First Timothy 3:8-16:

[8] Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. [9] They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. [10] And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. [11] Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. [12] Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. [13] 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. [14] I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, [15] if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. [16] Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:

He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

Introduction :

This morning we come to the word of God in First Timothy 3 to observe the magnificent design of God for His church as we move from the office of an overseer/elder to the office of deacon in verses 8-13. Before we dive in, I want to encourage you to think on a few questions in response to last week’s sermon. First, how do you personally respond to the teaching of verse 1-7 on the qualifications for elders? Do you think only of the elders or do you examine yourself? It is certainly right to examine whether the elders exhibit these qualities, they must have them, but I encourage you to truly examine your life as well because, as verse 14 shows, these qualities are representations of “how one ought to behave in the household of God.” Most of them should be said of everyone in the church. The difference between elder and sheep is one of function and task. Because the elder’s task is to lead, protect, and care for the sheep, they MUST exhibit the qualities listed here. But everyone in the church should desire to be “above reproach, faithful to their spouse, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable…” How do you personally respond? Secondly, do you recognize the noble task of leadership in the church? It is not a position of status or prestige, it is a task. It is work. Sinclair Ferguson says, “The aspiration to be a leader in the church is to get down lower into the body of Christ. We can aspire to nothing higher in the kingdom of God that going down lower.” If you desire any kind of leadership in the church, is it a desire to get down lower into the body of Christ? Thinking on these things will help us approach our text appropriately. Because today, we are continuing in Paul’s letter to Timothy and we are coming to another position of leadership in the church, another example of aspiring to get down lower, the station of deacon. I use the word station for a reason. To be stationed somewhere means to be “put in or assigned to a specified place for a particular purpose, especially a military one.” If you remember, Paul places an emphasis in this letter on Christ as King and in verse 14 he calls the church “the pillar and buttress of the truth.” The idea is a support; it is the arched buttresses you see on a castle which make it more sturdy. And it is the behavior of the church which supports the truth of Christ. Through our fighter verses, we have recently memorized, as a church, Ephesians 6:10-18 which talks about us putting on armor in order to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. I think that’s the imagery we should have as we look at deacons. It is an official station, a post, an assignment in the Kings guard, to support the truth and further care for the sheep.  Paul shifted in chapter 3, verse 1, from exhortations to all men and women, to the office of overseer, and now he addresses the station of deacons. He shows us it is an official station by using the word “likewise.”  Verse 8 The word used here means that something is separate yet similar. The goal of Paul is to connect our minds to what he previous had said. The connection is found in verses 1-2. In the same way the overseer is an office with qualifications, a noble task to be desired, “deacons likewise” are separate yet similar, a separate office, a separate task for those qualified. This is actually the reason why we have the word deacon in our text, which is not a translation but rather a transliteration of the Greek word “diakonos” (you can hear deacon in there). So we have an official station signified. But what is interesting about the station of deacon, is the Bibles lack of teaching on its specific function. In fact, the only other place that we use the transliteration is in Philippians 1:1, where Paul writes “to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons.” The term “diakonos” is separated from the overseers and the saints. However, we see very little about the function from these two verses. And actually, the bible never specifically states the function of deacons at all. Notice, as well, that Paul mainly spends time qualifications not duties in our text. So, what exactly is this station? Let’s first remember that this is personal letter to Timothy who has been urged “to remain at Ephesus” so that he may charge people not to teach false doctrine and he may “know how one ought to behave in the household of God.” There is good reason to believe that the church in Ephesus is probably 12-15 years old by now. And, by the way Paul writes here, we can safely assume that this station was already in place and possibly being abused.  This is not uncommon today in the 21^st century Church. Many churches seem confused about this station. There are churches that have deacons who only manage the building grounds or funds, deacons who only care for the poor. There are churches where the deacon board rules the church they have authority over the pastor. Because of this, we are actually going to seperate this text into 2 sermons so that we can lay a solid foundation of the station of deacons before examining the qualifications. This morning, our task is simply to observe what the bible teaches about this station before teaching on the qualifications next week. We are going to accomplish this by answering 3 questions: What is a deacon? Why do we have the station of deacons? And who can be deacons?

First, what is a deacon?

Our first clue is in the word Paul uses, he writes, “Diakonos likewise.” The Greek word “Diakonos,” in its most basic understanding means, “a waiter, servant, administrator or minister.” In the New Testament it is used as a waiter in John 2:5 & 9, as a servant in Matthew 20:26 & Mark 9:35, and as a minister in Colossians 1:7 and Ephesians 3:7. Paul will call himself and Timothy “diakonos” in Ephesians 3:7 and 1 Timothy 4:6 and Jesus calls His disciples “diakonos.” So, what is a deacon then? Let’s examine a few passages together to answer this question.  First, turn with me to the book of Romans.  Paul will use this term to refer to 3 different people who have 3 different functions. Turn to Romans 13, verse 3-4, Paul is addressing how the church should live and in Romans 13, he is talking about submitting to governing authorities.  He writes, (Read Romans 13:3-4) Here, the ruler is a “diakonos” who carries out the God’s wrath on the wrong doer. Now move to Romans 15:8. Here, Christ is proclaimed to be a “diakonos” to the circumcised in order to reveal what is true about God, namely that he keeps his promises. Lastly, look at Romans 16:1. Paul calls Phoebe, a “diakonos” of the church, because she is a “patron of many” and himself. A patron is one who cares for the affairs of others and aids them with their resources. So, from Romans, we see that a “diakonos” is one who carries out the biding of another, reveals the true character of the one who sends him, and someone who supplies for the needs of others. Turn now to, John 12:26, in John 12:26 we will see both the noun form and the verb form used. Jesus says, (Read John 12:26) We see this again in Mark 10:43-44, Jesus says to His disciples, “whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among his you must be slave of all.” And then He uses the verb to describe the purpose of His incarnation in 10:45, “For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for many.” So in these texts, the “diakonos” is one who follows, going where his master goes, and one who gives his life for others. Turn with me to one more place, Matthew 25:41-44, notice, in verse 44, what Jesus says those who are cast out say when they respond to the judgement, what it is that they fail to do, (Read Matthew 25:41-44) From this text, we can see that “serving” someone can involve providing for basic needs, welcoming, clothing, caring for the sick, and visiting others. Finally, Romans 12:7 tells us that some are given a particular gift of service and Ephesians 4:11-12, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” So, by observing the use of this word in the New Testament we can say a “diakonos” is one who serves others, carries out plans, reveals the truth of the one who sends, follows where Christ goes, cares for people’s physical needs, gives their life for others, and ministers to the saints in order to build up the body of Christ. And in one very real sense, we are all called to be “diakonos.” However, Paul IS referring to an official station in our text, so, now that we have seen what a deacon is, let’s move to our second question in order to further understand this station…

Why do we have the station deacons?

Turn with me back to First Timothy 3. First, notice the distinctions made between elders and deacons. In verse 1, elders are called overseers, and we saw last week that this means they are to examine, protect, and care for the church. They should be able to teach in verse 2, and the way they manage their household reflects the way they will care for the church in verses 4-5. In verse 8, deacons are called “servants.” We see that they are tested in their service in verse 10 and should continue to serve well in verse 13.  And notice that there is nothing specific about how the managing of a household reflects on how they would care for the church. So, we see that there is a distinct separation of roles, one of oversight and service. But Why? Again, there is no specific place in the bible that teaches, “here is why you need deacons,” we just see that they existed.  However, there is place where I believe we see a picture of why the station of deacons began.  Turn with me to Acts chapter 6. A few letters back in your bibles.  While you are turning there, let me provide the context. The book of Acts is the story of the early church. Jesus Christ was crucified and had risen and then He sends the apostles in Acts chapter 1 to Jerusalem to wait for the Holy Spirit before they will be His witnesses and spread the gospel. In Acts chapter 2, the gospel is proclaimed by Peter for the first time and Acts 2:41-47 we see that about 3000 souls were saved, people were sharing all things and the Lord added to this number “day by day.” Then in chapter 4, Peter and John were arrested and told not to proclaim Christ. They continue to speak boldly and are thrown into jail. Acts 4:4 tells us this caused more to believe “and the number of men came to about five thousand.” The council threatens the disciples again and then releases them, the church praises God for His sovereignty, declaring His purpose in salvation, and Acts 4:32 tells us that “the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and none said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.” Following, a man named Joseph sold a field and gave all the proceeds to the apostles, and then in Acts 5, a couple named Ananias and Sapphira sell their property and attempt to deceive the apostles by saying that all the proceeds were given to the church. Peter reminds them that they cannot deceive the Holy Spirit and they both fall dead for remaining persistent in their deception. And again in Acts 5:14 we read, “more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of men and women.” This brings us to Acts 6 and the church is quite large by now and still meeting one another’s needs. Read with me starting in verse 1, (Read Acts 6:1-7). I think what we see here reveals why the station of deacons was eventually established because we see a pattern for those that oversee (the apostles) and those that lead in service (the seven men), what I believe will become deacons. Notice what takes place, the church was large and had many needs and there was a complaint that arose over a neglect of the Hellenistic widows by the Hebrews. These were Jewish people that had been more influenced more by Greek culture and were not as dedicated to the Jewish rituals. So, the complaint gets to the apostles and something must be done. The apostles in verses 2-4, recognize that it is not right for them to neglect their responsibility to lead the church in order to meet this need. So, the summon all the disciples and set aside seven men to care for this physical need so that they can devote themselves to the spiritual needs of the church. This is the pattern we should see. There was a physical, tangible need in the church that was being neglected and the apostles saw that it was not right for them to neglect their responsibility of spiritual leadership in order to continue to meet these needs. This shows us there are two vital aspects of the church and we must be careful not to neglect either. There are physical, tangible needs that the church has and spiritual needs that the church has, both of which God provides for.  And, in Acts 6, the pattern to follow is set by the apostles setting aside men to meet the physical, tangible needs while they care for the spiritual needs.  I think this is what we see in 1 Timothy. Elders are set apart to care for the spiritual leadership of the church and deacons are called to serve the physical, tangible needs. I see 2 cautions to give before we move on:  First, we should be careful not to take Acts 6 to be the exhaustive teaching on deacons.  If we do, I believe we will inevitably stifle and minimize the station of the deacon.  The second caution is that this separation does not mean that elders are not called to serve.  The apostles still served and Paul is living proof of this. The separation of elders and deacons is a separation of primary roles. So, we have answer what is a deacon and why we have the station of deacon? This brings us to our last question to answer…

Who can serve as deacons?

If you haven’t already, turn back with me to 1 Timothy 3 and let’s observe 2 things about who can serve as deacons. The first observation about who can serve in the station of deacon is that, unlike the overseer, this is a station for both men and women. Let me show you why we, as elders, believe this is the case. Notice, verse 11 of our text. I want to be cautious in questioning a faithful bible translation, but I think the way the English Standard Version and King James Versions translate this verse is unfortunate because they have chosen to interpret it for you. See, there is no word in Greek that inherently means wife. The word used here and in verse 2 and 12 of chapter 3 is actually just “woman,” and we translate it “wife” because of the phrase that surrounds it.  We actually see this word translated both ways in 1 Timothy.  Everything that says woman in chapter 2 is the same word in chapter 3.  If you remember Pastor Brett’s sermon last week, verse 2 and 12 literally say, “one-woman man.” The idea is that the woman and the man are distinctly linked. Because of this, verses 2 and 12, are translated “husband of one wife.” And some translators have said that because verse 2 and 12 signifies a wife, verse 11 should be wives as well. I won’t get exhaustive here but only say that our church’s position aligns with the translation of the New American Standard and New International Version translations. This because of the original language of section. The literal word for word translation at the beginning of verse 11 is “Women likewise dignified.”  Translators add “must be” because of the connection to verses 8 & 2 (just like they did for verse 8). Notice first, the “likewise” again in this verse.  This shows us that this is separate but similar to something before. Some would say this is just relating to verse 8, but we believe this is pointing to both verse 8 and verse 2, connecting back to how “Deacons likewise” related to the office of overseer and therefore signifying an official station. This is because there is an almost word for word parallel between verses 8 and 11. Verse 8 says, literally, “Deacons likewise dignified” and verse 11 says, “Women likewise dignified.” The only difference is “deacons” and “women.” And the parallelism actual continues. “Double-tongued” in 8 has to do with speech just like “slanderers” in 11, “not given to much wine” in 8 has to do with moderation of wine just like the word for “sober-minded” in 11, “not greedy for money” in 8 has to do with managing funds just like the word for “faithful” in 11 can mean. “Faithful in all things” in verse 11 can even sum up verses 9-10. It is also hard to justify why Paul would give qualifications for deacons wives and not to elders wives. Let us remember, as well, that the station of deacon is a position of service to the church, not one of authority. There is nothing in the primary roles of deacons that women cannot do.  If we give deacons authority over matters of the church, that would be a different situation. But the issue would be improper roles in church governance. I think a valid question arises here, why does Paul separate the terms deacons and women? If you notice he goes from “deacons” in verse 8 to “women” in verse 11, and back to “deacons” in verse 12.  Why does Paul do this? I think there are 2 valid reasons that we can get straight from 1 Timothy 2. First, if you remember, Paul has just addressed the role of women in the church, calling for them to learn in submission and not to exercise authority in church leadership. So, I think Paul switches to “woman” in verse 11 to show that there is an appropriate place for women to be leaders in the church in being deacons. Second, Paul also charges women not to teach in chapter 2. So, I think he separates the terms to show that, while women can serve as deacons, their functions still need to align with overarching teaching of the word. You see, though deacons are not required to be able to teach, they could still be gifted in that way and exercise those gifts. We don’t have time, but if you go back and examine the names in Acts 6 and then keep reading through Acts 8, you will see both Stephen and Philip preaching.  Those that serve as could exercise teaching gifts, and male deacons could even preach, but women deacons were still called to exercise teaching gifts according to the overarching biblical role for women.  And then Paul switches back to male “deacons” in verse 12, after addressing women, because he wants to address issues particular to men of faithfulness and male leadership. So, the first observation on who can be deacons is that the station of deacons is open to both men and women.  The second observation on who can serve is to notice that, though the station of deacon is established to meet the physical needs, it is still spiritual station. Notice, again, that Paul’s main focus in this text is on the qualifications of deacons, which in many ways are similar to the elders. Deacons are called to be men and women of high moral and spiritual character. Back in Acts 6, the seven men were called to be “of good repute, and full of the Spirit and wisdom.” The pattern set forth in Acts 6, and the qualifications here in 1 Timothy, show us that deacons are not chosen by their spiritual gifts or practical expertise, they are not chosen because they are business savvy and can manage funds well. They are chosen by their character and faith. We will see this more clearly as we observe the qualifications next week.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, as we look at what the scripture has said about the station of deacons, we can see that deacons are spiritual qualified men and women who care for the physical, tangible needs of the church so the elders are free to care for the spiritual needs of prayer and the ministry of the word.  They serve others, carry out plans, reveal God’s character through their actions, follow where Christ goes, care for people’s physical needs, give of their lives, and minister to the saints in order to build up the body of Christ. The station of deacons is a beautiful station in the church. So, how do we apply this text to our lives?  Let me first address 2 errors I think are typically made when thinking about this station and encouraging us not to make them.  First, we should not think of elders and deacons in terms of status within the church. They are not exalted positions of status but ones of humble leadership. Also, the office of elder is not an exalted spiritual office over the station of deacons. The offices have different roles and functions, not status. The second error is that we sometimes think the station of deacon as the place where all those who have the gift of service go and only those with the gift of service. The station of deacon is for those who are called to make service to the household of God a serious part of their lives. It is not just for those who have been given a particular spiritual gift of service. So, how do we apply this text to our lives then? As I have studied this station, one thing that has become evident to me is that the station of deacon is needed in order for the church to function properly as “a pillar and buttress of the truth.” The church needs men and women who are dedicated servants. This is the magnificent design of God for His household. As elders, we are currently discussing what this station looks like for our church and will be seeking to establish this in the near future. So, the first way to apply this text is to ask, “Am I called to serve in this way?” I think there ARE people in this church that are probably called to be deacons and I am challenging you, on behalf of the elders, to aspire to be those who exemplify service to the church of the living God. Next week we will examine the qualifications but from now until then, think about whether The Lord is calling you to serve in this lofty station. At the same time, thinking on this station in light of scripture, should cause all of us to reflect on how our service to Christ body is going. As I mentioned, in one sense we are all called to be “diakonos.” Is your involvement in the church characterized by service? Would people quickly identify you as a “diakonos?” Or do you just come and receive? Our King has chosen His bride to reflect His glory and one way we do this is through the way we serve one another.  Think on these things, repent if you are not serving and begin to serve the bride in joy. For those that do serve, be encouraged by examining your faithfulness to the call of Christ. We have many in this church that serve well. Just 3 weeks ago, I was amazed as I heard of how many of our people served during VBS. There are those who serve consistently in the children’s ministry, on the set up teams, plan events, and serve the youth. Be encouraged and push yourself farther and further in your service. Maybe you are wondering how you can serve, we still have needs in the children’s ministry (I believe we have had 2 babies already born this year and 5 more to come). We still have needs on the set up and sound teams, needs for small group hosting, and needs in other areas of hospitality. There are probably even needs we are not yet aware of. Right now, the elders and their families are still doing most of these things often. Don’t wait for us to approach you, come and ask how you can serve. Don’t wait for a need to arise that is exactly what you feel like you are gifted in. Look for any need in the body and seek to meet it while you are waiting for a way to exercise your particular gifts. My hope and prayer is that Sovereign Hope Church will be a church known not only for the teaching and doctrine it has but also for the way our body serves. That we would be a church filled with people serving in a way that people quickly identify them as “deacons.” Jesus Christ humbled himself and became a servant, He died a criminal’s death, atoning for our sins, and rose victorious to call a people for His own possession that exists to spread His glory through the way we serve. Will you follow His example and give of your life to serve His bride? Let’s pray together.