← Back to sermon library

well good morning welcome to free grace Baptist Church everyone's able to make the adjustment and the time and we assume all that in terms of announcements they're just the two announcements we have the Lord's Supper tonight we're having tonight so word supper tonight as well as baptism and membership coming out by Jordana van org and will and Tara deer over their baptism will be on the on the last Sunday of March marks the 29th of those three individuals and that's it for announcement sent let's let's begin worship this morning by turning in our Bibles please to Psalm 138 Psalm 138 Psalm 138 being a verse one a psalm of david i will praise you with my whole heart before the gods i will sing praises to you I will worship toward your holy temple and praise your name for your loving kindness and your truth for you have magnified your word above all your name in the day when I cried out you answered me and made me bold with strength in my soul all the kings of the earth shall praise you O Lord when they hear the words of your mouth yes they shall sing of the ways of the Lord for great is the glory of the Lord though the Lord is on high yet he regards the lowly but the proud he knows from afar though I walk in the midst of trouble you will revive me you will stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies and your right hand will save me the Lord will perfect that which concerns me your mercy O Lord endures forever do not forsake the words of your hand the works of your hands amen well please turn with me in your hymn books to him number 150 C 150 C I ask you to please stand [Music] [Music] [Music] let's go to God in prayer and ask His blessing be upon our worship time this morning that's great our gracious and our loving Heavenly Father we come before you now through your son your one and only son the Lord Jesus Christ who is our great High Priest the one through whom we come to a holy father and Holy Spirit and how we praise you father for the gift of your son the Lord Jesus Christ how grateful we are that we stand in his righteousness this day we're grateful and we praise you father for the fact that we have no righteousness in ourselves but our righteousness is complete and completely found in the person of your son the Lord Jesus Christ thank you Father for the gift of faith to believe on such a savior and praise you Lord for the gift of that knowledge of the Lord that leads us unto salvation you've given to us that knowledge through the Word of God and we thank you for that special revelation that we have contained in these 66 books that the lie upon our laps and so easily read and and how we praise you for the gift of the Holy Spirit that gives us intelligence and knowledge into that word you thank you for pastors and teachers who have were able to teach us from this word as well and to the Lord we are grateful for all the many many wonders that we enjoy the gifts that we enjoy daily supplied to us when we consider our spiritual position in Christ Jesus and Lord we grip we are grateful for the fact that you have saved us from all of our sins and cleanse us from all over our unrighteousness we are a sinful people we we continue even though we are found in Christ yet father daily we do sin against a holy God so what we are grateful for the forgiveness that is that that is found in Christ and washes afresh even this day Father through that precious blood of your son the Lord Jesus Christ we do praise you and we thank you Father for the blessing of the Lord's Day one day and seven to be able to come in out of the world and to forget the things of the past weekend and of the week ahead and just enter in to what you have created us to to do and that is to be worshipers of you and Lord how we praise you for the blessing that is ours to have this place to come into on a weekly basis to be able to worship you and cause us Lord this day to be taken up with with but one thought and that is the worship of Father Son and Holy Spirit or give to us grand thoughts of yourself we pray you to forgive us of the small thoughts the human thoughts that we have towards you you are you are a you are a majestic God you are a holy God so as we come to have have dealings with you this day we do pray Lord that you would be pleased by your by your gracious Holy Spirit to reveal yourself to us in your word and we do pray your blessing upon our pastor this day strengthen him from on high give a monk should and help as he as he opens up the Word of God we know Lord to be a skin to be a spiritual book and it's not just an in lecture it's not just that man's thoughts but these are these are the very very words of God the mind of God we pray that we would have that this day and our worship father we do pray that you would be pleased to bless the the missionary enterprise all over this world we prayed you would cause the Word of God to run swiftly all over this world for the salvation of sinners we know Lord that truly as we stand and consider the world around us and the affairs Lord we simply need to be still and know that you are God that you raise up kings and you can you remove Kings you bring Kings down and father as we consider all the the upward of the world is in and the the nervousness amongst the nations and even our own even in our own land father how we praise you that you are sovereign over all the affairs of man and man is but puny in your eyes and yet we are thankful father that you take an interest in the things of this earth and all that is your will that we pray would be done throughout this nation of ours and around this whole world you thank you for all that you are intimately acquainted you are into involved in this world you have not just set us on our on our own course but father you know all things are being worked out according to your holy and and perfect purposes and we pray to that end fathers you would be pleased to bless bless this day and bless bless the missionary enterprise all over this world father we do pray your blessing upon those who are in persecuting countries as well we pray low that it would not always be this way we do pray that ultimately in your good will that you would be pleased to do cause cause nations who are at war and cause nations that that seek to bring you down father to a to be one day worshippers of you we know Lord that this can be and we do pray to that end that father you would be gracious you'd be merciful to the nations that that are enmity with you we do pray for those religions that are at enmity with you as well Lord these things would not always be that you would be gracious to these to these nations be gracious to your people we do pray Lord we do pray you give them boldness to to be we bold with it with the Word of God and with it with it with the gospel they possess and their own bosom as well as in their in their in their Bibles we pray Lord that you would bless them as they bring the Word of God to the places where you place them we pray that in that boldness father you'd be pleased to make to make a thousand hearts your own that you would cause the those who are at enmity with you to ultimately lay down and become believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we know the power of the gospel that it has the power to save and we do pray to that end fo you would be pleased to save Lord we do ask your blessing would to be upon members in our own congregation who are perhaps ill or sick we pray that you would strengthen them cause them Lord to know healing and their bones and and healing and their perhaps there's there's issues of the mind and issues of the soul that that concern them we pray lo than all these things did you would be pleased you work of grace and would you pray that they might know healing we do pray for any and all amongst us father who know nothing of saving grace this day we pray to you that that you would give them that the the the the understanding of the gospel even here in this place they might tell leave as worshippers of the triune God Lord again we we just commit these things into your hands we know that you are you are the God of the heart and you were able to turn hearts and we pray lo that you would be pleased to turn hearts even here in this place as the Lord Jesus Christ has lifted up and made much of this day we pray that you would be pleased to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ in this place and for any and all who who are who are believers in Christ how we pray Lord that you would sanctify us this day by your holy word cause us to be made and molded and fashioned into the image of your son the Lord Jesus Christ that's our desire father we do pray that the this time spent in worship today and under the Word of God that you would be pleased to bless that word and cause it to be for the maturation and image may be made in into the image of your son the Lord Jesus Christ Lord bless us this day we do pray that we would return that rightful worship to you in the prayers that we pray in the in the Word of God that has read the hymns at her son and the word that has preached that all these things would be done for your glory and for your adoration would you pray in Jesus precious name well please turn with me in your hymn books once again to him number 378 M number 378 [Music] [Music] amen please be seated and turn your Bibles to Acts Acts chapter 18 will finish the 18th chapter will begin at verse 18 to the end of Acts chapter 18 [Music] so Paul had been ministry in in the city of Corinth and he's about to seeking her he's on his way to return to Antioch so we pick up halfway through chapter 18 beginning at verse 18 we'll go to the end of the chapter so Paul still remained a good while then he took leave of the Brethren and sailed for Syria and priscilla and aquila were with him he had his hair cut off at Centuria for he had taken a vow and he came to Ephesus and left them there but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews when they asked him to stay a longer time with them he did not consent that took leave of them saying I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem but I will return again to you God willing and he sailed from Ephesus and when he had landed at Caesarea and gone up and greeted the church he went down to Antioch after he had spent some time there he departed and went over the region of Galatia and Phrygia in order in order strengthening all the disciples now a certain Jew named Paulus born at Alexandria an eloquent man and mighty in the scriptures came to Ephesus this man had been instructed in the way of the Lord and being fervent in spirit he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord though he knew only the baptism of John so he began to speak boldly in the synagogue when Aquila and Priscilla heard him they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately and when he desired to cross to okay haiya the Brethren wrote exhorting the disciples to receive him when he arrived he greatly helped those who had believed through grace for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly showing from the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ our loving Heavenly Father again we just give you our grateful grateful thanks from the fact though that you raised up the elders pastors teachers individuals within congregations to to give instruction to to give help to give aid ultimate to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ to move that church along in how we praise you that same church that the Apostle Paul was planting here and and we see growing throughout the whole book of Acts is still the same Bride of Christ that we are part of today how we praise you Lord that it is the same Lord Jesus Christ that was taught and spoken oven and preached back then is the same one that has preached and taught today and how we pray lo that you would keep us had just sinned with truth and how we praise you for the gift of your Holy Spirit and for the word of God and we pray lo that by by the by by the word of God and by the gracious Holy Spirit that we would be held in truth and kept in truth and do bless our pastor cause him Lord to be held and kept in truth as well we thank you Lord that that He desires to study study the Word of God into to be approved by you only and so we pray that and do these things father you'd be pleased to add your blessing to our local church here in Chilliwack we pray that we would be about the things that that would bring growth to the Church of Christ here and around the world as well and we praise you Father that you are watching over us that this is part of the church universal we just gave you our grateful things the Lord Jesus Christ is is the calculate our salvation that the bridegroom of the church and we pray Lord that you would be pleased to bless and keep us into the future as well as you've kept us in the past we just rejoice and your goodness your kindness to us as a local church and pray Lord your blessing out to be upon your word ends in Jesus precious name we pray well please turn with me your hymn book to the lost him before we do go to the preaching and that will be hymn number 271 271 I'll ask you to please stand [Music] well please turn with me in your Bibles to first Timothy chapter 3 first Timothy chapter 3 will continue our exposition of the book of Acts next week this is a bit of an ex cursus after the first missionary journey the Apostle Paul and Barnabas on their way back to Antioch in Syria stopped or revisited the churches so that they could appoint elders in the churches in those cities and I thought it would be helpful for us to look at that appointment of elders in first Timothy chapter 3 verses one to seven gives us the qualifications for elders and in order to appoint elders we must have qualified men and as a church we must understand what those qualifications are so that we can take up our responsibilities consistent with God's Word so I'll begin reading in first Timothy chapter three at verse one this is a faithful saying if a man desires the position of a bishop he desires a good work a bishop then must be blameless the husband of one wife temperate sober 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 amen will let us pray our Father in Heaven we thank you for the written word of God we thank you that it speaks to all matters of faith and practice and help us as a church to understand these qualifications help us as a church to that men that are aspirants for Christian ministry and God help us to see the installation the ordination of men for certainly the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few and not only for this church but the church at large and the missionary enterprise we need to lift up our eyes and to see those fields white unto harvest and we pray to the Lord of the harvest to equip and to furnish the church and the furnish missions with faithful men who will preach and teach the word of the living and true God we pray for your blessing upon the church and Vernon we pray that in your kindness and in your grace you would provide for them a man that Labor's in the word and doctrine we pray for the Brethren and Surrey and thank you for Pastor Mike and ask God that you would continue to look with favor upon that local congregation and even now Lord forgive us for all of our sins all of our transgression against your holy law cleanse us in that precious blood of the Lord Jesus and guide us now by your Holy Spirit as we consider the appointment of elders in the churches of Jesus Christ and we pray in his most blessed name amen well before we get to the actual exposition of first Timothy chapter 3 I just want to point out that the New Testament authors use several words synonymously to speak to one office in the church the words elder overseer and pastor are used as I said interchangeably with reference to the one office in the church that is tasked with preaching and teaching and leading the church the other office if we would have continued to read in verses 8 to 13 is the deacon so there are two abiding offices in the Church of Christ elder slash pastor slash overseer or bishop and then you have deacons and then there there are no more prophets there are no more apostles but rather the emphasis and the pastoral epistles which are first and second Timothy and Titus is upon sound doctrine and the place of pastors preaching and teaching sound doctrine for the good of the church as we saw that in Acts chapter 14 they could have easily got back to Syria or back to Antioch in Syria by just passing through Tarsus Tarsus Tarsus but rather they went back through the churches so they could appoint elders so that the churches would be stabilized and furnished with men that would in fact equip the people of God and there are several reasons why we see this in anonymous use of these terms are several passages you can turn to Acts chapter 20 for just a moment now if you hear the word Bishop I don't want you to think Roman Catholic I don't want you to think big red hat I want you to think of a biblical term which is basically overseer so the word episkopos is translated here in first timothy 3:1 as bishop but it simply means overseer again we see these terms used synonymously here in Acts chapter 20 if you notice in verse 17 from my Letus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church and then in verse 28 he's charging those elders of the church and he says therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers or a Piscopo or bishop and then he goes on to say to Shepherd or to pastor the Church of God which he purchased with his own blood so pastor is sort of the comprehensive term that is functional in nature and encompasses the reality that pastors Shepherd pastors guide pastors govern or lead the flock not according to their own authoritarian designs but as ministers of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ turn over to Titus chapter 1 again just to see the synonymous use or interchangeable use of the various terms that are utilized for this office in the church that is tasked primarily with leading or governing and with teaching and in 4a Titus chapter 1 5 to 9 we have a parallel passage to 1st Timothy 3 and in Titus chapter 1 verse 5 he says for this reason I left you in Crete that you should set in order the things that are lacking and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you and then notice in verse 7 for a bishop okay or an overseer so he is speaking about the same persons but he is using these various terms that just sort of flesh out or indicate the nature of their responsibilities in the context of the church they are overseers they watch over the flock they are elders they're men that are qualified consistent with what we find in first Timothy chapter 3 to serve in the flock and they are pastors men that Shepherd men that seek to govern again not according to their own desires or designs but by the Word of God when you hear that language of leadership or government or ruling elders I think at times it suggests sort of this authoritarianism but that's not how the Bible approaches it rather the men that are governing the men that are leading the men that are exercising oversight are doing it by the Word of God the primary way in which government leadership shepherding is done is through the proclamation of God's truth wherein we are disciplined or discipled by the Word of God and conform hopefully further to the image of his son the Lord Jesus Christ so just understand if I say elder if I say bishop if I say overseer or I say pastor all those terms refer to the same office that is being addressed here in 1st Timothy 3 verses 1 to 7 now I want to look at several things with reference to qualifications for eldership I hear that word several and perhaps you're thinking we're going to be here awhile well please don't think that we'll try to be out of here like normal but there are several things that Paul sets forth must be in place before a man is receipt received into the eldership I want to look first at the man's desire for eldership in verse 1 secondly the man's personal holiness in verses 2 & 3 thirdly the man's domestic faithfulness in verses 4 & 5 fifth or fourth rather the man's experience in the faith verse 6 say a fifth the man's testimony toward outsiders verse seven and then finally the man's ability to teach in verse two you'll notice I took that one out and put it at the bottom because you'll see the similarities between elders and deacons in terms of virtue in terms of things that must be true of the men the only thing that differentiates elders from deacons is aptness or ability to teach and as well when we look at these particular virtues there's something that everybody should aspire to there's something that everybody should be pursuing there's something that shouldn't be surprising you mean guys in the church should be blameless you mean guys in the church should it be violent again this ought to be every Christians pursuit but with reference to men that we choose to function as elders they must have demonstrated particular faithfulness in each of these areas so again it's not difficult it's not wow I can't believe we want guys to serve in the church that don't like to fistfight no that's a no-brainer but they must be men who have demonstrated the ability to not engage in just this example fist fighting but before we look at the kind of specifics note that context it's intriguing because in first Timothy chapter 2 Paul deals with the place of women in the context of the local church and look at what he says in verse 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man but to be in silence now much to the chagrin of many people today that means precisely what it says Paul does not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man and when he goes on to describe the particular qualifications we see that they are peculiarly fulfilled by men a man must be now this is no harm or foul to women this is not an indictment upon your abilities or intellect it is simply to highlight that in God's world he has purposed certain things to happen he purposes for fish to swim for birds to fly and for men to function as the leaders in both the church and in the home in Ephesians chapter 5 he says the husband is the head of the wife I think in so many instances we try to turn these things over on their heads and we end up transgressing God's design God's purpose and God's plan so here he tells us specifically in 2:12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man but to be in silence some suggest well that's because the culture and Ephesus was bad they had these kind of empowered women that were pushy and obnoxious and all that sort of thing but Paul doesn't argue based on culture he argues based on creation and that's precisely what we see in verse 13 for Adam was formed first then Eve and Adam was not deceived but the woman being deceived fell into transgression nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith love and holiness with self-control so he prohibits women which indicates that he only wants men to preach or teach in the context of the church but first Timothy 3 verses 1 to 7 goes further to delimit what kind of man it's not just any old man but it must be a man who demonstrates faithfulness with reference to these particular categories so it's not open to any man just because you breathe like a man and you look like a man and you have the anatomy of a man therefore you teach or preach in the church no you must be a man that is qualified according to the stipulation sat down by the Apostle here in first Timothy 3:1 2:7 so let's look first at the man's desire for this role verse 1 says this is a faithful saying some take it as what has previously been written others take it to govern what is stated here I take it to govern what is stated here this is a faithful saying if a man desires the position of a bishop or overseer he desires a good work so there must be desire on the part of men that would serve or function and the eldership it's not just sort of a routine that the churches do once in a while and every member a list put a few names on it and check the guy that you think would be good for a particular season to function in this capacity know there's a desire on the part of a man to serve in this capacity and I think Albert and Martin is very helpful when it comes to discerning a genuine call to the Christian ministry and I take from him the for particulars with reference to a call to the ministry if a man has these it doesn't necessarily mean that he's going to serve it at that capacity but these things must be present for a legitimate call to the ministry in the first place working with first Timothy 3:1 he says there is a desire born of right motives there is a desire born of right motives I've often said that people look at pastors like they do at the garbage man the garbage man only comes to your house on Wednesday so you might think the rest of the week he isn't doing anything pastors get up and preach on Sundays so you might think for the rest of the week they're not doing anything their golf game is improving their coffee drinking is improving their guts are getting bigger whatever the case may be they conclude that the pastoral ministry is for Chrissie Cissy men and it offers a very happy and comfortable lifestyle brethren that's not the case it is absolutely positively not the case in fact look at Paul's language in Colossians chapter 1 Colossians chapter 1 relative to his ministry as an apostle of Jesus Christ now pastors aren't apostles but there is some interrelationship there is some connectedness and notice what he says in Colossians 1:28 him we preach warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus to this end I also labor striving according to his working which works in me mightily turn to 2nd Corinthians chapter 11 2nd Corinthians chapter 11 the Apostle here is a starting his specific qualifications in terms of his apostolic ministry I think I've told you before that some had come in Paul's absence to the church at Corinth and basically tried to undercut his ministry they said things like Paul's only in it for the money Paul's only in it because he's got a big ego Paul doesn't have your genuine does a good as his desire that's why second grow Paul sounds like he's defending himself because he is he knows that if the Corinthians reject him they will reject the gospel Paul says that he is a man that has suffered on behalf of the cause of God in truth and he gives that notice in 2nd 2nd Corinthians 11 22 he's talking about these men some have called them super apostles these persons that have come in these big theologians as Luther would have called them these theall theologians of glory these men that would assert themselves in a way that was ungodly and they would speak ill of the apostle verse 22 he says are they Hebrews so am I are they Israelites so am i or they the seed of Abraham so am I are they ministers of Christ I speak as a fool I am more in Labor's more abundant in stripes above measure in prisons more frequently in deaths often from the Jews five times I received 40 stripes minus one three times I was beaten with rods once I was stoned three times I was shipwrecked a night and a day I have been in the deep in journeys often in perils of waters in perils of robbers in perils of my own countrymen in perils of the Gentiles in perils in the city in perils in the wilderness in perils in the sea in perils among false brethren in weariness and toil in sleeplessness often in hunger and thirst in fastings often in cold and nakedness there's no connection there with Paul in terms of the modern-day eldership I grant that wholeheartedly and absolutely and positively dad ain't happening to elders in the Western world but the next thing he says does happen to elders in the Western world verse 28 besides the other things what comes upon me daily not just Sunday in the preaching ministry of the church but what comes upon me daily my deep concern for all the churches so a man must have a desire born of right motives he cannot be simply looking for a comfortable life where he gets paid to read books that concept is absolutely positively con to the whole Jess of biblical eldership a second thing that must be there in terms of assessing ones call to the ministry is the Grace's indicating genuine Christian experience in other words he must be born again he must be a believer he must have partaken of the the very gospel that he stands up to preach to others now this should it be a revolutionary concept this shouldn't be a whoa I can't believe it we want converted man to lead the churches but just in case it is I want to stress this reality how can a man engage in spiritual ministry when he's not spiritual himself there must be graces indicating genuine Christian experience he has been born again he knows something of the conviction of sin he knows something of his own transgression against the law he knows something of the only fount that is open for sin and uncleanness that God Most High has plunged him beneath that flood and he has lost all of his guilty stains there must be Grace's indicating genuine Christian experience a third aspect in terms of assessing a desire to ministry or qualification or fitness for the ministry are the gifts indicating divine provision so when we look at this list in first Timothy three verses one to seven it's mainly virtue he must be holy he must be faithful to his family he must be faithful to those outside he must be all those things in terms of his conduct in terms of his personal holiness but there is a gift and that's first Timothy chapter 3 at verse 2 he must be able to teach that doesn't mean he must be CH Spurgeon he must be John Calvin he must have the ability of any man or of the best of men that have ever lived no but both publicly and privately he needs to be able open the Word of God and speak the truth as it is in Jesus doesn't mean he has to yell doesn't mean he asked to preach for an hour doesn't mean any of those things but it does mean he needs to be able to assimilate the truth for himself and be able to articulate that truth for others he not only needs to eat the food but he needs to and I say this graciously regurgitate the food so that others can eat it as well that is absolutely crucial listen to Spurgeon on this point relative to gifts indicating divine provision he says God certainly has not created behemoths to fly no behemoth according to the book of Job was some say it was a hippopotamus some say it was a dinosaur but it was without wings okay so behemoth whatever its specific identity was he says God certainly has not created behemoth to fly and should Leviathan that was a water creature again lots of speculation in terms of what it was but an should Leviathan have a strong desire to ascend with the Lark it would evidently be an unwise aspiration since he is not furnished with wings do you understand when God calls somebody to do something he fits them and makes them able to do it hippopotamuses don't fly I saw an interesting video the other they certainly get out of wherever they live and walk around a gas station in Florida but they don't fly because they don't have wings they don't fly because God hasn't equipped them that way Spurgeon goes on if a man be called to preach he will be endowed with a degree of speaking ability which he will cultivate and increase if the gift of utterance be not there in a measure at the first it is not likely that it will ever be developed that is a good thing to take into consideration and here brethren I will give the qualification I always get relative to talking about eldership it is not a sin to not be an elder it is not a sin to not be able to teach it is not a sin to not be given by God a particular gift if you are never called the teacher preached in the life of the church you can be as faithful and in many cases far more faithful than men who have been set apart to preach the Word of God as a vocation so never get it into your head that unless somehow if I'm not teaching right preaching or I'm not leading a sunday-school brethren faithfulness is required among the people of God wherever you are planted you're supposed to grow if God has equipped you and God has given you this desire then by all means seat by grace to pursue these things but don't ever ajudge yourself as having committed sin against God because you can't lead a Bible study that's okay that's perfectly acceptable no harm or no foul God is not going to say on the day of judgment I can't believe you didn't have a neighborhood Bible study I can't believe you didn't jockey for position in the context of the church he's not going to say that because these are gifts given by God and if these gifts are absent that's okay no harm or foul on the part of the person who hasn't received the gift and then the fourth thing relative to a call to the ministry is an opportunity indicating providential opening so again I'm giving credit to Pastor a and Martin desire born of right motives grace is indicating genuine Christian experience gifts indicating divine provision and then that fourth one an opportunity indicating providential opening the same sort of thing obtains here if God wants behemoth to fly they'll put wings on it if God wants a man to preach she'll give him people that will listen to him Solomon in the book of Proverbs says that a man's gift makes room his gift that is a different ballgame or a different animal altogether and I have shared and I'll probably die sharing it that when people come here and the first time they meet me they tell me I should be teaching your Sunday School or I should be preaching in your pulpit that doesn't typically make me want to sign on the dotted line and sign them up right here right now because a man's gift makes room for him he doesn't make room for it he doesn't parade himself as the rabbi he doesn't demonstrate himself as the the Holy One of Israel but rather he's humble and he bides his time and he waits for the providential openings under God and when such occasion arises all these other things being in place qualifications met upon him then he can preach and he can teach until the proverbial cows come home brethren these things must be present now to varying degrees to varying experience within the context of the the particular man himself but these is this is a great sort of rubric or metric on how to measure a man's call to the ministry now secondly we look at the man's personal holiness and we're not going to spend a lot of time there because each of the words means precisely what each of the word says again it's not difficult virtue ought to be pursued by the blood pot children of God right we have the Holy Spirit the Lord Jesus points us to the moral law as our pattern for sanctification obviously we should seek by grace to do what God calls us to do but again with men that are appointed into the eldership they must be men who have proven a degree of faithfulness with these things not perfection not sinlessness not absolute moral purity because we'd never have pastors in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ take for instance this first one it's sort of the overarching concern verse 2 tells us a bishop then must be blameless a bishop then must be blameless john calvin writes there will be no one found among men that is free from every vice but it is one thing to be blemished with ordinary vices which do not hurt the reputation because they are found in men of the highest excellence and another thing to have a disgraceful name or to be stained with any baseness so he makes a distinction I typically used the language of garden-variety sin and then those things that are above dirt garden-variety said he speaks of ordinary vice can we ever find a man to function or serve in the context of a biblical eldership that is without ordinary vice if you have for a moment ever entertained the thought that Butler doesn't have ordinary vice let me diss disabuse you of that notion right here and right now every single man functioning full ministry has sent that is why Jesus came into the world it was to save his people from their sins but this blameless nest that is invoked by the Apostle has to do with what Calvin illustrates reputation if he is notorious for a particular set if he has a habit or a reputation for particular sin that ought to keep him out of the pastoral ministry notice secondly he says he must be a one-woman man he is the husband of one wife now interpreters typically go one of four ways in this now as I said we're not going to spend a lot of time but a few of these terms does bear our attention so there are four ways to deal with this statement the husband of one wife the first is that the elder must be a married man the Lord's we don't ordain a man and we don't receive into the eldership a man that's single I do not think that's what Paul means here it would bring us into conflict with teaching a Paul in first Corinthians chapter 7 I think functionally and I think practically and I think for the most part elders will be married men but this text is not necessitating that they be but if a married man is able to speak to married man sort of issues a man with children is able to speak to men with children sort of issues there's a practical edge that that man has having a wife and having kids but does the tax demand that elders in our churches be married no I don't think it does the second option is that the elder must have only ever had one wife is entire life in other words if his wife dies he is not free to remarry again I think that brings us into conflict with other teaching in scripture again 1st Corinthians 7 and then Romans 7 a very analogy that the Apostle Paul uses assumes the validity of remarriage after the death of a spouse the third option is that it forbids polygamy polygamy if you read the Old Testament and oftentimes I've heard this question what about the Old Testament David had a multitude of wives the various Solomon had you know a multitude of wives well let's Solomon be the beak of warning as to why that's a horrible idea because those wives let his heart astray and brought him into into track or contact with these these idols but the the text does forbid polygamy but I think option 4 does that better than strictly identifying it as polygamy option 4 basically states the elder is to be faithful in marriage and in sexual matters we might say he is a one-woman man and that is the literal translation of the passage he is a one-woman man and therefore it does forbid conch UNAMID it does forbid polygamy but it also forbids other areas of sexual infidelity and so the elder must be a man with proven faithfulness in this particular regard or he's not to function or serve in the eldership now if he gets better if there's growth if there's help if there's hope if there's that I would never say that is absolutely disqualifying there's an intriguing passage in 1st Timothy 5 that I'm not sure the church is ready for look at first Timothy 5 for just a moment I don't mean this church alone I mean churches in general look at verse 19 I think we all know this passage we just don't pay any attention to it do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses now note verse 20 those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all that the rest also may be that the the rest also may fear that sort of Old Covenant model when you punish somebody that all Israel would hear and fear it's the same sort of a concept but this Paul actually mean that if an elder could have sinned in the eldership be publicly rebuked for that sin repent and continue on in the eldership the text seems to suggest that I mean there are disqualifying sins there are things that should be a means or the reason for removing a man you know forthwith but if it's a garden-variety sin or there's a pattern or there's a habit and he's rebuked and he confesses and he forsakes and he maintains faithfulness do we necessarily defrock him at that point I think the typical pattern at least in my experience is defrock for just about everything well brethren that might lend itself to the lack of elders in our Reformed Baptist churches perhaps we have become more holy than God Almighty can a leader be publicly rebuked can that leader confess and own and sin can that leader be restored to faithful gospel ministry again I think there aren't gross violations adultery various sexual sins various other sorts of things embezzlement you know things where the man has proven proven unfaithful in terms of leadership as a whole that that ought to be the grounds for immediate dismissal but are there a class of sins where a guy could be rebuked and continue on in gospel ministry again I don't want to lower the bar but at the same time we don't want to make it so that no one could ever serve as an elder brethren if you look at our Reformed Baptist churches it's not just this one it's not like we're bursting at the seams with elders the harvest is white on the harvest is white and the laborers are few and we are supposed to pray to the Lord of the harvest to raise man up and to send them out but if we raise the bar so high that's why when it comes to this aptness to teach I've had to examine my own heart I've had to look at my own heart of Mike am I looking for CH Spurgeon am i looking for John Calvin I don't think that I am but I am looking for somebody that can assimilate truth for their own benefit and then articulate that truth to another but if we append a certain degree a certain type a certain measure of aptness to teach well then we are raising the bar higher than the Apostle Paul does and we need to guard our hearts in that way so he must be blameless he must be a one-woman man thirdly he must be temperate this can be used with reference to sobriety in the use of wine but because Paul speaks specifically was variety in the use of wine here it has to do with the mental sobriety the word denotes self-control balanced judgment and the avoidance of rash behavior there is no place in an eldership for rash behavior brethren we have to deliberate we have to think through issues we have to search the Scriptures we have to look for explicit acts we have to look for in place implicit tests we have to ponder we have to reflect and then we move there ought not to be ready fire aim guys serving in elder ships you get that ready fire aim any of you who have ever gone shooting don't shoot that way never shoot that way you ready aim and then fire ok we need men that are sober minded in the gospel ministry men that are not given to reaction versus contemplation rationality and reflection upon issues that demand our attention ment notice then he goes on to say he must engage in good behavior the same verb or the same word rather is used in verse a chapter 2 verse 9 where it is translated modest it simply means respectable orderly and well behaved he must then be hospitable again this isn't something oh I can't believe now it's all over the New Testament there are many one anothers not just for elders but for the people of God be hospitable to one another without complaint doesn't Peter tell us that in 1st Peter chapter 4 there needs to be hospitality and I think in this area or in this arena this is where a married elder is well served by a faithful wife that engages in this sort of activity and can services help me to make sure that this is being met in their day-in and day-out lives as I said we'll take up he must be able to teach at the end then seventhly he says he must not be given to wine he is not a slave of drink he is not preoccupied with it or overindulgent the bible does not condemn the use of alcohol the bible condemns the abuse of alcohol the bible does not forbid man partaking in the good creature that god has made it does forbid in over indulging in that good creature and that is prohibited by the Apostle relative to eldership in the Christian ministry he must not be violent and I think this one is probably self-evident you know you come to your pastor for counsel you shouldn't want to leave with a black eye that that just you know goes on to just pretty consistent with life he's not pugnacious he's not a striker he's not one that you know this is a little bit a little bit of discipline for you I got the five fingers of discipline I'm gonna that's not what an elder should be again remember temperate sober-minded not rash not not a ready fire aim guy but rather he must not be violent next he says he must not be greedy for money this is absent in other Bible versions it's here in the King James tradition it's certainly indicated in acts 20 Paul says I have coveted no man's silver or gold I've not been in this for the money 1st Peter chapter 5 tells us that elders are not to serve they're not to do it for for greedy purposes or greedy gain now that doesn't mean you make your elders live in huts out and you know the parking lot of the church and call it a manse if a man Labor's in the word and doctrine according to first Timothy 5:17 he is worthy of double honor and honor in that context means payment now no man should get rich from the gospel ministry but no man should have to go begging in the gospel ministry as as well and we need to keep that in mind as the church and I've got to give the qualification this is not a complaint I am NOT suggesting I need no no I'm very happy the Lord is good this is what the scripture says in terms of elder chefs not greedy for money he must be gentle he must be gentle now remember all men have their ordinary vices and not all men may be as gentle as other men so we got to make sure that we understand these statements it's going to vary from man to man some men disposition aliy a more gentle than others that doesn't mean the man who's less disposition aliy gentle is not gentle he's just not as good as good at it has has perhaps his brother or his fellow is but a man of God must be gentle notice as well he must not be quarrelsome turn over to 2nd Timothy chapter 2 where this is illustrated vividly second Timothy chapter two verses 24 and well verse 23 but avoid foolish and ignorant disputes knowing that they generate strife and a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all able to teach patient in humility correcting those who are in opposition if God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know the truth and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil having been taken captive by him to do his will must not be quarrelsome that doesn't mean you can't answer it doesn't mean you can't give a defense it doesn't mean you can't rationally engage with people but it simply means you can't grab them by the shirt collars and shake them until they adopt your position there must be that in the man of God where he's not a quarreling man he's not a violent man he's not so bent on his agenda that he's unwilling to hear everything that somebody may have to say brethren this is what Paul says concerning men who serve in the eldership and then the final one in this arena is he must not be covetous he must not be covetous notice at the end there of verse 3 again it's not okay for you to be conscious the tenth commandment forbids covetousness but we need men with a proven track record of not being covetous man and that's what Paul's point is and as I understand it there was money to be made in religion in the first entry the Roman Empire there was money to be made if you were a philosopher or your religious teacher do you know that in Acts chapter 19 the Apostle Paul rents the school of Tyrannus he rents the school of Tyrannus and there he preaches the gospel and the text says that all Asia Minor heard it well the school of Tyrannus was probably a philosophy school it was probably a building where they taught philosophy Paul books you know whatever slot or whatever time of the week it was and there he sets up and he preaches philosophy theology metaphysics things that matter then don't really matter a lot now but men made from that they had disciples they had people that were followers they had supporters that's why Peter says in first Peter 5 they must not be greedy for money because that is a reality at least in this particular I guess it is true today I mean these guys have mansions and helicopters or planes what is the one guy out you get three planes I I guess there still is money to be made in religion but that is why these prohibitions are there so that men who want that are kept out if a man says boy I want to be a pastor and I want to agree on this salary so that I can buy it no no no that's just weird man we don't want to talk about that sort of thing that's just odd no you you're not in this for the money a CH Spurgeon famously said if a man wants to get to get rich he shouldn't join the Baptist ministry I mean that's just you know an oxymoron don't ever pursue that but then CH Spurgeon as well wasn't a gnostic there's a famous story where Spurgeon was writing in the first-class cart in a train and a minister that he knew got on the train and looked at Spurgeon and said well this servant of the Lord I'm gonna I'm gonna spare the the money of the Lord by writing and coach and Spurgeon says well I'm going to spare the servant of the Lord by writing in first-class so I don't advocate that first-class in the planes is a bit different than then trains and all that sort of a but I thought that was a witty sort of comeback another man once said to Spurgeon they asked about paying pastors and and you know if you ever have to bring that up with your deacons and then the Deacons say well you know you should be preaching for souls well yeah but I can't eat souls and my kids can't wear souls on their shoes no pun intended but but you see there are these realities on the one hand we don't want to over pay a man but on the other hand he shouldn't be the beggar on the you know 5.05 corners because we're too cheap to pay the guy who's laboring especially in the word and doctrine brethren as I said last week or two weeks ago with the eighth commandment men want religion but they want it cheap and oftentimes that's reflected in the way that people pay pastors in short George Knight says the Bishop's life is not to be dominated or controlled by wine or money nor may it be one of strife but rather it must be one peace and gentle Ness so that's the man's personal holiness notice thirdly the man's domestic faithfulness in verses four and five notice what he says one who rules his own house well having his children in submission with all reverence and then parenthetically for if a man does not know how to rule his own house how will he take care of the Church of God now the argument here is from the lesser to the greater it is an argument from the lesser to the greater if he can't manage his own house how in the world is gonna be a steward in the Church of God and the two words are different he manages the house he leads or dare I say rules the house but in terms of the church he's a steward he's a minister the the language of govern government or leadership or ruler again it's not packed with authoritarianism but with ministerial ism and so the argument is very clear very consistent if he can't rule his own house well how in the world is he going to be able to take care of the Church of God this month this means that he must be not only a one-woman man but he must love his wife the way the Bible says do you get that Ephesians 5 husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her the man doesn't love his wife the way the Bible calls him - then you don't want that man overseeing your soul you don't want that man in charge of your life in terms of feeding and preaching and teaching you the Word of the Living God if he's cold or he's Callister he's hard or he's distant or he's unkind or ungodly with reference to the person he's supposed to be the most devoted to brethren the the marriage relationship is a one flesh relationship how a man takes care of his wife is very very much an illustration of how he's going to relate to you and I and if he doesn't do this well that that adverb is there notice what Paul says he must rule his household well see he's not just the easy chair with this heavy hand telling everybody what needs to be done and making sure it gets done that's not well management it maybe management it maybe leadership it maybe government but the subjects are miserable well management the subjects are happy they're adjusted they're healthy they're secure they're stable and that's what Paul calls for relative to elder's again this isn't something everyone of you brothers in here should be aspire everybody should be aspiring to that we should all seek to rule our households well but there must be demonstrated faithfulness for the men we bring into the context of the eldership so he must love his wife but then notice as well with reference to his kids having his children in submission with all reverence the parallel in Titus 1:6 says having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination the NIV translates it as believing children that has given rise to the interpretation that no man can function as an elder unless his children are converted John MacArthur holds that particular view again qualification I love John MacArthur I steam the man he's been a faithful proven minister of the gospel but at this point he's wrong faithful is the better translation we cannot make our children convert it brethren we are not our minions we are not Pelagius we believe in Sovereign Grace it must be God who opens the heart it must be God who grants the graces of faith and repentance it must be God who saves them calls them out of darkness into marvelous light but the faithfulness and the reverence means that they're under control not that they don't sin but that when they do sin they're dealt with by their parents that's what Paul is saying when you go to their home it's not chaos when you go to their home it's not a free-for-all when you go to their home it's not like you've just walked into the circus it is rather a place that is managed and it's managed well life is happy children are happy again not perfectly not always their sin and wise their sinning children their sin and husbands and fathers all of that thing not all of those things notwithstanding the man rules his house well and that adverb is well needs to be appreciated well what does that demand it demands time brethren work is good hard work is excellent but the hard work that keeps us from those that were supposed to love and those were supposed to manage well we need to reorient ourselves as to how better to function in a well capacity in terms of household management it's not just management again you could probably walk into businesses and see that they're managed but then you start asking employees and they don't look like they're managed well everybody's unhappy there's no morale they walk around like they're you know just worker drones there's there's no sort of joy in their life whatsoever Paul says that ought not to be characteristic of elders homes again it's not spotless holy perfectly pure but rather stuff is getting dealt with by the elder he's not passive he has not checked out he doesn't just come home and come home and to now tune out but rather he's involved in the lives of his wife and children he he takes the time to nourish them and to nurture them Jorge Knight again says what must not characterize the children of an elder is immorality and undisciplined rebellious Ness if the children are still at home and under his authority Paul that that's important as well rather than we got one kick at the can with our kids they get married and they move out we're gonna keep a man out of the eldership because his kids have have grown up and now denounced Jesus Christ again maybe there are mitigating circumstances maybe there are realities that reflect ultimately upon the elder but it's not necessarily in every case that way think back to Luke chapter 15 the the brother says give me my share of the inheritance so I can go out and vent it on my loss who's the father in the scenario it's God Almighty and yet we're always there to judge our fellows well did you see how their kids turned out brethren can I implore you don't do that it's reflective on them it's their fault now again I don't doubt I see things in my kids that I have contributed and I'm not real happy about it you know you see those little trains where oh yeah they take after dad and that one believe you me I've got that list and it bugs me and I wish it wasn't the case but it is the case but there's a far cry difference between that things we pass on even unsavory things versus blaming somebody that their children went off into the far country because we would then assume the posture in Luke 15 of blaming God the Father because his child went off into the far country you know I said it I think it was last week in Surrey when we looked at the woman the the anointing at Bethany I preached that here the last Lord suffer and what does Jesus say to the disciples when they want to mess with this poor woman in mark 14 he says leave her alone that's good counsel not just in that setting but for a lot of things leave people alone when it comes to a child going off into the far country your brother your sister doesn't need a lecture on how they messed up when that kid was 5 they need a hug they need prayer they need encouragement that that's what they need if you're gonna do that then don't leave them alone love them hug them encourage them and pray for them and with them he goes on to say Paul is not asking any more of the elder and his children that is expected of every Christian father and his children however only if a man exercises such proper control over his children may he be an elder so again I think that principle not only relative to the children but extrapolated over all of them it isn't the case that any man should it be aspiring to these things but it should be the key case that every man considered for eldership has proven faithfulness in these areas now it occurs to me brethren I am all moving fast I don't want to move fast through the rest of this we're going to stop at this point I'm going to make a couple of final observations and we'll take up the appointment of Elders part 2 god willing next Sunday if you're interested and intrigued and you're a visitor then I invite you to come back because there's more that the Apostle says that demands our attention but at this particular place let us in the first place underscore this reality when we look at these things the man 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 that's everybody's requirements now if you're a woman just switched the language a one-man woman that's how the widow is described in 1st Timothy 5 she's not to be put on the widow's list unless she's been a one-man woman that means she's been faithful in sexual matters to her husband in the entirety of his life so if you're a woman it's the same sort of thing that you should be seeking relative to eldership now as long as I'm breathing in this church you will never be ordained as an elder in this church because Paul under God by the power of the Spirit prohibits a woman from teaching or exercising authority over a man if that bugs you if that makes you unhappy if that irritates you about Jim Butler Eddy Jim Butler you got a problem with its God the Lord because he moved Paul to write first Timothy 2:12 but with reference to a woman and the virtues of Christianity this is a great list with reference to men and the virtues of Christianity this is a great list this shouldn't have been earth-shattering for any of us I hope nobody has come this morning going wow I can't believe spiritual leaders should actually look like spiritual men it shouldn't be the case that a man given two ministration should be greedy for this is no-brainer stuff but what is different with men that we choose or select for eldership they must demonstrate faithfulness that's why the qualifications exist and that brings us to a second thought or consideration it is imperative in the context of the local church that we don't let feelings experiences or like or love dictate and ultimately chaunt biblical truth it's the Bible that we go to for man goes forth for gospel ministry and he's not qualified we shouldn't ever say it but he's so likable he's so nice and he's so good in a whole host of other ways all that stuff may be true brethren but we are not given the prerogative under God to compromise the qualifications that God himself has given now where is Timothy when Paul is writing to him Timothy is in Ephesus Paul stationed Timothy in Ephesus to wage the good warfare turn over to Revelation - to see the church at Ephesus in a later situation Revelation chapter 2 these are the seven letters to the churches of Asia Minor and the first comes to the Church of Ephesus and I think with reference to the Church of Ephesus we oftentimes only ever remember that they lost or left their first love what a horrific thing isn't it that is a horrific thing to lose your first love to have a less than fervent or earnest appreciation for the Lord Jesus Christ but Ephesus is commended for doing something as well and I think that they are related and I'll try and show you why in just a moment but before we look at a revelation - there's a pattern in these letters there's a there's a an obvious pattern Jesus identifies I almost said conspicuous I said obvious Jesus identifies himself and that identification will come up later in the book of Revelation then Jesus either condemns if the church has need for condemnation and then commends if the church has need or deserves commendation and then he gives the exhortation or points out something specific within their church and then he ends with the same exhortation about overcoming you got to overcome you gotta persevere and I think that end helps us understand one of the population or one of the people populating the lake of fire in Revelation 21:8 revelation 21:8 describes a bunch of people weeds their wicked horrible sinners but one of the identifying marks is that they are Thao works the lake of fire isn't populated with people who are afraid of snakes the lake of fire isn't populated with I mean it may be but that's not the reason why cowardice in Revelation 21:8 is not over coming it's not persevering it's not enduring it is not being faithful it is what John speaks of in first John 2 they went out from us but they were not of us because if they were of us they would not have gone out from us they would have continued in our midst so when you look at revelation 21:8 and you see that coward and you think boy am I afraid of hippopotamuses those are vicious horrible creatures I'm glad I wasn't at that gas station in Florida when that thing was roaming about it's always amazed me we teach our kids to play with hippos that's that game hungry hungry hippo hippos are vicious vile horrific killing machines if I saw one I'd be terrified but I wouldn't conclude that's why I'm gonna go to hell because I'm afraid of hippos the cowardice of Revelation 21:8 is not a phobia it is rather a failure to persevere by God's grace to the New Jerusalem but look at the letter to Ephesus verse 1 - the angel that angel is the bishop that angel is the overseer that angel is the man that is the pastor of the churches the word angel doesn't just mean disembodied spirit but it means messenger - the messenger of the Church of Ephesus write these says he who holds the seven stars in his right hand who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands don't we love that you may not feel it you may not sense it you may not experience it in the way that you perhaps should but when a biblical church gathers together for worship Christ is in the midst that's what it says that's what it says now you say well this church is cold or it's boring or it's this or it's that well it's still a biblical church and we still have faith that when we gather together Christ is in the midst so it's not predicated upon our feelings if you feel that he's with you then he is do you love that statement of the the Lord Jesus when he says when you go into your closet and there you pray your father who sees in secret will reward you openly do you always feel God in your closet you always experience God in your closet no that's not necessary it's good when God does that or when you have that but that's not requisite to God's presence God's presence doesn't always associate with us feelings and experiences and mysticism there's an objectivity about faith we walk by faith not by sight too many Christians today walk by sight they walk by feeling they walk by experience they walk by what really what really moves them brethren that is not how the presence of God is measured but notice back to the text verse two he says I know your works your labor your patience and that you cannot bear those who are evil that's good and you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not and have found them liars so the church at Ephesus took seriously first Timothy chapter three they applied it when men came into the church they were apostles we should teach in your bullpens they said wait a minute let's look at these qualifications and let's scrutinize your life in conduct and let's see if you have to be able to teach and preach in the church no you're not you're liars you're out brethren that is a commendable trade on the part of the church that is a most excellent trait on the part of a church now I think that's probably why the condemnation then comes notice in verse 3 you have persevere and have patience and it's labored for my name's sake and have not become weary now notice in verse 4 nevertheless I have this against you that you have left your first love that he's still writing to them and addressing them as a church indicates that it wasn't apostasy doesn't mean they had defected completely in wholesale doesn't mean that they were done it just means that the earnestness with which they express their devotion to Jesus had suffered to some degree or other you have left your first love now I would suggest practically it was probably in the context of fighting against not physically because an elder must not be a striker but fighting against these claimants to the apostolic ministry when you're in that particular trench engaged in that particular battle you're not typically reading morning and evening not that morning and evening isn't good morning and evening is great but you're reading Calvin you're reading Turnitin your reading ba Fink you're reading the sorts of guys that will help you test the claims of these false apostles so you can rule and say no that's not true of you get out you see in that context I think it's understandable not that it's okay we should maintain white-hot love for Jesus and fight for Jesus all in the same swath but it doesn't always happen that way and that's why Jesus commends them and then says to them nevertheless I have this against you that you have left your first love now look at the the encouragement remember therefore from where you have fallen repent and do the first works or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent that's grace that's kindness that's love that's encouragement he doesn't say you've left your first love that's it you're apostates I'm pulling away the lampstand you're done that's not it at all it's all repent he tells them to burn with that white-hot love for Jesus and keep these false apostles out that's the mission of the church and that is absolutely crucial but the larger point is is that the church and Ephesus followed the qualifications that he said well we like that guy it's a lot of guys serving in elder ships that are liked by people and I don't think that's bad people should be liked but it's bad if they're functioning and then eldership simply because they're liked and it kind of goes back to that thing I used in 2016 when I went and got hip surgery my doctor was nice but I didn't go to him because he was nice I went to him because he knew how to pull out an old rotten hip and put in a new funky titanium one that that's why I went to him now obviously it'd be nice to have a nice doctor and one who's well-equipped at what he does that's what I think elders ought to be apt to teach able to preach faithful men and all that and still be nice I mean can't we have both day and that would be good you're probably thinking well you're not real nice okay it's a work in progress but the bottom line is brethren it is not a popularity contest it is not a likability contest and it's not directly correlated to a man's success in the world a man may be an effective business owner he may be an effective business manager he may be effective in that arena and not be so much so in the context of the church there are similarities in terms of leadership in the church in the world there are similarities and perhaps analogies that are useful and helpful but if there is not a direct transference or a direct correspondence a man may be gifted and fitted an excellent for a particular task outside of the church and not so much in the church so we can't just say well he's so great in this arena therefore he'll be great in that arena he may be but he still needs to be scrutinized visa vie 1st Timothy 3:1 to 7 to make sure that he is all the things that God has said he must be so the church at Ephesus followed this the church in Ephesus pursued this and the church in Ephesus was commended by Jesus as a result and then finally and this goes with the exposition in acts 14 the appointment for elders or the appointment of elders in the context of these newly founded churches is a good thing it is an excellent thing it is a helpful thing not to say you cannot read your Bible you cannot read ba think you cannot read turret and you cannot read elven for yourself in profit you can absolutely positively so but God has purposed a preaching ministry in the churches of Jesus Christ God has purposed not drama not social media not mine not skit not not movie not theatre not any of that God is pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe and to edify and strengthen those who do believe that's why they appointed elders in every city it was for the maturation the growth of the body and their conformity unto Jesus Christ as well it was for the calling of sinners to repentance and faith that they may close with Christ and have everlasting life so the end game that I want to leave with each of you now especially those who do not profess faith in Christ see if I can use this language predicated of God I don't speak properly but if you're following you'll you'll appreciate God is willing to save sinners that is absolutely positively displayed in Scripture it is absolutely positively displayed in the sending of the son of his love it is absolutely positively displayed when the father was pleased to bruise him putting him to grief but it's also positively displayed in the reality that he is fitted and equipped a classic man to preach the gospel to do the work of an evangelist to call sinners to come out of the darkness into marvelous light to believe on Jesus Christ alone for salvation the gospel ministry is another token of God's willingness to save you from your sins and if you're a sinner here this morning the way of salvation is not to imitate what Paul says here the way of salvation is to believe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who lived who died and it was he's the third day and as Paul summarizes it in Romans 4:25 he was delivered up because of our offenses and he was raised for our justification all those who look to him in faith will have everlasting life that is good news well let us pray father thank you for your word and thank you so much for the fact that you have not left the church to fend for itself and how it how it leads how it deals how it functions in the world but you have spoken to each and every area of these of these things and we thank you for that and we pray that you would help us to be ordered according to the Word of God again we pray for the church and Vernon that you'd raise a man up and send him a very very soon Lord and we pray for the church and Surrey that they would continue to grow it's good news that they're adding deacons to their church we pray they'd be able to add elders we pray that all of our Reformed Baptist churches would see men raised up and fitted and qualified not only to serve in the local church here in the Western world but to go forth to go into the uttermost parts of the earth taking that gospel the free and Sovereign Grace and proclaiming that truth of Christ and him crucified all over the world and we trust that Jesus will in fact have dominion he shall see his seed and he will be glorified in the proclamation of the word we thank you for this time that we get to gather together I pray that you would go with each and every one of us now and help us to sanctify the day and help us to glorify and honor you and we pray through Christ the Lord amen well we'll close by singing a hymn in praise to God five hundred and sixty-four five hundred and sixty-four [Music] Lord bless you and keep you the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace God may this be realized and fulfilled in each of our lives may you help us to know the nearness of God as our good and help us not to leave or abandon that first love but God aroused in us that desire for the one who is altogether lovely that one who is chief among 10,000 that one who brings the benefits of the gospel in himself we love the Lord Jesus we pray that you would increase that love and help us to go now and to enjoy this Sabbath rest and we pray in his most blessed name amen we may be seated for a brief time of meditation you