The sermon, delivered by Jason Dohm, focuses on the qualifications of elders as outlined in 1 Peter 5 and other New Testament scriptures. Dohm emphasizes the importance of adhering to biblical standards rather than personal opinions when considering elder qualifications. He defines New Testament eldership as local church governance by a plurality of biblically qualified men, highlighting that elders should not be self-important figures but rather overseers dedicated to shepherding, prayer, and the ministry of the Word. The sermon outlines the three primary roles of elders: shepherding, ensuring prayer and ministry of the Word, and maintaining biblical teaching. Dohm stresses that elders must be blameless, a one-woman man, temperate, sober-minded, and hospitable, among other traits, to serve effectively. The qualifications are divided into three categories: character, family relationships and management, and the ability to teach. Dohm also addresses the importance of elders having a good reputation outside the church and the dangers of appointing a new convert too hastily. He concludes by emphasizing that character and maturity are more important than talent or intellect and that the ultimate goal is to keep God and His Word at the center of the church.

My favorite times of coming together is this time. It's upholding the Word that is going to be taught to us. If you weren't with us this week or you didn't get Word, we're in 1 Peter 5 verses 1 through 4 as we're praying through and considering what the Lord has for us here in this section of Scripture. So open your Bibles to 1 Peter 5. 1 Peter 5.

The elders who are among you, I exhort. I, who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed, Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion, but willingly. Not for dishonest gain, but eagerly. Nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

Oh Lord, now we pray for this time, it's a sweet time, where you take the words that you've given from heaven and you allow us to hear extended teaching and unfolding of what You mean and what You intend for us to gain from it. Sharpen us now, Lord. Make us aware of what You would have us learn and help us engage You well during this time. I pray for my brother Jason as he comes to lead us now. Bless Him in this time, Lord, and you be glorified in all that's said and done.

Amen. Well, we're delaying our introduction to 2 Thessalonians, but just by one week. And I think it's good that we're doing so this morning we're speaking of elder qualifications and Obviously this is directly related to where God has us as a church right now. And I think it's a wonderful time to open up the scriptures and to remind ourselves, I don't think there's much brand new to say on this topic, but to remind ourselves of these things as we enter into an elder qualification process that we just make sure we're thinking according to what the scripture says rather than our best thoughts on the subject. Our best thoughts on the subject will pale in comparison to what the Bible hands to us.

So we're going to be looking at that today. We're going to go to text of scripture, but I want to begin praying. Father, I thank you, Lord, that you do have us here. We know that you're wise in all things. We haven't foreseen things playing out exactly as they have, but you have not been caught by surprise of that we're sure.

So God, I thank you for the wisdom that there is in your Word. I thank you that we're so well supplied as a people with heavenly wisdom. We've no need to rely on our best thoughts, but that Your Word has given us everything we need for life and godliness. Thank You for Your Word, Lord. Now we pray that it would be coupled with Your Holy Spirit who would help us to understand and to love these things that you have given to us as a gift.

Thank you for your word in Jesus' name. Amen. I'd like to begin with a definition of New Testament eldership. I'm not going to go to great lengths to prove the definition because I think it speaks for itself and it's too easy to prove to spend a lot of time on it. Here's my definition of New Testament eldership.

Local church government by a plurality of biblically qualified men. You have a hard time finding a word in the definition that isn't necessary and doesn't add something really significant to it. So I'll give it to you again. Local church government. In other words, elders aren't responsible for the worldwide church.

I do not have an accountability for the souls at Faith Baptist. I just don't. It is local church government. By a plurality, I believe This is clearly the New Testament ideal. If you go to Acts chapter 14 verse 23, it's the end of Paul's first missionary journey.

So he's been preaching and it's been met with success. So there are pockets of believers everywhere he's been because God has been saving people. So the first missionary journey is essentially a loop. He goes, he preaches, he's met with success, he keeps moving, and then he reverses tracks and goes back through those cities to more firmly establish the people who have been brought into the Kingdom of Heaven. And this is what we get in Acts 14-23, that he appointed elders plural in every church singular where he had been met with success.

I just want to declare or assert that this is simply representative, meaning that Acts 14-23 is a good representation of what you find everywhere else, which is that what God desires for His people in a local church is that the government would be done by a plurality of qualified men. Not just one, but multiple. There is such wisdom and safety and blessing in plurality of men. More than one man governing churches. So local church government by a plurality of biblically qualified men.

What does a man have to be like? I think the New Testament sets it forth. It is men. And it is men whose lives look a certain way, measure up to a certain standard. So that's our definition that we're working with.

Local church government by a plurality of biblically qualified men. I also want to begin by talking about the roles of elders. You can't skip that and go straight to qualifications because there's such a direct line between the roles and the qualifications. In other words, once you get it fixed in your mind exactly what the roles are, The qualifications make sense. You say, well that's why a man has to be this certain way.

Because he's playing this function among the Lord's people. So we're going to start with roles briefly, and then we'll go to qualifications, and you'll be able to see without explanation why it is that a man has to be this way. It's because he's supposed to do this among the Lord's people. There are three primary roles. The first is shepherding.

We just saw that in 1 Peter 5. Peter is an elder and Peter is exhorting other elders and he tells them to shepherd the Church of God. And to do it willingly, not by compulsion, eagerly, not for dishonest gain, but to shepherd the Lord's people. God wants his people to be led well. Shepherds lead.

God wants his people to be fed well. Shepherds feed sheep. God wants His people to be protected well. Shepherds protect. So this is the first function.

You'll also see this in Acts chapter 20. In Acts chapter 20, Paul has called for the Ephesian elders and he is exhorting them and he tells them, shepherd the church of God among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. And then he says that the church was purchased by the blood of Jesus. In other words, Jesus loves the church. He purchased his church with his own blood.

So if you want to know the value that God has put on the church, that's it. You look at the blood of Jesus, that's the price he paid to have this church. And so he wants to raise up men to maturity so that they will serve his people. That's what this is all about. Shepherd the Church of God among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseer.

So this is the first primary role shepherding and then the second two I'm going to just go in quick succession. Prayer and ministry of the Word. So number two is prayer number three is the ministry of the Word. That's exactly what we find in Acts chapter six. In Acts chapter six, there's trouble in the church in Jerusalem.

And the trouble is some of the widows are being provided for, some of the widows aren't being provided for, and it's causing conflict in the church. But the leaders of the church recognize that if they stop praying and stop focusing on the ministry of the Word to go to this other important thing that something essential will be neglected. Prayer and ministry of the Word will be neglected. And so that's why they asked the congregation to come forward with other men who are full of faith in the Holy Spirit, who can attend to these other really important needs so that they can continually focus on prayer and the ministry of the Word. And this is what we see throughout the New Testament about elders.

They shepherd, they pray, and they bring to bear the Word of God among the Lord's people. So understanding those roles, shepherding, prayer, ministry of the Word helps us to understand the importance of the qualifications. Here's something important. Hebrews 13 verse 17 says that you have to obey and submit to these. We have to obey our elders.

As members in a local church we have to obey, we have to submit to our elders. Now do you care who they are? We're going to have to obey them. We're going to have to submit to them. Now do you care what they're like?

You better care. You better care. 1 Peter 5 says that there are to be examples to the flock and that you're to follow their pattern of life. Now, do you care what they're like? You better care.

And that's why God cares. God's desire is to put men to lead His people who can be followed, whose patterns of life are worthy of being followed. And who you can joyfully submit to and obey. Because they've been brought to maturity so they're not going to ask you to do crazy things. And when they do come to you and ask you to do things, they're not going to be jerks about it.

They know who they are among the Lord's people. They're servants. And so it's a joy to submit to them and to obey them. Often it doesn't even feel like you're submitting because God has made them mature. He's given them the understanding that they are servants, not lords, over the church.

And so often when you're submitting to them and obeying to them, it never even feels like it. This is what the life of a wife should be like. To make an analogy, to take this out of one sphere and into another, the sphere of marriage. Wives shouldn't feel like they're having to submit to their husband all the time. It should very rarely feel that because a husband understands what his role is and he's so tender and he's so gentle with his leadership that it's just a joyful matter of just normal everyday life, and it's sweet, not a burden.

That's what it's supposed to be like in church life too. So it matters. And that's what the list of qualifications are all about. God wants His people well served. Well served.

There are two lists of qualifications. The first is in 1 Timothy 3, the second is in Titus 1. And they simply give us what a man has to be to engage in this work. In other words, God doesn't want men who don't match up with the list engaging in this work. Because you're liable to end up with a jerk who's really hard to submit to.

So God wants men who match up with the lists serving his people. So here's how we're going to spend the rest of the time. We've got these two lists and there's a lot of overlap between the lists. They're both written by Paul so that's what you'd expect. Lots of overlap and there is.

So I'm going to be working primarily from 1 Timothy 3 and then I'll be folding in little snippets from Titus 1 as we work through the list. Before we start, a few comments, a few more comments. Number one, an elder is not a super Christian. In other words, you can't think of an elder as an other worldly guy, who is above and beyond what Christians are supposed to be like. When we have that in our minds we're not thinking rightly.

An elder is simply a verifiable Christian. In other words, the pattern of his life looks like what a Christian's life should look like. Not super qualities, but Christian qualities. Consistent Christian qualities. Day in and day out, with an exception here or there, Day in and day out, with an exception here or there, day in and day out, with a few exceptions, his life looks like the life of a Christian.

It's just that simple. He's not a superhero. He's not a super Christian who's otherworldly. He's a consistent Christian. A mature Christian.

When you go through this list, Let's look for things that every Christian isn't supposed to be. The only thing you might find is the ability to teach. I'll give you that one. Not every Christian is going to have to be a teacher. But other than that, you'll find that as Christians there are things that we all aspire to.

We all want our pattern of life to match these things. Number one, not a super Christian. Number two, Extremely humbling. It sounds like I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth, and maybe I am a little bit, but I hope it's not too pronounced. In other words, when a man looks at the list, he's not going to be feeling very exalted.

He's going to be feeling humbled. We're all challenged to live a Christian life consistently, with consistency. So that when we find a simple listing of what the life of a Christian ought to look at, we're going to find areas where we've struggled and may still struggle some. So when a man looks at this list, we don't want the man who says, yes, I mastered all that stuff years ago. Next.

Not ready for eldership. The man who looks at this list and feels exalted by it is not ready yet. Because he's not seeing things rightly. He's not seeing his life rightly. You want the man who looks at this list and is humbled by it.

Now it's easy to get lost in the list. Just get focused on these and isolate them. But I want to encourage us to come up and take a look at the big picture. The big picture is this. This is a man who has been learning to love God and his neighbor.

It's not any more complex than that. It's filled out. We are given details, but it's really just a man who's been learning to love the Lord and to grow in loving the Lord. Who's been learning to love his neighbor and to grow in loving his neighbor. It's a man in whom the Spirit is producing, has been producing the fruits of the Spirit.

So if we were to overlay the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians chapter 5, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control, and then we were to go to these two lists of 1st Timothy 3 and Titus 1, we could just match them up all the way across. The Spirit has been at work in this man and has been producing these fruits and that works its way out in a consistent pattern of Christianity. So his life looks like this. Learning to love God and to love neighbor. Alright, turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 3.

I'm going to start with verse 15 and then I'm going to back up to verse 1. We're going out of order. Look at 1 Timothy chapter 3 verse 15. This is Paul writing, But if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." So this is what Paul is doing in writing the letter. He's telling us how we should conduct ourselves in the house of God.

So that we can effectively be the church of God, the pillar and ground of the truth in the world. Okay, now back to verse 1. This is a faithful saying. If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, a husband of one wife, temperate, sober minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous, One who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence.

For if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the Church of God? Not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover, he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Verse 8 is about deacons, verse 9 is about deacons, then verse 10. But let these also first be tested, Then let them serve as deacons being found blameless.

Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Verse 2, we have these two words, must be. We do not have a negotiable list here. Must be. A man must be qualified against these traits.

Must be. We have in verse 10 these words, let these also first be tested. Meaning just like deacons, they must first be tested, then let them serve. So the testing against the qualifications is a prerequisite. You don't make a man an elder and then let this catch up later.

No, no, no. Order of operations is essential. You test, and 1 Timothy 5, a couple chapters later, will be saying, don't do that hastily. No haste in the testing. You test first and then they serve.

So there's a process that's called out here. I want to give you the three categories of these qualifications. In other words, if you want to take the big number that's listed and put them in buckets of things that they're like, I think you come up with three. The first is this. A character.

What's his character like? What's the pattern of his life? How can that be described? Number two, family relationships and management. What's his home like?

What's his marriage and his relationships with his children like? So there's character, there's family relationships and management, and then finally, able to teach. Each one of these qualifications you can easily drop into one of these three buckets, character, family life, able to teach. Now let's go through them one by one. How many are there going to be?

There are going to be 16 that I mentioned and then I'll drop in a few more from Titus 1, which means we've got to go fast. And that's okay. I'm ready for that. At least I think I'm ready for that. Number one, a bishop then must be blameless.

First of all, scratch through bishop in your Bible. I'm not kidding. I'm offended by the translation. I don't think it fits the word in the Greek. In this case, NASB, ESB, and NIV are better.

They render it overseer. That's a good match with the Greek. My objection to the term Bishop is it's so loaded. When anyone says to me, Bishop, I think of a self-important man with a stupid looking hat. An elder is not a self-important person with a stupid looking hat.

So, Let's be done with the rendering of bishop and think of it as an overseer. It matches the Greek much better and it doesn't have all the baggage of the word bishop. This man, this overseer, must be blameless. That doesn't mean perfect. The minute you make blameless perfect, you don't have any church leaders anywhere in the world.

Forget perfection, but blameless. What does blameless mean? I think you're answering this question. Would a significant charge stick? You're going to be able to find imperfections in any one of these categories.

But would a significant charge stick? If someone were to say, Jason is guilty of this and it was a serious matter and you could demonstrate it, then I would cease to be blameless according to these qualifications. NASB, ESV, NIV, render it above reproach. Both of those are good translations, either blameless or above reproach. Can you justly reproach the man in any one of these categories?

Alexander Strauch calls this the master qualification. By the way, his book on biblical eldership is very biblical. He spends most of the book just breaking down these texts of Scripture. So it's wonderfully helpful. If you don't have it on the shelf, you should have it on the shelf.

If you're never going to be an elder, you're always going to be dealing with elders. And so it's a wonderful resource. Get it. So Strauch says this is the master qualification, meaning it sets the bar for everything else on the list. Above reproach.

So we're going to go on to the next thing. The husband of one wife is the second one. So thinking about the man, is he above reproach? The third one is going to be temperate. Thinking about this man, and temperate, is he above reproach?

And on and on and on. It sets the bar. It is the master qualification because it becomes the standard for the rest of them would a significant charge stick number two the husband of one wife In In the Greek it's literally a one woman man. That's what an elder must be. A one woman man.

It does not say never divorced, though some have concluded that that is part of that. Now, I don't accept that. Meaning, I believe a divorce in a man's past absolutely should make you slow down and probe because divorces happen for reasons. If nothing else it should make you slow way down, But I do not believe that a divorce in a man's past is an automatic disqualifier. I do not believe that is what is intended here.

The words are a one woman man, not never divorced. And by the way, there are really significant Christian thinkers and pastors and theologians who do not agree with me on that and I understand that it is absolutely a debatable matter. So this is a man with a rock-solid marriage. If he's married, his marriage is rock-solid. He's faithful, he's monogamous, he's not flirtatious, He does not have wandering eyes.

His eyes don't trail every pretty woman who walks by. He's not that way. When he relates with other women, he's not unfriendly, but he's absolutely guarded. He's a one-woman man. Ephesians 5 says that marriage is a picture of the gospel.

And that the man is playing the role of Jesus Christ. So at the heart of this qualification, the husband of one wife is, is he playing that role? Does his conduct as a husband look anything like the Lord Jesus Christ's conduct as the husband of the church? Jesus doesn't have a wandering eye. His eyes are for his people.

His affections are undivided. His faithfulness is unwavering and unquestionable, is a man like that as a husband. Number three, temperate. So by the way, I want to go back, I want to back up. I'm not done with number two.

Number two, the husband of one wife, a one woman man. In my understanding of this, it is possible that a man who has a divorce in the distant past, if it's in the recent past, I don't think you should go there because you don't know. But if it's in the distant past, and I'm not going to name a number of years because I'm already treading on speculative ground, so I'm not going to add to that. If a man has a divorce in his distant past, It could be that he meets the qualification of a one woman man really well, while another man in the church who has never had a divorce is nowhere near close to this standard. Are you with me?

Alright, now number three. Alright, now number three. Temperate. Temperate means free from debilitating excesses. Paralyzing excesses.

Loving things, even lawful things, so much that they are debilitated by it. An elder cannot be that. He must be temperate. He has to be free from all inordinate affections that would wrap him up around things that are not godly things, even though they may be lawful. So he's not a slave to anything but Jesus.

This is that kind of a temperate man, is a bond servant of Jesus Christ and nothing else. He is not given to wild swings. Now think about the shepherding role, the role of prayer, the role of ministry in the world. And now think about the people who you've known who are given to wild swings. This week they're way over here, and next week they're at the polar opposite.

You cannot subject local churches to that. We've heard a lot in this political cycle about a steady hand. Well, this applies to eldership. Actually, we need steady hands at the helm of local churches. Of local churches.

Number four. Sober-minded. ESV and NIV render this self-controlled. Both are good. Both are well within the range of the Greek word.

This is a sound thinker, sound in thought, and serious about serious things. This is serious things. This is one of the qualifications where my conscience is most frequently pricked. I like to break up seriousness by joking way more often than I should. An elder should be serious about serious things and not always the jokester.

And it doesn't mean that an elder can't smile. That's not what I'm teaching. That's not what's meant here. Elders can smile. Elders can laugh.

Elders can tell jokes. But those things have a place in an elder's life. And it's not the most prominent place. Sober-minded. Serious about serious things.

Sound in thinking. Number five, of good behavior. Of good behavior, NASB, ESB, NIV all render this respectable. Again, both really good translations, of good behavior or respectable. Respectable, worthy of respect.

You're able to respect them because of his pattern of life. It's not throwing away respect because he lives in such a way that he's actually earned your respect by the way that he conducts himself. Consistency of life. Number six. Hospitable.

King James renders it given to hospitality. I really like that rendering. I'm not sure it's better, but It means that he loves hospitality. Having people in his home isn't a burden, it's a joy. It's what he wants to do.

He's given to it. An Elder has to share his life. He's not just a preacher. It's like we were seeing a Paul in Sylvainus and Timothy in Thessalonica. We were well pleased.

We did bring you the Gospel, but we were well pleased to share with you our lives. And elder lives that way in terms of his front door. It's open. He's ready to receive you into his home and to share his life with you. He's not just a preacher.

1 Peter 5, that was our sermon text this morning, he's not a Lord, he's an example. Elders aren't Lords in the church, they're examples, So you better have your front door unlatched. So that you can show people what a consistent Christian life looks like. And you can't be afraid, because of a lot of inconsistency, you can't be afraid to say, follow me as I follow Christ. In other words, if you have that level of inconsistency in your life, where it wouldn't be a good thing to say, follow me as I follow Christ, because I really, sometimes I do and sometimes I don't, then you're not ready to be an elder yet.

Because an elder is an example, he has to be hospitable, so that he's sharing life with people. He can function as an example. Number seven, able to teach. Number seven, able to teach. The Greek here means apt and skillful in teaching.

So there are two parts to this. Tendency and ability. What is your tendency? Do you have a tendency to teach? Meaning, has God raised you up and made you like to teach, want to teach?

You're apt. That is a tendency to teach. A conversation is happening, an issue is on the table, and you are now wired to bring the Word of God to bear. You almost can't help yourself. The Bible says this, and here's the connection to that.

You're apt. You have a tendency to teach. You tend to teach. Because of how God has wired you and ability. Not everyone who likes to have their say is able to say something that is good and helpful from the Scriptures.

Meaning everyone has an opinion. That's not what this means. Able to teach doesn't mean, hey I got lots of opinions. It means I'm able to bring the word of God to bear in a helpful way. So I have the tendency to teach and I have the ability to teach.

This is the only qualification that is more about what you do than what you're like. This one's about what you do. The rest are about what you're like. Because if the flock is getting a steady diet of sound Bible teaching, then the flock's going to be just fine. It doesn't mean problem free, but the flock will be just fine if there is a steady flow of sound Bible teaching.

So This one is an important what you do, while the others are important about what you're like. This is not just pulpit activity. Listen to Paul in Acts chapter 20, verse 20. Acts 20, 20. Paul says, how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you and taught you publicly and from house to house.

So Paul is pointing to his three years of life among the Ephesians, and he is using himself as a good example, and he says, I didn't hold back anything that was helpful. I proclaim to you the helpful things from the Word of God, both publicly and from house to house. So Paul's teaching ministry, although he had a powerful pulpit ministry, it wasn't all pulpit ministry by any stretch of the imagination. He was going to your house and he couldn't help himself from bringing the Word to God to bear in everyday life, in everyday conversations. Or, listen to this, Titus chapter 1 verse 9.

Now this is that second list of elder qualifications in Titus chapter 1. Listen to this from verse 9, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convict those who contradict. So an elder is one who holds fast the good teaching that he's been received, so that when people come with unsound doctrine, he can contradict unsound doctrine and contend for the faith that has been once and for all delivered to the saints. It's not just teaching the good, it's also being able to contradict the bad. Sometimes the bad is very subtle, meaning it's not always easy to put your finger on what's bad about certain teachings.

So this has to be a man who's mature in doctrine, and who can actually put his finger on false doctrine, and then contend against it. That was number seven, able to see. Number eight, not given to wine. The NASV renders it not addicted to wine. The ESV renders it not a drunkard.

The NIV renders it not given to drunkenness. Now this is a prohibition of abuse, not use. Meaning, even in the life of an elder, this is not a total prohibition of alcohol, but it is a total prohibition of the abuse of alcohol. Drunkenness is completely off limits. Not given to wine.

Not addicted to wine. Not a drunkard. Number nine, not violent. Not violent. So it's not enough that I haven't punched somebody in a while.

The meaning goes beyond not a puncher. This describes a violent man, describes a man who's looking for a fight. It doesn't have to be a physical fight. The Greek also has this sense, not contentious. So that's what's in view.

Titus chapter 1 verse 7 says, not quick tempered. So I think those are very closely related. Not a violent man, not quick tempered, not looking for a fight, not contentious. It is a man with a slow fuse. You know what I mean by slow fuse?

A quick fuse is you light kaboom! Like immediately. A little fire and immediate explosion. A slow fuse is, there's a little fire and it winds around, goes up and around, and then after a long, the explosion is a long time in coming. Okay, That's what a man who's qualified to be an elder is like.

Not a little fire kaboom. Immediate explosion. A volatile man is the wrong man for this job. And that's really what's being spoken of here. Given the nature of the job and the number of tense situations that you encounter.

If you're volatile, you got a quick fuse, if it's a little fire and then big explosion. You need another line of work. Not violent. If you're an elder, there will be people at church who don't hold sound doctrine or who have sins that need to be addressed and they're going to have a problem with you. They're not going to like the doctrine that you teach.

They're not going to like it that you bring up things in their life in order to help them with their sanctification. And if it's a little fire followed by a big explosion, you're going to have a lot of big explosions. It's not right for the nature of the work. Number ten, not greedy for money. Not greedy for money.

In 1 Timothy 6, so our list right now that we are studying is in 1 Timothy chapter 3. So just a few chapters later in 1 Timothy chapter 6, Paul is going to identify greed, or the love of money, as a gateway sin. You know, they're gateway drugs. They're not so bad themselves, but They lead you into much more addictive drugs. Gateway sin is like that.

It might not be the most scandalous sin, the love of money, but it leads you into all manner of other kinds of sin. Here is the way it is said in 1 Timothy chapter 6. The root of all kinds of evil, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. In other words, If you've got this sin, the love of money in your life, that won't be the end of it.

It's going to lead you into all kinds of other sins. So an elder must not be greedy for money. And also, so that you don't fleece the flock. An elder is going to have access to the church's money. It cannot be a greedy man.

It cannot be a money loving man. Number eleven, gentle. Gentle. An elder is not a man storming around steamrolling everyone in his path. It's the exact opposite of that.

The Lord will not have people, Men serving his people who steamrolls everyone who contradicts. That's the first sign of trouble. Titus 1 verse 7, this alternate list of qualifications, has this one, not self-willed. I think these are very related. Gentle, not self-willed.

A self-willed man is a must-have-what-I-want-when-I-want-it man. An elder can't be that. An elder is a servant, so he has to be gentle, and he has to be not self-willed. Here's what Alexander Strauch says in his excellent book on this topic, God fully expects his under-shepherds to shepherd his people in the same way he does. He will not let his people be driven, beaten, condemned, or divided.

Thus the shepherd must be patient, gracious, and understanding with the airing and at times exasperating sheep. Alexander Strauch says, you're serving the sheep. Sometimes the sheep are going to air. Sometimes the sheep are going to be air. Sometimes the sheep are going to be exasperating.

That doesn't mean you can beat them. Or drive them. Or divide them. Or condemn them. That's why God raises up the mature to help the less mature.

Number 12, not quarrelsome. Not quarrelsome. The NASB renders this peaceable. Hopefully if the church gets it right, and makes sure that qualified men are in the eldership, the elders will be dealing with immaturity. In other words, no one is born into the kingdom, born again, fully formed.

In fact, You're just barely starting to be formed when you come into the Kingdom of Heaven. God puts men in leadership to help you grow, to help us all grow. By definition it means that elders are going to be dealing with immaturity in the church, so they must not be quarrelsome. Number 13, Not covetous. An elder must be a content man who's not grasping.

If you have a grasper, not ready. Not covetous. This is a man who is content realizing that God has given him all the things that he needs and much of what he wants and so he's not looking at the other guy and his things saying wow I wish I had that. Because covetous people go chase that stuff and an elder can't be someone who's chasing the things that he doesn't have. An elder needs to be a man who's resting in God and rejoicing in what God has given to him.

Number fourteen. Rules his own house well. Rules his own house well. And then Paul says why it matters. Because if he can't rule his house, he can't rule the church.

Because if those who God has already entrusted to his care in his household aren't flourishing under his leadership, then no church will flourish under his leadership. Because the Church of Jesus Christ is much more of a family than it is a company or the military. It's a family. We're brothers and sisters in Christ, and God is our Father. And so If you want to know if a church is going to flourish under a man's leadership, you look at his wife, and you look at his children.

You say, are they flourishing, are they drying up, or is there something in between? And you have a great way to assess how the church is going to do under this man's leadership. And then you act accordingly. He must rule his own house well. And then it says this, having his children in submission with all reverence.

Now any man who is bigger than his children can Make them submit. A man can be a drill sergeant and attain to outward conformity. But that is not submission with all reverence. You want the man who has secured the honor of his children. Children are to honor their father and mother.

And a godly father and mother go secure the honor. In other words, if you leave children to themselves to just do what their inclinations are, there will never be honor for a father and a mother. Our children aren't born with the inclination to honor their father and mother. Quite the contrary, they're born with the inclination to dishonor you. A godly, mature father and mother go secure the honor by the way in which they relate to the children God has given to them.

That's what's being talked about here. This man earns the reverent submission of his children. Now children, I am not saying that if you don't think your father has earned it, that you're free to dishonor. Nobody said that here. The command to you is to honor your father and mother.

The command to your father and mother is go get it. Go secure that honor. Titus 1 verse 6 adds this. Titus 1 verse 6 adds this. Having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination.

Meaning, his children can't be accused of just going off and living wildly and refusing to submit to the leadership in subordination. Now the NASB, the ESV, the NIV at this point in Titus 1 verse 6 make a terrible translation mistake in saying that his children believe. Now the Greek word can mean that, but it does not have to mean that. And looking at the other testimony of Scripture, you cannot translate it that way. I think that was irresponsible translation.

By the way, have you ever heard me say that? Probably before today, you might not have ever heard me say that was irresponsible translation. I've said it twice today, so wow, we're hitting it. I have great reverence for Bible translators. They've already forgotten more than I'll ever know.

I concede that point. There's a couple of places here today that I think are especially problematic translation-wise. Why is that problematic? Well, here's something that falls within the range of translation. The Greek word means this, trustworthy, faithful, of persons who show themselves faithful in the transaction of business, the execution of commands, or the discharge of duties.

That's what the Greek lexicon says of the Greek word. So there's no requirement there for saving faith in God. It's faithful like you would want an employee to be faithful. You give them a duty and they fulfill the duty. And when you render it believing, which is within the range of meaning for the Greek word, but when you render it that way, you overthrow the doctrine of election and you say that how you parent can bring your children into the Kingdom of Heaven.

You, by your parenting, have the ability to bring your children into the Kingdom of Heaven. The Bible nowhere says that. The Bible says exactly the opposite. That if you're in the Kingdom of Heaven, it's because God chose you before time began. Not because your parents were skillful.

Away with that thought. So an elder might have children who do not yet have saving faith, and children who may never have saving faith but he must have secured their honor he must not allow for insubordination and dissipation in his children. Number fifteen not a novice not a novice The NASB, the ESV, the NIV render it. Not a new convert or not a recent convert. Why?

Well we're told why. Less being puffed up with pride, he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. If you hand a new believer authority and honor too soon, you puff them up. You're asking for trouble. If you hand a recent convert, a new believer authority and honor too soon.

Because they start to think that they are all that. Consider 1 Corinthians 10 verse 12. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. The most vulnerable position that you can be in is to think, I got it. I got it.

And new converts tend to trust themselves way too much. And to think, I got it. New converts think that. Old converts cling to God with all their heart because they've learned a thousand times that everything can seem well today and they can be flat on their face tomorrow. That's what the old convert knows.

What the new convert thinks is, this is easy because the sun is shining today and the birds are chirping today. Well, yeah, you give them overcast sky and they're all to pieces, but they don't see that. Not a novice. Number sixteen. Having a good testimony among those who are outside.

I believe that means outside the church, but also outside the people of God. Even unbelievers, they need to have a good testimony among those who are outside. I believe that means outside the church but also outside the people of God, even unbelievers. They need to have a good testimony among those who are outside. Here's what Strouk says, Sometimes outsiders have a more realistic view of the person than insiders do.

In other words, I can come here for a few hours, I can paint on a smile, I can be nice to you, but I can be something entirely different in the workplace, or in my neighborhood. What do his neighbors think of him and why? What do his co-workers think of him and why? It matters. This is a pretty friendly environment.

It's pretty nice to be respectable here. Sometimes the work environment is less friendly. How does he act then? Sometimes the neighborhood environment is less friendly. How does he act then?

It matters. Okay, here are a few others from Titus 1 verse 8 that aren't specifically mentioned in 1 Timothy 3. Here's Titus 1 verse 8, a lover of what is good. A lover of what is good. So what we're talking about here is not simply a person who is technically correct and hyperdisciplined.

A lot of these things you could build a reputation for just by being technically correct and hyperdisciplined. A lover of what is good sort of takes you out of that. This is not just a really disciplined person, this is someone who loves the good. Listen to Galatians chapter 6 verses 9 through 10. Galatians 6, 9 and 10.

And Let us not grow weary while doing good for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith." A man who is qualified to be an elder is one who has not grown weary from doing good. In other words, he doesn't get tired of doing good. Anyone can get enough energy to do good for a week and maybe a month. If you've got a lot of strength, maybe a quarter, maybe a three month stretch.

But then you're tired of that, I'm tired of that. It's not enough reward for this doing good. An elder is a man who doesn't grow weary from doing good. He just keeps on and keeps on and keeps on. There's a steady stream of doing good in his life.

That's who you want leading. Here's another one from Titus 1.8. Just. Just. He's upright in his judgments about things.

He is not partial in his judgments about things. He is just. Here is the last one. Holy. That is also in Titus 1 verse 8.

Holy, the Greek that is translated holy there is rendered this way in the Greek lexicon. Undefiled by sin, free from wickedness. You want someone who is free from wickedness to be leading the Lord's people. In conclusion, to summarize these things, we've got these three categories. Character.

What's he like? And how do you tell what he's like? You look at the pattern of his life over a long period of time. Not a good week of behavior. Pattern over his life over a long period of time.

That's his character. Household management. How has he led? Are those he's been leading flourishing or shriveling up? That tells the tale brothers and sisters.

Is his wife flourishing? Or are his children flourishing or shriveling up? That is the test. Number three, is he able to teach? When he has the opportunity to teach in a conversation, forget the pulpit, In a conversation when he has the opportunity to teach, does he teach or does he shrink back?

And when he does teach, is it helpful? Is it The Word of God being brought to bear. Those are the three categories. Character qualities, what is he like? Household management, how is he led?

Able to teach, does he like to do it, does he do it helpfully? So, you live with a man for a good long time, consistently seeing God working in his life and giving him progress in the faith and in the fruits of the spirit. That's the man. So we're in this process now, and in some ways, the man who's in the process is at a huge disadvantage because we know him really well. How long has it been since we were out of the honeymoon period?

With each other, okay? A lot of us in this room have been living together for a decade. Okay, so our ability to fool each other is zippo. Anymore. James would have been way better off, better off going into this process when he'd been here for only a year.

So we were still in the honey man period. But now we've lived together for a long time. We know this brother. He knows us. It's a wonder he's willing.

But no, that's good. That's good. That matches up with 1 Timothy chapter 5. I want to end there. Please go to 1st Timothy chapter 5.

This is the exhortation to us about this process. Where should I start? Okay, 22. Let's start in 22. So I don't belabor the point.

1 Timothy 5 beginning in verse 22, do not lay hands on anyone hastily. Now this is laying hands on means don't put anyone into the office of elder hastily. Nor share in other people's sins, keep yourself pure. My understanding of this is that if you're hasty, so that you don't consider things that you should have considered if you had given it time, then you actually participate in the sins. You enter into the sins that disqualify the man, but you didn't know it disqualified the man because you were in a hurry.

So you participate in the sins. I'm going to skip 23, now verse 24. 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.

What does that mean? That means if you enter into a qualification process while you're still in the honeymoon period and still think everything about them is perfect, then this is what you're missing. Some men's sins are on the surface, and anybody with two eyes who's around him for a day or two or a week can see them. But some follow after. Some, it takes time to see them, so you better give it time.

And it's the same with the good works. Some people, actually, because they're humble, you have no idea all the good that they do. You have no idea of their virtues because they don't trumpet them. That's actually the people that you want, the people who aren't tooting their own horn. And so it takes a while with those people and then you say, wow, there's way more substance there than is on the surface because they're actually humble.

That's good. Okay and it takes a while to figure that out. So the exhortation to us is to know Men well and to consider them carefully against this list before we put anybody else into eldership. Character and maturity matter more than talent, intellect and ambition combined. Are you with me?

Character, maturity, not talent, intellect and ambition. If you can get it all, take it all. But if you can only get character and maturity and you have to sacrifice on the fronts of talent, intellect, and ambition, then you gladly forfeit those in order to grab hold of character and maturity. Giftedness is not on the list. These are the men who will keep God and His Word at the center of the church.

This is really what this is about. It's that these men aren't the shepherds of the church. They're the under-shepherds of the church. Jesus is the shepherd of His church. And these men are just to look at what Jesus has said and then apply those things to the church.

To lead the people according to the Word of God. To feed the people the Word of God. To use the word of God to protect the flock of God. Let's pray. God, I pray that you would raise up many men in our fellowship throughout the next however many years that you give us living in a local church together.

Please raise up many, many men whose lives can be compared with 1st Timothy 3 and Titus 1 and we'd find them qualified, we would bring them into this kind of service and that your people would be so lavishly cared for. We thank you for Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, who can show us how to do all these things. I pray this would be in abundance among us in Jesus' name. Amen.