1 Timothy 3:1-7
1 Timothy • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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God hasn’t given us a ton in the scripture about how the church is to be structured, probably to give us some freedom in various cultures and times, but he does give us some structure, God is PRO- Organized Religion, as opposed to disordered religion. God is a God of Order, and He intends for his Church to be Orderly.
In 1 Cor 14, Paul basically everyone to sit down and be quiet until its their turn to talk, there shouldn’t be more than 1 person talking at a time, there shouldnt be chaos in the assembly, they should be order, and then he says FOR
For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
As in all the churches of the saints,
But all things should be done decently and in order.
We see that desire again here where he tells us how the church leadership should be structured and even what these leaders should be like.
The leaders of the church (Underneath Jesus) are the Elders.
Elders
Shepherds
Overseers
Bishops
This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—
And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
1 Peter 5:1–2 (ESV)
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight
A work of the Holy Spirit to appoint them!
Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
When you become a member of this church, you are placing yourself in submission to the elders here, who are looking out for your souls.
1 Peter 5:5 (ESV)
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders.
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
I have compared the church to a pack of wildebeests before. . . when lions hunt, they dont run into a pack of wildebeests, they look for the weaker ones, the stragglers. Sometimes they’ll approach the pack in hopes that a few will run off on their own scared. The Devil is no different. The ones away from the pack are the most vulnerable for many reasons, one of the reasons is because the biggest bulls, the leaders of the pack that have fought the devil so much in the past, aren’t there watching over them and fighting off the threats.
Elders are appointed for our good.
So, since the elders have such a significant role, Paul takes time here and in Titus to outline what this kind of man should look like.
READ 1 Timothy 3:1-7
In Greek, verses 2-6 is 1 sentence with 57 words. Paul is not writing here in a flowing style as he normally does, he is just spitting out terse descriptions of what this man should be like. He is not writing a job description.
It is similar to if I said I wanted to hire another minister here, and someone asked me what they should be like, and I said he must be kind, have a reputation for hard work, be faithful to his wife and a good father, self-controlled, humble, not quarrelsome. We have often taken with over-analyzed rigidity what Paul meant to be a general descriptive guideline. “Well I saw this guy quarrel with a Jehovah’s Witness guy once, so HE’S OUT!”
What do you look for in an elder? Basically - He must be a Mature Christian who is able to teach and govern well.
Every qualification given here is something that elsewhere the Bible says all Christians should be, except for 2.
But that doesn’t mean these qualifications aren’t important, they are hugely important and we should take them seriously, but being as rigid to say well the word children is plural so he can’t have only 1 kid is, well, beyond the standard of good exegesis/Bible Study, to say it kindly.
Paul is telling us what this mature Christian should be like.
The list given here is significant not just because it helps us pick leaders and know what measure to hold them to, but also because it gives us a succinct idea of what a mature Christian IS.
A Mature Christian Is: (Look at your Bibles and walk down with me)
Above Reproach
Jesus was reproached. Paul means the person should be of exemplary character.
Faithful to His Wife
Whether or not this requires an elder be married is up to each individual church - the Greek literally just says One Woman Man - which I think makes good sense of the idea in English. A man that is faithful to the marriage covenant. Single people were so rare at the time its hard to even imagine. It was actually illegal in Rome to remain single - Emperor Augustus saw many young men . . .
It would be very odd if Jesus or Paul couldn’t be elders, it would be very odd that Paul spends 1 Cor 7 saying how much he wishes everyone could remain single so they could be more devoted to the Lord...
One scholar said well that what is likely in view, and you single ladies looking for a husband, this is good advice for you - is asking “What is the quality of their character when it comes to marital loyalty, including sexual purity? For most if not all human males, this is a litmus test of their character in every other domain of their lives”
Temperate and Self Controlled
Not impulsive, not distracted, focused, sober-minded
Not Drunkard
Not letting his emotions rule him.
Respected
Goes along with above reproach. In general, if you live your life the way that God has called us to, hard working, faithful, loyal, honest, trustworthy, kind, loving even to your enemies, you will be respected and above reproach.
They may disagree with you, but those that know you will respect you.
Hospitable
One we don’t consider often - care for others, openness and receptivity toward all persons
Christians are commanded to be hospitable.
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.
Invite people into your home, and into your life. Find ways to be hospitable.
When we first attended the church we went to when I was young in Atlanta, a church of well over 1,000, we naturally felt a little invisible. An older lady came up to us and invited us to have lunch at her home. We did, she lived in essentially a tiny basement, there wasn’t enough room for us to fit inside so we ate outside, I thought there was no way she could feed us all, but she did with abundance, and it was absolutely wonderful. We came to find out that every single member of that thousand + member church had been to her house for lunch, most more than once.
I dont remember a whole lot about that church, but I remember that, and the impact it had on me.
Gentle and Peaceable (Not Quarrelsome)
Proverbs 20:3 (ESV)
It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.
Directly applicable to what Paul has been saying in this book - the men causing strife and quarreling over opinions are not worthy of this office.
Not a Lover of Money
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
You cannot serve both God and money. We have more money now than ever, and likely also more money worshippers.
You weren’t created to make money, and money apart from the desire to glorify God has a tendency to poison you.
A Good Manager/Shepherd
See his home - HOME, not focused on adult children - do his kids love him, do his kids respect him
Not about finding a man that cracks the whip at home so he can bring some of that people-taming talent to a congregation - its about a loving Father shepherding those God has given him directly.
This is a delicate matter, since Jesus taught that his message would divide households, including parents and children (Luke 12:53). Paul’s compressed counsel should be applied with sagacity and compassion, not in a wooden way.
OUTLIERS
Not a New Convert
How could you know if he is these things if he is brand new. In the deacon section which comes next a testing period is mentioned. It is a Biblical idea to watch each other, look at fruit, and make judgments of who needs your accountability and who is worthy of leadership.
The specific reason given here is conceit - the assumption here is beautiful, the assumption is that an older man, more mature Christian is not as liable to conceit. Why? Thats an interesting question. Why is that assumed? What does the mature older Christian have that the younger doesn’t - years of the Holy Spirit, we need a man who knows he is a sinner, who has learned his only boast is in Christ - often the younger Christian hasn’t learned that yet, at least as clearly.
Able to Teach
The one thing an Elder must be that is not said of other Christians or of deacons
Doesn’t just mean willing, but having the ability to communicate well. Doesn’t mean charismatic, but able to teach so that others understand.
He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
One of the primary ways the elder leads, and the elder watches over is through teaching and rebuking false teaching. That has nothing to do with rebuking instruments or denominations, it has everything to do with rebuking anything that would take your eyes away from Christ and his grace as central.
Also, able to teach means that he must be learned in the Scriptures - the elders should be some of, if not the, most well studied in God’s Word.
Aspire to be a Mature Christian - fulfilling these qualifications
Lean on your Elders for Help and Guidance
Submit to, Pray for, and Honor your Elders
1 Thessalonians 5:12–13 (ESV)
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.
Remember (In their best moments) they are just a taste of your Truest Shepherd
Christ as Shepherd and Overseer
For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
What beautiful language. Think of the best men or women you’ve ever known, those that cared for you best, those that guided you most successfully, those that you were convinced were really on your side, Christ is far better than all of them at those things, and loves you far more.
I’ve said many times that in our experience, the biggest difference in our adopted children, whom we didn’t get until they were 4 and 5, and our biological children is that the adopted children have a harder time really and truly believing that you are on their side . . .
The Bible describes us as having been adopted by God, and we suffer the same ailment . . .
Christ as example - loving care and concern, responsibility and burden willingly shouldered, never used for self-exaltation
