Deo Gloria
July 14, 2024
Sermon
Pastor Martin Bentz
Text: Titus 1:5-9
Theme: Those Who Serve as Pastors…
- Must meet the qualifications God lays out for them.
- Must hold firmly to the trustworthy message of God’s Word.
In the past couple of weeks we’ve heard a lot in the news about the qualifications for someone seeking or holding the office of President of the United States. I’m not going to wade into that discussion this morning—not that it wouldn’t be interesting or worthwhile, but simply because Scripture does not address that issue. What Scripture does speak to, however, are the qualifications for leaders in the church, particularly pastors. And that’s what we’re going to focus on this morning based on Paul’s words recorded here in Titus ch. 1.
Paul wrote this letter to a young pastor named Titus, a close friend of his who often accompanied him on his missionary journeys and who served in a number of the congregations Paul founded. After his first imprisonment in Rome, Paul apparently spent some time on the island of Crete, proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. How much time Paul spent there we don’t know, but more than likely it was several months at the most. As Paul often did, he then moved on to proclaim the gospel elsewhere. And he left Titus behind to take care of any unfinished business. One of the things Titus was instructed to take care of was appointing elders in each town where Paul had established a church, a gathering of believers. The position of elder back then was very similar to what we think of as a pastor today. It’s not exactly the same, but there are many similarities. Elders back then typically were older men, but the term especially highlights the maturity the person was to display. In v. 7 Paul uses the term “overseer,” which highlights his supervisor or leadership role.
But whom should Titus appoint? Should he appoint only older men with lots of life experience? Should he appoint younger men with lots of talent and energy? Should he appoint people who ran their own business and therefore might be very capable of running or managing a church? Paul lays out the qualifications for elders or pastors beginning in v. 6. He writes:
An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to much wine, not violent, not pursing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.(vv. 6-9)
Paul starts by saying that an elder must be blameless. In fact, he uses that term twice, doesn’t he? The original word has the idea of “not being able to be called in” or “called to account.” You know what that is like, right? The boss calls you into his office, sits you down and proceeds to reprimand you for messing up the last financial report and making it clear that you better not let that happen again. Or as a teenager you know it isn’t good when you get home and your parents are sitting in the living room, waiting for you. They tell you to sit down because “we need to talk.” They tell you that your teacher called and informed them that you’re failing Algebra, that you have, in fact, failed to turn in any homework in over two weeks, and you’ve got some explaining to do. You see the term doesn’t mean that you never sin or never do anything wrong. It means you’re not guilty of some open or public sin. Or as Luther put it, “He should be the kind of person who cannot be accused openly or publicly.”
Secondly Paul says he is to be “the husband of but one wife”(v. 6) If you have a harem, you cannot serve as a pastor in the church. If you’re married but have a lover on the side, you cannot serve as a pastor in the church. You are to have one wife and you are to be faithful to her.
Next, he is to be “a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient”(v. 6). In other words, he’s a father who sees to it that his children are baptized, who brings them to church, who brings them up in the training and instruction of the Lord, and who disciplines them in a godly manner so they aren’t wild and disobedient.
In addition, he is not to be “over-bearing”(v. 7). The idea here is that he isn’t arrogant and full of himself and despises everyone else. He must not be “quick-tempered”(v. 7)—so no short fuses. He must not be “given to much wine”(v. 7), in other words, not a drinker. He must not be “violent”(v. 7). Another way to translate this word is “not pugnacious,” in other words, not the kind of person who is always looking for a fight. He must not be “pursing dishonest gain”(v. 7). So if you embezzle funds or steal money from the church, you’re out. You’re disqualified.
Instead he is to “hospitable”(v. 8)—friendly toward others, even to strangers. He is to “love what is good”(v. 8). He is to be “self-controlled”(v. 8), not impulsive but sober-minded. He is to be “upright”(v. 8), just and fair in dealing with others. He is to be “holy”(v. 8) and “disciplined”(v. 8), careful not to let his passions run away with him.
And finally, and most importantly, “he must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it”(v. 9). In other words, he is to hold firmly to the trustworthy message of God’s Word and that is what he is to preach and teach. After all, that’s where his authority to preach and teach comes from. You see, you’re not supposed to listen to what I preach and teach because I’m the expert, because I went to seminary and I have a degree and I can study the Bible in its original languages. And the same is true of Pastor Slaughter. You’re not supposed to listen to what he preaches and teaches because he’s the expert, because he went to seminary and he has a degree and he can study the Bible in its original languages. I mean all those things are good, but that isn’t what gives us our authority or why you should listen to our message. You should listen because we are telling you what God says in his word.
It’s not our message. It’s his message. It’s God’s message. It’s God’s message of repentance. It’s God’s message of forgiveness. It’s God’s message of comfort. It’s God’s message of encouragement. It’s God’s message of wisdom and guidance for life. It’s God’s message of salvation and eternal life in heaven. It’s God’s Word. And that’s exactly what we should be preaching and teaching here week in and week out. We should not be teaching you our own ideas and opinions. We should not be making things up and teaching you things that aren’t taught in the Bible. We should not be teaching you what is popular or what is currently acceptable in today’s society. We should be teaching you what God says in his Word.
And if we don’t, you should call us in and sit us down and tell us in no uncertain terms to knock it off. You see, there’s way too much of that today. There are far too many pastors now days who teach things that are not found in the Bible or go against what the Bible says. There are pastors now days who teach and preach that God did not create the world in six days as it says in the Bible but that the world and our universe came about by evolution. There are pastors now days who teach and preach that God did not establish marriage as a life-long union between one man and one woman, but that it can be between two men or two women or whatever you want. There are pastors now days who are completely on board with the whole trans agenda. A man can be woman. A woman can be a man. It’s whatever you want to be. There are pastors now days who teach that Jesus was not born of virgin, that he did not physically rise from the dead and that he is not the only way to heaven. That’s wrong, friends. It’s just plain wrong. The sad thing is so many members are willing to go along with it, even though they know it is not what God’s Word says. God expects pastors to be faithful to his Word, to hold on to those truths themselves, and to teach and preach those truths to his people. And if they don’t, if we don’t, you are not to let it slide. You are call us in and hold our feet to the fire and demand that we teach you what God’s Word says, period.
So I don’t know about you, but when I read these words penned by Paul in his letter to Titus, I get a little uneasy, a little bit anxious. And I feel a little unqualified. I mean this is a big responsibility that God lays on pastors’ shoulders and he has high expectations, for good reason, because they are his representatives. They represent him to his people. And if I’m honest with myself, I know I haven’t always lived up to those expectations. I mean no, I haven’t been convicted of a felony. And I don’t have a harem. And I haven’t embezzled money from the church. And I’m not a drinker. But have I always been hospitable toward others? Have I always been self-controlled and kept a tight rein on my tongue? Have I always been holy and upright and disciplined? No. And what about that time I did lose my temper? And what about that time I did get into an argument with one of the members?
And don’t think you get off scot free either. Don’t think, “Boy, I’m sure glad I’m not a pastor so I don’t have to live up to those expectations.” Just because you’re not a pastor doesn’t mean you can have a harem. Just because you’re not a pastor doesn’t mean you can be a drinker. Just because you’re not a pastor doesn’t mean you can have a short fuse and can be over-bearing and contentious and pugnacious and dishonest in your business dealings. Yes, these words apply to pastors. They absolutely do. But in a general way they apply to all of us as Christians, because God has called us all to be his children and to be his representatives, to set a good example for others and let our lights shine for him wherever we are. So would you like me to have your spouse or your children come up front and I ask them how you have been doing in living up to these expectations?
That’s why I’m so thankful for Jesus Christ, my Savior, our Savior. He was always blameless, in everything he did and everything he said, his whole, entire ministry. He was never overbearing or quick-tempered. He never got drunk or got in a fight. He never cheated anybody out of anything. He was always hospitable, always loved what was good, always self-controlled and upright and holy and disciplined. And he always taught the message of God’s Word faithfully. He did that for you and me, as our perfect substitute, as our perfect Savior.
And for all the times we failed, all the times we did not set a very good example as his representatives here at church or at home or at work or at school or on the baseball field, he took the blame and the punishment we deserved so that we might be spared, so that we might be forgiven.
Out of gratitude and thanks to him for all he has done for us, let’s do our best to be what he has made us to be, what he has called us to be. If he has called you to be a parent and to be his representative to your children, be the best parent you can be, a good and godly parent who loves his children and does his best to set a good example for them and always points them to Jesus. If he has called you to be a child or a student, be the best child or student you can be, someone who loves Jesus and respects his parents and respects his teachers and can’t be accused of being wild or disobedient. If God has called you to be a leader in some capacity here at Trinity, be the best leader you can be, a good and godly leader, one who sets a good example for the other members of the church and encourages them in their faith. If God has called you to be a Sunday School teacher or a teacher here in our school, be the best teacher you can be, a good and godly teacher, one who cares about his students, who sets a good example for them and who loves teaching them about Jesus. And if God has called you to be a pastor, be the best pastor you can be, a good and godly pastor, one who lives up the qualifications God lays out for pastors, a pastor who clings to the precious truths of God’s Word and who teaches his Word faithfully, to the glory of God and the good of his people. Amen.