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Peter Barnes | 1 Timothy 3:1-7
SERMON NOTES
THE QUALIFICATIONS OF AN ELDER, Part 2
Leviticus 10; 1 Tim. 3:1-7
1. The elder must be able to teach.
– 3:2; all Christians should be teachers in some way (Heb.5:12); in 1758 John Newton’s first sermon ran aground.
– Tit.1:9 – able to argue (e.g. Acts 15:1-2)
– must know and be able to proclaim the truth. William Jay: ‘The great thing is to forget one’s self, and to speak with seriousness and affectionate feeling.’
2. The elder must be spiritually mature.
– 3:6; Timothy was young (4:12) and Paul did not wait too long to ordain elders in Acts 14:21-23
– But there is some delay in 1 Tim.5:22; Tit.1:5
– Charles Spurgeon preaching at Waterbeach at the age of 16 in 1850 is the exception
3. The elder must be respected outside the church.
– 3:7; the unbeliever has some capacity to judge; note the sailors on Jonah’s ship and also 1 Cor.5:1; Calvin: ‘in man’s perverted and degenerate nature some sparks still gleam.’
– listen if the world says he is lazy, unreliable or dishonest.