2. WHAT HE MUST NOT BE a. Not arrogant. The first thing that an elder is not to be is arrogant. Someone arrogant gives themselves an undo degree of importance. They are self-satisfied. Psalm 131 is a great example of the attitude of someone who is not arrogant. “O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.” There is a humbleness that must accompany the work of being an elder. b. Not quick-tempered. An elder cannot be a person with a short fuse. The overseer will have to pastor many sheep that would be a cause of frustration and the temptation to be quick to anger would be a real one. This does not mean that the Elder never gets angry but what Paul says in Ephesians, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil.” So an elder is not a man who is prone to be angry and allows that anger to cause him to sin. c. Not a drunkard. The word for drunkard is made up of two words which are “near to” and “wine” which is an interesting picture. An elder is not a person who’s not controlled by alcohol or filled with it but rather as Paul says in Ephesians 5:18, “he is filled with the Spirit.” A quick temper and alcohol can both cause a person to act in a way that they would not normally choose to act. They are controlling and the elder must not be controlled in this way. d. Not violent. A violent man is barred from becoming an elder. Oftentimes, violence is the result of alcohol or a quick temper. But the Bible has nothing good to say about those who are prone to violence. Psalm 115 says, “The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.” If an elder has violence in his heart, he is disqualified. I have heard some pastors in prominent evangelical churches talk about their desires to burn or hurt people from the pulpit. If they can’t control their violence that they must talk about from the pulpit then these men are disqualified. e. Not greedy for gain. These men are like Gehazi who thought he could use the power that Elisha had for his own gain. But as the story goes, he was struck with leprosy. Proverbs 1:19 says, “Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.” Paul said that Christian ministers are not like peddlers of God’s word. An elder who serves well may deserve double honor but that is not why he is an elder. He does not take the office for earthly possessions but in service to his Master. An elder who has a private jet or a gold-plated toilet while the people they try to minister to can’t pay their own bills is disqualified.