Chapter 3, 1 Timothy 3, as we look at the qualifications for elders in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, specifically verses 1 to 7. I'll begin reading in chapter 3 at verse 1 and read the whole chapter, and then we'll look specifically at the verses 1 to 7. 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.

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 in their own house as 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, we thank you for the written word.

We thank you that it gives us all things necessary for life in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray now for the ministry of the Holy Spirit, that we would take seriously these qualifications, that we would seek to apply them in the context of our local church. We pray, God, that you would guide us and lead us and direct us as a church. And we pray, Father, that all of these things would be done for your glory, for your honor, for your praise, and Lord, with a view to planting other churches.

For God, we know that the harvest is plentiful, but laborers are few. So we pray that you'd raise up men that are qualified, as the scriptures declare, men with a burden for souls and a desire to proclaim your truth. And we would pray, God in heaven, that you would be pleased to to plant new churches, confessional churches, churches that make much of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Do forgive us now for our sins and our transgressions and grant us grace and help and strength and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen. Well,

Introduction and Outline

we're going to look at this particular section, the qualifications for elders under six particular considerations, or there are six categories that the man must have in order. The first is his desire for the eldership. Secondly, his personal holiness. Thirdly, his domestic faithfulness.

Fourthly, his experience in the faith. Sixth, the man's testimony toward outsiders. I'm sorry, that was five, the man's testimony toward outsiders, and then finally the man's ability to teach. But before we actually jump into the text, a word about terminology.

Elder, Overseer, and Pastor Defined

The New Testament uses the words elder, overseer, and pastor synonymously. They don't refer to separate or differing offices, but these three terms are applied to the one office that has as its primary responsibility teaching and preaching which in turn means oversight or leadership within the context of the church. So the office that Paul is describing in 1 Timothy 3, 1 to 7, he calls it a bishop. If you look over at chapter 5 in verse 17, he says, let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor.

Again, the terminology of the separate terms apply to the same office. You can see this as well in the book of Acts. You can turn there, Acts chapter 20, because I think at times there's some confusion about the various words that are used, perhaps suggesting that there are various offices. There are two abiding offices in the church, the elder and the deacon, and those things are described in 1 Timothy 3.

But if you notice, in Acts 20 at verse 17, It says, from Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. And then in verse 28, he says, therefore, take heed to yourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers or bishops. So the elders are bishops or overseers, and then the functional term describing how they labor in the word and in doctrine is then the word pastor. So shepherd the flock has made you overseers to shepherd or to pastor the church of God which he purchased with his own blood.

So the three terms, elder, overseer, and pastor, all refer to the same office.

First: Desire for the Eldership

So going back to 1 Timothy chapter three, let's look at these specific categories. First is desire for the eldership. His desire for the eldership. Notice in verse one, this is a faithful saying.

If a man desires the position of a bishop or overseer, he desires a good work. Now I know that word bishop connotes several abuses in the history of the church. We think of Roman Catholic bishops with their big hats and their ungodly authority and their tyranny and all that sort of thing. But bishop is a good word.

It simply means overseer. But the man must desire the office. We don't put unwilling men in. It's not a popularity contest.

It's not, you know, let's just vote and whoever gets the most votes has to serve whether they want to or not. No, he must desire it. It's a calling. It's a vocation.

It is something that God commands or demands of a man who enters into this that he enters into it willingly. Peter says the same thing in 1 Peter chapter 5. Willingness is part and parcel of a call to the ministry. But as we look at this desire, it's good for us to flesh it out in a little bit more detail.

I love Pastor Albert and Martin's sermon series on a call to the ministry. And he suggests four things that ought to play with reference to a man's call to the ministry. The first, he suggests, is

Four Marks of a Genuine Call

a desire born of right motives. And you see that here. It must be a desire born of right motives. It's not a desire born of wrong motives, bad motives.

The man wants to be a cult leader. He wants to build a kingdom. He wants to have, you know, his sort of sway over the minds of men. He wants to be a cult leader.

No, that's not good motivation. The desire must be born of right motives. Pastor Martin suggests, secondly, that there must be graces indicating genuine Christian experience. In other words, he not only has a desire, but he's a born-again man.

He's a Christian man. He has faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He exercises repentance by the grace of God. He is walking faithfully with his Lord, and he has those graces indicating genuine Christian experience.

Thirdly, we would suggest gifts indicating divine provision. In other words, the man has the ability to do what elders do. Without that ability, he is not fit for the ministry. He is not called to be an elder if he can't teach or preach the word.

As we look at the various categories of qualification, what Paul writes is nothing more than every Christian man ought to be. In other words, everything described in 1 Timothy 3, 1-7 is something that should be true of every Christian man in terms of his personal holiness, in terms of his domestic faithfulness, in terms of his testimony towards outsiders. The one thing that differentiates the elder is that these things are proven. They're demonstrable.

Persons have seen them. Persons have tested them. Persons have validated them to make sure they are in fact the case for this man. But another thing is the aptness to teach.

Verse 2. He must be able to teach. I always love to quote this Spurgeon quote because I think it's so fitting, with reference to gifts indicating divine provision. Spurgeon said, 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 in a measure at the first, it is not likely that it ever will be developed. Now, Spurgeon was pretty hardcore when it came to these particular things.

He used to be the man that would authorize whether or not a man would enter into the pastor's college. And he says at one point, this fellow came in and he had a jaw that clicked in such a way that for all the gold in Ophir, Spurgeon couldn't keep himself from laughing. And he suspected that none of the other persons that would hear this man preach would be able to stop from laughing either, so he suggested this man with the clicking jaw to go pursue another profession. There are several instances like that in his call to the ministry, but it highlights the point.

If God called a man to preach, That man will be endowed with a degree of speaking ability. Elsewhere in the essay, Spurgeon says to men with narrow chests, he says, that is why we have dumbbells in the basement of the college. You need to expand the chest so that you can draw in wind and preach the word of the living God. That is absolutely crucial.

Gifts indicating divine provision. A man may be everything Paul describes here in verses 1 to 7, but if the man cannot teach or preach, he shouldn't be an elder. That doesn't mean he's a bad guy. There's no sin in not being an elder.

There's no sin in not being a deacon. There's no sin in not being recognized by the church. It is perfectly acceptable to be a faithful churchman. It is perfectly acceptable to live your life as a godly man, serving the church without title, without recognition, without any sort of special things involved, but just to be a faithful brother.

There's no sin in not being an elder. And so when I highlight this aptness to teach, this necessity to be able to preach and open up the truth of scripture, that is not to say that persons who can't do that are somehow defective, or they're somehow inoperative, or they're somehow not as full a Christian. as an elder is. So, desire born of right motives, graces indicating genuine Christian experience, gifts indicating divine provision, and fourthly, opportunity indicating providential opening. Opportunity indicating providential opening.

Proverbs 18, 16 says that a man's gift makes room for him. The man does not make room for his gift. The man does not come the first time he visits the church, pull the elders aside and say, you really need to use me to teach a Bible study. You really need to have me come on Wednesday night or on Sunday morning.

Or you ought to give me the pulpit on a Lord's Day morning or evening. No, you don't make room for your gift, your gift makes room for you. And

The Church's Role in Confirming the Call

that brings us to a very necessary consideration, the place of the church in the process. You see, a man's calling to the ministry, this desire that he has, these other elements that are involved, is somewhat subjective. Just because a man wants to be an astronaut doesn't necessarily mean he'll be an astronaut. Just because a man wants to be a cowboy doesn't necessarily mean he should be a cowboy.

Just because a man desires the office of eldership doesn't mean he should necessarily be an elder. So the subjective desire that is manifested in the man must be checked by objective criteria. And this is where the church is most helpful. The church is absolutely requisite so that she can examine the qualifications of the man to make sure that the desire that he has is legitimate, that the desire that he has is right, that the desire that he has is consistent with all that Paul says.

Our confession 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. See, just because you desire it doesn't mean you should have it. The church must authorize. The church is crucial in the process.

Goes on to say, and 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 a deacon that he be chosen by the like suffrage and set apart by prayer and the like imposition of hands. Now the presence of these qualifications here in 1 Timothy 3 and then again in Titus chapter 1 argue as much. It is the church that is told that the man that she chooses for elders must be these kinds of men. So it's not just the subjective criteria that a man has a desire for the eldership.

Objectively, he must be checked by the Word of God and by the Church of Jesus Christ. It isn't the case that a desire alone means that a man will be an elder. It doesn't mean that a man who has a desire will necessarily be fit and qualified for service. Notice as well the church must test those men that are being considered.

Look at verse 8 in chapter 3. Likewise. The likewise points back to what has preceded. Elders must be, and then all of the virtues are given, the specific gift is treated, and then in verse 8 where it says, likewise, that means that likewise deacons must be.

The must be is supplied there. I think it is legitimately supplied because we are considering the qualifications for deacons. But notice in verse 10, let these also first be tested. So Paul is saying that the deacons need to be tested prior to entrance into the diaconal ministry.

But the also there indicates or intimates that elders are tested prior to entering into the eldership. Let these also, like the elders before them, first be tested. Once they are tested, once the church has approved of this desire, has seen his qualification, They are brought into that sphere of service in Christ's church. So the man's desire for the eldership must be present, but it must as well be checked by biblical objective qualifications imposed by or examined by the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

You see, the church is intimately involved in everything concerning ministry. It's intriguing as well. In Acts chapter 13, where does the Holy Spirit go when He wants missionaries? He goes to the church in Antioch.

He didn't go to some missionary society. He didn't go to some para-church ministry. He goes to the church of Jesus Christ and the Spirit says, give me Paul and Barnabas. Very mature, very gifted, very qualified men.

I think at times we undo this specific thing when we send unqualified men into difficult situations. Paul and Barnabas were the real deal. They had been converted for some time. They had exhibited faithfulness.

In many ways, we would say they were the best that the church had to offer there in Antioch. And so the Spirit comes and says, separate these men. I want them to go out and preach the gospel in other lands. You don't use the worst men to serve as missionaries or elders.

You seek by the grace of God qualified men that are what the Lord envisages for His church. So that's the desire for eldership.

Second: Personal Holiness

Notice secondly, the man's personal holiness. We're not going to spend a lot of time on each of these particulars, but just to get a feel for and an overview of what is involved in the man's personal holiness. Notice again, he must be. Verse 2, a bishop then must be.

Again, we could say every Christian man must be these things. Every Christian man should be faithful in these areas. Every Christian man should aspire to this level of godliness. But with reference to the elders, it's demonstrable.

It is obvious. It is evident. It has been tested. It has been seen.

It is something that is definitely true. So the man must be. This isn't suggestive. It would be nice if the elders would be these sorts of things.

No, they must be. In other words, we don't vote for a man or we don't raise the hand for a man if he's not these things. If he is not what Paul says to the church in Ephesus to Timothy, we are not to install a man. Notice

Blamelessness and Marital Fidelity

he must be blameless. This is the overarching or all-embracing qualification. 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 benefit to the church, that is a credit to the church. Again, it's not sinless perfection. It doesn't, you know, Paul doesn't say, you know, a bishop then must be perfect, because we'd have no bishops, we'd have no overseers, we'd have no elders in the church of Jesus Christ if the standard was perfection. We need to understand that.

On the one hand, we don't want to lower the qualifications and put unfit men in. But at the same time, brethren, we can't look for angelic beings. We can't look for heart-stroking, wing-having, floating men in our society that we will install into the eldership because they don't exist. So on the one hand, we don't want to lower the qualifications, but on the other hand, we don't want to prosecute them in such a way that no man is fit, no man is qualified, or no man could ever enter in. to the eldership.

It's not sinless perfection, rather it is a blamelessness. The man is a credit to the church. Notice the husband of one wife. Now, there are several options as to the interpretation here.

Some suggest that the elder must be married. In other words, you can't have unmarried or single men that are serving in gospel ministry. I don't think that's what it means. I certainly think it's beneficial for an elder to be married.

I think it's the typical, the norm. I think in this context, first century Judaism, I mean, piety was seen oftentimes in the fact that a man was married. I don't think it's necessary. In other words, you've got to get married before you can join the eldership.

I don't think that's what's in view at this particular point. The second option is the elder must only have had one wife for his entire life. In other words, if she dies, He can't remarry again if he wants to be an elder. I don't think the rest of the New Testament supports that view.

Option three, the text forbids polygamy. A man can't have a plurality of wives. Now certainly I don't believe a man should have a plurality of wives, and I think that the scriptures prohibit that, but I don't think that's what's in view in this particular instance. I think option four is right.

The elder is to be faithful in marriage and sexual matters. The language literally is, he is a one woman man. We might say he's faithful and true to one woman. In fact, look at 1 Timothy chapter 5 with reference to the one women or widows that are put on the list. 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 9, do not let a widow under 60 years old be taken into the number and not unless she has been the wife of one man.

I think that means her first husband died and she remarried, so therefore she can't get any assistance from the church. No, she's a one-man woman. In other words, she's faithful when it comes to sexual things. She's faithful with reference to her covenant of marriage.

The same is true here in 1 Timothy 3, 2, the husband of one wife, he must be demonstrably pure when it comes to his own marriage. He is not engaged in extracurricular activities. He's not looking at porn. He is not flirting with others.

He is not engaged in that sort of wickedness. No, he is the husband of one wife. I love that instance in the prophet Ezekiel when God is going to teach a lesson to Israel with reference to the destruction of their temple, and God uses Ezekiel's wife as the lesson. And God says to Ezekiel, son of man, I'm going to take away from you the desire of your eyes.

And his wife died. Interesting way that he would describe Ezekiel's wife. Now, typically, I have Ezekiel as an older man. I don't know why.

Well, actually, I do know why. Ezekiel is very dated, not him being ancient, the ancient one, but the date or the book. I mean, he gives the dates over and over again of what's happening and when it's happening. Even into his older age, there was one desire of his eyes.

He didn't have a retinue, he didn't have a stable, he didn't have a whole lot of different women. He had one desire of his eyes, and that's the kind of men that Paul says are to be in the gospel ministry. You see it with reference to politics. When the President of the United States cannot maintain sexual fidelity, how in the world could he possibly govern a nation?

When men are unable to operate within that most basic covenantal confine, why should we trust them for a moment to operate outside of that? If you cannot be faithful in that most basic commitment to the wife of your youth, then you are not going to be faithful when it comes to other matters. Sexually faithful men are necessary for the gospel ministry.

Temperance, Sobriety, and Good Behavior

Notice thirdly, he must be temperate. This can be used with reference to sobriety and the use of wine. Here it has to do with mental sobriety. The word denotes self-control, balanced judgment, and the avoidance of rash behavior.

He can't be a ready, fire, aim guy. Ready-fire aim guys typically don't make good elders. See, when you fire a gun, you aim first, and then you fire it. A ready-fire aim guy just shoots, and then he looks for where he's going to shoot it at.

No. You cannot be that kind of a man. There has to be a carefulness, there has to be a willingness to hear both sides, to hear five sides, and make judicious pronouncements on a particular situation. Temperance is necessary when it comes to gospel ministry.

Notice fourth, he must be sober-minded. Again, similar to temperate and has to do with self-control, especially as it relates to exercising good judgment, discretion, and common sense. You see what Paul is saying here? You don't want the sort of man in the office, in the church, that can't reason in a stable manner.

You don't want rash men. You don't want unchecked men. You don't want reckless men, because what they are seeking to do is to take care of the church of God. In other words, you want good men that are sober, that are temperate, those who use the heads that God gave them in order to comb through Scripture and make decisions upon things based on Scripture.

Notice fifth, he must engage in good behavior. In chapter 2, verse 9, the word there is translated modest. And this good behavior has the idea of respectableness, orderliness, and well-behaved. I can't believe it.

We want our elders to be well-behaved? Of course we want our elders to be well-behaved. Shouldn't all men be well-behaved? Shouldn't all Christian men be well-behaved?

I'm not saying, ladies, you don't have to be any of these things. We're just kind of focusing on the men tonight. We should be well-behaved. This is something absolutely crucial in the context and the conduct of the church.

Notice sixth, he must be hospitable. Again, every Christian is to be hospitable. It must be demonstrable in the case of elders. He must be hospitable.

He must be kind-hearted. He must show love to the brethren. He must demonstrate that kind of giving and that kind of preference for others. We're going to skip, he must be able to teach and make it its own category toward the end.

Wine, Violence, and Gentleness

Then notice seventhly, he must not be given to wine. Now the Bible doesn't forbid the use of wine. In fact, in this epistle, Paul is going to tell Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach. Persons come to that passage, and I think it's a bit of a conundrum.

What possible physical malady would wine be remedial for? I'm not sure. I don't know what gastrointestinal situation wine would be the answer for. I don't know what the medicinal value is in that particular instance, but certainly there, Paul advocates a use for medicine.

But as well, God gave wine. Augustine said it's proof he loves us. Or was that beer? I'm not sure.

Wine or beer? I think it was wine with reference to Augustine. Probably one of the reformers said beer. Alcohol's not condemned in the Bible.

Psalm 104 makes the face of man glad. It's the abuse of alcohol. It's the misuse of alcohol. It is drunkenness that is everywhere condemned.

And certainly, we don't want elders or deacons to be the kinds of men that are given to wine. He must not be preoccupied with it. He must not be overindulgent with it. The Bible doesn't forbid it.

The Bible doesn't prohibit it. But the Bible demands moderation. The Bible demands carefulness. The Bible demands precision when it comes to this particular issue.

Notice day eight, they must not be violent. The old King James had striker. That's a great way to describe it. He's not supposed to hit people.

Again, this is something I think should be self-evident. We don't want a pastor that smacks us if we get out of line. That's legit, isn't it? He mustn't be violent.

As I was thinking through this, I thought, we need to get a hidden camera and put it in Mike's car. Proof positive of where a man has violent tendencies is when he's driving, especially in Chilliwack. Can't do that to me. Don't put a hidden camera in my car.

You're not supposed to be a violent man, no striker, no giver of blows, not pugnacious, not one who is willing to use physical violence to coerce people in the life and ministry of the church. He must not be greedy for money. This is a textual variant. It's in the majority text in TR.

It's not in the UBS, but certainly it's everywhere in Scripture. He's not supposed to be greedy for money. Next, he must be gentle. So that tells us what he must not be, but he must also be gentle.

And again, gentle there shouldn't be misunderstood. I think we, you know, we think of Jesus' words, blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit, you know, the kingdom. And meekness is oftentimes understood as doormatness. A meek man never raises his voice.

A meek man never, ever elevates the tone of his voice. A meek man is what liberals are craving in our day and age. Somebody who just shuts up and never triggers anyone else. That's not what meekness is.

The same Jesus who said, blessed are the meek and the poor in spirit. That same Jesus flipped over tables when it came time to cleanse the temple. So meekness, I think a good description of it there is power under control. The same thing here with gentleness.

Gentleness doesn't mean effeminacy. Gentleness doesn't mean that he's a girl. Gentleness doesn't mean that he likes to, you know, carry purses and go antiquing. That's not what gentleness means.

Gentleness means gentle. He's not abusive. He's not coercive. He doesn't take captives within the context of the church.

He's a gentle man and he does what he does for the glory of God. Notice he must not be quarrelsome. He must not be quarrelsome. Turn over to 2 Timothy 2, 24 and 25 for a good illustration of this.

And if you're so inclined, I've got other verses sort of in my notes here. If you're interested in doing a bit more research and looking at some parallel passages, just email me and I will send you the notes so that you can trace out these various lines of thought in a more detailed basis. As I said, this is a bit of an overview. But notice the quarrelsome-ness in 2 Timothy 2.24, and a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient.

In humility, correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know the truth and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel, but be, there it is, gentle to all. I think pastors in our own day and age with social media need to exercise great caution. It's not just physically in person that a man can demonstrate a quarrelsome attitude, but his Facebook posts, the way he mixes it up online.

I mean, if he's obnoxious and pugnacious and a giver of blows on the internet, certainly that does not look well in terms of his overall fitness for gospel ministry. I'm not suggesting a pastor can't use social media. I'm not suggesting he can't mix it up in some, you know, comment section or blog comments or whatever it is he wants to do. but he cannot be a quarrelsome man. You know, there's guys I've seen or witnessed on the internet, and they just go from blog to blog and Facebook post to Facebook post, and they're just obnoxious.

Now, I'm so foolish and naive to think that if they're that obnoxious online, well, then they might just be that obnoxious in person. Though I know there's a bit of, you know, courage that sitting behind an internet keyboard seems to instill in men. They may not say in person what they'll say through the keyboard, but it does reveal or demonstrate something of a quarrelsome heart when that seems to be their M.O. And then finally, he must not be covetous.

Covetous. False teachers are in it for the money. Notice in 1 Timothy chapter 6 at verse 5. useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.

You see, in the context of the first century, it was not uncommon to pay with reference to teaching. Philosophers got paid, men who taught got paid. The same thing was carried into the church. That's why Paul says in 1 Timothy 5.17, Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of what?

Double honor. The honor there isn't, oh right, reverend sir. The honor there is do-re-mi. It is money.

And we know that because you honor widows who are widows indeed. That doesn't mean you give them the best parking spot. It means you give them a check. to keep them eating because their husbands are dead and they have been faithful in the life and the context of the church. So the same word is used, honor those elders who rule well with double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.

So there was money to be made so to speak, in religion. And an ungodly man would see that godliness is a means, I'm sorry, would see that this is a means of gain. And then notice in 1 Peter chapter 5, 1 Peter chapter 5, same idea. 1 Peter 5, 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, shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion, but willingly, not for dishonest, what? but eagerly. You see, there were men that were attracted to the church in order to make a buck.

And so Paul tells Timothy that elders aspiring for eldership are not to be men who are looking to make a buck. Now, that doesn't mean we let them starve. That doesn't mean they live in huts. That doesn't mean we treat them like they're, you know, just John Deere tractors and we just make them work and we never give them any.

No. But at the same time, we discourage men who are looking for a place where they can make money. So in summary, we ought to say that the elders should avoid glory, girls, gold, and gab. And by girls, I don't mean his wife and his daughters.

I mean other girls. George Knight summarizes, 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.

Third: Domestic Faithfulness

We've seen his desire for eldership. Secondly, his personal holiness. Note third is domestic faithfulness, verses 4 and 5. Verse 4, it says, one who rules his own house well, not that he rules it, but he rules it well.

Now, I believe that a lazy man should never be an elder. I believe that a slothful man should never be an elder. I believe that many men occupy the office that are not worthy of occupying the office. Having said that, a man who works himself to the bone and dies prematurely isn't necessarily the wisest man either. and also a man who works for the church to the neglect of his family has disqualified himself from working for the church.

You get that? He must rule his own house well. Not just rule it, but it must be well. In order to rule a house well, the man must be invested in his family.

He must be there for them. He must interrelate with them. If he's always out fixing the kingdom to the neglect of his castle, he is not fit to go out and fix the kingdom. It's an amazing thing that men will neglect their wives and children for the ministry.

In my estimation, if a man is neglecting his wife and children, he should have no business in the ministry whatsoever. Get out, because you're unqualified, you're disqualified, you're not doing what God has said you need to be doing. He must rule his own house well. And this argument is an argument from the lesser to the greater.

If he doesn't know how to rule his own house well, how's he going to take care of the Church of God? If he can't do the smaller thing, we certainly don't want to entrust him with the larger thing. If he messes up his wife and his kids, why would we want him to mess up our wives and our kids? Did you ever follow the logic?

I mean, that's what Paul says. Verse 4, one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence. 4, here's the argument. If a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God? Two different words there.

Elders aren't rulers in the church of God. Elders are stewards. Elders are takers care of. It's not magisterial.

It's ministerial. It's not lordly. It's workers with you for your joy. It's not exercising dominion.

It's not cult leader. It is what I've suggested, a worker with you for your joy. Two different words are used. If a man does not know how to rule his own house well, How will he take care of the Church of God?

How will he steward? How will he facilitate? How will he administrate? How will he engage in that ministerial function with reference to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ if he doesn't rule his own household well?

That means he properly relates to his wife. He is a one-woman man. She's the woman for him, and he relates well to her. He loves her.

She is indeed the desire of his eyes. He wants to be with her. With reference to his children, some have taught that his children need to be born again. And some have suggested that if a man does not have converted children, then the man is not supposed to be in the eldership.

Titus 1.6 tells us that he has faithful children, not accused of dissipation or insubordination. The NIV translates, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Now you can see where that translation would lend credence to the idea that a man's children must be converted. I don't think that is legit.

I think the idea is that his children are under control. As long as they are under his roof, they are under his control. They're not mismanaged, they're not unmanageable. Now that doesn't mean they wear halos.

It doesn't mean they glide. It doesn't mean they strum harps. It doesn't mean they're absolute perfection. But it means they're under control.

He disciplines them. He cares for them. He loves them. He throws the ball with them.

He tends to them in such a way that they are the sorts of children that are described herein. One who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence. It doesn't demand that they are converted. I don't even think that Titus 1.6 demands that they are converted, having faithful children, not accused of dissipation or insubordination.

In fact, we might say the latter half qualifies or explains what a faithful child looks like. He is not accused of dissipation. He is not accused of insubordination. Again, George Knight says, what must not characterize the children of an elder is immorality and undisciplined rebelliousness.

Notice that, undisciplined rebelliousness. Heard men say before, well, my son has done this or my child has done this. Well, are you working on it? Are you disciplined?

Yeah. Praise God, that's what you're supposed to do. The text does not demand perfection on the part of your children. It demands faithfulness on your part to discipline them and seek to bring them to that place of submission.

He goes on to say, 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 an elder. So you get the idea, personal holiness, domestic faithfulness. He must rule his own household well.

His wife is well-adjusted. His children are not, you know, the worst, running around unchecked, undisciplined. No, the elder functions properly in his home.

Fourth: Experience in the Faith

Notice, fourthly, the man's experience in the faith. Verse 6, not a novice. lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Not a novice, not one newly planted, not a new convert, not a neophyte. Now we need to be careful as we tread here because Paul does not set a mandatory age length with reference to being a Christian.

A new convert in Ephesus would have looked different than a new convert in Crete. See, in Crete, Titus chapter 1, there is no qualifications given for deacons. It's only for elders. And I believe the reason for that is because the church in Ephesus, where Timothy was, was a more mature church.

It had been around for a while. They had need for elders and deacons. But Paul sets Titus in Crete to set things in order by appointing elders. Now brethren, if you do the math with reference to the book of Acts, and you look at the historical situation, those converted on Crete had not been 10, 15, 20 years as a Christian.

They were newly converted, with reference, or had they been, in Ephesus. In the first missionary journey, in Acts chapter 14, it's intriguing. Paul and Barnabas go out, they go to the various places on the map, and then they return the same way, visiting the churches, strengthening the brethren, and appointing elders in every church. Now the time just wasn't there for those men to have been Christians for 10, 15, 20, 30 years.

So we need to operate with wisdom when it comes to this whole idea of being a neophyte. What is in view is spiritual maturity. 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 chapter 1. All Paul has to deal with, with reference to Titus and the people in Crete, are relatively new converts. So Paul says, nevertheless, they must be these kinds of men, Titus 1, 5 to 9, and when they are these kinds of men, install them into the eldership. So there's no particular age requirement in terms of, well, he's only been saved for five years or ten years.

No, it's spiritual maturity that is in view.

Fifth: Testimony Among Outsiders

Notice in the fifth place, the man's 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. Now, this good testimony among those who are outside. I don't think that Paul means he has to be at every civic event.

You know, there's a parade downtown, so he needs to have a truck with a float, and, you know, I'm the pastor from so-and-so. In fact, I would suggest that's exactly what Paul wouldn't want you to do. I'm pastor whoever from wherever. No, no, no, don't do that.

This good testimony with those who are outside. It might be as basic as cut your grass. Clean your yard. Pay your taxes.

Adorn the gospel you preach. Don't be the one guy on your street whose house looks like it should be condemned. Maintain a good testimony with those who are outside. You know, does Fortis or Hydro dread the day that they ever send you a bill because it's not going to get there on time?

Are they constantly having to send guys out to cut you off? That's not a good witness. You know why I think Christianity was ultimately recognized by the Roman Empire? Because somewhere high up said, you know, these people are decent human beings.

They pay their taxes, they cut their lawns, and they clean their houses. We like that. That's a good contribution to the empire. Let's sanction them.

You gotta have a good testimony with those on the outside. Now, I think a qualification is in order here because beware if all men everywhere speak well of a church elder. Now, they shouldn't speak evil of him because, you know, this, that, and the other, but brethren, if all men everywhere think that every elder is the greatest guy on the face of the earth, then I would wonder if he's preaching the offense of the cross. Because typically men don't like that, do they?

They don't like to hear they are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. They don't like to hear that they are those engaged in total depravity and total inability. That doesn't win friends and influence enemies. That's just not a popular thing.

So if a man is loved by everybody on the outside, arguably he's not doing his job. Again, don't go out and offend for the purpose of having people hate you. You know, don't go out and carry a sign that says whatever it may say, just to necessarily make people angry at you. But this idea of a good testimony toward those on the outside, among those who are outside, doesn't necessarily mean you're everybody's best friend, because if you are, you're probably not preaching the offense of the cross.

Sixth: Aptness to Teach

And then finally, if you look at all these particular things, they all have to do with character, don't they? They're all virtues. They're all sort of good aspects or facets of a man's life. There's one gift in 1 Timothy 3, 1 to 7, and it's the ability to teach.

Verse 2. That's what separates the man. That's what differentiates the man. That's what, along with all of these graces, qualifies the man to be an elder.

Notice that the deacons are described in roughly the same way in terms of character, in terms of fruit, in terms of virtue, in terms of grace. They as well need, according to verse 9, they need to hold the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. That means they need to be doctrinally sound men that are deacons in the church. But nowhere in verses 8 to 13 is the deacon told that he must be apt to teach.

This is uniquely the elder's role. This is what bishoping, overseeing, and eldering and pastoring has to do with. The whole of it is, is preaching and teaching the word. In other words, how do pastors govern the church?

How do pastors steward the church? How do pastors take care of the church? It's not the wielding of some cult acceptor, it's the preaching of the word. That's how shepherding is done.

It's not through coercion, it's not through manipulation, it's not through running roughshod over persons, but rather it is to teach them what the truth of God says, and then the Spirit of God takes that truth and moves them in the proper direction. It's a beautiful thing. It's a beautiful, wonderful thing. So the elder must be able to teach.

Teaching as the Governing Gift

Now, when we look at this particular section, we see that, as I've said, it describes the character. This describes his gift. The gift of teaching differentiates the elder from the deacon. And then as well, the gift of teaching or preaching is consistent with the emphasis on sound doctrine throughout what's called the pastoral epistles.

Pastoral epistles are 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus. They're called pastoral epistles because Paul wrote them to pastors. And you know Paul's emphasis throughout 1st, 2nd Timothy and Titus? It's on sound doctrine.

It's on the truth. It's on teaching. It's on preaching. There are several, several places that we can see this.

In fact, it does bear a quick survey. Notice in 1st Timothy chapter 4, verses 6 and 7. First Timothy chapter 4, verses 6 and 7. If you instruct the brethren, or by instructing the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of good doctrine, which you have carefully followed.

But reject profane and old wise fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. So the minister himself is to be nourished in the words of faith and of good doctrine. Notice in 4, 13, and 14. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership." Brethren, verse 13 refers to public worship. This isn't Timothy's personal reading habits. This isn't his own devotional life. Verse 13 has to do with public worship.

Till I come, give attention to reading. That's the public reading of Scripture. Why have we read Hosea 5 tonight, Mark 16, in the morning? Because that's what the church does.

She reads Scripture. Do you realize that in Paul's day, when he wrote this, they didn't have these beautiful Cambridge Bibles? You know where persons came into contact with the Word of God? It was in church on the Lord's day.

It was through the reading and the preaching of Scripture. That's why the emphasis is upon the reading and the preaching of Scripture. So, verse 13 is with reference to public worship, "'Til I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.'" Notice in 1 Timothy 5.17, I've already referred to this, "'Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and..." What? Doctrine.

Notice in 6.2. And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are sanctified, those who are benefited are believers and beloved. Teach and exhort these things. 617, command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God. You see what Paul tells Timothy?

You gotta teach people. You gotta instruct them. That's what elders are supposed to be able to do. That's what elders are supposed to exist for in the context of the church.

Notice in 2 Timothy 1.13, hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. Notice in 2 Timothy 2.15. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Now, I understand that in some denominational settings or in some sort of preaching settings, the sign of nobility in the minister is that he gets his text on the way to the pulpit. I could think of nothing more foolish than such a thing. Now, I'm not suggesting that if a minister is gripped with something and God seems to overwhelmingly come upon him in terms of providence that, you know, maybe you should preach this. I don't think God actually says that, but, you know, maybe 10 atheists show up.

So he shelves his study on, you know, wives. You know, know how to bake a cake. I don't think that's what we should be teaching on anyway. But he thinks, hey, I'm going to go ahead and preach the gospel.

There might be a change or there might be a time for a minister to change it up because of, you know, circumstances or something that comes up. But as a matter of course for a man not to know what he's going to preach on, well, it may have sort of some mystical element of piosity. Paul says, you need to be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. In other words, you need to cut a straight path in the word, be prepared to speak the word in order to edify people with the word.

It isn't pious to just sort of wake up on a Sunday and hope the Lord gives you a text. Just had to get that B out of my bonnet. And then notice, 2 Timothy 2, what we already read, 224 and 25, it is by means of teaching that you correct those who are in opposition. Of course, the text in 2 Timothy 3.16, all scripture is given by inspiration of God, profitable for doctrine, reproof for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

And then, of course, 4, 1 and 2. Preach the word, be ready in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. It's just amazing to me that the church, at least in our generation, has somehow forgotten this. Why do pastors exist today?

Well, they're CEOs, they manage groups, they manage ministries, they manage the parts in the church. They should be managing their time so they're effectively preparing to preach the word of God to God's people. That's what managing that a pastor should be engaged in. It's not managing the various structures and the various ministries and, you know, conducting himself as a Fortune 500.

No. Preach the word, Timothy. Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching.

This is what you're supposed to do. This apneas to teach in 3.2 is not a suggestion for an elder that may go above and beyond. It is absolutely necessary. That doesn't mean every elder will be a Spurgeon preaching week in and week out.

It doesn't mean every elder is going to be as competent as John Calvin, but it means every elder has the ability to open his Bible and to teach and preach when necessary. Some are gifted to do it in a public setting week in, week out. All must be gifted to be able to do it in a private setting when persons ask questions of conscience or they ask questions concerning Scripture. That is absolutely required for gospel ministry.

You see it in Titus 1 as well. Notice in Titus 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. John Calvin says with reference to holding fast the word of God, 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 note the twofold thing that the elder must do with the Word. By sound doctrine, the end of verse 9, both to exhort, I take that to mean exhort those in the church who are for the doctrine that you are exhorting on. In other words, exhort those who are with you. Exhort those who comply.

Exhort those who are being edified and sanctified by the Spirit through the Word. It's that next aspect that's a little bit more difficult, and convict those who contradict. In other words, the minister must not only be able to teach the Word in such a way as to feed the flock, to help the sheep, to guide them, direct them, and lead them, but he must also be able to convict those who contradict. John Calvin explains it this way, 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 a great description of that twofold thing there in Titus 1.9.

Application

Well, there's our exposition, just a couple of thoughts and then we'll close. in the first place, the necessity of the qualifications. The church must know these things and the church must apply these things. Turn to Revelation chapter 2 for just a moment, just to see a bit of a success story. I think Ephesus gets a bum rap.

Now, it's certainly not good that they were condemned for leaving their first love. I'm not suggesting that, you know, that's a good thing. But I think we forget the commendation by Christ to the church at Ephesus. Now Ephesus is where Timothy was when Paul wrote to him, 1 Timothy.

Notice in Revelation 2.1, to the angel of the church of Ephesus write, these things says he who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands. I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have, notice, tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars. Now, he's going to go on in verse 4 to say, nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

I don't think that means they were apostate. I don't think it means that they had abandoned Jesus altogether. I personally think it means that the church probably met up with some difficulties, some trials and some hardships, and while the church was battling those difficulties and trials and hardships, the love for Jesus waned a bit. So Jesus, in his kindness, tells them, nevertheless, I have this against you.

And it's spoken by him to them to stir them up to this particular thing. But that is very commendatory. You have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, but you have found them to be liars. The church needs to take seriously the qualification for the eldership, and she needs to apply that in her own context.

Secondly, I would suggest that any man who aspires to the office of elder, vis-a-vis the man described in 1 Timothy 3, 1 to 7, must first prove himself in churchmanship. In other words, if a man hasn't been a faithful church member, why in the world would we be inclined to think he's going to be a faithful church elder? Does that make sense? You're not a faithful churchman.

You're not gonna be considered for eldership. That's just the way it goes. The man should maintain a consistent devotional life, both private and family. The man should faithfully attend the public means of grace.

I mean, come on, is that asking a lot? Well, we expect our elders to show up at church. How dare you? How dare you?

I can hear it now. I'm taking you to court. What, because we think you should show up to church if you're going to want a pastor in that church? You should be a member of the church.

You should support its ministry. You should pray for it. You should encourage. You should be faithful.

The man should love and serve the brethren. It's part and parcel of pastoral ministry. That's what eldership is all about. That doesn't mean he fawns over everybody all the time and he brings them coffee and flowers at their workplace.

It can't mean that. but it means he loves and he serves the brethren. Brethren, that is something elders do. The man should be faithful in little things before we give him responsibility with big things. Now, I sometimes see my notes, you know, when I revise them, I see what I used as illustrations then and, you know, it kind of indicates where I was at in my own life at that particular time.

At that particular time, I happened to know that Ronnie Coleman was the eight-time Mr. Olympia. These guys, you know, they got muscles on top of muscles. And I remember hearing Ronnie Coleman say something once that really intrigued me, and I think there's a spiritual application here.

He says, everybody wants to be a Mr. Olympia, but he says, nobody wants to lift any heavy weights. In other words, you're not going to become Mr. Olympia unless you lift heavy weights.

My observation in the church, there are men who want to preach in pulpits. They ain't going to show up at the old folks' home on a Monday night. They want to preach in pulpits, but they're not going to plunge a toilet if it starts to overflow. They want to preach in pulpits, but they're not going to clean up vomit if a kid loses it during the service.

They want to preach in pulpits, but they're not going to show up at the church work day. They want to preach in pulpits, but they're not going to cut the grass at the church. They want the greater without showing faithfulness in the smaller. Now brethren, I don't think it's rocket science, and I don't think I'm applying anything too severely or too harshly, but he who is faithful in little is faithful in much.

If a man is not faithful in little, he can't show up consistently on time to church services, why in the world would we ask him to preach in a church service? It makes no sense to me. So, ecclesiastically, if a man is not a good church man, he ought not to be considered for the eldership. If he is not faithful in the little things, he certainly ought not to be given charge in the greater things.

And, of course, the man who aspires to church office must be recognized by the church. In terms of teaching and preaching, in terms of doctrinal understanding, this is a blessing of being a confessional church. We have 32 chapters in that little compendium of the Christian faith of those things most surely believed among us. It is a useful proven guide on how we can scrutinize men who aspire to Christian ministry to make sure that they are doctrinally sound, to make sure that they are within the parameters of historic Christian orthodoxy.

A man must know his Bible, a man must know sound theology, or a man ought never, ever to go into a Christian pulpit because it is that important. It is that necessary. Paul would not say he needs to be able to teach if it wasn't absolutely requisite. So those are the kinds of men that we ought to be searching after Those are the kinds of men that this church must pursue.

Those are the kinds of men that ought to be recognized and put forward into gospel ministry. Well, let us close in a word of prayer.

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank you for your word and its clarity on these issues, and I pray that you'd give us wisdom as we proceed. Give us grace, Almighty God, to make faithful, wise, and good decisions, and give us grace to operate always in the strict confines of written revelation. May we not depart and may we never devolve to the place of a popularity contest or a man's proven success in another area of this world. But God, may we indeed take it seriously and apply it and live accordingly in the life and the context of the Free Grace Baptist Church.

We do pray for this church plant in Surrey. We do long to see it staffed and fitted with qualified men. We just pray, God, that it would be a work blessed of God And in particular, we pray for our brother Mike, that you would cause him to see the seriousness and the solemnity with which he is to pursue this. I pray that you would give him grace to strive to be all that Paul says in this passage of Scripture.

Go with us now, watch over us in this coming week, and help us to live for your glory and for your honor. And we pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. We'll close with a brief time of meditation and then be dismissed.

Scripture References

• Proverbs 18:16
• Psalm 104
• Hosea 5
• Ezekiel 24:16
• Mark 16
• Acts 13; 14; 20:17; 20:28
• 1 Timothy 3:1-13; 4:6-7; 4:13-14; 5:9; 5:17; 6:2; 6:5; 6:17
• 2 Timothy 1:13; 2:15; 2:24-25; 3:16; 4:1-2
• Titus 1:5-9
• 1 Peter 5:1-2
• Revelation 2:1-4