What is a deacon?

Open your bibles to 1 Timothy 3:8…

If you are able, let’s stand together for the reading of Gods word.

1 Timothy 3:8–13 ESV

Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

So we have talked about the office of overseer and now Paul turns his attention to the office of Deacon. We know he is talking about an official office by the phrase, “deacons likewise”. Likewise, meaning in the same way or sense as an overseer what being held to a high standard of scrutiny in choice. It was an office or an official role the church was to uphold carefully.

Deacon, or in the Greek diakanos, means servant. The word is used many times in the scriptures in various places to speak informally about someone who serves someone else. And sometimes it is used formally, as in one’s official role.

I use that word official, because it is clear Paul had expectations of this office as well. In one sense, we are all servants of the Lord, yes? We live to serve our God who has saved us. We live to obey our Father in heaven. However, not all Christians should be the ones to officially reflect the church. This is what the deacons job would become according to church history. One who served at the discretion of the Elders. They would serve the church in various tasks in other churches or in members of the church’s homes.

This morning my task is not to look at the specifics of the ministry Deacon, or to even get into their qualifications, but I want to look at what a deacon is. What is a deacon’s essense. We did the same thing with an elder, now lets follow the thread…

We can say a deacon is a servant. But as with Elders Paul communicates that there is something more at stake in the office of Deacon. At first glance you might say, well yeah the quality of service… But we need to look again. What’s at stake is the reputation of Christ in the world and in our hearts. Look at verse 13. Those who serve well as deacons gain something… They gain two things. These are not direct promises as in the church hands these things out like awards to the most faithful deacon. Nor is Paul promising a reward in heaven for this specific office.

He says… One who serves well gains a good standing for themselves. Meaning, they are well thought of and indeed, trusted by others in the church. That is a gift in and of itself. To be trusted by someone, i mean deeply believed in by someone is monumental. But the word here means to level up, basically… Paul has in mind the wisdom James had in mind when he said James 4:10

James 4:10 ESV

10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

One comes before the other… but it should be said that serving the Lord well is humbling. I will deal shortly with the matter of exaltation.

But lets try to understand second thing well serving deacons gain.

Secondly, they gain great confidence in the faith in Christ Jesus. What does it mean for someone to gain a great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus?

Come with me to Hebrews 10:35….One of my favorite books in the bible because it essentially has the message that everything that came before Jesus that is attached to faith was good, but Jesus is better. And because he is better, and he is ours, we can live boldly and run hard toward the prize…

Hebrews 10:35….

“Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”

What is the correlation between 1 Timothy 3:13 and Hebrews 10 here? Two things. First the confidence gained and second the mode in which the confidence comes.

The confidence the New Testament speaks of is in one person… not in oneself but in Christ alone. The confidence of a Christian is a real thing. All of us struggle with doubts. We doubt are we truly a Christian or not? Will Christ come back or not? Is this all even worth it or not? Yet, the gospel we preach includes all of those promises. We are saved how? By the blood of Christ. By HIS work. Not ours. We are forgiven, not to sit on the sideline and wait for dad to come pick us up after practice, but to get to work and shine light on the one who has saved us!

And our ultimate gospel hope is that this world is not the end game… Christ will return. He will come just like he came before. Except this time there will be no second chances. Today is your second chance… today is the opportunity for grace from Jesus. When he comes the second time, time will be up. Today is the day for reconciliation with our father through our Lord Jesus.

This is our ultimate hope. We groan in our earthly bodies. We await the coming for redemption in Christ and being transformed into his image forever. It will happen as sure as the nose is on your face. And you can be confident in all of that. In your forgiveness, in your salvation, in your eternity… how? Through Jesus. By drawing near to him day by day… in fact back up to Hebrews 10:19 …. there the author describe us as having confidence to enter into the holy holies in the temple. Something no one was confident in under the law. That was God’s place, and only certain people were allowed there after they did quite a number of very specific things. But we have a certainty that is better. We can be certain we are the Lord’s and we have a secured salvation in Him.

In Hebrews 4:16 the author says let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace and find mercy and grace in our time of need. Meaning, we can and must grow in our confidence. This is why a deacon must not be a new convert and must be tested. Because a new convert has much confidence!! At first… But through growth, through testing and trials it will be made real…

The second thing is how we gain that confidence… How does one gain great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus? It is in the last verse, Hebrews 10:39…. We are not like those who shrink back. Meaning, we don’t give up! The context of Hebrews is that this church being written to used to serve people… verse 32-34 the author of Hebrews says you served people with great boldness and you accepted whatever recoil came with it, jail time, mocking, flogging, houses plundered etc… but now you have stopped. You have shrunk back and said, eh, someone else can do it.

1 Timothy 3:13…Paul says the deacon who serves well… Well connecting these two passages is a deacon who does not serve well too. A deacon who serves by their own strength. A deacon who serves for dishonest gain. A deacon who serves for their own glory!!! They don’t serve well, and they know little if nothing at all about the grace and mercy and the love of Jesus Christ. It is those who will shrink back. it is those who will give up. But it is those deacons who serve well that abide… They stay put and stand firm in their faith.

The apostle John said, 1 John 2:28

1 John 2:28 ESV

And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.

1 John 4:17 ESV

By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.

We gain confidence by abiding in Christ and being made perfect through his love.

What happens when you serve the Lord? Often the opportunity he gives us to serve is uncomfortable. It’s an interruption to our day. It requires time, and energy you might not have wanted to give that day. It could require money. It could require you to open up your home and show hospitality to strangers. I will tell you from experience, the first time you serve the Lord as he interrupts your day, and calls you to something uncomfortable etc you walk away grumbling, whining because you’re tired, glorying in yourself and proud of yourself because you did a good thing…

Then the Christian feels guilty for being so whiny, and grumbling, and self seeking… Our lamb was lead to the slaughter and didn’t utter a word… He poured himself out willingly. So you need the grace of God to recover from your guilt and to strengthen you to get back at it. But after doing that time and time and time again… you realize, this is the point of life. To be expended, for my saviors glory. In his name. To be poured out time and time again… so that we may not lean on our own understanding but live by his strength, and with his energy, and his money, and his love. You still grumble some, you still struggle with self glory, but the more we seek to serve him the more He reveals himself and the more you see Christ. The more you see Christ and the less you want to serve to exalt yourself… The less you want to exalt yourself and the more you want to exalt Christ! Humble yourself, and God will exalt you.

The deacon who serves well gains a great confidence in the faith, of our lord Jesus Christ through learning what love is.

Here is a trustworthy saying…

Service is sacrifice. And sacrifice is love.

Love has been shown to us first by our savior who came to serve us first by laying down his life… every hour, every ounce of energy. Every drop of blood. He Offered up to God our father, as an eternal sacrifice, for His glory alone, and for the good of those who believe. We know true love by knowing Christ. We know how to serve well by knowing Christ. We have confidence in abiding in Christ.

Let me end with this… It is not that someone who serves in the official capacity as a deacon has a better standing with God because of the work they do. Good works do not save us, or promote us up some metaphorical Christian latter. But the one who serves in this role stands before the church as a beacon, an example to all of how we are to honor our Lord in service…

1 Peter 4:11 says “whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Deacons are those who stand before the church as exemplary servants who serve for the glory of God, with the strength that God has provided. They have been tested and their faith has been found steady. They are found in Christ, not giving up, but holding onto their faith in confidence because they love Jesus.

How then do you serve the Lord? With fear and trembling in awe of God? Or with grumbling? Or maybe not at all. Maybe the Holy Spirit is speaking to you this morning and showing you your lack of desire to serve the Lord. Whatever it may be, consider him who served the Father without fail. He is our light and our salvation. He is our advocate with the father. Confess your sin to him this morning and ask him for a renewal of grace and mercy, that you may serve the Lord through your gifts, talents, through your life, unto his glory and dominion forever….