All right, well, open up your Bibles, please, to 1 Timothy chapter three, and this morning I'll be reading from verses one through seven. It is a trustworthy statement, if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife. Temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity. But if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God? And not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. 

This passage tells what an elder must be, and what it gives is a list of character qualities, not so much what an elder must do in his job as an elder. It's not a job description, but it's a collection of and a description of character qualities. 

as we've gone through partway through this list. I've been emphasizing that what's required of elders is not a different kind of holiness than what's required of Christians. So it's not as if when you become a leader, oh, well, there's a new set of commands that's just for the leaders. It's not as it was in medieval times. and still actually in the Roman Catholic Church where the monks and the priests had a whole different set of commands, a whole different set of responsibilities than an average Christian who is not a leader would have. No, it's the same. The elders are to be known for this kind of holiness. The elders are to be leading by example in this kind of holiness, but it's the same kind of holiness as all Christians are called to. 

So this list of characteristics, it's for elders. That's what it's for, this is what an elder must be. But it also opens up a clear window into what a Christian must be. And especially a Christian man, a Christian man. Because even a Christian man is called to leadership. So if you are a Christian man, maybe you don't even aspire to be an elder now. The Lord can change that. He can change that very quickly. But you should be aspiring to these things, to be this kind of man. These characteristics. Taking pains with these things and seeing growth in these things. 

There's another way in which this list of what an elder must be opens up a window. It's about elders. tells us something about what a Christian man should be as well. It also tells us something about God, and something to be thankful for as well. And that is, this is the kind of leadership that God wants for his people. And in that sense, this list of characteristics gives us an idea of what God is like as well, and certainly what the Lord Jesus is like. He's the chief shepherd, and elders in the church serve as his under-shepherd. 

You can compare this list of virtues with secular virtues, stoic virtues, even pagan virtues. You could go to the library and get out a book on leadership and read what a leader should be and what a leader should do, and there would certainly be some overlap between that, a secular idea of what a leader should be and the characteristics of a leader, and this list. you could go to the 12-step program, which is not based on the God of the Bible, it's based on a higher power. 

I've heard of one story of someone who's involved in the 12-step program, and I think the first thing they tell you to do is to choose a higher power. Doesn't matter what it is, could be anything, just something higher than you. And this man chose a streetlight to be his higher power, and he just kind of focused his thoughts of something higher than him on this streetlight, and that could work. It could make you some of the same things that are on this list, like not a drunkard. That's one of the things that is on this list. 

But this list is unique. and Christian, and reflects the true God, the God of the Bible, in that at the very center of these characteristics is love, is love. And you won't find that word, we're not gonna go through that word, you would if you went through the fruit of the spirit, you'd find that word first. But you find that idea, that idea is at the center of this list. 

So if you went through a secular list of characteristics of a leader, It would be for a different purpose. There would be things about self-control, for sure, like not being a drunkard. But it would all be for the purpose of getting what you want out of other people, that kind of leadership, imposing your will on others, and leading a group in that. This is self-control. and it certainly touches on that, like not being a drunkard or others, for the purpose of love, for the purpose of serving others by providing leadership for them and leading because you love the people that you're ministering to. So these are characteristics of Loving leadership. 

A man who is like all these things that is described here is loving at his core. And it's love that's at the center of the gospel itself. The good news of the gospel at its center tells us of the amazing unthinkable love of God the Father who would send his son to total sinners, totally undeserving sinners to die on the cross for them. And it's the gospel It's that gospel that was being set aside in the church in Ephesus that was being eclipsed and it showed up in the leadership. And so Paul is saying to Timothy, you need to restore the character of the leadership so that it fits the gospel and so that it has the same love as the gospel at the center. 

And in fact, it's the love of God shown through the gospel, and that's how we know God, is always through the gospel that actually empowers you to be like these things, to be like these things. And so you're never gonna have love at the center of your character. You're not gonna have it through some secular, through a higher power, through worshiping a streetlight or worshiping some sort of other idol, even if that causes you to have some sort of self-control. You're never gonna have love at the very center of your character except through the God of the Bible and the God who represents himself to us through the gospel. 

So a higher power that you choose never died on the cross for your sins and doesn't love you. but God does. He did send his son to die on the cross for your sins, and he does love you, and he can empower you to be like this, and he does do it, and he will do it. 

So in this passage, We have, by my count, 14 characteristics in which an elder must be above reproach. Last time we started the list, we looked at the first one, a one-woman man. That's the first thing that an elder must be. And then we looked at the next three. There was a good deal of overlap between these three because together they speak of the mindset of self-control for an elder. And so an elder is to be temperate, Prudent, respectable. In my translation, we talked about what that meant. Sober, sane, and ordered. Different ways of having self-control in your mind.

I'm going to try to cover, I'm going to pick up where we left off. And I'm gonna try to cover the remaining 10 this morning, which is gonna be a lot to cover. So we're gonna move through and complete this picture of what an elder must be. Anyone appointed to be an elder must be these things. Anyone who is an elder must be these things. And this is the kind of shepherd God wants, God requires for his church.

Okay, so we're gonna pick up actually in the middle of verse two towards the end. And you might not think that the next characteristic would be on this list for an elder, but it is, and it's the word hospitable. Hospitable, do you see it there? It's the second to the last in verse two.

Hospitality is actually the duty of all Christians. Romans chapter 12 verse 13 gives the characteristics of a Christian that is pleasing as a sacrifice presented to the Lord as we present our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord. And one characteristic that's given Romans 12 verse 13 is pursuing hospitality. That's a Christian. as a Christian who's pleasing to the Lord, and this way it's put, pursuing, like it's an effort, pursuing hospitality. So this is a duty for all Christians, for everyone.

Romans chapter, or sorry, Hebrews chapter 13, and verse two says, do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. And that's a reference back to Abraham. That's for all Christians, and that's given in the letter to the Hebrews.

First Peter four, verse nine. is a command that's given, and it's actually given in the context of when you are aware that the end of all things is at hand. When you're thinking about the return of Christ, and it gives some things to focus on, and one of them is this. It says, be hospitable to one another without complaint, without grumbling. So as you see the end approaching, see the end of all things at hand, have a sense that the Lord is coming, it's a time to be hospitable and to do it without grumbling.

It's gonna look different for different people. Different people have different life situations, different limitations, but it applies to everyone. Everyone has to be pursuing hospitality. It's what a Christian does. And especially an elder. An elder is to be characterized by hospitality.

So you may not have a house that's ideal for entertaining, but God still calls you to be hospitable in some way. The Lord Jesus actually did not have a place to lay his head, but he did a great deal with food. with hospitality. Next time you read through the gospels, pay attention to how much the Lord ministered through food, how many times it's mentioned. And if you haven't kept track of that before, if it's just kind of gone over your head as you've gone through, you'll be shocked at how many times food is mentioned.

The feeding of the 5,000. The feeding of the 4,000. When the Lord was resurrected, he made his disciples breakfast for them as he appeared to them. And there's much more than that. That's just the tip of the iceberg. The Lord's enemies noticed that about his ministry. Why all this about food? They called him a glutton. and a drunkard, not because he was one, but because he was eating with people and to them he was eating with the wrong kind of people. And so the Lord defended himself to his enemies by saying, the son of man came, what did he say? Does he can save the lost? Well, he did say that in another place. He said, the son of man came eating and drinking. And he gave that description of himself kind of in contrast to John the Baptist. 

But hospitality, eating, sharing a meal with someone was an important part of the Lord's ministry. Food was important to the Lord because people were important. to the Lord. And so that's a part of his ministry. There's no reason to think why it shouldn't be a part of our ministry as well as we follow in his footsteps. 

So when you invite somebody over to your house to share a meal, you have a kind of fellowship with them. that's even deeper than we have at church. We have good fellowship at church. We talk to one another. It's an important part of why we come and gather together, not just to hear the Word, but to have fellowship with one another. But there's a whole different layer to the fellowship. There's a whole different quality to the fellowship when you just sit down at a table in your home with another believer. and you have a meal with them and that's an important part. That's why we're to be hospitable to one another. Big emphasis on that as well as those in the world as well. 

Commentators almost unfailingly point out about this hospitality and how it's to be a characteristic of elders that in New Testament times, the inns were, they were bad places. They were places of ill repute and so Christians needed a place to stay when they came into town and of course that is true in every way. But it almost gives the wrong impression The idea that this is 2025 and hospitality is not as much needed today as it was then, because we have such nice hotels that you can stay at, they're not really places of bad repute in any way. 

But I think actually hospitality is needed more than ever now, today, in 2025. There's an all-out assault today. in our time on what makes us human, like face-to-face communication with other people. That's actually becoming more and more of a rarity today, and that's through technology and a secular agenda and all kinds of ways that are spirit of our times. And so each age has its own challenge. But when an elder, or a Christian strives to make his home an oasis of peace in a chaotic world and then invites someone in, whether a believer or an unbeliever, it goes way further than you think. And it's probably way further than anything else that you could do. to open your home in that way. 

So a Christian home, it's an oasis of peace. And I don't mean by that a perfect oasis. I don't even mean necessarily all clutter off the floor or all dust off the furniture or anything like that, but just simply a place where you can sit down. and have a meal together, give thanks for the food, and have fellowship with another person. Something as simple as that, the Holy Spirit actually uses it, and that's why it's mentioned in scripture in such a big way. 

So hospitality is actually an important characteristic for an elder. And before I leave this characteristic and move on to the next, let me just put a word in for the midweek meetings of the church, and maybe you're not involved in that this year, and maybe you're not able to fit that in. this time, but I'd encourage you to make that a part of your life when you can. They meet in different homes, so you can meet somewhere close to you, but those have been a huge blessing, and part of the blessing is the fellowship together, the discussion together, it meets in homes, and so it's a way in which this hospitality comes to reality in our church, so I would encourage you to do that. 

Okay, we gotta get through, that's the first one, we gotta get through nine more. Hospitable, the next one after that is able to teach, able to teach. And this is unique in the list in that it is an ability, apt to teach, able to teach. The others are character qualities, this is something to do, this is something to perform, this is something to be good at in that way. And so this is probably the only thing that really separates the qualifications for an elder. from the qualifications for a deacon, which are gonna come in the next passage. They're pretty much overlapping, except for this one. A deacon doesn't have to be able to teach. They can be, some of our deacons are able to teach very well. But it's not a requirement, but it is a requirement for the elders. So an elder must be able to teach, and there's discussion about where that line is to qualify a man to be an elder. Does it mean he has to be able to give a sermon? Could he give a Bible study, lead a discussion? It's probably some form of public teaching in that way. And in that sense, this is the only one on the list that's not necessarily something that every Christian should aspire to, to be able to teach. It's a gift of teaching, and the Holy Spirit gives different gifts, not just the gift of teaching, but the gift of giving, the gift of administration, the gift of all kinds of different gifts in the church, and you're not necessarily to desire a gift that you don't have. So this is unique among this list. 

That being said, Even here, there's something to be learned from Christians, even if you don't teach in public. Teaching is still part of being a Christian. And I'm thinking of teaching maybe one-to-one. It's still a part of being a Christian. 

Colossians chapter three and verse 16. says this, for Christians, let the word of Christ dwell within you with all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And so even in singing, we're teaching one another as we sing to one another, and then as we have opportunity in conversation. 

Matthew 28, verse 19 is the Great Commission. It's given to the apostles, but it actually applies to every Christian. And so, teaching is part of that responsibility, not necessarily public teaching, but one-on-one teaching, like for making a disciple. 

Hebrews chapter 5 and verse 12, the author of Hebrews gives a rebuke to the Christians that are there, for by this time you ought to be teachers. but you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God and you have need milk and not solid food. And so there's a sense in which every Christian is to be a teacher, not necessarily in a public setting. but able to teach another person. 

Every job, actually, no matter what it is, usually involves an element of teaching. You don't have to be a teacher for that to be part of your job, or being a parent, which is part of being a Christian. For most, it certainly involves teaching, and so there's part of this that applies to every Christian as well. 

But it's meant for elders. Elders must be able to teach. So an elder must know the Bible. must know Christian doctrine, and must know how to explain it to others, not only explain it to others, but apply it to others, apply it to the Christian life. And elders have a special responsibility to protect from error, protect the church from error.

So this just gives one word, like a lot of the things in this list, able to teach. In Titus, there's another very similar list given of elder qualifications, and it's spelled out a little bit more what this means for elders. Titus 1 verse 9, holding fast the faithful word, this is what an elder must do, holding fast the faithful word, which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict. 

And so an elder must be a watchman in the church and he's watching out for false doctrine. And this was actually the problem in Ephesus. A special problem was false teaching. And so the elders, which are meant to be the immune system for the church, or at least a big part of, actually each believer is meant to take part in that immune system, but the elders in their teaching are meant, especially, have a special responsibility to protect the church from false teaching. And I would say, especially must protect the gospel. in all of its uniqueness and all of its purity. That's the first and foundational mark of a true church. That's what makes a church a true church, is a church that preaches the gospel. That's what makes the church different. It's what makes the church opposite from every other religion and even from every other perversion of Christianity is the gospel of the grace of Christ. 

Every other religion will tell you how to earn something to God, to whatever the higher power is in that religion. Christianity is the only one that talks about God coming down to us. all the way to the cross, which is how far he had to go to accomplish salvation all himself. And he does it in grace towards sinners. And so there's a special responsibility that elders have to protect the purity of the gospel. And that's what was undermined. That's what was being undermined at Ephesus. The false teachers had come in and wanted to be teachers of law. at the expense of teaching the gospel. And so Paul insists that elders that are appointed and the elders that remain must be able to teach and able to protect the church in that way. 

So God desires his church to be led by teachers, to be led by teachers. So all the elders are to be teachers. Schools are not all that way. Sometimes the administrators get in and they're not teachers. They don't understand the classroom and that presents problems for schools. I'm not saying the church is a school. Church is way more than a school, but that's not to be the case in the church. The ones with authority for setting the direction of the church are all to be those that are involved in teaching and who are able to teach doctrine and scripture in the church. 

So at this church, it's always been that way, that the elders are involved in the teaching. It's been that way since the beginning and remains that way, and it's a special strength of this church. The elders are involved in the teaching, not all to the same extent. And it's not only elders that teach. There's plenty of other men at the church capable of teaching, but all the elders do teach and can teach, and that's an important characteristic of an elder.

Okay, apt to teach, the next one is in verse four, beginning, or sorry, verse three, beginning verse three, not addicted to wine, not addicted to wine. Drunkenness was a huge problem then as it is now. And so an elder is not to be addicted to wine.

We had before one of the characteristics of an elder, more speaks of self-control in the mind, temperate, temperate, my translation, sober in mind. And we talked about how it's the opposite of drunkenness, this sober-mindedness, but that was metaphorical. That was figurative. An elder is to cultivate a mindset that doesn't act drunk, that doesn't lose control like a drunk person would in every sense. But this is literal. This is alcohol, this is spoken of literal wine.

Paul says, all things are lawful for me, but I will not be enslaved to anything. And certainly an elder is not to be enslaved and certainly not to be enslaved to alcohol. So the word itself, it doesn't mean someone who never drinks. That's not what the word means. It literally has to do with dwelling besides wine. Dwelling beside wine, like lingering over wine. And so a good translation here is one who is addicted to wine.

Drinking alcohol is not always a sin. The Bible says actually some good things about wine, especially in the Old Testament. But drunkenness is always a sin. The Bible consistently warns against drunkenness and gives a severe warning against drunkenness, and so that's very clear throughout scripture. So this doesn't describe someone who necessarily never drinks, but it does mean he's never drunk. It means he's never drunk.

Paul says later in this letter to Timothy, take some wine for the sake of your stomach. So it's not a forbidden in every sense. It may be a good idea for a Christian for a variety of reasons or for a leader not to drink wine at all. And so wisdom will dictate that, but the word refers to someone who is drunk. So that's the standard for elders. It's a standard for Christians, too. It's the same one. It's not a different standard for elders than it is for Christians. He must not be a drunkard, not be one who is addicted to wine.

That character quality kind of flows into the next one, which is associated with a drunkard. Doesn't have to be, but often is. Not addicted to wine or pugnacious. Pugnacious, that's a good word. What it literally is is a striker. A striker, that's what the word is.

There was a shocking thing that happened at one of these award shows, I think a couple of years ago, and I'm sure you all saw it. It was sort of a slap heard around the world. But that's an example of a man who, at least in that circumstance, settled a conflict by striking. That was the way in which he settled it. It was kind of a shocking thing. And that's someone who should not be an elder. He should not be an elder. He showed that. He's a striker in that instance. And so an elder is not to be a striker, someone who settles conflict with his fists.

I think there's a special reason why that's an area of focus for elders and for all Christian men who are all involved in leadership at whatever the Lord calls you to, and that is that leadership of people involves settling conflict, at least sinful people. I don't think it will when we're in heaven, but it does now. Leadership, it's an important part, essential part of leadership. You have to be able to resolve conflict, not by striking. And not by the silent treatment either. Like if I open my mouth, I'm gonna end up striking or I'm gonna end up becoming angry or losing my temper. But simply facing conflict without losing your head in that way.

And so an elders as a group must be able to resolve conflict among people. or among themselves. If they're not, they're so brittle that they're waiting to be broken. And so this is part of being an elder. You have to be able to get your hands dirty, so to speak. You have to be able to be involved in settling conflict, but not as a striker.

So this characteristic flows right into the next one, which also has to do with conflict and dealing with conflict. It says, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but, and then it gives a list of some others, gentle and peaceable. And the but there, there's two ways to say but in Greek. One is just sort of to introduce the next thing with a little bit of contrast. But the other one is a strong one, like this is the very opposite of what's been listed before. And that's the one that's mentioned here. Not a striker, but the opposite of a striker. Gentle, and I'll take these two together, gentle and peaceable. I hope you're in the same place, even if your translation says something a little different. So it's the two after pugnacious. Not pugnacious, but gentle and peaceable. And it's basically the same characteristics stated positively first with gentle and then negatively with peaceable.

So the first word there, it's a great word. It means willing to yield. willing to yield is what it means. It's translated gentle in my translation, which is good as well. There's an appointed time for everything, scripture says. There's a time for war and a time for peace. There's a time to speak and there's a time to remain silent. But in resolving conflicts, an elder and a good leader from scripture should actually be inclined to yield. An elder is someone who is willing to yield, especially his own rights. And so an elder is someone who doesn't insist on his full rights, doesn't insist on the letter of the law, who's willing to rise above injury, willing to turn the other cheek, willing to be wronged. And this is actually not just a character, again, of elders, but this is a Christian character.

James chapter three and verse 17, uses this word for all believers. The wisdom from above is first pure, then, and then here's the word, peaceable, peaceable. First pure and then willing to yield to others. Gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, and without hypocrisy. The Lord Jesus was characterized by this. Willingness to yield, this word is used of him. Second Corinthians 10 verse one, now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness, and that's the word that's used, willingness to yield, and gentleness of Christ. Christ said about himself, take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle. and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

There's a part in scripture, it's in Matthew chapter 12, and we won't turn to it for sure because of time, but it's the Lord, and it's when his enemies decide to destroy him, maybe for the first time, and he withdraws from there. And it talks about how that fulfilled prophecy in Isaiah of what kind of a savior he would be, that he was not looking for conflict. And of course, he was on a collision course. Eventually, he set his face like a flint to go to Jerusalem, but not because he loved conflict. He was actually willing to yield, and he did yield when he had opportunity to do so. 

So this is to characterize an elder as well, 2 Corinthians 2, verse 24. Sorry, 2 Timothy, chapter two, verse 24. The Lord's bondservant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness, correcting those who are in opposition. If perhaps God may grant them repentance, leading to the knowledge of the truth. 

So willing to yield, that's kind of the positive version of this. And then the next one is, it says willing to yield, And then peaceable, and actually, this is a negative. The word literally means not a fighter, not a battler, and so it has that prefix, ah, like it negates, and then kind of the word for a battle, for any kind of battle after that word. An elder is not to be a fighter. 

Some people like to fight. Some men like to fight, or probably women as well. If not with fists, then with words. Some enjoy a good conflict that sort of makes them feel alive. And so this would be the kind of person that maybe when they were growing up, their parents said, you ought to be a lawyer, but it wasn't a compliment to them. They just like to argue with parents. And that's not an elder, someone who likes conflict. 

Rather, an elder is someone who's not a fighter. I mentioned that background about wanting to be a lawyer, kind of to make a point. Actually, a lot of the men who were a blessing to the church throughout church history, were trained as lawyers, even some of the reformers. And so I think that kind of a person may be drawn to the ministry of being an elder, a person who likes to think, likes to teach. They might have to fight this so that what they know and what they're able to do isn't ego driven. So somebody comes and says something against it, it's ready for a fight, ready for a word battle. 

An elder is someone who doesn't like to fight. He likes to diffuse. An elder is someone who knows that a soft answer turns away wrath. Fighting was a big problem, actually, in these churches. Fighting about things that really had no reason to them and were distractions from the main issue. Titus chapter three, verse nine says, knowing that such a man is perverted and sinning, being self-condemned. And so you encounter one of these false teachers of the church, a factious man, he's making divisions at the church. The temptation might be, well, I'm gonna set him straight. I'm gonna argue with him and figure this out with him. And Paul says, don't get involved. in unprofitable and worthless disputes. A factious man should be rejected after a first and second warning. 

So Paul himself was not a fighter, was not a fighter. He was when it came to the gospel. Like you can see that in Galatians. And so when it came to the gospel itself, Paul contended earnestly for the faith. But he was not aggressive, and you see that as well. in his letters over things like the Sabbath, which became a controversy in churches, or foods, the kind of foods that Christians would eat. And Paul did not insist on one way. He had kind of a live and let live attitude when he could on those things because he knew that fights over those things were a distraction from the things that truly matter. And so he said, let each be convinced in his own mind. Who are you to judge another man's servant? because he will stand before his master and he will stand. God is able to make them to stand.

So there's a time to fight. Elders actually should have put up a big fight in Ephesus and made a stand because actually the gospel was at stake here, not just their ego. So Paul and Timothy had to come and do it for them. But the default setting of an elder should be he's willing to yield. He's willing to yield, that he's not a fighter.

Okay, next one. Next one, at the end of verse three, is free from the love of money. This is important for an elder. Elders have more access to the finances and directing the finances than most. They're overseers of the church. And so an elder is not to be motivated by money and a desire for money. Peter says this in his letter when he says to the elders, shepherd the flock of God among you, not for sordid gain, but with eagerness. Acts chapter 20 verse 33, Paul spoke actually to the elders from this church and said, I have coveted no one's silver or gold or clothes. So this is one of the benefits of a plurality of elders, having more than one elder in each church, which is the important doctrine of scripture. It's always elders, plural of a church. This is one of the many benefits of them is that it's not just one person who's overseeing the finances. It's a group. And Paul insisted on that, like in the offering that he brought to Jerusalem, he put multiple people in charge from multiple different churches to avoid even the appearance of evil. And so an elder is not to be, it's literally loving silver, loving money, not to be characterized by the love of money, not to be someone who dreams about money. or wealth, or getting rich quick in that way, but trusting the Lord to provide for needs.

So this is a characteristic, it's actually a characteristic, again, not just of elders, but of every Christian as well, Hebrews chapter 13. This is given for every Christian. Make sure that your character is free from the love of money. Being content with what you have, that's a key, for he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you, so that we may confidently say, the Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

Well, there's three more descriptions of, an elder, and these are given with a reason for why they're important. I see that my time is gone, and so I'm wondering, I think I should probably just pick up here next time and do these last three. and do that next time. So let me land the plane and conclude briefly.

These are, what I've given, the characteristic of an elder. These are what an elder must be. This is the leadership God wants for his church and requires for his church. So for elders, I'm speaking to myself here, be warned. to continue in these things. Satan sets snares, that's part of the verse that we didn't cover this time. So we're to make it our ambition not to be disqualified, but to hear the words of Christ, well done, good and faithful servant for the ministry that he's given to us. So elders are to be challenged by these things. These things are daunting. I think nobody feels up to these things. Elders have strengths and weaknesses in these room to grow and room to learn as well.

Then for all believers, and especially for Christian men, You're to strive. You're to take pains with these things. There's no better way for you to be the man that God has called you to be than to be characterized by these things, to cultivate these characteristics. There's nothing more worthwhile that you could give yourself to than pursuing these characteristics of an elder. 

So forgetting what lies behind, we're to press on towards the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. And you may be surprised how soon God calls you to this kind of ministry as an elder. 

So let me read these 14 characteristics in which an elder is to be above reproach. And as I read them, think of maybe one of them or two of them, the Holy Spirit is convicting you, is calling you to make this to be your special focus and give special attention to being like him in this way. 

So, and these are the characteristics. The husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money, one who manages his own household well, not a new convert, and having a good reputation with those outside the church. 

Give yourself to growing in all those ways or in one of two of those ways that the Holy Spirit will show you and unfold before you and then be strong and courageous for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go with power. He will help you with his power to be each of these things and it's the power of his love to bring these things about in you. 

Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this list. It's a high calling that you've put upon leaders in your church. Pray that you'd help us to measure up to these things, to be examples of these things. Pray for especially the Christian men in this church as well. Pray that each one would be increasingly characterized by all of these things. We thank you that your Holy Spirit never leaves us, never forsakes us, but completes the good work that you've begun in each one of us. And so we pray that you might do as you've promised and that you might spur us on to pursue each of these things and be found faithful. We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen.