A few weeks ago we introduced the topic of the qualifications of elders. And then we had the Lord's Supper and then Ryan preached last Sunday night. So we'll pick up in 1 Timothy chapter 3. I'll read the chapter and then we'll look at the qualifications of elders.
An appropriate study as we look at Ryan in terms of possibly going to Vernon as a church planter. Also our work with the people in Dryden. And then I think I mentioned a young fellow that is possibly contemplating a move to Chilliwack so that they can join our church, and hopefully he's looking for some opportunity as an apprentice. I don't know how that all will function out, but he certainly wants to be in an ecclesiastical situation that he agrees with. and hopefully ultimately become a pastor and be sent out.
So lots to think about in terms of the various men, but we're not left without a particular set of qualifications, and that is how 1 Timothy 3 functions. The things that we see here must be true of a man, they should be true of every Christian man and of every Christian woman. But the idea is, is those who are brought into the eldership or to the diaconate have shown some degree of faithfulness with reference to these particular virtues or these graces. So beginning in 1 Timothy chapter 3 at verse 1.
This is a faithful saying. If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach, not given to whine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous, one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence. For if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?
Not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride, he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover, he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Likewise, deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested, then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless.
Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly.
But if I am delayed, I write, so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory. Amen.
Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, as we gather together tonight, as we reflect upon the qualifications of elders, we pray that you would instruct and inform our hearts and minds, as while, God, we rejoice in the various opportunities that have presented themselves to us, we rejoice in the church plant in Surrey and pray for your continued blessing upon Pastor Mike and the brethren there. We thank you for the group in Vernon and for their desire and their longing to see a church planted there. It's been a few years now.
We thank you for Ryan and his aspirations and desire as well, God, for this group of people in Northern Ontario. Lord, it is a great encouragement to see the people of God confessing the doctrine that we hold dear in the London Confession of Faith. And we pray that you would indeed establish each of these works, that you would bless each of them. We ask for your blessing upon this young man and his wife that are desirous to move and perhaps join our church.
God, we just give all praise and glory to you. but help us to be a thinking congregation, help us to be tactically wise and strategic, and help us as well, God, to lift up our eyes and to behold the fields white unto harvest. And as well, let us cry out to you with reference to laborers for the harvest field. And may you in your kindness and in your goodness supply such men, and may you indeed multiply faithful churches all throughout this land. Again, forgive us for our sin and unrighteousness.
Guide us now by your Spirit, and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Introduction to the Passage
Well, there is a lot of material here. You'll notice that in verses 1 to 7, you have the qualifications for the elders, and then you have in verses 8 to 13, qualifications for the deacons. Now, deacons serve the table of the Lord, the table of the poor, and the table of the minister. They look after all those things in the context of the local church that aren't preaching and praying.
That doesn't mean they don't pray, but rather they're not set apart for that particular work. The elders, however, are those officers in the context of the church that have as their primary function teaching or preaching and then leading or governing. And so when it comes to these qualifications, as I've said, we cannot just take them, you know, as suggestive. Those things must be present for the men that we consider with reference to the eldership or to the diaconate.
Remember last time, we noted in verse 1, this is a faithful saying, if a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. So we untangled that or tried to explain what that means. But even before that, looked at the various usage, the various terms rather, that are utilized for the one office that has as its primary function teaching and leading. And that office is called elder slash bishop slash pastor.
All three of those terms refer to the one office that has as its mission in the church to lead and to teach the people of God.
Four Prerequisites for Ministry Aspiration
So with reference to the man's desire for eldership in verse 1, borrowing from Pastor A.N. Martin, I suggest there are four things that need to be present in a man who has aspirations for Christian ministry.
Desire Born of Right Motives
First of all, there must be desire born of right motives. Desire born of right motives. Wrong motives would be a desire for celebrity. Wrong motives would be a desire for laziness.
Wrong motives would be a desire to sort of lord things over the people of God. Those are things that we don't want in God's men that function as elders. Rather, they must be desires born of right motives, a desire to glorify God, a desire to edify and help the people of God along their way to heaven.
Graces Indicating Christian Experience
Secondly, there must be graces indicating genuine Christian experience. In other words, the man must be born again. He must know experientially that truth he is tasked with preaching. If he does not have those graces indicating genuine Christian experience, we simply do not want him to be a preacher.
I think I mentioned it was Harvard that recently installed a chaplain that is an atheist. Now Harvard and Yale were founded to train missionaries and ministers. So that they now have a chaplain that is an atheist, is an absolute oxymoron, and it certainly fits in well with the spirit of our age, even though it is an abomination to our God.
Gifts Indicating Divine Provision
Thirdly, there must be gifts indicating divine provision. In other words, if God is going to call a man to preach, He's going to equip him with an ability to preach. If God is going to call, to use Spurgeon's analogy, if he wants Behemoth to fly, he'll put wings on him. That Behemoth doesn't have wings indicates he was never intended to fly.
So a man must have gifts indicating divine provision. Spurgeon speaks to this in his lectures to his students. And at one point he says to the man with the more narrow chests, that's why we have dumbbells in the basement of the college. So you can get down there and expand that chest so that you can lift up your voice, cry aloud and spare not.
Opportunity Indicating Providential Opening
And then fourthly, there must be opportunity indicating providential opening. In other words, there must be a place for the man. The church must recognize the man. and the church must then install the man. The proverb says that a man's gift makes room for him.
He does not make room for his gift. He doesn't come to you and say, hey, I'm the best teacher or preacher I happen to know, and you should give me the opportunity to preach or teach. That's a man making room for his gift. When we have a genuine scent by God, man, his gift will make room for him.
Now, as we go through the rest of the qualifications, there are several heads. First, we'll look at the man's personal conduct in verses 2 and 3. Next, the man's domestic faithfulness in verses 4 and 5. Next, the man's experience in the faith in verse 6.
Next, the man's testimony toward outsiders in verse 7, and then we'll circle back to what is given in verse 2. He must be able to teach. We'll end on that particular note. For those who are fearful that we're not going to get out of here tonight, I doubt we're going to make it through this entire list.
But as we move through this again, think in terms that are concrete. Think in terms of our Brother Ryan. Think in terms of what we should be looking for for men that come along that want some assistance in terms of pastoral training. Think of what we ought to be looking for within the context of our own church because we certainly need a plurality of elders and we could use a couple of more deacons.
And so it is good for us to be informed, it is good for us to look out among us. So
The Man's Personal Conduct
let's take up first tonight the man's personal conduct in verses 2 and 3. Notice again in verse 2, a bishop then must be. And again, everything that's stated or stipulated by the Apostle in terms of qualification aren't anything that we should say, wow, I can't believe Paul wants elders to be blameless. Wow, I can't believe that Paul wants elders not to be, you know, pugnacious as the old King James had it, men that are wanting to fight or hotheads.
Well, again, every Christian man, every Christian woman should aspire to these virtues in their own Christian life. But the idea is that there's some proven faithfulness on the part of those we are considering for gospel ministry. So
Blameless, Not Sinless
notice in the first place, he must be blameless. This does not mean sinless, this does not mean perfect, because if it did, then no man could function in the gospel ministry. Calvin made the observation, there will be no one found among men that is free from every vice. But it is one thing to be blemished with ordinary vices, which do not hurt the reputation, because they are found in men of the highest excellence, and another thing to have a disgraceful name, or to be stained with any baseness.
You hear what he's saying? It's not the case that you'll find a viceless man. It's not the case that you'll find a sinless man. It's not the case that you'll find a perfect man.
In God's purpose and decree, he made it such that angels aren't preachers of the gospel. Rather, he saves sinners, he equips some of those sinners, he causes the church to recognize those sinners, to function as elders, to function as deacons. And those men functioning as elders must be blameless. Again, not without sin, but no overarching vice that would bring discredit to his name.
I think Calvin makes a helpful observation in this instance. It is one thing to be blemished with ordinary vices. I call it garden variety sin. In other words, and I'm not trying to brush that off, I'm not suggesting that that ordinary sin is somehow virtuous or okay, but you've got to appreciate the thrust of the apostle.
Not sinless men, but not discredited men because of some overarching thing or blemish in their life that is out of the ordinary.
Husband of One Wife
Now, notice, secondly, he must be a one-woman man. Notice the specifics in the text. He must be blameless, and then he must be the husband of one wife. Now, commentators understand this in a variety of ways.
In the first place, some suggest that the elder must be a married man. In other words, if a man's not married, he can't function in the pastoral ministry. I don't think that's what Paul means, though, and here's my qualification, I think it's helpful if a man is married. I think it's helpful if a man knows what it is to have a spouse and to have children and have the various pressures and tensions associated with everybody else in the context of the church, but it's not demanded, it's not commanded, it's not required.
A man can function in the gospel ministry even if he is a single man. So I think option one is incorrect. The second option is that the elder must only have one wife for his entire life. In other words, if a man's wife dies, he is not free to remarry and then join the gospel ministry.
Again, I think this is out of line. The third option is that the text forbids polygamy. And I certainly think that's incorporated into the overall meaning, but I think option four explains it well. The elder is to be faithful in marriage and sexual matters.
He is to be faithful in marriage and sexual matters. We might say he's faithful and true to one woman. He is a one-woman man, which is literally how the language is translated, or how it would literally be translated. Notice over in the qualifications for widows in 1 Timothy chapter 5.
Notice what it says concerning her in 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. Again, I don't think he means that her first husband died, now she's got a second husband and he's died. Well, because she had two, she can't make it on the list.
No, it is perfectly acceptable and legitimate to remarry after the death of a spouse. I have argued from Matthew 19, and I believe the Bible teaches it is legitimate to remarry after a biblical divorce. I don't want to get off into that tangent, but it's not demonized to have a second spouse if the previous one died or you divorced them lawfully. So what is in view in this list of qualifications with reference to the husband of one wife?
He must be sexually faithful. He must not engage in promiscuity. He must not engage in any sort of aberration when it comes to the sexual sphere.
Temperate, Sober-Minded, Well-Behaved
Notice thirdly, Paul says he must be temperate. He must be temperate. Now this particular word can be used with reference to sobriety in the use of wine. Here rather it has to do with mental sobriety.
Wouldn't we want some mental sobriety just about now in the civil sphere? Wouldn't it be a great thing if there was something of that temperance, that sort of mental sobriety? The word denotes self-control, balanced judgment, and the avoidance of rash behavior. Brethren, you don't want elders that are ready, fire, aim men.
You want elders that think, elders that study, elders that think through responses and issues in the context of the church. In the next place, notice he says he must be sober-minded. A lot of these are very similar, and in some cases there's a great deal of overlap, almost to the point of synonyms. But with reference to sober-minded, similar to temperate, it has to do with self-control, especially as it relates to exercising good judgment, discretion, and common sense.
See, there are things, decisions that need to be made in terms of church life that demand that. Again, we don't just make it the rule that a guy who's popular or a guy who's done well in the civil realm is necessarily going to function well in the context of an eldership. It's not the case that he's not, but we need to make sure that these things are true of him. Notice in the next place, he says he must engage in good behavior.
Back in chapter two at verse nine, where it's applied to women, it has to do with modesty. Notice in 2.9, in like manner also that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing. He's not saying to the men, you need to braid your hair or not braid your hair. talking about this sort of idea of good behavior. It means respectable, orderly, and well-behaved.
Now, notice in the next place,
Hospitable and Able to Teach
he speaks of hospitality. He must not only be all these other things, but he must be hospitable. Now, a good wife can be very helpful in this particular regard. And incidentally, notice that there's no qualifications given for the elder's wife.
There is or are qualifications given for the deacon's wife, because for Paul, I think, to read between the lines, he understands that the deacon's wives will help the deacon deacon. Elder's wives are not supposed to help the elder elder. That is simply the way it's supposed to be. It's not supposed to be Pastor Jim and Becky.
That is simply unacceptable. That is wrong. That is not a good practice whatsoever. But in terms of hospitality, it is good for a man who has a wife that is open to these sorts of things to help him.
Hospitality is stressed in Romans 12 at verse 13, 1 Peter chapter 4 at verse 9, and then in Hebrews chapter 13 at verse 2, where it falls in the broader context of love. It is an expression of love to our fellows in order to have them in our homes and to give them good things in terms of love. And then notice in the next place, he says he must be able to teach. As I said, we'll bring that to the end of the message, and we'll look at that in a more concentrated way.
But suffice to say at this point, all of the things that are specified here, except aptness to teach, are virtues or graces. They're characteristics. They're what the man must be. The one thing he must do is be able to preach or able to teach.
So again, a man may fit the qualifications, but if he's lacking in the ability to preach or teach, he's not supposed to be an elder. That's not a sin. You're not going to go to hell because you're not an elder. You're not going to go to hell because you're not qualified to be an elder.
That is simply contrary to the teaching of the passage. Aptness to teach is the thing that distinguishes the elder from the deacon in the context, but as well from other men in the context of the local church.
Not Given to Wine
Now back to our list of virtues. Notice what he goes on to say, not given to wine. Now, I want to take a moment here because I cut short the sermon on the wedding. I know that sounds odd.
Actually, I didn't cut short a sermon. I didn't get to a portion of the sermon that I thought was very helpful. I thought it was very helpful in John 2, the wedding at Cana of Galilee when Jesus makes the water into wine. Now, there are those among us that see a passage like this and they say, not given to wine must mean that an elder can never drink wine.
That's not what Paul is saying. Paul is saying an elder must not be a drunkard, but he is not saying that an elder can't moderately use wine. Remember in John chapter 2 at verse 10, what the master of the feast said to the bridegroom. He says, you have kept the good wine until now.
So whatever we may appreciate about wine in the Bible times, there was good wine and there was bad wine. I have never been convinced by modern preachers that tell you that all of the wine utilized in the Bible, they would always add water. Well, sometimes I imagine they would have added water, but when you add water to wine, it takes away from the tastiness of the wine. So I'm left to wonder, did they in Bible times like bad wine?
No, they would have liked good wine. In fact, there's something in terms of scripture to encourage us that the addition of water to wine is not a good thing. Look back at Isaiah the prophet. Again, the text is specifying that he must not be given to wine.
He must not be in a state of preoccupation with it or overindulgence in it. But just recently, I heard a man who basically said that if we want to be godly, that means no alcohol, no meat, no fried foods, and a third other thing I can't for the life of me remember. Now brethren, I'm not suggesting that you knock back bottles of wine, you just simply eat fried foods. Have all the meat you want, actually, that's perfectly acceptable.
But there is this mindset within Christianity that somehow Gnosticism is okay. Gnosticism is to see the creature as bad. The only thing that matters is my soul, my spirit. All those things outside me, they're necessarily evil.
That's not biblical. That's not biblical at all. Brethren, we look forward to and we confess the resurrection from the dead. That means the body that goes into the grave will come out of the grave.
God's not at war with our creatureliness. God is at war with our sinfulness. It isn't stuff, it isn't creature, it is rather the heart of man that takes the good gifts of God and perverts it and distorts it. Notice in Isaiah the prophet at chapter 1 and verse 21.
This is an indictment of Judah. He says, how the faithful city has become a harlot. It was full of justice, righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers. Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water.
See, that's looked at in a negative way. Just like it's not good to mix dross with silver. Nobody wants that. You want to purify the silver, get the dross out.
Well, so it's wrong to mix your wine with water. No doubt, in the context, they would take out some of the wine, replace it with water, and sell it for the same price. But it's looked at as not a good thing. It's looked at as a bad thing.
Your princes are rebellious and companions of thieves. Everyone loves bribes and follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, nor does the cause of the widow come before them. And then we find in the Psalm, Psalm 104, verses 14 and 15.
Again, I don't care whether you drink wine or not. I really don't care. It's an aspect of libertarianism I embrace wholeheartedly. You do your thing, and you leave me alone to do my thing.
As long as we're not sinning against God, live and let live is my motto. And I think that's the apostles' motto, and I think that's what God would have for us. Why do we get up in everybody's business over preferences we have? Okay, don't drink, but you shouldn't be on the police to make sure nobody else ever does.
Or if you do, you shouldn't be on the police to go out and make sure everybody does. Let each person be convinced in their own conscience and do what God leads them. Psalm 104. He causes the grass to grow for the cattle and vegetation for the service of man.
Psalm 104, incidentally, is a rehearsal of God's creation. Not God's creation per se, but the act of God's creation. The fact that God, in the space of six days, made everything and all very good. And in Psalm 104 it says, "...he causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth, and wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengthens man's heart." Or consider the prophet Isaiah and that gospel call in Isaiah 55 verse 1.
Oh everyone who thirsts, come to the waters and you have no money, come buy and eat. Yes, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Notice the prophet doesn't say, add a little water to the wine. Now brethren, again, some of them most likely put water in their wine, but that person's don't today doesn't mean they're sinning.
And of course people will say, well, it's much stronger nowadays than it was back then. You know, there's a simple solution to that. Drink less, just drink less, right? If it's so much stronger than it was, then drink less.
That just deals with the problem. So back to 1 Timothy, whatever Paul means in this prohibition about being given to wine, he does not mean that it's always wrong for a minister to drink wine. Because in 1 Timothy 5.23, he admonishes Timothy. He says, no longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities.
So again, the point is not, we're only looking for guys that like wine. That's not the point. The point is that, brethren, we are not Gnostics. Look at what Paul says in 1 Timothy 4, beginning in verse 1.
Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies and hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron. Now notice what they do. What does Paul consider as a doctrine of demon? What does Paul consider as something that sears the consciences of men?
What is it that they do in such wickedness? Notice verse three, forbidding to marry. Why? Because it's super spiritual and holy not to defile yourself with a woman.
It's so much better and so much more godly and so much more upright. Roman Catholicism needs to read this passage and then notice, and commanding to abstain from foods, Again, if you were brought up or know anything about Catholicism, you can't eat meat on Fridays in Lent. You can only eat fish, because somehow that's holy. Somehow that's godly.
Somehow that's righteous. Commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good. You see what he's saying?
God made creature. It's not the fact that the creature is bad. The fact is, is that our hearts are bad. It's how we respond to the creature.
If we're overindulgent, if we're preoccupied with it. And it's not just drink. It could be food. It could be anything.
If we are preoccupied or overindulgent, it's not the thing's fault. It's our fault. It's a matter of self-control and self-discipline. He says every creature of God is good and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving For it is sanctified by the word of God in prayer God made meat And meat has fat and remember that the same people today that lead you in government That are trying to tell you you must get a vaccine or we're going to have you fired Are the same people that banned fat or told us fat was bad many years ago?
Steep yourselves on carbohydrates. How has that worked out in North America? Why do we have a problem with fat and protein? Because the government says so?
When the children of Israel marched into the land of Canaan, it was a land flowing with what? Milk, I remember a brother back in the church I was brought up in who said, that probably wasn't skim milk. It was probably full fat rich milk. That was the promise of God as they entered into the land where they would enjoy the abundance of the land.
And later in the book of Deuteronomy, specifically in chapter 28, when they go into the land, if they're not thankful, if they don't express their gratitude, then God will eject them from the land. Brethren, it's not the creature that's bad. It's the way that we use the creature that can be bad and exhibits a lack of self-control. So all of that to say back to 1 Timothy 3, the man must not be preoccupied with it or overindulgent in it.
Not Violent, Not Greedy, Gentle
The next aspect of his life is that he must not be violent. He is not a giver of blows. The word denotes a violent person who is prone to physical assault on others and demonstrates a bad-tempered, irritable, and out-of-control individual. Now, you could see why that would be a plus in the pastoral ministry, right?
You don't want a guy to beat you up for church discipline. I think it's that simple. I think a brother was playing the church's one foundation. As my memory serves, the particular fellow that wrote that hymn had been a boxer before he got converted, or he had been, you know, whatever the equivalent of boxing was at that time.
I doubt it was bare-knuckle fists and the octagon or whatnot, but he had some skills. And while he was a pastor, he happened to be walking one day, it was at night, and a woman was being accosted, and he defended her. And he was able to defend her very dutifully because of his previous training or life as a boxer. But in terms of his pastoral ministry or his hymn writing ministry, that particular skill set should have never been employed.
See, defending a woman on the street, absolutely positively okay. Yelling at somebody in your office, not so good. hitting them because they've sinned, really, really not so good. The old King James translates it as a striker. We do not want strikers.
Is it striker or pugnacious? Striker. Okay, pugnacious is somewhere else somewhere, but that's in my head too. But the bottom line is we don't want a man who's violent.
We don't want a man who uses the sword to do pastoral ministry. The next aspect is not greedy for money. There's a textual variant here. If you're using anything not King James or New King James, this particular statement is not present.
But it's present in Acts 20 at verses 33 and following 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 2. And again, I think it's pretty obvious. You don't want a man who's greedy for money. He shouldn't be in it. for the money.
Now, that doesn't mean you make him live in a hut and his children can't have shoes. I mean, the idea is that you pay a man for the work that he does. In fact, in 1 Timothy 5.17, Paul will exhort that elders, elders who rule well, especially in the word and doctrine, be given double honor. So it's not the case that they shouldn't be paid, but they shouldn't be greedy for money.
That is a bad thing in the context of gospel ministry. Notice it goes on to say he must be gentle. Now gentle there is a bit of a difficult word. Does it mean he must be limp-wristed?
Does it mean he must be a Nancy boy? Does it mean that he must be effeminate? No, I don't think that's what it means. If you look at the tenor of Jesus' ministry, for the most part, it was gentle.
But Jesus also turned over the tables of the money changers. Jesus also drove out the beast, having made a whip in order to do that particular task. So whatever gentle means, it doesn't mean doormat, and it doesn't mean somebody that has no backbone. In fact, I would argue that backbone is an absolute requisite in the context of pastoral ministry.
Now
Not Quarrelsome, Not Covetous
notice in the next place, he must not be quarrelsome. 2 Timothy 2 provides a great illustration of that. Notice in 2 Timothy 2, specifically at verse 22. He must not be quarrelsome. So in 2 Timothy 2 at verse 22, flee also youthful lusts, but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. I think every pastor that has Facebook would do well to rehearse this passage occasionally. So much of what goes on in Facebook, at least as I have seen, is this kind of stuff. Pastors shouldn't be, you know, preoccupied with these kinds of debates online.
There's enough to debate in real life. Why would you want to do it on Facebook? But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes knowing that they generate strife. Now notice in verse 24, And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel, but be gentle to all.
Again, He's not an invertebrate. He's not backbone-less. He's not a jellyfish. Whatever Paul means, he doesn't mean that he just gets walked all over and he never ever says anything that might possibly upset somebody.
That's not what he means. But you know the kind of guy that's always there, champing at the bit, ready to rock and roll. He's ready to throw it out. He can't wait to get into it.
No, that's not a good disposition for the elder. Back it down, Jack. Relax a bit. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel, but be gentle to all.
Notice, 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. Greg Bonson illustrates the point not so well, not so much specifically with reference to the minister, but with reference to all of us in terms of this not quarrelsome attitude. You're at Thanksgiving dinner and your unconverted uncle lays some huge question on you that is just purpose to trip you up. What do you do?
Do you yell at him? Do you just get into his face and lambast him and let him have it? No. You just let them go.
But then, when there's a lull in the conversation, when there's opportunity for you to speak, you address it, and you answer it, and you do so in a winsome way so that, 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. And then back to our list of qualifications, the last one in this section, the end of verse three is that he's not covetous. He is not covetous. The man of God is not supposed to be covetous.
Look over at 1st Timothy 6. Notice who is covetous. 1st Timothy 6 at verse 3. If anyone teaches otherwise, well, let's go back to verses 1 and 2. Let as many bond servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed.
And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved." Teach and exhort these things. If anyone teaches otherwise, that means everything that Paul is teaching. If they teach otherwise, if they teach contrary, if they teach stuff that is in opposition to what the apostle Paul says, listen to what Paul says. Again, he'd be voted out of a church today with this kind of an attitude.
Well, you know, Paul, that's not very kind. That's not very gracious. I can't believe you'd actually say that about another human being. Aren't we about love and peace and reconciliation and all that sort of thing?
Listen to what he says. If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the doctrine which accords with godliness, He is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth." Now notice, "...who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such, withdraw yourself." Why are they in it? because they think that it's a means for gain. Why are they in it?
Because they want to make money at it. You see, the first century was a bit different than our century. Not just religious teachers, but philosopher teachers were as well paid pretty well. That's why the prohibition stands, because men that were fakes or frauds would try to opt for one of these positions, because they weren't out digging ditches, and they would have been paid pretty handsomely to be able to teach, whether theology or philosophy.
Notice in 1 Peter chapter 5, same sort of emphasis by the apostle. 1 Peter 5, verse 1, the elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed. Notice, shepherd the flock of God, which is among you, serving as overseers. See all three of our terms, elders, verse 1, verse 2 is shepherd or pastor, and then in verse 2, overseers or bishop or episkopos. Notice, not by compulsion, but willingly.
That imitates what Paul says. If any man desires the office of a bishop, that's a good thing. So we don't just put men into the office by compulsion. You have to serve as an elder.
Your name came up. Everybody checked it off. So guess what? For two years, you're going to be an elder in the church. but I don't wanna be.
It doesn't matter, you're gonna be an elder in the church. No, it's not supposed to be by compulsion, but willingly. Now notice, not for dishonest gain, but eagerly, nor as being lords over those who entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
So back to 1 Timothy chapter 3. In summary, as George Knight says, the bishop's life is not to be dominated or controlled by wine or money, nor may it be one of strife, but rather it must be one of peace and gentleness. That's the kind of man that we must see or rather that must be qualified in such a way to function as an elder in the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. We'll finish on the man's domestic faithfulness.
Well, I don't know, I don't wanna do that. Actually, I don't want to run through this and sort of just jam it all in, because each of these aspects is vital. Each of these aspects is crucial. Not just his personal conduct.
Again, a man might have personal conduct that's wonderful, but if his wife is not tended to properly, his children are not managed properly, then he's not ready for the gospel ministry. Notice, he's not ready. Not the fact that he's never gonna be ready. A lot of these things are correctable.
A lot of these things are fixable. A lot of these things with some time and effort and energy and study and prayer can be achieved by fellows who are seeking, by God's grace, to function in pastoral ministry.
Closing Application
So I want to close with just two thoughts. In the first place, the mustness of the qualifications. Again, verse 2. If a man desires, he must be not perfectly blameless, not perfectly gentle, not perfectly all of the virtues, but he must be demonstrably a man that looks like this. it must be the case that there is some proven faithfulness and trustworthiness.
And again, doesn't mean that you didn't see him sin one time. It doesn't mean that he's never sinned at one point, but rather he's a man that's seeking to deal faithfully with his God and with his fellows. When he does sin, He confesses it. He repents of it.
When we get to the section dealing with children, it's not the case that if a man has children that are a bit unruly, he's either A. unqualified or B. disqualified. If the man is dealing with it, that's what we want, right? You can't expect perfect children to come out of the womb. Oh, I'm an elder or an aspirant for the eldership.
So my children are wonderful. They're perfect. They're spotless. They only ever do what they're supposed to do.
It's an amazing gift. No, that's not going to happen, brethren. But if the man is negligent or he's derelict and he's not faithfully dealing with his children, well, then that's the problem. That's the issue that could lead to either disqualification if he's in or unqualification at the present time.
But if we exhort and encourage him and he deals with his children in such a way as to show some proven faithfulness, then he's fit and ready. So it's not the case that these are so unattainable that nobody could ever reach them. They're so far out there that nobody could ever have them. Again, they're basic virtues of the Christian life that every single one of us should aspire unto in terms of our own individual life.
Shouldn't you be gentle? Shouldn't you not be covetous? Shouldn't you not be a striker? I'm sure it's just as unacceptable in your place of employment to smack somebody in the face if they upset you as it would be for an elder to smack somebody in the face if they upset him.
So all of these are for all of us. But in terms of the man or men that we are seeking to put into pastoral ministry or into the diaconate, they must be proven in terms of these qualifications. They must have demonstrable faithfulness in the Christian life, and they are going forward in the fear of God Most High. And then the second observation is very simple.
Look at what Paul tells Timothy later in 2 Timothy chapter 4. 2 Timothy chapter four. Now we know verses one to four, I've preached on that not too long ago, but notice what he says in verse five, but you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. So Timothy as a pastor would be tasked with teaching the people of God, preaching the word of God. He must be apt to teach. and Timothy and the church in Ephesus must be looking for men that are apt to teach, apt to preach, apt to proclaim the word of God, to labor in the word and in doctrine such that the people of God can grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
So that's assumed. That's part of Timothy's job. That's part of what Timothy's orientation and everybody that gets into gospel ministry, that's part of the orientation. So to preach the word for the edification of the saints.
Do you see what else Paul tells Timothy? Do the work of an evangelist. I don't think he means that only for Timothy, but men like Timothy who are functioning in local churches, who've been recognized by their church to labor in the Word and doctrine. In other words, there's two focus, or two foci, is that the word?
Two particular ends with reference to gospel ministry. The edification of the people of God and the salvation of sinners. Now here's where I want to get really practical. If you're an unsaved sinner tonight, think about God's grace.
Think about God's mercy. We reflected on that this morning. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. So we see that God dealt with the big thing.
The Father sends the Son. The Son assumes our humanity. The Son lives in our stead. The son dies in our stead.
The son is raised for our justification. The son then ascends on high. He leads captivity captive, and then he gives gifts to men. And in Ephesians 4, the gifts that he gives to men are other men.
It's not tongues. It's not prophesying. It's not helps. It's not administration.
It is rather men, men to function as apostles, or prophets, or evangelists, or pastors and teachers. And then there's a threefold purpose as to why they do what they do, specifically oriented to the maturity of the people of God. But as well, God who ordained the salvation of sinners also ordained a special class of men. And by special, I don't mean special, if you know what I mean.
But a group of men set apart for the task of calling sinners to faith and repentance. In other words, God is about the salvation of sinners. Why would we ever doubt that? Why would we ever resist that?
Why would we ever listen to hyper-Calvinistic men who somehow teach us just the opposite? Oh no, God's only gonna save a handful! Oh no, there's only the frozen chosen! No, no, there's only just a few of you that are going to fall their way into heaven.
No, that's not what scripture says. Men from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. A great multitude, according to Revelation 7, that no man can number. So he not only undertakes in the sending of his son, but he undertakes in the sending of his preachers. on the particular task of calling you to believe the gospel, to repent of your sin, to know the joy of being found in Jesus Christ, not having your own righteousness, which is from the law, but that righteousness which is given by God and received through faith.
In other words, God is about the salvation of sinners. You see it in the mission of the son and you see it in the mission of the church. Her officers are tasked with doing the work of an evangelist for the salvation of sinners. May God bless, may God draw, may God grant the graces of faith and repentance so that sinners will close with him.
Closing Prayer
Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you that you've not left us wanting in terms of what we're supposed to look for in elders and deacons. We ask God that you would supply men, that you would give us eyes to see and hearts to receive and the mind to process this data and apply it, and not to look for perfect men, not to look for blemish-free men. not to expect the kind of experience in a young man that an older man has.
Help us to be balanced, help us to be wise, help us to proceed by your Holy Spirit and for your glory. And we ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. We'll close with a brief time of meditation.