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May I turn in your Bibles to 
1 Timothy chapter 3? 1 Timothy chapter 3 as we continue 
our exposition of the pastoral epistles. Tonight looking at 
verses 1 to 7, the qualifications for eldership. Certainly as we 
read these things, as we open up these things, it does have 
application primarily to those in the eldership, to those aspiring 
to the eldership. But as we work our way through 
these things, you'll see it's a description of every man. It's 
what every Christian man, every Christian woman ought to be pursuing. Certainly those in the eldership 
must display not perfection, obviously, or they'd never be 
in the eldership, but seeking to consistently apply these things. 
But there is a lesson here for each and every one of us. All 
of us should strive to engage or to put on the virtues that 
are given here by the Apostle Paul with reference to the eldership. Well, I'll just read beginning 
in verse 1. We'll read the whole chapter just to set it in its 
context. 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 whine, 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. 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. Let us pray. Father, thank 
You for this, Your Word. Again, we pray for the ministry 
and the aid of Your Holy Spirit, that He would guide us and lead 
us, and that You would teach us these things. Help us as a 
local church to pursue such things in a biblical manner. Help us, 
Father, to do those things that you've prescribed in a manner 
that is glorifying in your sight. And again, as we come to the 
Scriptures, as we come to probably a degree of examination, we confess 
at the outset our shortcomings, our sinfulness, our transgression. 
And Father, I just pray that You would wash us and purify 
us. And I pray that in a very special 
way for me tonight. Cleanse me from my sins, Lord 
God. And I ask through Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen. Well, 
as we have seen here, the Apostle is writing to Timothy according 
to verse 15 in our passage in 1 Timothy 3. 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. In chapter 2, beginning 
in verse 1, he says that the church is to be a praying people, 
there to be prayerful for kings, and all who are in authority, 
that we may lead a quiet and a peaceable life." He then highlights 
the specific duties or functions within the context of corporate 
worship for men and women. He enjoins prayer upon the men 
in verse 8. And then in verses 9 to 15, he 
makes certain prescriptions on how women are to conduct themselves 
and certain prohibitions. And if you look specifically 
in 2.12, he says, I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority 
over a man, but to be in silence. So it's natural in chapter 3 
that he now deals with the office or the qualifications for the 
office of the one who is tasked with teaching and having rule 
within the context of the local church. And that's what elders 
do. We see in verse 2 of chapter 
3 that he must be apt or able to teach. And then we see in 
verse 5, if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how 
will he take care of the Church of God? So the eldership is tasked 
with teaching and ruling, or governing, or being stewards 
within the house of God. They are to do this according 
to the Word of God and not according to their own prerogative. Now, 
the New Testament authors use the words elder and bishop synonymously. In fact, We might re-translate 
or translate otherwise in verse 1. If a man desires the position 
of an overseer. An overseer. Bishop conjures 
up ideas of Romanism and the Episcopalianism and all that 
sort of thing. The word is episkopos. It means 
to have oversight or to be an overseer. The word elder is presbuteros 
or Presbyterian, and we see that the New Testament authors use 
these two terms synonymously. For a couple of instances, in 
Acts chapter 20, the Apostle Paul calls for the elders from 
Miletus, and he speaks to them. And in verse 28, he says that 
they are to take heed, they are to provide oversight, they are 
to watch over those entrusted to their care. We see the same 
sort of thing indicated here in 1st Timothy 3. Though 1 to 
7 does not indicate elders, when we get to chapter 5 and verse 
17, we see this office called elders who rule well, they are 
to be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor 
in the word and doctrine. Well, back here in 1st Timothy 
3, he's identified these as overseers. So again, the words are used 
synonymously. It's conspicuous as well in Titus 
chapter 1 at verses 5 and 7. So overseer and elder refer to 
the self-same office. Pastor is another term that's 
thrown into the mix. That's the functional designation. The elder or the overseer pastors 
the flock or he teaches. or he leads, or he governs through 
the Word of God itself. So what we're dealing with in 
1 Timothy 3, 1 to 13 in total, are the two abiding offices in 
the Church of Christ. Elders and deacons. Elders are 
charged with teaching and ruling, and deacons are charged with 
service. As John Gill says, the deacon 
is taken up with serving the table of the Lord, the table 
of the poor, and the table of the minister. but more, God willing, 
on the diakon at next Lord's Day evening. So tonight we're 
going to take up verses 1 to 7 with reference to the eldership 
under two broad considerations. First, the call to the ministry, 
and secondly, the qualifications required. Now I realize that 
there are things that I'm going to add with reference to the 
call to the ministry, but it's something legit, it's something 
that we ought to pursue, it's something that we ought to understand 
before we jump in and start opening up all of these particular qualifications. Now this material, if it sounds 
familiar, is familiar. It's probably not been several 
months ago that I preached this on a Sunday evening. At that 
time we were not in 1 Timothy. We're back in 1 Timothy, so I'm 
going to keep on. Instead of jumping over this 
and assuming everybody remembers, let's go through it again and 
let's prayerfully consider if there is a man or men within 
the congregation that fits these qualifications. So first of all, 
the call to the ministry. And here I'm indebted to Pastor 
A.N. Martin with reference to four 
elements of a call to the ministry that he has given, and I think 
adequately and accurately reflect the biblical data on what a call 
to the ministry is. If you notice in verse 1 of chapter 
3, this is a faithful saying. If a man desires the position 
of a bishop, if a man desires the position of an overseer, 
he desires a good work. We'll see that in just a moment, 
but we need to understand that when it comes to eldership, it's 
not as if you walk into church on a given Sunday, and you're 
handed a piece of paper with two or three names, and you just 
vote for whoever's going to be the next elder. and then he serves 
in that capacity for 2 years or 3 years, and then after that 
term limit is over, he goes out, you get another sheet of paper, 
you tick off the box, and that man now becomes an elder for 
the 2 or 3 year term. There is a desire on the part 
of the person here. It's not just a default position. You don't just throw men into 
the eldership because we need elders. You don't just throw 
men into the deaconate because we need deacons. You don't put 
women in the office because we need them. No, there are prescriptions 
and there are qualifications that the apostle legislates that 
the church must abide by. And so when it comes to the selection 
of elders and the selection of deacons, How that all fleshes 
out will be different, probably, in church to church, but the 
basic bottom line things are there. It must be the case that 
a man, first of all, has a desire born of right motives. This is 
the first element crucial in the qualifications for the eldership. He must have a desire born of 
right motives. If a man desires the position 
of an overseer, he desires a good work. Another passage that speaks 
to this issue is 1 Peter chapter 5. Again, terminology is used 
synonymously by the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 5. Notice he says 
in verse 1, "...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." Here's 
the word shepherd, which is pastor, So he's talking about elders, 
he's telling them their functional duty is to shepherd the flock 
of God, which is among you, serving, notice, as overseers, serving 
as bishops. So we see that elders are overseers 
who pastor or shepherd the flock of God. Now notice what he goes 
on to say, serving as overseers, not by compulsion, Not because 
the church consistory has a gun to your head. Not because the 
existing membership makes you do it. It is not to be by compulsion, 
but rather the elders serve willingly. It is a desired task that they 
want to engage in. It's not wicked, it's not evil, 
it's not ungodly, it's not unrighteous. We ought to expect that godly 
men will have aspirations for such things as biblical eldership 
and the biblical diaconate. So the first element is desire 
born of right motives. Secondly, grace is indicating 
genuine Christian experience. Graces indicating genuine Christian 
experience. When we move our way through 
verses 1 to 7, those are graces that indicate genuine Christian 
experience. In other words, we need men who 
are converted. We need men who have sanctified 
the Lord God in their hearts by the grace of God. We need 
men that fear the Lord, that walk with the Lord, that have 
genuine graces, or graces indicating that they have in fact come to 
the Lord Jesus Christ. A third element that is necessary 
in assessing a call to the ministry is gifts indicating divine provision. Gifts indicating divine provision. The graces outnumber the gifts 
in 1 Timothy 3, 1-7. There's only one gift mentioned, 
and that is he must be able to teach. But that has to be there. That's absolutely crucial. That 
is required. If we have an office, and that 
office is tasked with teaching and ruling, and the man cannot 
teach, he is unqualified for both elements. Because we need 
to understand, it's not just teaching that is done through 
the Word and doctrine, But it's rule, it's government, it's leadership 
in the church. A biblical eldership doesn't 
do things based on market research. A biblical eldership doesn't 
function based on the whims of the congregation. A biblical 
eldership rules, governs, leads, whatever you call it, by the 
Word of God. So if a man does not have that 
grace, if he does not have rather that gift indicating divine provision, 
then as great as a man he may be, though he may have all these 
other characteristics, though all of these graces may be finely 
tuned, he ought not to serve as an elder." And just remember, 
it's not bad. It's not a sin. It's not evil. If a man is not able to be an 
elder in the church, it doesn't mean he's neutered, it doesn't 
mean he's less than a man, it doesn't mean he's a bad fellow, 
any more than it means that for any of the ladies who cannot 
serve as elders in the life and the context of Christ's church. 
I've often thought it is an unfortunate thing that a man who gets a bee 
in his bonnet and thinks that he ought to be in the eldership, 
very often won't take no for an answer. Now, if he's biblically 
qualified, if he has all of these elements in place, well, then 
he should be placed into service. But if something is missing, 
it's not that we're saying you're Satan. It's not that you're the 
beast of revelation. It's not that you're the man 
of sin or the Antichrist. It's not that the nations are 
going to follow after you as you lead them astray. It simply 
means there's a function in Christ's church that he has not equipped 
you to serve in. That's okay. Not everybody can 
be an astronaut. Not everybody can be a doctor. 
Not everybody can be a cowboy. Not everybody can be a lawyer. 
It's okay. God has various vocations for 
various persons, and the church of Jesus Christ is no different. Spurgeon says it this way concerning 
gifts indicating divine provision. He says, 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 is not furnished 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 at a measure at the first, it is not likely that it will 
ever be developed. Spurgeon is masterful on this 
whole area. He says specifically in lectures 
to my students, he says, for you men with narrower chests, 
that's why there's dumbbells in the basement of the college. 
Get in there and build that chest up, because you're called to 
cry aloud and stare not, and you can't do that if you can't 
suck oxygen in and formulate words and present them to the 
people. You see, his point is very clear. 
If Behemoth and Leviathan are destined to fly, God will put 
wings on them. If a man is destined to preach, 
God will give him the gift of utterance. So desire, graces, 
gifts, and opportunity indicating, this is the fourth, providential 
opening. The proverb, Solomon says this 
very conspicuously, that a man's gifts make room for him. Note the order. A man's gift 
makes room for him. Not a man makes room for his 
gifts. Not a man comes and says, look, 
brethren, I ought to be the full-time preacher here. No, if he is to 
be that man, then his gifts will make room for him. The people 
of God will recognize that, the people of God will see that, 
and the people of God, by common suffrage, will give their assent 
to that particular brother. It is not the case that a man 
is to try and make room for his gifts. It is the case that a 
man's gifts make room for him. Those are Pastor Martin's, desire 
born of right motives, graces indicating genuine Christian 
experience, gifts indicating divine provision, opportunity 
indicating providential opening, and then I've added a fifth one, 
recognition by the local church. recognition by the local church. Now, that may appear to be obvious 
because this is in a list of qualifications, but this is absolutely 
crucial. It is absolutely important that 
the people of God see the man or the men that are going to 
function as elders and deacons. Paul indicates there is to be 
a testing period according to verse 10 in chapter 3. The Church 
of Christ must recognize her officers. Our Confession says 
it this way. 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. 
and solemnly set us 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, and set apart by prayer, and the like imposition of hands." 
So those five things are crucial in this idea of a call to the 
ministry. If you're a brother out there, 
and you're struggling, or you're wrestling, or you're wondering, 
or you're curious about this, this is an objective grid. This 
is a helpful reality. This is something you can take 
your desire to, and you can work through it. And I suggest that 
the necessity of these elements are crucial, because the objective 
helps deal with the subjective. In other words, a man may desire, 
a man may have aspirations, a man may want to do these things, 
but if this objective grid says otherwise, then he may need to 
just put his subjective desire on the back burner for a time. 
It doesn't mean he'll never be an elder. It doesn't mean he 
must go the way of all non-elders for the rest of his life. but 
rather for this particular time. It makes sure that the church 
is necessarily involved, and it makes sure that the church 
scrutinizes candidates for gospel ministry. So that, just briefly, 
there's whole volumes, there's whole books written. on this 
issue of a call to the ministry. But this is an objective grid 
to help with the subjective desire. Everybody knows the difference. 
Subjective is what I want to do. Objective is what I can do. Subjectively, I might want to 
be an astronaut. Objectively, I might be deathly 
afraid of heights, rockets, and big puffy suits. So I shouldn't 
pursue that. Okay? Subjectively, there's things 
that we want, that objectively we'll never get. Okay? That's why I offer this up, because 
when it comes to this whole issue of a call to the ministry, as 
I perceive it, the two greatest dangers that the church faces 
is, on the one hand, keeping sent men out of the ministry. In other words, if Christ, the 
Ascended Lord, according to Paul in Ephesians 4, has ascended 
on high, has led captivity captive, and has given gifts to men, if 
Christ is doing that in the context of a local church, then it behooves 
us to make sure that we do not squelch that gift, or we do not 
bury that gift, but rather we accept it from the Lord Jesus, 
put Him into office, and let Him function the way that God 
called Him to. So that is a danger, keeping 
a sent man out of gospel ministry. But the converse danger is there 
as well, putting an unsent man into the ministry. Just like 
you don't want your doctor to have a shaky hand, you don't 
want your preacher to have a faulty doctrine. You want to make sure 
that the church is scrutinizing, the church is examining, the 
church is testing, the church is praying for men with steady 
hands that can preach the truth of the gospel, men that will 
prove to be safe guides and not unsafe guides. Now secondly, 
note the qualifications. There's five categories here. 
Five categories. It won't take us long as we're 
going to move through at least the first section somewhat rapidly. 
A lot of these things are just definitions. First, his personal 
holiness. Second, his domestic faithfulness. Third, his experience in the 
faith. Fourth, his testimony toward 
outsiders. And fifth, his ability to teach. So though apt to teach comes 
up in verse 2, we'll treat it at the end as sort of that one 
area that's an actual gift that the man must possess and he must 
cultivate. And as Paul tells Timothy, let 
your progress be evident to all. In other words, Timothy was to 
be growing in the grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. The man of God must go forward. the man of God must read, the 
man of God must pray, the man of God must study, the man of 
God cannot stagnate, but rather he is duty-bound to stay ahead 
of the flock so that he can successfully feed the flock as the Lord God 
would have him do. And when I say stay ahead, it's 
not a competition, it's simply so that he is able to provide 
the necessary nutrients that the people of God desire and 
need. Now note first his personal holiness. Verse 2. A bishop or an overseer 
then must be blameless. This is the overarching one. It's almost as if he says blameless 
and then all of the other attributes, all of the other virtues flesh 
out for us and describe in further detail what he means by this 
idea of being blameless. It literally means not to be 
taken hold of. It means to be irreproachable 
or unimpeachable. Paul does not have sinless perfection 
in mind, but an external reputation that is a credit to the church, 
not a discredit. Again, we're not dealing with 
perfect men, because perfect men could never... well, there 
is no perfect man other than Jesus. There's no man who can 
attain perfection on this side of heaven and do this particular 
task. It is about consistency in pursuing 
these things by the grace of God. Secondly, he is to be the 
husband of one wife. There's several options here 
that commentators notice. Option 1, the elder must be a 
married man. Some teach that the elder must 
be a married man. In other words, if we had a single 
man, as godly as he was, as able a preacher as he might be, because 
he's not married, he cannot serve in the eldership. I don't know 
that that's necessarily the case. I think the Apostle is writing 
to what is the ordinary or the general framework. Most men in 
the church will typically be married. He is to be the husband 
of one wife. Paul enjoined singleness in 1st 
Corinthians chapter 7. It would be odd if in the context 
of Corinth, when he enjoined singleness upon people, somebody 
who was godly, somebody who was fit, somebody who was qualified, 
actually had aspirations for ministry, and actually obeyed 
the Apostle in this injunction to pursue singleness, and yet 
would be forbidden from being an elder. That doesn't seem to 
make much sense. Option two, the elder must only 
have one wife for his entire life. In other words, if a man 
remarries after the death of his wife, he is unqualified for 
the office. Again, that just seems to be 
a stretch of what the apostle is indicating here. Option three, 
the text forbids polygamy. In other words, he can't have 
five wives, he can't have six wives, he can't have seven wives. 
Now I think option 4 best satisfies the biblical data and by necessity 
excludes polygamy. Option 4 says the elder is to 
be faithful in marriage and sexual matters. The elder is to be faithful 
in his marriage and in matters concerning sexuality. This is 
crucial. This is absolutely requisite. It is the case that the man of 
God must accurately reflect God's design in the garden, with reference 
to one man and one wife, fidelity, covenant, all of these concepts, 
come to bear upon a man's relationship to his wife. If a man is unfaithful 
to his wife, if a man is unfaithful in matters of sexuality, if a 
man cannot control himself in this, Paul says he ought not 
to be an elder. It used to be the case, at least 
in the US, I don't know how it is here in Canada, but to join 
the military, sexuality, you couldn't be homosexual. You couldn't 
be promiscuous. To get a secret clearance or 
a top secret clearance with reference to government business, you can't 
have promiscuity. You've got to be faithful. If 
a man can't be faithful in that most basic fundamental area that 
God has stationed him, then do not give him more. If you're 
not faithful in little, you will not be faithful in much. This 
additionally excludes polygamy, concunibage, I think that's the 
pronunciation, homosexuality, or other sexually promiscuous 
indulgence. He is to be, literally, as the 
text specifies, a one-woman man. Notice thirdly, he is to be temperate. The word temperate here does 
speak to matters of alcohol, but because Paul speaks specifically 
to alcohol, temperate here probably means something like more of 
a mental sobriety. The word denotes self-control, 
balanced judgment, and the avoidance of rash behavior. That's not 
everybody's cup of tea. You've heard of the people that 
are ready, fire, aim. Right? For most people, we need 
to ready, aim, and fire. Some people, and some who have 
remaining corruption, do a ready fire aim. They just place the 
gun, blast it away, and then think, oh, I should have probably 
aimed it. You can't do that. The Proverbs say, the heart of 
the righteous studies how to answer, but the mouth of the 
wicked pours forth evil. Temperance means balanced judgment 
and the avoidance of rash behavior. Fourthly, sober-minded. It is 
similar to temperance and has to do with self-control, especially 
as it relates to exercising good judgment, discretion, and common 
sense. I think I shared with you, I 
believe it was J. Gresson Machen who said, one 
of the first indicators that a man has been regenerated is 
that he has common sense. I think there's something to 
that. Common sense isn't as common as it ought to be. This man has 
good horse sense. He knows how to navigate. Fifthly, Good behavior. In chapter 2, verse 9, it is 
translated modest with reference to the ladies. It means respectable, 
orderly, and well-behaved. Number six is hospitable. It falls under the larger context 
of love. If a man has love, he will be 
hospitable towards others. Seventh is able to teach. As 
I said, we'll look at that in a few moments. Eighth, not given 
to wine. Doesn't mean he can't drink wine. 
It means he can't be given to wine. The Bible forbids drunkenness. It doesn't forbid taking some 
in moderation. He is not to be a slave of drink. 
He is not to be preoccupied with it. He is not to be overindulgent. He is to control himself when 
it comes to the use of wine. Ninth, not violent. Probably 
mean mugging does fall under this particular statement. So 
please forgive me. There's a violent streak in us 
mean muggers. Because if you could, you'd run 
rocket launchers on your car. That really violates the text 
here. Not violent. Not a striker. Notice how it's kind of near 
drunkenness, or right next to drunkenness. What happens? Sometimes in drunkenness, it 
lowers inhibition, it lowers rationality, and it ends in fights, 
contention, violence. He is not to be a giver of blows. The word denotes a violent person 
who is prone to physical assault on others, and it demonstrates 
a bad-tempered, irritable, and out-of-control individual. So yes, mean mugging is here 
prohibited. I've got to repent. Number 10, 
not greedy for money. There's a variant here. It may 
not be in your ESV or in your NIV, but not greedy for money. He doesn't live on love and fresh 
air. The Bible specifies, as we've already alluded to in 1 
Peter 5.17, let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of 
double honor. Double honor there means money. 
It doesn't mean a parking spot. It doesn't mean a gold placard 
on his office door. Honor in the context has to do 
with remuneration, just like it does in dealing with the widows. 
You honor widows who are widows indeed. That doesn't just mean 
you bow to them and say, it's nice to see you, Mrs. So, honor 
has to do with giving them money, putting them on the list, providing 
for their particular needs. The same idea here as in 517. 
But the elder mustn't be greedy for money. He's not to be in 
it for money. He's not to be trying to get 
rich with reference to gospel ministry. These five vices that 
are to be avoided can be summarized. He must avoid pride, anger, drunkenness, 
violence, and greed. Taken along with the reference 
to his being a one-woman man, the elder must avoid glory, girls, 
and gold. He's got to be faithful in these 
areas, and self-controlled, and not covetous, and not desirous 
of things that are not his. Notice verse continuing, the 
11th, this, but gentle. He's not to be this, he's not 
to do this, he's not to be this, he's not to do this, he's not 
to be this, he's not to do this, but he's to be gentle. Just like 
his Lord, Matthew 12. He doesn't quarrel, he doesn't 
cry out. Just like Paul tells Timothy 
in 2 Timothy chapter 2, the bondservant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome. You mustn't go tit for tat on 
every single issue. There must be a disposition of 
patience, and a willingness to yield, and a gentleness that 
reveals itself through these difficult circumstances. He's 
to be not quarrelsome. Number 12, not quarrelsome. He should be a peaceable man. Again, this does not contradict 
our Lord Jesus. The one who didn't quarrel, the 
one who didn't cry out, didn't neglect to tell a bunch of Pharisees 
that they were the offspring of snakes. It is not a call to 
the man of God to be dormant. It is not a call to the man of 
God to be passive. It is not a call to the man of 
God to be inactive. If he is to oppose false doctrine, 
if he is to oppose heresy, at times he may actually raise his 
voice and say, Brood of vipers. That's consistent and legitimate. 
And then the last statement is not covetous. Verse three at 
the end, not covetous. False teachers are in it for 
the money. Notice in first Timothy six, 
beginning in verse three, if anyone teaches otherwise and 
does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, 
he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes 
and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, 
evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute 
of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain." 
A means of gain. The elder, as I've stated, must 
avoid glory, girls, gold, and gab. George Knight says, in short, 
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. Now again, qualifications here 
for the elder of the church. But what is there in that list 
that every Christian man, every Christian woman, every Christian 
boy, and every Christian girl ought not to be pursuing? It's 
not the case, well, you know, the elder can't be given too 
much wine, but I can. The elder can't be greedy for 
money, but I can. The elder has to be blameless, 
but I don't have to be. The elder's not supposed to quarrel. 
That makes it great, because I love to quarrel, and I'm going 
to throw down with him every step of the way. No! These are 
virtues befitting a Christian man, a Christian woman. These are things that every single 
one of us should be striving after. Cam, I almost called him 
the Apostle Cam, I meant Pastor Cam, quoted the Apostle Paul 
this morning. Having these promises, beloved, 
let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and 
spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. perfecting, 
pursuing, striving after, going forward, doing those things which 
the Bible says are good. We're justified freely by His 
grace. We are sanctified by His Spirit 
according to His Word. We are to work out that which 
God has worked in. We are to work out our own salvation 
with fear and trembling, knowing that God is at work in us, both 
to will and to do for His good pleasure. But this is a list 
of virtues that each and every one of us should put on our fridge 
or put on our doors and pursue. This is good stuff. Notice, secondly, 
his domestic faithfulness. Verses 4 and 5. 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 must 
rule his house well. Two words jump out at me in that 
statement. He must rule. Isn't this what God says to men? According to Ephesians chapter 
5, the husband is the head of the wife. In other words, a man 
must rule his house. That's typical biblical Christianity. That's not, wow, just those elders, 
they rule their houses, but the rest of the people, the women 
rule their house. No. He must rule his own house. He must faithfully execute what 
God has given to him. It ought to be the case that 
when you go to a man's house, it is evident and obvious that 
there is a biblical structure and an order in place in that 
arrangement. But not only must he rule his 
own house, he must do it well. Not perfect, not without fault, 
but he must do it well. There must be peace, there must 
be harmony, there must be that structure of leadership. The 
wife must be submissive. All those things need to be in 
place. And to do this, to be one who rules his own house well, 
it takes time, it takes prayer, it takes effort, it takes energy. 
Sitting down on the couch and playing Xbox, to the utter dismay 
of everything around you on a regular basis, does not accurately reflect 
rule that is well. Now, don't leave here and say, 
you can never play Xbox. That's not what I said. Listen 
to what I said. If a man does that, and his kids 
are swinging off the fixtures, and they're running amok, and 
his wife is exasperated, and she's upset, and all of that, 
that's not well rule. There's time involved. He must 
properly relate to his wife. He is a one woman man. And there's love. There's happiness. There's joy. There's peace. They 
like each other. They want to be with each other. 
Remember, the elder to a degree should be an example within the 
context of the local church. It ought not to be the case that 
you look at the elder and his wife and say, wow, they can't 
stand each other. That would be terrible. he must 
control his children. Notice in verse 4, having his 
children in submission with all reverence. Having his children 
in submission with all reverence. When we compare Titus, Titus 
says the children must be believing. Some have said that the only 
way that a man can serve in the eldership is if his children 
are actually born again. I do not believe that's what 
the text specifies. God is sovereign. in the matter 
of who is born again. I think what we find in this 
particular situation is that he must have his children in 
submission with all reverence. Knight helps. He says, what must 
not characterize the children of an elder is immorality and 
undisciplined rebelliousness, if the children are still at 
home and under his authority. Paul is not asking any more of 
the elder and his children than is expected of every Christian 
father and his children. However, only if a man exercises 
such proper control over his children may he be So that's 
his domestic faithfulness. Notice third is experience in 
the faith, verse 6. Not a novice, not a neophyte, 
not a newly planted one. Now this is somewhat relative. When you turn over to Titus chapter 
1, and Paul tells Titus to set in order, in Crete, the things 
that are lacking, he speaks about installing elders. He doesn't 
say, not a novice. Now, it's not the case that they 
could just be brand new, born-again believers and become an elder. 
But the condition and the situation in Crete was markedly different 
than what you have in Ephesus, where Timothy was. Titus was 
in a new environment. Titus was in churches where there 
weren't even elders. That's why in Titus 1, you only 
have the qualifications for the elders, and in 1 Timothy 3, you 
have elders and deacons. Ephesus is more mature. It is 
more established. It is more in progress. Whereas 
with Titus, he is told to set an order and to appoint elders 
in every city. probably those men weren't as 
converted or hadn't been as converted for as long as men in Ephesus. So we can't say it's got to be 
this amount or this amount or this amount or this amount. The 
idea of a neophyte or a new convert or one newly planted will probably 
vary in terms of time from place to place. Is everybody with me 
on that? It's important. 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, rather, 
is not calling for age setting, but is calling for the church 
to tread cautiously to ensure that our elders, this is the 
point, our mature men, That's what is requisite. In 1 Timothy 
5.22, he says, do not lay hands on anyone hastily. There's a 
danger involved here. And the danger isn't, well, we 
won't, you know, we got to have elders. Look at what he says 
in verse 6, not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride, he 
fall into the same condemnation as the devil. I was talking to 
Brother Howie Jones about this this morning. Celebrity preachers 
is what we have today. Celebrity preachers. I don't 
know how they do it. I really don't. How a preacher 
can conduct himself like a rock star and it not go to his head. I don't get it. I don't understand 
it. I mean, I'm thinking I'm doing 
pretty good if I got 300 followers on Twitter. Isn't that wicked? Why would 
I think that? I couldn't imagine having 700,000. Pride is a powerful agent in 
the heart. And see what happens if you take 
a man and you put him prematurely into the office of elder, What 
could be the case is that he swells with pride and is subject 
to the same condemnation as the father of pride, the devil himself. It is better to be cautious. 
It is better to tread carefully. It is better to make sure that 
a man or men are mature and that they can handle the situation. Notice fourthly, his testimony 
toward outsiders. Verse 7. Moreover, he must have 
a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall 
into reproach and the snare of the devil. The elder must manage 
his household well, and he must have a good testimony with those 
who are outside." Again, this is relative. If the man is faithful, 
if he preaches the offense of the cross, we can expect to a 
degree that the world will oppose him. The world will hate him 
if they come in and hear him say something like, Jesus says 
you're evil. A lot of people don't like that. 
I know it seems odd, but a lot of people don't like that. It's 
an affront to their delicate sensitivities. So it's a relative 
statement, but by and large the man is not looked at like a whack 
job by those outside of the church. I think there's a wonderful illustration 
or an analogous statement in 1 Peter chapter 4 that I want 
you to see. 1 Peter chapter 4 doesn't deal 
with elders, but I think the principle is the same. The idea 
is the same. 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 14. If you are reproached for the 
name of Christ, blessed are you, for the spirit of glory and of 
God rests upon you. On their party is blaspheme, 
but on your party is glorified. But let none of you suffer as 
a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's 
matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, 
let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. 
So if the pastor or the preacher is faithfully proclaiming the 
offense of the cross, and people are upset and oppose him, then 
that's to be expected. But if the pastor is a murderer, 
if the pastor is a thief, if the pastor is an evildoer, or 
the pastor is a busybody in other people's matters, and the outside 
world opposes him, he ought not to take that as a badge of honor. 
He ought to repent and forsake that wickedness and strive to 
maintain a good testimony with those who are outside. I hope 
that's obvious and I hope that's evident to everybody in this 
place. The Apostle says, moreover he 
must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he 
fall into reproach in the snare of the devil. Knight says verses 
6 and 7 seek to protect both the man and the church's leadership 
from self-righteous pride and cowardly disobedience. To avoid 
both demands a mature believer with an established reputation. So you see, that describes the 
character of the man, his personal holiness, his domestic faithfulness, 
his experience in the faith, his testimony toward outsiders, 
and then that one gift of verse 2 is mentioned. A bishop then 
must be able to teach. Able to teach. The other qualifications 
describe the man's character. This is the only one which describes 
his ability. I think, as he often does, Gill 
captures the idea here. He says, with reference to able 
to teach, who has a considerable store of knowledge. is capable 
of interpreting the scripture to the edification of others, 
is able to explain, lay open, and illustrate the truths of 
the gospel, and defend them, and refute error, and who is 
not only able, but ready and willing to communicate to others 
what he knows. and who likewise has utterance 
of speech, the gift of elocution, and can convey his ideas of things 
in plain and easy language, in apt and acceptable words." What 
was the genius of Spurgeon? The genius of Spurgeon was being 
able to preach to every single human being. There was a Southern 
preacher by the name of John Gerardo, someone probably we 
haven't heard a whole lot about. But Gerardo, during the time 
of the Civil War, had a ministry to black slaves. And Gerardo 
preached the doctrine of the Trinity. He preached the hypostatic 
union of Christ. He preached that meat and potatoes 
of biblical truth to a people that weren't educated. Gerardo 
was able to take the simple truth of the gospel and bring it to 
everybody. Some men have an adequate store 
of knowledge. Some men know a lot of information, 
but not all men can accurately communicate that truth. You see, 
something has to happen. A man has to both assimilate 
the truth, that means take it in, and he must be able to articulate 
the truth as well, explain it to others. If it comes in and 
it doesn't get out, that's okay. He's going to be a godly, smart 
brother in the church. But if it goes in and it can 
come out, then praise God. If all the graces are there and 
that gift is there, then most likely you have an elder. You 
have a man that Jesus has given to the church that will communicate 
that truth to others. And likewise, as Gil says, has 
utterance of speech, the gift of elocution, that means ability 
to speech, and can convey his ideas of things in plain and 
easy language in apt and acceptable words. I have a bunch of texts 
here from the pastoral epistles. We'll just look at one. Titus 
1.9. Titus 1.9. In a parallel passage, qualifications 
for elders, apt to teach, is opened up and expanded a little 
bit in Titus. Titus 1.9, holding fast the faithful 
word. 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." Calvin says, 
this is the chief gift in a bishop who is elected principally for 
the sake of teaching, for the church cannot be governed in 
any other way than by the word. He wishes that a bishop should 
hold it fast, so as not only to be well instructed in it, 
but to be constant in maintaining it And then there are two elements 
involved. He's to hold the word of truth. 
He's to hold on to it as he's been taught. He's to have this 
ability with sound doctrine to do two things. He is to exhort 
the sheep. He is to convict the goats. He 
is to exhort those who believe. he is to convict those who contradict. Again Calvin says the pastor 
ought to have two voices, one for gathering the sheep and another 
for warding off and driving away wolves and thieves. That's what 
Titus is about, or that's what Paul says to Titus in Titus 1. Hold fast the faithful word as 
he has been taught, that he may be able, he's equipped, he's 
furnished, by sound doctrine to do two things. He is to exhort 
those who are believing. He is to convict those who contradict. And I would suggest the second 
is more difficult. It's usually easier to preach 
to people who believe what you're saying. It's usually easier to 
preach to people who already are predisposed to believe the 
truth of God's Word. The second requires some courage, 
it requires some guts, it requires some forthrightness to be able 
to engage in that sort of thing. That's why on the corpus of Paul's 
letters, He often says to the people to whom he writes, "'Brethren, 
pray for us. Pray for us.'" It's not always 
an easy task to engage in these sorts of things. So there's a 
thumbnail sketch of what it looks like to be a biblically qualified 
elder. So I said at the outset, there 
is a necessity here. We do not have the prerogative 
to change God's Word. We do not have the prerogative 
to say, but we need someone right now. No, we need biblically qualified 
men. We trust the Lord of the harvest 
to provide that which He demands. Secondly, there is a blessing 
attached to biblically qualified elders. When a man is seeking 
to function faithfully in this given task, there's a blessing 
to the church. When the pulpit ministry is faithful 
and the Word of God is being proclaimed and there's a sure 
guide helping you in terms of scripture and interpretation 
and application, there's a blessing there. Just like when you go 
to a restaurant and you eat a good meal, there's a blessing there, 
there's nourishment, there's sustenance, there's benefit, 
there's good for the soul-ness. And then a third observation 
is the ministry of Christ and biblically qualified elders. 
This morning we considered that text in Psalm 87 too. It says 
that the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings 
of Jacob. You see, God stationed elders, 
preachers in the church to proclaim the truth. Certainly fathers 
and mothers are to lead their little ones to the throne of 
grace. Certainly fathers and mothers are to pray with their 
little flocks and to encourage them to flee to Jesus and all 
those sorts of things. But it is the church that Christ 
has given specifically two gifts, elders and deacons, because it 
is primarily through the church that the gospel is proclaimed, 
that sinners are called to salvation, and saints are sanctified and 
built up and made more like their Holy Lord. Jesus Christ has provided 
what He decreed for the life and the context of the local 
church. May He indeed give us wisdom, give us grace, and give 
us obedience as we proceed in these days. Let us pray. Our 
Father, we thank you for your word and we thank you for our 
Lord Jesus. God, how we bless you that he's 
ascended on high, he sits enthroned at your right hand, and that 
he does give gifts to men, to the church and to men. We pray 
that you would raise up more elders, more deacons, not just 
in this church but throughout the world. We pray that you would 
indeed cause men to have graces and the gifts necessary to proclaim 
the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. We pray that 
the word would be proclaimed from sea to sea, and that our 
Christ would have dominion. We ask that you would go with 
us now, watch over your people, and we pray through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen.