Well, good morning to everyone. Another beautiful sunny day, I hope you're all doing well today. 

Coming to an interesting passage this morning in our text, our study of 1 Timothy, we're continuing in Timothy chapter 5 and we've come to really an important passage in our text. It's not an easy passage for me to preach on because it's about me, it's about the elders of the church. 

And you'll remember last time that we began to discuss how Timothy was to treat the members of the church, how he was to engage them concerning sin, concerning need, each group of people having special considerations. We talked about approaching older men, how Timothy should do that, older women and younger men and younger women, as well as issues with sin, falling into sin and how he should approach each one concerning sin to encourage them to turn their focus back to Jesus Christ. 

And we looked at length concerning the care of widows in the church, how Timothy should determine and examine who's a true widow and true need, who's bereft, who's been left alone without support and to support those and then not to support the ones who did not have need or the younger widows who he encouraged to marry and raise children. All of these things are intensely practical for Timothy in carrying out his ministry in the church in Ephesus. 

The broader context is really important to keep in mind as we study all of these details, these practical applications. And all the way back in chapter 3 at verse 15, we see the central verse of the book. I just wanted to remind you of that. Paul wrote, "I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God which is the church of the living God, the pillar and the ground of the truth." This verse gives us the intent of the author in writing to Timothy and guides us in our study and understanding of what these words are all about. 

And as we noted, this verse gives us the great truth concerning the purpose of the church and God's intention for it. Paul expands on these things with practical instructions to Timothy in chapter 4 where he explains how it is that Timothy and all elders, pastors, teachers can be good ministers of Jesus Christ. What does God expect of the man of God leading the church to do? 

In chapter 3, Paul gave us the qualifications for elders. But in chapters 4 and 5, and especially in our text today, he moves from the general qualifications to the specific duties and the role and the place of the elder in the church. What his emphasis in ministry should be and primarily what he should be focused on. 

It has become abundantly clear that the primary focus of the pastor-teacher in his ministry should be doctrine, should be laboring, agonizing to exhaustion, the word says, in the study of the Word of God and exerting a tremendous effort to teach and preach, to exposit, to explain and apply the Word of God for the growth and edification of the believers. This is what the pastor-teacher should be doing. This is what he should be passionate and fervent about. And the rest of his ministry should flow out of this focus and pursuit. 

I was just listening to Pastor Krenz talking about baptism this morning and he said, if you have any questions, come and see Pastor John or me and we'll explain it to you from the Scriptures. And in context of this message and this text, it made me think of many pastors who would say, I'll give you a book, right? I'll give you a book you can read about baptism. We'll explain it to you from the Scriptures. That's what really this text is about. 

In chapter 4 we saw Paul exhort Timothy to give himself entirely to study, to doctrine and teaching and preaching and we saw that Timothy should meditate on these things, that this work should consume him and that his great desire should be to convey these truths consistently, constantly to the people through preaching and teaching. Doctrine. The truth of who Jesus is and what He has done. And the truth of who we are in Him and the hope that we have in Him and the promises He's given us. How these things apply to our daily life and to our mission in this world. 

These things should be what Timothy and every pastor-teacher are to be about. And I think this is a good standard. If you consider a church, consider the pastor, the elders of that church, its function, its practice, what would you say that church, those leaders, are about? What is it that defines them? What is it that they are concerned about, focused on, conveying to their people concerning what is important and what matters? What are they about? 

And when you look around the world of evangelicalism, the biblical churches of our time and our culture and our world, what would the answer to that question be, by and large? Would it be doctrine? Would it be teaching? Would it be the Word? It should be abundantly clear that those churches, those leaders and men who claim the name of Christ who profess to be Bible-believing churches should be defined by a great desire and passion and pursuit to know the Word of God, to preach and teach the Word of God, and to apply the truths of the Word to their lives and how they live and what they do. 

Doctrine, preaching, teaching is what the men of God should be about. And this is because this is God's plan for the church, for the local body of believers. I think it's important as we approach our text this morning to step back a bit and remind ourselves of God's purpose for the church in this world. Why are we here? Why did God leave us here? 

We have great insight in this in John 17, in Jesus' high priestly prayer to the Father. We're left in this world, He said, do not take them out of the world, but keep them from the evil one, leave them in the world so that the world may know that I am the Christ. Since the beginning, since the fall of man in the garden, and God's promise of a Deliverer, a Savior from sin, it has been God's desire and plan to bring salvation to lost men. 

This is why God called out His own special people, Israel. Israel was to be a city on a hill, a light to the world, to draw the nations. God's intention was for the nation to be a witness to the world and to bring God's salvation message to all men. But Israel did not fulfill this plan of God. They went their own way, even rejecting and killing their Messiah. 

And we see in the New Testament, God has called out a new people, a new way of blessing the world, bringing the salvation message to the world. This is the church. And God has clearly communicated through His Word that the purpose of the church, the reason that God has us in this world, is not to be a city on a hill, but for each of us to go out individually into the world and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection, and salvation by grace through faith in Him alone. 

This is why God leaves us in this world. This is the reason we are here. This is the reason He has called us out. And the local assembly of believers, listen now, this is so vital for our understanding of how to do church, how to conduct ourselves in the house of God. The local gathering is meant to be a training and equipping ground, a place where we come to hear the Word of God, to be instructed and exhorted and encouraged together around the doctrine, the truths of God's Word. 

And as we have seen in our study of this epistle, the center of all this training and equipping for the believers, this meeting is primarily for believers, is the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. These truths are so abundantly clear here in this epistle and throughout the New Testament. 

Perhaps the clearest statement on the purpose of the church and the gathering of believers is Ephesians 4.11. We're familiar with that passage. I'd like you to just turn to that. Ephesians 4 at verse 11 really gives us a clear statement on what we're to be doing here. 

"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastor-teachers. Why? Why did Jesus give the gift of pastor-teachers to the church? For the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry." That means that my role is to equip you and you are then to go out and do the work of ministry. 

"For the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect or mature man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."

We welcome all people to come to our worship and meeting time on Sunday morning and we're happy when lost people come and they hear the Word of God. But the focus of this gathering, of our Sunday morning and our Bible studies is for the believer, for the edification, for the equipping and sanctification of the believer and the Bible is clear that this happens through the truth, through the Word, taught, read, explained, applied. 

So then as we come to our text this morning, we must note, we must understand that if this is the plan of God for the church, His church, the church of the living God, if doctrine, preaching and teaching is the means that He has prescribed and is the focus and center of all that we do here, then we must have men leading the church who are committed wholeheartedly to this very thing. 

And those elders who preach and teach must have a fervent, focused passion to do this very thing. And this is why Paul writes what he does in verses 17 to 25 of chapter 5, because of the absolute necessity of the faithful, good leadership of the church, men who have an understanding and a commitment to doctrine and to preaching and teaching the Word of God. 

I want you to have all of these things in your mind as we consider what Paul says this morning because what he's going to say is somewhat misunderstood and it's a sensitive topic and it may seem very self-serving for me to teach it. But this is not my heart at all. 

As always, it is my desire to say what God says, to teach the words before me in their context, to convey their meaning and have us apply the truths in our lives and ministry. I want for us to understand the crucial nature of having leaders of our church who are committed to these things and who understand and trust the plan of God for the church and the success of our mission in this world. 

Let's look at our text together, 1 Timothy 5, 17. “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the Word and doctrine. For the Scripture says you shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain, and the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all that the rest also may fear. I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality. Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins. Keep yourself pure. No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities. Some men's sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later. Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden.” 

Well, I've given you four points on your outline. First, double honor, second, deaf ear, third, daring rebuke, and fourth, diligent examination. 

Well, as I studied this text and labored to write the words of this message, I was trying to think of an analogy, and the best thing that kept coming back to my mind was a football analogy. I was thinking about how a football team has a leader, a coach. He forms the plan, he sets out the guidelines, the system, the means for accomplishing the goal of winning the game. 

But it is the fundamentals that really form the foundation for that win. The coach is on the sidelines, but on the field, in the game, the team has another leader, the quarterback. He gives the plays to each individual player, he leads, he guides the team through instruction and example, and he is valued highly by the team as to its goal of winning the game and all that goes into it. 

So when you have an Aaron Rodgers or a Tom Brady, those who are focused on what the coach has given them, the game plan, the means for the win, and they are focused discipline and they believe in the plan, they will have great success in leading and carrying out the plan and chalking up wins as they go. 

The analogy that draws us into our text is this: when you have such a quarterback, when you have one who leads, who oversees, who rules well, then you want to honor him. It's not a perfect analogy, but I thought it might help us understand, because it makes perfect sense to us in our culture to honor a franchise quarterback. 

This means appreciating him, it means giving him respect in his position, and it means paying him so that he's amply cared for. Now this is where it kind of goes off the rails with our modern-day athletes, but the point is that there is a great value to a good leader who is committed to his role and focused on the plans and means of accomplishing his goal as prescribed by the coach and who is an example to all. 

That's what Paul is saying here in verse 17. When he says, “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the Word and doctrine.” If a local body of believers has a pastor-teacher who is humbly seeking to fulfill his role, who gives himself to study of God's Word, who preaches and teaches faithfully the Word of God and is committed to the plan of God for the church, then this is a valuable asset. 

I'll press the analogy a little further. Let's say you have an Aaron Rodgers and he's doing his thing. It's a big game. It's the third quarter. It's all tied up. In the middle of the quarter, there's a violent sack, and out comes the cart, and they put him on the stretcher, and they drive him off the field, and here comes the young kid out of college, the backup. What happens to your confidence as a Packer fan in that moment? 

It just makes me think of what I sometimes see in today's evangelical churches. A young guy, or not so young maybe, out of seminary, has a lot of degrees, he's read a lot of books, and he has his own plan for doing church, for how we ought to conduct ourselves in the house of God. And he and his team sit around and brainstorm all kinds of ideas on how to implement his plan. The plan he learned from professors in seminary, from marketing gurus, from the books he's read on sociology or church growth, on entertainment models. 

What Paul is saying is this: When you have a pastor-teacher who is committed to God's plan, who is dependent on God's grace and power and provision to accomplish His will in the church, who simply is seeking to obey God and His Word by giving himself entirely to the Word and prayer, to preparation to preach and teach, and when he comes to the pulpit, this is what he does, he preaches and teaches the Word of God, he says what God says and believes wholly that this is the way for the growth and edification of the believers, for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry to preach the gospel in this world. 

This one who is an example in conduct and living and in commitment to the plan and purpose of God according to His Word, this elder who rules well is worthy of double honor. The word for honor is “teme,” it includes the idea of value, respect, appreciation, but it has the primary meaning of remuneration, of payment. 

Vincent says it definitely includes the idea of monetary remuneration if it is not the sole meaning in this text. This is where it gets uncomfortable for me. It's often translated price or payment, it most specifically speaks to money, we saw this back in verse 3 of our chapter concerning honoring the real widows. Again this is difficult for me to preach and I know this is a sensitive subject for some because there's such an abuse of this in religion, in the television evangelists and the reputation of preachers in the world because of those who are in it for the filthy lucre. 

But this is really vital for us to understand as it relates to the value and worth of the elder who rules well, has the right focus and passion of preaching and teaching doctrine, truth, and trusts God and His plan. And there really is no lack of clarity in what Paul is saying here in verse 17. If you have an elder, pastor, teacher who rules well, who is this kind of man in the ministry, then honor him, in fact, double honor him. 

The wording here indicates that such an elder should be amply and generously provided for so that he does not have to concern himself with or be stressed about how he will live or provide for his family. Rather, he can give himself his focus, his time to studying, preaching and teaching, ministering to the people whom God has given to his care. 

Now this is not Cadillacs and private jets, right? What the Word says is whatever is necessary to care for the man and his family, we'll look at this in 1 Corinthians 9, is to be given so that he can give himself entirely to ministry. And there's all kinds of circumstances and situations and some choose to work and some don't and churches have ability and they don't, so this is the rule, the principle here. 

We see this admonition all through the Scriptures, even as Paul quotes from Deuteronomy here, "You shall not muzzle the ox while it treads out the grain." Let the one who provides your food for you eat from the same source, he says. He quotes Jesus' words from Luke which he calls Scripture, which is interesting. The laborer is worthy of his wages. This is not a gift, this is not grace. What Paul is saying that the man who labors to exhaustion in the Word, who gives maximum effort in study and preaching and teaching does so for your sake, he rules well, he is worthy of his wages, give him double honor. 

Galatians 6 says, "Let him who is taught the Word share in all good things with him who teaches." Turn over to 1 Corinthians 9 with me, Paul gives a lengthy explanation of this in 1 Corinthians 9 at verse 1. He's a little bit upset with the Corinthians here, verse 1 he says, "Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord." 

"My defense to those who examine me is this, do we have no right to eat and drink? Do we have no right to take along a believing wife as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working? Whoever goes to war at his own expense, who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock? Do I say these things as a mere man or does not the law say the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, 'You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.' Is it oxen God is concerned about? Or does he say it all together for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope." 

And look at verse 14, Paul's summary says, "Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel." Now in Corinth and Thessalonica, because these were new areas in Paul's missionary journeys where he was evangelizing people and establishing churches, he did not exercise this right until they were established. But he says that he robbed from other churches to support him and he worked day and night so that he would not be a hindrance to the gospel. 

But the other apostles, Cephas, the brothers of the Lord, all were supported along with their wives in the work of ministry. I'd like to clarify even more here, lest I be misunderstood as to my motive, I want you to see this from another perspective. Look at 1 Thessalonians 5 with me, please, 1 Thessalonians 5:12. "And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake." 

"For their work's sake," I want you to focus in on that. In Hebrews 13, 17, the author writes, "Obey those who rule over you and be submissive for they watch out for your souls as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, listen to this, for that would be unprofitable for you. Pray for us for we are confident that we have a good conscience in all things, desiring to live honorably." 

If we as individual believers have a desire to know the Word of God, to grow, to become discerning, to be equipped to go out and do the work of ministry, to exercise that great privilege of bringing the good news message of salvation to the lost world, to be effective as ambassadors for Christ. If we believe God and we trust His plan, then we need to see the importance of a church that is focused on carrying out these very things. 

And at the heart of that church must be solid leadership, men, elders who oversee the church based on these basic fundamental truths with a commitment to the plan and purpose of God by His means and His power. And within that group of elders who are all teachers, who are all servants and ministers to the body, there are those who labor in the Word. Paul wants Timothy to see the value, the importance of having the pastor-teacher be very clear and focused concerning these things and know that the ones who do this well in an excellent fashion are worthy of double honor. 

So how do you do it well? Well he lined that out in chapter 4, right? You meditate on these things, you give yourself entirely to them, you preach, you teach. This is what it should be about. But note this, it's for your sake. As we see in Hebrews 13, the people should let those who oversee, who preach and teach, do their work with joy, not with grief. And the reason is because to not do so would be unprofitable for you. Esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Not for their sake, for their work’s sake. The benefit is to the church, to the body, to each of us. This is the perspective we need to have.

It's not about the pastor, not about elevating a man, certainly not. God has intended that the church be overseen by a plurality of elders, a group of men, not one man, not a king, not a pastor with a supporting team, but a plurality of men equal in role and function as servants to the body to carry out their role, each doing their part for the growth and health of the body, all for the purpose of edification and equipping of the believers to do the work of ministry. 

But those who rule well, who give themselves to this purpose entirely should be given double honor for their work's sake so that they might be more effective in serving the body. This is the principle found here and the understanding that Paul wants Timothy and us to have. 

So we see double honor. Next we see a deaf ear. Verse 19, "Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses." Paul says we are to pay the pastor and here he says we are to protect the pastor. It's all roses in these first verses, but wait until we get to verse 20. 

So why is protecting the pastor necessary? What is the vulnerability? Well, it's great. The faithful preacher who rules well is day after day, week after week, speaking forth the Word of God, preaching the truth. This makes him vulnerable on many levels. First and foremost, Satan and his demons want to destroy in any way possible the ministry of a faithful preacher. So this is behind every attack ultimately. 

But preaching the truth will inevitably continually rub up against sinful men. This is particularly true outside the church, but inside as well. I remember years ago I talked my brother into going to a church with me in Indiana. And the preacher gave a great sermon, faithfully preached the Word, and my lost brother was angry afterwards. This is what he said. He said, "That guy was preaching right at me." That guy didn't even know we were there. But my brother was angry and said he'd never go to that church again. 

Preaching the truth, especially now in our age, makes a man vulnerable to attack from the world. A great example of this now would be in the realm of the homosexual transgender movements of our time. Preach what the Bible says at your own risk. Then there's the growth and sanctification of the believers in the church. Growth is painful. Sometimes people get upset about what is said from the pulpit. Some in the church may have a desire to undermine or destroy the man in ministry. It happens a lot. 

So Paul teaches Timothy that an accusation against an elder should not even be heard. There should be a deaf ear to those kinds of whispering, backbiting, undermining types of conversations. If someone comes to you with a complaint, an accusation against an elder, do not entertain it. Turn a deaf ear to it because the pastor is vulnerable in these things. 

So what is the qualification? What about if the accusation is valid? Paul says, "Accept from two or three witnesses." So if someone just comes grousing, looking to sow division, we must not entertain such talk aimed at the elders. But if there's a serious accusation with two or three reputable witnesses coming in the right spirit, then this should be thoroughly investigated. 

And if there's found to be sin, then we move on to verse 20. In our text we see double honor, we see a deaf ear, and next we see daring rebuke, and this is very serious, my friends. Verse 20, "Those who are sinning, rebuke in the presence of all that the rest also may fear." 

I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality." This is a very sad reality in the church for all kinds of reasons. But as we have seen the value of an elder who rules well and what the church's attitude should be toward him, so now we see instructions toward an elder who is found in habitual sin. 

There's the need of protection of the godly elder, especially the preacher as we've just seen, but when there is sin, we must not show partiality. The reputation of the pastor-preacher is of utmost importance to the mission of the church. And the principle we must understand is that no man is bigger than the cause of sin. Christ. 

We're all dispensable and we're all vulnerable to sin and to becoming disqualified for ministry. Paul talked about that. His prayer was that he was beating his body, he was disciplined, he was focused on holiness so that he might not become disqualified. 

There's a tendency in evangelical churches to want to overlook sin and to avoid confrontation, to extend an overabundance of grace, especially to those in leadership, but this can be very dangerous. If there's a legitimate accusation of continual sin, some sinful pattern that a man has fallen into that brings legitimate reproach on the man of God, then he must be removed from the ministry and he must be rebuked publicly for the sake of the church. 

This is a daring rebuke. It's not easy, but to cover up sin, especially in leadership, will bring division and destruction to a local body. The man who is entrusted to lead, to serve, to be an example, and to teach must keep himself unspotted from the world, must be concerned with purity in his life as we see in James and back in chapter 4 of 1st Timothy, and if an elder is found in sin, some pattern of sin, perhaps he's stolen money, perhaps he has some sexual sin, or he is abusive toward people, or whatever the sin, it's not specified here. 

He must be rebuked publicly before the church, and if the sin is serious enough, he must become disqualified for ministry. This goes back to the qualifications of chapter 3. He must be above reproach. He must have a good testimony to those who are outside. I've known men who have committed adultery, who have abandoned their wives and children, and then gone on to marry other women, and they've been restored to ministry. This kind of thing cannot happen. 

The cause of Christ is greater than any man, and Paul says, as much as those who rule well are worthy of double honor, as much as we must protect them from false accusations, if a man is found to be in sin, he must be rebuked before all, and this is for the purpose of purity in the church, and so that people know what's going on. If an elder is found in sin, and he just kind of leaves, and nobody knows what happened, and that can cause a lot of trouble, a lot of misunderstanding, a lot of anger towards the other elders who have maybe cast him out. 

It says that "the rest may fear." This kind of open public rebuke of sin, which is biblical, is a great deterrent to sin among the other elders, and there should be a healthy fear among all believers for the implications of sin in our lives, but especially among the elders, for they have the greatest opportunity for damaging the witness and the mission of the church. 

Notice how Paul undergirds his command to Timothy here in verse 21. "I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice. Do nothing with partiality." It's difficult to rebuke an elder openly before the church for some serious sin. It's difficult to bring these things out in the open in a body of believers, but it's vital to the health and purity of the church. 

That pastor I told you about where my brother and I went, he preached a good sermon that day, but I found out a few years ago he'd been having an ongoing affair with two women in the church for 20 years. You can't just sweep that under the rug. There must be purity in the church. That's what Paul's talking about here. If there's a sinning elder, he must be dealt with openly for the sake of all so that there might be purity in the church. 

So we see double honor. We see a deaf ear. We see daring rebuke. And finally in our text we see diligent examination. If the sinning elder is such a serious damage to the church and the cause of Christ, if the elder who rules well has a good reputation and is above reproach, giving himself entirely to God's will for his role in the body, is so valuable to the church, then how diligent should we be in selecting a man to be an elder? 

That's what verses 22 to 25 are about. "Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins. Keep yourself pure. No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and for your frequent infirmities. Some men's sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later. Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden." 

Paul says, "Do not lay hands on anyone hastily." This refers to selecting a man for the position of elder or overseer. And then notice what he says, "Nor share in other people's sins. Keep yourself pure." It's interesting because there's a philosophy that has come about in the church with the modern church growth movement that says you should take a promising young man and put him into a position of leadership in order to facilitate his growth. This happened to me when I was a new believer. Nothing could be more unbiblical. 

An elder must not be a novice. He must not be immature. And the interesting truth that Paul highlights to Timothy here is that when we select a man that is not qualified or is living in sin, then we invite all kinds of trouble and drama into the church. In fact, Paul says you share in their sins and you stain yourself. 

If a man becomes part of the plurality of elders in the church and that man is not qualified, or if he is in sin, not having a good reputation, full of faith, filled with the Holy Spirit, then he will bring reproach on all the elders and he will drag the church down as well. It's a serious thing to select a man to the position of elder. 

And so Paul tells Timothy to be careful, to be diligent in the selection process. And he explains further in the next several verses, some men are plainly unqualified. Some men's sin or reputation is well known, he says. And some men are found out to be unqualified through the process, through time. Others in the positive sense are known by all to be qualified and have a good reputation and others are found to be qualified through the process of examination. 

The point here is this, don't be hasty to appoint a man to elder. Observe him. Know him. Examine him. Be sure he is qualified for the position because there are grave implications for making a bad choice, an unwise selection. 

Verse 23 is a bit of an aside, I think, for Timothy's sake from Paul. Paul prescribes a little wine here for medicinal purposes, for his stomach's sake, for his frequent illnesses. It's interesting to note that Timothy apparently did not ever drink any wine at all and must have had a firm conviction concerning it. But Paul encourages him to use it for medicinal purposes and that this is okay for your frequent infirmities. If he was only drinking water and the water of that time was not pure, he said, have a little wine to help your stomach. 

Don't worry about that, Timothy; this isn't a problem for medicinal use. So we see in this vital passage of Scripture that the church should give double honor to the elders who rule well. They should turn a deaf ear to those who would bring unfounded accusation against the elders. They should be willing to bring a daring rebuke to those elders who are living in sin and should make diligent examination when selecting a man to oversee the church of the living God. 

These are not easy things to study, to preach on, but they're vital for a healthy, growing, fruitful church. Nothing will make you more humble and inadequate feeling than to teach on a passage like this. It's a high standard. But these are practical admonitions for Timothy. He had a lot of trouble in that church in Ephesus and there were some men he was going to have to get rid of who were false teachers, who were teaching false things. 

And he was going to have to find good men he could select to help rule, to get the church righted and in the right direction again and focused on Christ. These are not easy things, but they're practical things for Timothy and for us. And they're all concerning how we should conduct ourselves in the house of God. 

Let's close in prayer. 

Father, we're so thankful for Your Word, Your truth, and thankful that You tell us the truth and tell us the details and give us instruction and even these pastoral epistles where we learn so much about how we should conduct ourselves in Your house for Your purpose, for Your will. Help us to have the right motive, the right heart, to understand the importance of believing You and trusting You and doing what You say so that You might grow Your church, that You might bring salvation to lost men through our witness. And all this for Your glory, in Jesus' name. Amen.