Titus 1:5-9

Amen.

Amen.

As you can see, my name is Andy Constable,

as it was just behind me.

So I'm one of the pastors at Nidra Kimi Chesh.

I've been here for, I've been at Brunsfield

preaching the last three years, I think.

So it's my fourth year.

So it's very good to be with you.

Just to share a little bit more about that video

that you saw earlier.

So 20 Schemes is our church planting

and revitalization ministry of Nidra Community Church.

It's not a separate organization.

It's a ministry of Nidra Community Church.

If you look across Scotland,

we know in general that there's 2%

who are claiming to be Christians in Scotland.

I would say that that would be even less

in the housing schemes and council states in Scotland.

Churches are dying.

in these places.

And so a few years ago,

as we were working in a deprived area,

we thought, well, let's have a look at 50

of the most deprived areas

and see how many churches are in these areas.

And we worked out, not very many at all.

And so we thought, well, why don't we start

an organization that specifically plants

and revitalizes churches in those areas

for the glory of Christ?

And that's what we're doing.

We have four church plants at the moment,

one in Dundee, one in Glasgow,

one in Grace Mount, which is South Edinburgh,

and one just coming online in Aberdeen at the moment.

And all we want to do is to see souls saved in these areas,

like Tasha.

So three or four years ago,

she was, like you saw in the video,

a mess, struggling in life.

And the Lord saved her miraculously.

And now she's our youth worker.

She used to be the one terrorizing us,

doing the youth work with her.

Now she's saved and doing the youth work,

which is a testament to God's grace, isn't it?

And that's what we want to see across Scotland,

more and more plants in poorer areas

to the glory of Christ,

and more souls will be saved.

If you want to see more of the work,

I know I'm not really supposed to be advertising 20 schemes.

We're going to get into God's word in a minute.

But if you want to see more of the work,

20schemes.com, there's videos, blogs,

things you can look at there to find out more of the work.

So let's pitch over.

Let's get into God's words.

We're in Titus 1 this evening, verse 5.

So if you open up, we'll read, we'll pray,

and then we'll get stuck in to God's words together.

This is God's words.

This is why I left you in Crete,

so that you might put what remained into order

and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.

If anyone is above reproach,

the husband of one wife and his children are believers

and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination,

for an overseer as God's steward must be above reproach.

He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered

or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain.

But hospitable, a lover of good,

self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined,

he must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught

so that he might be able to give instruction

in sound doctrine

and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

Amen?

Big amen there.

Amen?

That's God's word.

Amen.

Let's pray.

Amen.

Dear Lord, thank you so much for your words.

It is precious to us this evening.

And when it's opened up and preached

by the power of your spirit,

you change and transform our lives.

And so we pray, Lord,

that you might send your spirit now.

Help us to have ears to listen

and hearts that are soft

so we might glorify Christ and hear from him.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

So leadership, I'm sure you'll agree with me,

is important, isn't it, in any organisation?

Whether that's business,

whether that's sport,

whether that's in the army,

or whether that's in the church.

So in business,

if you have a good leader,

then workers are happy

and business generally booms.

That's why leaders get paid the big bucks,

don't they?

In sport,

if you have a good manager,

again,

the club flourishes,

doesn't it,

under their leadership.

In war,

your general is absolutely vital

and can be the difference

between winning a battle

and losing.

It can almost be

the difference between life

and death.

Bad leadership,

on the other hand,

can mean a mess,

can't it?

Bad leadership

can lead to corruption.

Bad leadership

can bring a whole organisation

down in a matter of minutes,

days.

And while the same is true

in the local church,

the church needs

good,

godly elders

to lead

the church

to the glory of Christ.

If the leaders

do not carry out

the duties

given to them

by the Lord,

then the church

will crumble.

It will be a mess.

It will be

unhealthy.

And that's why

early on in this letter,

Paul instructs Titus

to appoint elders

in every town.

Just look at verse 5 again.

This is why

I left you in Crete

so that you might

put what remained

into order

and appoint elders

in every town

as I

directed you.

Paul and Titus

have been on this island

preaching the

gospel.

They've seen converts.

Paul obviously

had to go away

and he left Titus

with this sole task

of appointing elders

to make sure

the churches

are in

order.

This is the reason

he is left behind.

To make sure

the churches

are in order

with good,

godly

leaders.

And this is a vital

ministry because

in verse 10

Paul says

there are false

teachers on the

prowl of the

circumcision party.

And Paul is saying

here in these verses

the way that we guard

against heresy

and false teaching

is by the leaders

that we appoint

who will preach

the gospel,

who will refute

heresy,

and make sure

that we are hearing

sound

doctrine.

And I want us to

notice in this text

what kind of leaders

Paul tells Titus

he should appoint.

It's striking in a way.

He doesn't say

I want a winning

personality

who's going to

galvanise the troops.

He doesn't want

people who dress

well in a nice suit

who have a good

business acumen.

He doesn't say

Titus should appoint

people with super

spiritual gifts

or who are flashy

or a celebrity

pastor.

But he says here

men

men of character.

Men of character.

Men

with godly

integrity.

You see young men

in our generation

often get it twisted

don't they?

They think

if they have a degree

and they know

the Greek word

for chicken

that they're ready

for leadership.

But Paul says

it's the character

of our lives

that is most

important.

Yes we have to

know our Bibles

but we have to

live out what

we know in our

lives don't we?

We have to

talk the talk

but we've got to

also walk

the walk.

It's vital.

I mean leaders

are often chosen

by how good they

are at attracting

people around them

because they're

winning personalities.

What Paul says

here is by the

attractive way

that leaders

live for Christ

that people

will follow them

and give their

allegiance to them

and trust them.

not just by

cracking a few

funnies in the

pulpit

but by godly

integrity

of their lives.

And before we

get into this

some of you

might be thinking

this text

and this sermon

is only for elders

so I can switch off

or it's only for

wannabe leaders here.

You might be thinking

I'm a woman here

this has got nothing

to do with me

or I'm not interested

in leadership

and so I can

switch off again

from this text.

But the characteristics

in this list

are all ones

that we as a church

should be striving for.

These characteristics

are all characteristics

we should be seeing

in our lives.

They're not supernatural

super spiritual

character traits

that only elders

should have

but ones that we

as Christians

should be known by.

The standard

of this list

are the standards

of Christianity

in general.

This list

is basic

Christianity.

Nobody should be saying

this list is just

for elders.

This is how we

should all

act

and pay attention to.

But this is the

plumb line isn't it?

This is the plumb line

for us to judge

who we should be

appointing as elders

and who we shouldn't.

And as a church

you need to know

this list

because you guys

are going to be

one of the appointing

elders aren't you

with the elders

you have already.

So you need to make sure

the guys that are

being appointed

are in line

with the list

in the Bible

and so we need to

know it don't we

as a church.

So who should be

appointed as elders?

Just three headings

for you.

This evening

I'll group them in.

Firstly

they have to be

a godly head

of the house.

Secondly

they have to be

blameless

and thirdly

they have to teach

sound doctrine.

Godly head

of the house

blameless

teach

sound

doctrine.

Paul says

immediately

in verse 6

if anyone's

above approach

he should be

the husband

of one

wife.

Let me first

say here

an obvious thing

that eldership

is male here

it's not a wife

of one husband

but the husband

of one wife

and a woman

can serve

in every capacity

in church

I think

except that

of an elder

overseer.

And Paul says

that if a man

is married

that he has

to be

a one

woman

man.

A one

woman man.

Here's the thing

every husband

and especially

an elder

must be

dedicated

to his wife

and love her

well.

This is so

important.

Many people

run after

leadership

but their

home lives

are an absolute

train wreck.

They don't

communicate

within their

marriage.

There are

constant

arguments

behind the

scenes.

But a

leader's

home

should be

his

oasis.

It should

be a place

of love

and peace

in the

storms of

life and

ministry

that is

built on

a good

healthy

solid

marriage.

Because

marriage

shows us

who a

man really

is.

What he

loves

how he

leads.

If you

want to

find out

about the

men in

this

church

ask their

wives.

And they'll

tell you

what kind

of man

they are.

And here's

the thing

if you're a

leader this

evening or

want to be

leader it's

really for

all of us.

Too many

leaders don't

they love

their ministries

more than

they love

their wives.

We need to

love our

wives more

than we love

our ministries.

We need to

serve them.

We need to

treat them

well.

We need to

communicate and

lead in a

Christ honouring

way.

Our greatest

ministry as

men in this

church is to

lead our

homes.

If we aren't

able to lead

our homes we

will not be in

a position to

lead a church

or have any

godly influence

in it.

He also says

here that an

elder must be a

godly father to

his children.

Now verse 6

is one of the

most debated

texts in the

New Testament.

Let me read it

again.

It says here

if anyone is

above reproach

to the husband

or the wife

and his

children are

believers and

not open to

the charge of

debauchery or

insubordination.

Now does that

mean if your

children aren't

Christians that

you cannot be an

elder?

It's the question

that came to

mind as I was

reading this text.

Does that mean

if your children

aren't Christians

then you can't

be an elder?

Well I'm not

sure if that's

exactly what

Paul is saying

here.

Let me tell you

why.

Three reasons.

One, the verb

here to believe,

pista, is

passive in the

Greek and is

better translated

faithful, not

of faith.

Faithful, not

of faith.

Two, if you

say it's just

elders with

believing children

then you

automatically

disqualify half

the church who

might have young

children because

they're not

Christians yet.

It would mean

that you could

only appoint men

who have

children who

are professing

faith, who

have been

baptised and

are showing

evidence of

walking in step

with the

spirit.

It would mean

you could only

choose men who

have children of

a particular age

bracket.

Rule Graham and

myself out who

have under

twos.

We couldn't be

elders.

Our children

aren't Christians

yet.

And three, I

think it puts a

crushing

responsibility on the

parents the

scriptures doesn't

warrant.

A parent is

not in charge

of his sons

and daughters

salvation.

Yes, they

share the

gospel with

them.

Yes, they

model it in

their home,

but it's not

God who

saves.

It's God's

responsibility to

soften the

heart and

convict the

child of sin

and his or

her need for

salvation.

I think what

Paul is saying

here is that

the character of

the household

should be a

godly one.

Does the

man lead his

children in

the faith?

Does he read

the Bible with

them?

Has he passed

on a Christian

worldview?

Are the

children in

church and

under the

word of

God?

They might

reject the

faith of

their parents.

They might

wander off.

They might

not get

converted

straight away,

but as the

father and

head of the

house, is

he bringing

them up in

the instruction

and discipline

of the

Lord, a.k.a.

Ephesians 6

Ephesians 6:4

verse 4.

I think you

see this, the

outflow of

this in the

character of

the children.

The children

of an elder,

as Paul goes

on to say,

or a potential

elder, should

not be

disobedient and

wild.

Does that

mean if your

toddler drops

in the middle

of a service

that the man

is disqualified?

Does it

mean if a

child in the

supermarkets

throws a big

shop, a

strop, and

throws his

hands in the

air, going

he's disqualified

from eldership?

I don't think

so again here.

No, Paul is

talking about

wild, sinful

behaviour.

He's saying

there should

be order in

his household.

Kids can

have fun,

can't they?

They'll put a

straitjacket on

our kids,

do we?

They'll have

to be the

Waltons.

They'll mess

up, they'll

disobey their

parents, but is

the father

leading his

house with

consistent

discipline and

consistent godly

love?

See again,

here is the

thing, if a

man cannot

lead his

household, then

how is he

going to lead

the church?

It's not

possible.

A godly

leader, if he

has a family,

must lead

well in his

home and

be in

private what

he is in

public.

Again, if you

want to choose

godly leaders,

do not look on

a Sunday at

a person and

how they act

and the words

they use and

how they dress.

Look at

them in

their homes.

We're choosing

elders.

The way we do

it is that we

get into

people's lives.

We go around

to people's

houses.

We observe

their marriages.

We see how

they interact

with the

children.

Because you

can hide

things on a

Sunday, can't

you?

But you

cannot hide

things at

home.

And we're

good at that,

aren't we, in

Christian circles.

We track a

smile on a

Sunday, everything's

fine, nothing's

going on in my

life.

And yet, back

at home,

everything's a

mess.

If you want to

find out a true

mark of a man

and woman,

what they like,

who they are,

when they are

by themselves,

all alone,

when no one

else is

watching.

Paul is

saying, we

need to

choose guys

who are

going to

be men

of integrity,

who are

going to

love their

wives,

who are

going to

lead their

children,

and be

what they

are in

private as

they are in

public.

So firstly,

a man needs

to be a

godly leader

in his

home.

Secondly,

a potential

elder must be

blameless.

Paul mentions

twice in these

verses,

in ESV,

they need

to be

above

reproach,

or in

other

translations

they need

to be

blameless.

This doesn't

mean that

a man

mustn't

sin,

but that

he's not

liable to

accusation

or question

as to his

personal

character

and

integrity.

It means

even if

he's accused

of something,

people will

laugh it off

because they

know what

he's truly

like.

Again,

it means

being what

we are in

private,

what we

are in

public.

What does

that look

like?

He gives

us a list

doesn't

he?

Here.

He goes

negative

first.

He says

a leader

must not

be arrogant.

In other

words,

a leader

must not

be full

of himself.

A leader

can do

much damage

to his

congregation

when he's

pig-headed

and arrogant.

That's not

just leaders,

men in

general,

isn't it?

Pig-headed

and arrogant.

A man

who's

overbearing

and stubborn

and inconsiderate

of people's

feelings.

He's like a

bull in a

china shop,

isn't he?

But a

godly leader

is a servant

above all

things,

isn't he?

He will

admit when

he gets

things wrong.

He will

let others

make decisions.

He's a

humble man

because he

knows that

God opposes

the proud,

but he

gives grace

to the

humble.

At

Nidra again,

when we're

choosing our

leaders or

we're

hiring staff

or interns

to our

program,

the first

task we

will get

people to

do is

clean the

toilets.

If they're

willing to

clean the

toilets,

then they're

ready for

service in

the church.

If they're

not,

then they

have a

pride problem

and they

are not

fit for

service,

are they?

Jesus is

clear,

whoever will

be great

among you

must be

your servant,

whoever will

be first

among you

must be

slave of

all,

for even

the Son

of Man

came not

to be

served,

but to

serve and

give his

life as

a ransom

for many.

Paul then

goes on,

he says,

a leader

must not

be quick

tempered,

he must

not be

a bully,

he must

not fly

off the

handle every

time he

doesn't get

his own

way,

but be

patient and

forbearing

with those

around him.

He must

be slow to

anger like

the God

who he

follows.

You see,

a short

fuse does

not help

the work

of God

at all,

but hinders

it,

doesn't

it?

Hudson

Taylor,

a missionary

from the

19th century

said this,

my greatest

temptation

is to

my temper

over the

slackness

and

insufficiency

so disappointing

in those

on who

I depend.

It is no

use to

lose my

temper,

only kindness

is good,

but oh,

it is such

a trial.

ministry

can be

tough work,

church can

be tough

work in

general,

can't it?

Meeting

up with

people you

wouldn't

usually hang

out with

in general,

old and

young,

different

backgrounds

coming

together,

but as

leaders,

we face

trouble,

don't we?

We have

to feel

the complaints

and the

grumblings

of the

congregation

and we

need the

strength

of the

Lord to

be patient

with those

around us

because a

short fuse

does not

help the

kingdom of

God,

it only

hinders

it.

He must

not be a

drunkard or

violent.

In other

words,

he must be

able to

control his

passions,

he must be

able to

have self

control in

his life.

Again,

if he can't

have self

control in

his life,

how can

he counsel

someone who

is struggling

with it?

He cannot.

Paul rounds

off his

negative list

by saying

that Titus

should choose

men who

are not

greedy for

gain.

When I

think of

those words,

I think of

Judas Iscariot

who filled

his pockets

with the

money he

was supposed

to be

collecting

for the

disciples and

for the

Lord Jesus.

Money should

not be a

man's motive

for serving

in leadership.

We serve

Jesus Christ

and him

alone for

his glory,

not for

money.

We do

not go into

ministry to

make millions,

but for the

glory of

Christ.

Christ.

That's why

I can't

understand

these leaders

in America

who paid

themselves

six-figure

salaries,

making names

for themselves

of their

books.

They're not

really about

the glory of

God,

but about

them.

We do

not do

ministry to

make money

from it.

1 Peter 5

2 is clear.

Shepherd the

flock of

God is

among you,

exercising

oversight,

not under

compulsion,

but willingly

as God

would have

you,

not for

shameful

gain.

Then Paul

goes positive.

A godly

leader is

to be

hospitable,

he says.

That means

that a

leader must

be hospitable

to the alien

and stranger

in the land.

He must

love them.

There's a

great picture

of this in

Job 31,

32.

Job says

this,

the sojourner

has not

lodged in

the street.

I've opened

my doors to

the traveller.

A godly

leader opens

up their

hearts and

opens up

their homes

to those

around them.

No matter

who they

are,

they're not

standoffish,

but they

are warm

towards

outsiders.

They open

up their

lives to

people.

They show

the world

their family

or they

care for

and they're

vulnerable

before people.

And a

lack of

hospitality

is only

a sign

of a

selfish

heart,

isn't

it?

And

hospitality

in our

culture

can be

sorely

missed,

can't it?

Because we're

so individualistic.

We have

this great

idol in our

culture and

it's called

this,

me time.

people of

Christ,

we are

called to

be

hospitable

and letting

the stranger

into our

homes,

the feet,

to love,

to care for.

A godly leader

will get into

people's lives

and allow

people to

see theirs

as well.

It goes on

and he says

a godly leader

loves what

is good.

Someone who

loves what

is good

is a

virtue

lover.

They love

the things

that Christ

loves and

they hate

the things

that Christ

hates.

Romans 12

Romans 12:9

verse 9,

let love

be genuine,

abhor what

is evil,

hold fast

to what

is good.

Godly

leaders

self-controlled.

This means

that a

leader has

complete

self-mastery

over their

passions

and their

impulses.

In today's

language,

a man has

a good grip

on himself.

Too many

young men

do not have

a grip

on themselves,

do they?

And older

men,

and middle

aged men.

They have

a grip

on themselves,

do they?

And their

passions.

A godly

man monitors

himself day

in and day

out and he

submits

himself to

the x-ray

and cat

scan

detail of

God's

perfect

words.

As

leaders

and as

men in

general,

we must

not forget

what kind

of men

we are.

At root,

we are

sinful

rats.

We are

rat bags

who have

only been

saved because

of the

grace of

our Lord

Jesus

Christ.

And yes,

we are

changed from

the inside

out afterwards,

but we

still have

sin in

dwelling.

we still

struggle.

We still

have a

battle going

on in

our hearts.

Let me

warn you

as a

church,

do not

put your

elders up

as a

pedestal

up here

that they're

going to

be a

super

Christian

compared

to you

guys.

They

have the

same

struggles

and issues

that every

other person

faces

within

the

church.

Eldership

can be a

lonely

experience.

I felt

it.

It can

be a

very

lonely

experience.

And so

you as a

congregation

need to

pray for

your

elders,

don't

you?

You as

a congregation

need to

keep your

elders

accountable.

And as

leaders here

at this

church,

you need to

make sure

you have

good,

godly

people

around

you that

you can

talk to

about what's

going on in

your heart

and mind.

Do not

sweep things

under the

carpet,

because it

always comes

out at

some point

under the

stresses of

ministry.

God

is

upright

or

sensible.

This is a

man who

has a

balanced

life.

He acts

with wisdom

and common

sense.

He sees

things from

God's

perspective

and acts

accordingly.

There's a

difference,

isn't there,

in life between

someone who

knows the

Bible and

someone who

knows the

Bible and

knows how to

put that into

practical terms

in their

lives.

Someone who

has wisdom

to implement

it.

Charles

Purgeon

said this

when thinking

about selecting

leaders.

He said,

certain good

men appealed

to me who

were distinguished

by enormous

passion and

zeal and a

conspicuous

absence of

brains.

Brethren who

would take

forever and

ever upon

nothing,

who would

stamp and

thump the

Bible and

get nothing

out of it,

are all

earnest,

awfully

earnest.

Mountains

and

labour are

the most

painful

kind,

but nothing

comes out

of it all.

Therefore,

I have

usually declined

their

applications.

In other

words,

a man must

not just

have zeal,

but he

must have

common

sense as

well.

Finally,

Paul says

to Timothy,

they need

to be

disciplined

and holy.

To be

holy in

this context

means to

be pure

and unpolluted.

Again,

this is a

man

committed

to godliness

and Christ

likeness.

People

often think

in our

culture that

holiness is

just not

doing what

the culture

does.

Back in

the day,

it was like

holiness is

I don't

go to the

cinema,

I don't

go to the

dancing,

I don't

smoke,

I don't

do this,

I don't

do that.

And that's

part of

it,

isn't it?

Standing

against the

culture,

but it's

deeper than

that,

isn't it?

Holiness

is about

being totally

transformed

inside out

into the

likeness of

Christ.

That's what we

should all be

striving for in

our lives.

It means to

love the

things that he

loves.

Again, it

means to

hate the

things that

he hates.

It means to

value the

things that

he values.

So we

need to

be looking

for men

who are

pursuing

Christ,

who love

him first,

who want

to serve

for his

glory and

not for

their own.

Again, let

me say these

are characters

that are not

super spiritual

ones.

There's an

absence of

unusual qualities

here, isn't

there?

We should

all be known

by holiness.

We should

all be known

by hospitality.

We should

all be known

by self-control.

And all the

other things

on this

list.

As Alistair

Begg writes,

these are just

down to

earth, common

commodities of

the Christian

life.

This job is

not for the

flashy.

It's not for

those who are

good in the

business world,

or just for

the those who

are good in

the business

world.

The position

of leadership

is for men

of character.

And if you

are a

wannabe leader,

if that's

something you

want to do,

that's a

noble thing

to want

to do.

But let

me warn you,

you need to

pray deeply

about it.

Because James

3, 1 says

this,

not many of

you should

become teachers,

my brothers,

for you know

that we who

teach will be

judged with

greater

strictness.

Greater

strictness,

that's scary

stuff.

We need to

think twice.

There's no

greater privilege

than being a

leader, I can

tell you that.

we must go

into leadership

with the

right heart

and with

humility

before God.

We challenge

you again as

a church

of Brunsford,

you need to

pray for your

elders.

You need to

ask them

constantly,

how are they

getting on in

their Christian

walk?

Hebrews 13,

7,

remember your

leaders,

don't forget

them,

keep them

accountable.

the health

of this

church

depends in

part on

your

elders

to commit

them to

prayer.

I don't

think we

realise

sometimes

the heavy

pressure

that elders

come under

from the

evil one.

Satan

knows if

he can

sift a

leader

then the

ministry

goes kaput.

He knows

if he can

get to

the top

men or

women

that the

house of

cards

will

tumble.

So

members,

get on

your knees

daily for

your leaders

and pray

for them.

And leaders,

be on guard

constantly,

wearing the

spiritual armour

of the Lord

because Satan

is roaring

around like

a wild lion

seeking to

devour.

We need

Christ,

don't we

leaders?

We need

Christ.

So

secondly,

a leader needs

to be blamed

and thirdly,

a godly leader

and finally,

needs to

teach