Please open your Bibles this morning to that familiar passage from Paul's first letter to Timothy, 1 Timothy chapter 3, where he speaks to the office of overseers and deacons. Well, for at least the last 15 years, as long as I've been here amongst this congregation, the ordination of officers has taken place during evening worship. A good practice established for good reasons, I'm sure, but as we all well know, good decisions can often have unintended consequences. Could it be that with ordination relatively out of sight, the task of church officers has slipped from our minds? That's not to say that we think poorly of them, rather that we just don't think about them much at all. We did this morning as they stood and they were charged for their offices. We did at the congregational meeting when we cast our votes. We do when the elders come to visit us in their home or when they serve us the Lord's Supper and the deacons when they collect our offerings. And certainly you notice when we come out of that door every worship service. But apart from that, how often are we mindful of them? How often do we pray for them as individuals and as a group? How willing are we to respect and submit to the authority of Christ as it comes to us through the elders? And how joyfully do we support and receive the mercy of Christ through the deacons? And beyond the here and now, are we considering and preparing men to serve as officers in the church for as long as the Lord will tarry, year after year, generation after generation? What are we doing to prepare ourselves, our husbands, our sons, our fathers and our brothers to take up this task? Is it on our minds at all? Well, questions such as these have moved the consistory to ordain elders and deacons this morning. Making time during morning worship as we do for the sacraments and for a profession of faith to highlight the offices that Christ has established for his church. We will read from 1 Timothy chapter 3, again a very familiar passage, verses 1 through 13, but our focus this morning will only be on verse 1, where Paul tells us what it is that stands behind and calls for the long list of qualities he gives in these verses. From verse 1 we will see that the noble task of church officers is not only worthy of desire, it also warrants aspiration. Reading now the Word of God from 1 Timothy 3, beginning at verse 1. Here is a trustworthy saying, If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach. The husband about one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap. Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect. Sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. they must first be tested and then if there is nothing against them let them serve as deacons in the same way their wives are to be women worthy of respect not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything a deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus we end here with the reading of God's word this morning the first thing we want to notice from verse 1 is that the noble task of church officers is worthy of desire it's worthy of desire Paul says here's a trustworthy saying if anyone sets his heart on being an overseer he desires a noble task God says that the task of church officers is a desirable task something worthy of our desire whether or not we find it so God intends it to be so that's the nature of the offices and we all know that when we desire something we want it we long for it and we're not satisfied until we get it Proverbs 13 verse 12 is right to observe that hope deferred makes a heart sick but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life we all know what it is to desire and to obtain. Desire is what moves us toward the people or the things that we want whether for ourselves or for others. Desire fires our imaginations to think about what we need to do to get it and how it's going to be when we have it. And it drives our decision making. It drives our actions toward that object that we desire. That's how we're made. That's how we're intended to be. And therefore, we must be careful about what we desire. The world, our flesh, and the devil are constantly fishing for our desire. Luring us with all sorts of enticements and distractions and entertainments and all manner of things in order to hook a desire and to reel us into sin and death. And the Holy Spirit of God is also at work, intent on capturing our desires. With the law, He reveals good things to us, good things that are worthy of our desire, things that will lead us into righteousness. And with the gospel of Jesus Christ, He motivates us and enables us to live in pursuit of these things. This trustworthy saying speaks directly of one good thing. One good thing, the task of being an overseer. The task of serving as an elder. Now Paul does not repeat himself in what follows, but he clearly applies this saying to another good thing, the task of being a deacon. When he continues in verse 8, that deacons likewise. He quotes this saying, applies it to elders, and he certainly applies it to deacons as well. Both offices, that of elder and that of deacon, are good works. They're noble tasks that are worthy of the desire of men. And men this morning, whether you be young or old, this text and this sermon are directed mainly at you. But it's also for your parents and your grandparents who raised you. For your brothers and your sisters who grow up with you. For your wives and your children whom you serve and will serve. And for this entire body whom you serve or will serve. And who, at this time, have or will serve your preparation for this task. It's focused on the men, but it's for all of us. In Heidelberg Catechism 91, we confess that a good thing, a good work, is only that which arises out of true faith. It's performed by a believing heart. It conforms to God's law. It's in keeping with what His will is, what He's told us that He wants, and it's done for His glory. And I tell you today that the task of church officers certainly fits the bill. It is clearly God's will. It's called men of faith to this task in the church to the glory of his name. It's not an afterthought. It's not just a nice thing. It's a good work of the highest order. Well, why is it that the task of church officers is something that must be desired? Well, it's to be desired because it's not ours to claim or to expect. It exists apart from us, and it's designed to be wanted in order to be had. It's not for us to claim on the basis of age or how long we've lived in the church. It's not ours to inherit from our Father before us. It's not ours to gain through good connections or popular appeal, business success or intellectual achievement. It's given by Christ to His church to be wanted by His people. And to be bestowed on men, He calls to fill it. It's desirable and to be desired. And by His Word, God calls you men, Christian men of every age, to desire this task. And by His Spirit, He stirs up in you a desire for this, even at the same time you fear what it might mean. By a vote of the congregation at His appointed time, He confirms this call. By a minister of the word on the authority of Christ through the elders, he publicly ordains men to this task. It's vital to the life of the church. And our desire for this task ought not to include the desire for personal gain. Paul warns the deacons against this in verse 8. He warns the elders against this in Titus chapter 1 and as does Peter in 1 Peter chapter 5. Sinners and saints that we are, it's easy to get those tangled together. But there's no prestige. There's no power. There's no plunder to be gained from these offices and our desire should not be for such things. Rather, the task is public and is demanding service to the household of God. Serving as stewards, doing our duty, responsible to oversee and care for the people of God. This ongoing need for this task in the life of the church is well established in Paul's letter to Timothy and Titus. Nearing the end of his life, he foresaw the end of the apostolic age. And he sets down in these three letters the nature and the need for church officers to continue to serve in the name of Jesus Christ for his people until Christ will come for us himself in glory. And this noble task of church officers was not given to angels or to other creatures. It was given to men, sinners and saints, for the good of the church. And it's not only worthy of desire by its very nature. It also warrants aspiration. It deserves our aspiration. It deserves and merits us to aspire to the office. To seek for the office. The English Standard Version reveals this connection when it translates verse 1 this way. It says, if anyone aspires for the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. they're similar but not the same. Aspiration is the hands and feet of desire. Aspiration is the striving and the exertion to achieve that which we want. And when we desire this noble task, we will aspire to it. We will exert ourselves for it. We will seek what is needed to fill it. And we must aspire to it because what it requires is not ours by nature. it's not ours automatically. By nature, we're totally depraved. We all know that the things of God in this church don't interest us at all. We have no love for God. We have no love for neighbor. That would drive us to do such things. But even as the saints who believe the gospel, who are trusting in Christ, who've been made right with God through faith in Him, who are being conformed to His image by the Word of God through His Spirit, Even then, that's not enough. There are specific things required, prerequisites that must be accrued to fit a man for this task. And broadly speaking, there are two. As we pick up from the rest of Paul's words here. Two chief tasks. The first requirement is a substantial, although never complete, Knowledge of the Bible. And a firm commitment to what it promises and commands. Understand this. It doesn't mean you need to be a Bible scholar. It doesn't mean you need to be a Ph.D. It doesn't mean you need to know it from cover to cover. But it does mean that you need substantial knowledge of which you are firmly convinced to be the promises of God and the commands for His people. Now that's not Paul's main concern here, although he clearly alludes to it when he says in verse 9 that the deacons must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. And when signing the form of subscription this morning, church officers affirmed this requirement by declaring that they, quote, hardly believe and are persuaded that all the articles and points of doctrine contained in the three forms of unity do fully agree with the word of God. And they promise, therefore, diligently to teach and faithfully defend that aforesaid doctrine. This is a requisite. The second requirement, which is Paul's main concern in our text this morning, is that officers have a reputation of integrity, demonstrating Christian character and biblical wisdom. Paul uses two very similar words, synonyms, to describe the one overall quality that applies to all the officers. The quality of this reputation, the quality of their character. He says in verse 2 that overseers must be above reproach. They must be above reproach, beyond charge. And according to verse 8, deacons likewise are to be men worthy of respect. each of these words can be translated almost the same. So Paul is getting at one point with two different words, and then he unpacks this character with lists appropriate to each office, including traits that we can see and real-life situations that expose a man's character, primarily his family and in the workplace. But we should notice some things that he does not include. he makes no reference to technical skill, occupational ability, or business success. Although a man may have them, and they may help him in fulfilling his office, these are not what qualify a man for the task of church officers. And he doesn't call for sinless perfection. That belongs to Christ. It is certainly ours through faith and it is that which motivates us and enables us to pursue a godly lifestyle. Putting away selfishness, putting on self-sacrifice. Putting away sin and putting on obedience. In a life of constant conversion that over time exposes a pattern. A pattern of character. A pattern of maturity. a pattern of wisdom that's visible to all inside and outside the church. So undergirded by his knowledge of and commitment to the Word of God, a man's Christian character is what equips him for the task of church officers. And the form of ordination reminds us of that when it says that both elders and deacons, quote, should set an example of godliness in their personal life, in their home life, and in their relations with their fellow man. Men? Young men? Boys? God has said that the task of church officers is worthy of your desire. And if you will desire it, then you must aspire to it. You should not wait until you feel pressured to serve. If you wait, that day will come. There's no way to cram for this task. And the need is so great and it will continue until Christ returns that you need not wait around for somebody else to do it. Because we all know when we wait for somebody else to do it, nobody does it. You're never too young to start. You're never too old to start to desire and to aspire to this task of church officers. Okay, so how do I aspire to this office? How do I pursue it? If our model is politicians, you know, you have a caucus and all these things that are happening right now, men trying to make themselves known. That's not the way of God and it's not the way of His church. The way to aspire to this office is simply by growing in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It's the way of growing as a Christian. In this, you share with every member of the household of faith. Growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Okay, well how do I do that? How do I do that? Well, first and foremost, you begin in the corporate worship of God's people, right here, right now. Sitting at the feet of Jesus Christ whenever the Gospel is proclaimed and the sacraments are administered to His people. Week after week, receiving by faith these beings of grace whenever they're served, being hungry to grow in your knowledge of God's Word and the conviction that it brings and the wisdom that it can impart. And to this, you add your regular reading and studying and meditating on God's Word by yourself and with your family and with other believers. Some of those other believers are on a bookshelf, long dead, that have great things to teach you. And prayerful communion with our Heavenly Father, by yourself, with your family, and with other believers. There are many at home, in the church, at school, who are working to help you. This is a body project. You don't go it alone. They're busy at work helping all of our covenant youth, helping one another in the very same way. This is a common path. Sunday school teachers and catechists are doing their best to teach you God's Word and the truth it reveals. Your GEMS leaders, your cadet leaders, junior high youth leaders, your young people's leaders are all trying to bring the Word of God to you and help you to learn how to apply it, how to live in it, how to be wise. Some of you men are already involved in one-on-one discipleship with other men. And if you're not and you would like to, just speak to one of your elders. This is a new development this last year. We're trying to foster more particular focus on spiritual growth. And women, this doesn't leave you out. If you're interested in one-on-one discipleship with other women, let your elder know. We're working on that as well. That we might all grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And we see this pattern in the life of Timothy, to whom Paul wrote. In the faith, he was like a son to Paul. Paul referred to him that way. But Paul was not the only one who helped prepare him for service in the church. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul began by remembering Timothy's sincere faith, which first lived in his grandmother Lois and in his mother Eunice. and in the very next breath Paul reminded Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God which was in him through his ordination he remembered him learning his faith at the knees of his mother and his grandmother and he remembers his ordination to office and what he leaves unspoken you can be sure he remembered and that is a lifetime of learning a lifetime of growing a lifetime of aspiring to be of service to the household of God. Timothy was raised to desire and to aspire to the task of serving Christ in this church. The offices of elder and deacon and minister were just getting sorted out as he was growing up, but he was prepared and his mother and his grandmother desired it for him. And they exerted themselves for him. In chapter 3 of a second letter, Paul exhorted Timothy. Then as a minister of the Word, he said, To continue in what you have already learned and become convinced of. Continue in what is already yours. Because you know those whom you learned it from. And how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Continue to use all that you've been prepared to use. And we too here in this body are to desire this noble task for our sons and our grandsons, for our brothers and our husbands and our fathers. And we too are to encourage them to desire this task and to help them aspire to this task for the glory of God and for the good of His people. And we, too, are to help them become wise from the Scripture. Not only for salvation through Christ Jesus, through faith in Christ Jesus, but also for teaching and rebuking and correcting and training not only himself in righteousness, but others in righteousness, so that they are more and more equipped for every good work, including this good work, the task of church officers. So men, young men and boys, again, I remind you this noble task is worthy, is worthy of your desire. You are called, like all of us, to develop Christian character sooner than later for which there are no shortcuts. It doesn't come through ease and comfort. It doesn't come through distraction and entertainment. and it comes through trials and troubles of living a godly life in an ungodly world. It comes, as Paul says in Romans 5, through our sufferings. Sufferings in which we can rejoice because we know that suffering produces perseverance and perseverance, character. And character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out His love into our hearts by His Holy Spirit who He's already given to us. Through suffering we learn perseverance. Through perseverance we obtain character. So you see the formula for gaining wisdom and becoming Christ-like in your character is this. As you begin with faith in Christ you continue with faith in Christ and you add to it increasing knowledge of and conviction of and commitment to the Word of God. And you multiply this knowledge into wisdom by applying this knowledge into the circumstances of your life with the help of those who are wiser than you. And as this leads you toward the perfection that you and we all will inherit when Christ returns, you will become fitted for and perhaps called to this task of church officers. You can never be too well prepared. ask any man who has served. He'll tell you that he wishes he'd been better prepared. If he only knew then what he knows now, he would have aspired more to the task. Learn from their example. Learn from their wisdom. They're at your disposal. Not just on Sunday morning when they walk out the room, not just on family visitation, not just when serving the Lord's Supper, not just when collecting your offering. They're at your disposal. Learn from their wisdom. Set your desire on the task of church officers and aspire to be fitted for it. And for the women among us, desire this for your men and do all that you can to help them aspire to it. Let's pray together. Our Father in heaven, we are reminded from your word this morning in a very indirect way of the neediness of your church. That Christ Jesus, before he went into heaven, he reminded us he would not leave us as orphans. That he would give us the Holy Spirit. And by the Holy Spirit, through the apostles that he appointed to establish the church in this world, the offices of minister and elder and deacon were established by which Christ reigns and by which Christ serves and by which Christ teaches His church. And Lord, we are finite and sinful saints that lose sight of the greater reality in which we live as Your people in the body of Christ. Help us to have eyes to see our need for this provision. Help us to have eyes to see the need that is before us in days and years and generations to come if the Lord should tarry. That we would be eager to raise up men in this body with godly character and biblical wisdom. With a knowledge and a conviction of the truth of the Word of God. eager to serve Your people, aspiring, exerting for an office that You give them the desire to have. Bless us, Lord, in this way, we pray. In Jesus' name. Amen.