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Timothy chapter three, we've
been looking at the qualifications of elders in verses one to seven. We noted the man's desire for
the eldership in verse one. We saw the man's personal conduct
according to verses two and three. Third, the man's domestic faithfulness
in verses four and five. The man's experience in the faith,
verse six, not a new convert. The next was the man's testimony
toward outsiders in verse 7. Now, tonight we'll take up what
we find in verse 2. All of these, for the most part,
describe the man's character. It describes virtue. There is
one specific gift that the man must have and that he must exercise
for the good of the church. It's at the end of verse 2 where
Paul says, able to teach. So I want to read the section,
and then we'll pray, and then we'll get to this particular
aspect of the qualifications of elders. 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 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, thank you for this list, this description of a qualified
man to function in the context of the eldership in the church.
Give us grace, Father, to receive these things. Give us grace to
apply them in our lives as we consider men for eldership or
for the diaconate. And God, we pray again that you'd
raise up a multitude of such men that would be servants in
the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. faithful to teach the
whole counsel of God, faithful to proclaim the gospel of free
and sovereign grace. And may you be glorified in this.
Again, forgive us now for all of our sin and its darkening
influence in our minds and hearts, and guide us by your Holy Spirit.
And we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, before
we unpack this statement, able to teach, notice a couple of
things by way of reminder. Look at what Paul says in verse
one. This is a faithful saying. If a man desires the position
of a bishop, he desires a good work. We don't force men into
service. We don't make men engage in service. We don't simply say, look out
among you, find the most hapless soul and put him into this office
for a space of two or three years. No, he must desire, there must
be within him that understanding of what Scripture says at the
point of qualification and function, and he wants to be able to take
that on. So there is that desire that
is operative. But then the fact that the apostle
gives a list of qualifications underscores that the desire is
not sufficient in itself. In other words, a man might want
to be an astronaut, but if he's afraid of heights or he has problems
with pressure, then he's probably not going to engage in that particular
endeavor. A man might want to be a cowboy,
but if he can't ride a horse, then that's not the job for him.
So desire alone does not make a minister of the gospel. And
one of the reasons why Paul gives this list of qualifications is
so that the subjective desire that a man has in his bosom can
be checked objectively by the church. In other words, if a
man has aspiration, if a man has desire, it is the church's
task and responsibility to make sure that is, in fact, a legitimate
desire. And it will be evidenced to be
a legitimate desire if he is the things that Paul describes
here in 1 Timothy 3, verses 1 to 7. Notice again, verse 2, a bishop
then must be. Now the list of virtues that
the apostle describes are those things that every Christian should
be pursuing. Every man, every woman, every
boy, every girl should strive to be blameless, should strive
to be gentle, should strive to live in a manner that is consistent
with this list of qualifications. but it must be demonstrable in
the lives of those who we are considering for gospel ministry. They're not going to be perfect
men, they're not going to be sinless men, but they must be
this manner of men. And then one other observation
before we hone in on verse 2, Look at what Paul says in verses
14 and 15. He says, these things I write
to you, though I hope to come to you shortly. But if I am delayed,
I write. Now notice what he says, so that
you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house
of God. We refer to this as the regulative principle of worship.
Worship is not a free-for-all. It's not up to the worshiper
to define the approach taken to God. No, the Apostle Paul
specifically says, 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. One of the
things that should have jumped out at you in the reading of
Leviticus chapter 8 is that they did as the Lord had commanded
them. They didn't make this approach
up. They didn't just kind of innovate the idea of sacrifice
in order to get to the deity. No, God commanded how He wanted
His church to approach Him in the sacrificial system in the
Old Covenant. Well, God commands us today how
the church is to conduct herself in the house of God. He regulates
our worship. He regulates our approach. He
regulates who it is who will function in the capacity of elder
and deacon. So let's now hone in on Paul's
statement in verse two. that he must be able to teach. Now I want to back off from that
for just a moment to try and show why this is inevitable. In other words, this shouldn't
be a surprise that in the eldership in the church of Christ, A primary
function, the primary function, is to teach. It is to preach
the word of the living God. If you start in the book of Genesis,
and you read to the book of 1 Timothy, and you read beyond the book
of 1 Timothy, you'll notice the centrality of the word of God
in biblical religion. the centrality of the Word of
God in biblical religion. I want to flesh that point out.
And then secondly, consider the importance of the Word of God
for the Church of Christ. And then thirdly, the preaching
of the Word of God as the function of the man of God. But first,
the centrality of the Word in biblical religion. You can turn
back to the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy chapter 5. This is
a thumbnail sketch. We're not going to deal with
every aspect relative to the centrality of the Word in biblical
religion, but just a few key notes for us to appreciate that
when we get to 1 Timothy 3.2, we shouldn't be surprised. We
shouldn't say, wow, I can't believe there needs to be a class of
men who serve in the Church of Christ and whose primary function
is to teach the Word of God. No, this is a no-brainer. This
necessarily follows with those who understand the centrality
of the word in biblical religion. Notice in Deuteronomy chapter
5, specifically verses 6 to 8. I am the Lord your God who brought
you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make
for yourself a carved image, any likeness of anything that
is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that
is in the water under the earth. you shall not bow down to them
nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am
a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing
mercy to thousands to those who love me and keep my commandments.
These two commandments, these first two commandments are inextricably
connected. The first one demands that we
worship the true and the living God. It forbids Molech, it forbids
Asherah, it forbids Baal, it forbids the gods of the nations. Rather, it demands that we worship
Yahweh of Israel, the one who delivered his people from bondage
in Egypt. The second commandment is closely
related. You need to worship the true
God in the true way. So it's not only necessary that
we have the right object of worship, but that we obey the manner prescribed
on how we enter into the worship of God Almighty. This brings
us to the point, the centrality of the word in biblical religion.
God never was for persons erecting an idol. fashioning an image,
engaging in some sort of frenzy or ecstasy at the base of that
particular idol. The Bible tells us that the religion
of God is word-based. In other words, God is incorporeal. He's without body. The fact that
he is invisible demands that for him, to engage in, or for
us rather, to engage in proper worship, we must be instructed
by His Word. Now look back at Deuteronomy
chapter 4. Remember that the commandments
had already been given. It's not that they're just now
being given in chapter 5, they've been given in Exodus chapter
20. So they're conscious and mindful of that first and second
commandment, that we come to the true and living God and we
come in the manner prescribed by Him. We're not free, we're
not left on our own to just conjure up any old way whatsoever that
we enter into the presence of God. Notice in Deuteronomy 4,
verse 11. Then you came near and stood
at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with
fire to the midst of heaven, with darkness cloud and thick
darkness. And the Lord spoke to you out
of the midst of the fire. Note the language. The Lord spoke
to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of
the words, but saw no form. You only heard a voice. Why is
that? Because Yahweh's not Baal, Yahweh's
not Asherah, Yahweh's not Molad, Yahweh's command, Yahweh's voice,
Yahweh's word is determinative of Yahweh's people's conduct. They're not innovators, they're
not creators, but rather they are obedient. Verse 13, So He
declared to you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform,
the Ten Commandments, and He wrote them on two tablets of
stone. And the Lord commanded Me at the same time to teach
you statutes and judgments, that you might observe them in the
land which you cross over to possess. Now on the heels of
that exhortation, there's a caution against idolatry. Again, you
saw no form, but rather you heard the voice. The Word of God is
determinative for the conduct of God's people. A second observation
is later in the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy chapter 18. The function
of the prophetic ministry. Deuteronomy chapter 18, under
the big heading of the centrality of the Word of God in biblical
religion. It's necessitated because of
the first and second commandments. But as well, notice the function
of the prophetic ministry in Deuteronomy chapter 18. I'll
just give you a summary of what the chapter is dealing with.
In the first place, it deals with provisions for priests and
Levites. We're already seeing this in
Leviticus. As the priests bring the sacrifice to Yahweh, they
get to keep a portion for themselves that they may be able to eat.
Because the priest in Israel did not live on love and fresh
air. He, like everybody else, needed
protein. He, like everybody else, needed
fat. He, like everybody else, needed complex carbohydrates. So the provision for priests
and Levites. Secondly, there is a prohibition
from following the abominations of the nations, specifically
occultism, in verses 9 to 14. Notice specifically at verse
10. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his
son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices
witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens,
or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist,
or one who calls up the dead. In other words, you need to recoil
from horror at the way that the Canaanites make contact with
the supernatural. Thirdly, there is the purpose
of God in the prophetic ministry in verses 15 to 19. This sets
the stage for the prophets that follow after Moses and terminates
ultimately in the prophet that God raises up from among them,
namely our Lord Jesus Christ. Peter tells us in Acts 3 at verse
22 that this is applicable to our Lord Jesus. As well, on the
Mount of Transfiguration, the same language comes up that we
find in this chapter. Notice in 1815, the Lord your
God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from
your brethren. Him you shall hear according
to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day
of the assembly saying, let me not hear again the voice of the
Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore lest I die. Look at what it says at verse
15. Him you shall hear. Here, on the Mount of Transfiguration,
the voice of the Father comes from heaven and says, this is
my beloved Son, Him you shall hear. So this not only is the
foundation for the prophetic ministry in Israel, but it also,
as I said, terminates in our Lord Jesus Christ. It substantiates
a succession of prophets leading to one specific prophet. Meredith
Klein says, Jesus was the anti-typical prophet whom the Old Testament
prophetic institution foreshadowed. So this is a crucial text. Then,
of course, in verses 20 to 22, there is a condemnation of those
who would speak false prophecy. So the prophetic function of
the nature of the prophetic ministry in Israel was to teach them,
was to instruct them, was to inform them concerning what God
demanded from them. So they didn't seek out a cultist.
They didn't seek out the witches. Remember in 1 Samuel chapter
28, Saul's great sin against the living God. God no longer
spoke to him. So he fetches the witch at Endor
to try to make contact with the supernatural. He wants her to
bring up Samuel so that Saul can get information as to whether
or not he should engage his enemy. It is crass, it is vile, it is
wicked and abominable. He was not relying upon the means
that God had ordained. in terms of the prophetic ministry.
Now go forward just a couple specimen passages concerning
the prophets of God teaching the Word of God. Look at Isaiah
58. Isaiah 58. Again, if we understand
what the Old Testament is about, when we get to 1 Timothy 3-2,
we shouldn't be surprised that the elder in the Church of Christ
must be apt to teach. Notice in 58.1, cry aloud, spare
not, lift up your voice like a trumpet, tell my people their
transgression and the house of Jacob their sins. In other words,
convince them, correct them, rebuke them, instruct them, call
them back to repentance and faith. The prophetic word comes to the
nation of Israel to call upon them to consider their sin, to
consider the remedy that is to be had in Yahweh in terms of
forgiveness. You see this emphasis in the
call of the prophet Jeremiah. You can turn to Jeremiah chapter
1. Jeremiah chapter 1, specifically at verse 4. Then the word of
the Lord came to me, saying, Before I formed you in the womb,
I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified
you. I ordained you, what? a prophet
to the nations. Not just Israel, but the Word
of God is expansive, it is extensive, it is comprehensive. It is simply
not confined to Palestine, but rather it goes to the uttermost
parts of the earth. Now drop down to verse 9. Then
the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord
said to me, Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See,
I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms
to root out to pull down, to destroy, to throw down, to build
and to plant. Those six key words come up often
in this book of Jeremiah. But it's by heralding, it is
by proclaiming, it is by prophesying, it is by teaching the Word of
God that these things come to pass. And then as we move to
the New Testament, we see this continued emphasis. What does
Jesus do? Certainly comes from the Father
in order to live for us and to die for us and to be raised again
for us. But how does Jesus fill his time
in terms of his earthly ministry? Yes, he does miracles. Yes, he's
kind and gracious and compassionate. But the central focus of Christ's
earthly ministry was prophetic. In other words, he taught. The
Gospel of Matthew records five discourses of our Lord Jesus
Christ as he engages in the task of preaching and teaching the
Word of God. When we move on from the gospel
narratives, we hear the Lord in the Great Commission when
he says, go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all
things that I have commanded you and look I am with you always
even to the end of the age So we turn to the book of Acts and
what do we see? Again, the emphasis on teaching
the emphasis on preaching on the day of Pentecost. What does
Peter do? Does he have a therapy session?
Does he have a divine encounter session? Do they punch pillows
to deal with their their upsetness from their their their wayward
youth? No No! He preaches the Word of God.
He says, this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel. He
applies it to that particular context, shows that the power
of the Spirit is given by the ascended Lord Jesus. Acts 3,
more preaching. Acts 4, more preaching. Acts
5, more preaching. Such that the Sanhedrin now threatens
them. You're no longer to fill this
city with this doctrine. But that's when they said we
must obey God rather than man. One of the first difficulties
encountered within the church is in Acts 6. Not that it was
wrong to serve the Hellenistic and the Hebrew widows a daily
ration of food, but it was taking the apostles away from the emphasis
of prayer and preaching. Acts chapter 13, the start of
the missionary journeys by the apostle Paul. What does he do?
He goes into the synagogue and there he preaches. In Acts 14.1,
we read that on that missionary journey, the apostle so spake
that a great multitude believed. I mean, it almost sounds Arminian.
It almost sounds Pelagian. You mean it was? Because they
so spake that a great multitude believed? Well, no. 1348 tells us that as many as
had been appointed to eternal life believed, and then in chapter
16 we read that the Lord opened the heart of Lydia in order to
believe what Paul had spoken. But nevertheless, there is emphasis
laid on the proclamation of the truth. The Word of God, the power
of the Gospel, has been advanced through the proclamation of that
Gospel. The Apostle Paul emphasizes that
faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God in Romans
10, 17. But before that, Romans 10, 14. You can turn there just to see
his emphasis on the necessity of the preached Word. Romans
chapter 10, specifically verse 14. How then shall they call
on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they
believe in him of whom they have not heard? Better rendered as,
and how shall they believe him whom they have not heard? In
other words, as a man faithfully expounds the truth, it is, as
it were, Christ speaking through that word for the edification
of his people and for the salvation of sinners. So how shall they
believe him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear
without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless
they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful
are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring
glad tidings of good things. They have not all obeyed the
gospel, for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our report?
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter 1. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 into
chapter 2, the apostle is highlighting the glory of God in the salvation
of sinners. And he displays the glory of
God in the salvation of sinners three particular ways. In the
first way, it is seen through the message of the cross. What
the world deems as foolishness is, in fact, the power of God
Almighty. The glory of God in the salvation
of sinners is seen in the salvation, secondly, of the sinners in Corinth.
Not many wise, not many noble. And then the glory of God and
the salvation of sinners is seen in the character of the Apostle
Paul himself, according to chapter two, verses one to five. He came
not as a man who was eight foot tall and bulletproof. He didn't
come as the celebrity preacher. He wasn't passing out the coffee
cups. He wasn't passing out the t-shirts. The Apostle Paul is
my homeboy. No, he came with trembling. He
came with fear, but he came with proclamation that was in the
demonstration of the spirit and power. But notice specifically
what Paul says in verse 18. Where is the wise? Where is the
scribe? Where is the disputer of this
age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For
since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did
not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the
message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request
a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ
crucified. To the Jews a stumbling block,
and to the Greeks foolishness. But to those who are called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom
of God. Because the foolishness of God
is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than man. Get it in the heads, brethren,
that the way that God has ordained for the calling of sinners unto
salvation by faith in Jesus Christ is through the Word of God. And
that Word of God is proclaimed by men of God who are qualified
to do so, recognized by the Church, and set apart for that particular
capacity. Now let's look secondly at the
importance of the Word of God for the Church of Christ. Three
texts here that are very, very familiar to us. In the first
place, the Apostle's emphasis on the importance of the Word
of God for the man of God. The Apostle's emphasis on the
importance of the Word of God for the man of God. You can turn
to 2 Timothy chapter 3. 2 Timothy chapter 3, the Apostle
sets forth a contrast between the wicked and between Timothy. Notice he describes the wicked
in chapter 3 at verses 1 to 9. He is dealing with problems internally. He is dealing with problems in
the professing church. He's not dealing with the world.
He's not dealing with the heathen. He's not dealing with the Gentile.
He's not dealing with the pagan. Chapter three, verses one to
nine, specifically has the aim of the church. Because notice
in verse five, the person's causing trouble, having a form of godliness,
but denying its power. And from such people turn away.
Timothy, avoid that. Like the plague, they are menaces. They're about destruction and
turmoil and pain and misery. So he describes this threat in
the church, but then notice the contrast in verse 10. But you,
you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose,
faith, long-suffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions,
which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra, what persecutions
I endured. And out of them all the Lord
delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ
Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and imposters will
grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must
continue in the things which you have learned and been assured
of, knowing from whom you have learned them. And that from childhood
you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise
for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus." Don't
miss what Paul says here. The Old Testament Scriptures,
because that's what's in view primarily as Paul is writing
2 Timothy. The Old Testament Scriptures
are able to make one wise for salvation through faith in Christ
Jesus. There's not two or three or four
or five ways unto God. It's always been grace alone
through faith alone, in Christ alone. And then he gives this
wonderful statement in verses 16 and 17. All scripture is given
by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every
good work. You see the emphasis there, brethren? It's not on
his gregariousness. It's not on his happy attitude,
though that is certainly a good thing. The emphasis is upon his
understanding of Scripture and his use of Scripture in the context
of pastoral ministry. Now, secondly, the apostles'
emphasis on the importance of the Word of God for the Church
of God. You can turn back to Ephesians
4. Again, a familiar passage. I've cited it recently, but it
bears repetition because the Church needs this. Ephesians 4.11, and he himself
gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and
some pastors and teachers. Now, verse 12 has been taken
out of its context and used to teach every member ministry. In other words, when you're in
the church, you have a ministry. You gotta have a ministry. We
gotta plug you in. It could be the parking lot ministry. It
could be the bathroom ministry. It could be whatever ministry,
because every member has a ministry. So verse 12 has been taken that
way. That's not the point of verse
12. There are three coordinate statements that are true of the
minister. The best punctuation is in the
old King James. The new King James punctuates
it in that way that I think is faulty. But notice what he says
in verse 12. For, here's the first purpose,
the equipping of the saints. Certainly, pastors equip the
saints so that they can engage in ministry. That is a truism. That is accepted. That is axiomatic. But notice the second coordinate
statement, for the work of ministry, not the members being equipped,
but the pastors or the elders themselves. They are working
in the ministry of the word in order to edify the body of Christ.
And then that comes out thirdly, for the edifying of the body
of Christ. Again, I'm not suggesting that
every member shouldn't find his or her ministry. Absolutely,
positively, great. Go do that and be fruitful. But this isn't the text. And
then notice how he goes on, verse 13. You mean there's tricky men out
there? There's cunning, crafty men out there that are trying
to usurp for them authority that is not theirs, and they do it
with a purpose of actually messing with the people of God? Yeah,
that's exactly what Paul says. Paul says in Galatians 1 that
there are some who want to actually pervert the gospel of our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ. So back to our passage, notice
in verse 15, but speaking the truth and love may grow up in
all things into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole
body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies,
according to the effective working by which every part does its
share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in
love. You see, the apostle Paul, under
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says that the word of God is
so important for the church of God, so that the church of God
does not lose her way. When you look at problems in
the church today, I guarantee you, you can always trace them
back to a faulty pulpit. You can always trace them back
to faulty exposition. You can always trace it back
to a mishandling of the, well, I should say always, I mean,
you could have ax murderers and that sort of thing that just
happens in the life of the church. You can't necessarily blame a
pastor for that. But for the most part, the problems
in the church have to do at the level of the misunderstanding
of God's Word. The Apostle Paul, in Acts 20,
says, I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. That's incumbent upon preachers.
It's not a hobby horse session, it's not whatever I feel led
to share with you, but it is the job of the minister to preach
the word of the living God. And that's the final text we'll
look at in 2 Timothy chapter 4. This is the last corporate
command given by the apostle to the church. He gives Timothy
commands, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas,
verse 13, when you come and the books, especially the parchments.
That's not a command for us. We're not, you know, somehow
going out there, finding these items and taking them to where
Paul used to be in prison. No, that's not a corporate command.
That is conditioned specifically with reference to Timothy as
Paul's companion. The corporate command is found
in verse two. Notice the command is set in the context of eternity. Verse one, I charge you, therefore,
before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living
and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom. Now, brethren,
I don't want to sort of put down any other job. I think all labor,
as long as it's not sinful, is noble. It is blessed. It is good. It is a godly thing to have a
vocation. It is a godly thing to work hard
with your hands. But it is interesting that with
reference to preaching the Word, it is set in the context of the
judgment to come. I think this gives us understanding
as to why James cautions everyone pursuing a teaching ministry.
He says, we shall incur or receive a stricter judgment. So it's
set in the context of the day of judgment, and then verse 2,
the command is simple, preach the Word. be ready in season
and out of season, convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering
and teaching. He gives two reasons for that
command. The first is in verse three and the second is in verse
six. The reason that he wants Timothy
to preach the word. The second one's easy. For the
time is coming or I'm already being poured out as a drink offering
and the time of my departure is at hand. Timothy, I'm about
to die. So you need to take the baton,
the faithful baton of gospel preaching, and you need to engage
in that. Again, Paul's emphasis with Timothy
isn't on being the most handsome, the most gregarious, the most
friendly, but rather he wants him to be committed to preaching
the word of God. So this idea of Paul's departure,
but the church's departure necessitates the command of verse two. So
preach the word, he says, in verse 2. The immediate reason
is verse 3. For the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires,
because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves
teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth
and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things,
endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your
ministry. What is Paul telling us? that
in the midst of defection on the part of the church, the same
emphasis on preaching maintains. In other words, well, you know,
Paul, they don't like preaching, so we're going to engage in drama.
They don't like preaching, so I'm going to move the pulpit,
I'm going to put an easy chair in its place, and I'm just going
to tell them stories. Now brethren, if you smile at
that or think that odd, there is a very famous preacher in
our generation who has said that very thing. Our church doesn't
like preaching, so we move the bulbit, put an easy chair, and
I simply sit there and I tell them stories. Brethren, you can
go to your local library for story hour. You want the man
of God to preach the Word of God in light of the judgment
of God with blood earnestness. Preach the Word. Why? Because
the time will come when they will no longer endure sound doctrine. Now let's look thirdly and finally
at our qualification in 1 Timothy chapter 3. So the preaching of
the Word of God as the function for the man of God. Notice 1
Timothy 3, verse 2. It says he must be able to teach. This is how elders lead or govern
the church. Remember when we defined and
described the eldership, it is two primary emphases. There is
the preaching or teaching of the Word, and there is the leading
or the governing of the church. Those are absolutely positively
connected. It's not that he just preaches
the word, and then he moves the pulpit, and instead of an easy
chair, he puts a throne. And from that throne, he leads,
and he governs, and he's the despot or the tyrant. No, the
manner in which a man or an eldership rather leads or governs the church
is through the ministry of the word. If that is not operative,
you're dealing with autocrats, you're dealing with despots,
you're dealing with men who are committed to their own agenda.
The government and the leadership in the church is by the word
of the living and true God. So when it comes to this particular
description, it jives with what Paul says throughout the pastoral
epistles. That's 1st and 2nd Timothy and
Titus. It jives with what Paul says
in terms of an emphasis on sound doctrine. We are cessationists
in this church. We don't believe in the revelatory
gifts continuing on in our own generation. We don't believe
in tongue speaking and in prophesying in terms of God revealing new
stuff to the church. John Owen well said, if private
revelations agree with scripture, then they're useless. If they
disagree with scripture, then they're heretical. There's no
private revelations on this or at this stage of the game in
terms of church life. So when it comes to this particular
issue, with reference to teaching and preaching, it has to be the
way that men govern the church. They don't do it through a direct
contact with the Lord, they do it through preaching. So when
we come to these pastoral epistles, the emphasis is not on tongue
speaking. The emphasis is not on prophesying. The emphasis is always on sound
doctrine. So the last letter that Paul
writes is 2 Timothy. And in chapter 4, verse 2, he
doesn't say, speak in tongues, prophesy as you receive, special
revelation. No, preach the word. The emphasis
is upon sound doctrine. Look at 1 Timothy 4, verses 6
and 7. 1 Timothy 4, at verse 6, "...if
you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good
minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith, and of
the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. But reject
profane and old wise fables, and exercise yourself toward
godliness." Drop down to verses 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." See the emphasis?
Not tongues, not prophesying, not direct contact, but rather
preach the word as it had been given by God through the prophets
and the apostles. First Timothy 5.17, let the elders
who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those
who labor in the word and doctrine, not especially those who speak
in tongues, those who are great guys, those who have all of the
No, it's those who labor in the Word and in doctrine. Notice
in 1 Timothy chapter 6 at verse 2, 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
and then notice dropping down in verse 17 Command those who
are rich in this present age not to be haughty nor to trust
in uncertain riches But in the living God who gives us richly
all things to enjoy in other words command Teach, disciple,
instruct, inform. The same emphasis comes up in
2 Timothy. Look at 1 Timothy 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. Brethren, that
is the solemn responsibility given to the church in our age.
If we don't keep that which was given to us, if we let it go,
it's going to die, humanly speaking, and our children and our grandchildren
are going to suffer as a result of it. The church needs to wake
up and understand that it's not about a lot of the things that
has occupied us over the last generation, but it's about the
proclamation of God's holy word. It is an emphasis upon sound
doctrine. Notice in 2.2, the very function
of the church and the things that you have heard from me among
many witnesses. Commit these to faithful men
who will be able to teach others also. Notice that he's addressing
here not the seminary, not the Bible college, he's addressing
the church. The church, according to 1 Timothy
chapter 3, is the pillar and ground of the truth. The church
should be competent and able to raise up elders, to see that
they're doctrinally sound, that they're biblically responsible
in terms of exegesis before they inflict them on the rest of the
church. Notice in 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." Not approved
to man. It's not man that you're trying to court his favor. It's
not, oh, I hope they all love everything I have to say. Be
diligent to show yourself approved to God. Same sort of emphasis
that Paul calls us to in 2 Timothy 4.1. Think of eternal things. Think of God himself. Think of
the Lord Jesus Christ as the measure or as the standard, rather,
for your faithful ministry. Notice in chapter 2 at verse
24, 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. And then we've seen the
passages in chapters 3 and chapter 4. The apostle wants the men
that are being scrutinized relative to pastoral ministry to be competent
to teach the Word of God. That's the job. That's the primary
function. Spurgeon said, 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. Turn over to Titus chapter one,
another. List of qualifications, the same
list, but a further dimension developed by the Apostle in Titus
chapter 1 at verse 9. This is the aptness or the ability
to teach section of the qualifications of elders in Titus 1, 5 to 9. Notice, holding fast the faithful
word as he has been taught. He doesn't just kind of hold
on to it. He doesn't just have a little
bit of familiarity with it. No, he holds it fast. He doesn't
let go. Come whatever may, he's not going
to relinquish that. He's like a dog with a bone.
You try to grab that bone out of the dog's mouth, you're going
to get bit or you're going to have trouble. Same thing with
a faithful man of God, holding fast the faithful word as he
has been taught. Now notice that he may be able,
by sound doctrine, to engage in a twofold task, both to exhort
and convict those who contradict. So exhort those who are on board
with you. Exhort those who are God's people. Exhort those who are blood-bought,
who are owned by the Holy Spirit. Those people want to know and
hear the Word of God so that they may grow in the grace and
in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. But it's not only
exhort those who are with you, but convict those who contradict. That's not always as easy. When
persons oppose doctrinal preaching, when persons oppose certain things
in Scripture, when they're not already predispositionally on
your side, it becomes even more difficult in terms of setting
forth the truth of God's Word. So what does a man do? Well,
it's so hard because they don't want to hear it. Preach the word,
whether they want to hear it or not, the task, the function,
the job doesn't change. So he needs to exhort and convict
those who contradict. Calvin says, this is the chief
gift in a bishop who is elected principally for the sake of teaching.
For the church cannot be governed in any other way than by the
word. He wishes that a bishop should hold it fast. So as not
only to be well instructed in it, but to be constant in maintaining
it. constancy, earnestness, perseverance,
not just starting well, but by God's grace, finishing well.
And then commenting on the twofold task, exhort and convict, Calvin
again says the pastor ought to have two voices. One for gathering
the sheep, and another for warding off and driving away wolves and
thieves. So it's not just exhort, but
it's also convict, those who contradict. In other words, drive
off the wolves, drive off the thieves, drive off the menace
that creates problems in the context of the church. And that's
not with physical force or physical harm, but rather through the
proclamation of the truth and the implementation, if necessary,
of church discipline to deal with threats posed to the body. Well, in conclusion, pay attention. I'm assuming that you haven't
been. No, I'm assuming that you have. But this is where it gets
real practical. We're not looking at this just
because it's in the Bible. That would be a perfectly valid
reason to look at it, because it is in the Bible. But as I've
said, we've got men that we're looking at in terms of gospel
ministry. We've got needs in terms of our own church, with
reference to. eldership. So we need to be sufficiently
instructed with reference to these qualifications so that
we can engage in our particular responsibility in a responsible
manner. In other words, it's the church
membership that recognizes the men or the men that will function
in terms of eldership or the diaconate. So I want to look
at first the responsibility of men who aspire to the ministry
And then we'll end on the responsibility of the church toward the men
who aspire to the ministry. With reference to the responsibility
of men who aspire to the ministry, there are two things here. First,
the proven faithfulness in biblical churchmanship. This is a lesser
to the greater argument. If a man is not faithful as a
member, then what possible reason would we have to conclude that
he will be a faithful elder? Jesus lays the principle down.
He who is faithful in little will be faithful in much. I think
it was my brother telling me what his father had said at one
point, look after the pennies and the dollars will look after
themselves. I think we can ascribe that to
Mr. Lawson Sr. We need to have men
who maintain a consistent devotional life. In other words, the Bible
isn't simply a job for them, but they live on it. Lloyd-Jones
was excellent here. He says, you don't read the scripture
as a man of God to find sermons. You read the scripture to find
food. Now, while you're eating that
food, he recommended have a pen in your hand and a paper on the
desk and write down skeletons as you see them and throw them
in the filing cabinet to be revisited or to be visited later. We read
the scripture because that's what a man of God does for the
good of his soul. As well, the man should faithfully
attend the public means of grace. Again, brethren, this is not
rocket science. I'm not that smart to engage
in rocket science. These are basic foundational
principles. If a man does not function well
in the capacity of a member, why would we want him to function
in the capacity of an elder? He should faithfully attend the
means of grace. that man as well should love
and serve the brethren. It shouldn't be, well, now that
you're an elder, go out and love and serve the brethren. No, typically,
you're able to spot men who are qualified for eldership or diaconate
because they're already doing that. They don't need to be recognized
by the church. They don't need to have hands
laid upon them. They don't need to be set apart in some official
capacity because they just love and serve the brethren. The man
should be supportive of the mission and ministry of the church. Wouldn't
it be great? Oh yeah, we do. We have a second
London Confession of Faith that does define the terms of our
understanding of scripture. It's a wonderful guy. So a man
comes in among us and he's an Arminian. A man comes in among
us and he's a Dispensationalist. A man comes in among us and he's
a charismatic. We're not suggesting he can't
be saved. We're not suggesting he isn't
saved. But we are suggesting it's probably
not going to work that you function in the eldership in our church.
Because aptness to teach means aptness to teach the Bible truly
and faithfully. And as well, the man should be
faithful in little things. There was a fellow. His name
is Ronnie Coleman. He's built like a mountain. He
won Mr. Olympia eight times in a row.
For those of you who do not know what that means, it means having
muscles on top of your muscles and then being awarded this Mr.
Olympia. Well, commenting one time, he
said, everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but no one wants to lift any
heavy weights. Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but no one
wants to lift any heavy weights. What's the point? If you don't
lift heavy weights, you're not going to be a bodybuilder. Again,
just not rocket science here, brethren. If you're not faithful
as a member in the church, then why in the world would that church
ever call you into the eldership? And then secondly, under the
responsibility of men who aspire to the ministry, the proven faithfulness
in the qualifications of elders. So not only generally he's a
good and faithful churchman, but specifically he measures
up. He has a biblical desire. He has personal conduct, as described
here. He has domestic faithfulness.
He has the necessary experience in the faith. He has a good testimony
toward those who are outside, and he has the ability and the
competency to teach the Word of God. Now, I want to issue
all of us an encouraging bit of caution here. When we have
young men who aspire, we cannot expect from them old man ability. In other words, a new man, a
new elder, a younger man who hasn't been at it as long is
not going to preach and teach with the same degree of competency
that a man who's been in it for a long time will. That makes
sense, right? So we can't say, well, the guy
doesn't sound like Spurgeon. No one sounds like Spurgeon.
If that's what we're looking for, we'll never have elders.
Well, he doesn't bring the same level of teaching that perhaps
this pastor does. Again, he's new in terms of eldership. And we need to understand that.
In fact, look at what Paul says in 1 Timothy 4. We already read
verses 13 and 14. Notice verse 15. Meditate on
these things, give yourself entirely to them, that, look at what he
says, your progress may be evident to all. In other words, the first
time he preached through the book of Galatians, he missed
a few things along the way. Okay, but later on, when he preaches
that same book of Galatians, he's gonna touch on more stuff. Luther has two sections, or two
rather sets of lectures on Galatians. when he was a younger minister,
and when he was an older minister. Guess which set is more fuller,
more robust, and more well-informed? And if you're thinking the first
one, let me tell you, you're wrong. That is just the reality
of it. We have to be gracious, we have
to be kind, and we have to be understanding that a man who's
been in the ministry for one year should be markedly different
than a man who's been in the ministry for 25 years. In other
words, the man with the 25 years should be more able because he's
been engaged in it longer. Look at 517, let the elders who
rule well be counted worthy of double honor. In the context,
honor means payment. It means remuneration. It means
do-re-mi. You know that because of verse
3. Honor widows who are really widows. He's talking about putting them
on the widow's list and giving them money so that they can buy
sheets for their beds, so they can buy soup for their cupboards,
so that, well, stuff to make soup back in those days, so that
they could buy shoes. Honor meant to pay them, to remunerate
them. And the same thing holds in verse
17. Let the elders who rule well
be counted worthy of double honor. What does it mean to rule well?
Especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. For the
scripture says, you shall not muzzle an ox while it treads
out the grain, and the laborer is worthy of his wages. So there
is a class of elders that rule well, those who engage especially
in labor with reference to the word and doctrine. Yes, absolutely,
positively. Now, secondly, broader consideration,
the responsibility of the church toward the men who aspire to
the ministry. There's a general and a specific.
Generally, the church should pray for an increase of laborers. Matthew chapter 9, the Lord Jesus
looked upon the multitudes and he felt compassion for them because
they were like sheep having no shepherd. Joshua makes that same
observation back in the Old Testament. And so what is Jesus' response
to his disciples? The harvest is plentiful, but
the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the
harvest to raise up men. And on the heels of that, Jesus
then installs the apostles into that aspect of gospel ministry. So we need to pray for an increase
of laborers. Secondly, the church should know
the qualifications for elders and deacons. That's why we've
spent time here. So that when it comes time to
recognize a man because, well, I don't know what it means to
be an elder. I'd like to think by this time, after this is the
fourth sermon, you at least are in the ballpark in terms of what
to look for. Third, the church should insist
that men who aspire to office meet the qualifications. It's
a big boy's world here. I mean, if a guy gets his nose
bent out of shape because someone says, you know, I don't think
he measures up, or there's a consensus rather, it's not just a someone,
but let's say the consensus is it's best for that man to wait
a bit. That's oftentimes the best proof as to the man's mettle.
If a man can take the answer of no and be faithful in light
of that, then that bodes well. If he gets his nose bent out
of shape and he gets all upset and he starts to whine and cry
and starts to launch his invective at the current eldership or at
the church, you just don't know what a valuable man that I am.
Brethren, that's not as much of a boding well scenario. As
well, the church must examine men in light of these qualifications. Drop down in chapter 3 to verse
10. So you've got the qualifications
for elders, verses 1 to 7. You've got the qualifications
for deacons, verses 8 to 13. But notice at verse 10, let these
also first be tested. What do you think the also means? It means that the men who aspire
to eldership are tested by the church to see if they fit the
qualifications before they're admitted into gospel ministry. So with reference to these qualifications,
we apply them. We test men, both informal and
formal. The way that we function is we
announce the man or men We encourage the people of God to get to know
them, to have them over, to ask them questions in informal settings.
When we get closer to the date where we lay hands on them, we
have a public examination. Everybody from the church, members
and attenders, are welcome to come and see how we examine a
man for gospel ministry. With the Bible and the confession
of faith, we launch a series of questions at them to see how
they respond in terms of scripture and theology. And then the church
should exclude all who do not meet those qualifications. Not
from the membership, not you're a terrible specimen of a human
being, but exclude them from the eldership if they're not
fit. One of the things that the church
in Ephesus gets right in the book of Revelation, they're the
church famously that lost their first love. But prior to that
condemnation, they are commended because they took seriously 1
Timothy 3. Remember, Timothy was in Ephesus.
Timothy was given this letter and would have preached it and
taught it to the church in Ephesus. Well, in Revelation 2-2, you
have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and
have found them liars. Again, brethren, it's a bad thing.
It's a real condemnation. You've lost or you've left your
first love. Well, I suggest they probably
did because they were having to combat lying men who were
trying to espouse that they themselves were apostles. When you're in
the trenches of battle, it's hard to keep the heart white
hot. You're not reading Spurgeon's
Morning and Evening when you're waging the good warfare. So when
Jesus says that, he's not cutting them off, he's calling them back
to increase devotion in terms of the first priority. So that's
the general specifically. With reference to men, the man
must be recognized by the church. We have to have a system in place,
and Paul provides that system for us, where the subjective
desire that a man has can be checked by the objective criteria
of the Word of God. That is absolutely, positively
crucial. Secondly, the man must be tested
by the church. Again, verse 10. And then thirdly,
the man must be approved by the church. You see it in Acts 6,
Acts 14, 1 Timothy 3 here, and then again in Titus chapter 1.
Now, I probably should have led with this, because this summarizes
everything I've been trying to say. London Confession, 2nd London
Confession, chapter 26, paragraph 9. The way appointed by Christ
for the calling of any person fitted and gifted by the Holy
Spirit unto the office of bishop or elder in a church is, that
he be chosen thereunto by the common suffrage of the church
itself, and solemnly set apart by fasting and prayer, with imposition
of hands, of the eldership of the church, if there be any before
constituted therein. and of a deacon, that he be chosen
by the like suffrage, and set apart by prayer, and the like
imposition of hands." This is not a decision on the part of
the existing eldership. Here's your new pastor. This
is the church having been informed by the word of the living God.
seeing a man or men presented before them, taking that objective
criteria, applying it to the individual, again, with grace,
with kindness, with love, with charity and large-heartedness,
but nevertheless, applying that criteria. And if the majority
says, yay, we bring the man in, we lay hands on him, We set them
apart with fasting and prayer, and then we either A, use them
here, or B, send them out into the harvest field to plant churches
or to go to the mission field to call sinners from every tribe
and tongue and people and nation. Brethren, pray. Brethren, look
out among you. And brethren, seek by God's grace
to see installed in our church a plurality of elders, perhaps
a couple of more deacons, and again, men fit. to go and to
preach the word. Well, let us pray. Father, thank
you for your word and thank you for the clarity concerning the
qualifications of elders and deacons. Thank you for your kind
provision of our deacons. I thank you for these men and
for their faithfulness. I pray God as well for your blessing
upon Ryan. I pray for your blessing upon
Dan in Ontario. I pray for Andrew here, that
you would just bless these brothers and give them sobriety as they
approach these passages, as they think through them and pray through
them, and help us as a church to be mindful, to be responsible
in the exercise of our responsibility at so important a level. And
God be glorified in the raising up of men, in the proclamation
of the truth, in the salvation of sinners, and in the edification
of the saints. And we pray through Christ our
Lord. Amen. We'll close with a brief time
of meditation.
