← Back to sermon library

Well, you can turn with me in 
your Bibles to 1st Timothy chapter 3, 1st Peter chapter, I'm sorry, 
1st Timothy chapter 3. I'll read the chapter and then 
our focus will be on verses one to seven. So 1 Timothy 3, beginning 
in verse one. 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 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. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
again, thank you for your written word and give us grace now and 
help as we study this list of qualifications for elders. We 
pray for the ministry and the aid of the Holy Spirit to illumine 
our minds and hearts and give us this consciousness as a church, 
as a corporate body concerning these things. We know it's not 
a popularity contest who serves in the eldership. It's not just 
a matter of who's accomplished things well in the world, but 
a man must be what the Apostle Paul says in this passage. So 
give us grace, give us wisdom, give us help, and God guide us 
according to your will. And we pray through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. Well, as we consider this 
particular list of qualifications, I wanna make us mindful that 
this is not a suggestion. This is not simply a recommendation 
on the part of the Apostle Paul. A man must be this in order to 
serve in the eldership at a local church. Now, this is very particular 
and relevant to us. We all know certainly about Ryan 
Maljars. He has been studying for the 
gospel ministry. He has been preaching at the 
church plant in Vernon, and they're certainly keen on receiving him 
there. Well, we as a church, an already sort of constituted 
church, need to make sure that he is fit and ready. And so these 
qualifications are given in order to guide us in that particular 
path. I can say of a truth, I think 
I speak as well for Steve Lawson, our deacon, that from the beginning 
of our time in this church, we always wanted to see churches 
planted. We wanted to be participating 
in the work of identifying men, sending them out to see other 
churches, holding to confessional Reformed Baptist theology, planting 
churches that reflect the theology of the Second London Confession, 
which we believe reflects the theology of the Bible. For various 
reasons, that didn't happen for several years, and then by God's 
grace, the opportunity presented itself with reference to Surrey. 
Presently, we not only have Vernon, but we have a group in Northern 
Ontario that is interested in perhaps soliciting us for formal 
help in assisting them to plant a confessional Reformed Baptist 
Church. Recently, a young man and his wife, I've interviewed 
them, he wants to move here. He wants to serve as an apprentice 
to some degree, to be recognized in the context of a solid church, 
which is very commendable. The fellow understands that gospel 
ministry isn't just getting your MDiv and then putting out your 
application and hoping you get a job. No, he sees the importance 
of a local church context, wherein he's able to minister, wherein 
he's able to develop his gifts, and wherein he is recognized 
as a fit and qualified elder, according to 1 Timothy chapter 
3. So God willing, in the coming days and months and years, we'll 
have opportunity to assist other churches in either A, identifying 
elders, or B, getting planted as confessional churches. And 
so this list of qualifications isn't ethereal. It's not theoretic. It's not simply out there. It's 
something we should be thinking about in terms, first and foremost, 
of Ryan, and then secondarily, these other opportunities that 
have presented themselves. So as we look at this list of 
qualification of elders, I want to notice several things. And 
I don't think we're going to do it all tonight, but with reference 
to the qualifications for eldership, in the first place, we'll notice 
the man's desire for eldership in verse one. Secondly, the man's 
personal holiness in verses 2 and 3. Third, the man's domestic 
faithfulness in verses 4 and 5. Fourth, the man's experience 
in the faith, verse 6. And then the man's testimony 
toward outsiders in verse 7. And then we'll finish it by looking 
at the man's ability to teach. While that particular gift is 
given in verse 2, we'll treat it last as we summarize all that 
had gone before it. Now, with reference to the office 
of elder, the New Testament has three Greek words that applies 
to the same office. Those words are presbyter, episkopos, 
and pastor. So you have elder, overseer, 
pastor. Three terms. that apply to the 
same office. And I want to show you that in 
several texts so that we know what we're dealing with. Look 
at Acts chapter 20 for just a moment. Acts chapter 20, just to see 
these three terms applied to the one office in the church 
that has as its primary emphasis teaching and then ruling or leading. The deacons are another office, 
so there's two abiding offices in the church. No more apostles, 
no more prophets. We have elders and deacons as 
officers in Christ's churches. We don't have superintendents. 
If you read the Bible correctly, there's no youth pastors. You 
don't even see a gradation among pastors. The senior, the lead, 
the really awesome one, that's just vacant from the pages of 
the New Testament. You have two offices, the elders 
and the deacons. The deacons are given primarily 
to service in the church. I think John Gill gives the best 
quick definition of what the deacon's responsibility is. They 
are to serve the table of the poor, they are to serve the table 
of the Lord, and they are to serve the table of the minister. 
In other words, they take care of all those things that would 
otherwise detain the pastor or the preacher from prayer and 
the ministry of the word. In Acts chapter six, there was 
a division among the distribution of food. And so the apostle said, 
select seven men from among you, men who have the spirit, men 
who have wisdom, and they will function in this capacity to 
distribute food to the widows so that we can continue to devote 
ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. So the 
deacons take care of all of that other stuff. Not that it's unimportant. 
It is important to feed widows. It is important to engage in 
a ministry of mercy. It is important to serve the 
table of the Lord. It's important to look after 
the pastor, the preaching minister, or elders within the context 
of the church. But with reference to eldership, 
the thing that distinguishes the elder from the deacon is 
that brief statement, he must be apt to teach. So in terms 
of the eldership, the primary emphasis is teaching and then 
ruling or leading. And when I say ruling or leading, 
I don't mean as a tyrant, I don't mean as a premier in Canada, 
I don't mean as a president in America, I mean in a manner that 
is consistent with our Lord's servant leadership. Jesus points 
to the Gentiles and says, do you see how they function? It's 
not supposed to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be first 
in the kingdom must be last. Whoever wants to be greatest 
in the kingdom must be least of all. So it is servant leadership. It is ministerial. It is not 
tyrannical. It is not despotism. And it is 
always through the word of the living and true God. So back 
to Acts chapter 20. Notice in Acts 20 at verse 17. From Miletus, he, Paul, sent 
to Ephesus, and called for the elders of the church. So he addresses 
the elders of the church, right? It's a pastor's conference, the 
first pastor's conference in the New Covenant era. Now notice 
in verse 28, he gives them a particular admonition. Therefore take heed 
to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit 
has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased 
with his own blood. So the elders that are identified 
in verse 17 are also called overseers or episkopoi, episkopos, and 
they are told to shepherd or poimen the church of God. So the elders are overseers who 
pastor one office, three terms to describe that one office. Turn back to 1 Timothy 3. 1 Timothy 
chapter 3, verse 1. This is a faithful saying, if 
a man desires the position of a bishop or overseer or an episkopos, 
if a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good 
work. A bishop then must be. He gives 
the list of qualifications to which we will return presently, 
but notice over in chapter 5 at verse 17. He gives specific instructions 
on how to deal with the elders in the church. These are the 
bishops. These are the overseer slash 
elder slash pastor. The one office that has as its 
primary focus teaching and then ruling or leading. Notice in 
1 Timothy 5.17, let the elders who rule well, Remember in the 
list of qualifications with reference to the eldership or the bishop 
that you see in 1 Timothy 3, they are to rule in the church, 
they are to lead in the church, they are to govern in the church. 
We know that elders here doesn't simply mean old men. It doesn't 
mean that because he's not suggesting that old men, in the context 
of the church, if they do old men well, then give them double 
honor. In the context, double honor 
refers to payment. It refers to financial remuneration. A man that preaches the gospel, 
a man that has set apart for that particular task or work 
is to be fed by the church. He is to receive money that enables 
him to do that particular task. And specifically, if he does 
it well, he is worthy of double honor. We know that's what honor 
means in the context from verse three. Notice, honor widows who 
are really widows. That doesn't simply mean when 
an old widow walks into the room, we all stand at attention and 
give her a salute. That's not what honor means. 
It means to make sure she doesn't starve to death. It means to 
make sure she has food. It means to make sure that she 
has money to buy shoes and that sort of thing. So honor in 1 
Timothy 5 at verse 3 and 1 Timothy 5 at verse 17 means to pay these 
people, to support them. But anyways, you've got the bishop, 
and then you've got this list of qualifications, and then you 
have an admonition to let the elders who rule well be counted 
worthy of double honor. Notice in verse 19, not only 
are elders who rule well worthy of payment, but they're also 
worthy of protection. Do not receive an accusation 
against an elder except from two or three witnesses. Why does 
he say that? Because elders, like everybody 
else in the church, is governed by due process, governed by law. It should not be the case that 
one person makes a reckless charge against a faithful elder and 
then that man is defrocked. No, due process obtains in that 
instance. There ought to be witnesses for 
the protection of the elder and for the one making the particular 
charge. Notice in verse 20, those who 
are sinning rebuke in the presence of all that the rest also may 
fear. And then drop down to verse 22, 
do not lay hands on anyone hastily nor share in other people's sins. Keep yourself pure. We'll investigate 
that in a bit more detail when we see that the man considered 
for eldership must not be a novice, he must not be a neophyte or 
a new convert. Now turn over to Titus, Titus 
chapter 1. Again, just to see the synonymous 
use of these various terms to the one office that has as its 
primary emphasis teaching and then ruling or leading. Titus 
1, 5-9, for this reason I left you in Crete, that you should 
set in order the things that are lacking and appoint elders 
in every city as I command you. Now you should notice here that 
elders are essential for the well-being of the church. They're 
not essential for the being of the church. There was a situation 
among the churches on the island of Crete, wherein they were already 
established, they were already formalized, they were already 
engaged in gospel ministry, but they yet did not have elders. That's why Paul says to Titus, 
appoint elders in every city as I command you. Notice in verse 
six, if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful 
children, not accused of dissipation or insubordination, For a bishop 
must be blameless as a steward of God. You see the synonymous 
use or the interchangeable use of these terms that refer to 
the same office. Appoint elders, why? For a bishop 
must be this sort of a fellow. And then one final passage is 
1 Peter 5. 1 Peter 5. You can notice what Peter says 
in verse one. 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. That's 
the word we use as pastor. Pastor the flock of God, which 
is among you, serving as what? Serving as overseers. So those 
three terms, Again, apply to the one office that focuses on 
teaching and ruling or leading. So the elders are to shepherd 
the flock, serving as overseers, not by compulsion, but willingly. So going back to 1 Timothy chapter 
3, we have three terms referring to one office. Those terms are 
elder or overseer or pastor. So if I say any of those three 
terms in light of these particular qualifications, I'm talking about 
the same office. So let's look first at the man's 
desire for eldership. And with reference to context, 
notice that it's men that are to function as elders and deacons. Paul makes a strong prohibition 
against women functioning as elders and deacons in 1 Timothy 
2 at verse 11. Notice, let a woman learn in 
silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to 
teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. opponents to this application 
of this text say, well, there were problems in Ephesus. You 
had some really pushy and obnoxious women, so of course the Apostle 
Paul wants to put that down. But that's not how the Apostle 
Paul argues. He doesn't argue based on cultural 
problems. He doesn't argue based on Ephesus. He argues based on creation and 
the fall. Notice the rationale for the 
prohibition. Back to 2.12, I do not permit 
a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then 
Eve. God has an order that he has 
built in to his cosmos. God has an order that he has 
built in to his creation. He has order with reference to 
the home. He has order with reference to 
the church. In the home, Ephesians 5. 1 Corinthians 11 is more churchly 
in nature, but you have Ephesians 5, Colossians 3, 1 Peter chapter 
3 as well indicate that God doesn't say, let your homes be a free 
for all. Women do whatever it is you want, 
men do whatever it is you want. Just be hippies. That's not what 
he says. There is regulation for the conduct 
of persons and it's based on creation. For the husband is 
the head of the wife. He points us back to the creation 
account in Ephesians 5 to ground what he argues in creation. He does that here in a churchly 
context wherein he prohibits women from assuming a teaching 
role in the context of the church. 4, verse 13, Adam was formed 
first, then Eve, and Adam was not deceived, but the woman being 
deceived fell into transgression. Paul is not saying that every 
man is smarter than every woman. Paul is not saying that every 
woman is dumb. That is not the nature of the 
apostle's argument. The apostle is highlighting that 
in God's created order, men are to lead in the home and men are 
to lead in the church. And he argues this based on creation 
and fall. So with reference to this list 
of qualifications, Paul says it's not just any old man that 
wants to be an elder. In other words, he has prohibited 
women from functioning as elders. So does that mean every single 
man in the church should be an elder? No, there's a list of 
qualifications given for those who will serve or function in 
the capacity of eldership. Now, as we read through these 
qualifications, many of which are virtues, we should understand 
this is what every Christian man ought to be. This is what 
every Christian man ought to aspire after. This is what every 
Christian woman should want to be and aspire after. But with 
reference to this list of qualifications, they must be demonstrable. They must be proven in a man 
or men that we are examining for the eldership. Again, all 
of the virtues are something that you and I should be after, 
no matter our status or our sex, in the context of the local church. 
The distinguishing mark, of course, is aptness to teach. But every 
man should pursue what we have here, but that doesn't necessarily 
mean every man will function as an elder in the context of 
Christ's church. So let's look at verse 1. Notice 
what the apostle says. This is a faithful saying. He 
does this throughout 1st and 2nd Timothy. There is a series 
of faithful sayings. And with reference to this faithful 
saying, he says, if a man desires the position of a bishop, he 
desires a good work. In other words, you don't just 
make men serve as officers in the church. You don't just say, 
well, you're accomplished in your world of finance, so we 
want to baptize you and make you a member of our eldership. It is not that way. It is not, 
as I said earlier, a popularity contest. Look around you, brethren. 
Find the guy that you like the most. We'll tick off the box 
and we'll make him an elder. Even if he doesn't want it, that's 
just your lot in life. You've got two years, knuckle 
under and do what we say. You're not gonna get good service 
in that. You're not gonna get a compliant heart. You're not 
gonna get a brother who's going to give it his all. He's going 
to do his duty to be sure. But what Paul is telling us is 
find men who know in their hearts or have a desire rather in their 
hearts for this service unto Jesus Christ. Now when we scrutinize, 
or when we examine, or when we try and objectively look at a 
man's desire for the ministry, there are four things that we 
ought to consider. Four things in terms of a call 
to the ministry. I'm going to lean on Pastor Albert 
N. Martin, formerly pastor of Montville 
or Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. He preached 
a series of sermons on a call to the ministry in the early 
70s that have stood the test of time. He uses proven masters 
of old, James Henley Thornwell, Charles Bridges, Charles Spurgeon, 
a couple other fellows, Dabney, and he uses those men and their 
approach to a call to the ministry and he takes the best insights 
and he formulates four things to help us to evaluate and to 
objectively look at a man's desire for gospel ministry. In the first 
place, it is a desire born of right motives. It is a desire 
born of right motives. That should be obvious. If a 
man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. Of course 
we mean he has right motives. A man might desire the position 
of a bishop so he can tyrannize saints. So he can function as 
a despot. So he can function as an oppressor. 
So he can function as a lord. Well, obviously, that's not a 
good desire. And so with reference to a desire 
for the ministry, the man must have a desire born of right motives. I have joked in the past that 
a lot of people think that pastors are like trash men. They only 
work one day out of the week. My trash gets picked up on Wednesday. When I was a kid, I would have 
been inclined to think those men only work on Wednesday. Well, 
we all know they work fully throughout the week. A lot of people think 
that all pastors do is come up for a half hour on a Sunday and 
give their spiel and then go back to the golf course or go 
back to, you know, the coffee table or whatever it is they 
do. Well, if there is a lazy man out there that has that mindset, 
that that's what pastoral ministry is about, and he just wants a 
soft and an easy gig, that's not a desire born of right motives. That is a desire born out of 
selfish motives, out of ungodly desires, and that man should 
go schlep hogs for a living for a while. Secondly, there is graces 
indicating genuine Christian experience. Grace is indicating 
genuine Christian experience. Now, when we look at this list 
of qualifications, the accent falls on the virtues, or the 
bulk of the descriptors are virtues. He must be this, he must be that. 
There's only one gift in view, and that is an aptness or an 
ability to teach. And so a man that aspires for 
the office of bishop or pastor or elder in the context of the 
church must have graces indicating genuine Christian experience. In other words, he's born again. 
In other words, he's a believer in Jesus Christ. In other words, 
he's been justified freely by God's grace. In other words, 
he's living the life of sanctification and is being further conformed 
unto the image of our Lord. Now we take this as a no-brainer. 
brainer, we think, well, that's obvious. It hasn't always been 
obvious. And just recently, I think it's 
Harvard, was it Harvard or Yale, one of the schools, both of which 
were founded not to promulgate godless humanism, but to train 
ministers and missionaries. Recent appointment to chaplain 
at either Harvard or Yale, it was one of the big two ones, 
is an atheist. And that's perfectly acceptable 
in Wokeville. That's perfectly acceptable in 
this modern day and generation. But it was acceptable back a 
couple of hundred years ago. It was treated just as another 
profession. You could be a lawyer, or you 
could be a doctor, or you could be a minister. Didn't matter 
whether you had genuine Christian graces. Didn't really matter 
if you were born again. You read the history, you read 
the biography of certain of these men that are heroes in the context 
of the church. They started off as unconverted 
ministers and down the road got saved. So it's not as obvious 
as we might think. And judging based on some of 
the sermons that are put out by some of these adults, we might 
be inclined to think there's unconverted men in the pulpits 
today. Thirdly, there needs to be gifts 
indicating divine provision. So not only graces that indicate 
genuine Christian experience, he's a godly man, he's a faithful 
man, he's a righteous man, he's a blameless man, but there must 
be gifts indicating divine provision. Again, 1 Timothy 3, verse 2. 
He must be able to teach. That word must, that is given 
at the beginning of verse two, again, not a recommendation, 
not a suggestion, but a mandate. We bring no one in that isn't 
these things. And he must be apt to teach. 
Look over at 2 Timothy 2. 2 Timothy 2 at verse 14. Remind them of these things, 
charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to 
no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present 
yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, 
rightly dividing the word of truth. So there are those who 
are charlatans, there are those who are frauds, there are those 
who are fakes, there are those who are in it for the wrong reason. But Timothy, you're supposed 
to be diligent to present yourself approved, not to men. Your first 
order of business isn't, oh, I hope my people love me. I mean, 
that's always a nice blessing, but you are seeking approval 
to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing 
the word of truth. And then notice as well, down 
in verses 24 to 26, "...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." Brethren, 
I think as we move through the man's personal holiness, one 
of the things that I think we'll have to conclude is that Paul 
doesn't want a hothead as an elder. Paul doesn't want a hothead 
as an elder. That hothead may be able to teach. 
That hothead may have some other good sterling gifts and characteristics 
in, you know, other ways. But notice this particular mandate. The bondservant of the Lord must 
not quarrel. You're not going to win the debate 
by inviting somebody out to a cage match, which, incidentally, a 
fellow pastor, another pastor, once challenged me to a cage 
match. I mean, brethren, that is bizarre 
behavior. You do not want a hothead in 
the eldership. That doesn't mean that he's a, 
you know, what is that word that the Brits have? A weeping lilac 
or something like that, or just a Nancy boy, or whatever you 
want to call it. I mean, he's got the hood spa 
to stand up and do what he needs to do, but he's not a hothead 
where he's, you know, ready, fire, aim kind of a guy. Paul 
says no to that. You must not, be quarrelsome, 
but in humility correcting those who are in opposition. And then, 
of course, in Titus chapter 1. Titus chapter 1. And we're going 
to see these texts again as we move through this passage of 
Scripture. But notice in Titus chapter 1. Again, the gifts are 
given, the qualifications are given, the emphasis on specific 
virtues that the man must have. Verse 6, if a man is blameless, 
husband of one wife, having faithful children, not accused of dissipation 
or insubordination, For a bishop must be blameless as a steward 
of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to 
wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a 
lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled." 
Now notice, "...holding fast the faithful word, as he has 
been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort 
and convict those who contradict." So going back to 1 Timothy chapter 
3, there are brothers in our churches that look like the man 
described in 1 Timothy chapter 3 verses 1 to 7, all except for 
an ability to teach. That's not a sin. It's not a 
crime. It's not wrong. It's not bad. It's not somehow a blemish on 
your character if you're not an elder in the church. No, not 
at all. If a man desires it, and if he 
has the virtues, and he has the gift, and he's approved among 
us, then we admit him into the eldership. We install him by 
way of laying on of hands. But with reference to this aptness 
to teach, it must be present. And that comes ultimately from 
God the Lord. So he not only has the graces 
indicating genuine Christian experience, but he has the gifts 
indicating divine provision. Listen to Spurgeon here. 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." You'll forgive me, whenever I read these quotes from Spurgeon, 
I can't help but smile. He had such a pithy way of putting 
biblical truth in its very clear context. Let me just start again. 
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 will ever be developed. It is crucial. Those things must be present. 
Again, a godly, righteous, virtuous man who can't preach is not supposed 
to serve in the eldership. That's not to be offensive. That's 
not to trigger anybody. That's not to make anybody lose 
their minds. It is simply a matter of fact. 
Virtue is necessary, but that gift that aptness to be able 
to bring it, to be able to teach. And that's just not in a public 
setting, though that's included, and not every elder is going 
to have the same degree of competency in that aspect. But it also includes 
private teaching the Bible over a coffee table or a kitchen table 
where in persons are suffering, or where in persons are sitting, 
or where in persons need good biblical counsel from a guy who's 
apt to teach. So this concept of an elder functioning 
in the life of a church who can't teach or preach the Bible is 
an anomaly. We're not supposed to allow that. 
The man must be these things. And then the last thing given 
to us by Pastor Martin is an opportunity indicating providential 
opening. An opportunity indicating providential 
opening. And there we cite Proverbs 18, 
16. A man's gift makes room for him. He does not make room for 
it. He doesn't come on the first 
day in a new church and say to the pastor, you really need to 
use me in the Sunday school. You really need to use me to 
substitute for you in the pulpit. You really need to let me at 
it in terms of the Wednesday night Bible study. Just a little 
bit of a pro tip here. If you come to me in that vein, 
you're probably not going to get your wishes. A man's gift 
makes room for him. He doesn't call attention to 
his giftedness. He doesn't call attention to 
his accomplishment. He doesn't call attention to 
himself because he's a humble Christ-like man who fits the 
profile in 1 Timothy 3. Read Spurgeon's lectures to my 
students sometimes. See how he dealt with men that 
would come to the context or that would apply to the pastor's 
college. Pastor Martin uses him as a bit of an excess on the 
subjective side. Spurgeon would say things like, 
if a man can do any other thing in the world, let him do it instead 
of preach. In other words, he ought to be 
that convinced, he ought to be that gifted, he ought to be that 
sure that that is his only calling before he ever does anything 
ever. He as well had an instance where 
a man came, applied to the pastor's college, and this man sounded 
great. This man submitted his paperwork, 
Spurgeon reviewed the paperwork. Spurgeon had the meeting with 
the fellow, and the fellow was awesome. He was a fantastic guy. So Spurgeon rejected him from 
the pastor's college. The man was curious. The man 
was perplexed. The man said, why? And Spurgeon 
ably said, because we can't do anything for you here. You're 
already well qualified. You're already wonderful. What 
could we possibly bring to the table to fit you for service? Spurgeon as well actually ejected 
a man who had an odd jaw. He said that this man's jaw clicked 
a bit when he talked, and he thought that anybody subject 
to that man's preaching would be caught up with watching this 
man's jaw click from place to place. I personally think that's 
a bit overboard, but I'm just simply trying to underscore how 
Spurgeon approached this very important issue. Now again, we 
may say he went overboard, but at the other end of the spectrum, 
there are men in pulpits that shouldn't be there. It amazes 
me what the people of God put up with. It amazes me what the 
body politic puts up with in our elected officials. It really 
or doubly amazes me in what Christian hardworking people put up with 
in terms of preaching, in terms of men that just blurt out their 
brains that have no ability, hermeneutically, exegetically, 
to put together a sermon to point sinners to Christ. Brethren, 
these things ought not to be. So if we can go overboard on 
the one extreme, that guy has an odd jaw, send him away. We 
can certainly err on the other extreme that that guy doesn't 
have any of these things, but he's such a nice fellow. He's 
such a good guy. He's so gregarious. He's so personable. He really loves to go out for 
coffee. I've often thought, and I'm probably sure that I've often 
said, when I went to my hip surgeon, I wouldn't have cared if he was 
mean. I wouldn't have cared if he was vicious. I wouldn't have 
cared if he was unkind. My primary emphasis was that 
he didn't have a shaky hand. I wanted him to be able to engage 
in his work without messing up my hip. Now, my hip surgeon happened 
to be a swell fellow as well. So when we have that combination 
and a man, a swell fellow, he likes to engage with people, 
but as well he can preach, that's what we're after. That's what 
we're looking for. That's what 1 Timothy 3, 1 to 
7, and Titus 1, 5 to 9, and 1 Peter 5, 1 to 4 or 5, tells us we should 
be looking for in terms of men that will function in the pastoral 
ministry. This is not a joke. It is not 
a popularity contest. It is not simply a man has proved 
himself well in the world, therefore. Brethren, I actually think that 
that is a valid, valid part of it. If a man hasn't proven himself 
in the world, if a man hasn't held a job in the real world, 
then likely he's not going to do great when it comes to pastoral 
ministry. So that's part of it also. He 
must have a good testimony with those on the outside. He must 
have a good testimony with those who know him. He mustn't be the 
whiner in the break room who wastes time every day at work. 
See, the apostle puts together a list of qualifications, again, 
not to keep good men out, but to keep unqualified men out. Men must be these things in order 
to function in the gospel ministry. So I want to stop there. You're 
probably all going, good, we didn't want to go through the 
rest of this anyway. And next time we'll take up, 
beginning in verses 2 and 3, the man's personal holiness. 
But I did want to end on this particular note, two notes, again 
with Spurgeon, highlighting this aspect of an ability to teach. He says, brethren, this is his 
students. If you don't know Spurgeon, Spurgeon 
was a world-renowned preacher in the 1800s in London, England. 
He started preaching when he was 16 years old at a village 
chapel. It wasn't long where a person 
said, this guy can preach, let's bring him to the city. And he 
did. I mean, he brought it for many, 
many years. He preached the word of truth, 
but he also founded, as I said, a pastor's college. And so these 
men were subject to the rigors of preparation for pastoral ministry. So they had systematic theology, 
they had Greek, they had Hebrew, they had all those courses that 
a man takes when he goes to seminary. And on Friday afternoons, Spurgeon 
would address them, practically. Friday afternoons, in my mind's 
eye, I go back to that. It'd be wonderful to just sit 
at the feet of C.H. Spurgeon and have him give you 
good horse sense when it comes to pastoral ministry. But here's 
what he said to his students. He says, brethren, If you're 
not theologians, you are, in your pastorates, just nothing 
at all. You may be fine rhetoricians 
and be rich in polished sentences, but without knowledge of the 
gospel and aptness to teach it, you are but a sounding brass 
and a tinkling cymbal. Brethren, Spurgeon was right. Calvin before him was right. The church at large has been 
right that we find men who are qualified because the work demands 
it. It is a serious work that demands 
serious and careful attention in terms of not only study, but 
in prayer. Not only in study and in prayer, 
but in the actual act of preaching. And again, what the people of 
God put up with on a regular basis shocks and baffles the 
mind. It's almost like we're afraid 
to say the guy can't do it. Again, not a sin to not be able 
to preach. You can sin in a whole host of 
ways as we saw in Leviticus 4. You can sin without even knowing 
it, but it's not a sin to not be able to preach. It is a sin 
to put a man into the office who's unable to preach. And so 
the church must be wise, the church must be informed, and 
the church must take seriously her part in the process to examine 
a man. to make sure that he is what 
the apostle envisages here, such that we can, by God's grace, 
lay hands on men and send them out into the harvest field because 
the fields are white on the harvest. There is a great need and we 
ought to pray to our great God and do what he calls us to do 
in identifying and in examining and then in installing and then 
in either sending them out or using them. in our own local 
church. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for your word, and we thank you for the clarity 
of the apostle at the level of eldership, and we pray that you 
would guide and direct us as a local church. We pray for Ryan. We pray for Dan in northern Ontario. We pray for this other young 
man, Andrew. We just ask God in heaven that 
you would bless them, that you would guide and direct them. 
We ask as well that you'd raise up men in our midst to serve 
in our eldership so that we might have a biblical plurality of 
elders and be able to continue to identify and continue to send 
men forth. For God, we know that the harvest 
is plentiful, but the laborers are few. So we pray to you, Lord 
of the harvest, to raise up men, to qualify them, and to send 
them out through the vehicle of the local church. I pray that 
you would go with us now, watch over us all in this coming week, 
and help us to glorify and to honor and to praise you. And 
we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.