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May turn in your Bibles to 1 
Timothy chapter 5. We continue working through this 
section where the Apostle tells Timothy how people are to relate 
to one another within the context of the local church. Specifically, 
how Timothy is to relate to older men, younger men, older women, 
and younger women in verse 1. Verses 1 and 2 in a general fashion. And then verses 3 to 16 he deals 
with widows. the place of widows in the context 
of the local church, and then here in chapter 5 verses 17 to 
25, the issue of dealing with elders, the church's duties toward 
elders. We have seen that they are to 
be doubly honored, those who rule well, they are to be disciplined, 
those who sin, they are to be rebuked in the presence of all, 
and tonight we'll consider the duties toward elders with reference 
to ordination or installation into office as elders. And then chapter 6 verses 1 and 
2 round off the section by giving instructions to slaves and masters. So I'll just read the section 
that is our focus this evening 17 to 25 and then we'll focus 
on 22 to 25. Let the elders who rule well 
be counted worthy of double honor, 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. Do not receive an accusation 
against an elder except from two or three witnesses. Those 
who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all that the rest 
also may fear. I charge you before God and the 
Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these 
things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality. Do not 
lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins. 
Keep yourself pure. No longer drink only water, but 
use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities. Some men's sins are clearly evident, 
preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later. 
Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those 
that are otherwise cannot be hidden. Amen. Let us pray. Father, thank you for your word. 
Again, we pray for the ministry of your Spirit. We acknowledge 
our utter dependence upon you. We acknowledge, God, our wandering 
thoughts at times. We oftentimes have a difficulty 
focusing and concentrating, we just pray that you would give 
us the mind of Christ now and help us to take every thought 
captive to the obedience of Christ. Again, my heart's desire and 
earnest prayer is that we as a church would take these passages 
seriously and that we would order our local body, our church, we 
would regulate by scripture in it alone. How we thank you for 
the word, how we thank you that Paul has given us instructions 
so that we may know how we ought to conduct ourselves in the house 
of God. And we pray that you would bless this time, in Jesus' 
holy name, Amen. Well, as I said, we've already 
seen the necessity to give double honor to those men who labor 
well, especially in the Word and in doctrine, and then the 
Apostle grounds that in the Scripture. It's not just an idea, it's not 
just a thought that he has, but rather he says, for, verse 18, 
the Scripture says, you shall not muzzle an ox while it treads 
out the grain, and the laborer is worthy of his wages. He then 
shifts to discipline. What are we supposed to do in 
terms of elders in the context of the local church? This doesn't 
apply only to elders. In Matthew 18, the same specification 
is there. If your brother sins, go to him. 
If he doesn't repent, then take two or three witnesses. Paul 
is ensuring that the elders get the same fair shake or the same 
due process that everyone else gets. Verse 19, do not receive 
an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. 
That process must be utilized. And after the utilization of 
the process, and you have confirmed the guilt of this particular 
elder or elders, then verse 20, those who are sinning rebuke 
in the presence of all that the rest also may fear. The church 
ought to take it to heart when the elders are publicly rebuked. 
The church ought to realize that God means business and he does 
deal with sin in the context of the local church. Paul then 
grounds this charge in verse 21. I charge you before God and 
the Lord Jesus and the elect angels that you observe these 
things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality." We 
saw that in 2 Timothy chapter 4, when Paul tells Timothy to 
preach the Word, it's the same sort of a convention. He charges 
him before God and he charges him before the Lord Jesus Christ 
to preach. Well, here he's charging Timothy 
to conduct church business, to conduct the issue of discipline, 
to take it seriously and to realize that this isn't something that 
is optional, but rather it is mandated by the living God, and 
Timothy is to take these things very, very seriously. And then that flows naturally 
into this whole issue of ordination. I think what the Apostle's mindset 
is in verses 22 to 25 is simply this. If you exercise a little 
more caution at the beginning, you may not end up having to 
publicly rebuke sinning elders. In other words, if you do the 
job of vetting men correctly and making sure that they are 
qualified according to Scripture, you may avoid that predicament 
of having to publicly rebuke them all. So ordination is very 
important. Notice what's not here. It's 
not the actual ceremony. It's not have a hymn and then 
a prayer and then a hymn and then bring the men up. lay hands 
on them. No, rather, the emphasis falls 
on making sure that you do not lay hands on anyone hastily. So I want to look at 22 to 25 
under two broad concerns. First, the prohibition against 
hastiness in ordination. And then secondly, the coordination 
of providence with reference to ordination. I think there 
is a dynamic at work when the church does what she's supposed 
to do, vis-a-vis 22 and 23, then God comes along the side of it 
and makes sure that the proper men get in, that makes sure that 
the improper men stay out. Again, it's not foolproof. there's 
oftentimes flaws, not on God's part obviously, but on the part 
of the church. But I think that's sort of the 
union or the synergism that is at work here. The church does 
what she's supposed to do, and then 24 and 25 sort of are a 
reason for this. Do not be hasty about these things 
because in God's timing and in God's providence he makes manifest, 
he makes evident, he makes it known which men do not have qualification 
for office and which men conversely do have qualification for office. We need to realize that when 
the church obeys God and does what she's supposed to do they 
can have that certain confidence that God the Lord in his kind 
providence is going to come alongside of them and guide them and direct 
them in the use of those means so that the righteous end is 
achieved within the context of the local church. So let's look 
at verses 22 to 23 under four considerations. First, the connection 
with discipline. Notice in verse 22, "...do not 
lay hands on anyone hastily." Just after the statement about 
publicly rebuking those who are in sin. The due process has been 
applied. You've confirmed or affirmed 
the guilt of the elders. The church now publicly rebukes 
this particular man. So when we get to verse 22, it 
could be the case that Paul is saying, now that there's a vacancy, 
Now that there's an opening, now that this man has been publicly 
rebuked and perhaps removed from office, now here's how I want 
you to proceed. Do not lay hands on anyone hastily. That could be the case, but more 
than likely what Paul is saying is do not lay hands on anyone 
hastily so that hopefully you can prevent the discipline that 
was enacted in the case of sinning elders. I think that's what's 
going on. If the church exercises caution 
at the beginning, it serves as preventative maintenance so that 
down the road they won't have to publicly rebuke a sinning 
elder. I think that makes sense. You 
put oil in your car so that when you get down the road you don't 
hear this nasty knocking in your engine. You practice preventative 
maintenance. If the church is patient, if 
the church is submissive to her Lord, if the church obeys her 
Lord, she can trust that God will make sure that the proper 
men are installed and that the improper men are kept out. It 
is a beneficial means that we ought to apply in terms of this 
particular pursuit. Notice, secondly, the prohibition 
stated, do not lay hands on anyone hastily. The laying on of hands 
here refers to ordination. Look at verse 14 of chapter 4. 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. Laying on of hands refers, in 
this instance, to installation or ordination. One man describes 
it this way, it is a symbolic act that in the New Testament 
and Judaism functioned to signify public recognition of authority, 
commissioning and the communication of various powers, healing and 
gifts of the Spirit. So it was a public means to affirm 
or confirm that a man was receiving authority to engage in a particular 
situation. So Paul says, with reference 
to this laying on of hands, and again, the context I think is 
very crystal clear. He's dealing with the eldership. 
He says, do not do this hastily. Something we need to learn as 
the church is that time is not our enemy. Time is on our side. Time is a blessing. We don't 
ever want to rush. Now, we don't want to err on 
the other side as well, thinking that somehow dragging our feet 
is godly before the Lord. But when it comes to something 
as monumental as the laying on of hands in the eldership, we 
need to make sure that we're not doing this hastily. Again, 
our practice in our church may differ from other churches out 
there. It's not a popularity contest. 
It's not something that men in the congregation get stuck with 
on some sort of a regular cycle. But rather, it is something that 
men aspire to. Men have desire, according to 
1 Timothy chapter 3. They want to function in a particular 
capacity. They make those desires known 
to the current eldership, and then they institute a testing 
period, or a training period, or whatever the particular case 
may be, such that when they are installed in the pastoral ministry, 
it is something that is very, very important, and it is a high 
calling. And as we looked at this morning 
in our introduction to the Confession of Faith, we do not want hacks 
in the pulpit. We don't want sloppy men. We 
don't want fuzzy men. We don't want nebulous men. We 
don't want men who do not know sound doctrine. When it comes 
to men who lead in Christ's church, you want to have confidence in 
the reality that they are safe guides. They're not going to 
lead you astray. They're not going to lead you 
into a pit. They're not going to lead you down some dirt road 
and you end up in a bad state or a bad position. And so Paul 
says, exercise some patience on this side of the particular 
process. The church must not be governed 
by need. The Church must not be governed 
by public opinion. The Church must not be governed 
by any sort of mysticism or subjective impulse. The Church must be governed 
by the Word of God, by the qualifications set forth, and by a desire to 
make sure that the right men get their hands laid on them. Calvin says, Paul therefore exhorts 
Timothy not to lay aside judicious caution and not to suffer himself 
to be overpowered by improper feelings. That is key. It is 
not the case that a man of God, an eldership, or a church ought 
to be overpowered by improper feelings. It ought not to be 
the case, but we absolutely need an elder. Remember something 
that the men said many, many years ago that came to assist 
us in a particular issue. And I have since seen this in 
print. Elders are necessary for the well-being of the church. They are not necessary for the 
being of the church. In other words, you can have 
a church without elders. Titus 1, for this reason I set 
you in Crete, that you may put in order the things that are 
lacking and appoint elders in every city. Elders are necessary, 
requisite, and helpful for the well-being of the church, but 
not the being of the church. And I think it's akin to a bad 
marriage. If you marry the wrong person, 
again, you get one kick at the cap. You're either going to be 
happily ever after, or it's going to be miserable ever after, or 
misery ever after. You put the wrong elder in an 
eldership, and you don't have term limits, which we don't believe 
in. There's ways to leave the eldership in a Reformed Baptist 
church. You can send your way out. If you can't handle it anymore, 
you can absent yourself from that particular position. Or 
there's always death. That certainly removes a man 
from pastoral ministry. There's no term limits. You put 
a man into office, and it turns out he's the wrong man. or he 
couldn't explain justification by faith alone if his life depended 
upon it, or he couldn't even scratch the surface concerning 
a decent doctrine of Christology, or he couldn't give the most 
basic counsel in terms of a husband and wife crisis situation, you're 
stuck with a man who doesn't know the Word of God as the one 
who is to teach you the Word of God. It's a bad thing. You 
don't want to do that. You see why Paul says, do not 
lay hands on anyone hastily. The church must be governed by 
the qualifications set forth in 1st Timothy chapter 3 verses 
1 to 7. That deals with the elders. Notice 
specifically 1st Timothy chapter 3 at verse 10. It says, let these, 
in this context it's dealing with deacons. 1 to 7 elders, 
8 to 13 deacons. Verse 10 specifically says, let 
these also first be tested. Let these men that are being 
considered for the diaconal office be tested. Let them be scrutinized, 
let them be looked at, let them be examined, let them be tested. Note the language that the Apostle 
employs in 1 Timothy 3.10. Let these also first be tested. What do you think the also points 
to? The obvious implication that 
the elders themselves were tested before they entered into the 
office. If a man's specific calling in 
terms of eldership is to be apt to teach, there is no possible 
way to ascertain that without testing him. And so this whole 
process speaks or helps prohibit a hasty approach to these particular 
things. The implication is that the elders 
are tested too. This takes time. It is not the case that a man 
clicks here and becomes an elder. We cannot succumb to that particular 
pressure in our local church. Adequate time is to be invested. Biblical means are to be employed. The church can hopefully prevent 
and avoid the difficult situation of having to publicly rebuke 
sinning elders. Now notice the reason Timothy 
is told this. Verse 22, "...do not lay hands 
on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins." You 
see, Timothy, this makes you an accessory after the fact. Somebody comes to your house 
and says, I just committed a crime. What should you do? You should 
call 911. But if you give them quarter, 
if you allow them in and give them some food and you give them 
some water and you give them a go bag with money and a passport 
and all those sorts of things, they're going to haul you in 
as well because you're an accessory to this particular criminal activity. 
It makes sense, doesn't it? This is what would happen if 
the eldership hastily lays hands on men. They become accessories 
in this particular ecclesiastical crime. You say, well, that's 
a little bit overboard. You can't call that criminal 
in terms of church conduct and church life, putting an unsent 
man in gospel ministry. I don't know what else we would 
call that. James White has a little book on abuses in pastoral ministry, 
and the name of the book is Pulpit Crimes. I think that's an apt 
description, because it's criminal to hear what some men speak in 
the name of Jesus. It is criminal to consider what 
the people of God are soaking in as being the truth of God, 
when it's nothing of the kind. So Pulpit Crimes is not far removed. The ordination of elders is a 
public affirmation that Christ has given a gift to the church. 
If it turns out that we hastily proceed and this man is not a 
gift, we are making an inaccurate public affirmation concerning 
this particular man. The ordination of unqualified 
elders shows a blatant disregard for the qualifications given 
by God. I'm not suggesting that if we take the adequate time 
and we apply the qualifications and we obey, that an unsent man 
can't still get in. We're not infallible. We're not 
omniscient. We can't see into the hearts 
of men. Men can pull the wool over our 
eyes. But as far as we're able, when 
we use the means that God has provided, when we proceed in 
the fashion and in the manner that He has specified, we can 
have the conscious confidence that God Most High will help 
us. We certainly shouldn't have that 
confidence that God is going to help us if we bypass qualification, 
if we bow to public opinion, and we proceed in a hasty manner. 
The ordination of unqualified elders implicates the one ordaining 
as much as the one being ordained. Calvin said, he who consents 
to unlawful ordination is involved in the same guilt. You see these 
epic terms these brothers use, crime, guilt, pulpit, abuse, 
all that stuff. That's what's at stake. You want 
a man in the pulpit that can't explain justification? No, you 
don't. You want a man who could preach 
in a Jewish synagogue, or in a Mormon tabernacle, or in a 
Watchtower Society place, and be approved? I'll never forget 
that. I remember seeing a special on 
Joel Osteen. I'm just gonna pick on him because 
he's low-hanging fruit, but it was kind of an interesting thing. 
Some people came to him, he was signing books after a service 
on a Sunday night, and a couple came to him. And I think the 
man, it wasn't one way or the other, but the man or the woman. 
One of them was Jewish, and one of them was Roman Catholic, and 
how they loved Pastor Joel Osteen. That's not right. If Pastor Joel 
Osteen is preaching the truth, he's going to be preaching Jesus 
as the Messiah. Jews typically do not respond 
well to that particular topic. If he's preaching justification 
by faith alone, certainly Romanists aren't going to appreciate that. 
If he preaches anything close to the biblical atonement, the 
Romanists aren't going to like that either. The day that we 
can entertain Roman Catholics and Jewish people, adherence 
to the Jewish religion, if we could have some Buddhists in 
here and some Hindus in here, and just have the biggest tent 
possible, is the day that we have failed. It ought not to 
be the case that you can come away from a Christian sermon 
not convinced that the man affirms Christianity. I mean, is that 
a lot to ask? The man who's preaching in a 
Christian pulpit affirms evangelical truth? Has that become something 
out of the ordinary today? That he affirms the Trinity, 
that he affirms sola fide, affirms grace alone, he affirms the deity 
of Jesus Christ, he affirms or even knows what the hypostatic 
union of Christ is? He knows something about theology 
and the Bible? Has it become the case that we 
have settled for so little in terms of the leaders in the Church 
of the Lord Jesus Christ? The Church that does not act 
hastily may still put unqualified men into office, but hastiness 
is almost a surefire way to make sure that we have unqualified 
men in the office. George Knight said it this way, 
Timothy, who with the other elders lays on hands, is commanded as 
the apostolic representative to see that the process of selecting 
an elder does not place himself and the other elders in a predicament. In other words, the Presbytery, 
the Board of Elders, the men who have to lay hands on that 
newcomer, have to do it with a clear conscience. They have 
to be able to affirm that this man is a 1 Timothy 3, one to 
seven man. This man has shown some ability 
and capability in teaching the Word of God. This man knows theology, 
not perfectly. He's not Spurgeon. Calvin didn't 
fall out of heaven. We acknowledge that, but to the 
degree that a man is to be accurate, we need to make sure that we 
hold their feet to the fire so that they are thus. And again, 
I've said this before, I could go home and drop dead. Pastor 
Kim and you guys are going to make sure, need to make sure, 
that any coming elders need to be these kinds of men. I hope 
that you're all on board with me that what we're doing here 
ought not to vanish in a few years. Hopefully we're building 
for the long haul. Hopefully we've got a church 
that our children can grow up in, get married in, and have 
their own children. so that they in turn can grow 
up and get married and do all those sorts of things, and that 
will perpetuate this with a place that makes an emphasis upon the 
truth of God's Word, upon a biblically regulated worship, and upon, 
hopefully, a simple application of the Bible in all areas of 
life. We've got to be thinking, and 
we've got to be solidified, and we cannot compromise on these 
matters affecting church polity. Notice what he then says, generally 
speaking. The end of verse 22, keep yourself 
pure. That's probably a general statement 
in terms of all of Pastor Timothy's life, but very specifically, 
in this matter of church discipline, make sure, Timothy, you do not 
do things with prejudice. Make sure that you do nothing 
with partiality. And make sure that when it comes 
to bringing men into office, you keep yourself pure. You don't 
want to be rendered impure. You don't want to be rendered 
sinful. You don't want to be contaminated by laying hands 
on the wrong man and putting him into a position of leadership. Now note the fourth observation 
with reference to 22 and 23. There is a qualification here 
given for Timothy. Verse 23 may seem oddly out of 
place. It's not. Because it's in the 
Bible. It's the first answer. But it 
flows. This is for Timothy very specifically. Let's just try to unpack what 
it means. I mean, all of a sudden, Paul's concerned about Timothy's 
health. Gut health, according to the Apostle Paul. Make sure 
you drink a little wine so that you don't have those issues with 
your stomach. That seems weird, doesn't it? I mean, come on, 
just with me. You're reading along. Okay, we 
honor the elders who rule well. We discipline those who are sinning 
publicly. We make sure we ordain the right 
man. And oh, by the way, Timothy, make sure you take a little wine 
for your stomach. I don't know. Maybe you don't 
think that odd. It just seems a bit of a different trajectory 
to me. In fact, the ESV puts it in parentheses, 
which is not an altogether unwise move. It is a parenthetic statement. It is a bit of a qualification. 
It hinges on this idea of keep yourself pure. And the language 
that is employed by the Apostle seems to indicate that Timothy 
is only drinking water. Notice what he says. No longer 
drink only water. What does this mean? It means 
he's only drinking water, which is fine. Paul's not condemning 
the use of water. Paul is not suggesting, Timothy, 
I want you to go to an all-wine diet. You should be a favorite 
there at the liquor store. That's not it at all. But if 
we could read behind the scenes a little bit, what may have happened? 
Timothy's seeking to be a godly and a faithful man. Timothy's 
seeking to be a man that is upright, holy, and pure. may have become 
a little bit too fastidious. There's asceticism that affects 
the church in Ephesus. You say, what's asceticism? We 
read about it this morning in Colossians 2. They're the people 
that say, do not touch, do not taste, do not handle. 1 Timothy 
chapter 4, the Apostle Paul says, there will be doctrines of demons 
forbidding marriage and forbidding men to eat certain types of foods. I don't think it's a stretch 
to suggest that perhaps there were those who were stressing 
or suggesting that you shouldn't have any wine in your diet whatsoever. So Timothy perhaps thought that 
he ought not to put himself in a position where it could possibly 
look like he was compromised in this particular area. Consider 
as well in 1 Timothy 3 at verse 3. One of the qualifications 
for the elder is that he's not given to wine. So maybe for Timothy 
the idea was, I won't drink wine at all because I don't want anybody 
to think I have compromised in that particular area. And the pursuit, or so the pursuit 
of purity for Timothy may possibly have meant, he wasn't going to 
take any wine whatsoever. You see, for the Apostle, he 
knew that Timothy's health was suffering as a result of that. 
How wine would help gastrointestinal issues? You can ask your doctor. 
I don't know, but what Paul says here, no longer drink only water, 
but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent 
infirmities. It's kind of intriguing. Keeping 
yourself pure, Timothy, does not mean abstinence. Keeping 
yourself pure, Timothy, means moderation. You see, we typically 
think that it's abstinence that makes me holy. The Bible says 
it's moderation. Now, if you need to abstain, 
fine. Paul's not binding your conscience. 
He's not telling everybody who's not Timothy, go out and drink 
wine. Show that you have liberty in 
Jesus Christ. You have the freedom to not use 
that liberty. That is fine. But in Timothy's 
instance, this abdication of a biblical liberty meant jeopardy 
to his own health. Paul says, don't do that. You 
need to be healthy. You need to be strong. You need 
to fight those stomach bugs. You need to take a little wine 
for your often infirmities. You need to make sure that you 
have good gut health. And if a bit of wine advances 
you in that particular area, then you need to get rid of this 
commitment to abstinence, and you need to imbibe, albeit moderately, 
says, take a little wine. He doesn't say get hammered. 
He doesn't say get sloshed. He doesn't say drink it by the 
bucketfuls. He says take a little wine. Brethren, the Bible condemns 
drunkenness. We know this to be the case. 
It is a violation of God's Holy Word. Proverbs 20, just reading 
a few of these particular passages, but as well we need to see that 
the Bible does not forbid a moderate use of wine. Proverbs 21, wine 
is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and Whoever is led 
astray by it is not wise. You see, it's wrong to be led 
astray. But the implication is, is that 
there are some who aren't led astray. If you're not led astray 
by it, then it's not a sin. Proverbs 23, 30. Well, verse 29, who has woe, 
who has sorrow, who has contentions, who has complaints, who has wounds 
without cause, who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long 
at the wine. Not those who moderately imbibe 
on occasion, but those who linger long at the wine. Those who go 
in search of mixed wine, do not look on the wine when it is red, 
when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly 
at the last, it bites like a serpent and stings like a viper. Your 
eyes will see strange things and your heart will utter perverse 
things. Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst 
of the sea, or like one who lies at the top of the mass saying, 
they have struck me, but I was not hurt. They have beaten me, 
but I did not feel it. When shall I awake that I may 
seek another drink?" This guy's problem is not a moderate use 
of alcohol. He lingers long. He's searching 
it out. There's something in him that 
desires this. 1 Corinthians 6.10, do not be 
deceived. The same Bible that says homosexuals 
and fornicators and those sorts of peoples also links drunkards 
in with 1st Corinthians 6, and tells us that they shall not 
enter the kingdom of God. Ephesians 5, do not be drunk 
with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Holy Spirit. So you see the Bible forbids, 
it condemns drunkenness, but the Bible does not condemn a 
lawful use of wine. Deuteronomy 14, there's instructions 
for those who couldn't make it, to the central sanctuary for 
the feast time. They were to take a portion of 
their tithe money and they were to buy things that they could 
enjoy, and one of the things therein described a strong drink. 
As I've already mentioned there in Proverbs, the text emphasizes 
these are people that linger long at it. These are people 
that are led astray by it. Psalm 104 verse 15 tells us that 
God gave wine to make man's heart merry and he gave oil to make 
man's face shine. These are positive statements 
concerning the use of wine. And Paul tells Timothy in a context 
where Timothy has given it up or is only drinking water, Paul 
says, don't do that. You need to make sure that you're 
physically healthy and physically well. You don't want to drop 
dead. You don't want to necessitate some immediate implementation 
of elders because you've died because you wouldn't drink any 
wine. Drink wine. Use proper procedure. and get 
the job done. So I think that's why it's inserted 
into this place. Now notice finally verses 24 
and 25. Basically, as I understand this, 
it indicates that that we have God's, excuse me, Believe it or not, I don't have 
a phone up here because I'm using the phone. It was for the Van 
Shakes. They were listening in, but I think somebody called at 
that time, so it messed up our connection. I'm not waiting for 
a call. What's going on? We just had 
orchestrated. I put them on speaker and they 
put me on speaker. And in the morning time, at 11.45, 
the alarm panel beeps into the control panel, so we can't do 
it in the morning service. So this was our venture, our 
trial run tonight. I think somebody phoned, and 
again, I think it messed up the connection. So I'm not waiting 
on a call. That's what's happening in this 
place. But the coordination of Providence 
with reference to ordination. I think the meaning in verses 
24 and 25 seems to be this. The Church is to rigorously enforce 
qualifications for elders. The current elders are not to 
be hasty in ordaining men, but utilize the means to determine 
if men are in fact qualified. God, in his sovereign providence, 
leads the Church and manifests whether or not men are qualified 
in due course. Notice verse 24. Some men's sins 
are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment. The judgment 
there I take in context, human judgment, church judgment, discrimination. The fact that this man has these 
sins causes the church to reflect and conclude that he cannot be 
an elder at this particular time in the context of our local church. 
So some men's sins are clearly evident preceding them to judgment. 
It's easy to ascertain. It's easy to determine. It's 
easy to see. If a brother in the church wants 
to be an elder, but he's got a problem with murdering people 
in his off time, we can obviously say you're not supposed to be 
an elder in the Church of Jesus Christ. Some men's sins are clearly 
evident. But notice the latter half of 
verse 24. But those of some men follow later. You may not see 
it initially. So what happens if you're hasty? 
You miss it. What happens if you're cautious? 
You see it. You see, it's just a legitimate 
use of the means. Because some men have evident 
sins, you might argue, well, we're so sure on this particular 
person, then we'll go a little bit quicker with this particular 
person. No, he may have sins that take longer for us to ascertain. It may take longer for us to 
determine whether or not he is fit and qualified for gospel 
ministry." The import of this statement is that one must know 
some men for some time before their sins become evident. This 
is Knight. And since one wants to avoid 
unnecessary public rebuke and avoid participation in another's 
sins, it would be best not to be hasty with any man. So just 
because there's a 24A situation where someone's sins are so obvious 
and so clear that we'll never put them into the ministry, we 
need to remember 24B. Some men either hide it better, 
some men either cover it better, or just in God's providence, 
some men takes longer to figure out. And then the converse is 
true in verse 25. Notice, likewise the good works 
of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise 
cannot be hidden. Likewise, 25a, the good works 
of some are clearly evident. Solid men. They are biblically 
qualified. They are what we're looking for. 
You still aren't supposed to proceed in a hasty fashion. The 
only way you can fully determine that and vet that is by using 
the particular process. Now note the latter half of 25. 
and those that are otherwise. We could take that in two ways. 
Those that are otherwise not good works, and then it brings 
the last clause into union with verse 24. So it's re-specifying 
what 24 says. If you're confused here, just 
stay with me. You'll really get confused. But 
if at the end of 24, It's parallel, or 25 and 24 are parallel. 25B is similar to 24B. So we've got some men's sins 
are clearly evident, 24A. Other men's sins are not so clearly 
evident, 24B. 25, some men's good works are 
clearly evident. 25b, some men's good works aren't 
so clearly evident. It's going to take time. He cannot 
be hasty. He may be a good brother. He 
may not be the sort of guy that everybody immediately sees that 
this is our man. But with the right time, with 
the right procedure, with the right caution, with the right 
exercise of biblical means, we will see that in fact he is our 
man. And I think that's the way the 
passage flows. Obvious, not so obvious. Bad, 
verse 24. Obvious, not so obvious. Good, 
verse 25. And all of that, again, is an 
affirmation or a confirmation that God's providence works in 
coordination with the exercise of diligence on the part of the 
church. So, in conclusion, the Church 
must know those commands in verses 1 to 7 in chapter 3. We cannot proceed with reference 
to this whole issue without first knowing what God, through Paul, 
commands the Church in 1 Timothy 3, 1 to 7, with reference to 
men for the eldership. The Church must be faithful in 
applying those standards in its search for elders. We are not 
to cut corners, we are not to be hasty, we are not to let need 
dictate, but we are rather to proceed in a biblical trajectory 
doing what God has called us to do. And then, thirdly, as 
I've already mentioned, the church must not be hasty. William Mounts 
says it this way, and I think he's on, or right on. He says, 
the commissioning of elders is serious business, and there is 
a responsibility assumed by the one commissioning for the one's 
commission. There is no substitution for 
caution and time. That's everything I wanted to 
say in this sermon right there. There is no substitution for 
caution and time. A person's true character and 
deeds are not always immediately available. I'm sure that if you're 
in a position to hire new employees, you check references. You do 
due diligence. You want to make sure. I mean, 
you owned any sort of a business. You don't just say, come on in 
off the street, handle my money, do whatever you want. I trust 
you. No, you want to make sure he's the right guy for the job. It's the same thing within the 
context of the church. I would submit, secondly, there 
are two dangers that the church faces. with reference to this 
whole issue of elders. The danger of putting unsent 
men into the ministry. That's a bad thing. We don't 
want to do that. Unsent men, men who are not sanctioned 
by God, men who have not been prepared by God, they're qualified 
in accordance with God's Word, we do not want to put men, unsent 
men, into the ministry. Conversely, we don't want to 
keep sent men out Elders come in all shapes and sizes. They 
come in all kinds of different packages. We cannot go based 
on personal preference. We cannot be the kind of church 
that says, well, these elders, I mean, I think in some ways, 
Kim and I are very much alike. I mean, he's the handsome one, 
but we're very much alike, right? We cannot make that somehow the 
paradigm for elder number three. Well, he's not like Jim and Cam. 
Well, that might be the greatest blessing our church has ever 
known. He's not like Jim and Cam. But is he qualified? You see, 1 Timothy 3, 1 to 7 
men are still the men that God made them to be. We cannot put 
square pegs into round holes. We've got to make sure they're 
qualified. We've got to make sure that we're not hasty. But 
beyond that, we've got to realize that God raises up men from all 
kinds of backgrounds, from all types of situations, and he puts 
them into gospel ministry. Paul was a man that tried to 
destroy the church of Jesus Christ. Timothy was a man that was raised 
in a godly context, in a godly home. In many respects, these 
two are very opposite with one another. You look at the characteristics 
displayed within the apostles themselves. What kind of man 
was Peter? Was he full of caution and judiciousness? Probably not. He's the guy that 
pulled out swords and hacked off ears when they were standing 
in the garden. God sometimes uses men like that, so we need 
to make sure that we are not overly subjective on the other 
side, and actually keep a sent man out of the gospel ministry. And then finally, we need to 
recognize in all of this our dependence upon Christ. It is 
Him who rose, it is Him who ascended on high, who led captivity captive, 
and gave gifts to men. And according to Ephesians 4.11, 
He has given some as pastors and teachers for the church. 
So we proceed in a prayerful manner, asking God to raise men 
up, to equip men, to fit them for gospel ministry and for usefulness 
in our church, and so that we can multiply and plant other 
churches in the lower mainland. We pray what Jesus taught us 
to pray in Matthew chapter 9. The harvest truly is plentiful, 
but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the 
harvest to raise up laborers for his harvest. Well, let us 
pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
your word and we thank you for the clarity of the Apostles instructions 
here in 1st Timothy. I ask that you would help us 
to take these things to heart and to pray them in Help us to 
proceed as a church in these matters of grave importance, 
and we pray that you would keep us faithful to the Scriptures. 
And God, we do pray that you'd raise men up, that you would 
equip men, and that you would send them forth preaching the 
gospel of free and sovereign grace. We ask now, Father, that 
you would bless our time of fellowship upstairs, We thank you for all 
the food that you have provided. We thank you for the labor and 
the good works that have gone into preparing these things. 
We ask now that we'd have a good time to eat and drink for your 
glory. Help us as well to enjoy fellowship 
with the paps and may they realize that we love them and that we 
will in fact miss them and that we do continue to pray for them. 
And we ask these blessings through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.