Shepherds of The Flock, Part 4 - Frank Brancato

When we discuss the qualifications of an elder, we

find that those things are given to us by the Apostle.

Paul in two places in the New Testament, one is found in the

book of 1st Timothy and the other is found in the book of

Titus and as we mentioned from time to time we reference this

passage that's found in the book of Titus Chapter 1 and verse 5

Titus 1 · chapter mention

and I'm just very briefly say a few introductory things.

That are what by way of review just a few.

First of all in Titus Chapter 1 and verse 5, Paul gives the

Titus 1 · chapter mention

reason that he left Titus in Creed two-fold.

Reason number one is set in order, the things that are

lacking and part of that was lacking was to ordain Elders in

every city in every church. It's also very important to

remember. That creep was not just some

little place. In fact, it was the fifth

largest island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.

It Had over a million people living there and I told by

ancient historians and Scholars, there was, at least 100 cities.

It was a big place. It was 185 miles long and at the

widest part, it was 35 miles wide, very big place and Paul

told Titus, I left you in Crete to set in order the things that

are lacking and ordain Elders in every city.

And by that we simply say every city Is every church or

congregation now, the word Elder is described in three ways.

Three different words, describing the same office.

He is called an elder. He is called a bishop and he is

called a pastor and all three of these words, refer to the same

man, it refers to the same office, but it describes

different aspects of his position as an elder by way of

his duties and so forth. For example, the word Elder

itself just means older. This is describing a man that is

older and with experience and by the very definition of the word

Elder it disqualifies. A young man.

He's also called a bishop and why is that it describes his

duty to the congregation as what a bishop or overseer?

He is also called a pastor, why's that it describes his task

and that is to feed or Shepherd the Church of God.

Now. I want to add this that I didn't

do last Sunday. Let's look at this.

Let's look at passages that describe all of them together

and Acts chapter 20 and verse 17.

Acts 20 · chapter mention

It says from my letus, he sent to Ephesus and called for the

Elders of the church. So in Acts chapter 20, it's

Acts 20 · chapter mention

talking about Paul's addressing the Ephesian, Elders.

What else? Drop down to about verse number

28. And it says this, therefore,

take heed to yourself and to others.

All the flock among the which the Holy Spirit has made you

overseers that's Bishops to Shepherd that's Pastor the

Church of God which he has purchased with his own blood.

That's noticed one more, First Peter, chapter 5 verses 1 and 2.

1 Peter 5:1

It contains it all in the same two verses.

It says, the elders who are among you I exhort I who am a

fellow Elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and

also a partaker of the glory Glory that will be revealed

Shepherd or Pastor. The flock of God which is among

you serving as overseers or Bishops not by constraint but

willingly, not for dishonest gain, but eagerly I simply

showed you this passage to describe.

It's the same man, he is an elder, he is a Shepherd or

pastor and he is an overseer or a bishop as well.

It's all talking about the same man.

All right, so we're We realize this.

There's about twenty? Four qualifications for a man,

to be an alga, what if we noticed so far?

Number one, he must desire the office, but not only that if

he's going to desire the title, he must eagerly and more

earnestly desire. The work.

Sometimes people just want the title, they don't want the work

in life and in various aspects of life.

And Paul would describe if a man desires the office, he must even

more so desire, the work. He must be a man of good

reputation in other words. No, sustainable charge held

against him not perfect but blameless Used to be a one-woman

man. He is to be faithful and true to

his bride. Just like Jesus Christ is

faithful and true to his bride and that is the church.

So what is that called? Paul calls that the husband of

one wife regardless of how many children that he has.

It must all be faithful Christians not faithful to their

father, but faithful to the Lord.

He must be a calm person. And watched whole the King James

Is calls that Vigilant the new King James.

Just simply says, that means temperate.

He is to be a man of self-control.

I have to make a little side point here.

Have you noticed all of the qualifications we've noticed so

far and we'll notice today. How many deal with a person

self-control? How many deal with a person

having self-control controlling yourself?

You know why it's hard to do that?

It's sometimes hard to do that. But this is a man, this is a

man, an elder he is going to be sober minded and that means

this. He's going to demonstrate

self-control in both his premeditated actions and his non

premeditated reactions. He must not be a reactionary

type Resort, what else? He's to be respectable.

Or a good behavior. Remember the word that we get

another word from that? Greek word is the word

Cosmetics? Remember, I talked about that

cosmetics and the kind of Cosmetics were talking about is

not something that conceals or covers up but it's something

that highlights and reveals the beauty.

That's already there. That's what we're talking about.

An elder is somebody by a respectable lifestyle with good

behavior demonstrates outwardly the beauty That he already has

inside and that's Jesus Christ. Remember that song we used to

sing? Let the beauty of Jesus be seen

in me or how about songs like Christ liveth in me.

That's the way a Christian lives.

That's the way a Christian is. You know, what?

Elder must be? He must be a person.

That is a good behavior demonstrating that, which is

already inside. And by the way, every Christian

falls into that category, don't all of these are most of these

are many of these describe just a regular Christian.

What else has to be hospitable? That means a lover strangers and

must be able to teach and that is skillful, and that is capable

of doing so. All right.

Now, we're going to begin with Point number 10.

Qualification. Number 10, and by the way, some

of these things will go quickly. Some of these things are more

obvious than others and some of these things will spend a little

more time. And again, like I said, our

sermon has six points and one verse in the first one that we

want to notice is not given to wine.

Now, when you talk about this is found in first, Timothy chapter

3 and verse 3. What does it actually mean?

When it says not given to wine that phrase actually means this

and don't let anyone else tell you any differently, the phrase

not given to Wine. Simply means this he must not

drink. Intoxicating beverages period,

Now literally it means this it means not beside why Kenneth

wuest said this it's a person who is beside wine is a person

that sits long at his wine. Now the meaning is a person who

is given to wine is one who is beside wine?

So what is he saying? An elf and Elder has nothing to

do with that stuff period. Okay, we have to fast-forward a

few lessons from now. As we get into the deepens, I'm

just going to make one quick point.

We're going to get back to it later on down the road.

When he talks about an elder, he says an elder must not be given

to Wine but then when he talks about a deacon he says an elder

a deacon must not be given to much wine.

See you know how people interpret that they say oh an

elder can't have any A deacon can have a little there for

fatigue. Him can have a little then, a

Christian can have a little in moderation and therefore, social

drinking is okay. Okay, I promise to get into that

later on. I'm just going to tell you

though, it doesn't mean that. And when he says, not given to

much wine, it doesn't mean you can have a little just don't

have a lock, doesn't mean that at all.

All right. That being said about an elder,

not given to wine. Also this it doesn't justify

anybody else in addition to an elder being allowed to drink.

In fact, Barn says this, listen to this the way in which the

Apostle mentions the subject of wine here would lead us to

fairly suppose that he did not mean to commend.

Its use in any sense that he regarded its use as dangerous.

And that one would do no injury to himself or others by leaving

it entirely alone. He may do injury though by

indulging in it. Now let's go further about this

and prove what it actually means.

It actually comes from a Greek word pair or Enos and that is a

combination of the preposition para which means at by the side

of or near and the word boy, knows which his wine.

In other words, an elder doesn't need to be anywhere near that.

And I got to say this. Does that mean does that mean

that if you're in a restaurant, The summit 8, we don't go to

bars, we don't go on stuff. But Ima take, you can't

eliminate every aspect of somebody else drinking in your

vicinity. You can't eliminate that, it's

all around, you have nothing to do with that.

You go to a restaurant and sit at a table and be with there

with your family, drinking ice tea, and somebody sitting right

there and attend a table. Right next to you, is drinking

alcohol. So is Paul saying when he says,

you cannot be beside wine? Is he saying that you have to

get up and leave and you can't be sitting next to To a table

that is having alcoholic beverage.

No, not at all. You know, just means it.

Simply means this when he says, You must not drink it, you can't

be beside it. You can't be near it.

What it means is, total abstinence that's all It means

total. Abstinence.

Now some mistranslations folks have led some people to believe

that Paul was just being against the idea of being drunk.

In other words, as long as you drink it in moderation it was

okay but if you have it in excess that's wrong and don't

get drunk. And one of the reasons that

people deduce that is because of various mistranslations.

I'm going to give you a mistranslation of this passage

and it's a bad translation on that is founded the Purified

Bible, listen to this. In the Amplified Bible it's a

misleading bad translation on this passage because it says not

addicted to wine. But that's not the point at all.

His point was, it being addicted to Wine?

His point was stay away from it, completely and Elder has to stay

away from it. Totally now, interesting,

though, in the Amplified Bible classic edition, it says the

same thing not given to wine and that's the point.

So the reason that he's not talking about being addicted to

wine. And that's a bad translation is

because Paul is talking about just staying away from it

period. Okay, I got to add something.

I got to add alcoholism and addiction for a minute.

I'm going to tell you something alcoholism.

And the addiction is real stuff. And it is true.

That some people more than others, have an addictive

personality or have addictive traits.

So one person could partake of something and really they could

take it or leave it for the rest of their life and other people

can partake of something and become addicted to it, and have

to have it. I want to talk about that for

just a minute. I want to talk about alcoholism

and I want to talk about the idea of being addicted.

First of all, let me say this and let me add this to.

I do agree. That once a person has

alcoholism or is addicted to it, the experts say that that could

be categorized or classified as somebody that has an actual

disease. Is the disease of alcoholism or

it's the disease of addiction okay?

I could buy that with this exception. first of all, alcohol

is and maybe a disease with the choice to drink is not The

choice to drink is not a disease.

That is a willful choice and the absolute best way especially

when some of us may have very addictive personalities and very

best way to not get in trouble, is to not be anywhere near it.

Don't have anything to do with it.

And by the way, I've known some very addictive Personalities in

my life that I got a good friend.

I got a very good framework that we grew up together.

We Junior Rodeo together, we went to Cal Poly together, great

friends. And after Cal Poly, he lives

here in Bakersfield, he continued to drink and drink and

drink and drink became an alcoholic.

And I remember that we had an intervention, I was asked to go

there by his father and we tried and we got him into rehab.

Now, he was absolutely addicted to the chemical of in alcohol.

He was addicted to it. Absolutely, he needed help.

He needed even medical help to get off of.

Okay, my point is this he had never had a problem if you never

took the first drink, Alcoholism maybe a disease but the choice

to drink is not an elder folks needs to abstain an elder needs

to stay away. And by the way, I'm talking to

every Christian, please get that, please understand.

If you want to be on the path of what God wants for your life,

you abstain from those kind of things in your life.

What else? As I said before some of these

things, go to go quickly and some a little longer.

Here's another one. What about this?

Not violet the King. James says not a striker.

And I think it's obvious what that's talking about and we go

back to our passage. So, not only not only is an

elder not to be given to Wine, which means what don't go

anywhere near it. Stay away from it.

If staying total, abstinence move on, but then you can't be a

striker. You can't be violent.

That actually means not a Bruiser.

Not one, ready with a blow? That's somebody else, that is

called a bully. Now, I'm going to tell you, I

have to say this too. I do believe that the word,

bully and bullying is an overused word.

It really is in fact that even get and I'm, I'm against

bullying, I'm against picking on people I'm against that totally

thoroughly completely against it.

But sometimes people look at the idea of a bully and they say

bullying because somebody said I don't like your hairstyle

bullying by the way that happened in school, I've heard

about these kids and one said that's that's the dumbest

looking haircut I've ever seen to another boy.

You know what? He reported.

It bullying me. Really.

Is that how far we become to being courageous and tough and

life? Is that it?

I used to have a small hand. When I was growing up in big

ears. I was in class one day.

This guy kills his men. How big are your ears?

You know what they say? They bully A bully is a bully.

Is someone that is a Bruiser. He is somebody that is ready

with the blow. He is somebody that is ready.

With a strike, he is ready for some, what for to do, those kind

of things, that's a bully Elder can't be that.

By the way, Christian can't either.

He wasn't saying an elder. You better not be violent but

Christians fair game starts talking to each other.

It's all right. It's not what he said.

Listen to this. One scholar said that there's

quite possibly, a reason that the word violent is listed right

after. Why listen to this, I'll read it

to you. He said, perhaps Paul, is

referring to fights resulting from the consumption of

intoxicating, drinks, intoxicating drinks, as well as

uncontrolled emotions can result in physical, violence, and an

elder must not be in, must be in control of both of those now,

I've known people in my lifetime, every time they went

out and drink, they got a fight. In other words, they're drinking

was connected or their use of intoxicants was connected to

their behavior and they became Bible.

Is that why Paul lists of these one after the other?

I don't know. Makes sense though.

I've known two kinds of people when they get drunk, one loves

everybody. The other one wants to fight

everybody. Can't do that.

Can't be a violent person. In fact what we need to be, is

this, this is the flip side and Elder is gentle considerate of

the other person. Incidentally, so is a Christian.

Second Timothy 2:24 25 and the servant of the Lord must not

2 Timothy 2:24

quarrel, but be gentle to all able to teach patient in

humility correcting, those who are in opposition, if God,

perhaps will grant them repentance.

So that they may know the truth. So an elder can't drink and he

can't be violent. What else?

He can't be greedy for money. You know, this is an interesting

one here. Interesting one here, found in

our passage, not greedy for money, it actually comes from a

Greek word. That means he is not a lover of

money. This word is only found in two

places in all of the Bible to places it's found here and it's

also found in Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 5 and it's translated

Hebrews 13 · chapter mention

in Hebrews 13:5 as Covetousness as the King James renders that

Hebrews 13:5

and it's also translated and rendered in the NIV as free from

the Love of Money. Now, what is the root of all

evil? It is not money.

It is the Love of Money. It's the Love of Money.

David Lipscomb said this. This is a person who is not

willing to use, wrong means to obtain money.

He's not anxious for sudden riches.

Another commentator said this, we're talking about someone if

he is guilty of this being greedy for money, we're talking

about someone that has an intense fondness for money

avarice or miserliness. What does that mean?

Well, first of all, The word avarice means extreme Greed, for

material, gain or wealth. That's what a verse means.

So, in other words, the person that's greedy is going to be a

person. That's that Elder has to be the

opposite of that. What else a miser?

Have you ever known a miser? Sometimes people criticize

others that are close to the vest as more there.

Really a Miser, I'm not saying that a Frugal person is guilty

of being a miser. Please understand.

Because I'm going to tell you, we have to be good stewards of

our money. We have to do that.

We got to make good choices with what the Lord has blessed us

with, that's all true. So when I say that, somebody is

Frugal or somebody is really under control regarding their

finances. I'm not saying that's a miser.

I'm saying that a miser is somebody that's a person that

Hoards wealth and spends as little as possible, even when it

is necessary, it is the opposite of generous It's the opposite of

generous. This is a very neglected

qualification. Here's the point, though.

An elder that stingy and miserly with his own money, is probably

going to be the same way with the Lord's money.

A congregation that is miserly, won't spend the money to preach

the gospel. Now, I got to tell you, this

congregation does an excellent job.

And has the right attitude and the right Spirit when it comes

to spending the Lord's, money to preach the gospel.

As you know, that we support this congregation supports, I

believe seven Filipino preachers.

We support partly support, brother Duane permenter in

Hawaii. We support another preacher in

Africa, All of you, the congregation here supports me

and my living to preach the gospel.

We have gospel meetings where we will spend money when a preacher

comes and preaches the gospel. So, when I say about somebody

being a Miser, I'm certainly not speaking of this congregation

I'm just saying no wonder, no wonder it's a requirement,

because a man that is greedy for money is, guilty of Everest is

guilty of being a miser, guess what?

You put that value in, he'll be just as, as the opposite of

generous in the church, as he will be in his personal life,

have to be somebody of a generous spirit.

Elder should be examples of generosity.

In the church. Paul said, love the love of

money is the root of all kinds of evil.

An elder who is miserly will also be critical of those who

attempt to teach the truth about liberal giving.

That's true. My the way did you know this?

Did you know this? That that even happened to

Jesus? That even happened to Jesus a

couple weeks ago, Terry gave us an excellent lesson on, giving

on the contribution on liberal giving and how we give.

And the Bible's clear about how the money is to be spent in a

generous way and to take care of the work of the church.

A person. That's a miser will be critical

of somebody that taught a lesson like Terry top.

And you know what? What's amazing is you don't have

to feel bad. If there's a miser like that,

they take it like that, and they're critical.

Because guess what happened to the Lord to Jesus is teaching a

lesson in the Book of Luke on money.

And in Luke 16 and 14. Watch this.

Now the Pharisees who were lovers of money, also heard all

these things and they derided him but we're derided simply

means contempt or ridicule. So a person that's a miser, a

person that is greedy for money will criticize somebody that

teaches a lesson about how we should feel about money.

Paul go is not saying that an elder should not be concerned

about financial matters. In fact, Paul even defended the

fact that an elder can receive financial remuneration or

support for his Services, just like a preacher.

In fact, in 1st Timothy Chapter, 5 and verse 17.

Listen to this, let the elders who rule we'll be counted,

worthy of double honor. Especially those who labor in

word and Doctrine. Now, let me explain double

honor. Double honor doesn't mean he

gets to paychecks. Double honor.

One of them is talking about financial remuneration or

support and the other is talking about the honor of being in the

position of an elder. That is Honorable, it's

honorable before men in his honorable before God and helmet.

So what he's saying is if an elder is dedicating his entire

life to being an elder and teaching the word of God in word

and Doctrine, that's his job. Now he doesn't, he doesn't have

another job. Worthy of double honor.

The second honor is the financial support. so, Paul

wasn't saying, That Elder can't have anything to do with

receiving money. When elder serve in a full-time

capacity, they may be paid as preachers, who serve the church

and preach the gospel. First Corinthians 9, 14 even.

So the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel

should live from the gospel. Paul is simply saying with this

qualification that his attitude must be a certain way toward

material things. He must be generous and

unselfish Here's another one. He must be gentle and I got to

tell you. This doesn't mean that he's a

pushover. This doesn't mean he's not a

strong person. This doesn't mean that at all.

In fact the word gentle there comes from a Greek word.

Get this. That means mildness Channel -

fairness and sweet reasonableness.

Let's flip that. Have you ever dealt with a

person that was completely unreasonable?

if you ever had a discussion with somebody, and the person

was completely unreasonable, You are wasting your time when you

deal with an unfair or unreasonable person.

So the elders supposed to be this guy, he is jail.

What does that mean? He is gentle, he's Fair, he's

reasonable. He's a reasonable man.

The King James renders, this passing simply patient.

This word is also found in other passages in James chapter 3 and

James 3 · chapter mention

verse 17. But the wisdom that is from

above is first. Pure then Peaceable, gentle

willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, with

partiality. And without hypocrisy.

Here's another passage Titus Chapter 3 and verse 2 to speak.

Titus 3 · chapter mention

Evil of no one. Same word to be Peaceable.

Gentle showing all humility to all men, Philippians 4 15, let

your gentleness be made known to all men.

The Lord is at hand. So instead of what he's saying

is instead of being this guy, Don't do that.

Be that guy. In your demeanor, in your

behavior. And be reasonable be yielding to

your relations with your relations to others.

In fact, Paul also uses the word to describe the general nature

of every servant. Which means this.

It is all Christians. Except with the ability to teach

it says in the CERN of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle

to all able to teach and patient.

So a person that is gentle an elder is described in that way.

As someone that is gentle kind yielding and moderate.

And again here's another example of somebody that could be put in

a category of someone that demonstrates self-control Let me

just say this, before we go to the next one.

Don't you think with a lot of the things that we have noticed?

I'm talking to the man. I'm talking to the women in a

lot of the things that we have noticed be regarding demeanor

and behavior. Don't you think that if you

would do these things and work on these things in your life,

you would be a better Christian. So when I preach on elders,

don't think that if you're a sister in the congregation that

it really goes, those are great points but they don't have

anything to do with me. That's not true.

There are many things that are exclusive to the office of an

elder but there's a many things that also affect and include all

Christians. Now, an elder is a man.

Also, that is not quarrelsome. Not quarrelsome.

In other words, he's a man that is without battle and that comes

from the Greek word a makos. Now, one of the ways to

understand the word a mako's is to look at the Greek noun, the

opposite of that. So what's the opposite?

The opposite is the word mock. Oh by the way, do you see what

kind of English word looks like that word.

Remember that Ridiculous song Macho Macho Man.

And what they did is they took that song as describing a man

that was a manly man who was called a macho man.

What they're doing is what they're doing is they're kind of

misapplying, the word mock. Oh the Greek word mock.

Oh it means this somebody that is guilty of squirrels disputes

and fighting so, that word means, so, in other words, Don't

be physically violent. Don't be argumentative.

Don't be involved in corals all the time.

Disputes all the time. Paul said also to avoid

questions that gender strife and in the very end and that's about

in second Timothy 223, the very next word, The Neighbor.

Next verse is the verb form of the word used in this passage

notice this and the servant of the Lord must not quarrel.

It's the verb form of this word. Don't do that.

Don't be a quarrelsome type person.

Now a little context at this time, you know, many of the Jews

were being very contentious and they were being quarrelsome

about certain theories that they had developed concerning the law

and they were very argumentative about that.

Paul told Timothy, don't engage in these squirrels with the

Jews. He told Titus the same thing in

Titus 3 and 9. He said but avoid Des foolish

disputes, genealogies contentions and strivings about

the law for they are unprofitable and Useless.

Now, I'm not saying that you don't urge Lee contend for the

faith. I'm not saying you don't stand

for the truth. I'm not doing that at all.

But have you ever had a religious discussion with

someone? And they really didn't want the

truth. It just wanted to fight.

They just wanted to argue. They had a preconceived idea of

what they thought they believe. So instead of sitting down with

the word of God and reasoning with the word of God to find the

truth, all they wanted to do was quarrel and fight the Jews were

like that. The Jews were guilty of that,

they had all these theories around the law and they wanted

to argue, they wanted to be quarrelsome.

They wanted to be contentious. It wanted to cause problems.

Paul told and to passages Timothy and Titus don't do that.

Don't do that. I had a Bible study one time

with the fella. He did that.

He came in with a paper bag and the paper bag was full of all

kinds of books. And these books were basically

proving in his mind is fiery about Christianity and salvation

and it was where he got all of his thoughts and what have you.

And I showed up with only the Bible.

And he got mad when I refused to look at the books.

I said, read that right there. Very respectfully and kindly

read that he read it and then he said, but it doesn't mean that.

I said, why isn't that? Why doesn't it mean that you

only did? He went into the bag?

Is? No, no, no.

The bags off lemons. And then he got mad, he wanted

to argue and fight. You really want to know the

truth one to fight? What I'm saying is this, that

kind of a personality of somebody that wants to fight, he

can't be an elder. He can't be an elder.

He can't be a quarrelsome or argumentative person.

And finally, here's our last one, it's obvious and quick.

Here it is. It fits Being Greedy for money

falls into line with the very same thing, and it's the idea of

not being covetous, not being covetous.

Now, Kenneth wuest says that not being covetous means he is not

fond of silver. But he is free from the love of

silver. He further said it's similar to

being greedy for money. In other words, the love of

money is not his problem. This is the guy that says he's

free from the love of that and he's not materially minded.

Money is not his God. That's all that means.

Guess what we've done and for lessons in for sermons we now

knocked out 15 qualifications. So in closing and in conclusion,

here they are. We talked about all of these,

I'm not going to go back into these, we talked about these

before, we began our lesson but there they are.

What do we know today? He can't have anything to do

with drinking it all. He's got to stay away.

From any all those intoxicants he's not to be a striker or a

violent man, physical altercations.

He can't be that kind of a guy. He was not be greedy for money.

He must have a generous spirit and not be a miser for that.

He must be gentle in that. He must be a reasonable man.

A fair man one, that considers the other person's thoughts and

the other person as a person when they discuss things with

him. He's not to be a quarrelsome.

Argumentative kind of guy and he must not be Covetous.

Money cannot be his God, he must have only one God and everything

else Falls in line with that. I'm through this morning.

Thank you for your kind listening.

I hope and pray that something was said that was helpful and

encouraging to you. In some way, as we continue our

series on such an important thing as being an elder and his

work. We thank you for listening to

our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.

Road in Bakersfield, if you would like any additional

information, or you would like to receive a free Bible

correspondence, course by mail. Please email us at info at her

Church of Christ Bakersfield.com.

Our service times are on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and

Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. Please make plans to join us.

We would love for you to be our honored guest.