The Shepherd’s Standard: Biblical Leadership and the Call to Holiness

• Church Leadership and Organization [00:49:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor discusses the necessity of appointing elders in every town to put the church in order, drawing parallels between church leadership and organizational success.
• Qualifications of Elders [00:52:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that elder qualifications are 'unremarkable' character qualities expected of all Christians, emphasizing that elders must lead by example rather than possessing exotic or extraordinary spiritual gifts.
• Above Reproach (Anankletos) [00:55:18 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor defines 'above reproach' as having a life without scandal and a marriage between character and doctrine, clarifying that it does not mean perfection but rather integrity and consistency.
• Marriage and Celibacy [00:59:24 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor interprets 'husband of one wife' as a prohibition against polygamy and sexual immorality, while using Martin Luther's marriage to argue against the Roman Catholic burden of priestly celibacy.
• Children's Faithfulness [01:04:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor debates the meaning of 'faithful' regarding elders' children, arguing that it refers to obedience and faithfulness to leadership rather than requiring them to be Christians, citing the sovereignty of salvation.
• Elder Qualifications (Children's Faith vs. Obedience) [01:06:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that 'faithful' in Titus 1:6 refers to obedience/submission, not conversion, because salvation is God's work and Scripture interprets Scripture (citing 1 Timothy 3).
• Family as a Mirror for Leadership [01:09:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor posits that a man's home life is the direct parallel to his church leadership; observing his children reveals his strengths and weaknesses as a leader.
• Paternal Discipline and Culture [01:10:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > Explains the Greek concept of 'paideia' as creating a culture of training and molding children toward Christ, warning against provoking children to anger through domineering behavior.
• Definition of Rebellion and Insubordination [01:13:37 ▶️ 📄]
  > Defines rebellion as 'debauchery' (wild living/pagan culture) and 'insubordination' (rejecting the commander's orders), serving as a 'crack in the foundation' that disqualifies a man from eldership.
• Elder Character (Negatives) [01:17:58 ▶️ 📄]
  > Lists five negative traits elders must not have: not self-willed/arrogant, not quick-tempered, not a drunkard, not violent, and not a lover of money (implied by stewardship context).
• Stewardship vs. Ownership [01:16:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > Clarifies that elders are 'stewards' (under-shepherds) of Christ's church, not owners, and their authority is derived from the Word of God.
• Violence and Conflict [01:22:52 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor distinguishes between spiritual warfare against evil forces and interpersonal fighting, cautioning against a culture of constant verbal sparring and conflict, using T.T. Shields and Carl McIntyre as negative examples of those who became obsessed with fighting.
• Greed and Motivation in Ministry [01:27:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that elders must not be motivated by wealth, contrasting biblical contentment with the 'religious ponzi scheme' of prosperity gospel preachers who exploit people for financial gain.
• Hospitality and Love for Good [01:31:19 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor defines 'lover of strangers' as being welcoming to outsiders rather than cliquish, sharing a personal anecdote about being invited to lunch by a pastor to illustrate genuine hospitality.
• Self-Control and Discipline [01:33:05 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor emphasizes self-control as a mark of Christianity and a requirement for elders, using the analogy of an athlete disciplining their body for a perishable prize to illustrate the need for spiritual discipline to avoid disqualification.
• Ministry Disqualification and Faithfulness [01:39:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor distinguishes between salvation and ministry disqualification, expressing a desire to remain faithful and not be disqualified from serving.
• Leadership Standards and Character [01:40:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor lists specific godly qualities required for leadership, such as hospitality, love for what is good, holiness, and self-control.
• Dependence on Grace [01:41:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor acknowledges human inability to maintain holiness without divine strength and prays for God's grace to keep believers from falling away.

• Sermon Illustration [00:53:46 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts a statue of Lieutenant Colonel Lefwich at Camp Barrett, who is depicted holding his weapon and looking back to beckon others to follow, illustrating the concept of a leader leading by example.
• Sermon Illustration [01:02:48 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor tells the story of Martin Luther marrying Catherine Von Bora after rejecting priestly celibacy, using it as an example that marriage is a gift from God and does not make one less spiritual.
• Sermon Illustration [01:07:02 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references Charles Finney's teaching that one can coerce someone into the kingdom of God, contrasting it with the biblical view of salvation as a work of the Holy Spirit like the wind.
• Sermon Illustration [01:20:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts a story about Steve Jobs firing people in elevators if they couldn't explain their job in 30 seconds, and a specific anecdote about Damon Rando being corrected by Jobs at a kiosk, illustrating domineering leadership.
• Sermon Illustration [01:21:49 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares personal experiences from playing football in Texas, noting that some coaches used anger and fear to lead, which he contrasts with the biblical requirement for elders not to be quick-tempered.
• Sermon Illustration [01:11:33 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the Spartan culture of training young warriors from birth to illustrate the concept of 'paideia' or creating a comprehensive culture of training for children.
• Sermon Illustration [01:24:46 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor mentions a famous pastor in Toronto from about 100 years ago, though the story is cut off in this transcript chunk.
• Sermon Illustration [01:24:46 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts the story of T.T. Shields, a famous pastor in Toronto who fought liberals but then began fighting his own conservative people, illustrating the danger of being 'always about the fight.'
• Sermon Illustration [01:26:18 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor mentions Carl McIntyre, a fundamentalist known as 'the fighting fundamentalist,' as another example of someone whose identity was consumed by conflict.
• Sermon Illustration [01:31:19 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal story about visiting Providence Church in Pensacola, where the pastor invited him to lunch on his very first Sunday, illustrating what genuine hospitality looks like.
• Sermon Illustration [01:39:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references John MacArthur preaching at the 2019 Shepherds Conference, where MacArthur prayed that none of the men in the room would be disqualified, which the pastor felt was a special blessing for him.
• Sermon Illustration [01:39:57 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts attending the 2019 Shepherds Conference where John MacArthur preached on 1 Corinthians 9, specifically praying that none of the men in the room would be disqualified, which the pastor felt was a personal blessing.

• Pastoral Charge [01:10:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > Men are to examine their own leadership and parenting methods when their children misbehave, rather than blaming the children.
• Pastoral Charge [01:15:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > The church is to withhold leadership positions from men whose families are not in order, allowing time for correction rather than rushing to fill roles.
• Pastoral Charge [01:40:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor leads the congregation in a prayer asking for God's grace to exhibit godly character, hospitality, holiness, and self-control.

[00:09:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:09:30] We come together this morning to declare the glory of God and the great things that He has done. If you would follow along this morning as I read from Hebrews chapter 10, 19 through 25.
[00:09:45] Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil that is His flesh, And since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart
[00:10:14] in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stimulate one another
[00:10:37] to love and good deeds not forsaking our own assembling together as is the habit of some but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near. Let's bow our heads
[00:10:54] in prayer. Father it is through that great sacrifice of Christ that we come before you that Father we have the assurance of faith that we have been cleansed that we are acceptable that we have gained entrance
[00:11:20] into your holy presence not of our own merit our achievements our desires but solely through the blood of Christ shed on our behalf and given for us as a great promise a reminder of the great sacrifice
[00:11:40] that he himself gave submitting himself to your will and obedience and so father that is why we come to you today that we would submit ourselves to you to your sovereignty to your reign to your rule and
[00:11:58] the father we would hold fast to this hope that you have given us that is rested in Christ our savior this morning as we come remembering him we remember his death we remember his life
[00:12:12] we remember his reign and we remember his coming again guide our thoughts guide our hearts that we would not be distracted that we would not be encumbered by the things of this world but that father our minds
[00:12:28] would be upon heavenly things upon heavenly truth that you have given to us through your great love and we ask this in Jesus precious name amen we're going to join together this morning and sing that hymn
[00:12:42] come thou fount of every blessing the version we sing has four verses let's stand together as we

[00:12:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:12:49] sing come thou fount we would turn to one another and greet one of christ god is good and all the

[00:17:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:17:02] time amen indeed he is well welcome to the king's chapel so glad that you're here with us on this beautiful lord's day as we have come to honor and to glorify our lord and savior jesus christ
[00:17:15] And one of the ways we're able to do that is to come together and remember and as well as recite the great catechism.
[00:17:23] As we go through this every week, we're reminded of the scriptural truth, the doctrinal truth that these teach us about our Christian faith.
[00:17:34] In the handout before you, let's recite together question 48 in our catechism, and you can see it on the screen as well.
[00:17:44] If his humanity is not present wherever his divinity is, then aren't the two natures of Christ separated from each other?
[00:17:54] Certainly not.
[00:17:55] Since divinity is not limited and is present everywhere, it is evident that Christ's divinity is surely on the bonds of humanity.

[00:18:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:18:08] But at the same time, his divinity is not limited.

[00:18:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:18:17] How does Christ's ascension to heaven benefit us?
[00:18:20] First, He is our Advocate in the presence of His Father.
[00:18:27] Second, we have our own flesh in Heaven.
[00:18:31] That Christ, our Head, will also take us to Himself.
[00:18:39] Third, He sends His Spirit to us on Earth as a corresponding pledge.
[00:18:46] By the Spirit of Power, we seek not earthly things, but the things above where Christ was sitting at God's right hand.
[00:18:57] Amen. Amen indeed.
[00:19:00] What a wonderful reminder to be reminded of Christ's work and His glorious ascension.
[00:19:06] Well, again, welcome to the King's Chapel.
[00:19:08] We are so glad that you're here with us on this beautiful day.
[00:19:11] And if you're a visitor with us, welcome.
[00:19:12] We are glad that you're here worshiping with us in spirit and in truth.
[00:19:17] And I would encourage you, this is your first time, or whether you've been coming to the King's Chapel for a little while now, I would invite you to look in the pew before you and you should see a blue and white connect card.
[00:19:29] And I would ask, if you will, to fill that out and drop it in the offering basket so that we can have the opportunity to get to know you here and as well as maybe answer any questions
[00:19:39] that you have regarding the King's Chapel.
[00:19:42] And you will also see on that same card an opportunity to write a prayer request.
[00:19:47] And I would encourage you, if you have a prayer request, if there is something on your heart that you want the pastoral team, the elder team to pray for, I would encourage you to do that as well as these remain confidential. And we counted a true honor
[00:19:59] and a delight to be able to pray for these requests week in and week out here at the King's Chapel. But if you will take your bulletin and open up with me, you can see the many activities
[00:20:11] and ministry events that are taking place here in the life of our church. But I'll call to your attention to just two brief announcements this morning. First, as you can see in the top of the
[00:20:21] highlight section, immediately after this service, we are going to have a family update, a brief family update, and that'll take place right after the service, like I said. We will dismiss the congregation for about five minutes so that parents can go get their little ones in the nursery,
[00:20:38] and then we will come back and reconvene here in the worship center. So we have a family update right after the worship service.
[00:20:47] And then you can see this coming up Wednesday.
[00:20:49] It's not too late to sign up for our spaghetti dinner on Wednesday, May 6th.
[00:20:53] And that'll be starting at five o'clock.
[00:20:55] And then as you can see, discipleship classes will start at 6.30.
[00:20:59] So it's not too late to register for that and join us for a wonderful time of fellowship.
[00:21:04] But as you can see here in our bulletin, we have a lot going on here in the life of our church.
[00:21:08] And we give God praise for his grace and enabling us and as well as giving us the power to be able to do all these ministries throughout the week and month.
[00:21:18] So be checking out those ministries and as well as be praying for them as we partake together.
[00:21:23] If you will, I'm going to ask now if the ushers and deacons will come forward to receive our tithes and offerings.
[00:21:29] And as they come forward, let's go to Lord in prayer and ask him to bless our time this morning in worship.
[00:21:36] Father, we thank you for this glorious morning and we are reminded already, Lord, of the many blessings that we receive, Lord the grace we receive even at this moment at this hour of worship by your gracious hand
[00:21:50] Father be with us Lord as we continue to worship Lord through songs and the preaching of your word and as we will in just a few moments come to the Lord's table Father I pray for anyone in this place
[00:22:03] who doesn't know you as Lord and Savior Father save them today Father we love you and we pray these things in the good name of Christ, Amen

[00:22:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:22:10] Amazing loves played at Calvary

[00:27:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:27:07] Let's stand together and sing the hymn, Here is Love.

[00:27:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:27:11] Evangelical Christian sings songs like that.

[00:31:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:31:40] Only the evangelical Christian says, I cling to the old rugged cross.
[00:31:47] One of the savage realities of liberalism is that liberalism reduced Christianity to Jesus' teaching, his moral life, be a better person, obey the Ten Commandments, follow the golden rule, look at Jesus' example. But real Christianity has its apex at the cross
[00:32:16] because it's only at the cross that we're confronted with our sin and we find the forgiveness of sins and so you remember Paul he said I knew nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified the Christian glories in the cross because it's there we see God's love but
[00:32:41] God demonstrated his love for us and that while we were still sinners Christ died for us and one of the kindnesses of God is that he's always giving his people pictures. He always gives us
[00:32:58] pictures of the reality of his promises. For example, in the Old Testament, on the day of the atonement, you remember there were not one, but two goats. Two goats. The first goat, the high priest, would pronounce the sins of the people upon the goat, placing his hand on the head of
[00:33:17] the goat. He would slit the throat of the goat, and he would go in to the Holy of Holies, to the mercy seat, and he would drip the blood of the goat on the Ark of the Covenant on the mercy seat
[00:33:30] as a propitiation, a sacrifice on behalf of the people. Then he would come out, and there was another goat. And on that goat as well, he would pronounce the sins of the people. And that goat
[00:33:46] was led outside the camp and all the people would watch. And they would watch as that goat walked and walked and walked and walked way out into the wilderness. And it represented to them the reality
[00:33:59] of what had happened to the first goat, that their sins had been carried away as far as the east is from the west, so their sins had been taken from them. And of course, all of that pointed to the
[00:34:13] glorious reality of what Christ accomplished for us at Calvary. A once-for-all sacrifice.
[00:34:21] Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. There is never a need for another atonement. It was a perfect sacrifice. What took our Lord six hours on the cross would take
[00:34:35] us forever in hell to pay. And he did it. He accomplished it. And yet, the Lord, knowing that we would be needing to be reminded of these realities on the night that he was betrayed,
[00:34:50] implemented this new covenant symbol of the Lord's Supper, that we come and we partake of the bread representing his body and the cup representing his blood, which is poured out for sinners, to be reminded of what it cost to purchase our salvation
[00:35:09] and for us to come and re-covenant with God that we are indeed his people.
[00:35:19] Now, Paul warned Christians to not take the cup in an unworthy manner.
[00:35:24] This is a new covenant mill.
[00:35:25] It is a mill for believers only.
[00:35:27] So if you are not a Christian, we invite you to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
[00:35:33] And if you are a Christian, we need to do some heart work.
[00:35:36] We need to confess our sins and endeavor to repent of our sins and to follow the Lord fully.
[00:35:44] So let's do that now.
[00:35:45] Let's bow our heads and pray silently.
[00:35:51] Glory in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and confess your sins.
[00:36:09] Where would we be without the life and death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?
[00:36:16] Lord we glory in these realities it is from these realities that all true Christian experience flows Lord we thank you for the wonder of a clean conscience before you knowing that all of our sin
[00:36:30] has been paid in full that we stand on the righteous life of Jesus Christ we glory in these realities and Lord we endeavor to present our bodies as living and holy sacrifices acceptable to you. This is our spiritual worship. So Lord, as we take this bread, as we take this
[00:36:52] cup, Lord, our heart's desire is to live for you more fully, to be sanctified, to be holy as you are holy. Lord, may we walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called. Lord,
[00:37:09] we thank you for the cross. We thank you for your life. We thank you for the resurrection.
[00:37:16] and in this we pray your name amen i invite our deacons to come and they are going to distribute the elements to you please wait to receive the elements we will all take part in the bread

[00:37:34] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:37:34] and the cup together the lord took the bread and he broke it he said this is my body which is for

[00:43:59] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:43:59] you. Take and eat. Afterward, he took the cup. He said, this is the cup of the new covenant in my blood. Take and drink. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the

[00:44:34] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:44:34] Lord's death until he comes again. Praise be to God. Heavenly Father, Lord, may your word live.

[00:49:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:49:07] May your Holy Spirit work in our hearts, renew our minds in your truth.
[00:49:12] I pray, Lord, that you'd speak through me in the power of your Holy Spirit.
[00:49:15] In Christ's name, amen.
[00:49:17] I invite you to open your Bibles to Titus chapter 1.
[00:49:23] We've been studying the book of Titus.
[00:49:26] And last week, we began studying this section on the offices of the church, specifically the office of elder, also called overseer.
[00:49:40] the situation in Crete, this is where Paul had traveled after he'd been released from his first Roman imprisonment, was in need of organization. He had gone there, he had preached the gospel, people had responded to the good news of what Christ had done, they had believed,
[00:50:03] churches had been planted in various villages, and if you look at verse 5, Paul tells Titus, this is why I left you in Crete, Titus, may I remind you, so that you may put what remained
[00:50:17] into order and appoint elders in every town as I directed you. So like everything else that you encounter in this world, the success of any organization or business or endeavor hinges on leadership, having sound leaders. And it's also true in the church. You need biblical, godly
[00:50:44] leaders for any church to be successful. And so Paul tells Titus, I left you in Crete so that you would appoint elders in every church. Notice that it's elders plural. We miss that so often. It's
[00:50:58] multiple elders. Elder speaks to their qualification. These are older, wise men.
[00:51:06] But notice in verse 7, they are called overseers, episkopos, those who oversee the church. And this speaks to their function, that they are to shepherd the church. And we looked at this last week that the elder is called to lead the sheep, feed the sheep, and protect the sheep. This is
[00:51:29] the responsibility of elders. You ask, why are we spending so much time covering this? Why is this so important? Well, it's important because you as a Christian first, you need to understand what constitutes a healthy church. Who knows if you will stay here indefinitely, you might move to
[00:51:50] a different city, a different town, you need to understand how a healthy church is to function.
[00:51:56] Now, I would say the first mark of a healthy church or a church that is becoming more healthy is a strong gospel preaching pulpit. Spurgeon called the pulpit the thermopoly of Christendom because if you have a conservative evangelical pulpit, you can reform any church.
[00:52:16] But after the pulpit, what's most important is godly, sound, qualified leadership So very important that you understand that wherever you go That you have sound, godly elders And then second is that in looking at the qualifications of elders
[00:52:36] When you look at this list of character qualities One of the things that you notice is how unremarkable they are And that's because the elders are to serve as an example to the flock In other words, these are qualities that we're going to look at
[00:52:55] That every single Christian should display By the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives So these qualities are not exclusive to the office of elder So in that sense, it's very unremarkable
[00:53:09] You don't see the demand for super extraordinary things exotic things. There's no demand for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. There's no demand to memorize the entire Bible. There's no demand to perform miracles, nothing like that. It's simple godly
[00:53:30] character, which is expected of the elder. And by the way, that is expected of all of us by the grace of God. But elders have to lead by example, do they not? They need to be the ones
[00:53:46] out in front saying, follow me. When I was a second lieutenant at Camp Barrett at the Marine officers basic school, there was a statue out in front of the headquarters building and the statue was nine feet tall. I mean, you couldn't miss it. Every time you walked in and out, you were
[00:54:08] walking by this statue. I'll never forget it. And it was a statue of a fellow by the name of Lieutenant Colonel Lefwich, who was killed in Vietnam. But the statue, what I remembered about it is he's holding his weapon, and he's looking back, and he's beckoning people to come after him.
[00:54:33] And I love that picture because that's the picture of a leader. The leader is always saying, follow me. He's not saying go where I haven't been. The leader has to, the Latin word we used,
[00:54:47] ductus exemplo, lead by example. So that's the picture of an elder. They're men who lead by example. Now I want to introduce you to the key thesis of Paul's argument for the qualification of elders. You see it in verse 6. First phrase. This is the main idea of the qualifications.
[00:55:18] You can sum it up in this one phrase. If anyone is above reproach, underline that prepositional phrase, above reproach. That is the headlining quality under which everything else follows.
[00:55:38] You see it emphasized again in verse 7. Skip down to verse 7. For an overseer, remember, same office as elder, as God's steward, look at this, must be above reproach. There it is again.
[00:55:55] Paul uses the same terminology in the parallel passage in 1 Timothy 3. He says, therefore, an overseer must be above reproach. The Greek word is anankletos. I looked it up in the lexicon. It means blameless, irreproachable. J.B. Phillips, in his paraphrase, says this,
[00:56:26] they were to be men of unquestioned integrity. To exercise spiritual oversight, a man must be unimpeachable in virtue. So it is a reference to his personal life and his teaching that are without scandal. Now, obviously, this doesn't mean that he's perfect. No one is perfect.
[00:56:50] John says that if we claim that we are without sin, we are a liar, and the truth is not in us.
[00:56:56] the best of men are men at best so this is not describing perfection but it is describing a life that is without scandal what he's saying is is that there's not a disconnect between the man's life and the doctrine he claims to teach there can't be incongruity
[00:57:26] There has to be a marriage between the character of his life And the truth he professes And any man or woman of God who is mightily used by God Exhibits this reality That they live what they teach
[00:57:45] They live what they teach If you're just a talking head Who doesn't believe what you say People can see through that in a moment great women of God, like Corrie Ten Boom, great men of God, like Charles Spurgeon, D.L. Moody,
[00:58:07] their lives reflected the truth that they believed. It's very simple. And so it is in the church. The elders have to have lives that reflect the truth. Now, this idea of being above reproach is exhibited in three spheres. So if you look at this, verse six is the sphere of
[00:58:36] his home, his family. Second is the sphere of his character. You see this in verse seven and eight.
[00:58:49] and then third the sphere of doctrine or orthodoxy orthodox teaching so you see three spheres in which the elder is called to be above reproach so let's see how far we can get this morning let's
[00:59:06] look at the first sphere of leadership for the elder the family in verse six if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife. So he first looks at the elder's marriage. He literally says
[00:59:24] a one-woman man. That's the literal translation. I don't think this necessarily means that the elder is married, though it assumes that this is the normal pattern of elders. The text also doesn't demand two or more children. It does mention children in the plural, but this is speaking to
[00:59:47] a general pattern in the life of the elder. Certainly, it is a prohibition against polygamy.
[00:59:56] It is a prohibition against all forms of sexual immorality. Today, we deal with what's called pornography. It's rampant. It's everywhere. It's in the church. It's in the culture. It's absolutely devastating especially young people everywhere and it's accessible on your phone
[01:00:21] in an instant this is rampant and so an elder is someone who walks in purity they're able to crucify the flesh and they're faithful to their spouse it may prohibit men with certain types of
[01:00:41] divorces. Some people have said that if you're divorced, you can never serve in the office of elder, ever. And I don't think that that is exactly what Paul is getting at here. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 6, Paul says if you're married to an unbelieving spouse and they choose to leave,
[01:01:01] he says, you're free. So there's instances where things happen, divorces happen, and a man is not necessarily at fault. What Paul's talking about is a man's current life. What does his current marriage look like? It also doesn't preclude single men from the eldership. We know this
[01:01:26] because Paul was single. Titus was single. Timothy was single. I had one person tell me once that if an elder's wife died, he would need to resign from being an elder because now he was
[01:01:44] no longer married. Well, that's an over-literal reading of what Paul is saying here. He's describing the pattern of a man's life. But I do think it's important that Paul says that the general picture is of a man who is faithfully married to his wife that's the general picture
[01:02:09] is marriage a bad thing does marriage make you less spiritual absolutely not Paul says in first Corinthians 9 5 he says do we not have the right to take along a believing wife as do the other
[01:02:27] apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas, Peter? You see, marriage, this is a gift from God and the normal pattern is for elders to be married. And I emphasize that because one of the travesties
[01:02:48] of Rome, the Roman Catholic Church, is the burden of priestly celibacy that they have placed on so many. So many men who were never meant to live underneath that burden. And it's awful what it's
[01:03:06] done. I love the story of Martin Luther when he became a believer, when he understood the doctrine of justification by faith alone. He saw priestly celibacy for what it was, legalism, nowhere to be found in scripture. And he went and he married a nun named Catherine Von Bora. And he called her
[01:03:32] Katie. And it was an example. He almost did it as an example to say marriage is to be esteemed.
[01:03:40] Marriage is something that is wonderful, that it doesn't make you less spiritual to be married.
[01:03:49] Luther's favorite book was the book of Galatians, and he would teach the book of Galatians because Galatians lifted up the true gospel over in distinction against the gospel that is Christ plus works.
[01:04:01] And he nicknamed the book of Galatians, My Katie, because he loved that book so much.
[01:04:11] So you see here, Paul's saying, marriage is a normal aspect of a leader's life second he addresses an elder's children look at verse six his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination
[01:04:35] Now, this is very important to understand because Paul here is forbidding something.
[01:04:44] These are not just platitudes.
[01:04:46] I think out of all the requirements, maybe this is the most overlooked requirement, one of them, because oftentimes an elder's children are not even considered in the equation of whether the man should serve in the office of elder.
[01:05:00] Oftentimes a pastor's children, they're not considered.
[01:05:03] And when a church calls a man to be the pastor, there's not an evaluation of what his children are like.
[01:05:11] But Paul says this is very important to consider.
[01:05:14] Now, the question is, what are we called to consider about the elders' children?
[01:05:20] Now, Paul uses this Greek word, it's an important word, pistis.
[01:05:25] And that's an important word because it's the word for faith.
[01:05:29] Now, it can also mean faithful.
[01:05:34] so the debate among expositors and and people have fallen on different lines on this through the centuries is what does this word mean in the context of the passage does it mean that the children have to be christians otherwise the elder is immediately disqualified if a child is shown
[01:05:57] not to be a Christian? Or does it mean that the children in the home are faithful in their obedience to that man's leadership? Those are the two positions. Now, I think it's the second position, and let me explain why. First, if what is required of the elder's children is faith,
[01:06:25] that they must be Christians, then technically every time an elder had a new child, he would need to step down as an elder until that child became a Christian. Would he not? He would.
[01:06:40] Secondly, we understand salvation to be a work of God. It is not a work of man. Now, Charles Finney taught that. Charles Finney said that he could convince anyone to become a Christian, that we can coerce someone into the kingdom of God that I can make you become a Christian if I
[01:07:02] say the right things we don't believe that for by grace you have been saved salvation is a work of the Lord it's a work of the Holy Spirit this is what Jesus explained to Nicodemus who how can we
[01:07:14] be born again he says it's like the spirit it's like the wind blow he blows where he will so the elder. He does not have the power in and of himself to make his children Christians. He
[01:07:28] sows the seed. He does the best he can, but he does not have that power. And third reason why I think he's talking about being faithful is whenever we interpret Scripture, we want to interpret Scripture with Scripture. That's the principle of analogia scriptura, that Scripture
[01:07:48] never contradicts itself. And when you look at the passage, Paul gives a clarification. Look at the end of verse 6. Look what he says. Not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.
[01:08:04] What's he describing? He's describing the obedience of that child. He's saying that they're not rebellious. What does he say in the parallel passage? Well, turn over real quick to 1 Timothy 3. Real quickly, look at verse 4, because I think this helps explain this principle.
[01:08:35] He must manage his own household well with all dignity, keeping his children submissive.
[01:08:44] So there it is. There's the statement from Paul that he's keeping his children submissive to his leadership. He's managing his own household well. And then look at this statement in verse five. For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's
[01:09:07] church? So what he's saying is there's a direct parallel to a man's leadership between his home and the church. How do you gauge how a man will lead in the church when you're looking at them?
[01:09:22] Well, you look at his home. You look at his wife. You look at his children. Because in the home, you will see both a man's strengths and his weaknesses on display. And it's true of everyone.
[01:09:40] It's true of me. It's true of any man. You look at their children. You see their strengths.
[01:09:45] and you see their weaknesses and so listen if you want to understand how a man leads you look at his family it's true again and again and again so men look in the mirror I mean when you see your kids doing something that you don't like look in the mirror because
[01:10:14] the responsibility for how the kids behave is ultimately on the parents and especially the father. That's Ephesians 6.4. Paul says, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and the instruction of the Lord. The word discipline is the Greek word
[01:10:39] paideia and it the idea in greek culture was that you it's not just punitive discipline the idea is that you create a culture of training where it's it's a sphere in which that child operates in all
[01:10:56] of their life and so in everything that they're doing everything that they're seeing everything that they're encountering in your home is meant to be molding them and shaping them towards this great endeavor that they would come to know Christ, that they would be godly, that they would
[01:11:15] encounter the gospel. All of it is supposed to bring that child to that point. So you remember the Spartans with your shielder on it, and they would train the young warriors from the moment they were born. They would train them and teach them how to fight and how to be disciplined.
[01:11:33] it was this entire Spartan culture the Athenians not so much they were into philosophy and all that but that you know we learn a lot from them too but it was this culture that they would create
[01:11:45] what is Moses right in Deuteronomy is you write the truth on your doors on your doorpost you you talk about the truth when you're when you have risen and when you're lying down so it's this culture and then he says there's to be instruction so the father is to do this
[01:12:06] and so therefore when the child is rebellious to that leadership there is a crack in the foundation notice that Paul says in Ephesians 6 4 I read it to you the first thing he says is do not provoke
[01:12:23] your children to anger that's important because a father can demand all the right things but he can do it in a way that pushes the child away you love Jesus you don't disobey you don't talk like that to your teachers but they're mean to their kids I saw this all the
[01:12:46] time growing up as a as a kid whether it be in boy scouts or or uh playing youth football or whatever but you would see you would see fathers just be flat out mean to their boys and then they
[01:13:00] wonder why years later the kid is disobeying. The father has to speak the truth in love and not be domineering over the children in such a way that they want to rebel. Now, what does
[01:13:19] rebellion look like? Look at the text. Turn back to Titus because Paul explains exactly what the rebellion looks like. Right at the end of verse 6, he says, they must not be open to the charge
[01:13:37] of debauchery. That's wild living. I think the NIV translates it dissipation. It's drunkenness.
[01:13:50] It's the party lifestyle. In Cretan culture, many people worshiped the Roman god, Dionysus. And there would be all sorts of drinking parties and that sort of thing. And so alcohol was not simply something that hindered your judgment. It was a mark of the pagan culture that was
[01:14:18] surrounding the church in Crete. So if a child is engaged in debauchery, it shows that they're rejecting Christianity. They're walking contrary to the truth. And then Paul clarifies it further when he says insubordination. Insubordination, that's a military term that means that you reject
[01:14:43] the orders of the commander in charge of you. Insubordination is when you do the opposite of what you are told. So in this way, a man's leadership can be tested. Are his children walking according to the way the Father has told them to walk? And if they're not,
[01:15:11] there's a problem there. And this is given in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to the church because Christ is trying to protect his church from poor leadership.
[01:15:30] And so if there's a crack in the foundation, this is the first place to stop.
[01:15:34] Do not pass go.
[01:15:35] Do not put the man in leadership.
[01:15:38] If there needs to be time for the children to be gotten in order, give it time.
[01:15:46] There's no reason to be pragmatic about any of this.
[01:15:50] Pragmatism is what's killing the church, isn't it?
[01:15:53] Well, we need people. We need warm bodies. Well, better to have no bodies than bad bodies.
[01:16:01] We want to be very careful about the type of man that enters the office of elder, and the family is the first place to start. The second sphere of leadership is his character, his godly character. Again, look at verse 7. An overseer, there's that word we looked at last
[01:16:23] week, episkopos, the bishop is the English translation, as God's steward. That's an important phrase because the elder is a leader underneath the authority of Christ. Remember, Peter calls himself an under-shepherd, underneath the chief shepherd. But we are stewards of the
[01:16:51] flock. The elders do not own the church. Who does the church belong to? Any church? Jesus Christ, right? This isn't my church. This isn't the elders' church. This is Christ's church.
[01:17:05] Belongs to him. So we're simply stewarding the leadership that Christ gives. How do elders steward, by the way? What authority do the elders have as stewards? The word of God.
[01:17:19] that's the authority of the elders because it's christ is the the chief shepherd now as those that represent christ as his stewards it's important as we talked about that the elders are able to set the example in character of what it looks like to be a spirit-filled man or woman
[01:17:44] So Paul lays this out with 11 qualities, 11 qualities.
[01:17:51] And I love what he does because he makes it crystal clear by doing a contrast.
[01:17:58] First, he gives five negatives.
[01:18:01] Sometimes when you want to clarify something, you don't just say what it is.
[01:18:07] You first say what it's not.
[01:18:09] It's not this, this, and this.
[01:18:11] a dog is not a cat right it's not a raccoon it is man's best friend so we clarify what it is sometimes by what it's not so this is what he's going to do first he's first going to say
[01:18:28] this is what an elder is not he's going to say five things first he says he is not arrogant That's how it's translated, or you could say prideful, but that's not exactly the precise meaning of the word. The precise meaning, the Legacy Standard Bible translates it,
[01:18:51] not self-willed. And what this refers to is a man who always wants his own way. He always demands for his way to be had because he believes he's always right.
[01:19:09] J. Adams translated it.
[01:19:11] You know J. Adams, who started the biblical counseling movement?
[01:19:14] He did a translation himself of the entire New Testament.
[01:19:18] So I looked up with J. Adams how he translated it.
[01:19:21] He said, not one who wants his own way.
[01:19:26] So on a plurality of elders, there needs to be a willingness to listen.
[01:19:34] other viewpoints and other perspectives. There needs to be, what's the word, humility and meekness that you're willing to listen. If somebody brings you a verse that contradicts what you think, you're willing to change your mind because you hold scripture to be more authoritative than
[01:19:56] your ideas. So you don't want somebody who leads by domination. That's the idea here, the picture. Last week, you remember I began, I was talking about Patton and General Patton and Steve Jobs and how Steve Jobs, he would get on an elevator and ask you what your job was,
[01:20:22] and if you couldn't tell him in 30 seconds, he would fire you.
[01:20:25] Well, I had read about this.
[01:20:27] Okay, so after the service, Damon Rando, where are you?
[01:20:30] Is Damon, are you here?
[01:20:31] Right up there.
[01:20:32] Okay, so Damon came up and he said, I used to work for Apple, and we called it getting Steve'd.
[01:20:42] And he said there would be a train of attorneys that would follow and just try to clean up the carnage of Steve Jobs firing people left and right.
[01:20:53] just domination. And I said, did he ever ask you what you did? He said, well, one time I was setting up a kiosk at a convention and Jobs came up and said, no, no, no, this is absolutely wrong.
[01:21:10] Do it, you know, do it this way. And he said, I was worried I was going to get fired, but by God's grace, didn't get fired. So that's not the type of leadership we're looking for. And that leads to
[01:21:22] the second negation, the second negative, not quick-tempered. This is also listed in 1 Timothy 3. It's talking about somebody who's hot-headed, that they're easily set off, that their blood begins to boil quickly for whatever reason, growing up playing football in Texas. I think
[01:21:49] Football coaching, I think some guys think that it gives them license to be angry all the time.
[01:21:56] Was that just me?
[01:21:59] But I had some coaches that would quickly fly off the handle, anger.
[01:22:08] And they led by a culture of fear.
[01:22:11] That's not what you want.
[01:22:13] Third, he says, not a drunkard.
[01:22:16] Remember we talked about how alcohol was perceived in that culture.
[01:22:20] The Greek word, paroinos, means that you come alongside wine often, that you're returning to the bottle again and again. Fourth, he says, not violent. That word means a fighter. A fighter, it doesn't just mean somebody who goes out and brawls with people. It means somebody that likes
[01:22:52] to engage in verbal sparring as well. They always are looking for a fight. They're always ready to throw down. Now, this needs to be caveated. We need to think carefully about what Paul is saying
[01:23:14] here. Are we not engaged in a great fight? The fight of faith, right? I have fought the fight.
[01:23:24] I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. We are in a great fight against the world, the flesh, and the devil. And yet we're also reminded, Paul says in Ephesians 6, that our
[01:23:38] battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, rulers, principalities, powers. So yes, are we called to fight for the truth?
[01:23:56] Absolutely. But yet, we shouldn't always be prepared to go to battle against other people.
[01:24:06] Jesus said, blessed are the peacemakers. So, our desire is not to constantly be on the war path.
[01:24:15] Our desire is peace among men and to bring people, bring our enemies. We're to love our enemies.
[01:24:24] We're not to wage war against our enemies, but we're to love our enemies and Lord willing, bring them into the kingdom through the proclamation of the gospel.
[01:24:33] We want to do everything we can to bring those who are alienated to Christ, to Christ.
[01:24:39] So we need to be careful that we're not always fighting.
[01:24:46] There was a famous pastor in Toronto about 100 years ago at Jarvis Street Baptist Church named T.T. Shields. He was called the Spurgeon of Canada, marvelously gifted. And during the liberal takeover of the Baptist denomination in Canada,
[01:25:15] T.T. Shields stood valiantly for truth. But what happened is, is that over time, Every time he began to preach, he would talk about how the conservatives were right and the liberals were wrong, and how they were beating down the liberals and so on and so
[01:25:38] forth, and everything became about the fight.
[01:25:44] And he led the conservatives, the conservative Baptists, to start their own denomination.
[01:25:50] And so in some ways, he won the battle with the liberals.
[01:25:54] They started a Toronto Baptist seminary.
[01:25:57] But do you know what kept happening?
[01:26:00] Do you think he stopped fighting?
[01:26:03] Then he began to fight his own people.
[01:26:06] He began to fight the other conservatives because he was always about the fight.
[01:26:13] He was always about the battle.
[01:26:18] I read a book about a fundamentalist here in America named Carl McIntyre.
[01:26:24] Anybody remember that name, Carl McIntyre?
[01:26:27] you know what the book was titled the fighting fundamentalist he was just you know one of these sword of the lord guys always has to be fighting so yes we want to we want to stand valiantly for
[01:26:45] the truth but what you don't want is somebody where they're it's just everything is a fight you kill everything with a hammer that's not what you're looking for and then finally fifth prohibition he says not greedy for gain not somebody who's motivated by wealth in the
[01:27:10] ministry question should any Christian be greedy for gain I mean I mean this should should any Christian be greedy for gain what is what does Paul say right at the end of first Timothy I mean
[01:27:22] these are sobering words this is first Timothy 6 he says godliness with contentment is great gain for we brought nothing into the world and we cannot take anything out of the world but if we have food and clothing with these we will be content so we're all called to be content
[01:27:38] with what we have those who desire to be rich fall into temptation into a snare into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. Notice he doesn't say money. He says the love of money
[01:28:01] is the root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things.
[01:28:15] So what you want is an elder who's willing to serve even if he were not to be paid.
[01:28:21] it's it's not about the money now Paul talks about paying elders who serve well we looked at that last week first Timothy 5 17 he says especially those who labor in teaching and preaching the
[01:28:34] word they're worthy of double honor yet yet the elder cannot be motivated by money what happens if somebody's motivated by money what happens you can buy them off right at the end of the day if
[01:28:51] somebody's motivated by money, what they're going to do is they're going to compromise the truth for the sake of the paycheck. You can buy off somebody who's motivated by money.
[01:29:03] The man must be motivated by the advance of the kingdom of God and his love for Christ.
[01:29:10] Peter, do you love me? Yes, Lord, you know I love you. Then feed my sheep. He doesn't say, Peter, do you want a big paycheck? Then feed my sheep. No, no, no. It's the love of Christ.
[01:29:22] and to love to see the people grow love for the church it can never be this desire to get rich and yet what do we see in this country a gospel that has been imported all over the world that
[01:29:41] operates as a religious ponzi scheme that makes the preacher wealthy if you give more money to the church and sow a seed, God will bless you. You sow the seed and look at my life. Look at the
[01:30:01] jet plane I'm flying in. It's evidence that if you sow this seed, God's going to bless you too.
[01:30:08] You're going to have your private jet plane. No, it's all a lie. It's all a lie and it's all for money. It's not true Christianity. It's false religion and it begins with this motivation for wealth at the expense of God's people. Shame on them. Shame on them.
[01:30:30] You would promise that if you come to this ceremony that someone will be healed if they give money in faith. Shame on them. Paul says they should not be greedy for gain.
[01:30:49] and then he says what an elder is quickly they are hospitable philo exenos literally a lover of strangers philo means love philadelphia the city of brotherly love philo exenos means you love the stranger that you're not just a clique ever been to a church that was a clique it's not really a
[01:31:19] church is it? I remember when I was in Pensacola, I went to this church called Providence Church.
[01:31:26] I'll tell you the name because it was a great church. And the first Sunday I came, the pastor had me over to his house for lunch. Very first Sunday. Here I am talking about it 20 years later.
[01:31:42] Amazing. Absolutely amazing. We want to be welcoming to the outsider. So think about that.
[01:31:49] this is what we're all supposed to do be looking for for the person that you don't recognize reach out to them engage with them a lover of good paul uses that that the same prefix that
[01:32:04] he used in the previous word that the greek word is phil agathos you ever read agatha christie novels those mysteries you know do y'all know what i'm talking about agatha christie murder on the Nile? Agatha means good. We should use that name more often. I know it's kind of
[01:32:33] old-fashioned now. Phil Agatha, someone who loves what is good. They don't love what is evil, they love what is good. How do you know what somebody loves, by the way? What do they talk about. Jesus said the mouth speaks what's in the heart. What do they talk about and what do they
[01:32:56] do? You can tell what someone loves, and these people love what is good. They do what is good.
[01:33:05] They're self-controlled. Sometimes this word is translated sensible or prudent. It's speaking to someone who doesn't make brash decisions. They don't easily fall into sin. If you notice, this is something that Paul emphasizes over and over and over again. If you look at chapter 2 in Titus,
[01:33:33] look at this. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled. Same word.
[01:33:41] Then look at the young women in verse 5. They are to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled. Same word. Keep going. Look at verse 6. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. So this is something that Paul's emphasizing in the church because this is really
[01:34:06] where the battleground of sanctification is fought. Can you say no to your flesh or can you not?
[01:34:13] can you say no to your cravings or can you not self-control is this mark of the christian the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace patience kindness goodness gentleness faithfulness and self-control the what does the unbeliever do whenever they have a craving unless they've
[01:34:37] trained their flesh to say no they're giving in they're giving in the mark of a christian is they're able to exercise self-control. And so the elder must be able to exercise this self-control. And then he says upright. It's the same root word where we get the translation of
[01:34:58] the word righteousness. It means somebody who is just. They're not underhanded. They have a keen sense of justice and then he says holy and this speaks to someone's transcendent mind that they live quorum deo they live in light of the reality of a holy god they're a pious man
[01:35:25] you can tell when a man is worldly and when a man is holy there's a difference because the man who is holy is thinking about things that are above. They're thinking about the kingdom of God.
[01:35:43] And then finally, he uses this word disciplined. It's an important word. It speaks to self-mastery, controlling all passionate impulses, and keeping one's will loyal to the will of God.
[01:36:02] Turn with me once more to the left to 1 Corinthians chapter 9. Paul's talking about leadership, the Christian life. He says this. This is verse 24. He compares the Christian life to competing in the Isthmian Games, comparable to the Olympic Games, competing in an athletic
[01:36:34] contest. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize?
[01:36:43] So run that you may obtain it. So the Christian life is like a race. You're competing.
[01:36:51] Then he says, every athlete exercises self-control in all things. Same word he uses here in Kratis. It means discipline. Every athlete disciplines themselves. If you want to compete, you got to be disciplined you got to watch what you eat you got to watch how you train you got
[01:37:08] to watch how you sleep you have to be disciplined if you're going to be successful so he says every true athlete is marked by saying no they're disciplined he says in all things he says the
[01:37:21] athletes though they discipline themselves for a perishable wreath they do it for a perishable prize he says but we discipline ourselves for an imperishable he says so i do not run aimlessly i do not box as one beating the air key phrase but i discipline my body agonism i i say no i go
[01:37:49] through agony with my body look what he says to keep it under control lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified. So the man of God, I think Paul ends here with these
[01:38:08] traits because the elder, in order to be above reproach, has to be disciplined in all these things. They have to exercise self-control in every facet of their lives. There has to be this degree of self-mastery where you are cognizant of sin, the world, the flesh, the devil, and you
[01:38:36] are on watch and that you're faithful. My desire above all, my desire is that one day on my deathbed my kids will be there and I can look them in the eye and say I was faithful to the end.
[01:38:56] i just want to make it and not be disqualified i want to make it i want to run the race and finish i want to say with paul i have fought the good fight i have finished my course
[01:39:15] i've kept the faith i don't want to be disqualified and when when paul's saying disqualified he's not saying disqualified from from being saved obviously we know that lots of people are disqualified from ministry and they're still saved. But I'm talking about I want to be
[01:39:35] faithful and not be disqualified from ministry. I'll never forget at the 2019 Shepherds Conference, MacArthur preached this passage on 1 Corinthians 9. And at the very end, it was just like the Lord was giving a special blessing to me. I know there was like 3,000 people in the room, but I felt like
[01:39:57] it was for me, is he said, I pray that none of the men in this room are disqualified. And that's my heart, to make it. And that should be your heart, to not be disqualified from your ministry.
[01:40:18] Lord, we want to make it. We thank you for grace that saves. Lord, we thank you for how clear you are about the standard of leadership in the church. Lord, we want to have these qualities
[01:40:36] about us we want to have godly character lord we want to be hospitable to people we want to love what is good we want to be holy we want to exercise self-control we want to exercise discipline in all
[01:40:57] things we want to display the fruit of the spirit lord make us holy like you are holy by your grace help us to do this lord we know that we need your strength because if it were up to us we would fall
[01:41:10] away. So Lord, keep us in your grace for from your fullness is grace upon grace. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen. Well, we didn't even get to the third sphere of leadership, did we? That's the
[01:41:29] commercial for next week. We're going to talk about next week the elder and doctrine. Okay, so we'll pick it up next week. In the meantime, let's stand. We're going to sing a final hymn

[01:41:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[01:41:43] and then the doxology going to meet right back here four minutes it's going to be a sprint

[01:46:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[01:46:08] all right so for from him and through him and to him are all things to him be the glory forever and ever worlds without end amen