1 Timothy 3 will be our text today. We're continuing to think through Paul's letter to his young apprentice Timothy and his instructions for the church. How they were to conduct themselves, how these believers were to conduct themselves within the household of God, within the family of God. And so some very practical instructions for the church. Nearly 3,000 individuals were killed in the 9-11 terrorist attacks. We just celebrated another significant anniversary of that event. Among those casualties were 71 law enforcement officers and 343 firefighters. These individuals showed up in the moments following Those attacks and rushed into the buildings at the same time that hundreds were rushing out of those buildings. Rushing into danger while others were rushing to safety. And since 9-11, there's been an increased. Appreciation for first responders. For those who are. who are the first ones on the scene of an accident, a crisis, or an emergency helping to give support and aid to those who are in need. And more broadly, we've seen a renewed sense of patriotism, more inclined to honor those servicemen and women who risk their lives for us. We've come to be sensitized, again, to the sacrifices and the risks that are involved people in these professions. And there's a certain nobility to these tasks, is there not? There's something that reflects a great deal of selflessness and giving of themselves for the good of others. It's right, it's appropriate that we would extend honor to these individuals. Well, the text here in 1 Timothy 3 addresses a unique the title that of overseer. And I would suggest to you that in many ways we might think of an overseer like a first responder. Someone who is keyed in on helping others, who is interested in caring not only for someone's physical health, but for their spiritual health, their eternal well-being. This is at some level what constitutes the role of an overseer. And so we might see something even in that imagery of first responders. The root idea for this word, overseer, is that of visitation. It's kind of an older type of word, but it simply refers to someone who shows up, who is present, either to encourage or to comfort, or to confront. An overseer keeps tabs, checks in, keeps an eye on things. It's a word that is often used of God. Matter of fact, when the people of Israel, you remember, ended up as a small 70-member family unit in Egypt, right? God orchestrated Joseph's entry into Egypt and preserved the nation of Israel, this small nation, from famine. And Joseph, as he was preparing to die, he said, I'm going to die, but God will visit you. God will oversee you. He will keep watch over you. And then sure enough, several hundred years later, God comes to Moses, right? At that point, the people of Israel had now been enslaved in Egypt for hundreds of years. And God comes to Moses and he says, I want you to go into Egypt to my people. And I want you to tell them that I have heard their cries. I have visited them. I have overseen them. I'm aware of what's going on. And I'm present. I'm here. I've shown up. So this imagery and the way that these words are translated even into the Old Testament text or into Greek from the Hebrew text, this is the idea of this word. It's used often to speak of God. We see it in the New Testament context as well. Peter makes use of this word. He says in 1 Peter 2, keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable so that When they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation, on the day of oversight, on the day when God shows up. 1 Peter 2, for you were strained like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your soul. Some translations say the guardian of your soul. I love the imagery of Revelation 1. Here we have the ascended Jesus in power and glory. And He's walking among the lampstands. And in the context there in Revelation 1, the lampstands represent the churches. These are God's lights that are out in the world. Churches. And Jesus is out walking in the midst of the churches, tending the lampstands, making sure to refill the oil, to fuel these lights. I love that imagery that God is present. He is overseeing. We see it in account after account after account. Certainly God is the great overseer. He is the great first responder who is always present for his people, showing up in the midst of crisis. But of course, this text here in 1 Timothy 3 teaches us that people also have the ability and the opportunity to carry out this task. People have the opportunity to care for other people. And so there's this whole category that he talks about of overseers. And specifically again here, Paul is talking about overseers in the local church. That's been the whole context here, right? He's talking about prayer. He wants to see men lead out in prayer. He wants to talk about dress code for worship. And when we gather as a church, he wants to talk about roles of men and women, specifically in the context of the church gathered. And now here in chapter three, he wants to talk about leadership structures and how he's organized the church to function in a healthy way. And of course, we're in that season right now as a church where we're identifying church leadership. Lists are going to go up in the coming weeks, and there'll be a review period, and then we'll gather at our annual meeting and we'll be discerning through who God would have to lead. So it's certainly timely that we're in this text, and that is Paul's specific focus is on overseers in the local church. Official position of overseers or spiritual first responders. But I would challenge all of us to think about how we might be able to exercise oversight. It's interesting that the word office, which comes across in most of our English translations, if anyone aspires to the office of overseer, that word office really isn't there. If anyone aspires to be an overseer, if anyone aspires to be a spiritual first responder, If anyone aspires to care for souls, they desire a noble task. And I think we can certainly think in the context of church leadership, formal church leadership, that's certainly in view for Paul. But I think we could also think in terms of just our own commitment to serving people, to getting involved in people's lives, to being first responders, to showing up in the midst of crisis. serving people So we'll kind of look at it from both those angles Paul specific focus, but then thinking more generally about The opportunities that we have to to serve people We will be spending a few weeks two weeks actually specifically in verses 1 through 7 looking at the various aspects of the care of souls. So let's begin here in 1st Timothy 3. Hear the word of the Lord. The saying is trustworthy. If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity, keeping his children submissive, For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of his word. So we'll be looking again in these two weeks at several aspects of this. I want to begin by what I'm going to call the call. Paul sort of puts out there an invitation of sorts for people to look at the role of an overseer in a certain light. To consider, to perhaps aspire to being one who cares for souls. to consider being a first responder, a spiritual first responder. I think the exhortation from this could sound something like this, that you should view the care of souls as a noble task. Here is the call to think in a certain way about the care of souls, about the task of an overseer. Paul wants them to know that it is a worthwhile endeavor. And again, we think in our own context, we would acknowledge people who step in and protect people physically from harm. Certainly, we can understand that there's this this even greater nobility in caring for and responding to the spiritual needs, the eternal needs of people. It's a noble thing. It is good and inspiring and worthwhile and honorable. The word here is the word kalos. It's a word that speaks of beauty and excellence. It's not just saying that this is a good thing, a morally good thing to do, or it is, you know, in some sense just a task that has certain you know, benefits, but it's an aesthetic word. This calling is beautiful. It's inspiring. It is attention-grabbing. It is eye-catching. People notice this kind of service, just like we notice firefighters and we notice first responders and we acknowledge that in our culture, we see it to be inherently worthwhile and selfless. So the person who gives himself to the care of souls. James addresses this as well in the passage that Benjamin read for us this morning. My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. It is something worth pursuing. One who would rescue a soul from death. How do you put a price tag on that? And Paul seemed to know that this whole idea of oversight would be a tough sell. And certainly that's true today. I was looking over a February 2014 article in Forbes magazine that listed pastor as one of the nine worst, most difficult, most stressful professions. Now that's thinking again of a formal category of someone who cares for souls. But the reality is just in a day-to-day level, right? We don't necessarily aspire to get involved in people's junk, right? It's hard. It's time consuming. Sometimes people don't really want help. They really don't want you in their business. And so it can be thankless task in certain regards. And Paul goes out of his way here to give this word of emphasis. He says, the saying is trustworthy. In other words, some of you don't believe me, but I'm telling you the truth. This is a good thing. This is a beautiful thing. This is a noble task. This is worth aspiring to. This is something to be pursued. Yes, it's hard. but it is worth it. A number of years ago, we had to work through a church discipline situation. The matter was brought to the congregation. We had a season of prayer. A very difficult situation. And I had one woman who wrote me a letter afterwards, deeply offended that we would address this person's sin in such a public manner, she felt that it was just overtly and inherently unloving. And I couldn't help but as I wrestled through that letter to think about the irony, I could not think of a situation in which I had spent more time over the course of several years investing in this family, reaching out to this family, working with this family. And this woman who wrote me the note was a casual attender, had never taken one minute of her time to invest in the life of this individual who was under church discipline. And yet in her estimation, I was the unloving one. That was an interesting irony as we contemplate that. But I'm not so sure that her perspective is that much different than many of our perspective. A lot of people who share that worldview think that the most loving thing you can do is to mind your own business. Don't get entangled in other people's lives. And Paul cuts across that here in this opening verse and says, this is a really good and valuable thing. And I ask you today, where are you in this whole domain when it comes to the care of souls? Are you committed to showing up? To being present in the lives of people in moments of crisis and need? Is it something that you aspire to or is it something that you avoid? Is it something you see as valuable or is it something that you see as bothersome? Perhaps you're currently serving in church leadership and you're wondering if it's worth it. Another difficult meeting. Another person who really doesn't want to hear from me. Perhaps you're a young person seeking to discern God's call in your life and how you can use your life for His glory, but you've already ruled out any sort of engagement in people ministry. Perhaps you have been attending for some time. You've avoided church leadership. Perhaps even avoided church membership. Avoided anything that would entangle you in the lives of other people. You've had bad experiences. You don't want to get burned. You don't want the demands upon your time. We need to be reminded this morning from the Apostle Paul that it is worth it. Yes, it is time-consuming, emotionally draining. but it is worth it. Paul extends a call for the church, for believers to think about the care of souls in a certain way as an important, worthwhile, noble, beautiful calling and task. The second thing we want to look at here out of this text is what I'm going to call the criteria. The criteria. And I think the exhortation is something like this. You should pursue spiritual health and maturity so you are in a position to care for souls. See, because the care of souls is such a noble, important task, it requires a lofty qualification. Notice the text. The saying is trustworthy. If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore, In light of this noble calling, in light of how important it is to direct people spiritually, to care for souls effectively, it calls for the highest credentials and criteria. First thing that he mentions here is that they ought to be blameless or above reproach, which I think is the parent category. It's sort of the broadest description of what he's expecting. It doesn't mean that they're perfect, but it does mean that they're not able to have any substantiated charges that stick against them. The accusations don't hold water. And then he goes on to list out a number of domains in which they are to be above reproach or blameless. It would be the husband of one wife. He might describe this person as a one-woman man. If married, they must have a healthy and exclusive relationship with their wife. They must not be inappropriate, flirtatious, or impure with members of the opposite sex. Our Constitution does not allow those who have been divorced to serve as overseers. It's a standard that was adopted long before I came to this local church. But I think it's important for us to note that the focus of this passage is not on legal status or marital status, but character. It is possible for a divorced person to be a one-woman man, to be faithful to their spouse. And there are many men who have been married only once who are not one-woman men. They've been unfaithful to their wife. They are enmeshed and entrenched in pornography. They might be emotionally attached to another woman. They might be known as a bit of a womanizer in the way that they relate and joke and have emotional connections with women who are not their wife." So Paul begins here in this moral realm. And certainly moral sin has disqualified more men than any other. It's no wonder that Paul begins here. Sober-minded. They must be alert, watchful, clear-headed. Must possess a spirit of wisdom and sound judgment. They must not be rash. They must not be given to excess. They must be reasoned. Some translations would bring this across, and you almost might come away with the impression that a person needs to be, you know, sort of grumpy all the time. You know, serious-minded. And certainly it doesn't mean that. But it does mean that they ought to have a sense of gravity. It shouldn't be simply a social butterfly, someone who's making jokes all the time, but someone who's able to be serious when the setting calls for it. I was talking with a pastor friend just in the last couple of months, and he was talking about hospital visitation, and he said, you know, I'm getting pretty good at all the different diagnoses. I'm quite conversant. You know, I can talk with people about the treatments that they're going in for, and have you thought about this treatment? And he goes, I could almost pass off as a doctor. He says, but I have to remember my calling. And he says, I found myself asking a lot more. Are you ready to die? He says, sometimes that causes a lot of anxiety, especially when it's a relatively minor surgery. But that's the question I need to be asking. Are you prepared to die? What is the state of your soul? Let the doctors worry about the other stuff. That's their calling. My calling is to be concerned and to care for their soul. And it's quick for all of us sometimes to engage in sort of surface-level conversation, to be very trivial in the things we talk about. A person who is engaged and really committed to the care of souls has to be sober-minded, has to be serious, at least have a level of seriousness and know when to be serious. They need to be self-controlled, well-disciplined, must have integrity when they're being watched and when they're not being watched. Respectable. They should have an ordered life. Not marked by confusion or chaos. Not just in their professional realm. Not just in their church responsibilities or in a spiritual context. But in their finances. In their work relationships. Ordering of their home. They should be hospitable. I think this is one that's perhaps most understood. We tend to think of hospitality as entertaining friends, but the idea is very clearly the welcoming of strangers. That's what this word means. So it's not having people over that you enjoy hanging around with. That's fine. That's good. But it's the discipline to care for people that you don't know, particularly in view, widows, orphans, the strangers, the foreigners, people who are in vulnerable positions. A person who has this kind of spiritual maturity is on the lookout for hurting people, is on the lookout for people that are in need, and is willing to reach out to them, willing to draw them in. A person needs to be able to teach. You need to be able to communicate God's Word with effectiveness. whether in large settings or small. And this is the giftedness piece that distinguishes the office of overseer from the office of deacon. The character qualifications are almost identical. The same level of spiritual maturity and godliness is called for. The distinction being certain people are wired to teach. They're able to think through and discern sound doctrine, identify false teaching. That's a mark certainly of someone who's going to be an overseer in a local church who's going to hold that formal position. They need to be able to teach. Not a drunkard, free from substances that would impair their judgment. The ancient world, certainly in the context, would be alcohol. We have a whole host of other mind-altering substances, addictive substances. Proverbs talks a lot about this, particularly that kings, those who are in positions of authority, those who are responsible for other people, should not be given to strong drink because nothing should be impairing their judgment. There's too much at stake. And so Paul is very clear about this as it relates to those who would care for souls. They need to have all of their faculties engaged. They can't have their judgment impaired. Not violent, but gentle, not quarrelsome. I tend to think that these three terms in quick succession describe a single characteristic. A person who has a handle on their anger. A person who is not given to fighting, whether physically or verbally. Must have a long fuse. They must react to difficult situations calmly and gently. Must be gracious and civil in their responses. A good listener. Slow to respond. Able to receive criticism without retaliation. You must not make everything an issue. If you meet people like that, for whom everything is an issue, you shouldn't be argumentative. You must not be a bully. You should not be easily offended. And not a lover of money. They must be generous in giving evidence and eternal perspective regarding possessions. A commercial pilot would bear a great deal of responsibility. We would all agree. And many people's lives depend on their competency. And as you might imagine, regulations are quite restrictive and strenuous. An airline transport pilot is the highest certification. Gary Nickell can correct any of my facts if I'm wrong. But there are a series of prerequisites that would allow a person to function at that level, to serve as a flight crew member in scheduled airline operations. Minimum pilot experience is 1,500 hours of flight time before you could ever undertake to fly passengers around, 500 hours of cross-country flight time, 100 hours of night flight time, and 75 hours instrument operations time, either simulated or actual, a series of other requirements, and then very strict medical qualifications, must have at least 20-40 vision, must be able to distinguish colors, Note what those guys are waving. This isn't the green light. This is the red light, you know. Blood pressure must be under 155 over 55, must pass minimum hearing test, no diagnosis of psychosis, bipolar disorder, or severe personality disorders, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Required to have at least two pilots on every flight. All of this to ensure that people arrive safely at their destination. And here in 1 Timothy 3, we find Paul's list of certifications to make sure that souls are properly cared for. That those who need help are able to get godly counsel and godly example put before them. Again, these are The qualifications for those who would be overseers, spiritual first responders in the local church. But what a great checklist for spiritual health and maturity for all of us. How are you doing in these areas? Are you in a place of spiritual maturity where you're able to help others? I mean, that's a foundational question. Think about it with our kids. We get frustrated with their selfishness. They left things on the floor again. They were supposed to vacuum, and then they left the vacuum sitting in the middle of the hallway. And you have to keep going back and saying, no, think of somebody other than yourself, right? And we work through that with our kids. That's part of maturity. Is that where you're at? Or are you at a place in spiritual maturity where you are able to help other people? You're able to take your eyes off yourself and engage in service towards others. That's a key question, one that we certainly have to wrestle with here as Paul puts this category before us. What are you doing to progress in these areas? Paul's going to go on and talk about the value of physical exercise. It profits a little. You know, it's good. It's good to exercise. But godliness is profitable for all things. It goes on to say, both for this life and the life to come, it helps me live life well right now, and it has eternal benefit and reward. It's impacting eternity. What are you doing? You might have an exercise program, might have an eating regimen. What are you doing to ensure your growth and godliness, to develop these characteristics? Maybe there's something on this list, you say, that's my area right there. And what are you doing? What's the plan? To help you grow and progress and take next steps so that you can be there to help someone else. Are you one who shows up? One who engages in the care of souls? Or one who just takes care of yourself? noble task, a noble opportunity that is put before us. God is the great first responder. God is the great overseer of our souls. But we have been given the opportunity to care for one another, to take an interest in someone else, and to be able to care for their soul. President Roosevelt commented on this with his famous quote, it is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena. whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs but comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming, but who does actually strive to do the deeds, who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." I'd ask you and exhort you to be one who is given to the care of souls. One who embraces the opportunity to be a spiritual first responder.