WEBVTT 00:00:00.719 --> 00:00:02.479 Take your Bible and go to the book of Titus. 00:00:02.799 --> 00:00:03.839 The book of Titus. 00:00:04.639 --> 00:00:08.000 We're in our second message through this book that we just started. 00:00:08.560 --> 00:00:10.880 We'll be in it for about three or four months together. 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:12.800 It's a glorious book. 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:20.719 As I said last week, it falls in line with the flow of our messages and series over the past few years. 00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:33.679 As we looked at the servant prophesied in Isaiah and the pro the servant revealed in Matthew, and here we're seeing in Titus the servant embodied in gospel order in the life of his people. 00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:42.320 And we'll be looking at a passage particularly that shows what that gospel order looks like as we begin to think about how to set leadership within a church. 00:00:43.039 --> 00:00:56.240 But before we open up Titus together, I just want to bring ourselves to a remembrance of things that several of us have witnessed in recent years, things that have been painful and difficult and even sobering to experience. 00:00:57.359 --> 00:01:07.519 We've seen on the public stage what happens when a ministry fails because giftedness is given a higher priority than godliness. 00:01:08.319 --> 00:01:26.079 And when charisma is given far greater significance than character, and when the appearance of strength or the seductive view of expertise covers over a complete absence of holiness. 00:01:27.280 --> 00:01:32.799 Some of you might have heard of the name Mark Driscoll, who was a pastor in the Pacific Northwest. 00:01:33.439 --> 00:01:43.920 He was in the papers in a lot of places, national papers, and drew attention to his bold, energetic, and even brash manner. 00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:48.319 People came there in droves. 00:01:49.359 --> 00:01:52.640 But eventually that ministry collapsed. 00:01:52.879 --> 00:02:05.439 It collapsed under the weight of anger and intimidation and the strength and pattern of bullying in the leadership rather than the gentleness and humility that scripture requires. 00:02:06.959 --> 00:02:17.120 Others have sat back shocked when they heard about uh Bill Hybels and the allegations against him and Willow Creek Community Church in the Chicago area. 00:02:17.759 --> 00:02:25.520 A church where polished leadership models took the precedence, where expertise was a key word. 00:02:26.240 --> 00:02:30.960 All of it masked deep fractures of integrity. 00:02:32.080 --> 00:02:39.840 And closer to our home and within more of our circles, I would say, were men like Steve Lawson and Art Arzudia. 00:02:40.400 --> 00:02:50.400 These are men who preached Christ with passion, who seemed to hold the Bible up with high regard, but whose lives contradicted the holiness that they proclaimed. 00:02:52.159 --> 00:03:02.879 I don't mention these things simply to cast stones, but to remind us that truth, there is a truth in this that we dare not ignore. 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:20.240 That charisma cannot overshadow character, that giftedness cannot be elevated above godliness, that the appearance of success cannot be a cloak over the absence of holiness. 00:03:20.639 --> 00:03:33.520 Because every time it is, eventually the church is going to be harmed, people are going to be wounded, trust is going to be broken, the gospel of Christ is going to be shadowed, and the name of Christ is going to be dishonored. 00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:37.280 Paul understood this danger. 00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:57.360 And so he's speaking to Titus, to these young, vulnerable churches that are surrounded by a culture that admires strength and rhetoric and influence, and he's telling them here's the answer for gospel order in the middle of this church. 00:03:57.599 --> 00:04:01.680 And so he writes to Titus, look at verse 5, with this urgency. 00:04:03.039 --> 00:04:11.840 The reason I left you in Crete was to set things right and to set right what was left undone. 00:04:12.800 --> 00:04:17.600 And as I directed you to appoint elders in every town. 00:04:19.199 --> 00:04:21.360 What is important here is gospel order. 00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:26.399 What is here is God's appointed means of leadership to bring about that gospel order. 00:04:27.120 --> 00:04:38.639 And as we'll see today, as we look at this passage of scripture, Paul is not calling Titus to find impressive men, powerful men, men who can draw a crowd. 00:04:39.600 --> 00:04:43.199 No, what he's prescribing are godly men. 00:04:44.079 --> 00:04:50.000 Men who have been shaped by the gospel, shaped by what they proclaim. 00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:54.800 And what Paul is giving here is not a leadership manual. 00:04:54.879 --> 00:05:04.240 We're not to read this like this is some sort of text manual for leadership, but rather as a pastoral safeguard for us as God's people. 00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:15.759 Because God is giving us this order in order that we might be free from the dangers that surround us in the culture that's in this world. 00:05:16.639 --> 00:05:24.319 That we would be able to shine, because we're protected people from those things, the beauty of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 00:05:26.959 --> 00:05:34.240 That we might have godly leadership that anchors us in truth and love and holiness and peace. 00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:45.519 And so as we walk through Titus, particularly these verses that we'll be looking at five to seven this morning and eight next week, I want us to hear Paul's words. 00:05:45.920 --> 00:05:55.920 They're not just ancient wisdom from a distant culture, but they are wisdom for us right where we are, right now, in our moment. 00:05:57.199 --> 00:06:08.240 So let's take a look at what Christ does to safeguard his people as he gives us leaders who are marked by Christ's holiness and Christ's humility and Christ's grace. 00:06:08.879 --> 00:06:19.759 Because if we want to be a church that continues to stand for truth and to grow in holiness and to display the beauty of Christ, we must be the kind of church that's shaped by this gospel order. 00:06:21.199 --> 00:06:27.920 And so with this vision before us, let's step into it and see how Paul unpacks Christ's orders for his household. 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:31.120 And the first thing I want us to notice is just that. 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:37.279 How Christ declares who we are, his order for his household. 00:06:37.439 --> 00:06:38.959 Now we read verse 5. 00:06:40.079 --> 00:06:46.160 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you could put into place the things that are lacking here. 00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:52.560 But you'll notice Paul isn't reaching into the language of business or organizational strategy. 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:10.800 He's speaking about something in a metaphor that we need to anchor our hearts in. 00:07:10.879 --> 00:07:11.839 Look at verse 7. 00:07:14.079 --> 00:07:18.399 As an overseer of God's household. 00:07:20.879 --> 00:07:22.560 That's a key word. 00:07:23.199 --> 00:07:27.759 The basic social relational structure of the ancient world. 00:07:28.079 --> 00:07:30.079 God's household. 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:38.879 And we need to slow down for just a minute here because if we gloss past this word, we're going to miss the weight of what Paul is saying. 00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:44.000 Metaphors matter. 00:07:44.959 --> 00:07:51.839 Metaphors do two things for us, especially when we see this metaphor in relationship to who we are. 00:07:52.639 --> 00:07:54.560 We are God's household. 00:07:54.800 --> 00:08:00.079 And what that does is it gives us an identity in which we can understand who we are. 00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:09.759 And it also projects for us a course of action so that we might know how to conduct ourselves and live out our lives. 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:12.079 Metaphors matter. 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:20.480 And this metaphor is extremely important for us to be able to understand how we are supposed to be as God's people. 00:08:21.199 --> 00:08:24.560 And in the Greco-Roman world, they would have understood this completely. 00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:35.759 They would have understood exactly what Paul was talking about when they read these words to Titus in order to conduct themselves in a particular way among God's household. 00:08:36.559 --> 00:08:40.000 What is a household in the Greco-Roman world? 00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:46.080 Well, it was more than just a nuclear family like we understand it. 00:08:46.320 --> 00:09:02.639 Yes, it included parents and children, but it also included extended relatives, it also included the servants, it also included apprentices, it also included laborers who were all within the context of one particular household. 00:09:04.159 --> 00:09:13.600 It was a place where people were fed, where they were taught, where they were corrected, where they were protected, where they were formed. 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:29.440 A household in the Greco-Roman world had an order and it had oversight, and it had someone responsible for ensuring that the life of that household held value for the society at large. 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:34.000 And for Jewish people, the household carried an even deeper meaning. 00:09:34.799 --> 00:09:51.519 Because it was within the center of the household life where the scriptures were taught, where the children learned the fear of the Lord, where hospitality was practiced, and where the rhythms of a life of faith in God were lived out day after day. 00:09:52.879 --> 00:09:58.240 Now think about that for just a second, in the contrast to how we understand a household. 00:09:59.120 --> 00:10:04.960 Lived in England for many years, and in England they say every man's house is his castle. 00:10:05.919 --> 00:10:08.399 And if you're English, you put a moat around that castle. 00:10:09.679 --> 00:10:13.279 And inside that castle, it's your domain. 00:10:13.679 --> 00:10:20.000 And we think about it as a place of privacy rather than responsibility. 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:27.679 We think of it as a place of retreat rather than formation and shaping. 00:10:29.519 --> 00:10:46.240 And so when Paul calls the church God's household, we don't immediately grab hold of it, and we lose the ability to understand the category that he's referring to here when he says that we are God's household. 00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:59.279 And if we gloss over this metaphor, we're going to look for the metaphors that we're accustomed to seeing and perhaps even experiencing in our culture today. 00:11:00.559 --> 00:11:11.440 We'll misunderstand them to such a degree that we'll pull in other metaphors to shape who we are, ignoring God's metaphor. 00:11:12.320 --> 00:11:29.200 And so we'll assume that elders must be the most winsome of people, the most charismatic, the most business savvy, the most assertive, the most visionary, or perhaps just the strongest personality in the room. 00:11:30.799 --> 00:11:31.360 Why? 00:11:32.240 --> 00:11:40.799 Because we've taken a metaphor of the business world or of celebrities and have said that's what a pastor should be and that's what an elder ought to be. 00:11:42.240 --> 00:11:43.600 But God says no. 00:11:44.559 --> 00:11:48.799 Because God's not building a co a corporation. 00:11:49.039 --> 00:11:53.679 God is building a spiritual family, He's building a household. 00:11:54.639 --> 00:11:56.799 And what do families need? 00:11:58.720 --> 00:12:03.440 They need a shepherd, not an executive. 00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:08.080 They need a counselor, not a celebrity. 00:12:08.960 --> 00:12:10.480 What does a family need? 00:12:10.720 --> 00:12:17.279 They need a father with character, not just a person of charisma. 00:12:17.840 --> 00:12:21.840 And how often have we seen the brokenness of families in Hollywood? 00:12:22.080 --> 00:12:27.200 How often have we seen the shattered lives of those who are in the C-suites? 00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:37.120 How often have we felt the reverberating effect of families whose fathers are led by giftedness rather than character? 00:12:37.759 --> 00:12:45.039 And they feel like they can never ever attain the place of that charismatic father. 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:52.639 So Paul here is taking household imagery, and he's saying, This is who we are. 00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:54.000 We're a household. 00:12:54.720 --> 00:13:02.000 And he's giving Titus this radical understanding of leadership within that metaphor, that context. 00:13:03.200 --> 00:13:12.240 And so, elders here, we're not here to build a brand, and we're not to be using God's word as a platform. 00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:30.159 We're here to help God's family grow and take up their responsibilities, shaped by the word, ordered by God's decrees, led by his spirit, to be a display of the beauty of the gospel in this world. 00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:45.279 And so, before Titus gets into the deeper meaning of what it means to strengthen this church or to call people to godly life and living, he wants us to have set in place what it means for us to have the right kind of leadership. 00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:48.879 It's important. 00:13:50.159 --> 00:14:06.720 I learned a valuable lesson one day in the middle of one of the most difficult days of my life, where I was in the middle of a meeting in which my character was besmirched and where people were visibly and vocally opposing me as a pastor. 00:14:07.919 --> 00:14:14.320 And the best I could, I tried to be as kind and generous and gracious as I could be in the midst of that moment. 00:14:15.279 --> 00:14:20.399 And there was a man from the church, and some of you have heard me tell this uh by the name of Cody. 00:14:20.720 --> 00:14:23.279 Now, Cody was a medical doctor, he was an anesthesiologist. 00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:26.399 In fact, he was the head of anesthesiology at the hospital. 00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:31.440 And his email address will give you an understanding of how he thought about himself. 00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:34.960 Commander Cody was his was his email address. 00:14:35.200 --> 00:14:37.679 So he, you know, your typical doctor, right? 00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:46.320 You know, he thought he was the smartest guy in the room in every room he went into. 00:14:46.480 --> 00:14:48.480 And he probably was, actually. 00:14:51.120 --> 00:14:55.600 And he came up to me and he looked at me with this quizzical look for about 10 seconds. 00:14:55.679 --> 00:15:03.279 And it's a little uncomfortable when somebody looks at you kind of sideways, you know, for 10 seconds without saying anything. 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:04.960 And like, hi, Cody. 00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:09.440 And he said, You're gracious. 00:15:12.720 --> 00:15:16.320 Cody, we're all supposed to be gracious. 00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:18.559 He said, No, no, no, no, no, no. 00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:20.559 You're you're gracious. 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:26.879 I never knew what gracious looked like, but now I know. 00:15:27.600 --> 00:15:29.360 Now I know what it means. 00:15:31.279 --> 00:15:40.799 That is much, much more important than any other leadership statement or action or decision I could have made. 00:15:41.039 --> 00:15:49.120 Because it radically altered this man's life to be shaped like Jesus. 00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:57.200 This is what leadership's meant to do, and this is why Titus is meant to start here. 00:15:57.840 --> 00:16:05.600 Paul says, appoint elders who will bring gospel order to God's household. 00:16:06.720 --> 00:16:21.759 Because it's not about hierarchy, it's not about control, it's not about authority, it's about making sure that through this ministry of care and protection and nurturing of holiness, Jesus Christ is on display by all of his people. 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:29.519 That's what to ensure that the church reflects the character of the one who bought it by his own blood. 00:16:31.279 --> 00:16:34.399 So let's take a look at how he gets into this. 00:16:35.200 --> 00:16:39.039 And where he begins shouldn't surprise us. 00:16:39.360 --> 00:16:43.120 He begins with the elder's household. 00:16:44.159 --> 00:16:45.440 Makes sense, right? 00:16:45.759 --> 00:16:58.320 If God's people are God's household, then those who are going to be in a place of influence in God's household must have already shown a consistency in their own household. 00:16:58.879 --> 00:17:00.080 It starts there. 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:01.840 Take a look at verse 6. 00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:14.880 An elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife, with faithful children who are not accused of wildness or rebellion, as an overseer of God's household. 00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:36.720 So when Paul digs into this for Titus and says, this is what you're to look for in these men that you're to put in place, he doesn't start with preaching ability, he doesn't start with theological training or acumen, he doesn't start with leadership gifts, he starts with a house. 00:17:37.279 --> 00:17:38.799 He starts with their home. 00:17:40.079 --> 00:17:42.079 And that's not accidental. 00:17:43.359 --> 00:17:48.640 Because everything that Paul is saying here is rooted in this household terminology. 00:17:49.519 --> 00:17:59.920 Because the church is God's household, and the first place you want to look to see if a man is fit to be in a place of influence in God's household, you look at his household. 00:18:00.319 --> 00:18:01.279 Take a look at it. 00:18:02.559 --> 00:18:05.759 Because this is where his character is exposed. 00:18:06.400 --> 00:18:11.920 This is where his authority has been exercised in all the little decisions. 00:18:12.480 --> 00:18:19.359 This is where relationships have been nurtured, and this is where order has been maintained. 00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:23.680 The home is the man's proving ground. 00:18:24.640 --> 00:18:28.960 It reveals who he truly is, not what he appears to be in public. 00:18:29.920 --> 00:18:36.400 What he's like when nobody's there to applaud, but everybody sees him as he is. 00:18:37.599 --> 00:18:39.200 So let's take a look at this. 00:18:39.359 --> 00:18:41.359 First of all, he must be above reproach. 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:45.680 No, we'll spend a little more time with this in just a moment because it's repeated. 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:52.960 But it doesn't mean, first of all, that if a man is above reproach, that he is perfect. 00:18:53.759 --> 00:18:54.720 Perfect. 00:18:56.880 --> 00:18:58.400 What does it mean though? 00:18:58.720 --> 00:19:05.920 It means that there's no glaring contradiction between his private life and his public life. 00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:14.319 It means that there's not a tangible way of grabbing a hold of him and saying he lacks integrity. 00:19:15.519 --> 00:19:19.920 And it's in contradiction to how he presents himself. 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:27.279 That he's the same person in the living room as he is in the pulpit. 00:19:29.119 --> 00:19:29.759 The household. 00:19:30.880 --> 00:19:32.880 Take a look at the next phrase there. 00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:36.559 The husband of one wife. 00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:39.200 Now, literally, a one-woman man. 00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:42.400 This is not about marital status. 00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:44.799 It's not like he's saying, Um, are you married? 00:19:45.359 --> 00:19:45.680 Yes? 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:46.319 Good. 00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:47.680 Got that one ticked off. 00:19:47.759 --> 00:19:48.960 Let's let's go to the next one. 00:19:49.920 --> 00:19:57.920 It's it's about faithfulness of heart rather than status of marriage. 00:19:58.160 --> 00:19:59.279 Single married. 00:20:00.480 --> 00:20:05.680 Those things might be part of it, but the core focus is on this. 00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:13.759 The man must be faithful in heart, faithful in mind, faithful in conduct. 00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:43.519 His marriage must not be a performance, but a place where he lives his life in such a way that his wife is secure, and that women in the church know that they are not the object of this man's seduction, and therefore they too can be secure, because that man is a one woman man. 00:20:46.079 --> 00:20:48.960 Now he moves deeper into the household. 00:20:50.319 --> 00:21:01.359 And here he says this blameless, the husband of one wife, with faithful children who are not accused of wildness, rebellion. 00:21:01.920 --> 00:21:09.680 An earlier version of the CSB and other translations translate this word as believing, that an elder must have believing children. 00:21:09.920 --> 00:21:15.680 And in this revision in the CSB, they've made it faithful children. 00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:17.839 And I think that's probably the better translation. 00:21:19.839 --> 00:21:27.440 Faithful, trustworthy, well-ordered, even obedient children is the idea. 00:21:28.319 --> 00:21:32.559 And the context is unmistakable when you see it. 00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:41.920 Because Paul is not telling Titus to try to discern the regenerate heart of every child of every elder that's going to be appointed. 00:21:42.079 --> 00:21:44.160 Something none of us can see. 00:21:47.759 --> 00:21:53.519 Instead, he gives an explanation of it here. 00:21:54.079 --> 00:21:55.680 Take a look at the verse. 00:21:57.279 --> 00:21:59.519 Faithful children who are. 00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:09.920 Not accused of wildness or rebellion that are not marked by debauchery or insubordination. 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:19.119 And this little phrase is what is an exploit explanatory phrase that gives us an understanding of the definition of this term. 00:22:20.319 --> 00:22:24.160 And so Paul is talking about conduct here, not conversion. 00:22:24.240 --> 00:22:26.960 He's talking about order, not regeneration. 00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:34.480 He's talking about the fruit of a father's shepherding presence, not the secret work of the spirit in the heart of a child. 00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:38.240 And this becomes even clearer. 00:22:38.720 --> 00:22:43.839 My watch is talking to me, so better tell it to be quiet. 00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:49.119 There we go. 00:22:52.160 --> 00:23:05.359 What he's saying here is that the Father's presence in the home should be such that his children, though they may not have the faith of the Father, they have the respect of the Father. 00:23:06.079 --> 00:23:24.480 They live a life that's within the context of the Father's leadership, so that they are not standing in flagrant disregard of it, a life of debauchery, and they're not living in angry conflict with it by way of rebellion. 00:23:27.519 --> 00:23:48.240 So Paul is saying that if a man knows how to bring this kind of order, this kind of dignity, this kind of respect, this kind of responsiveness within his home, then he's going to be suitable to be in a place where he can do the same thing among the larger household of faith. 00:23:49.759 --> 00:24:09.119 So the children are glad, willing, submissive parts of the household that this man oversees, where his leadership is marked by love, where it's marked by consistency, where it's marked by care, where it's marked by wisdom. 00:24:10.640 --> 00:24:12.960 And so this is why Paul begins at the home. 00:24:14.640 --> 00:24:17.839 This is where the man's leadership is tested. 00:24:18.559 --> 00:24:20.720 This is where his character is revealed. 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:25.119 This is where his ability to shepherd is put on display. 00:24:26.640 --> 00:24:33.680 And it's important, as I said, because if there are leaders whose homes are in disarray, the church is going to be in disarray. 00:24:35.119 --> 00:24:40.480 If there's leaders where their homes are neglected, the church is going to be neglected. 00:24:41.279 --> 00:24:51.279 If there are homes where the homes are spiritually barren, the church is going to feel the reverberations of that kind of leadership, and they too are eventually going to be spiritually barren. 00:24:53.200 --> 00:24:55.279 And so he says, look at the home. 00:25:11.119 --> 00:25:12.960 This is for every single one of us. 00:25:13.920 --> 00:25:14.400 Why? 00:25:15.119 --> 00:25:18.160 Because the gospel is meant to shape our homes. 00:25:18.720 --> 00:25:19.200 Right? 00:25:19.920 --> 00:25:22.480 The gospel is meant to shape our marriages. 00:25:22.720 --> 00:25:25.279 The gospel is meant to shape our parenting. 00:25:25.680 --> 00:25:33.920 The gospel is meant to shape our character so that we might live out our lives with love and constancy and dignity and wisdom. 00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:48.720 That we are to be who we say we are, that we are to be consistent, so that no one could grab a hold of us and say you're living a contradictory life to what you proclaim yourself to be. 00:25:50.559 --> 00:25:56.559 Because the beauty of Christ is meant to be displayed not just in the elders, but all of us. 00:25:56.880 --> 00:26:07.920 As we'll see later in the book of Titus, adorn the gospel, beautify the gospel by the way you conduct yourself in your daily activity at work, for instance. 00:26:09.759 --> 00:26:19.519 So Paul begins here, not with gifting, but with a witness of character, not with ability, but with faithfulness. 00:26:19.920 --> 00:26:28.319 Not with this public ministry of charisma, but with private, constant, consistent character. 00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:32.240 Now let's see what that looks like. 00:26:33.039 --> 00:26:36.880 Let's dig in just a little bit different, a little more deeply here. 00:26:39.039 --> 00:26:40.640 Take a look at verse 7. 00:26:40.960 --> 00:26:54.000 An overseer of God's household, he must be blameless, not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not an excessive drinker, not a bully, not greedy for money. 00:26:54.799 --> 00:27:02.559 So he moves from the observable character of the household to now the observable character of the heart. 00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:11.680 And again, he's not looking for perfection here, but for patterns of behavior. 00:27:11.920 --> 00:27:17.759 And therefore, he starts with this idea that in God's household he must be blameless. 00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:26.240 But before we get to the blameless term again, let me reiterate this term God's household. 00:27:28.720 --> 00:27:32.160 This is not the elder's household. 00:27:33.119 --> 00:27:36.160 This is not the pastor's household. 00:27:36.799 --> 00:27:41.039 This is not the TV preacher's household. 00:27:41.440 --> 00:27:45.839 This is not the radio ministry's speaker's household. 00:27:45.920 --> 00:27:47.279 Whose household is it? 00:27:48.160 --> 00:27:49.519 God's household. 00:27:51.200 --> 00:27:59.920 This is not his ministry, his platform, his agenda, his name, his bank account. 00:28:00.559 --> 00:28:02.880 It's God's household. 00:28:04.720 --> 00:28:11.359 Which means that those who are in leadership must recognize that they are under a greater leader. 00:28:12.000 --> 00:28:15.920 They are under the chief shepherd under whom they serve. 00:28:16.160 --> 00:28:27.119 And that it is his household and his will and his agenda and his glory and his purposes that are to be enacted. 00:28:27.759 --> 00:28:33.279 Which means in every way this they must be guided by the revealed word of God. 00:28:33.599 --> 00:28:38.400 And ensure that what God once done is what is done. 00:28:39.599 --> 00:28:54.160 And that those things that lie outside of God's express word are places for wisdom and humility as they seek to operate within this context that it is God's household. 00:28:55.039 --> 00:28:56.240 So who do we look for? 00:28:56.400 --> 00:29:02.480 When we look for people who will do that, well, they must be blameless or above reproach. 00:29:02.640 --> 00:29:13.839 Again, free from those kind of patterns that would lead them to a public call of a lack of integrity that would bring confusion to the church. 00:29:15.039 --> 00:29:17.519 A life that is whole and consistent. 00:29:17.839 --> 00:29:24.960 And then Paul gives us these knots here, these dangers that disqualify a man. 00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:33.200 Not accused of being these kind of people. 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:39.920 Arrogant, hot-tempered, excessive drinker, a bully, are greedy for money. 00:29:41.279 --> 00:29:44.079 Let's begin with the first one, not arrogant. 00:29:44.559 --> 00:29:45.920 Not arrogant. 00:29:48.160 --> 00:29:56.000 God wants a person to lead the church who is full of him and not of themselves. 00:29:57.839 --> 00:30:02.319 Because pride is a poison in the household of God. 00:30:03.519 --> 00:30:08.160 An arrogant man is going to crush weak people. 00:30:08.799 --> 00:30:12.960 An arrogant man is going to silence hurting people. 00:30:13.440 --> 00:30:18.240 An arrogant man is going to use compliant people. 00:30:19.359 --> 00:30:21.759 But a humble man would never do that. 00:30:24.319 --> 00:30:29.759 An arrogant man will make the ministry about himself rather than about Christ. 00:30:31.200 --> 00:30:38.319 So you look for someone who is deferential, who is caring, who is humble of heart. 00:30:39.440 --> 00:30:42.160 He goes on to say, not hot-tempered. 00:30:44.799 --> 00:30:49.920 Not given to eruptions of anger. 00:30:51.599 --> 00:30:55.200 The flock needs patience, not volatility. 00:30:57.359 --> 00:31:03.680 Because a man who cannot be trusted with his temper cannot be trusted with souls. 00:31:04.079 --> 00:31:08.799 If he can't control his temper, he certainly can't lead people. 00:31:14.160 --> 00:31:15.920 I grew up in that kind of household. 00:31:16.559 --> 00:31:20.319 My dad didn't control his temper a bit. 00:31:21.119 --> 00:31:26.799 And it would flare and fire in any place at any point in time. 00:31:28.079 --> 00:31:49.759 And it was a shameful, humbling, and fearful place to be when you're walking around in the middle of a department store, and the only voice that can be heard, even above the sound of the announcements coming from the mic the speakers in the ceiling, was my dad bellowing about something he was upset about. 00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:54.720 And if he did that in public, he certainly did that at home. 00:31:57.839 --> 00:32:06.880 Outbursts of anger create fear, distancing, anxiety, withdrawal, hurt. 00:32:08.559 --> 00:32:15.279 Not the kind of openness and the growth in Christ that God intends for his church to have. 00:32:47.119 --> 00:32:55.440 Because a man who numbs himself is not going to be keen enough to have the wisdom to bring clarity in the lives of others. 00:32:56.960 --> 00:33:08.640 A man who lacks self-control is not going to be the kind of person you want to live among with the dignity and order that God's household needs. 00:33:11.279 --> 00:33:22.079 And so a shepherd of God's household must be clear-minded, must be ready for action, and must be free from anything that controls his character. 00:33:24.240 --> 00:33:30.160 So his comp he doesn't compromise his integrity and it doesn't dull his judgment. 00:33:31.519 --> 00:33:32.960 Take a look at the next one. 00:33:34.000 --> 00:33:35.039 Not a bully. 00:33:36.400 --> 00:33:37.359 Not a bully. 00:34:22.800 --> 00:34:30.639 Not because they had committed any sin whatsoever, but simply because they had not fallen, followed, fall, fallen in line. 00:34:30.960 --> 00:34:31.760 Fallen in line? 00:34:31.840 --> 00:34:32.639 Is that the right word? 00:34:32.960 --> 00:34:36.880 Fallen in line with the dictates of the pastor. 00:34:37.679 --> 00:34:40.559 And the pastor ousted them from the church. 00:34:40.639 --> 00:34:44.639 And they came here broken and wounded people. 00:34:46.400 --> 00:34:49.440 And they sat among us for several months. 00:34:49.679 --> 00:35:12.639 And I said to them, It doesn't matter at all if you get to the place where this may not be the church you want to join, but if this can be simply a place where you can let go of all of that hurt and pain and simply be able to hear the word of God with a sincere and clear mind and heart until you're whole again. 00:35:12.880 --> 00:35:20.639 And then you can move forward and maybe here, maybe somewhere else, but serve God the way you can. 00:35:21.920 --> 00:35:24.079 They had been bruised by a bully. 00:35:24.800 --> 00:35:31.920 They had been abruptly accosted by a man's devious strength of personality. 00:35:34.559 --> 00:35:40.639 The shepherd's staff is meant for guarding and guiding, not striking. 00:35:42.559 --> 00:35:44.639 Let's take a look at the last one. 00:35:46.480 --> 00:35:49.280 Not greedy for money. 00:35:50.239 --> 00:35:51.519 It's obvious, isn't it? 00:35:51.760 --> 00:35:56.880 A man who's greedy for money is eventually going to use people in order to gain it. 00:35:57.679 --> 00:36:04.480 But a man who loves Christ is going to use himself up and his resources up to serve people. 00:36:15.840 --> 00:36:19.760 As he brought me to see Nikolai, and we spent some time in prayer with him. 00:36:20.719 --> 00:36:24.320 And as he kindly took me to lunch and we enjoyed a meal together. 00:36:24.880 --> 00:36:38.400 Who then joined together with Pat to visit her mother, who was on the phone more than once during the course of that time to talk to another church member in need and to try to find a way to help. 00:36:39.360 --> 00:36:46.559 A person who's taking time and resources and energy in order to care for others. 00:36:47.920 --> 00:36:51.840 Because greed corrupts the soul and it will destroy ministry. 00:36:53.599 --> 00:37:02.239 And Paul is saying these things must not be in the kind of men that you put in place in a church. 00:37:02.559 --> 00:37:11.599 These all these knots, if you will, are guardrails within which we are guided and guarded within the boundary markers here. 00:37:11.840 --> 00:37:18.800 Not greedy, not arrogant, not full of anger, not given to excess. 00:37:19.679 --> 00:37:20.320 This way. 00:37:27.679 --> 00:37:29.119 It needs holy men. 00:37:30.400 --> 00:37:34.400 It needs men whose lives are shaped by the grace of God. 00:37:35.599 --> 00:37:39.519 Men who reflect the heart of the shepherd, Jesus Christ. 00:37:40.559 --> 00:37:50.719 And so before he gets into the things that tell us what an elder needs to be, he needs to clear the landscape and say, this is what an elder should never be. 00:37:51.679 --> 00:37:53.360 Never be these things. 00:37:54.800 --> 00:37:56.559 And so next week we'll look at this. 00:37:56.719 --> 00:38:06.480 We'll look at what it means to be hospitable and loving the good and sensible and righteous and holy and self-controlled. 00:38:08.159 --> 00:38:11.679 Just for today, though, we want to clear that out for a little bit. 00:38:11.840 --> 00:38:13.920 But let me make just one more point. 00:38:14.480 --> 00:38:18.320 Because I don't want us to just focus on the elders as shepherds. 00:38:18.559 --> 00:38:22.159 I want us to focus on Jesus as the shepherd. 00:38:24.239 --> 00:38:27.760 Because we need to remember that this isn't just a checklist. 00:38:28.480 --> 00:38:34.320 This isn't just a list of performance metrics that the elders are meant to maintain. 00:38:35.599 --> 00:38:43.440 These qualifications are not arbitrary, they're not cultural, they're fixed and rooted in the person of Jesus Christ Himself. 00:38:45.519 --> 00:38:48.639 Because all of these things tell us who our Savior is. 00:38:49.440 --> 00:38:54.400 Because our Savior is the true overseer of this household. 00:38:55.119 --> 00:38:59.440 He is the faithful shepherd of this flock. 00:39:00.320 --> 00:39:18.559 He is the one who leads us always without arrogance, who loves us always without anger, who serves us always without self-indulgence, who protects us always without bullying, and who gives to us always without greed. 00:39:18.880 --> 00:39:21.599 What a beautiful Savior He is, isn't he? 00:39:21.920 --> 00:39:23.360 He's wonderful. 00:39:24.079 --> 00:39:25.920 You can clap, you can do it. 00:39:26.000 --> 00:39:30.079 It's like it didn't hurt, did it? 00:39:30.239 --> 00:39:30.880 Yeah. 00:39:32.719 --> 00:39:41.039 Because every not this, it's to clear the room for us to understand who our Savior actually is for us. 00:39:41.760 --> 00:39:43.920 And next week we'll see that even more. 00:39:47.440 --> 00:40:04.079 Paul is describing for Timothy a man who's shaped by Jesus, who's walked with Christ long enough and deeply enough, through enough trouble and the ebbs and flows of life for Christ to take root in him. 00:40:06.239 --> 00:40:08.159 This is why the home matters. 00:40:08.400 --> 00:40:09.840 This is why character matters. 00:40:09.920 --> 00:40:12.079 And this is why integrity matters. 00:40:12.400 --> 00:40:23.679 Because an elder is meant to be a living, breathing reminder, perhaps an imperfect one, but a reminder of who our Savior is. 00:40:25.599 --> 00:40:28.559 The elders' lives are not the source of our hope. 00:40:28.880 --> 00:40:29.920 Jesus is. 00:40:31.199 --> 00:40:34.559 The faithfulness of the elders is not the foundation of our church. 00:40:35.119 --> 00:40:36.800 His faithfulness is. 00:40:37.440 --> 00:40:40.639 The integrity of the elders is not the anchor of this household. 00:40:40.719 --> 00:40:43.679 It's his character and integrity that is. 00:40:43.840 --> 00:40:46.960 But there should be a link between the two. 00:40:49.360 --> 00:40:51.519 Next week, Paul's going to turn the corner. 00:40:53.119 --> 00:40:54.880 What are we to do with this then? 00:40:55.199 --> 00:41:09.840 As we step back from this passage and we ask ourselves, what is this vision of leadership that reflects the leaders' hearts and shapes and brings embodiment of Christ into the way that they conduct themselves? 00:41:10.800 --> 00:41:14.559 Well, first of all, remember this is not just marks for the spiritual elite. 00:41:14.639 --> 00:41:16.000 These are marks for all of us. 00:41:16.079 --> 00:41:17.440 That's key to remember. 00:41:18.800 --> 00:41:21.920 Also, it means that we should pray for our elders. 00:41:22.400 --> 00:41:32.639 We should pray that God would guard them in their homes and strengthen their marriages and steady their hearts and keep them away from these patterns that Paul is warning about. 00:41:33.920 --> 00:41:41.360 That they would lead the church with humility and patience and sobriety and gentleness and generosity and wisdom. 00:41:43.679 --> 00:41:50.639 We should examine our own lives and ask ourselves: is my home shaped by Christ? 00:41:50.960 --> 00:41:54.000 Is my heart guarded by Christ? 00:41:54.320 --> 00:41:57.920 Do I display the generosity of my Savior? 00:41:58.559 --> 00:42:01.599 Or am I filled with pride and greed or anger? 00:42:04.159 --> 00:42:09.760 And ultimately, we need to look up and remember our Savior. 00:42:10.239 --> 00:42:14.400 Remember, He's the one who protects us, He's the one who purifies us. 00:42:14.639 --> 00:42:19.280 He's the one who leads us, and He's the one who sustains us. 00:42:19.440 --> 00:42:22.000 And He's the one that deserves all our praise. 00:42:23.679 --> 00:42:25.360 We're not finished with this passage. 00:42:25.440 --> 00:42:38.480 We'll look at elders in part two next week, where we'll see the positive characteristics of hospitality and sensibility and righteousness and holiness and self-control. 00:42:39.599 --> 00:42:42.960 But for today, let this truth settle in your heart. 00:42:43.920 --> 00:42:49.519 Christ protects us by giving us the kind of leaders that look like him. 00:42:50.880 --> 00:42:51.679 Let's pray. 00:42:56.159 --> 00:42:58.400 Father, we come before you as your household. 00:42:59.519 --> 00:43:10.960 We come together before you as a people bought by the blood of Christ, who've been gathered by your mercy and grace, and who are kept by your constant, faithful love. 00:43:12.000 --> 00:43:26.800 And we thank you for Jesus Christ, our true overseer and faithful shepherd, who leads us without arrogance and loves us without anger and serves us without self-indulgence, who protects us and gives to us. 00:43:28.320 --> 00:43:33.119 Father, we pray that Christ would be stamped upon every one of our lives. 00:43:34.159 --> 00:43:39.440 And Lord, we do want to pray for those who are placed in positions of influence in this body. 00:43:40.719 --> 00:43:44.079 Lord, we pray that you would protect them and guard their homes. 00:43:45.119 --> 00:43:58.960 And Lord, you would make them one woman men, strengthen their marriages, steady their hearts, and keep them from these harmful patterns of behavior and shape them into the men who reflect the beauty of Christ. 00:44:00.000 --> 00:44:05.840 Make them gentle men, patient men, sober-minded men, generous men. 00:44:07.440 --> 00:44:19.199 Father, we pray for ourselves that our homes would have the same humility, that our hearts would be guarded by your spirit. 00:44:20.800 --> 00:44:36.400 And so we pray that you would make us a household that beautifies the gospel, a place where holiness is nurtured and encouraged among us all, a place where the weak can come and find their burdens lifted. 00:44:37.119 --> 00:44:42.719 A place where the sinful can receive and exercise forgiveness. 00:44:43.199 --> 00:44:48.719 A place where the truth is loved, a place where Christ is seen. 00:44:50.320 --> 00:45:04.960 Father, we pray that all of this would bring us into the place of confidence in you, who is our shepherd, the guardian of our souls, and the one who will never fail to lead his household well. 00:45:05.440 --> 00:45:08.239 And we ask all this in the name of Jesus Christ. 00:45:08.880 --> 00:45:09.519 Amen.