remain standing for the reading of God's word. We'll turn first of all to the Old Testament as we compare things old and things new, looking at the criteria for elders who sit in the gates and who pass judgment. Exodus 18, we'll read verses 13 to 27. And so it was on the next day that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. So when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, what is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening? And Moses said to his father-in-law, because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another, and I make known the statutes of God and his laws. So Moses' father-in-law said to him, the thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out, for this thing is too much for you. You are not able to perform it by yourself. Listen now to my voice. I will give you counsel and God will be with you. Stand before God for the people so that you may bring the difficulties to God and you shall teach them the statutes and the laws and show them the way in which they must walk. and the work they must do. Moreover, you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness, and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens, and let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace. So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he said. And Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. So they judged the people at all times. The hard cases they brought to Moses, but they themselves judged every small case. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way to his own land. This is the word of the Lord. Turn now to our New Testament lesson from the Pastoral Epistles, 1 Timothy chapter three. 1 Timothy three, we'll read the first seven verses together. This is a faithful saying, if a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach, not given to whine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous, one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence. For if a man does not know how to rule his own house, How will he take care of the church of God? Not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride, he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover, he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Grass withers, flower fades, word of our God stands forever. Amen. You may be seated. I've noticed that sometimes people have the wrong takeaway from sermons. I've seen cases where the people who should be comforted are convicted, while those who should be convicted are comforted. Those who are saved leave the church doubting their salvation, and those who are unsaved leave fully assured of salvation. It's like you took the wrong medication, that was for him. And he took the wrong medication, that was for you. You had the wrong takeaway from the sermon. I'm not sure if it's a problem with the preacher, I'm sure sometimes it is, or if it's a problem with those in the pews, but sometimes people have the wrong takeaways. In one area where this happens is the call to gospel ministry. There are cases where those who are most qualified for ministry are neither encouraged nor inclined to pursue it. While sadly, sometimes those who are the least qualified pursue it with great encouragement from others. It's the wrong takeaway. That was for him. This is for you. And so it's with some fear and trepidation that I come to this evening's text. It's the second of five faithful sayings of the Apostle Paul. 1 Timothy 3, 1, this is a faithful saying. Pistos halagos. If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. My goal tonight is to encourage those who are qualified to consider the possibility that you are called to gospel ministry. and to cultivate a proper desire for the same. Knowing that a ditch lies on either side of the road, I'm gonna approach this theme under two complementary headings. High calling and good calling. A high calling that we should not take lightly, but also a good calling that is worthy of pursuits and desire. First, The position of a bishop is a high calling, not something to be taken lightly. Rather, something we should approach with fear and trembling. And this is reflected in the title. 1 Timothy 3, 1. A bishop. The position of a bishop. It's the Greek word episkopos, and it means literally Overseer, when you hear the word bishop, you might automatically think either of a piece on a chess board or of a position in the Roman Catholic hierarchy, so get those out of your mind, out of your system, and it really just means an overseer. It's used synonymously with elder and with the title of pastor. An overseer, is someone who oversees the work of the church. It communicates the idea of management, rule, authority, responsibility, oversight. If the term elder or presbyter speaks to the dignity of the office, and pastor speaks to the shepherd's disposition to the sheep, then overseer speaks to the function of the office. Whether you're a ruling elder or a teaching elder, you are called to watch over the flock of God, to watch over the fidelity of the ministry, to watch over the souls of believers. And one day, if you're an elder, you'll have to give an account to Jesus Christ for how you tended to his flock as the great shepherd king over the church. This is a high calling. It's high calling to oversee the work of the Lord. Indeed, the highest of all is that in some pale, dim, reflective way, ruling and teaching elders are called to represent Jesus to his people. Ministerially, declaratively. Elders are called to represent Christ. It's a high calling. This is also reflected in the requirements. I won't read over them all again, but in verses two to seven, which we just read, you get the criteria for elders, similar to what we read of in Exodus 18. With the exception of an ability to teach, these qualifications focus on moral purity, uprightness, Blamelessness, the first item summarizes the rest. He must be blameless or above reproach. Now this doesn't mean that an elder must be a perfect man. It does mean he needs to be a spiritually mature Christian who can model Christlikeness to others. A bishop is not sinless, but he is blameless. a man who deals with sin biblically, who doesn't have outstanding obligations, who has a good reputation before God and before men. Why is that necessary? Why must he be blameless above reproach? Because it's a high calling. The overseer, the bishop, represents Jesus to his people. And if you're like me, if you consider whether the title or the criteria, the role, or the responsibilities, and you take them for their full biblical weight, you might feel like Isaiah who said, I am undone. Or like the Apostle Paul who said, who is sufficient for these things? that when the word is opened and the gospel of priest is a saver of life unto life to those who are saved, but also a saver of death unto death of those who are perishing. Who is sufficient for these things? To speak as a representative from the courts of heaven. Perhaps that's why Spurgeon told his students this. In addition to preaching and leading various charities and ministries, Spurgeon had a group of students, a kind of pastor's college, and here's what he told them. If you can do anything else, do it. If you can stay out of the ministry, stay out of the ministry. If any student in this room could be content to be a newspaper editor, or a grocer, or a farmer, or a doctor, or a lawyer, or a senator, or a king, in the name of heaven and earth, let him go his way. See, Spurgeon was a man who was impressed. with the high and holy nature of a gospel minister, of a bishop, of an overseer, of an elder, of a pastor. It's a high calling. We do well to park on that quality. And yet, I'm compelled to say that's only half of the story. It's what Gerhardus Vos called only a half circle of truth. There's another half circle. That leads us to our second point, and it's really the burden of this passage, the position of a bishop, an overseer, an elder, a pastor, is a good calling. It's high, it's holy. It's also good, it's desirable. In principle, it is not a desire to quench or to discourage. It's a good calling. It's a good work. This is a faithful saying. If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. Although we must. reject all sinful presumption and vain ambition. There is a place for holy ambition and righteous desire in the Christian life, especially when it comes to desiring good things. When it comes to good things, may the Lord not find our desires half-hearted, but rather wholehearted, blood earnest. We should desire the best things, including the position of a bishop. Indeed, for the very reason that we might shrink back from it. We might shrink back because we represent Christ as overseers of the church. And yet, that's precisely why we should desire it, because what a blessed privilege to represent Christ to his bride. Now I fear that in the case of qualified men, The church runs the risk of quenching this desire at times, of not encouraging men to pursue the office of a bishop. And I say that for at least three reasons. First, congregation, we live in an anti-institutional era. We live in an anti-institutional era. There is a low view of the organizational church with its offices, its oracles, and its sacraments. People despise organized religion. How many times have you heard someone say, well, I'm not religious, I'm spiritual. Or it's about a relationship, not about religion. And there tends to be a despising of the church as a divine and spiritual institution. with a structure, with offices like that of overseer. And so that's part of the reason why I think people don't desire the office of a bishop is they don't love the church that Christ is building. Second, I'm concerned that we have overreacted against the errors of the medieval church and thus overcorrected. Anytime there's a move away from one error, there's always a danger for a pendulum swing. And I think that's happened in some cases in the Protestant church. At times, we champion the priesthood of all believers, which we should, at the expense of a proper clergy-laity distinction. We emphasize the Protestant doctrine of vocation, and we should. but at the expense of a proper, sacred, secular distinction. There are some things that are ecclesiastical in nature. There are other things that are political in nature, and we need to make proper distinctions. We use phrases like every member a minister at the expense of the official ministry of word and sacraments. We affirm the parody of teaching and ruling elders, which we should, at the expense of the special office of the minister of the word. And so my fear is we have overreacted to these medieval errors, and they're thus overcorrecting. And therefore, perhaps we don't desire, but perhaps even despise the office of a bishop. Third reason. We worship in a feminized and thus effeminate church culture. Of course, the greatest example of this is the ordination of women to the pastorate. And here I speak both of the liberal church in America, but also of the broadly evangelical church in America. In the 20th century, the church became increasingly feminine in its hymnody, its membership, and its piety. with the result that many masculine men either left the church or had little interest in leadership. So whether it's the anti-institutional spirit, the overreaction to the medieval abuses, or the feminizing tendency within the church, there has been a tendency for godly men to not be encouraged or inclined to pursue the office of a bishop. Against these trends, beloved, we must cultivate a holy ambition and righteous desire among the men in our church for good things, the best things, including, if they are called, the position of bishop. Now you might say, say you're a young man here tonight, or an older man. And you have a desire, perhaps however nascent, but there is a desire to serve in ministry. A desire to even serve officially in the church, perhaps as a deacon, a ruling elder, or as a teaching elder. You might justly ask the question, how do I know if my desire is biblical? Again, this is a high calling. It's a good calling. How do I know if my desire is true? Well, I wanna give you three tests. This will also be helpful for those of you who are counseling or providing encouragement to those who have this desire. Three tests. First, are you qualified? If you have a desire for the office of an overseer in the church, to be an elder, to be a pastor, to be a minister, are you qualified? Look at the list in 1 Timothy 3, 2-7. Look at the list in Titus 1. Look at the list in Exodus 18. And then look at your life. Look at the list, look at your life, compare them, and ask soul-searching questions. Am I qualified? Second test. Do others in the church believe you are called? Do others in the church encourage you to pursue this office? And when I say others, I mean those besides your mother. especially among those of the leadership of the church. Do seasoned, godly, mature men see you and think, I could see this man in a more official capacity for ministry? Now, the text is specifically talking about the office of a bishop, but this would also apply, for instance, to the office of a deacon, or some other formal position of leadership, responsibility, and rule. Do others think you're called? Then the third task, and this is a hard one, but absolutely vital, are your motives pure? As you take this nascent desire against the criteria of this passage and the perspective of others, you need to look at yourself in the mirror and ask this question, are my motives pure? This is reflected in the words of the 10th ministerial vow of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Do you conscientiously believe and declare as far as you know your own hearts that in taking upon you this charge, you are influenced by a sincere desire to promote the glory of God and the good of his church? It's a hard question. As far as you know your own heart, are you influenced by a sincere desire for the glory of God, the good of his people? Are your motives pure? And truly, this is a question in the sight of God that only you can answer. It's high calling, but it's also a good calling. It's a good work. Recently, I've been reading several things on the book of Revelation as I'm trying to prepare myself to preach a series on that book, Lord Willing in the Evening Worship Service. And among other books, one I have found very useful is More Than Conquerors by William Hendrickson. And one thing I didn't know about this man, which made me even more excited to read his commentary, was his path to the ministry. William Hendrickson was born in the year 1900, a long time ago. And when he was 10 years old, his parents left the Netherlands and came to the place that apparently a lot of Dutch people come, which is Grand Rapids in Michigan. There's still a lot of Dutch expatriates there in that city. And he went there, but even back when he was in the Netherlands, William Hendrickson, from the age of five or six, said that his desire was to be a gospel minister. And I'll quote him, he said, the story of God's love towards sinners and of the cross of Christ is told by excellent Sunday school teachers, and of course, also by my parents, had impressed me deeply. I wanted everybody to know about it. I loved our minister, so I was entirely sincere in wishing to become a preacher. And he was growing up in the old Christian Reformed church, before unfortunately it became increasingly liberal. But at that time, it was standing for the truth. And he was growing up in a strong Dutch Reformed culture, and he said, I want to be a preacher. Now for some reason, he had a godly father who was a carpenter. and who led them in family worship and catechized the children, but for some reason, his father adamantly discouraged him in this desire. When William was a teenager, he told his father, I'm still planning to study for the ministry. His father's response was brief and decisive, and I'm gonna get the pronunciation wrong, so I'll ask the Den Hartogs, the De Youngs afterward, how I mispronounced this, but the father said, dar comp talk nix van. Nothing will ever come of that. And so his father discouraged this desire in young William. But thankfully, by the grace of God, the Lord prevailed. And he used William as a faithful pastor, teacher, and writer for many decades to come. Beginning at age five or six, with that embryonic desire, I would like to serve in the office of a bishop. I know it's a high calling. I don't know the half of how high it is, but I also know it's a good calling, and I have a burden to do it. And God used a five-year-old's desire to lead a man to eventually not only be a professor and a pastor, but probably write one of the greatest commentaries in the book of Revelation in print today. Started when he was five years old. So those of you who are five years old, think about that. God might use you to write the next great commentary in the book of Revelation, or maybe raise a family of children to serve the Lord, or who knows what. God even uses the desires of our young children in their tender years to do mighty things for his kingdom. It's a high calling, it's a good calling. What are we to do with this faithful saying of our Lord? Well, I said last week that we need to hear it, we need to speak it, we need to heed it. So I want to close with five applications, and these will, of necessity, apply primarily to qualified men for office, but it's more diffuse than that. So if you don't fit that category, don't think this sermon is somehow irrelevant to you because the applications are broader. First, and this applies to absolutely everybody here, oldest to the youngest, male, female, whatever, pray for God to raise up ruling elders and ministers in his church. We need to pray. We need to pray as perhaps we've never prayed before. Our Lord said, the harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few. The fields are white with the harvest, but if people aren't gonna go forth to collect that harvest, humanly speaking, it's in vain. How shall they hear? without a preacher, and how shall they preach unless they are sent? Behold, how beautiful are those who bring good news, tidings of great joy to Zion. Behold your God, our God reigns. We need to pray that God raises up heralds of the cross, that God raises up overseers in the church, that God raises up not hirelings and mercenaries and hired guns, but rather raises up those with a shepherd's heart. to tend to the flock of God, who are about the chief things of God and man and sin and salvation and heaven and hell and eternal destinies. We need to pray as we've never prayed before. That's something all of us should do. Second, application. according to your station, according to your circumstances, according to all sorts of different factors, cultivate holy ambition and desire. Sometimes in our emphasis on meekness and humility, which are right, I fear we do so at the expense of a holy boldness and ambition. These are not contradictory. There is a sort of courageous, bold, yet humble, masculine piety. We want our young men to be humble, and courageous, and bold, and blood earnest, and there is a proper cultivation of holy ambition and desire. Think of the young men who are here. As you pray for God to raise up gospel ministers, consider the possibility you might be the answer to your prayer. or at least part of the answer to your prayer. Perhaps God wants to use you. And I've heard stories of people who are praying for God to send missionaries to foreign fields, and it dawns on them, as I've been pouring out my soul before the Lord, perhaps I'm part of the answer to this prayer. Perhaps God would have me go to the Ugandan medical clinic. Perhaps God would have me go to Uruguay. Perhaps God would have me go and plant a church across the state in South Carolina. but cultivate a holy ambition and desire. Third, third application, become the kind of man who is qualified for this office. I said this is a high and holy calling, and it is, but as you look at this list, blameless, husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, hospitable, not violent, gentle, having his children in submission with all reverence, and so forth, would we not want that to be true of every man in our congregation? Should this not be the desire that every man here would have these character qualities? Sometimes people come to me with singles, we'll talk to them about advice when it comes to gaining a spouse. And this isn't the only answer, but part of my answer is if it's a young man, you need to become good husband material. As one pastor puts it, become the kind of person, the kind of person you want to marry would want to marry. Become good wife material. Become good husband material. Become a godly Christian. Become the kind of man, if you are a man, who is qualified for this office, even if you never serve in the office of elder. How wonderful would it be if we had a whole army of men who aren't serving officially, but who could because they're qualified. My prayer, my hope is that each man here could look at this list and say, whether I'm called to this office or not, I would, by God's grace, be qualified to exercise it. And this begins at home. This begins at home. It says in this passage, if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God? Men, especially those who have children, Before you start thinking, how can I shepherd as an under-shepherd the flock in a local congregation, however good a calling and desire that might be, how are you doing with the little sheep at home? How is your wife doing? Are you washing her with the water of the word daily? Before you catechize the covenant youth, are you ensuring that your children are catechized? I've said this a million times, but especially when it comes to gospel ministry, you can cut off the branch you're standing on by sacrificing your family in the name of ministry. And this is not an either or. Yes, there are sacrifices in the ministry, but fundamentally, if you're not taking care of your house, then why would you be in a position of oversight in the house of God? And so, positively, my encouragement is begin at home. Tend the flock. under your roof. The little lambs who need Jesus. The little boys and little girls who need the milk of the word so they can grow thereby. Yes, bring them to public worship under the sound of the preaching of the word, the gospel trumpet, but also every day. Are you opening the scriptures? Are you singing the Psalms? Are you praying with them? Are you teaching them how to pray? Are you encouraging them to have their own season of private prayer and Bible study at home? Become the kind of man who is qualified for this office and begin in your own household. In speaking to those who are qualified men, consider serving as a minister. an elder or a deacon. This passage is most relevant to ruling elders and teaching elders, but it also has application for the diaconate. Consider the possibility of serving. When we did elder, not elder, when we did deacon training, I remember some of the deacons were unsure. Is this a position I should pursue right now? And we talked through those things. But our Our challenge was, consider the possibility that God has raised you up for such a time as this. And those men heeded the call. Consider the possibility of gospel ministry. Talk to the Lord about it. If you're married, talk to your spouse. Talk to me. Talk to the other elders. Test your gifts. Again, begin at home. Perhaps there's a young man here who, in the course of time, will begin seminary classes, do a formal internship, be examined by the presbytery, be under probation as a licentiate, and ultimately receive a call from a church where you have the privilege of representing Christ in the Word and in the sacrament. But consider the possibility that God might be calling you to serve in this way. It's true. It's true that all of life should be done to the glory of God. And it's true, if it's a lawful calling, you can do it heartily unto the Lord. And if God wants you to do that as a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker, a lawyer, a doctor, a grocer, an editor, whatever it is, do it all to the glory of God. But God does call certain men to a certain kind of calling that is distinctive. Consider that possibility in your own life. A fifth and final application, and here I speak to those who are already ordained as elders and as deacons in official capacity in the church, that perhaps some of you, that desire to serve has begun to waver. Perhaps it has grown dim. the trials of the church, the cares of this life, have taken the desire that you had to serve in Christ's church, and it's become cold. And if that's you this evening, my exhortation, brothers, is to stir up the gift that is in you. Stir up the gift that is in you, through the laying on of hands. That's what Paul told Timothy. He knew that Timothy was going to reach points in ministry where he did not feel like being in the ministry. It's not the same thing, but you think about marriage. When you first got married, for most of you, there was a certain youthful joy, anticipation, expectation, but soon, the struggles of married life can begin to dim that, and you wake up one morning, and you're not nearly as excited to be in that marital relationship as you were before. That can happen. And yet there's an objectivity to the vows, and there is a way of stirring up that affection once again. Well, in an analogous way, brothers, you are ordained to ministry. Consider stirring up the gift that is in you by the laying on of hands. Consider the objectivity of your call, but also pray for God to increase your love for Him, to increase your love for Christ's sheep. Remember, You represent Christ, and yes, that's a responsibility that is high, but it's also a privilege that is good. Peter said to a certain group of elders, shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, same word, not by compulsion. but willingly, not for dishonest gain, but eagerly, not as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. This is a faithful saying. The man desires the position of a bishop. He desires a good work. Amen. Let us pray.