The Apostle Paul made it a high priority to appoint elders in local churches who would oversee and shepherd and care for the congregation according to God's word.
So, what should we look for in modern-day elders? We'll find out today on Truth for Life Weekend as we consider why marriage and parenting are the true testing grounds for leadership. Alastair Begg is teaching from Titus chapter one, beginning with verse five. If you read through the Acts of the Apostles, you will see that very quickly elders were being put in place in the church. And as you read through Paul on his missionary journeys, you find that he is not only going, first of all, to evangelize, but in many cases he is coming back in order to make sure that those who have now professed faith in Jesus, these fledgling groups of individuals, will then be galvanized and structured within the framework of leadership as God intends.
Now clearly this is a man-sized task. And it is not entrusted to an individual. but it is entrusted to a plurality of individuals. And when we read the New Testament, not only here but elsewhere, we discover that there is safety in numbers, safety in numbers. And the New Testament guards against the proclivity of an individual.
To seek to exercise a jurisdiction which is not theirs to exercise.
So it is a very happy thing. When at church Understands a biblical structure. But, and we'll move on from this. It is also vitally important that we recognize That structure alone. is not the issue.
You can have perfect structure in a dead body. And the vital thing is that it is the Spirit of God. filling out The framework that God has determined is to be the framework As he gives it to us. in His Word.
Well, that's enough concerning the function itself. You can come back to that on your own. Let's go immediately to the way in which he addresses the characteristics of these individuals. If anyone is above reproach, There you have it in verse 6, and then Verse 7 again, for an overseer, as God's steward must be above reproach.
So um We could use the word unimpeachable. Blameless. Above reproach. But we dare not use the word. Faultless.
or flawless. Because if that was what it meant, then there wouldn't be any Elders are tall. No, we have to understand what the Bible is saying and why it's saying what it's saying. What I mean by that is this. If you bury down on, for example, this notion of.
The husband of one wife. And you approach that in a wooden way. You say, it categorically means the husband of one wife.
Now you have to say, well, no single person can ever be an elder. Because he doesn't have one wife. No man Whose wife has died. Leaving him a widower? and who is remarried can ever possibly be An elder in a local church because he has more than one wife.
And when you start down that line, you very quickly say to yourself, I wonder if that is what Paul is on about here. Is that what he's actually guarding against? If you think about Crete for a moment, If you think about the contemporary world then At the most basic level, what was he saying? No polygamists. must serve as elders in the church.
Polygamy was part and parcel of the social structure. People in one, two, and three wives. And he says, now, when you put your leadership together, make sure that we get this absolutely clear in our minds. The person that is serving in this way must not be guilty of that.
So, if you stand far enough back from him, you say, Well, what's he actually saying needs to be true of leadership in the church? In terms of marriage, He's to be a one woman man. He's a one-woman man. He's to be a man who, in the area of marriage and in sexuality, is unimpeachable. And to violate that obvious application brings with it all kinds of ramifications.
And I don't think we ought to stand back from it one iota. It's very challenging. It's supposed to be. And when you stand back from it in relationship to parental jurisdiction. What is he saying?
Is he saying that anyone that serves as an elder can have naughty kids? Is he saying that anyone who serves as an elder must never have children who go through a rebellious phase?
Now someone may say that's exactly what he's saying. When I think of that, my father would have been excluded from eldership through the majority of his life dealing with me. And he was effective in leadership throughout all of my life. But I was routinely thrown out of things. Bible classes and all manner of things.
And it would reflect dreadfully on him, I'm sure. He'd have to come and pick me up. Did you get sent out again? Yes, I did. You are such a pain in the neck.
I know that, Dad. I'm sorry. I won't get sent out next week. And I didn't, but sometimes a week after that I got sent out again. No, again, if you stand far enough back from him, what's he saying?
He says that the people who are in leadership, if they're going to lead the family of God, their families need to be under some kind of control. They're not debauchery-filled. They're not full of insubordinate nonsense. They're not people who are rebellious and cantankerous and tearing the place apart.
Now the degree to which we want to Micromanage that. There is. And The extent of the time frame. that extends to that. also varies in people's minds.
So is there a difference? Between parents who have raised their children, nurtured them in the faith. And whose child now? Has turned their back. on what perhaps they once professed.
and no longer believes. They might be 22, they might be 24, they might be 35. Is what Paul is saying here. This individual now is absolutely disqualified from eldership in the church.
Well, we must wait work these things out. We have to figure them out. We've got to apply them. You've got to understand them. I was speaking with a man yesterday, he's in his nineties.
We're talking about the fact that One of his children, his oldest, It turns sixty tomorrow. And the great sadness of his life. is that this one boy Unlike the rest of his children. professes no faith. In the Lord Jesus.
Raised in the same home? Read to from the same Bible? the recipient of the same prayers. A kind man. A clever man.
But not a believing man.
Now you have to say to yourself, is that what Paul is actually saying here? that mister X may exercise no leadership in the local church because that one boy is there. I don't believe so. You're sensible people. You have to figure it out.
Now why is it so important? Why is it so important? Because of what he says at the beginning of verse 7. For an overseer. As God's steward must be above reproach.
This is not some kind of arbitrary standard that is just invented by Paul. Paul is saying that if leadership in the local church is going to be effective. We have a right to believe. That if someone doesn't know how to manage their own household, How are they then going to become a steward of God's house? That's the.
The terminology there as God's steward. He's the household manager. It's Downton Abbey again, it's the big old guy. He's a manager of the household. How are you going to make him the manager of the household?
It doesn't mean that he moves from perfection in one realm to the perfection in the other realm. But it does mean that when people look at it, they say, well, there's a justifiable correlation here. That mister X might be able to fulfill this role. Because Surely marriage and family life. marriage and family life.
provide the most Probing. analysis of a man's character. You say, well, there may be other areas. I'm sure there are other areas. But what I am in my house, What I am with my children.
Irrespective whatever the public persona is. In the privacy of my bedroom. In the security of my family. That realm. is the foundation For this realm.
And clearly, Neither I. nor any of my colleagues, is working from the position perfection. of flawlessness. But you don't need me to tell you that. This is a joke in our family now, but it's actually not a joke.
The reason it's funny is because it stings so much. When our children were all together riding along in the back of the car and volunteering bits and pieces of information along the way, every so often I would go off on one of my Um Variable Voyages And And when I had finished my little diatribe, In the silence that would follow, then then my son's voice would be heard in the back seat. And he just always used to say that same thing. And that's another kind word from your pastor. And absolutely, it's absolutely flayed me every time.
He was absolutely right. That's it. That was completely out of line. Completely out of line. But that's the accountability.
concerning which We're talking. Why would somebody be trusted with the task? of managing the church. If they are glaringly Unsuccessful. in managing Their own home.
You see what I mean about standing far enough back from it? The danger you see in these lists, and I've got all the lists and everybody's lists on the lists and the sub-lists of the lists and everything else about how someone who's been divorced 85 years ago can still never be a leader in the church. And I have all that stuff, and I'm prepared to interact with it all. But if you stand far enough back from it, what is he saying? He's saying something really simple.
Marriage And parenting, is a testing ground for real leadership. It probes your character. And if you're messed up there, Just don't take it on in the church. Because you'll be even more vulnerable in the church. than you are in the privacy.
of your own home.
Now, what then follows? Characteristics Five must nots and six musts. And when you look at this list. For an overseer as God's steward must be Above reproach, here comes the first not, the must not, he must not be arrogant. The characteristics as a whole make it perfectly clear that the real need on the part of a congregation is not the giftedness of those who serve in leadership, but is the godliness of those who serve in leadership.
That the real essential requirement is not a requirement that is often the case in terms of a person's giftedness, in terms of a person's status in society, in terms of a person's education.
So we look for Mr. Gifted, Mr. Educated, Mr. Money, and on the basis of that, since he was doing it out here, he's probably going to be able to do it in here. No, it says, Paul, don't do that.
What you need to look for is where he is probing into the deep recesses of marriage and family life. And then here are the characteristics: arrogance.
Now what a challenge is that. Especially in in two uh millennium Uh later. We find ourselves the generation of I did it my way. To think I did all that. And may I say Not in a shy way.
Oh no. Oh no, not me.
Now, do you know that that is in the top three?
Songs played At non-Christian funerals in 21st century America is in the top three.
So the people all sit there and say, Oh, how wonderful is that? They're following on. From the arrogance Of Nebuchadnezzar, is this not the great Babylon that I have built? Arrogance. Pride.
Samuel Rutherford, who was very effective in his day. Intelligent. useful Realized he had to take himself and in hand with this stuff. He wrote in his journal: Be humbled, walk softly, down with your topsail. It is a low entry to go in at heaven's gate.
Every day, in a thousand ways, we're tempted to make ourselves the center of the universe. That's why we're such a pain in the neck around the family table. That's why the people can't tell us stories or volunteer information. When we're having a sandwich break after we've been cutting down trees in the metro park, as soon as somebody says, I was going over there the other day, the person says, Oh, yes, I was over there the other day. And what I did when I was over there, I found this and I found that and I found the next thing.
So there's just a pause. He pauses for breath.
Somebody else says, Well, yes, as I was saying. And then, once he's got his breath back, he says, Yes, as I was saying, about I said, and I. And if you're a talker And I've been known to talk. You realize your topsail is up. It's up.
Luther says the trouble with this is we're curved in upon ourselves. Tempted to believe. That what we have to share, the information that we possess, is really the most significant thing in this three hour car drive to Detroit. That everybody has just decided to come with me in the car so that they might hear everything about me. That's why You know T.
S. Mooney said, every pastor needs a wife. if for no other reason than to keep him humble. That's why you need children. that are not in awe of you.
They respect you. But they know you have warts and flaws. And they know that you daily have to repent. of your sins. It's not easy, is it?
Because A position of leadership gives you prominence. It gives you notions of significance. And the more that is the case, the harder it is to deal with it. Charles Simeon, who exercised a phenomenally effective ministry for what, son, 54 years in Cambridge. A graduate of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, highly influential, wonderfully effective, students hanging on his every word, and so on.
He received a letter from his good friend John Thornton. which reads in part as follows, and I'll wrap it up with this Charles, watch continually over your own spirit. And do all in love. We must grow downward in humility. to soar heavenward.
I recommend you having a watchful eye over yourself. For generally speaking, As is the minister.
So are the people. You get an arrogant dad. You get arrogant kids. By and large. You get a family that sits around and extols.
Its significance. You will find when those children go out into the community They simply represent. That's why loved ones, grace is so important. He makes the sinner Sad. I'm a sinner.
Saddened. By how easy? I can take notions of significance to myself. And that, you see, is why, if eldership is ever going to work, it has to work. In other words, in the same way that the wife says to her husband, Hey, wait a minute.
It's the same way that the leadership has to say to one another: hey, that's out of line. And it's not hierarchical. It's like this. I said I wouldn't tell this story in the second service, but I'll tell it now in any case, because I think it makes the point as strongly as anything I can give you. In the course of the elders' meeting, I had occasion to point out to one of the elders where I thought he was largely out of line.
And um I did so with a with a measure of uh effectiveness, I thought. Um It wasn't well received either by him or by anybody else and But I hadn't really regretted it. The next morning I got a telephone call from one of my fellow elders. The Elders said, You know, what you did, what you said last night was actually true, but the way you said it was wrong. The context in which he did it was wrong.
You should have said that one-on-one to that guy. You shouldn't have done it in front of everybody else. You humiliated him in front of everybody else. And then he said, I want you to phone him up and apologize. And then he said, and once you've done that, I want you to phone me back and tell me that you've done it.
And I told them. Blow it out your ear. No, I didn't. But the reason I could say that I did is because that was my first. That was my need your reaction to it.
while I held the phone out here. I've done I'm this, I'm that. And you're going to phone me up. And then I realized. This is a pivotal moment in your life.
This is God's way. Of teaching you how this thing works. It's a lesson you're going to have to learn and learn and relearn. and in the goodness of God. These are the men.
who are my fellow elders in this place. And just in case you ever wonder, If I have a free pass. amongst these guys. The answer is no. I love them.
They love me. We are accountable. Under God, to His Word. and to one another. And you should be glad of that.
Because ultimately every problem in the local church. Maybe traced. to defective. Leadership. May God help us.
You're listening to Truth for Life Weekend with Alistair Begg. Keep listening, Alistair. We'll be back in just a minute to close today's program. I hope you are benefiting from our study in the Book of Titus. If you missed a message or would like to re listen, you'll find the complete series on our website at truthforlife.
org. All of Alistair's teaching is free to watch, or listen to, or download, or share. While you're on the website, take a few minutes to browse through the wonderful selection of high-quality gospel-centered gift ideas for anyone on your holiday shopping list. There are children's books, study Bibles, Advent devotionals, and other books that will help you tell others about Jesus. For example, Alistair has written a small book that is designed to be used to introduce people to the gospel.
It's called The Man on the Middle Cross. This little book tells the story of three people, all of whom had a need the woman at the well, the paralytic man, and the thief on the cross, and what all three discovered was that their greatest need was for a Saviour. and those who read this book will learn that they need a Saviour too. and we have priced this little book at less than the price of a Christmas card. The book is one dollar, so you can purchase as many copies as you'd like and share the good news of the Gospel widely.
And this, by the way, is the last weekend will be featuring the Advent devotional by Charles Spurgeon, titled A Wondrous Mystery. Spurgeon was a master at mining a verse of Scripture and finding gems that many of us miss. As you reflect on his words you'll gain fresh insight into the familiar topic of Christmas. For more information about these books and more, visit truthforlife dot org slash gifts.
Now here's Alastair with the closing prayer. It would be wrong for us to think they're just getting the structure right. Is the answer because it isn't. You could have a bad structure with spirit-filled people, then it would be better than a good structure with people who were Not living in obedience to God's Word and filled with the Holy Spirit. And so we bring ourselves back to the prayer of our hearts.
That the Spirit of God would fall upon us. In leadership and as a church.
So may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the love of God, our Father. and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Rest upon and remain with us. As we seek to follow Christ, obey His Word.
and live attractive lives before a crooked and perverse generation. And may grace, mercy, and peace. be our portion to day and for evermore. Amen. I'm Bob Lepine.
Thanks for studying the Bible with us this weekend.
Next weekend we'll learn about one thing that's absolutely essential if church leadership is going to be truly effective. I hope you can join us. The Bible teaching of Alastair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life. Where the Learning is for Living.
