In Titus Chapter 1 and verse 5. The Apostle Paul told Titus, the
reason that he left him in Crete.
In fact, the Bible says for this reason, I left you in Crete that
you should set in order the things that are lacking and
appoint ordain Elders in every city.
I have commanded you now interesting about Crete.
You remember this by way of review, it was it was the fifth
largest island. In the Mediterranean Sea, it was
185 miles long and at its widest place, it was 35 miles wide,
there were over 100 cities in Crete and there was over a
million people at this time of this writing and yet the Apostle
Paul told Titus, I'm leaving you in.
Concrete, because there's something very important that
you must do. And that is number one set in
order the things that are lacking, and one of which of
those things would be ordaining, Elders in every city.
Now, every city, there means really every congregation now,
the names of the office are these.
In fact, we can find in the word of God that the office of an
elder is described in three names.
All With the same office, he is called an elder and that word
simply means older and with experience.
In other words, the very definition of the word.
Elder would disqualify a young man, an inexperienced man from
being in that office of an elder, he is also called a
bishop and a bishop is the same office as an elder.
That word means overseer, and that describes his duty to the
congregation. Thirdly, he is called A pastor
and a pastor in the word of God is not a preacher of Pastor is
an elder meaning. Shepherd, describing his task to
feed the flock. So why three names for the same
office, they all describe various aspects or different
aspects of his title and responsibilities as an elder,
he's to be older and with experience.
He has the duty to the congregation to be an overseer
and he is a task to feed the flock of God.
God and therefore he is a Shepherd, all right?
As important as it is to have elders.
And they have elders and deacons in the body of Christ.
There are requirements and qualifications.
In fact, the Bible describes there are 24 qualifications for
a man to be an elder. What have we known so far?
What have we studied so far? Number one, a man must desire,
the office and it ordered the desire, the office.
He must eagerly desire, the work.
So, in other words that's not a man that just wants the title.
I'll sometimes in life, I'm not talking about the church that I
was talking about in life sometimes in life.
People want to be a figurehead or people want to have a title
but they don't want the work. They don't want the
responsibility of rolling up their sleeves and going to work
very hard in the position that they've been given, they just
want the title. Now when Paul uses two words
desire in the same passage, he means this if you desire the
title you must also eagerly. Fire.
The work number two. What else?
Not a sinless, man? But Paul says, I got to be
blameless. That's a man that's clean.
I guess you would say. That's a man that has no
sustainable charge against. He's a man of reputation, not
only in the body of Christ, but even outside of the body of
Christ, we noticed last time he is to be the husband of one
wife. In other words, he is a one
woman, man. Now you know what that means
really a one woman man. That means that a man is
faithful and true to his bride. As Jesus Christ is faithful and
true to his bride. The church, he is a one-woman
man. Nobody else enters into the
picture. And finally he must have
regardless of how many he has all of his children.
Need to be faithful Christians. And that brings us to the Fifth
one, and our first today, and that is this.
He must be vigilant as found in the King James version Vigilant.
Now if we notice the passage in 1st Timothy Chapter 3, and verse
to the King James calls, it Vigilant, what does that
actually mean? The word Vigilant by Debbie,
even means temperate. Or watchful the new King James,
just simply, says, temper. It's the same word.
It's what it means to be vigilant is to be temperate, to
be temperate, is To Be watchful. Now, by the way, do you remember
when I said that many of these things, many of these things,
apply to every Christian In fact, a very safe word.
Vigilant is a word that Peter uses describing, all Christians,
and the warning, that all Christians have listen to this
first, Peter five and eight. In First Peter 5:8, Peter says,
be sober and be vigilant. Now, why would Peter say that?
Why would we need to be sober and Vigilant or watchful?
Peter says, why listen to this? Because your adversary the devil
walks about Like a roaring lion seeking Those whom he may
devour. So, every Christian has to be
what watchful. Now, one of the qualifications
or requirements of an elder, he is to be temperate.
He is to be vigilant. He is to Be watchful.
Interesting word, the word temperate, it comes from a word
that means wine lists. And I looked that up and I tried
to study that from the root meaning from the original.
And it means this, it literally Means holding no whines now.
What's that mean? One scholar said, it means that
this is a man that has the self-control To Be watchful, be
careful, and have the self-control to abstain, from
all manners of things regarding wine, or drinking or sin.
It's a man. That is why nameless it's
nowhere in his life. It has no place in his life, the
lifestyle, or the substance. In second Timothy 4 in verse 5,
But You Be watchful in all things.
Simply stated, keep your head Weist.
Said this, by the way, he said Vigilant means to be calm now.
I got to tell you my personality.
Is not necessarily that. It's not necessarily calm.
One time somebody said, man, you're excited.
He really excited. Yeah, I know that but an elder
that is vigilant. Which means temperate, which
means watchful is a man that has a calm demeanor.
You know, I could think of men right now, I can think of their
personality that I have known in the church in my lifetime where
I would say, you know what, that's the demeanor of an elder.
That's it right there. That's a calm guy right there.
Now, I'm going to jump down to this word and then we're going
to get back to this in just a minute circumspect.
Why said that? This guy means he is Sir
Circumspect. That's a matter of not taking
unnecessary risks. That's a man that evaluates
every possible circumstance of his actions before he makes the
choice, we get that. So he's a calm guy, he's making
good decisions. But what's that?
What is dispassionate. You know what that word means.
It actually means not influenced by strong emotion and because of
that he is able to be rational and And impartial.
Are you starting to get the idea of the mindset or the demeanor
of this man? That is called an elder in the
Lord's Church? He's calm, he's dispassionate,
he circumspect. In other words at Elder is a
straight thinker, he's keeping his head, he must not allow his
mind to become clouded and intoxicated one scholar said
with philosophies and doctrines that are strange.
He keeps straight about God's word.
He's a man, that is well, rooted and grounded in faith and
Doctrine. He's a man that can take the
sword of the spirit. That's the word of God, and he
can defend the truth and protect the flock.
A serious business, being an elder.
It's serious business. He's ever ever watchful
remembering the warning that Paul laid down in Acts, 20 and
29, you know, why you got to be watchful, you know, why that an
elder needed to Be watchful. You know why Paul talked about
the qualifications of an elder because this is what they had to
do Acts, 20, and 29 for. I know this that after my
departure, Savage wolves will come in among you not sparing
the flock, you know what they needed?
They needed an elder. They needed an elder.
To defend the word of God. So a Vigilant or temperate, man.
Is one who keeps the faith and also keeps his head while get
this while all others are losing theirs.
Did you get that? He keeps his head when all
others are losing theirs. Remember when that happened in
Acts 27? Remember when Paul exercised his
right I'm going to go and appeal to Caesar.
You can go to Rome and appeal to Caesar.
He was in prison about two years and all of a sudden.
Now, he's going to go before Caesar.
He's got to get on a ship. He's got to go a long distance.
Remember that there was two hundred and seventy six men on
that ship. And you know what they were
doing. All of them had lost their
minds. There's a great storm.
They're panicking. All this may be one of the jump
out the back and getting the skiff for the dinghy.
The little boat and get out of there.
You know, Paul said be of good cheer. for, I believe that if
she'll be as it was told me he was keeping his head.
When everybody else lost there's you know, I am 50 now.
But when I was 18 Tanner's, getting very close to this time.
I was 18. And my father before I left home
to go to college. My father gave me something that
meant a great deal to me in my lifetime.
Means a lot more now than it at 18.
My father gave me the poem If by Rudyard Kipling.
And it's very beginning. It says, if you can keep your
head, when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on
you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt, you but make
allowance for their doubting too.
At the end of this poem as he talks about all the aspects of
being a man, he says that if he could do all this he said yours
is the Earth and everything that's in it.
And which is more. You'll be a man.
My son. You got to keep your head when
all about you are losing theirs, and maybe even blaming it on
you, an elder. Folks, is calm, he's cool.
He's collected in all of his relationships and like I said
before, not just in the church, but all of his relationships,
even in the community. So he's to be vigilant King.
James says he's to be temperate. That means watchful.
He has a calm dispassionate. Demeter, that's an elder.
What else? He has to be sober minded.
And by the way, this actually branches off of this, you're
going to find these kind of Stack Up on one another one
leads to another. So in other words, if I'm this
Vigilant guy, guess what? It's going to do, it's going to
translate in Being Sober minded. Now, what does that work sober?
Minded mean, we go to our passage again and in the Greek
dictionary for the word sober, in actually means this, it means
sound mine. It means, Self controlled or
simply put sober-minded. So when Paul is talking about a
sober minded, man, he's talking about somebody that is under
control. You ever lose control?
This is a man that's well-behaved folks, get this in
actions and reactions. sometimes we make the right choice, if we
have a period of time to prepare ourselves for the action, But
sometimes we lose our mind when we don't have time to prepare
for the action. And our reaction is not what it
ought to be. Sometimes we sin and sometimes
we say things, we regret later. I'm not above that, by the way,
not above that. I lived most of my life with a
really big mouth. You learn, you learn you shut
the mouth and it keeps you out of trouble.
This man here by the way, there's sober-minded, man, you
know what he is? He's a guy that makes the right
decisions with self-control in all of his premeditated actions
and his non premeditated reactions.
Ever known somebody like that, their reactionary.
They're always reacting. Not this guy, this guy's got his
act together. This guy has prepared himself.
He is calm and watchful. So what he's free, he's sober
minded, premeditated actions and non premeditated reactions.
You know, a guy like this is a guy that doesn't fly off the
handle all the time. if he has self-control, you know, one
commentator said, If he demonstrates self-control in
other words, a self-controlled man is what who is that guy?
He is a spirit controlled, man. Now, the way that you are a
spirit controlled, man, it's not miraculous today and it's not
direct. If you're going to be a spirit
controlled, man, you are a man that is guided and controlled by
the word of God. In other words, that is the
basis of everything you have in your life and everything that
you are want to be self-controlled.
You got to be Spirit controlled. And by the way, that is every
Christian, not just an elder, that's every Christian.
If we're going to be have self-control, All we have to be
Spirit control and you have to make the decisions in advance of
the kind of person that you want to be in advance.
So you don't have to make impulsive decisions.
Now, another scholar said that, this kind of a man is a man that
does not live in a dream world of emotions and impulsive
feelings. He's the kind of, man.
That we love to have in a church business meeting.
He's the kind of man that's not reactionary, he's a calm guy, he
sets a great example and regardless of what you're
discussing he is under control. He is under control a person
that's caught up in frenzies of irrational.
Emotionalism is not a sober minded, man.
Now, do you remember when Paul preached the gospel, The Festus
member that in Acts 26? He preaches the gospel, The
Festus, you know, they said about him.
They said, Paul you are out of your mind.
In fact, one translation says you are mad, you're nuts.
You're out of your mind. Now being out of your mind is
the flip side or the opposite of Being Sober minded.
You know what Paul said? Paul says no no no no that's not
me. He said this, I'm not mad, I'm
not crazy. I'm not out of my mind Noble
Festus. I speak the words of truth and
the King James says soberness. And in that regard, he's
basically saying I speak the words of truth and reason.
That's a sober minded, man. It's a man of reason.
He's the kind of man also that God uses to motivate others to a
more fruitful and Abundant Life. And because he self-controlled
he can calm the storms that come up in a congregation.
Now, more importantly, get this though.
Do you know why a self-controlled man?
Do you know why he's controlled on and calm on the outside?
The only way that he can be calm and controlled on the outside,
if he's common controlled on the inside.
And we talked about things, where people make choices and
all that, you know, it really comes down to something really,
really simple. And that is.
Where is your heart? Because whatever your heart is
where that is, that's where your treasure is going to be.
Jesus said, So, the problem isn't fixing, all the individual
things in our life. A problem is fixing what's on
the inside if we want to be, well, behaved you got to fix it
on the inside? If I fix it on the inside, guess
what? It will automatically manifest
itself on the outside and that's what it means to be
self-controlled sober-minded, he's already fixed it on the
inside, camper it. So it's fixed on the outside.
Sober minded. What else?
A sober minded man.
Is the next one. Back up.
The next one is he is a man of good behavior.
A man of good behavior. Going back to our passage.
He not only is temperate and sober minded that we just
noticed, but he's also a man of good behavior.
Good behavior. Now we Vine, says this word
means orderly and it means modest.
His deportment is good. It is kind, it's considerate.
In other words this guy's a gentleman.
He's not abrasive, he's a gentleman, he is orderly and
modest. He is a man of good behavior and
when a man is of good behavior, there's another word that is
attached to that. And that's a man that is
respectable. Now, this is a man that not only
respects, God and respects himself.
He respects himself so much because of his inner feeling of
respectability. And what does that going to do?
It always reflects itself in outward conduct.
And by the way, it comes from the root word for the orderly
world that is around us. In other words, things that are
in order, It denotes inward orderliness seen in outward,
adornment of beauty. You see how it's all connected.
Ones building on the other. After you fixed it on the
inside. And by the way, the same word is
used by Paul describing how a woman should dress in first,
Timothy 2 and 9 in like manner, also that a woman Adorn.
Them is women Adorn themselves in modest apparel and other
words respectable. So what that means in Greek
literature, it describes one who disciplines himself, and who may
thus be regarded as genuinely moral and respectable.
But what does it mean to be? Respectable, you know, there's
another word from that original root word that we have today,
you know what it's called. Cosmetics.
I'm going to tell you something, ladies.
You're going to have to cut me a little slack.
I'm not an expert on makeup, not maybe there'd be something wrong
with me. If I was I'm not an expert on
makeup and cosmetics. But I'm going to tell you
something. That's what this word means.
And there's two kinds of Cosmetics.
There's two kinds of makeup. One is used to cover up.
And the other is used to reveal. Talk about cover up, cover up.
In other words, you are taking something and you are covering
up a blemish, you're covering something up that you really
are, you example by this, by the way?
This really happened. For 24 years, I was a painting
contractor and I painted all manner of buildings and what
have you? And we we had a contract with a
funeral home. And one day, the funeral
director had me come in and walk inside this Slumber room there.
And there was a fellow that was laid out there in his casket and
we walked in and I'm not kidding.
This guy was greater than the Jolly Green Giant.
This guy was as green as green could be.
You know what they did, they took cover up and they spackled
this guy and they booked him that they got so much of this on
his face. There wasn't one Speck of green
left. In other words, they covered up
what he really was. That's not the kind of
Cosmetics. I'm talking about.
I'm talking about the kind of Cosmetics here that is
demonstrated in your behavior. In other words, it reveals who
you really are on the inside, that's what behavior is.
It reveals what we've are already on the inside.
If you want to liken that to make up today, which I'm not an
expert on at all. It would be something that
reveals the beauty that you already are.
Not something that's traveled on, with a spatula, to cover up.
What you really are. Respectable.
Two kinds of cosmetics. But the one that we're talking
about is the kind that reveals and highlights, what is there?
So, what's there? What's this man?
Revealing here it is. He is with.
The revealer being his, what being his good behavior
cosmetic. You know, it's do.
It it's revealing or highlighting and bringing out
the character of Jesus Christ, that is already in his heart.
That's what that means. Again, we're building one on the
other, he's calm and watchful, at least two self-control with
his actions that are premeditated and non
premeditated reactions and he demonstrates that in good
behavior, which reveals Jesus Christ and his already in his
heart of who he is. What about the next one?
Not only is he a man of good behavior?
But he's a man that is hospitable. the King James
simply says, given to hospitality Interesting word
here, going back to our passage. This passage actually is
translated from a word. That means a lover of strangers.
A lover of strangers. You know, I talk to people in my
life. This one person said that long
ago, I don't like people. Okay, I don't get that purse
next to the and Frank. My problem is I really don't
like me, I don't really don't like people. but I think you got
to like people And an elder has to be a lover strangers.
I know there has to be hospitable.
And you know, when Paul wrote this, they would have understood
that. You know why?
Because in ancient Oriental culture and custom at the time,
you know what they would have understood, they would have
understood that even separate from the church.
I'm just talking about culture of the day, you know what they
would have understood, they would have understood that.
It was the custom of the day that a stranger was coming
through town. Not only do you, bring them into
your house and feed them, give them a meal but It was their
culture that they that she gave him a place to stay overnight.
You know why they didn't have hotels and motels and all that
stuff that we have today. You could stop anywhere in the
middle of the night. You can find a place to stay.
Not then. What about Christians though?
How about Christians that were passing through town, you know,
when they want to stay, you know, where they would love to
stay, it would love to stay with other Christians that were given
to hospitality traveling by Elders as church leaders were
those that had to set the proper example, and they would show and
extend Hospitality to them. You remember, when Paul wrote
the letter to Philemon? It's one chapter long is so
powerful. It is largely.
We it is largely a writing about a man by the name of onesimus, a
runaway slave. Now Paul is writing to Philemon
and you remember what Paul said King James says this, in that
one chapter, when he talks about this, he says this King James
prepare for me, a lodging, the new King James.
I love this. It says, prepare a guest room
for me. In other words, I need a place
to stay. I need you Philemon.
To be hospitable. I need you to extend
Hospitality. Now I got to say this.
I know today, it's difficult because If you don't know the
person, I'm not talking about a crystal talking about just
people, in general, we don't have that custom.
It's it could be very dangerous. Might invite somebody in your
house and do terrible harm your family.
So Customs have changed somewhat regarding that but not
Christians. Not about members of the body of
Christ, how many people say, you know, one of the great things
about being a member of the church, you can be on the other
side of the country or the world and you can have Christians,
have you over in their house? Feed you and put you up for the
night. And treat you like a brother or
a sister. A lover of strangers.
Have you ever heard somebody referred to as they were?
So friendly that they never met a stranger?
I know people like that. Her lover strangers.
Now we get that right. But there's something else
that's connected to this, please get this.
And now I'm going to talk to every single person sitting here
in this room. Here it is.
You have the same responsibilities that all Elders
do in this regard. Here it is.
That is being a lover of strangers to those that are
brand new Congress. What ask you a question?
I love his congregation, I love. The direction that we are going
together. I've known you.
Most of my life, some of you. But I want to ask a question to
the congregation. Are you really ready to grow?
We want to grow. Which is baptized 10 people we
want to grow. Oh yeah, that's grow preach it.
Let's grow. Are you really ready?
You have a responsibility to You have a responsibility of doing
what? Helping to integrate these brand
new members, both socially and spiritually.
In the kingdom of God, that's all members.
I read one commentator and he said this.
And by the way, that's not this, that's not to folks, I'm not
taking a shot, that's not to folks, but I read this, and it's
probably this way and various places.
But listen to this, he said in our high-tech Society, men and
women who work with cold and personal machines all week long,
they don't need to find Cold impersonal, people at services
on Sunday morning. That's true.
He said, we need more than correct heads.
Filled with correct doctrines. We need Hearts filled with
correct. Christian love and extend to our
new members, an elder that practices Hospitality folks.
That's the guy that's warm. He's friendly, he's responsive
to others. He's this guy, he's the guy that
people feel at ease around. People want to be around.
Well, finally. Not only does an elder have to
be hospitable, a lover of strangers, but he also needs to
be able to teach. I'm going to tell you this.
Sometimes we talk about well what's actually teaching is it
public or private? Does he have to teach publicly
or can it just be privately and if he teaches publicly does it
erase every bit of his re obligation privately and these
are questions that often times. Come up.
Well, let's talk about that the word able in the King James just
simply means or is translated. Act.
And that word means able to teach is found in the very same
passage. It is our fifth point this
morning. What does it mean?
It literally means capable of teaching.
It means somebody that is capable of doing that.
The question is, why is that? Why shouldn't the Elder, teach
Paul gave the answer Ephesians 4.
Listen to this Ephesians 4 beginning in verse 11 and he
himself gave some to be Apostles, some prophets, some
evangelists some pastors which are elders and teachers for the
equipping of the Saints for the work of the ministry for the
edifying of the body of Christ. So teaching is necessary.
Now teaching isn't just public teaching of lessons from the
pulpit. It's not it also includes
private teaching, it includes the ability to talk to someone
and privately teach them. And I will tell you this.
Some of the greatest good in teaching is done privately.
Sometimes the greatest harm is done privately if it's false Oh,
don't downgrade or minimize private teaching.
An elder has to be a man that is able to teach.
He has to be skillful in doing, so he has to be capable of doing
that. But not only publicly, but it
has to be in private to what else he has to be able to impart
spiritual knowledge and advice quietly, reverently skillfully
and lovingly. That's responsibility.
Of an elder. You know, the idea of teaching
is actually described in this way as a sign of spiritual
maturity and spiritual growth. Hebrews chapter 5, beginning in
verse 12, listen to this. This is and I believe it to be
the Apostle, Paul writing the Hebrew Christians.
And he talks about a puts on the same level able to teach along
with spiritual maturity and growth This is what he says for
though. By this time, you ought to be
teachers. In other words, you've been a
member of the body of Christ long enough.
There's times has gone by But you're not, you need someone to
teach you again, the first principles of the Oracles of God
and you have come to need milk and not have solid food for
everyone who partakes. Only of milk is unskillful in
the word of righteousness. For he is a babe, but solid food
belongs to those who are full age.
That is those who by reason of use, have their senses,
exercised to discern, both, good and evil.
They're the writer of Hebrews. I believe it to be Paul
describes a Teacher as someone that has grown to maturity and
it demonstrates. His maturity and growth in his
spiritual life. Well folks, I'm going to tell
you to teach well, you got to study well.
Got study. You have got to study.
I'm not talking about just study to get a lesson together.
I'm talking about studying to learn the word of God, study,
the Bible. And let me just say in passing
as a little bit of advice to all the teachers if you're
struggling with what the cues to teach on.
What topic should I teach, man? I've been teaching all these
topics. I've ran out of thoughts.
I ran out of theories. I ran out of ideas.
My advice to you is advice. That was given to me many many,
many years ago, don't do it that way.
Studying the Bible study the Bible and I'm telling you,
you're going to have topic sleeping off the page study the
Bible studying in the context and it was given written all the
circumstances surrounding it. You'll have a greater knowledge
of the word of God, and you'll have all kinds of ideas.
What to preach on? All right.
Why do you got to know the word of God Elders, Titus 1 and 9,
listen to this holding fast, the faithful word, as he has been
taught, that he may be able by sound Doctrine, both to exhort
and convict those who contradict the King James says, convince
the gainsayers, all that means is you have to be able to exhort
and convict those. That would teach things that
contradict the word of God. In order to do that, you got to
know the word of God. Paul told Timothy to commit the
word to Faithful Men that they may be able to teach others.
Also, second Timothy 2:24 25 and the servant of the Lord must do,
this must not quarrel but be gentle to all able to teach
patient in humility correcting, those who are in opposition, if
God, perhaps will grant them repentance.
So that they may know the truth. There's a lot of things to be.
Worked on him, all of our life. In conclusion.
We've noticed, now, nine things that are requirements to be an
elephant. I know that Paul told Titus, I'm
leaving you, I'm leaving you in Crete to set in order the things
that are lacking and ordain Elders in every city or every
church. That's true, but make no mistake
about it. When they were ordained in every
city, they fit the qualifications all of them,
every qualification, there's 24, this is just 9.
What have we known so far in closing?
Guys, got a desired office and if you desire the position, you
got a desire to work. You got to be a blameless, man.
All that means is no, sustainable charge held against
you. You have a good reputation.
You have a clean slate, you need to be the husband of one wife
talked about that last time. That just simply means a
one-woman, man. You got to have faithful
children. That means that they're faithful
Christians. You need to be vigilant or
temperate which is calm and watchful.
That's going to lead to what having self-control in all of
Your actions and reactions. What else is it going to do?
It's going to lead you to demonstrate that.
What is on the inside in a respectable good behavior?
You're going to become a lover of strangers.
You're going to be a hospitable man and you will be skillful and
capable and teaching the word of God.
S9. Next time probably won't get
past eat a whole verse but next is not given to Wine.
Not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle not
quarrelsome and not Covetous. That's first Timothy chapter 3
and verse 3, that'll be next time.
We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the
Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you
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M, please make plans to join us. We would love for you to be our
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