Things get little complicated for him, so just pray for clear direction and prefer Aaron's mother as well.
So. But thank you. Why don't we begin this time with a word of prayer?
Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time, we thank you for this family Bible hour, where we can come and open your word.
We thank you that we have the Scriptures before us.
Thank you that. Lord, you've not left us on our own.
But, Lord, we have direction, we have insight. You can give us illumination in your word to understand what you have to say to us, what you want for us.
Thank you, Lord, that we, as an assembly, can stand for you and your interest in this world.
Help us, Lord, to be seeking after you and learning about you, and what you want.
We commit this time into your hands, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.
So first, Timothy continuing through it like I said it's been a while, but just to give a real brief summary before I jump in.
If you remember. Paul left Timothy at Ephesus to really to set things in order, in a sense to stand for the apostles. Doctrine.
So take a look at first, Timothy, i. Verse 3, he says.
I, as I as I urged you when I went into Macedonia, remain in Ephesus, that you may charge some, that they teach no other doctrine.
The men there were deviating from the simplicity of the Word of God and the teaching of the Word of God.
They were getting involved with self-promotion. They were preaching on things that they did not understand.
And Paul basically says they don't know what they're talking about.
And they were confusing the Lord's people trying to, as I said, promote themselves, and to make themselves teachers, and have people look to them.
And but again they were confusing the Lord's people, mixing up our relationship with the law and grace.
Timothy was to stand for the truth, stand for the apostolic doctrine, and it's a wonderful book, and that's I love.
First and second Timothy. I love the direction that Paul gives to his son in the faith, and so there's much to learn in this in these books about the Church, about what God wants, as I said, they were deviating from the simplicity of the gospel message which really is life transformation why do we come
here this morning. Why do we come and open the Word of God for life?
Transformation. It changes us. He's changing me from earthly things to heavenly.
As I get into the Word of God, he exposes things in my life.
He opens up my eyes of understanding so I can see what he wants, and he's changing me from the inside out.
That's what he does, and that's why we come, and we hear the message.
So getting off on all these other topics and things that were not profitable, that we're not edifying to large people.
It's a waste of time. Paul's saying. Get back to the word.
Get back to the simplicity now, something else that we see another theme in this book is, take a look at chapter 3, verse 14, and I've come back to this over and over again.
This passage, because it's one of the key passages in the book.
First, Timothy, 3, 14. These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly, but if I am delayed I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God the pillar and ground of the truth so he
was writing these things so that the people would know, so that Timothy would know how you ought to conduct yourself, how we ought to function as an assembly of God's people.
What we should be doing. We ought to. We. Should want to follow his ways.
The direction that He gives for us, we should be desiring to go that way.
Align ourselves with his purposes. We ought to be doing that we ought to be seeking after what he wants, something else that we ought to be doing is scrutinizing everything under the authority of the Word of God, and if something is inconsistent, if something is a if something is different, than
what the Word of God says, we, we, we change it, we reject it.
So Paul wrote these things so that Timothy and the people the saints they're in Ephesus would know how to conduct themselves.
Now some of the things that we saw this book about how we ought to conduct ourselves.
There in chapter 2, that we should be a house of prayer, the house of God is a house of prayer to all nations.
We ought to be interceding for our leaders, for each other, for the world.
The churches to be salt and light in this world.
And we intercede for this world because we have a justification.
Why we pray, why we intercede, why we cry out to God for others, because it says here in verse 2.
Vert. Chapter of sorry. Chapter 2, verse 3. Talking about praying for kings and all who are in authority.
Verse 3, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time.
Here's a wonderful truth, and here's something that we proclaim as much as possible the reality that our Lord Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners.
And Paul says, of whom I am chief.
See, we're all we all fall short of the law of God.
We all fail when it comes to the standard that God has set up.
And we're guilty, were guilty before a holy God.
We have offended a holy God because of our sin.
But here's the wonderful truth. It says here that Jesus Christ he gave himself a ransom for all, and if anyone believes on the Lord Jesus Christ what He's done for us, that he died on the cross for sins, he rose again from the dead, anyone the SIM that believes that simple truth, will be
saved well will be forgiven, will be able to go to heaven after you.
After this body perishes. That's why we pray.
We pray, we intercede for the world, we intercede for our leaders because there is a because the Lord Jesus died for them, and we can be a part of His purpose here in this world.
Praying for God's will to be done in this world.
So we intercede. So that was one of the things that we see about how we conduct ourselves in the church we're a house of prayer.
The other thing is that we see in this passage is that there's a proper role of men and women in the church.
There is a proper role. God has created order, and there's something that He wants to display.
There's a reason that he created male and female.
There's a reason he did that, and he wants to display something about himself, about his character in that relationship.
In that relationship of of headsship and submission there's something about submission that is the Lord Jesus Christ submitted to the Father.
There is nothing honorable and lovely and precious about submission.
The Lord Jesus Christ submitted himself.
And so we are displaying something of his character to the world.
When we conduct ourselves in a way that pleases him, and as we follow his Scripture, we are displaying him to the world, into the angels.
His purpose, His glory. A. So we have a tremendous responsibility and blessing to be part of that.
So as we continue on in first, Timothy, we are now moving on to Chapter 3, verse one and I. I was hoping maybe to get through the entire chapter.
I don't think that's going to happen, so we may end a little early, but we're going to talk about leadership.
In the church. God ordained leadership in the Church. What he wants now in Ephesus there was a there was a need for spiritually mature leadership.
So that's why Paul was bringing it up to Timothy.
You've got these men that are immature, and they're confusing people.
We need good quality, spiritual mature leadership. And Paul lays out these qualifications for leaders in the Church and that's what we see here versus one to 7.
These qualifications.
Now, before we dive into this and go through these qualifications.
As you read the New Testament, you're going to see for words now you may see more, but the these are the 4 that I will eventually get to.
You're going to see 4 words that have to do with leadership.
There is what we see here in verse, in chapter 3, verse one.
This is a faithful saying, if a man desires the position of a bishop some of your translations say overseer, that is one of the words that you will see in the New Testament, and that in the Greek is aiskapoi so that may sound familiar it's
where people get the word Episcopalian, Episcopoid.
There's another word you're going to see as you read the New Testament Elders, you're going to see the word elders.
That's Presbytery. Maybe someone who knows Greek and correct me on my pronunciation.
But Pressterioe, and that's where we get that's where they get the term Presbyterian. And so I'm going to talk about what that is now.
Also there's another word that you may see, pastor or shepherd, and that's poignment, pastor or shepherd poignment.
And then there's another word, and I don't think I'll get to it today.
Maybe next time. Deacon the acronym's deakinos, that is, Deacon, and that's actually verse 8 in our chapter, when he begins talking about deacons so we've got these.
I'll focus on these 3 for now, bishops, overseers, elders, and pastors, shepherds.
Now one of the things that we saw when Mike, which was excellent, going through early Church history we saw how some of these things developed over time, how really the office of Bishop expanded into more than what Scripture just can justify.
You know, and growing up, going to church we've heard the word Bishop, and we have a certain idea of what that is.
So there's a group of churches, and then there's someone who's above all those churches that oversees all of those churches, and that's a bishop.
And then there's somebody up above that oversees all those bishops, and this person's an archbishop.
So we have this idea of hierarchy.
So that's something that you know. I grew up going to a church like that where there was a hierarchy, a a piscopalian, that's what that that's what that means that a church that's Episcopalian has that hierarchy.
Sometimes referred to as High Church. So this bishop oversees multiple churches.
And you know really, that there is really no scriptural basis for that kind of church government.
Now during the Reformation there was a rejection of that, and they were what they became.
What's called Presbyterian. They believe that. No, there is no hierarchy.
We have these individual presbyters or pastors that will shepherd each individual church.
Now all of these things that developed over time throughout church history, we really, as I said, we need to open up the Scriptures and see what does the Scripture say about these things?
What does God say about these roles and these responsibilities and these offices?
And we ought to be getting our our understanding from what the Scripture says.
So all practices need to be examined need to come under the scrutiny of the of the Word of God.
So the New Testament Church order was replaced with human organization and tradition, and if a practice is at variance with the Scriptures, we ought to reject it.
So? Who are these bishops and elders and pastors, who?
What does this all mean? Take a look at acts. Chapter 20.
I think this is interesting to see this, the words are used in Scripture.
We're talking about Luke the morning, and we see here him faithfully.
Giving the history of this event, and we can read it and see what happened.
Take a look at Acts 20, verse 17.
From Miletus. Now this is Paul from myitis Paul sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church.
So that's the word presbyterials. That's the the word elders.
So he called for these elders. So now what does he say to these elders?
As he goes on, and and then in verse 28.
He says, therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.
Episcopoi to shepherd pastor, the Church of God, which he purchased with his own.
That's an interesting passage that takes all of those words and makes it all about one person.
So here we have ers referred to as overseers and bishops, and referred to as pastors, shepherds, one person.
So what we see in Scripture is that the New Testament uses all those terms interchangeably now each one has a different, maybe focus, but they're interchangeable elders.
Pastors, bishops, overseers, it's all the same individual.
According to the New Testament, take a look at another passage.
Here first. Peter and Fred read this last week.
First, Peter.
5.
Verse, one.
For speed of 5 verse one.
The elders who are among you. I exhort. Now, Peter, here is speaking Peter the Apostle Peter, the elders who are among you.
I exhort I, who am a fellow elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed.
Shepherd, the flock of God or pastor, the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers a Piscapoi, not by compulsion, but willingly not for dishonest gain, but eagerly, nor as being lords over those
entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock, and when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
So here's another passage that uses all those terms interchangeably.
Again, there's a different focus of each one of those words elder it speaks of spiritual maturity.
Overseer is the work that's involved in being an elder overseeing, keeping an eye on the state of the flock, and then shepherd pastor is feeding the flock of God is taking care of the needs of the flock of God it's all part of the same
role in the New Testament.
Now the other thing that you may have noticed as we're going through these verses is elders is generally plural.
There's a plurality of these individuals in churches, and I won't turn to all these.
But I'll give you some references here, Flippians, 1, one Philippians, won one, he says, to the the church of Phillip, High, to the, to the bishops and deacons.
Acts 1423 appoint elders in the church.
Titus. 1 5. Again appoint elders in the church, and then James, 514, says, Have the Lers of the church pray for you.
So again, the idea of plurality of leadership is very clear in the New Testament.
Now my my first experience going to an assembly, actually, as I said, I came from, I came from a Catholic church, and it was very evident, when you walked in the building and sat down.
You knew who was in charge. You know the guy with the robes on you up on the stage.
You knew kind of who was in control, and I remember going to my first Assembly meeting.
I went and sit down, and and one man gets up and opens the meeting, and then a little while later another man gets up and prays for the elements of the Lord's Supper, and then a little while later a different man gets up and closes the meeting and I remember thinking who's in charge here.
And what I've come to find out is, that is, as I mentioned before, about how we function, how we conduct ourselves in the church.
It all is a reflection of who God is right.
He is the Head, our Lord Jesus Christ is the head, he's the chief shepherd.
He is the head of the church. He's in charge, and this plurality of leadership just is another example in a picture of that there is no one person in charge.
It is our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the head. And as we continue in these things, we're displaying that reality as we gather together.
So let's take a look back there in first. Timothy.
Chapter 3.
First Timothy, chapter 3, verse one. This is a faithful saying, if a man desires the position of a bishop or overseer, he desires to a good work.
You know that that word, their desire? It's stretch out long after aspire to set your heart on.
That's a good thing, and it says, if a man desires a position of a bishop or overseer, he desires, he aspires to a good work.
It's it's work, and it's good, and it's honorable.
It is noble. It's a noble work, you know.
It's not so much, you know. I want the title.
I want the, you know. I want the respect I want this.
I want that. It's not that. It's the work do you desire to oversee?
Do you desire to look out and see the needs of others, and be the one that responds to that?
This is a faithful saying, if a man desires the position of a bishop or overseer, he desires a good work.
It's work.
It's a good thing. And then verse 2. A bishop or overseer, then, must be blameless.
That's that. Seems like a very high standard, blameless.
What does that mean? Does that mean? Sinless? No, absolutely not.
Irreproachable character and reputation. Irreproachable.
That means that no one can, you know, say something about you.
In other words, what would people say about you people that know you?
What would they say about you? Well, you know they got a quick well, you know they're really not reliable.
You know he owes me money. They're untrustworthy.
I can't trust them. These are the kind of things we're talking about.
It's character. And really, these kind of things are bring dishonor to the Lord.
If, if if you have a reputation like that, it brings dishonor to the Lord, take a look at second Samuel.
12, s Samuel, 12 way back there in the Old Testament.
But I think this is important to take a look at.
You know this is when David sinned with Bathsheba, and Nathan confronted him.
And it says, their second Samuel, 12, verse 13, we.
So David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord, and Nathan said to David, The Lord also has put away your sin.
You shall not die, however, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.
So because David sinned, he brought an opportunity for the enemies of God to say, See, look!
They're just as wicked and bad as we are, so that makes them feel better about their their position, and they don't need they don't.
I don't want your God. You guys are no different than anyone else.
You get when someone in a position is has a bad reputation.
You bring dishonor to the Lord's name.
So it's a serious thing.
Back there in first Timothy.
It, says a bishop, then must be blameless.
The husband of one wife. And actually you know what, before I continue, I just wanted to say something and I forgot to say this.
You know, as we go through these qualifications of an overseer, this is what every elder must be, but this is what every Christian should be.
There's no special rules for this group. There's no clergy laity, right? There's no special rules.
Well, these people here, they've got this list of you know what they're supposed to do.
And these people over here they can kind of do whatever they want.
That's not New Testament, Christianity. This is what every Christian should be.
So this is. This is where the rubber meets the roll.
This is very practical. We all need to be looking at these things, examining ourselves about these things.
So husband or one wife? There's a lot of opinions about this.
I'm not going to get into all the different opinions, but some say, Well, it has.
This person needs to be married. Some say if they were married, and maybe the wife dies, they cannot remarry.
That's something else that people say. I don't agree with that only one wife had a time, you know, so no polygamy.
Well, right? Yeah, I hope so. But and people have made that the main thrust of this.
But really in this time there was not a lot of polygamy going around in the Greek culture in Ephesus.
But what was going on was a lot of sexual immorality that was going on, so I can say, well, you know I'm only married to one wife, but I have a mistress, so I guess I'm okay, right.
No, there was, you know, the the template of Artemis.
There was a lot of sexual immorality going on.
So that was absolutely not the word can be translated, or the phrase husband of one wife can be transated.
A one woman, man, a one woman, man, my eyes don't wander around.
I am faithful above reproach. Don't partake in the moral degradation of this world.
Pornography. These kind of things euro. Every Christian man should be a one-woman man.
Next!
Bishop, then, must be blameless. The husband of one wife, temperate or vigilant, not easily excited, clear headed, someone said, wise caution.
Not easily excited. Think about the politics of today. Everyone will come with exaggerated claims and get everyone excited about all these sorts of things that are happening, and everyone just gets after each other.
Everyone just needs to wait. Slow down, think! Don't be so easily excited.
Right acts 5. I know I'm don't have tons of time here, but I just want to share this.
This is actually a great example of this wise caution, and it's coming from.
The Gamaliel.
They're in Acts 5 now, you know, Peter, they were.
Commanding that Peter and the Apostles stopped preaching in the name of Christ.
But Peter and the other apostles answered, We ought to obey God rather than men, and the God of the fathers, the God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you murdered by hanging him on a tree.
Him God has exalted to his right hand, to the prince and saviours to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins, and we are are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him then we have this when they heard this they were furious.
And plotted to kill them, so that these guys were excitable.
They were ready for blood, they were ready to kill these people.
The apostles, and then we have this wise man, Gomeliel, a teacher of the law, held in respect by all the people commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while, and he said, Man of Israel, Take'll take a step back here, men of Israel.
Take heed yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men, and then he talks about.
There's been other men that have risen up and have had followers, and they died, and they're followers scattered.
And it was gone, or this other person, same thing happen. And then he says, Now I say to you, keep away from these men, and let them alone, for if this plan or this work is of man, it will come to nothing.
But if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it, lest you even be found to fight against God.
This is the kind of temperate, clear-headed.
Wise caution that we see here example there in that passage.
Back in first, Timothy. We'll finish up here.
Sober minded, of well balanced mind, draws wise conclusions.
Don't rush to judgment. Don't jump to conclusions.
We need all the facts. Give me all of the facts first, you know something that happens more and more that we see is we get a little, maybe a video clip about five-second video clip of something terrible happening.
And everyone jumps to conclusions. They have noise.
It's completely out of context. Next thing you know, there's riots happening in the streets, and then you find out later.
Well, actually, if you saw the the first few minutes of that video that we didn't see yet, and it gives it context.
And we really know what happened. So sober minded doesn't rush to judgment, doesn't jump to conclusions, waits until they see all the evidence, and then you make a decision of what happen.
Good behavior, the next one good behavior, wise in conduct, an orderly, disciplined life.
Disciplined thoughts leading to discipline, dignified behavior.
That's good behavior. It's orderly, hospitable.
Next hospitable, or this is interesting. Phyllo Xenos is the Greek word Phyllo, xinose, or I'm sorry.
Filial Xenos. So love of the stranger, that's what hospitable means love of the stranger, you know there's a word that you may know xenophobia right?
Xenophobia means to fear the stranger, to fear those that are out from the outside.
But as Christians we ought to Filial Xenos, we ought to love the stranger, being hospitable, and think about, you know, during persecution it might be very dangerous to open your home.
The authorities may see you being hospitable to people that are being persecuted, they may target your home, or there's all sorts of things that happen.
But we need to be loving the stranger, and we know that from Hebrews 13, that we may be entertaining angels.
So next.
Able to teach, able to teach. So this is one of the main differences between the qualifications the overseer and qualifications of the deacons, the elders have the responsibility to be able to teach.
Now I don't believe this is necessarily that you are gifted in teaching, although that certainly can be but a readiness to teach.
Having knowledge, not only having the knowledge, but be able to impart the knowledge.
So we all should be able to open up the Word of God, and share with some something very simple.
The gospel, we all should be able to do that.
We all should be ready, whether it's formally or informally to be able to open up the word and share and teach someone something.
And you know something else I want to say, too, is these qualifications.
These are all character traits. These are character. It's not necessarily, you know.
Whiz! Bang! You know, gifts it's character that's what's important in these things.
There's an assumption that we all have a gift.
Everyone has a gift. So what is of importance is character.
With that gift.
Next not given to wine, not addicted to wine, or my understanding is the the word here has to do with someone who sits at wine for extended periods of time, with an empty holding it out.
Come on! Keep filling it. Come on, don't stop that's kind of the idea.
It's someone who's constantly sitting at wine with an empty cup wanting it refilled belly up to the bar right?
So, you know, really, when we think about that, it's it's the lack of self control.
It's really shameful. Lose all sense of propriety, lose inhibitions all these sorts of things, public displays.
It's often very rude, and actually it can become violent.
That's the next. The next one violence. These are related.
It's not a quincidence, you know, that we ought not to be violent.
Are we ready for the fight? Are we always ready for a fight?
Just waiting for one small disagreements or disrespect, and you're ready to go.
Now next, now some of your translations may be different. The King James and the new King James, has next not greedy for money.
Some of your translations may not have that, but that's actually, if you look at the end of verse 3, it says not covetous, but that literally is not loving money.
So it's kind of saying the same thing there. So it's just a different order.
But I think it says here, not given to wine, not violent, but gentle.
So it's the opposite gentle, patient.
Having a sense of fairness, reasonableness not requiring exactness from people not irritable.
We need to give people room consideration of people's feelings.
Should not be easily angered or frustrated. Having kids, I'm sure if you have kids, you can understand.
What that is to be easily angered or frustrated.
You know, when they do things they know they're not supposed to do.
That is, you can become you're irritated with that when they don't know things that you think they should know.
Now? How am I patient with that, or am I demanding, how do I behave in that kind of situation?
We need to be patient and gentle. Think about this, Lord Supper.
Sometimes sometimes somebody will get up and they'll say something that's not quite exactly right.
You know, and maybe we all kind of know that they meant to say, you know, it's really we're not going to come down hard on that.
You know, if somebody gets up and they say something, and I know they're saying they know what they're saying, and it is dishonouring to the Lord absolutely.
But we cannot be an offender for a word choke on a nap, but swallow a camel.
So we give people room. We know what they meant. That kind of thing, not quarrelsome, not ready to argue, argumentative, contentious, not easily provoked.
That's not quarrelsome.
And I am almost done here. Not covetous lover of silver what that means, actually, lover of silver, love of money can can cause all sorts of compromise.
If, the growth in the ministry is about myself, my own ego, I will capitulate.
I will water down the message, I will dilute it because I want more people I'm just a hireling in John 10, and when the wolf comes a hiring fleas, the second Peter says the false prophets make merchandise of the lord's people they look at
people and see dollar signs. Hey? This person, if I get this many people at my church.
That means this much money. We have nothing to do with that versus 4 to 5 rules his house.
Well, we ought to rule our house well, as fathers do not exasperate your children have unrealistic standards, performance based acceptance, inconsistent standards.
These are all things that will exasperate your children.
No, we need to be men that rule are house, and then it says, if a man knows not how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the Church of God?
Not a novice. So the novice is someone who's newly sprung up.
It's like a plant popping up out of the ground, newly sprung up.
A new, inexperienced believer. It could be a young person, it could be an older person who just got saved.
It's a novice, you know. Generally young people.
I know because I used to be one of them. I didn't know enough to know that I didn't know anything when you start learning things.
You realize I don't know anything you know. It's very humiliating, humbling to understand that you don't know anything, but somehow you think that you do know a bunch of things because you read a book or something.
So it's puffed up. Not a novice less being puffed up with pride, he fall into the condemnation.
The same condemnation of the devil. And you remember the devil, he said, I will ascend.
I will be a and that's that pride.
And before after pride comes a great fall, and then, lastly, a good testimony among those on the outside.
Moreover, he must have a good Testament among those who are outside.
Are you a good boss? Are you a good employee?
Are you a good neighbor? People on the outside? Do they know you?
What do they think about you? You know you have to.
We should have a good testimony. I remember real quick one last story that I'm done about 15 years ago I got a job with this man who started a business, and he well, actually he started it before that I came on board 15 years ago.
But he started this business, and he worked hard to develop a brand and a reputation in the marketplace that he was quality and he was a straight shooter and provided great service to his customers, and he had this great brand any highired me, and you know he gave me a card, with his logo on
it and I was thinking like, Whoa! This guy trusts me.
He trusts me to have to go forth with his brand, and providing these great services that his customers are used to.
And I'm I'm representing him. I better make sure that everything I do is right on the money, and I'm a straight shooter.
How much more as believers ought we to be like that?
And boy, tell you what the enemy loves. When Christians fall, you know wasn't that long ago?
Where a pastor, at probably the biggest church in southeastern Wisconsin, fell into adulthood.
The enemy loves that. How many of these televangelists in the past that we've seen that fell into sin and and the world loves it.
They make fun of it. If they bring, they bring dishonor to the Lord, they discredit the Gospel.
So, how we live, how we, how we conduct ourselves in the church, how we live in the outside world, how we function in our family, are all so important as we attempt to honor the Lord with our lives so those were the qualifications of the overseers.
So let's pray Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time.
We thank you for your word. We thank you that we can read it and be encouraged and enlightened.
Heavenly Father, I pray that you would be with us now this day help us to go forth into this world.
Continuing to be a testimony for you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray Amen.
Is dismissed.