The reading this morning will be from Ezra and from First Timothy, two books that are not often put together, but they will. We'll be looking at them together today. Ezra, chapter seven of page that's page four, sixty two. And you view Bibles before we read the word. When the session announced the meeting for the election of a pastor several weeks ago, A member of the congregation asked if there could be preaching, further preaching of what a congregation like us should be looking for in the pastor. After consideration, the elders agreed that the suggestion was a good one. So this morning we'll be considering again the subject of what we should be looking for in a pastor. I should say that the first section of today's sermon is reworked from a sermon about 15 months ago. So some of you, what you hear may sound familiar. A little background of what we'll be reading from Ezra. Ezra chapter seven and eight tell about the return of Ezra the scribe and a group of his fellow Israelites to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile around 460 BC. Ezra and those who came with him for the second group of exiles to return. The first six chapters of the book tell about the first group of exiles who had returned some years earlier, and Ezra comes into the picture here in chapter seven, because the exiles who had already returned were in need of someone to teach the law of God to them. And Ezra was a scribe who knew and understood God's law. The two chapters that we'll be looking at today, seven and eight, are fairly lengthy. So we'll read just selected portions that cover the main points of what happened. The first 10 verses of Chapter 7 introduce Ezra and explain briefly why he came to Jerusalem. Then, beginning in verse 11 of Chapter 7 and running through the end of Chapter 8, Ezra recounts the whole story of the return in more detail. So let us now read the word together. Ezra 7, verse 1. Now after these things, in the reign of our exercise, king of Persia, Ezra, the son of Sariah, the son of Azariah, son of Hokiah, son of Shalom, son of Zadok, son of Ahithah, son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Mariah, son of Jehoiah, son of Uzziah, son of Bukki, son of Abishua, son of Thithinius, son of Eliezer, the son of Aaron, the chief priest. This Ezra came up from Babylon. And he was a skilled scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given. The king granted him all his requests according to the hand of the Lord, his God upon him. Some of the children of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Nephilim came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. On the first day of the first month, He began his journey from Babel. On the first day of the fifth month, he came to Jerusalem according to the good hand of his God upon him. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord and to do it and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel. This is a copy of the letter that King Arixertes gave Ezra, the priest, the scribe, expert in the words of the commandments of the Lord. of his statutes to Israel. Our exercise, King of Kings, to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace and so forth, I issue a decree that all those of the people of Israel and the priests and the Levites in my realm who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem may go with you." And the letter continues through verse 26 and we'll go to verse 27 now where Ezra speaks And I note that from here to the end of chapter 8, everything is Ezra speaking in the first person. So Ezra said, verse 27, Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king's heart to beautify the house of the Lord, which is in Jerusalem and has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, before all the king's mighty princes. So I was encouraged at the hand of the Lord. My God is upon me. And I got a leading man of Israel to go up with me. And chapter eight, verse 15. Now, I gathered them by the river that flows to Hava, and we camped there three days. I looked among the people and the priests and found none of the sons of Levi there. Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemael, Elnathan, Jareb, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshulam, leaders. also for Joi Arab and El Nathan, men of understanding. And I gave them a command for Iddo, the chief man of the place Caciphia. I told him what they should say to Iddo and his brethren, the Nephilim, at the place Caciphia. They should bring us servants from the house of our God. Then, by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding of the sons of Mali, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with his sons and brothers, eighteen men. and Hashabiah, and with him Jeshiah of the sons of Moriah and his brothers and their sons, twenty men. Also of the Nephilim, whom David and the leaders had appointed for the services of Levites, two hundred and twenty Nephilim. All of them were designated by name. Then I proclaimed to fast there at the river of Ahabba, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek him, but his power and his wrath are against all those who forsake him. So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and he answered our prayer. Verse 31. Then we departed from the river Hava on the 12th day of the first month to go to Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was upon us. And he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambush along the road. So we came to Jerusalem and stayed there three days. And then from First Timothy, chapter three, New Testament, page 1164. First Timothy three will read verses one through seven. That's again here, God's word. This is a faithful saying, if a man desires the position of an overseer, he desires a good work. An overseer then must be blameless, husband of one wife, temperate, sober minded, of good behaviour, 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 Moreover, he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Here ends the reading of God's Word. Let's now look into the Word together. And here's how we'll proceed. We'll look first at Ezra chapter 7 verse 10. Ezra chapter 7 verse 10. And we'll see there what that verse tells us about Ezra himself. And then we'll seek to draw from that passage what we can about the qualifications of work of a pastor. Ezra 710. Secondly, we'll look at some of those qualifications as they're set forth in a different way and in more detail in 1 Timothy 3. And thirdly, we'll return to the book of Ezra. We'll look at Chapter 8, verses 21 through 23, and see there how Ezra helped the exiles prepare for the journey back to Jerusalem. And in light of that passage, we'll consider together how we as a congregation might best prepare for the upcoming meeting for the election of a pastor. So Ezra 7, 10 first, then 1 Timothy 3, then Ezra Chapter 8, verses 21 through 23. So first, Ezra chapter 7, verse 10. Let me read that verse again. It says, For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord and to do it and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel. Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord and to do it and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel. Notice first that it says that Ezra had prepared his heart, or as it is in some translations, set his heart. Not just that he had decided to become knowledgeable about the law, but that he had consciously oriented his whole being towards God and his word. This is fundamental to teaching ministry. The whole being of a man needs to be deliberately oriented and firmly set Godward and towards the word. because it's through his word that God has made himself known. And of course, it's from the word that we learn not only the law, but also the grace of the gospel itself and all of the blessings that flow to God's redeemed people through the atoning work of Jesus Christ. These all come to us through God's word. And so as we consider the calling of a pastor, that's the first thing that we should note, that any man whom we might consider calling his pastor needs to be one who has prepared his heart, who has consciously and deliberately oriented his whole being towards God and his word. And the verse then tells us Ezra had prepared his heart to do three specific things, three things, to seek the law of the Lord, to do it and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel, three things. will take these things in order. First, it says that Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, that is, to search it out, to study it thoroughly, to know it well. And for Ezra, that meant not just knowing all the many legal details of the Mosaic Code, but getting below the surface of the law so that he came to value it deeply in the fullest sense, that is, seeking to understand how God's word revealed the character of the God who gave it. And consequently, how that word ministers to the hearts of human beings made in God's image. Of course, we're thinking about all of God's word here, not just the five books of Moses. The Westminster larger catechism captures this deeper sense of God's law, and it reminds us that the law is spiritual and so reaches the understanding the will, the affections, and all other powers of the soul. This deep understanding is also shown by the author of the 119th Psalm. Throughout that psalm, for instance, in verse 93, the psalmist writes, I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life. Understanding God's word deeply and fully was essential for Ezra. So it says, as it says, he prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord. Second, it says that Ezra had prepared his heart to do the law. He wasn't just going to study God's word. He was going to practice it. He was not going to be just an ivory tower scholar. No, Ezra searched out the law so that he could live by it. James, the brother of Jesus, emphasized how essential it is for believers to live out the law. James 125, he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it and is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. This second category is very important for any church officer and particularly for one who preaches, teaches the word. He needs to practice what he preaches. We'll look at this matter of practicing the law or doing the law more closely when we come to 1 Timothy 3. Thirdly, it says that Ezra had prepared his heart to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel. Ezra knew well that the Old Testament nation of Israel had been almost completely destroyed because of disobedience to God's law. And he knew, too, that many of the few who had survived, the returnees, had had little exposure to God's law. So Ezra determined that he would return to Jerusalem for the express purpose of teaching the law to these people who needed it so very much. Ezra knew well how tenuous their situation was, how desperately, therefore, they needed to know and obey the word. Hear him praying to God in Ezra chapter nine. He said this in his prayer. Since the days of our fathers to this day, we have been very guilty. And now for a little while, grace has been shown from the Lord our God to leave us a remnant to escape and to give us a peg in his holy place that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage. The attorneys desperately needed to know the law. And so Ezra determined that he would, as it says, teach statutes and ordinances in Israel. The church today has pastors, we call them, we call them teaching elders precisely because the church needs the teaching of God's word desperately. Brothers and sisters, without the word, we die spiritually. So congregations like ours need pastors because we need so much to have the word taught to us. Notice very particularly the order of Ezra 7 verse 10. It says that Ezra had prepared his heart first to seek the law of the Lord, second to practice it, third to teach it. The order is very important. And surely these are the things that should characterize any man we would consider calling his pastor. First, that he has clearly set his heart to search out the law, that is, to know the word deeply. Second, that he practices it himself. And third, that knowing it well and practicing it himself, he has prepared his heart to teach it, that he is determined to give himself to preaching and teaching the word thoroughly and well in order, as the Apostle Paul says, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, the edifying of the body of Christ. So let's now look a little more closely at some of what it means for a pastor to practice the law. So please turn now to first Timothy three. Again, that's page 1164. Please turn to that passage. In this chapter, the apostle Paul tells Timothy what the requirements are for leaders of the church, for overseers or elders or elders, as they're called elsewhere in the first seven verses and for deacons in verses eight through 13. A little later in the same epistle, chapter five, Paul tells Timothy that those elders who rule well should be remunerated for their labors, and especially, it says, those who labor in the word of the doctrine. That is why we should pay our teaching elders. But paid or unpaid, the basic requirements, qualifications for all elders are set forth here in First Timothy chapter three. We can't look at everything in detail in this passage, but I'd like to point out that Paul focuses here on four general areas of qualification. First, in verses two and three, he focuses on godly character. Second, in verses four and five, on household management. Thirdly, in verse six, on spiritual maturity. And fourth, in verse seven, on reputation. Of course, there's overlap in these categories, but these four categories are discernible. Let me just list these qualities and comment very briefly on some of them as we go through. First, the overseer is to be blameless. Doesn't say sinless, because that would be impossible. But blameless in the sense of having no record of sins which can be held against him. One who is known as upright. One who has no skeletons in the closet. Secondly, he's to be the husband of one wife. That doesn't necessarily mean that he has to be married. He could be single. But in this particular context, it means that he is not to be a polygamist. which was polygamy was allowed in the Roman Empire. And these days you would have to say that he should not have been unvividedly divorced and remarried. Next it says he's supposed to be temperate. That is moderate, self-controlled. Then it says he's to be sober minded. That means not silly or giddy. Of good behavior then it says, which is clear. Then it says he's to be hospitable. That is, he's to be kind, generous with his time and resources, welcoming in his home. Then it says he's to be able to teach. We'll come back to that. And then verses two and three end with a series of nots, which I think are fairly clear. It says, not given to wine. That means not overindulgent, not violent, not greedy for money. By the way, that's not generally a problem for pastor-seeking calls in our denomination. But by contrast, he's to be gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous. Remember the 10th commandment, which we mentioned earlier. Note that these first two verses contain nearly all basically matters of godly character. This is where Paul begins his list of qualifications, godly character. In verses four and five, he moves to household management. The overseer has to rule his own house well, with children heeding him, it says, with all reverence. This is very important because of a man, it says, doesn't rule his own house. How does he take care of God's house? An elder is a ruler in the church. He has to rule well his own house first. Paul then moves in verse six to maturity. The overseer is not to be a new convert because he could get puffed up with pride. The fact that overseers are termed elders implies that they must be mature, not necessarily that they have to be old, but they need to be seasoned enough to be mature. Finally, in verse seven, Paul emphasizes reputation. He has to be known outside the church as upright. Again, no skeletons in the closets. Some ways this takes us back to the first requirements that the overseer be blameless. So what should a church look for in a pastor? Godly character, godly management of his family, godly maturity, and a godly reputation outside the church. These are the fundamental qualifications that any man must have to be an overseer in the Church of Jesus Christ in all ages. Before we leave this passage, step back, step back with me for a minute and think with me what the kinds of qualities that Paul is listing here. It's really not a very exciting list, is it? Blameless, temperate, sober minded, gentle, not coverless, of good reputation. It's kind of dull, isn't it? Paul doesn't even say that the overseer should be gifted. He does say in verse 2 that he should be able to teach. And from chapter 5, that's clearly very important. That's the teaching elder's job, to teach. But ability to teach is the only gift that Paul mentions in this list of requirements. And he doesn't particularly focus on it here. He just sticks it in the middle of a list of qualities of character. Also, Paul, though apostle that he is, doesn't seem to understand that a pastor needs to be dynamic, a person with charisma, or that he just needs to have a really great personality, whatever that may be. And especially, he just needs to be a guy who just feels really right to me. Well, enough silliness. My point is to encourage all of us to step back and consider what qualities we're truly looking for in a pastor. Are the qualities that you're looking for the biblical qualities, or do you have an additional private list of qualities that you really want? If you do have that list, are you willing to submit that private list to the light of the scriptures and if necessary, to amend it? A litmus test for a preacher is certainly appropriate if it's a litmus test that scripture sets forth. For instance, if a preacher pretty clearly is not in accord with one of the objective qualifications of this chapter. But be careful about setting up a requirement, objective or subjective, that is not pretty clearly set forth in the scriptures. We'll turn now from looking at the qualifications of a pastor to qualifications, as it were, of a congregation of Jesus Christ that is seeking God's leading regarding the calling of a pastor. In other words, our qualifications as a congregation. So please turn with me again to the book of Ezra. This time to chapter 8, verses 21 through 23. Chapter 8, verses 21 through 23. Please turn there. I'll read these three verses again. Remember, Ezra himself is speaking. Then I proclaim to fast there at the River of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request of the king and escorted soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road. because we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek him. But his power and his wrath are against all those who forsake him. So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and he answered our prayer. Before we try to apply this passage to ourselves in any way, let's try to understand first what is going on here with Ezra and this group of exiles. Why in particular are they gathered here in the first place? Or to put it another way, what is it that has motivated Ezra to initiate this huge enterprise and the people to follow him? I think it's like this. Ezra, as a godly scribe, understood and trusted in God's sovereign care of his covenant people and his plans for good for them, according to God's promises given long before to return his people to their land and to prosper them. In other words, he knew God's word, he knew God's promise. He knew that promise had been given many times, as far back even as the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 30, had been given. Also very specifically to Jeremiah, many years before. Ezra would also have known the Psalms, including Psalm 85, which we sang earlier, a psalm which reflects on God's faithfulness and bringing back his people from captivity, but a song which at the same time warns God's people not to return to folly. Psalm 85, verse 8 says this, I will hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people and to his saints, but let them not turn back to folly. All these Old Testament passages, these promises would have been familiar to a devout scribe like Ezra. And so Ezra knew God's promises to bring his people back. And he knew the threats of extinction if they turned to folly. And he knew that the returnees desperately needed the teaching of the word to keep them from folly. And so Ezra stepped out in faith. These, I believe, are the things that motivated Ezra and this large group of people with him to go back to Jerusalem. Now I'd like, as we approach the election of a pastor, to draw three points from these verses and try to apply them to our situation. First of all, about humbling ourselves before God. This was a moment. This is a momentous undertaking for Ezra and the exiles. They've been living in Babylon for a long time. most of them probably for all of their lives. And it appears from several different Old Testament sources that for the most part, they are fairly well off there. Yet here they are, several thousand Israelites, men, women and children, getting ready to embark on a dangerous four month journey on foot without escort to go to where? To their broken down homeland. the homeland still ruled by a foreign power and people by various nations, other nations who weren't keen to have them back. And so at this key point, before they launched out, Ezra and the people humbled themselves before God. Verse 21. Then I pretend to fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from him the right way, the right way for us. and our little ones and our possessions. Our situation today is quite different, arguably not quite so momentous. We today are nevertheless at a very important point in the life of our congregation. As you anticipate Wednesday's meeting, how have you been preparing? How are you preparing? Now, of course, there are various things that are appropriate, perhaps even needful, as a congregation approaches an election. It can be helpful, for instance, to listen to sermons again or to seek out answers to questions that one might have about a candidate. It's certainly important to listen to one another's thoughts and insights and questions and concerns and discuss them. But let me suggest that perhaps the single most important thing that each of us should do To prepare for this meeting, this important meeting is what's described in this passage. Humbling ourselves before God. Spending time in prayer to him. Perhaps with fasting. Bowing ourselves before him. Asking first for him to search our hearts, to show us any sinful attitudes, any wrong motives, any lack of love and respect for our neighbor. And then with that, as the passage says, to seek from him the right way for us. The word right there is quite interesting. It's the word for upright or correct or straight. To seek from him the right, correct way for us in this matter of the election. Humbly to seek his guidance about how we should cast our ballots. I would suggest that humbling ourselves in this way might be the single most important thing that each of us can do in the next few days if we haven't already done so. We all need to have prepared hearts. That's the first point from this passage. Second, about God's love for us. Did you notice that at the same time that Ezra describes the people humbling themselves before God, He also reflects on God's hand of blessing. He describes what he said to the king in verse 22, and he said this, The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek him. The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek him. Did you notice as we read from these chapters just how often that phrase, the hand of God, appeared? It's mentioned no less than six times in these two chapters, three times in each chapter. Ezra, as he undertook this great journey, was very conscious of God's hand upon him. We, too, should take courage that God will oversee the meeting on Wednesday, that his hand will be upon all those for good who seek him. That's us. At a time like this, I say this because at a time like this, It's easy, isn't it, to get worried, anxious, fretful even, about what might happen or might not happen. So as well as humbling ourselves before God, let us also at this time reflect with thankfulness, even with joy, on God's faithfulness to us as a congregation of his people here in 2011 AD in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The hand of our God, says Ezra, is upon all those for good who seek him. Thirdly, let's remember, like the exiles gathered at the river, that we're in this together. We're a congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're not just a collection of individuals. That bears pondering. In some ways, it may have been easier for the exiles to think about their togetherness as they face the dangers of the 500 mile journey that is for us. People in difficult circumstances know that they need each other badly. One of the most striking things about the books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther, the books of the exile, is how the people of God in those books pulled together for the good of the nation. for the good of the nation as a whole, and how God blessed them as a result. Ezra, Nehemiah were themselves men who put the good of the nation over their own advancement. They set the example and the people followed. You can see that also in the book of Esther. You may remember in the concluding note about Mordecai, in the very last verse of the book, it says that Mordecai was great among the Jews, well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen. As you and I cast our ballots on Wednesday evening, let it be the good of the congregation as a whole that guides us, not what I want or you want or the person in the pew next to you wants or doesn't want, but what each of us perceives to be for the welfare of our congregation as a whole. One final thought as we seek God's leading regarding the calling of a pastor. Remember always, as you evaluate any preaching, that you are under the ministry of the word. Yes, we are always to be like the Bereans. who searched the scriptures to see if what Paul taught was true. We are also, as James taught, to be those who receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. I say this because it's particularly important for a congregation that hears multiple candidates over a period of many months, as we have in the last two years. One can become so focused on examining and evaluating that one doesn't let oneself be ministered to. This can particularly be a temptation when a preacher says something that one doesn't like or disagrees with. Before you know it, the devil has snatched from you the good word spoken a few minutes before which the Holy Spirit had sworn, snatched away as the birds did in the parable of the sower. We all know and agree that there's no such thing as a perfect preacher of the word. Let us each humbly recognize that there's also no such thing as a perfect hearer of the word. And please let us all think about that. Finally, finally, I'd like to go back to Ezra 822 as we anticipate the meeting. Let us rest. in the love of our God. As Ezra said, the hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek him. We need to lay hold on that, brothers and sisters. God has set his love upon us in Jesus Christ. He'll never let us go. We're a congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ. What a privilege, what a joy. Surely that's worth meditating on as we approach this meeting. And brothers and sisters, isn't that just the most wonderful thing? Let's bow in prayer. Living God, we praise you. You have set your love on us in Jesus Christ and redeemed us by his precious blood and gathered us into your kingdom and gathered us into this congregation of your people. We lift our souls to you now and ask that you would look upon us with love and mercy as you have. For as we look back, Lord, we see how you have cared for our congregation and we look forward with anticipation to how you will care for us in the future. Lead us on Wednesday evening. Lead each of us as we prepare. May we be humble before you. May we be charitable towards our brothers. May we be led together for the good of our congregation on Wednesday evening. Hear our prayer. We pray all this in the name of Jesus. Amen.