On Deacons

1 Timothy 3:8–13 NASB95

Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain, but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach. Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things. Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

INTRO: Here in a little while, you will be receiving a deacon nomination card. We’ve been stressing the importance of prayerful consideration as you bring forward the names of men you believe would serve the church well in this role. I am confident that the scripture for today’s message is familiar to many of you.

Even so, I believe it will be of great benefit for us to spend our time together working through this passage BEFORE you put a name forward for this role of deacon.

WHAT IS A DEACON? A simple definition: A deacon is one who serves the church.

Many scholars argue that we see the role of deacon emerge in Acts 6.

Acts 6:1–4 NASB95

Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. “Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

It was in a time when the church was growing and the physical work of the ministry had become too great for the apostles to accomplish and still maintain their teaching and leadership responsibilities. Folks, the early church saw that both PRAYER and MINISTRY OF THE WORD were to be the priority of the apostles.

In the Acts passage, Greek-speaking Jewish widows were not receiving care. Some widows were being cared for, but the reality is that the church had grown in number, but the hours in the day remained the same. So, the congregation then was asked to nominate men who they believed would serve well in this role so that the apostles could focus on the important work of teaching the Word of God and raising up more leaders to do the same.

This morning, you are asked to consider the physical needs of our church members - the widows, home-bound, single-parents, etc. and put forth names of men who you believe would serve these needs well. When deacons are serving well, I am afforded the time to be with God in prayer, to prepare sermons, teach, and to invest in potential leaders. When deacons are not serving well, there are people who are neglected and the ministry suffers.

So, you see, it’s important not just that we have people filling slots as deacons, but that they are deacons who are serving well. And if we expect to have deacons who serve well, we must obey Scripture in our selection of these men. So, let us do just that.

I’ve entitled the message “On Deacons” and we are going to look at what God’s Word says about the type of man who should serve in this role. Your bulletin has a sermon guide that you can use as you follow along. Let’s Begin by looking at the

Character of a Deacon Who Serves Well (8)

(READ)

In Paul’s instruction regarding deacons, he begins by relating them to the qualifications of elders/ overseers. The word “Likewise” refers us back to the previous section where Paul underscores the importance of character for such offices of the church. But, it is simply not enough to say that a deacon must be a man of righteous character, for we would surely find a way around such a vague command.

Rather, Paul states the character command, “must be men of dignity” and then uses negative descriptors to guard against such a perversion.

Dignity is another word for ‘honorable or respectable’. That is to say that these men should be of such character that you could respect them. Here’s the rub: in our culture (and in Paul’s day) there were men who likely were respected by their peers because the standard was one set by culture not Scripture. Thus we must seek to hear from God in this matter. Let’s walk through the negative examples and hash them out:

“Not double-tongued” - This means that they are men of their word. They do not speak one thing in public, but another in private. They are not men who promise to do something, but have no intention of doing it. They do not seek to simply please the ear of whomever they talk to by saying what the listener desires to hear.

Do you see how this might play out? If a man will commit to serving someone, but then fails to serve, how is that helpful to the church or ministry?

“or addicted to much wine” - Alcohol, when drank in excess, impairs one’s ability to think clearly… that’s why it’s illegal to drive if you’ve had a certain amount of alcohol. But we could expand this to say not addicted to a vice. Vices influence us negatively and hinder us from seeing God’s values. These vices become addictions as our brains become rewired to value a ‘high’ or ‘buzz’ from the world. I like what Paul says to the Ephesians in

Ephesians 5:18 NASB95

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,

“or fond of sordid gain” - This has many implications. Let me say it this way: A deacon must not be a cheater. He must not be manipulative nor dishonest. He should not desire to lift himself up in the eyes of men nor use the office of deacon to coerce or intimidate others.

Deacons are servants of the church, not power-hungry tyrants.

A deacon who serves well must have righteous character. This ensures that in his role, he will build up the church and bring glory to God.

Next, we look at the

Faith of a Deacon Who Serves Well (9-10)

(READ)

It should be of no surprise that faith would be a requirement for any church office! But, let’s explore this a bit more so that we can better understand its intention. What does it mean to “hold to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience?”

The idea here is that a deacon must be a man whose life and faith are united. He does not simply confess to be a Christian nor does his life look different on a Sunday morning from a Saturday night.

In other words, a deacon must live out the teaching of God’s Word in such a way that their own conscience would testify to their authenticity as a follower of Jesus.

There is a phrase used at the end of v. 10 that is helpful here: “beyond reproach” or “above reproach”. Reproach means ‘blame’ - it’s the idea that these men live lives that would refute any accusation of questionable doctrine or sincere faith. Another way of saying this is “a deacon lives consistent with the message proclaimed through the church”

Now, I want you to go back to v. 10a. “These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons.”

This is where the church body needs to really pay attention. It is the responsibility of the church to ensure they are men of godly character and authentic faith BEFORE we elect or nominate someone to serve as a deacon!

This means that we must know them- more than what we may see on a Sunday. Jesus said:

Matthew 7:18–20 NASB95

“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “So then, you will know them by their fruits.

We need to know them well enough to see what kind of fruit they are bearing! What kind of tree are they?

What would their co-workers say about them?

How do their neighbors describe them?

Do their actions align with the clear teaching of God’s Word?

Test them, then let them serve as deacons.

(Hey, BTW, these character and faith traits are really what should be true of every maturing believer! If you, yourself do not meet these qualifications, I want to encourage you to take the next step toward your own personal and spiritual growth. )

A deacon who serves well is one of righteous character and authentic faith.

Finally, we must look at the

Family of a Deacon Who Serves Well (11-12)

(READ)

If you want to know how a man will serve the church, you must look at how he serves and leads his family. If a man will not lead serve his wife and children in a godly manner, what sort of service do you think the church will get?

This is important because no matter what you believe God is calling you to do, our primary ministry assignment is in our home. This is true of pastors, deacons, missionaries, evangelists, etc.

We can know this simply by looking at the model that God gave to His people in Deuteronomy 6. We’ve been intentionally memorizing a section commonly known as the Shema. In this, we see that God’s laws were given to the people and they were to teach them diligently to their children and to model them consistently.

Paul clues in on a couple key areas and I want to quickly examine them:

A deacon’s wife should also have good character. - The word “woman” and “wife” are the same word in Greek, and I believe the context suggests to us that Paul is referring to the wife of the deacon in v. 11. She is a ministry partner alongside her husband.

Folks- there’s no getting around this. A deacon’s wife will inevitably learn of private matters as she visits and serves with her husband. She is expected to be an extension of godly character, not gossiping or acting hateful. She is expected to be faithful in her walk with the Lord and in her marriage.

A deacon must have only 1 wife. - God has designed marriage to be between 1 man and 1 woman in covenant relationship with God. If a man disobeys God in this, he will disobey God in much more.

A deacon must manage his children well. - This does not mean that his kids will be perfect little angels. (Perhaps you have heard how deacons’ children are bad influences upon the pastor’s children?) This does mean that he will be an involved father who teaches, encourages, and disciplines his children in accordance with God’s Word.

A deacon must manage his household well. - This is a little more vague, but I believe this speaks to a man’s authority and stewardship in the home. We could take this to mean that he is not abusive in his leadership. He is not reckless with finances, vulgar in his speech, nor lax in his responsibilities.

A man’s closest relationships are in the home. If he is not able to lead in the home, he must not be elected to lead in the church, for this sets both he and the church up for failure and disappointment.

So, let’s recap: A deacon who serves well is one with a righteous character, an authentic faith, and a commendable family.

PASS OUT CARDS

Who do you know well enough that you can write their name in confidence on your nomination cards?

As you begin to fill in these cards, I’d like to draw our attention to a promise for those deacons who serve well. If you are a deacon or perhaps think you will be one day, this verse should encourage you greatly. Let’s look at v. 13 together. (READ)

Here’s the promise: If you are a deacon who serves well- in character, faith, family, and in the church, then this is true for you:

“You will have a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.” - The high standing and great confidence go hand in hand here and I believe Paul is referring in part to how you will stand before Christ on the day of His judgment and hear:

Matt. 25:23 - “Well done, good and faithful servant”

Until that day, you can know that you stand on the solid rock of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for your life is a testimony of such!

Remember, God’s Kingdom is upside-down from the kingdoms of this world. A deacon who serves well will be well-suited for God’s Kingdom.

Church, let us take the nomination of deacons as serious as the Bible does.

[Pray]

Discuss: What is a deacon? How is a deacon different than a pastor or elder?

Discuss: What does a biblical deacon look like?

Discuss: Do you meet the qualifications of Scripture to serve as a deacon? Why or Why not?