Leadership Matters – part 7
Titus 1:7-8 (1 Timothy 3:1-7)
March 16, 2025
As you know we are currently examining
The requirements for leadership in the church.
LEADERSHIP CERTAINLY MATTERS.
Throughout the Bible so much credit is given to leadership
For both the judgment and the blessing that falls on God’s people.
THE GOOD LEADERS lead their people to obedience and God’s blessing,
THE BAD LEADERS lead their people to sin and God’s judgment.
SELECTING THE RIGHT LEADERS IS ESSENTIAL.
FORTUNATELY God has given us the criteria to select those men.
He has told us to examine their FAMILY LIFE.
• Are they faithful to their wife?
• Have they raised faithful children?
And He has told us to examine their LIFE IN THE CHURCH;
• Namely their character or maturity
This is what we did last Sunday night
As we began looking at the maturity of a potential elder.
We studied verses 7-8
(7-8) “For the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled,”
We noted that there were two major distinctions in those verses.
• Verse 7 speaks negatively of what an overseer must not be.
• Verse 8 speaks positively of what he must be.
And while we examined each word individually
It was the overall picture that gave us the greatest indicators.
Verse 7 actually outlines the maturity of a TODDLER.
(7) “For the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain,”
• Someone who only thinks of themselves and what they want.
• Someone who throws a fit when they don’t get their way.
• Someone who needs a pacifier when they get told “not” (in this case a bottle)
• Someone who is prone to fight, kick, or bite when they get offended.
• Someone who needs a treat or a cookie to calm them down (sordid gain)
THAT IS A BABY.
They don’t belong in the pulpit, they belong in the nursery.
AND IT DOESN’T MATTER
• How successful a man has been financially.
• What positions of influence he has held in the world.
• How long he has been a member of the church.
If he is a baby you do not want him in a position of leadership.
He must first grow up.
And look, we believe that he can.
• We certainly believe in the process of sanctification.
• We certainly believe in repentance and revival.
• We certainly believe in spiritual growth.
But we do not put him in a position of leadership until he learns
To deny himself and take up his cross and follow Jesus.
HE MUST BE MATURE.
Well, what does maturity look like?
(8) “but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled,”
• He is a man who loves the people of God
• He loves for them do what is good.
• He is sensible, you can talk to him.
• He is just, he won’t make decisions based on preference or coercion.
• He is a man who has self-control.
That is what you look for.
And as we pointed out last Sunday night,
Churches have found themselves in horrible predicaments when they overlook this requirement.
• Far too many churches have ordained pastors, deacons, or elders simply because they weren’t divorced,
• But failed to pay any real attention to their maturity and those churches paid for it greatly.
How many people can give testimonies or horror stories
Of watching a flock get absolutely run over by a brutal pastor
Or by a selfish deacon body or by a power hungry group of elders?
A man’s maturity must be examined just as thoroughly as you examine his faithfulness to his wife and the behavior of his kids.
We are looking for a man like Christ.
1 Peter 2:23 “and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”
We know that LEADERSHIP CAN BE BRUTAL.
We took a little trip through Numbers
We saw all the times that the congregation wanted to overthrow Moses.
• Time after time he was accused, slandered, ignored, blamed, etc.
• If Moses had been a brawler or a selfish fighter, he would have turned on those people quickly.
• But Moses was a mature man and instead of attacking the people he interceded for them.
If you’re going to put a man into a position of leadership
And make him susceptible to the complaints and blame of people
Then he had better be a mature man.
AND WE TALKED ABOUT THAT LAST SUNDAY NIGHT.
What I want to do THIS MORNING is to continue on this theme.
A couple of weeks ago we talked about the gender of an elder and
We looked at 1 Timothy 2 where Paul was more exhaustive in his coverage of the topic.
Well, regarding the maturity of an elder,
• We would not say Paul is more exhaustive in 1 Timothy,
• But we would note that he had more to say there
• And while we are on the subject we want to know what he said.
SO THIS MORNING,
As we continue to discuss the maturity of an elder I want you to…
TURN TO: 1 TIMOTHY 3:1-7
Paul will do two things for us.
1) He will EXPOUND on the elder’s maturity.
2) He will EXPAND the elder’s circle of evaluation.
Well let’s start with the first.
LET’S EXPOUND ON THE ELDER’S MATURITY
First I want to draw you attention to verse 1,
• Here Paul makes a point that is not mentioned in Titus,
• But I think it relates directly to the issue of maturity.
(1) “It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.”
You clearly have Paul here speaking of the office of overseer
And he speaks of it as a desired office.
He speaks of a man who “aspires to the office of overseer”.
Incidentally, even though “overseer” is used here in the singular
I think the verse again makes a strong case for the plurality of the office.
It would be strange for a man to aspire to the office
If there is only one person in the office.
• That would be more like what occurred under Moses when men tried to remove
him and take his position.
• Clearly Paul is not talking about a hostile takeover here, but rather a man in the
congregation who has aspirations of joining the work of an overseer.
And not only does Paul mention him aspiring to the job
But Paul also speaks of his desire to do it.
He says, “it is a fine work he desires to do.”
And please don’t miss that last part.
I realize that when working through these qualifications
They can seem daunting and even tiresome.
But for you men out here,
Please do not let the seriousness of the qualifications
Discourage you from the joy of the work.
“it is a fine work”
I can’t imagine a greater work in my life.
I absolutely love what God has allowed me to do.
Let me also just say quickly that it is a rewarded work.
For those who do the job well.
The New Testament calls for them to be honored and obeyed.
1 Timothy 5:17 “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.”
1 Thessalonians 5:12 “But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction,”
Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”
It is a work that comes with honor.
I have certainly felt that.
But it also comes with eternal reward.
1 Peter 5:4 “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”
So don’t miss the point that this is indeed “a fine work”
• This job is NOT punishment.
• This job is NOT without joy.
• This job is NOT without honor.
• This job is NOT without reward.
And, as we see here, not only is it ok to aspire to this work
Or to desire this work, but it may even be a prerequisite.
And that speaks to maturity.
I think of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.
When you read it, one thing that continually jumps off the page to you
Is the lack of spiritual maturity in the church there.
More than once Paul calls them “infants” and rebukes them for their selfishness and petty divisions.
You also see in the letter Paul referencing
THE NECESSITY OF GROWING UP.
1 Corinthians 13:11 “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.”
Or even the strong admonition at the end of the letter.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”
The idea Paul brings before the Corinthians is that
It’s time for their men to quit being boys. It’s time grow up and be mature.
• Get over yourself
• Grow up
• Take off the boy and put on the man
There comes a time when a young man
Must quit being immature and grow into manhood.
He must STOP needing protective leadership and must START offering it.
And part of that maturity is seen in a love for the flock.
He grows into a spiritually mature man who wants to care for the flock.
• He starts caring about their doctrine.
• He starts caring about the dangers they face.
• He starts caring about how they live.
• He longs to lead them and help them.
It is perfectly natural and a glorious thing for a young man
To grow into spiritual maturity and desire to lead the flock of God.
AND PAUL CALLS THAT OUT HERE.
Don’t miss that.
If you have a desire to be an overseer or shepherd or elder.
If you aspire to the office,
THAT IS A GOOD THING.
THERE ARE FAR TOO MANY MEN who are unwilling to take up the mantel and shoulder the responsibility.
Your desire to sacrifice yourself for the good of the flock
Is an indication of maturity
I want to make sure and point that out.
BUT THAT IS NOT ALL Paul has to say here in 1 Timothy about maturity.
There is another aspect that must be addressed.
Now, when we read verses 2-5
We get much of the same information that we covered in Titus.
(2-5) “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?),”
You see a lot of the same stuff.
• “husband of one wife”
• “manages his own household well”
Even character requirements that we saw duplicated in Titus.
• “above reproach”
• “prudent” (that same word is translated “sensible” in Titus 1)
• “hospitable”
• “not addicted to wine”
• “not…pugnacious”
• “free from the love of money”
And the other words we see listed here that are not in Titus really don’t change anything.
• “temperate” – means sober or “one who abstains from alcohol”
• “respectable” –means “well-arranged” or “modest or proper”.
• “gentle” – is a word that means “seeming” or “suitable” or “fair”
• “peaceable” means “not contentious” or “free from fighting”
Though Paul may have used different words in Titus,
These are clearly synonyms of what we studied there.
He is a mature man.
He is not selfish.
He is not a fighter.
He doesn’t need a bottle.
He will be gentle and just and peaceable.
That’s really NOT NEW information, even if it differs slightly.
The expounded information comes in verse 6.
(6) “and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devi.”
PAUL DIDN’T MENTION THIS IN TITUS.
Perhaps the usage of the word “elder” in Titus instead of the word “overseer” like he used here sufficed to make Paul’s point there.
Either way, it is an important issue to discuss
As we look at the maturity of a potential elder – overseer – shepherd.
He cannot be “a new convert”
Clearly we are NOT talking necessarily about the MAN’S AGE here.
After all:
1 Timothy 4:12 “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”
• Timothy himself was considered youthful yet he was not disqualified.
• Though even there we point out that as a youth he would have to work twice as hard to demonstrate his maturity.
SPIRITUAL MATURITY IS THE KEY.
LET’S TALK MORE ABOUT SPIRITUAL MATURITY.
Ephesians 4:13-14 “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;”
There maturity is spoken of as Christ-like-ness.
• It speaks of no longer being gullible children who believe everything.
• It speaks of those who can discern truth from error.
• It speaks of those who are not prone to trickery and scheming.
We see something similar in Hebrews:
Hebrews 5:14 “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.”
The writer of Hebrews speaks of the mature
As those who are trained to discern.
And this is the primary reason why a “new convert”
Is prohibited from serving as an elder or overseer.
HE LACKS DISCERNMENT.
Now, it is NOT A SIN to be a new convert.
• Everyone starts there.
It is NOT A SIN for a new convert to lack discernment.
• Everyone starts there as well.
But until he develops that discernment he cannot be an elder,
And it doesn’t matter how old or gifted he may be.
AND THERE IS A REASON
Paul says, “so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.”
WHAT IS THE THREAT?
CONCEIT
“conceited” translates TOOF-AH-O
And it literally means “to raise a smoke”
Metaphorically it speaks of one who is puffed up.
Or perhaps we might say he is “full of hot air”
He is more proud of himself than he ought to be.
The office of an elder or overseer is NOT an office that is earned or rewarded to someone who deserves it.
There is no reason to brag or think better of yourself for being in it.
THINK OF IT LIKE FATHERHOOD.
Fatherhood is a great thing.
• It is a noble position and a high calling,
• But being able to conceive a child hardly makes you special.
• The honor comes from fathering well, not being a father.
It is the same with being an elder or overseer.
But a new convert may have trouble discerning that.
Conceit is a real temptation, even for the spiritually mature.
Think of Uzziah.
• He was Isaiah’s hero king.
2 Chronicles 26:16 “But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.”
Think of Hezekiah
• Who demonstrated faith during the Assyrian invasion, but still we read:
2 Chronicles 32:25 “But Hezekiah gave no return for the benefit he received, because his heart was proud; therefore wrath came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.”
Pride and conceit are dangerous for any man at any age.
But for a new convert who lacks discernment it is especially dangerous.
It’s not that a new convert is less devout or less in love with Christ.
But it’s less likely that he has been humbled in his walk with Christ.
Think of all the humbling that Moses endured at the hands of a grumbling congregation.
In fact, in that incident where even Aaron and Miriam rose up against Moses we read:
Numbers 12:1-3 “Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman); and they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” And the LORD heard it. (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.)”
When Moses was a young man, a new convert
• We remember him boldly rising up and killing the Egyptian thinking everyone
would recognize him as the deliverer.
• But reproach and years of leadership had sort of taken the starch out of him.
• It humbled him and he quit being a fighter and became an intercessor.
A man must develop the discernment of humility.
• He must lose his dependance on his own strength.
• He must lose his confidence in his own ability.
• He must recognize that he can accomplish nothing.
• He must see he does not deserve the position he is in.
Because conceit leads to condemnation.
“so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.”
Paul doesn’t mean that the devil will condemn him.
• Satan doesn’t have that right nor power.
No Paul means he fall into
The same type of condemnation that the devil fell in to.
TURN TO: EZEKIEL 28:11-19
That was Satan.
• Puffed up by his own high position and glory.
• It was more than he could take and he fell into sin and reproach.
Isaiah spoke of the conceit of Satan.
Isaiah 14:12-14 “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’”
All those “I will” statements from Satan.
It was pride and it led to rebellion.
And this is a real threat for any elder, but especially a new convert.
Listen to Paul warn the Ephesian elders.
Acts 20:29-30 “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.”
THAT IS REAL.
It is men, who in their conceit, think too highly of themselves
And actually pull the church away after themselves.
The threat is too great and so a new convert is not qualified
Until he develops discernment and demonstrates true humility.
There is another thing we gain here in 1 Timothy
LET’S EXPAND HIS CIRCLE OF EVALUATION
Something else Paul doesn’t mention to Titus
That is mentioned here and vitally important.
(7) “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.”
1. We’ve discussed his reputation at home.
2. We’ve discussed his reputation at church.
3. Here we discuss his reputation outside the church.
Paul says that the elder “must have a good reputation”
NOW FIRST OF ALL, in just the simplest explanation
Every believer is called to have “a good reputation”
Philippians 2:14-15 “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,”
Colossians 4:5-6 “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”
AND YOU’LL REMEMBER
That is one of the main concerns in the book of Titus.
Remember that older women are supposed to teach the younger women to love their children and husbands:
Titus 2:5 “to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”
Remember that young men are supposed be dignified:
Titus 2:8 “sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.”
Remember that slaves are supposed to honor their masters:
Titus 2:10 “not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.”
All believers are to strive for “a good reputation”,
How much more should that be the case for the overseer?
“reputation” translates MARTURIA
(where we get our word for “martyr”)
And it simply means a witness.
Here we learn that the world must be able to bear witness
To the moral integrity and character of the man.
• Certainly the world cannot bear witness to the accuracy of his doctrine.
• Certainly the world may even hate the gospel he proclaims.
• He may even be hated by those in the world.
That is NOT what “good reputation” means.
For in some ways if the world loves you and you have that kind of reputation that alone may disqualify you.
Perhaps it is better to understand it as RESPECT.
Here are a couple of passages that may aid in our understanding.
1 Corinthians 14:24-25 “But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.”
• Paul was speaking about the exercise of spiritual gifts in the church.
• And you have nonbeliever enter the church and he witnesses the expression of
the gift of prophecy or preaching.
“he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.”
The point being that the world recognizes your devotion and genuineness even if they don’t agree with it.
I’m reminded of the atheist who enjoyed listening to Charles Spurgeon.
Someone asked him, “Do you believe what they guy is saying?”
The atheist replied, “No, but he does.”
Or consider after the church witnessed the death of Ananias and Sapphira for lying to the Holy Spirit:
Acts 5:13 “But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem.”
They didn’t want anything to do with them,
But there was no denying that they were real.
And this is the type of witness that must be provided
For the man who would be an elder in the church.
Even an unregenerate world
That may hate him and the message he preaches
Must be able to testify that he is different.
I think of:
1 Peter 4:1-5 “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you; but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”
It is far better for a non-believer to mock or malign or belittle you for your refusal to join in their sin,
Than for the non-believer to be shocked when someone tells them you are a Christian.
The really key passage on this issue is:
Romans 2:17-24 “But if you bear the name “Jew” and rely upon the Law and boast in God, and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For “THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,” just as it is written.”
There is the real problem.
• If the man doesn’t live consistently…
• If the man is a hypocrite…
• If the man lives a double life…
He will only bring reproach on the church and blasphemy upon God.
You must know who that man is in all of his dealings
And in all of his relationships.
We are not leaving anything up to chance.
The flock of God is too important to risk putting a phony in the ranks.
And Paul says that if you do ordain a phony
He might “fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
What is “the snare of the devil”?
2 Timothy 2:24-26 “The Lord’s bond-servant 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, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”
There “the snare of the devil” speaks of
One who is “held captive by him to do his will.”
I should think this is easily understandable to us today.
How many of you follow politics at all?
• How many of you think some politicians are corrupt?
• How many think it is because they have either been bribed or compromised?
If you have a man in office
Who is compromised and being blackmailed by someone else
You’ve got a dangerous man in office.
That is a man who will destroy everyone around him
In order to save his own skin.
He may have been a rightly elected official,
But through his compromise he has now become a plant of the enemy.
And you must know that
Satan is constantly recruiting plants to infiltrate the church.
2 Peter 2:1 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.”
Jude 4 “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”
“snare” in the Greek
Is a word that means “trap” it can even mean “noose”
In other words you’ve got a man in leadership
Who has Satan’s noose around his neck.
Satan has a gun in his back.
WHY?
Because he is leading a double-life and he fears being found out.
• How many people will he destroy to cover his lie?
• How many people will he run off to maintain his façade?
• He’ll blow a hole right through the middle of the church.
Just look at some of the fallout of well-known spiritual leaders
Who were exposed as leading double lives.
THAT DESTRUCTION IS GREAT.
Before you ordain a man into the office
You must make sure that he is not that type of man.
Make sure that the world agrees that
Like him or not, he is a man devoted to Christ.
The church cannot ordain a wolf and hope he’ll be kind to the sheep.
So again, the right leadership matters in the church.
It is greatly needed
We need to identify the men who are qualified to do it.
We need also to encourage the men to GET QUALIFIED to do it.
THEY ARE NEEDED.
• Men who will love the bride of Christ the way they love their wife.
• Men who will shepherd the children of God the way they shepherd their own children.
• Men who are spiritually mature and full of discernment and self-control.
• Men who are proven in true in every walk of life.
And we need those men to rise up and shepherd the flock of God.
