The OVERSEER’s FITNESS-II—1Timothy 3:1-7
Attention:
This election year, Americans will decide generally whether they want more Federal control or more State control.
We want our country to remain the powerhouse for freedom which it has always been since its founding. We want it to maintain its Christian foundational fortitude.
We are rightly convinced that a healthy country is better than an unhealthy one.
Those who oversee our country are responsible for its fitness.
Likewise, oversight of the local church requires a certain fitness.
Need:
Paul related the moral qualifications for an overseer of the Church.
Character traits for overseers of the church are definitive/unequivocal.
?What moral character traits define an overseer’s fitness for office?
?How is an overseer’s fitness determined?
Characteristics by which an overseer’s fitness for office is decided.
3—An overseer’s fitness is decided by...
His MARITAL COMMITMENT(:2b)
Explanation: (:2b)
:2—A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach;”
To be “the husband of one wife” could reference 1)polygamy but this is questionable. Due to the Roman(& Jewish) ease of divorce, polygamy would have been a moot application, plus polygamists not being allowed as members of the church, would naturally bypass even lesser roles of leadership.—John MacArthur
Concerning polygamy—Recently at a local pastor’s meeting(2012), a national pastor on mission in Liberia had to decide the best course of action for churches regarding polygamists(not typical but prevalent) who had become Christians. Their solutions: 1)Allow them to become members of the church, but keep them from any leadership or ministry role. 2)Another solution was to keep them from membership altogether.
This phrase most probably rather speaks of 2)The “bishop’s” character as a ‘one woman man.‘ This plays well into the scheme of the whole of this passage as delineating the overseer’s/pastor’s moral character rather than his status. He is to be totally dedicated to his spouse. This scenario would then speak of God’s plan for marriage to others of any ilk. A “bishop” is to be a witness for God in his most intimate personal commitments. And as an example, he lives out God’s intention for all men.
“Husband of One Wife—He must be faithful to his wife. He adores his wife & doesn’t flirt with other women.”—Pastoral Ad
*This begs the question of how divorce plays into the bishop’s situation.
Inflaming debate exists maintaining that a divorced man(regardless of the conditions of the divorce—its cause & relationships stemming from it) may not hold the office of bishop. This is because it is reasoned that all divorce falls into 1)The realm of preventable sin, & also into 2)The category of the sentiment of God’s desire regarding the sanctity of marriage. This is based largely upon the following telling verses:
Mat. 5:31-32—““Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ “But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; & whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.”
Mat. 19:3-12—“The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, & saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” And He answered & said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male & female,’ & said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father & mother & be joined to his wife, & the two shall become one flesh’? “So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, & to put her away?” He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, & marries another, commits adultery; & whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery. His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” But He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given: For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, & there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, & there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.””
Mk. 10:2-12—“The Pharisees came & asked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” testing Him. And He answered & said to them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, & to dismiss her.” And Jesus answered & said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. “But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male & female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father & mother & be joined to his wife, ‘& the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. “Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. So He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife & marries another commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband & marries another, she commits adultery.”
Lk. 16:15-18—“And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. The law & the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, & everyone is pressing into it. And it is easier for heaven & earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail. Whoever divorces his wife & marries another commits adultery; & whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.”
*However one must also take seriously both the exception clause of Mat. 5:32 & 19:9(“whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery”) as well as Paul’s recognition of the concession of divorce(Mat. 19:5-6, 8) & remarriage among Christians(1Cor. 7:10-16).
“Thus if an unbelieving spouse deserts or divorces a believer, the believer is no longer bound & is free to remarry.”....“Since remarriage in & of itself is not a sin, it is not necessarily a blight on a man’s character. If divorce resulted from a man’s inability to lead his family...however, then it is a disqualification.”—John MacArthur
1Cor 7:10-16—“Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife. But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, & she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, & the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?”
“The innocent party who has made every effort to maintain the marriage is free to remarry if his or her spouse insists on continued adultery or divorce.”—John MacArthur
The focus of these verses(:1-7) is not so much to present doctrinal points regarding the pastor’s state as it is to reveal his character as it relates to such a state.
Argumentation:
Gen. 2:18-25—“And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field & every bird of the air, & brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, & to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, & he slept; & He took one of his ribs, & closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, & He brought her to the man. And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father & mother & be joined to his wife, & they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man & his wife, & were not ashamed.”
Mal. 2:13-16—[Israel is reprimanded for their unfaithfulness]“And this is the second thing you do: You cover the altar of the LORD with tears, With weeping & crying; So He does not regard the offering anymore, Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands. Yet you say, “For what reason?” Because the LORD has been witness Between you & the wife of your youth, With whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion And your wife by covenant. But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. For the LORD God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one’s garment with violence,” Says the LORD of hosts. Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously.””
*Eph. 5:22-33—“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; & He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church & gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify & cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy & without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes & cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh & of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father & mother & be joined to his wife, & the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ & the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, & let the wife see that she respects her husband.”
1Pet. 3:7—“Husbands, likewise, dwell with them[wives] with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, & as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.”
Prov. 5:15-21—“Drink water from your own cistern, And running water from your own well. Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? Let them be only your own, And not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth. As a loving deer & a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be enraptured with her love. For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, And be embraced in the arms of a seductress? For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He ponders all his paths.”
Illustration:
Counseling situations where one of the pair is adulterous in their heart of hearts/Vicious cycle of harbored sins(bitterness& unforgiveness) brought about—for the husband—by the frustration of lack of respect & brought about—for the wife—by quenched love... & around & around it goes/MARITAL COMMITMENT
Application:
?Does your pastor exemplify godly MARITAL COMMITMENT?
?Your Pastor Fit for Office?
?How do you measure up regarding the same qualifications?
*Lest we have our eye on ‘ousting the pastor’ too readily...
Mat. 7:1-5—““Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; & with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; & look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, & then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
1Tim. 5:19—“Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses.”
4—An overseer’s fitness for office is decided by...
His EMOTIONAL STABILITY(:2c)
Explanation: (:2c) Will not crack under pressure/Calm & collected/Composure
:2—A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach;”
*To be “Temperate/Vigilant” reflects upon one’s ability to be soberly, dispassionately, & calmly circumspect regarding all aspects of life, as would a person free from the disabling effects of wine.
This has nothing to do with alcohol consumption as that is addressed directly in :3a by the phrase “not given to wine.” As the word is built around the emotional effects of physical drunkenness, its focus is on the lack of such effects in a person.
*Such a person does not ‘stumble into’ a situation—as would a drunk into the road— without first examining the pros & cons.
Thus it is possible to make emotionally charged decisions without being under the influence of alcohol. If this characterizes a man, he is not fit for oversight of the church of God.
*A pastor/“bishop” then must be a picture of emotional stability for the sake of others who may be in the throes of life’s devastating pressures.
*He must be able to look at every situation from all angles so it can be met properly, bringing honor to God thru Christ.
—He may call in others to his aid who are more skilled than himself.
He knows his own abilities & ‘makes no bones’ about either his shortcomings or strengths for situations. Thus he knows his limitations & attempts to complement his strengths otherwise.
“Lives Wisely—He makes good choices.”—Pastoral Ad
“Temperate/Vigilant”[See :11]—nhfaleov—Adj.—Sober, temperate—1a) Abstaining from wine, either entirely or at least from its immoderate use, 1b) Of things free from all wine, as vessels, offerings. Strong—Sober, i.e. figuratively--Circumspect. Used 3X.
From—nhfw—1) To be sober, to be calm & collected in spirit; 2) To be temperate, dispassionate, circumspect.
Argumentation:
Calm & collected/Composure
Hezekiah’s solutions as Sennacherib(king of Assyria) threatened Judah:
2Chron. 32:1-8—“After these deeds of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came & entered Judah; he encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them over to himself. And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, & that his purpose was to make war against Jerusalem, he consulted with his leaders & commanders to stop the water from the springs which were outside the city; & they helped him. Thus many people gathered together who stopped all the springs & the brook that ran through the land, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come & find much water?” And he strengthened himself, built up all the wall that was broken, raised it up to the towers, & built another wall outside; also he repaired the Millo in the City of David, & made weapons & shields in abundance. Then he set military captains over the people, gathered them together to him in the open square of the city gate, & gave them encouragement, saying, “Be strong & courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God, to help us & to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.”
Sennacherib also insulted the true & living God of Hezekiah & Israel:
2Ch 32:10, 13-19—““Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria: ‘In what do you trust, that you remain under siege in Jerusalem?”.....“‘Do you not know what I & my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands in any way able to deliver their lands out of my hand? ‘Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed that could deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand? ‘Now therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or persuade you like this, & do not believe him; for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand?’” Furthermore, his servants spoke against the LORD God & against His servant Hezekiah. He also wrote letters to revile the LORD God of Israel, & to speak against Him, saying, “As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand.” Then they called out with a loud voice in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them & trouble them, that they might take the city. And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth--the work of men’s hands.”
Hezekiah’s response exemplifies godly Emotional Stability:
2Kgs. 19:14-19—“And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, & read it; & Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, & spread it before the LORD. Then Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, & said: “O LORD God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven & earth. “Incline Your ear, O LORD, & hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, & see; & hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. “Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations & their lands, “& have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands--wood & stone. Therefore they destroyed them. “Now therefore, O LORD our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD God, You alone.””
2Chro 32:20—“Now because of this King Hezekiah & the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, prayed & cried out to heaven.”
2Kgs. 19:20—2kin 19:20 “Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard.’”
Likewise “temperate” or Emotionally Stable people go to their Lord in times of trouble:
Mat. 11:27-30—““All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, & no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, & the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who labor & are heavy laden, & I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you & learn from Me, for I am gentle & lowly in heart, & you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy & My burden is light.””
Illustration:
Examples of emotions in check....
*Jan. 15, 2009, U.S. Airways, flight 1549 departed from New York’s LaGuardia airport en route to Charlotte, NC/Shortly after take off, the plane hit a large flock of birds, disabling both engines & setting one on fire/Capt. Chesley Sullenbergerand & his first officer, Jeffrey Skiles demonstrated that cool, rational decision-making saved the day/Capt. ‘Sulley’ is quoted as saying, "One way of looking at this might be that for 42 years, I’ve been making small, regular deposits in this bank of experience, education & training. And on January 15 the balance was sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal."/EMOTIONAL STABILITY
*Guy movies vs. Chick Flicks/Hero-Villian genre/There’s always a cool headed guy who takes care of business—Does the right thing—Keeps his composure—Risks his life for the better good—Will not crack under pressure, etc./EMOTIONAL STABILITY
A Pastor as an overseer of the direction of a church must be someone who seeks ‘another way to skin the cat’ as it were.
Example of emotions running the show....
*A driver who in a very tight curve gets frightened & releases the wheel!
Of course the ultimate example of EMOTIONAL STABILITY is Jesus!
Application:
?Does your pastor exemplify godly EMOTIONAL STABILITY?
?Your Pastor Fit for Office?
?How do you measure up regarding the same qualifications?
*Lest we have our eye on ‘ousting the pastor’ too readily...
Mat. 7:1-5—““Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; & with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; & look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, & then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
1Tim. 5:19—“Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses.”
5—An overseer’s fitness for office is decided by...
His SELF-CONTROL(:2d)
Explanation: (:2d)Curbs fleshly desire
:2—A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach;”
To be “Sober-minded/Sober/Prudent/Self-controlled” describes the character of one who maintains God’s mandate toward personal self-control in regard to all things of fleshly desire.
A pastor/“bishop” with this characteristic is realistic about his surroundings & his relation to them.
“Self-Control—He is the master of his behavior. His behavior doesn’t control him.”—Pastoral Ad
He recognizes his own weaknesses & strengths maintaining balance between the two.
Paul explains the example of sober-mindedness to Titus:
Titus 2:6-8—“Likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.”
Titus 1:7 it is stated that the Elder/Overseer/Bishop is not to be “self-willed.” This appears to be a similar concept to that of self-control.
“Sober-minded/Sober/Prudent/Self-controlled”—swfrwn—Adj.—1)Of a sound mind, sane, in one’s senses; 2) Curbing one’s desires & impulses, self-controlled, temperate. Strong—Safe(sound) in mind, i.e. Self-controlled(moderate as to opinion or passion).
From—swzw— ‘Safe’—&—frhn—The feelings, mind or cognitive faculties. = ‘Safe Cognition’
The verbal form is used of people who are no longer demon possessed & are thereby ‘in their right mind’ or of a ‘sound mind.’
Same root word(swfrosunh)[+ ‘with’] is used of a woman’s directive in:15!
Argumentation:
Rom. 12:1-5—“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good & acceptable & perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly(swfronew), as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, & individually members of one another.”
The transformation leading to Self-control/Temperance is directly related to a personal renewal of the mind toward the perfection of God’s will.
Conversely, thinking too highly of ourselves signals a loss of self-control or sober thinking.
Eph. 5:18-21—“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms & hymns & spiritual songs, singing & making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.”
Knowing God is in control
2Kgs. 6:8-18—“Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; & he consulted with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such & such a place.” And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there.” Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, & he was watchful there, not just once or twice. Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; & he called his servants & said to them, “Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?” And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” So he said, “Go & see where he is, that I may send & get him.” And it was told him, saying, “Surely he is in Dothan.” Therefore he sent horses & chariots & a great army there, & they came by night & surrounded the city. And when the servant of the man of God arose early & went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses & chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, & said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, & he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses & chariots of fire all around Elisha. So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, & said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.”
Illustration:
*Suppose—You’re a Concrete-man—You have a large driveway to pour/You are on site & beginning the pouring/However, there is a torrential downpour & if your pour it now the mixture will contain too much water effecting the integrity of the driveway, making it brittle/However if you keep the concrete in the truck, it will harden too much before it is poured & make the driveway weak/What to do?—Pour it anyway, cover it & work the excess water off & out of it thru troweling—requiring more work, man-hours, & time/You could just walk off the job OR More work but better rewards/SELF-CONTROL
James Dyson British inventor of Dyson Vacuum Cleaner’s Dual Cyclone™ technology(After 5,127 prototypes) the first vacuum that didn’t lose suction/“I believe things should work properly”/SELF-CONTROL
Of course the ultimate example of SELF-CONTROL is Jesus!
Application:
?Does your pastor exemplify godly SELF-CONTROL?
?Your Pastor Fit for Office?
?How do you measure up regarding the same qualifications?
*Lest we have our eye on ‘ousting the pastor’ too readily...
Mat. 7:1-5—““Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; & with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; & look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, & then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
1Tim. 5:19—“Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses.”
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
American electoral decision require particular oversight.
Action:
An overseer’s fitness for office is decided by His...
3. MARITAL COMMITMENT(:2b)
4. EMOTIONAL STABILITY(:2c)
5. SELF-CONTROL(:2d)
1. DESIRE(:1)
2. BLAMELESSNESS(:2a)
08/12/2012pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
