the way appointed by Christ for the calling of any person fitted 
and gifted by the Holy Spirit unto the office of bishop or 
elder in a church, is that he be chosen thereunto by the common 
suffrage of the church itself." That means the people of God. 
and then solemnly set apart by fasting and prayer, with imposition 
of hands of the eldership of the church, if there be any before 
constituted therein, and of a deacon, that he be chosen by the like 
suffrage, set apart by prayer, and the like imposition of hands. So the church is intimately involved 
in evaluating desire, grace's gift. The church is intimately 
involved in determining opportunity, all these things. The church 
needs to be doing her job in this area. So those are the elements 
proper. We close with a couple of thoughts. 
It's absolutely crucial that the church be involved because 
the objective must serve to check the subjective. Let me explain 
that. If a man desires the office of 
bishop, it's a good work, it's a good thing. He has that desire. In some circles, people refer 
to that as the internal call to the ministry. The guy's reading 
his Bible and a text jumps out at him, or he has this feeling, 
or he has this desire to serve in this capacity. And again, 
this is right. This is good. It's legit to have this. But 
that internal call must be checked by objective criteria. The church must be able to ask 
questions. The church must be able to apply 
scripture. The church must be able to say, 
you know, brother, you're a great and wonderful human being, but 
you don't seem to have the gift to teach. You see, the subjective 
must ultimately be regulated by the objective. And when the 
church is involved, this happens. Secondly, the church is crucial 
in the testing of candidates for the eldership. The church 
is crucial in testing candidates for the eldership. It doesn't 
mention this in chapter 3, verses 1 to 7. But notice verse 8, likewise. He moves from the qualifications 
of elders and he says, likewise, here's the qualifications for 
the deacon. And then in verse 10, he says, 
but let these also first be tested. He is saying that a candidate 
for the diaconal ministry in the context of the local church 
must be tested. What must be tested? Does he 
have the qualifications? Is his wife what the text specifies? Does he hold to the mystery of 
the faith with a clear conscience? Is he a godly brother? Does he 
manifest those graces? Necessary. Notice what the absence 
is. Notice the absence of the teaching 
gift for the deacon. Doesn't mean a deacon can't preach 
or teach. But that's not requisite to his 
office. But when it says in verse 10, let these also first be tested, 
I believe the implication is clear. The elders are tested 
before they enter into office. Let these also first be tested. The church tests potential candidates 
for gospel ministry. How she does that, the text does 
not specify. How she engages in that task, 
the text does not specify. Does that mean the church has 
some liberty to apply some principles? Absolutely. You ask questions, 
you determine, you ascertain, you pick the man's brain, you 
see if he knows the scripture, you see if he knows theology, 
you have him teach, you have him preach, you see if he's got 
those gifts indicating divine provision. The church is involved 
in this process from first to last. This is why I wanted to 
preach this tonight. It isn't just for a few guys 
on a Saturday morning. 1 Timothy 3, 1-7 is the Word 
of God and it's for the church of God so that we may know how 
to conduct ourselves in the house of God. which is the pillar and 
the ground of the truth. When we look at some of these 
buffoons in pulpits, when we look at some of these women in 
pulpits, what must we conclude? The church isn't doing her job! Why is this the case that a man 
can't explain basic theological concepts? And he's preaching. 
Why is this the case? The church hasn't taken 1 Timothy 
3, 1 to 7 seriously. We think we can be creative, 
we think we can be innovative. One of the recent trends among 
the celebrity preachers is that they learn how to preach by watching 
stand-up comics. I'd much rather somebody learn 
how to preach by studying their Bibles and reading Bunyan than 
Prince of Preachers. Chris Rock has nothing to teach 
the church about how to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the day and age in which 
we live. This is cool. This is hip. This is culturally relevant and 
cutting edge. Brethren, the church needs to 
return to 1 Timothy 3, 1-7, and make sure her men are men, and 
make sure that they are qualified biblically in terms of personal 
holiness, domestic faithfulness, a good testimony with those outside, 
and men who are not novices. She needs to make sure that her 
men know Bible, and they know theology, that they hold to those 
things most surely believed among us. It's crucial. It's absolutely 
imperative. And then when the church does 
that, what happens? There's qualified men standing 
in the pulpit preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. That's what 
God is pleased to use to save sinners. God can't use Balaam's 
ass. I understand that. God can't 
use buffoons. God can't use Arminians. But 
we are never to reason, and we are never to conclude that because 
God can use a Balaam's ass, I'm going to preach like Balaam's 
ass. No. We are always to operate according 
to the revealed will of God, study, to show yourself approved, 
a workman who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of 
truth. Don't just conclude, well, God 
used Balaam's ass, he can certainly use me. No, study. It's your face in your Bible. 
It's your face in Turretin. It's your face in Bunyan. Pray 
to the living God for illumination so that when you stand in that 
pulpit and you preach the everlasting gospel, God the Lord may be well 
pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save 
those who believe. If we are simply here to entertain 
men, all bets are off. But when salvation is the goal, 
when the glory of God is at stake, we need nothing but men that 
are qualified according to 1 Timothy chapter 3. Well, let us pray. 
Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for its clarity in 
this matter. And God in heaven, we pray that you'd help us to 
reflect upon these truths, help us to think through them. And 
God, as a church, may we indeed be regulated by the word of truth. We just ask now that you would 
go with us in this coming week. We pray for those with physical 
difficulties and trials and challenges. We just commit them to you and 
to the word of your grace. We also pray for the spiritual 
problems in our midst, Lord God, that you would cause your face 
to shine upon us and encourage our hearts and cause us to rejoice 
in the salvation of our Lord. And it's in Jesus' name that 
we pray. Amen. We'll close with a brief time 
of prayer.