 And I'll begin reading here in Titus 1.5 and read to verse 9 and then introduce our study, laying a foundation background and all and then looking at what the Lord would have us to see about qualifications for leadership in the body of Christ. And so beginning at verse 5, Paul writes, for this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you. If a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination, for a bishop must be blameless as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast to the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convict those who contradict. And so in these verses the apostle Paul writes to give his reason for leaving Titus in Crete and he makes it clear that organization in the churches is needed. You see this organization will keep the church in proper order and it safeguards the church from infiltration, infiltration of deceivers. You see in Crete the gospel had been given, people had been saved, the church is now meeting and at this point an official organization for believers needs to be established. And so with that in mind Paul instructs Titus to establish organization in the church. Very early in its history false teachers had begun entering the church because they were young and spiritually vulnerable. Paul needed to safeguard them. Part of the way that he was going to safeguard them was for them to appoint elders. These men would be what are called spiritual leaders. They were going to instruct and they were going to care for the people. Now this kind of care is found in the scripture both in the old as well as the New Testament. In the book of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, chapter 2 verse 7, it says the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge and men should seek instruction from his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. In the book of Jeremiah in chapter 3 verse 15, I will give you shepherds after my own heart who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. So the spiritual life in the nation of Israel was under the umbrella if you will of the ministry of the priests. The priests were there to instruct to give the word of God and to be those who represented God's kingdom to the nation of Israel. But we also see something similar in the beginning of the existence of the church. When you look into Acts in chapter 2 verse 42, after the day of Pentecost it fully arrived and the church had been baptized and the Holy Spirit had come. The people had been baptized, the church has come into existence in chapter 2. At verse 42 it tells us what the pattern was, what was going on in the early church. It says they continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship in the break and the bread and in prayers. And so from the very beginning there was a conscious effort to have fellowship. There was a conscious effort to have a leadership under the apostolic leaders as well as the doctrine that they were teaching. You see Jesus established the church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. When Paul was writing to the church in Ephesus in chapter 2 verses 19 and 20, he said, Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints, members of the household of God having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. And so the Lord had organized His people both in the old and new and they were to be under the leadership of the priesthood in the New Testament. They were to be under the leadership of those who were spiritually qualified. Not too long ago I was asked the question, Why do we need pastors in a church? And I told Maria, I said, honey come on now. That is not a nice thing to ask me. Now but I was, why do we need pastors? Why do we need elders? Why do we need leaders? Can't we all just read the Bible? Can't we just read and understand? Why do we need teachers in the church? Well to safeguard the church from error and to promote its health, God gave it leaders. And these spiritual leaders are actually gifts that God has given to the church. Ephesians 4 11 through 13 says it like this, Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers to equip His people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. God gave as a gift to the church. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry. You see within the body of Christ are various gifts in various offices. In Romans 12 verses 4 and 5 it reads, we have many members in one body and all members have not the same office. So we being many are one body in Christ and everyone members of one another. And so there is the body of Christ but it's organized under the leadership of pastor teachers under the leadership of those that are referred to as elders. And elders hold the position of spiritual authority and as such they wield tremendous influence. Because of this the men who lead the church are to be carefully selected. You see the church is spiritual so the leaders are to be spiritually mature men of character. From its earliest days, organization existed. Mature leaders were selected. When you look in the book of Acts in chapter 14 verses 21 through 23 it speaks of how they had preached the gospel to that city, made many disciples, returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith and saying, we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God. So when they had appointed elders in every church and prayed with fasting they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. So they didn't leave these people, these converts, these churches without leadership. There needed to be leadership in the body of Christ. And so for the church to survive and to flourish, well-qualified elders needed to be appointed. And so that's what Paul is saying here when he says in verse 5, I left you in creed that you should set in order the things that are lacking. When he says that you may set in order, the word set in order, the words are, that's a medical term. It actually can be used of setting a broken bone or straightening out a crooked leg. It's a medical term. You're setting it in order. And what he's saying is you're to straighten out and correct certain teachings that have entered in. False doctrine is entering in. Next time we're together we'll notice verse 10 when he begins to speak concerning this. And I'll just read it to you. He said, there are many insubordinate, insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not for the sake of dishonest gain. And so he's dealing with a situation that is cropping up now in the churches there in creed. And in order for them to flourish, in order for them to be healthy, there needs to be spiritual leadership within the body of Christ. And that's why he left him there behind to set in order the things that are lacking. Notice he said the things that are lacking. The things that are lacking can also be translated, those things that are remaining, that which remains. Paul or others had already begun the process of doing these things as the point he's making, but that process needs to be completed. Now one of the ways that he's going to be able to do this is he's going to be needing to appoint elders in every city. The word elder, it's a general word, you know, it speaks of those who are like me, fossils, old people. It was a general term and it spoke of an elder, and thus you can use the term that way, but there is also a church-oriented term elder. And it speaks of one who is a leader within the church. And so this particular word here when it speaks of appointing elders and all is a title. It's the word presbuteras. It's where you get the word presbytery, or presbyterian for that matter. It speaks of a spiritual leader in the church. And so these elders that he's speaking about are going to do the work of correcting error and also are going to be dealing with the false teachers who are infiltrating, who are creeping in. And that again is a purpose that Paul had left Titus in Crete. He's to organize the fellowships under elders who are going to be leading the church. Now, giving you a little more information, elders were originally ordained, appointed in one of two ways. One, they would be ordained by the apostles. We saw that again in chapter 14 of Acts verses 21 through 23. We just read that. Or they were men who were appointed by an apostle, and they were ordained in that fashion. The key is they were not self-appointed. They were called by God. We have many today, and it's not new. It's been going on for a long time who were self-anointed and self-appointed, who placed themselves in the position of leadership in and draw disciples after themselves. There are quite a number of people who have done that from the beginning, continue to do that today. These are self-appointed men. These are people who have not been recognized, but simply say, I feel this, therefore I am going to do this. That happens quite a bit. There's really no accountability. There's no recognition by those of spiritual maturity. They just take it among themselves. I've seen that quite a number of times. I've been in ministry for a long time. I've seen it quite often. When I teach the men in my mentoring class, or pastors classes that I've done in the past, I say you can see three basic things when it comes to the process of becoming a leader in the church as a pastor and elder. One is the internal witness. There's a sense that God has called you. If we were to be looking at Paul's letter to Timothy, 1 Timothy chapter 3, which he covers the same basic ground. In 1 Timothy chapter 3, verse 1, he says, if any man desires the office of a bishop, he desires a good thing. There's that internal witness. There's that desire within that person. I desire that office. It's something within me that God has placed in me, but there's a second confirmation. That is the confirmation of elders and spiritual leaders. Just because somebody says, I feel called, doesn't mean that that person is called. So a wise thing to do is to speak to a spiritual leader, the pastor of that church, and to express that to them. Back in 1977, give you an ancient history testimony. Marie and I were attending a church in Claremont, a Calvary Chapel in Claremont. The pastor's name was Marco Alvarez, and Marco had asked me to be on a board at the church there. He had a group of men, and so I went to a meeting, and while I was at the meeting, he had each one of the men introduce themselves and share something about themselves. And I was basically the last one to speak after the others had shared, given their names, what they did for the living, and things of that nature. And I still remember, I said to Marco, because I was seated to his left, he was right next to me. I looked at Marco, the pastor. And I said, who I am. And I said this, I said, you know, I feel a call. I believe that I am called by God into pastoral ministry. And I looked at the pastor, and I said, it may not be here, but I know that it is a call that God has put in my heart. That's that. If any man desire, the office of bishop, he desires a good thing. That's the internal witness. There was something within me. And ultimately, Marco ordained me into ministry in 1979. But I presented it to him. I said, that's my internal witness. But it needs to be recognized by elders. Those who are spiritually mature, who can recognize that God is moving in that person and can bear witness to it. It's not that the elders ordained because you didn't, you didn't choose me, I chose you and I ordained you, Jesus said in John 15, 16. I'm the ordainer. I put it in your heart. But there are those who will recognize that. And they'll say, surely the Lord is with you. I can see the fruit of your ministry. And then there's the witness of the congregation. Now, you may have an internal sense. And there may be people, like elders who say, I see that. But if you give a Bible study and nobody comes back, you may not be called. So there's a witness of a congregation. There are people who will put up with you again, that come more than once. When we planted this church back in July of 1981, our first Sunday morning, I taught Isaiah 43, 18 and 19, God is going to do a new thing. And at the conclusion of the study there in the house that we were meeting in, I remember saying, I'll be back next week. I don't know if you will, but I, I will. And they did return because I paid them, but they did come back. And it was quite a blessing. And so, as we're looking at this, they're not self-appointed. They have a calling by God. There's this internal desire, this, this witness. And they are called. They are anointed by the Spirit. Acts 20, verse 28, Paul said it like this. He was speaking to the elders of the Church of Ephesus. And he was in a place called Miletus. And he said to them, Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over the which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to feed the Church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. The Holy Spirit has made you overseers. And so they are not self-appointed. They are called by God. Now, in order to lead properly, they have to be spiritually mature men of character. You see, the foundations of spiritual leadership are actual character qualifications. What is character? Somebody asked, well, a great preacher of another day, D. L. Moody said this. He said, character is what a man is in the dark. And so it is who you are internally. It's who you really are. And so there to be spiritual men who have character. I'll point this out to you a little bit more in just a moment. But he begins to speak concerning these qualifications. And so in verse six, he says, if a man is blameless, he begins by saying, if a man is blameless, these are spiritually mature men of character. And again, the foundations are character qualifications. And therefore, first, he is blameless. That word blameless can also be translated above reproach. Somebody defined it this way. One against whom it is impossible to bring any charge of wrongdoing such as could stand impartial judgment. And when somebody is blameless, they are morally upright. This person must live an obviously holy life. In other words, this is a man that is not subject to any charge of any kind of wrongdoing. This is someone that people aren't going to lodge accusations against a bad elder just undermines the work of a church. So you never want to lay hands on any man suddenly because you know that his reputation is of necessity for people to be able to trust that when he's handling the word of God or speaking to them that this is a man who lives what he speaks. And so he has to be a blameless individual, somebody that is not guilty of moral wrongdoing. And so one, he's above reproach. Two, he's the husband of one wife. Now, that doesn't mean one at a time. The phrase husband of one wife can be translated a one woman man, a one woman man. It speaks of a man who is faithful to his bride. It also has the inference that he is a sexually pure man. Now, he doesn't have to be married. It's not a requirement to be an elder that you're married. But if he is married, then he needs to be a person who has no accusations lodged against him of impropriety. Why is that? Because in ministry, elders, leaders have opportunity to minister to both men and women. And if this man is not a one woman man, and he's going through the normal stresses that life will bring. And if there are things that are perhaps occurring in the home that are making him unsatisfied or feeling unappreciated. And perhaps his wife has had children and she's just not really quote unquote available to him. And he begins to feel that his desires and needs as a man are not being met. He can be put in a position where somebody in the church, a woman in the church could begin to become somebody that he becomes interested in in an improper way. One of the things I discovered very early in ministry is women fall in love with not the man so much as what he represents very often or the power that he may hold in her eyes. You can be as ugly as a toad and someone's going to want to be with you. That's kind of how it works. And without going into a lot of stories, believe it or not, this is a typical, this is not just me saying this. This is many. You would be surprised at how brazen sometimes people can be with you. I remember when Marie and I, when we first started ministering back in 81, 82, when we planted, when I planted the church and my wife and I being together in our ministry and all, I still remember sharing a story. I'll tell you the story. Some of you have heard it, but I told the story. I said, you know, when Marie was giving birth to my son, David, I was sharing it with the church just like him right now. I said, I said, a song came on the radio. Now we're talking about a long time ago. A song came on the radio and I just kind of sang it to her. And as I was singing it to her, I guess she was going through labor and she looks at me and she says, you know, I like the way he sings it better. And so I thought that was funny. So I shared that in church and it's just like I just did. And I used to stand in the back and shake hands with people and a woman came walking by walking out. I'd never seen it before. She took me by the hand and shook my hand and she said, I wouldn't mind if you sang to me. And I said, Marie, you didn't say it that day. No, no, I mean, they can be, they can be brazen. I can tell you story after story because this happened more than once where people have, I don't know how to say this, but they can develop improper desires for you for whatever reason. I don't know. If you're not totally committed and in love with your wife, you can be seduced into something. A lot of pastors, not all thank God, but a lot have fallen to this one trap. It's this one trap where the woman comes up, makes herself available. You're everything her husband isn't. You pray, you care, you love the word, you're everything her husband isn't. And she begins to think she loves you. She may even go so far as to tell you, I love you, but you're going to do. And so what kind of man is to be pastor in the church? A one woman man, a man whose heart is so securely tied into his wife that there's nobody else that could ever take him from her. That's what Paul says to Titus. When you're looking for someone as an elder, he needs to be blameless. One who people can't lodge a charge against, and it can't stick into, he needs to love his wife. He needs to be in love with her. In Job 31 verse one, Job said, I made a covenant with my eyes. Why then should I think upon a maid? My eyes have been arrested. I am not going to put them on anybody else with any desire. Again, in ministry there are improper opportunities that can occur. So this this elder's love for Christ and faithfulness to his wife safeguards him as well as his wife. Then a third thing, having faithful children, literally having children who are not pagans. That would speak concerning his leadership. Again, he's looking for people to lay hands on to oversee the church. And so as he's looking for someone to come alongside him to help, this quality is something he's looked for. That tells Titus that this man leads his family. He's done his best to raise his children in the faith. He has raised children who share the faith and they're not accused of constant perpetual rebellion. Again, it reveals the influence that the man has on his family. Again, it's not that he's going to raise perfect children because children sometimes go astray, but it's children who are not hardcore rebels, pagans who cares. No, don't put that person into a position because he needs to deal with his family. He says in verse 7, a bishop must be blameless as a steward of God. He speaks of a steward. The steward in the Bible is the manager of household affairs. And a steward would be one who cared for many things, including the finances. So that would necessitate that he be faithful or trustworthy. When Paul spoke of himself, he spoke of himself in that way. In 1 Corinthians 4, 1 and 2, he said, let a man so account of us as the ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. So he must be a steward. He must be blameless because he is God's steward. Then he goes on and he says, not self-willed, not self-willed, not self-indulgent, not arrogant, not unreasonable, not a man who is incapable of listening to other people. In ministry, there are people who are going to come up and share with you. I have this happen on occasion. And as an elder, I'm not to be somebody who says, what do you know? And just kind of blow them off. That's just an improper way to be. There are some who say, do you not know who I am? I am the pastor of this church. Well, no, that attitude is not a proper attitude. You have to have an ear to hear. You have to have a willingness to listen. And you can't have an arrogance towards people. An arrogant attitude, you can't be that person. Third John, there's a man in Third John in verses 9 and 10 that is an example of this kind of self-willed person. In Third John verses 9 and 10, it says this. John said, I have written something to the church, but diatrophies who likes to put himself first does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he's doing, talking wicked nonsense against us and not content with that. He refuses to welcome the brothers and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church. And so he's not to be this kind of person, this arrogant, self-willed person, because that runs contrary to what a spiritual leader is to be. If you take notes, Matthew 20 verses 25 through 28, Jesus called his men together and he said, you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them and their high officials exercised authority over them, not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. Whoever wants to be first must be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, to give his life as a ransom for many. So he's not to be arrogant and self-willed, putting people down or embarrassing them, lording it over them. 1 Peter 5, 3, neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock. So an elder is going to be somebody who has a compassion at heart, who can listen and doesn't have an arrogance about him. Verse 5 goes on to say, not quick tempered, not quick tempered. Somebody who doesn't get angry easily. He doesn't give himself over to sudden outbursts of wrath. It speaks of a disposition. It speaks about a person who we used to use the term thin skinned. It just was quick tempered. What did you say to me? What do you mean by that? You can't be that way. I was here in this pulpit back in when we first got this property back in the mid 90s. We got this property here. We're at now in 92. So it would have been, it would, it was before we built the sanctuary over there that's, that was built in I think 2002. So somewhere in between there, I remember teaching a Bible study doing a Sunday morning and I stepped down here. I was standing right here and a guy walks up. I remember he came walking over here and he walks up to me and he says to me this, he says to me, my name is Jeremiah. He says, I am all the Jays in the Bible. And so I looked at him and I'm thinking, Jezebel and Judas too, but anyway, I'm all, I'm all the Jays in the Bible and he says, and I have come with a word from the Lord and I'm just standing right here and he's standing and he says, and if you do not receive this word, he pulls his hand back like this at me. I am to smite you and I, I didn't feel like being smitten that day. So you would be surprised at how people can provoke you. I was talking to another fellow one time after, after service and after a Sunday morning and he says, you said something and I just want to slap you in the face. I had another guy, I can give you stories. I had another guy who couldn't stood over me like this. I was sitting outside after a Sunday morning. He stood over me. He's a good size guy stood over me like this. I just want to know why, why you always put down the men. I said, I put down the men. He says, why do you always put down the men? You make it seem like it's our fault that we have bad marriages. And I said, oh really? And I said, you think I put down you men? He goes, yes, you do. And I said, do you have a good, good marriage? Yes, I do. I said, that's wonderful. Well, maybe I'm speaking to somebody else and not you. You didn't know what to do with that because he had a lousy marriage. I knew him. So you have people. I had a guy I'll give you another story. These are all true stories. I was sitting in my office. A guy came in. He had been shacking up with a girl. He wanted me to marry them. I asked them about that relationship. He said, listen, you've got to repent from your sin before you even move into something else. He got upset. He came back the next week by himself. He's sitting right in front of me. I was, I was, well, I was knee to knee. I was in a very small office at that time. I'm just kind of sitting there. And he says to me, I'll never forget these. These are things you don't forget. He said to me, after you spoke to me that way last week, I was so angry because you're saying I'm a sinner. And he says, and when I do my kata, and he starts doing these karate stretches and things, and he's throwing this, this, and I'm just staring at him. I'm thinking, oh my goodness. And I said to the Lord, true story. I said, Jesus, when he hits me, may I go out in the first punch? I don't feel like taking more than, more than one. And you get these people who sometimes, one more. It happened in here on a Wednesday, none of you knew about it, but somebody would sit next to Marie that we didn't know. And he walked up to Jared, wherever Jared is right now, and he was whispering, and I'm sitting here just before the service, and he was threatening Jared. He was telling Jared, I know you're having an affair with Pastor David. No offense, Jared. You're not my type. And then he posted that he was, he had gotten in touch with Calvary Costa Mesa's Brian Brodersen, and Brian had given him permission to become the pastor of this church. Yeah. And then the next Sunday, he was sitting in the front row and expecting to get up and to take over the church that Sunday. So we were aware of that, and took him outside and visited with him. And that was how we handled that one. And I can go on. If you're pugnacious, which we'll see this in a moment, but if you're argumentative in everything, the ministry isn't a place for you. It's not a place for you, because you're called by God to be able to be reasonable. And just because somebody gets upset, you don't respond easily. You don't get provoked easily. You're not quick-tempered. You're not hostile. In 2 Timothy 2, 24, the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach and not resentful. So this is a leader. He goes on to say, not given to wine. That phrase literally is not lingering at the cup. It speaks of not being addicted to wine. One who is given to wine does not normally operate with wisdom. Somebody who's addicted to wine who's drinking and becomes drunk during that day, especially because the wine that was common was a very low alcohol content. You had to make choices to drink stronger drink in order to become inebriated. And so this is a person who's addicted to it. He lingers at the cup. He likes a drink. He likes the alcoholic beverage. And what happens is that person is not going to operate with wisdom. Isaiah 28 verse 7 says it like this. They also have aired through wine and through strong drink are out of the way. The priest and the prophet have aired through strong drink. They are swallowed up of wine. They are out of the way through strong drink. They air in vision. They stumble in judgment. He's not to be given to wine. You see in elders to love people and never put anything in their path that would stumble them. There's a lot of people who argue today about Christian liberty. Well, Christian liberty is not intended to cause a brother or sister to be stumbled. In 1 Corinthians chapter 8 verse 9, Paul said it like this. He said, be careful. However, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the week. And so I was given a Sunday morning service and I was sharing about this kind of thing. And this was in the early days of the church. And I said, well, I said, I don't want to be a stumbling block to you. I said, what would happen? And I gave a hypothetical. What would happen if you came to my house and I had some wine there? What would happen? I was expecting them to say, well, you know, pastor, I wouldn't expect, you know, I was thinking that some guy in the front row yelled out, I'll never forget this. He yelled out, I'll help you drink it, pastor. That wasn't the response I was looking for. That was not the response. So your liberties should never be exercised to the point of somebody being stumbled by them. I would never put a man in a position of spiritual leadership who was a drinker. I'll just tell you up front. I don't want them stumbling anybody. Even if he says, well, you know, I don't get drunk. I'd say, well, you know, between you and the Lord, that's a matter of your conscience. But in terms of you leading this church, no. We have had people in supermarkets, because we've lived here for a long time, and we've had people come up to us in supermarkets who will walk up. I, Pastor David, and they've looked into our our cart to see what we were getting. You know, they want to see if I have something in their drink. They do. And that's I heard that laugh and that and they and they do that going on in verse seven, not violent, not violent. You don't want a brawler. He may be a brawler because he lingers at the cup. It's not someone literally prone to getting into fistfights or arguments. He must be one who can rise over angry argument. He's one who needs to be reasonable. In Proverbs 20, verse three, it is honorable for a man to stop striving since any fool can start a quarrel. An elder needs to have the ability to listen to another person's point of view without taking it personally and have to argue his case and win. He needs to listen. That's what elders do. You listen to what they're saying, and you show them respect as they're speaking, even if they're really wrong. And again, I'll speak for the first person. I've been doing what I'm doing right now for 48 years. It's a long time to do what I'm doing for 48 years. And so you have people who on occasion have differed in such a way that they want to argue, make their point at all. But my responsibility is to listen to them and not have to win every argument. And perhaps they have something that is valid I need to hear. So why not listen? You're supposed to. You're supposed to listen. But if I have somebody who wants to be in ministry, but he has this antagonism, this argumentative spirit that he's not qualified to be in the ministry, he's not. Verse seven, he goes on, not greedy for money. This is the one who enters ministry to become rich. This is the one who profits off of people. Now pastors have the biblical right to receive compensation. In Luke chapter 10 verse 7, the laborer is worthy of his wages. In 1st Timothy 517, Paul said, the elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. So Paul is speaking of those who greedily take advantage of the church. That was especially true of the false teachers who were entering in. As we saw a moment ago, they did it in verse 11 for the sake of dishonest gain. And so the pastor who is in it for the money is not a pastor. You see, an elder teaches others to trust God with their finances and to be generous. In 1st Timothy 617, Paul said, to pastor Timothy, command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant, nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. So we're not to be greedy, we're not going to ministry so I can make a lot of money. You put the body of Christ first, that's what you do. You put them first. And that's what God has called us to do. 9th, in verse 80 he says, you have to be hospitable. That means to love strangers. That means to help to meet people's needs. He's not to be against helping others. In Hebrews 13, verse 2, do not be forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels without knowing it, unaware. And so he's to be hospitable. He's to be welcoming. You know, he's to be the kind of person that, that is, I don't know how to say it again. I think I just said that word, likable. He's to be the kind of person that people say I feel comfortable with you. You know, I've had people approach me and again, you know, this is all about me, right? It sounds that way. But just from personal experience, sometimes I've talked to people and they're, they're shaking. They shake. Their bodies are shaking when I'm talking, I'm looking at them. They're, and they're kind of stammering and I talk to them. Why are you doing that? I'll ask them. I'll say, are you nervous? You nervous? Yes, pass. Why? Why? Why are you nervous? Because you're a pastor. Come on. Stop it. No, no, no, no. Never feel that way. Never feel that way. I, Murray and I can tell you this. Again, lots of stories, but we've been in, in restaurants and people will walk up in the cell. Pastor, Pastor David, I go to your church and I say, well, praise the Lord, they'll say, I hate to take your time. Are you not? You're not taking my time. I'm giving you it. I enjoy it. Thank you. You go to our church. Praise the Lord. I like that. That's your attitude. That's your attitude should be that people feel welcome. They don't feel like they should apologize for the, the moments that they're spending with you. It's a gift. You know, you don't take my time. I give you my time. And I'm not so important. Oh, wait a minute. You know, look out, you know, my halo is falling down and I'm floating. No, people, people can feel that. So when I look for somebody to minister, I want them to be friendly and loving. I want them to, to, to be that kind of person so that people will feel welcome. And that's how it works in ministry. He says in verse eight, a lover of what, of what is good, he's attracted to those things that are, are intrinsically good. That, that, that speaks to the way that he looks at life and the things that matter to him. He just loves that which is good. Verse eight again, he's sober-minded. The word sober-minded means to be serious, not given to hasty or rash actions. He's self-controlled. He avoids the things that are trivial, the things that are of no importance. He's sensible. He's, he's cool-headed. Proverbs 16-32, he was slow to anger is better than the mighty. He, that rules his spirit, then he takes the city. So this is to be a person who's sober-minded. Again, my father was extremely sober-minded. My dad was very serious about who he was as a person. My dad taught me, taught me to be the same through his example. My dad was just a sober-minded man. He, he had a great sense of humor. He's a lot of fun and I used to tease my dad quite often, enjoyed it quite a bit. I was the one in the family who got away with that with my dad and I would tease him and I'll, but my dad had a sense of who he was and my mom told me one day she said, your father is highly respected by his friends. For me, that became more important than even being liked. You know, in a husband and wife relationship, the way that a husband knows that he is loved isn't just by the way his wife looks at him or kisses him or ministers to him or whatever. The way a man knows he is loved is when she respects him. That's why in Ephesians 5 Paul said, wives, you are to respect your husband. Why would he say that? Because that's how I understand love when my wife respects me. Now, I need to be worthy of her respect. There's no doubt about it, but that's how she shows me, she loves me. That's what I learned from my dad. My mother respected my father so I watched their relationship and they were unsaved for the first 25 years of their marriage. But when my dad and mom got saved, it went even a higher level. But my mom had said that, I loved your dad for 25 years as a pagan, but the last years have been the greatest because he knows Christ. Well, I watched the way that they lived and I came to believe and I still do that respect is a very important thing for me as a man to have. But I need to live in a way that causes people to respect me. And so a sober mind is what you are. You're a person who knows who you are, and that's a stability that gives to the church a sense of protection. He goes on, and I have to hurry because I have quite a few things to say. I'm just going to run through this, just. To be just means to be fair-minded. It means to do nothing by partiality. When you're in ministry, you have to be able to judge or make judgment in a fair and impartial way. Proverbs 18-17 says the first one to plead his cause seems right until his neighbor comes and examines him. And so a lot of times people will come first and they'll say something. And so if you're a just person, you'll say there's always a second half to every story. Before I take your side, I need to hear what else is going on with that other person because they have different perspectives. And so he's to be fair-minded. Then he's to be self-controlled. Again, that's dispassionate. He is to be of a calm spirit. His self-controlled life will inspire those he ministers to, to have confidence. In 1 Peter 4-7 it says the end of all things is at hand, be there for sober and watch to prayer. Yeah, your church watches you. I know that my church watches me. I know that if there's a situation that the members of my church want to see how I'm going to respond to it. I know that. And so I'm aware of those things. And it's a very important thing because very often people who don't know what to do will watch you to see how you react in order that they may know what to do. And that's how it works. We're on a plane. The plane is going through some very great difficulty. We're afraid that it may go down. We're over the Atlantic. And there's so much turbulence that the, the masks are falling out of the overhead and people are throwing their masks on. People are screaming. And I'm sitting reading a newspaper. And afterwards my daughter Corinne says, Daddy, why weren't you afraid? And I said, because I know that, that God isn't through with our church. And she says, did it never dawn on you that he doesn't need you to finish what he wants to do in the church? And I said, well, you know, no, so I'm glad I hadn't thought about it that way. But just, just within the last year or so, my daughter Anna, who was also on that flight with us, said to me, dad, you remember, and she reminded me of that. I said, yeah, honey, I do. She says, I wasn't afraid. Did you know that? I said, no, honey, I didn't know that. She says, daddy, I wasn't afraid. I said, why not? She said, I was watching you. She said, if you would have become afraid, I would have become afraid. But because you were sitting calmly reading a newspaper, I was able to be calm within myself. So I learned a long time ago that you need to have people who display a calmness, a sobriety, you know, an awareness, so that people who don't know exactly what to do can use you as a model. They'll use you as a model. Fear is contagious, but so is peace. And so when you have an elder, this is to be a person of self-control. And then finally, holding fast the faithful word, which he's been taught. So the elder clings to and applies himself to the word of God, the things that he's been taught through God's word. In 2 Thessalonians 250, and stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. See, all the previous qualities are character qualifications, but this one speaks of spiritual maturity. If they're going to overcome the false teachers, they need to know God's word. In the face of opposition, that will, they will use scripture. And these false teachers are going to be preaching a false doctrine. So they need to be solid in their doctrine. They need to hold fast to the word of God and to the teachings they've received. They need to have stability. They can't be wavering in the knowledge of God's word. And as a teacher and preacher, the word, the elder has to be prepared to explain it. He's to be able to explain God's word and help others to trust it and to know it. That's why in 2 Timothy 2 15, Paul said, be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn't need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. You see, in this way, the elder will be able by sound doctrine to convict those who are contradicting. They're to know God's word to be able to correct the error of the opponent. And this may result in them going to knowledge of the truth. I've shared this before and I'll close with this doctrine. You know, we'll see this through the book. I'm just touching on it right now for a moment. But teaching, the word doctrine means teaching. And I've shared with the church this. I've said, you know, I love to worship in all and there are some who are getting, they get exuberant with their tambourine and they, they like their tambourine. Oh, I'm not opposed to them if they go to a church that likes that. I, you know, that's what you do. I don't do that here, but you know, I'm not going to condemn somebody who likes to do that, whatever. But, but sometimes the exuberance of worship is not, is not on par with the teaching of the word. And what happens is you have an emotionality that is driving your spiritual life. And, and if I don't feel Holy Ghost goose bumps today, God didn't show up, but often I felt Holy Ghost goose bumps. He was there. And so what happens when you, when you, when you don't feel them, well, I better go someplace that actually has those things. And you end up being emotion driven and not word driven. And so that means that ultimately you don't know how to present your faith because your faith isn't being presented to you. What's being your church environment is maybe some fantastic testimony or how somebody drove the devil out of his house or, you know, these kinds of things. But when you're speaking to an unbeliever or somebody who's contending against you, you can't pull out that tambourine and start saying, our God is an awesome God and think something's going to happen. It's not going to. You need to know the Word of God. And an elder has got to be a person who stands strongly in God's Word and is able to explain it so that when somebody contends, he's able to give an answer. It's like what it says in 1 Peter 3 15, in your hearts, honor Christ the Lord is holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect. So if you're looking for a leader, this is a person who has all of these character traits, but he knows the Word also, because a bad elder undermines a great gospel. And when an elder is not living according to what he's teaching, he's a hypocrite. And people will look at that elder and not only judge him, they will judge the God that he's speaking about and they will judge the church that he serves in. And so Titus is dealing with false doctrine, we'll look at it next week, false doctrine, false teachers entering in, upsetting the church, doing it for financial gain. Paul says, it's time to organize. It's time to set up leadership because you have to deal with these people. And this is the kind of person you need to be looking for. These are the qualities of an elder. And so some in this room are watching right now, perhaps you sense a call by God, go over these and go over these and go over these and see whether or not these are your traits. Father, we ask that you