Amen, good morning, I invite you to turn with me in your copy of the New Testament Scriptures to Paul's first epistle to Timothy, 1 Timothy chapter number three, as was read for us just a moment ago, 1 Timothy three. Here in 1 Timothy three, Paul addresses the two offices of leadership in the local church. In verses 1 through 7, he addresses the office of bishop or overseer. And then in verses 8 through 13, he addresses the office of deacon. And in both cases, Paul's purpose in detailing these matters is so that we might know. He's written these things so that we might know how we are to conduct ourselves in the house of God. which is the church of the living God, the pillar and the ground of the truth. And so then, as we are always seeking to arrange our conduct as a local church after what is prescribed in the New Testament, it's important that the two offices of church leadership are in order. This morning we're going to consider the first. the office of bishop or overseer. Next week, we'll examine the second, the office of deacon. So from 1 Timothy 3, verses one through seven this morning, the office of overseer. Let me pause for prayer before we go to God's holy word. God in heaven, we confess that our only hope in life and in death is Jesus Christ. the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, and we're grateful for this. And so, God, this morning, we come to you in Jesus' name. We come to you asking for the ministry of your spirit to help us understand the teaching of this text. Lord, we do desire to be a church that is rightly ordered. and we understand the instruction now before us as regarding the office of overseer. I pray that you would give us insight and understanding, for I pray it in Jesus' name, amen. 1 Timothy chapter number three, verse number one says, this is a faithful saying. Five times in the pastoral epistles, Paul uses the phrase, this is a faithful saying, and each time it introduces a basic truth of great importance that is commonly accepted among believers because it is obvious and it is self-evident. This is a faithful saying in verse number one, begins by giving us the designation of the office of overseer. Number one in your notes, the designation of the office. This is a faithful saying, 1 Timothy 3 verse one. If a man desires the position of bishop, or the office of overseer, perhaps your Bible reads. He desires a good work. The word bishop in verse number one in My New King James is the Greek word episkopos, which means overseer. That's maybe how your modern English translation renders it, the New American Standard or the ESV, the office of overseer. I want you to go with me to Acts chapter 20. Go with me to Acts chapter 20. for a fuller understanding of this designation or this title of bishop or overseer. In Acts chapter 20, verse number 17, Paul called for the Ephesian leadership, the leadership of the church there in Ephesus. Look at chapter 20, verse number 17. Acts 20, verse 17, from Miletus, he, that is Paul, sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. The word elders there is the Greek presbyteros. Look in verse 18, Paul begins to address these Ephesian elders, or Presbyteros, verse 18, and when they had come to him, he said to them. Now, if you push ahead to verse 27, in the same discourse, Acts 20, verse 27, Paul says, I have not shunned you to declare the whole counsel of God, therefore, take heed to yourselves and to all the flock. among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Here in verse, there at the beginning of verse 28, we have the word overseer or episkopos translated bishop or overseer in 1 Timothy 3 verse number 1. And Paul is addressing the overseers, having called them the elders or the presbyteros back in Acts 20 verse 17. And so these are different terms for the very same people. Now look again at verse 28, Acts 20 verse 28. Therefore take heed of yourselves to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. To feed or to shepherd is the Greek poimeno, from poimen meaning to shepherd or pastor. So what am I showing you here in Acts chapter 20? There are three different terms for the very same position, for the very same office. We have this interchange, we have it also in 1 Peter 5. The synonymous terms of bishop or overseer, episkopos, is the same as elder, presbyteros, which is the same as pastor, poimeno. The designation of this first office in the local church is the bishop or overseer, or the elder, or the pastor. Those are synonymous terms for the same office. Now, some congregations may only have one man filling this office. Some congregations have many. In some cases, they're fully supported by the church. In other cases, these men may be bivocational. They may be young, like Pastor Timothy, or they may be old, like like an old person, right? But whatever the case is, there may be one of them, there may be a plurality of them, they're bishops, they're overseers, they're shepherds. My favorite title for this office is pastor. In the ears of my heart here, the title pastor And I cherish that title. Back to 1 Timothy chapter number three. Back to 1 Timothy chapter number three, we have the designation of the office, the episkopos, or the presbyteros, the bishop overseer, or the elder is also the one who shepherds. The poimino there in Acts chapter 20. But verse number one again, this is a faithful saying, if a man desires the office of a bishop, an overseer, an elder, a pastor, he desires a good work. So in addition to the designation of the office, secondly you'll notice, the desire for the office. The desire for the office, the two words translated desire here in verse number one are two different words in the Greek language. The first, desire, is oregami, which means to reach out after or to stretch out oneself to grasp something. The second word translated desire in verse one is epithumeo, which means an internal passionate compulsion. In fact, your Bible translation, again, The New American Standard, the ESV, or perhaps others as well might use the word aspire for the first and desire for the second. My new King James, if a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. But whatever the nature of the translation, the two terms here describe both the outward pursuit of the office of ministry as well as the inward compulsion on the inside. I would describe this aspiration, this desire, as what we might know of as the call. Someone feels called to pastoral ministry. And the office of overseer is not the office for the casually interested or the temporary test drive. The office of pastor, shepherd, overseer, bishop, elder is a position that demands complete compulsion and passionate pursuit. Charles Spurgeon back in the day had a ministry school. Today we would know it as a Bible college. It was named the Pastor's College. And some of Charles Spurgeon's teaching in his Pastor's College was compiled into a book titled Lectures to My Students. from Charles Spurgeon to these aspiring, desiring pastoral students. And lecture number two is titled The Call to Ministry, and I've included a paragraph from that lecture on the back of your notes. I'll project it before you here on the screen. But listen to him warn his pastoral prospects. He says, how shall a young man know whether he is called or not? That is a weighty inquiry, and I desire to treat it most solemnly. Oh, for divine guidance in so doing. It is a fearful calamity to a man to miss his calling and to the church upon whom he imposes himself, his mistakes. This mistake involves an affliction of the most grievous kind. When I think upon the all but infinite mischief which may result from a mistake as to our vocation for the Christian pastorate, I feel overwhelmed with fear. I had rather that we stood too much in doubt and examined too frequently than we should become cumberers of the ground. I feel the gravity of what he says here. A call to the office of pastor is not an impulsive whim. It's not a fleeting burden. It's a burning desire implanted by the Lord that cannot otherwise be quenched. And the question is not, could I be happy being a pastor? The question is, could I be happy being anything else but being a pastor? And that would be my testimony before you this morning. And if that is so, I ought to do nothing other than overseer or pastor or bishop or elder, these synonymous terms. And so we have the designation of the office. We've got the desire for the office. Of course, then, in verses two through seven, we have the demands of the office. And Paul gives a list of necessary qualifications for this bishop, for this overseer, for this elder, this pastor. It's not an exhaustive list. There are other lists in the New Testament, specifically Titus chapter one. We'll consider that in just a moment. This list, neither is it a list of a job description or vocational duties, but rather it's the character demands of the pastoral candidate. Look at verse number two, a bishop, then an episkopos or presbyteros, right, a pastor and elder must be blameless. the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous, one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence. For if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God? Not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride, he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover, he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. I'm calling these the demands of the office. And I've printed the list of these qualifications for you as they're found in the scripture, specifically in the New King James as I'm reading it here. There is room on your page, your notes, to capture some of the meaning of each of these points as I quickly work through them. I didn't leave them as blanks for you to fill in, but here they are before us. First is blameless or above reproach. And I believe that that serves as a summary for all of the list that follows in verses two through seven. It's maybe just a summary qualification. Secondly would be the husband of one wife. Now literally, this reads a one woman man. And this could mean that a pastor must be married. This could mean that a pastor must not be polygamous. This could mean that a pastor must be faithful to his wife. It could mean that a pastor should not be divorced and remarried, and assuming the first, if the pastor is married, we could certainly make the case for the rest. Third is temperate or sober. It means that an elder must be clear-headed and self-controlled. You notice the word temper in temperettes. There's no room for a short fuse or knee-jerk reactions. The pastor, the elder, the bishop, the overseer must be sober-minded or self-controlled is I think how we could also understand this. Letter E of good behavior. It means to be respectable, an honorable man. The same word is used of women back in chapter two, verse nine. You'll remember from a week ago when describing the modesty of their apparel. of good behavior or modest. How about hospitable? Hospitality is something that's demanded of all believers. It describes a benevolence and welcome extended to people. Letter G, able to teach. Of all of the qualifications in this passage, this is the only one that focuses on a skill. All the rest are matters of character. And I don't think that this is so much about a man's pulpit presence or his oratory skills, but rather his ability to teach truth. So remember with me that there were false teachers in Ephesus. There were those who were teaching other doctrine, fables, endless genealogies. They may have been able to teach, but they were teaching without understanding. In fact, go back with me. It's not far away. Go back to Ephesians chapter number one. Just as a point of cross-reference, Ephesians chapter one. Look with me at verse number, Well, did I say Ephesians? I am meaning 1 Timothy, not Ephesians. Don't go to Ephesians. 1 Timothy, that's where we're at this morning, right? 1 Timothy chapter one. But these are the pastors, the elders, or the teachers in Ephesus, that's what I had in my mind. But 1 Timothy chapter one, verse number seven, desiring to be teachers of the law, these are those in Ephesus, verse number three, 1 Timothy one, verse three. Those in Ephesus, verse number seven, chapter one, verse seven, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. And so maybe they have the oratory ability for public speaking, but they don't even know what they're talking about in their teaching and they're doing great damage. And so now in 1 Timothy chapter three, the apt to teach or able to teach in verse number two is the ability to explain truth with understanding. And that is a skill, of course, that is forged, I think, over the course of time with education and experience and fidelity to the scripture text. Verse three, then, 1 Timothy 3, verse number three, begins a series of negative qualities. Letter H, not given to wine or to much wine. I think this is more than just a prohibition against drunkenness. I think it means that an overseer ought not to be known as a drinker. And that was also the standard for priests in the book of Leviticus. It was the standard for kings and rulers, Proverbs 31. Scripture is full of cautions about alcohol. Proverbs makes a tremendous case against it and even in New Testament times when natural fermentation was so weak compared to today's methods of modern distillation, drinking was not to be part of an overseer's life. And I would submit to you if this is a necessary standard for church leadership, I would recommend it for every believer. Letter I, not violent. What does this mean? I suppose it means that a pastor shouldn't assault a church member, right? That's probably part of it. Or perhaps a pastor shouldn't get into a brawl at a sporting event. The new American standard translates it pugnacious. that is quick to argue and fight and quarrel. In fact, that is what Paul wrote in his second letter to Timothy, 2 Timothy 2, verses 24 and 25. He says, 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 might know the truth. 2 Timothy 2 verses 24 and 25. You might put that in the margin there. That's convicting to me. I don't want to be a pastor who is angry or harsh or rude in my zeal. I never want to use this platform or this pulpit, my position to bully people. The antithesis, the opposite of this not violent or pugnacious is but gentle, but gentle. In fact, some Bible translations will read not violent, but gentle in verse number three, and there may be some difference of order here, but the idea is patient. I confess that I have not always been as patient as I ought to be. Next, not greedy for money, not greedy for money. Now, think about this one with me for a moment. When Paul wrote this letter to Timothy, I submit that no one in Christian ministry early in the first century was getting rich. in the way that celebrity preachers are rich today. If you were a Christian in the first century, you were probably persecuted. You were probably displaced, dependent upon the generosity of others just for your own livelihood. If you were a Christian leader in the first century, that was certainly the case. Yet today, many Christian leaders of ministries, organizations, churches, celebrity preachers, they are living large. Multiple houses and airplanes and all sorts of excess yet. God knew we needed this generation because in these last days People would be lovers of money How about that even pastor? By the way, I might just say a word of appreciation for you, your care of your pastors. When my wife and I got married some 25 years ago, I warned her that pastoral ministry would mean this. And I told her, I said, prepare yourself, we will be underappreciated and we will be underpaid. And this is our lot in life, to be a pastor is to take a vow of poverty. I told her. But because I was so good looking, she married me anyway, right? It wasn't for my money. It was because I was tall, dark, and handsome. But folks, I was wrong. I painted a grim picture for her that has not been our experience. And Fourth Baptist Church takes care of its pastors. I don't have an airplane. Maybe someday. It's enough. Not greedy for money. How about this one? Not quarrelsome. Not quarrelsome. And this is an aggressive term referring to military combat and conflict. And many pastors convince themselves that militancy is a virtue. Now, we must certainly contend for the faith, we must certainly fight the good fight of faith and warn of error and evil, but our spirit should not be quarrelsome, picking a fight with everybody about everything. Again, I would cite 2 Timothy 2, verses 24 and 25 as I just read a moment ago. How about this, not covetous. That's maybe a repeat of letter K. Greedy for money. There are three more. You still with me? Three more. In verses four, five, six, seven. How about this? One who rules his own house well. In fact, verse number four, one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence. Paul's imagery of the house here is more than the dwelling, it's not just the physical structure, it's the family. Similarly, the house of God in verse 15 is not the church building, it's a spiritual house, people, God's people. And Paul's logic for verse number four is then found in verse number five, look there again. For if a man doesn't know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God? Now, here's the sticky part, however. This makes sense to most everyone. If a man's family is dysfunctional, how might he be able to provide leadership to the family of God? But the sticky part, I think, is the end of verse number four. Having his children in submission with all reverence. What does that mean? What does that look like? If my toddler children are unruly, If my teenage children are rebellious, if my adult children are wayward, It may be argued it's not the pastor's fault what his children do. Each child has a mind of their own. Of course, the variable in life is the depravity of every human heart, and a pastor's children may choose other than a pastor would have him to choose, but nonetheless, a pastor's leadership in the home is a microcosm of his leadership in the church. And folks, this is how you can pray for your pastors. you can pray for our families. Because Satan will assault the Murrell family, and the Steffens family, and the Page family, and the Infantis family. You see where I'm going with this? Satan will assault a pastor's family to discredit him or disqualify him, perhaps through no fault of his own, because of the independent rebellious heart of children. But this is a heavy matter. One who rules his own house well. There's another case study and that's not a novice. Verse number six. Not a novice lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. The word is neophyte and it refers to a new believer or a new convert. It's not a matter of age, right? Timothy was young. Timothy was a young man but not a neophyte. It's not a matter of experience. Though both age and experience are valuable, but Paul's logic, again, it makes a lot of sense. A new convert who is thrust into leadership or promoted into the pastorate of a church is vulnerable to the very sin of Satan, and that is pride. Another way to pray for your pastors. That leadership opportunity is not a platform for pride. And then the final demand, the third case study I think that Paul gives us here in verse number seven is a good testimony. Verse seven, moreover, he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, beyond the church, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. A good testimony among those outside in order that, or lest he fall into the snare or trap set by Satan to discredit him. And I think that is the big picture here, folks, whether it's in the first and summary demand, the blameless, you see it there, letter A, verse 2, or whether it's the final demand that the overseer have a good reputation outside the church, it's a point of credibility and testimony. This is quite the grocery list that is terribly intimidating to one like me. And as I look at these things and I look even at my own life, I rearrange these into some categories just for my own understanding. The overseer must qualify in his public reputation, his human relationships, and his personal character. I'll repeat those for you if you want to capture them there. One of each of these falls either under the category of public reputation, human relationships, or personal character. And this list here in 1 Timothy 3 could be compared to other lists that we have, one in Titus chapter one, and Paul wrote to Titus with similar instructions. In fact, I've copied it for you there on the back of your outline, just a comparison and contrast between the list in 1 Timothy 3 and the list in Titus chapter one with some additions and some overlap there. You say, okay, Pastor Matt, what can we take from this passage, right? Just perhaps, I don't know, maybe 1% of us here this morning are actually serving in the office of pastor currently. Everyone is not an overseer, so what's the lesson? Here's the lesson. I would challenge the membership of Fourth Baptist Church with this. If these things are necessary qualifications for pastoral leadership in the church, should not every believer aspire to them? None of us are perfect. Your pastors are not perfect. But ought not this to be an ideal, something that we aspire for, not to be like the pastor, but to be like Jesus Christ? God doesn't want everyone to be a pastor, or an overseer, or a bishop, or an elder, these synonymous terms. But God does desire these virtues for every believer. And so take heed to these things. Number four. Number four, the decision of who should fill the office. And by decision, I mean by What criteria confirms the decision of putting one forward as a pastor, elder, overseer, bishop? And let me suggest a few ways, and this is beyond the text now, but just in conclusion, a few ways in which pastor, elders, overseers, bishops are chosen today. There's no subpoints for you in your notes, but perhaps you wanna capture these. Here are some ways today in which churches choose their pastors. First, personality or popularity. personality or popularity, and many churches look for men who have a charismatic personality, or they're popular. And I get it, nobody wants a pastor who has no people skills and no leadership ability, who's just a dud. However, just because a man can turn on the charm, or just because a man can tickle the ears, doesn't qualify him to be a pastor, you see. which leads me to the second, is politics. The first may be personality or popularity, the second is politics, and sometimes it's not what you know, but it's who you know. And if the right strings are pulled and the right hands are shaken, then the office is gained, but if that office is gained by politics, it will suffer the instability of those same politics, you see. How about this, number three? Another approach that churches take in looking for a pastor is for a man who has been successful in the past, I'll call it the pride of the past. The pride of the past. Perhaps a man has led an organization in the past, has written a best-selling book, maybe he's a nationally recognized speaker or leader, and certainly many pastors could be described as such. However, that should not be the primary measure in selecting an overseer just because once upon a time somewhere there was some human measure of success, the pride of the past. Oh, we got a big name at our church. And then how about this, the last one. How about the pocketbook? The pocketbook. If a church has to woo a pastor by promising big bucks or huge compensation, that should be a red flag. But unfortunately, across America today, there is something akin to contract negotiations with pastors. And the bigger the name, the more the church must be prepared to pay to attract that celebrity pastor. And the decision of who should serve as an overseer or a bishop or an elder or a pastor should be a decision bathed in prayer and patience, waiting for God's provision as even we are yet at this season in the life of our church, as we have pastoral positions to fill. And then, Lord willing, it can be a position of permanence. Folks, this morning, God has blessed our church with a number of pastors, and each of your pastors have strengths and weaknesses, and that's good, because if we were all exactly the same, we would only need really one of us, right? but the plurality and the diversity of the pastors that God has given our church, the strengths, the weaknesses, the abilities, the inabilities, I hope in every case meets the measurement, the biblical qualifications in 1 Timothy 3, and this morning I speak on behalf of all of us to you. We count it a privilege to serve you and shepherd you, and by God's grace, we will be worthy overseers, bishops, pastors, elders in this place. Let's pray. God in heaven, we thank you for your church, the church that you loved, the church that you chose, the church that you gave your very blood to redeem. We thank you, Lord, for the instructions we have in rightly ordering the church in the matter of its leadership. I pray, Lord, for For myself, I pray for our pastors that we would be worthy. I thank you, Lord, for this church. And I pray, God, that you would be glorified among us. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.