Rev. David Holwick G 1 Timothy - Clean Up the Church, #7
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
February 14, 2010
1 Timothy 3:8-15
DESERVING DEACONS
I. Focus on the team.
A. A perfect example.
38 years ago, the Miami Dolphins embarked on an unforgettable
and unparalleled season.
They won all 14 games in the regular season, then had a 3-0 run
through the playoffs culminating with a Super Bowl victory.
No other team has matched that perfect record.
Every year 30 some-odd teams try, but for almost 4 decades, it
stands alone.
Sports enthusiasts all have their own opinion about who might
be the "Greatest Team of All Time", but one of the 1972
Dolphin team members put it best: "Perfection has a way
of quieting the critics."
The opposing coach going into the '72 Super Bowl was asked to
comment on the awesome Miami defense.
His reply was, "I can't recall any of their names, but they
are a matter of great concern to us."
Does anyone remember the nickname of the '72 Dolphins Defense?
The "No-Name Defense."
What made that team special was not the handful of superstars,
it was the dedication of every team member.
Every player was willing to execute his position with excellence
for a common purpose.
The Apostle Paul wanted that kind of commitment from the leaders
of the church.
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B. There are two main leadership positions in the church.
1) Overseer.
a) The pastor, either single or in a team.
b) Paid professional.
c) Calling is usually open-ended.
2) Deacons.
a) Lay leaders, unpaid.
b) Usually they serve for a set period.
C. Churches rise or fall on leadership.
1) For many outsiders, leaders are who they notice.
2) This is why Paul was so concerned about their reputation.
3) Committed leaders will conserve and expand a church.
a) If you are not a leader now, you may be one someday.
b) From my masterlist of leaders since 1989:
In 21 years, 22 men have served as deacons.
15 of them are currently attending the church.
One man has been a deacon for 16 of those 21 years.
Any idea who it is?
Over the same period, we have had 39 deaconesses.
29 of them currently attend.
Carol Cherry holds the record for 10 years of service.
Put it together, and 44 of you have served as
spiritual leaders of our church.
II. What do biblical deacons do?
A. This is not as easy to figure out as you would think.
1) The duties of church leaders are barely mentioned here.
a) As a matter of fact, the New Testament only gives the
barest outline of duties for any church leader.
b) They assumed Christians knew what leaders did.
2) We cannot even tell the difference between overseers and
deacons.
a) Indeed, their qualifications overlap to a great extent.
B. Many point to Acts 6:1-7 for more details.
1) There, seven men are chosen to do the practical ministry
of distributing food to needy church widows.
a) The apostles wanted to focus on evangelism and teaching,
so they delegated this ministry of service to others.
b) Since "deacon" literally means "servant," most assume
these seven men were the first deacons.
c) The one qualification was that they be spiritual men.
1> The apostles brought it before the church for
everyone's agreement.
2> Then they prayed over the men and commissioned them.
3> Interestingly, the deacons seem to have been chosen
out of the group that was complaining of unfairness.
A> All of them have Greek names.
2) There are difficulties in this view.
a) First of all, the men are never called deacons in Acts.
1> As a matter of fact, deacons don't even appear in
the book.
b) Second, these men do far more than serve widows food.
1> They do a lot of evangelism, even to the point
of death.
2> However, back then all Christians saw evangelism as
a duty, not just leaders.
III. What is more important to Paul is who they are.
A. Outward character comes first.
1) Many of the qualities listed are observable rather than
inward.
2) Apparently the false teachers were giving the church
a bad name, and Paul wants to correct this.
3) Deacons seem to be more practical than priestly.
a) Church structure became much more elaborate in 2nd
century.
1> Under Ignatius (AD 117), bishops are kings and
pastors become priests.
b) But in the first century, churches were in houses and
everyone was close-knit.
B. What Paul stresses about leaders.
1) Honesty.
a) "Dishonest gain" probably has more to do with their
work in the world than in the church.
b) But your values in one place reflects your values in
the other.
Dr. W.A. Criswell was the pastor of the largest
Southern Baptist church in the world at one time.
Earlier in his career, he was invited to preach in the
North Shore Baptist Church in Chicago.
They put him up in the home of deacon James L. Kraft,
who was also superintendent of the Sunday School.
In addition, he was the founder of Kraft Foods.
Kraft said that as a young man he had a desire to be
the most famous manufacturer and salesman of cheese
in the world.
He planned on becoming rich and famous by making and
selling cheese.
After making his cheese, the 29-year-old would load his
wagon, and he and his pony named Paddy would drive
down the streets of Chicago to sell the cheese.
As the months passed, young Kraft began to get
discouraged because he was not making any money,
in spite of his long hours and hard work.
One day he pulled his pony to a stop and began to talk
to him.
You know a man is hard up when he starts talking to his
horse.
He said, "Paddy, there is something wrong.
We are not doing it right.
I am afraid we have things turned around.
Our priorities are not where they ought to be.
Maybe we ought to serve God and place him first in our
lives."
Kraft then drove home and made a covenant that for the
rest of his life he would first serve God and then
would work as God directed.
Beginning with a $65 investment, Kraft built his
cheese into a multi-billion-dollar business which is
known all over the world.
In later years when Kraft told the story of his life
and recounted his success, he always told how things
turned around when he started trusting God and
listening to Him.
Many years after this, Dr. Criswell heard James Kraft
say, "I would rather be a layman in the North Shore
Baptist Church than to head the greatest
corporation in America.
My first job is serving Jesus."
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2) Sober. 3:8
a) Apparently they did not have to be teetotalers,
but drunkenness was absolutely forbidden.
b) Sobriety would apply to any substance or passion.
3) Faithful. 3:12
a) Husband of but one wife (just like overseers).
b) Several interpretations have been applied here.
1> It could be forbidding polygamy.
A> I used to take it this way.
B> But polygamy was rare in the first century,
and Paul applies similar language to women.
2> Some say it forbids remarriage under any
circumstances for leaders, even after death.
3> Other say it would forbid divorced leaders.
c) One important point is that ancient people fooled around
a lot.
1> It was a very decadent society.
2> Faithfulness to your spouse was not required or
even expected.
3> Christians tried to change that.
A> They were expected to honor their commitment
to their spouse and family.
B> A well-ordered home was a good witness to the
world, and to God.
4) Spiritual. 3:9
a) Hold on to deep truths of gospel.
1> Deacons should be familiar with the Bible and
Christian doctrine.
2> It doesn't mean they have to be scholars or
theologians.
3> It does mean they should understand the essentials
of salvation and godly living.
b) Have a clear conscience - with God and people.
One time in an evangelistic crusade the evangelist
stopped the invitation and asked for every Christian
to witness to the person next to them.
A small boy turned to the gentleman standing near him
and said, "Mister, do you know Jesus as your personal
Savior?"
Very condescendingly the man looked down at the little
boy and replied, "Son, I'm an committed deacon."
With all the innocence in the world, the little boy
replied, "Mister, it don't matter what you've done.
God will save you anyway!"
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C. One scholar calls this a quiet heroism.
1) Deacons don't have to be flashy.
2) They have to do the job.
a) Consistency is important.
3) They must be tested first.
a) Not a formal exam, but how they face up to
challenges of the Christian life.
IV. The special question of deaconesses. 3:11
A. A division of opinion.
1) Scholars are divided over whether this describes a position
(deaconess) or a relationship (deacon's wife).
2) Arguments are marshaled on both sides.
B. The view that this passage deals with wives of deacons only.
1) The NIV reflects this with its translation as "wives."
a) Literally, the verse reads "the women."
2) Their qualifications are a shorter list than the
overseers or deacons.
3) This sentence breaks up the overall section on deacons.
C. This passage deals with the office of deaconess.
1) In Romans 16, Phoebe is called a deaconess.
a) This may just mean she was a servant in a Christian
sense. (Just as "deacon" may just mean servant.)
b) However, her position is quite high in the list of
leaders Paul refers to.
2) The phrase "in the same way" ties in with the sections
on overseers and especially deacons.
3) Their qualifications are similar to the men, with an
emphasis on respectability.
4) "Faithful in everything" suggests community service.
V. Deacons in the Baptist tradition.
A. Spiritual leaders within the congregation.
1) Assist the pastor in laying out the spiritual agenda of
the church.
2) Setting an example for others.
3) Going the extra mile in reaching out to people to encourage
them in their faith and make them feel welcome and
included.
B. Practical aid.
1) Deacons' fund. (though largely run by the pastor)
C. Committed.
1) Members of the deacon board must be members of the church.
2) It is a commitment similar to marriage - you can live with
someone without a marriage certificate, but it is not the
same.
3) Membership shows you willingly identify yourself with this
congregation and its responsibilities and tasks.
VI. Service has its rewards.
A. Excellent standing.
1) You end up with a good reputation in the congregation - and
with God.
B. Great assurance.
1) There is also personal benefit from serving as a deacon.
2) Seeing how God is working in the church will strengthen
your own faith.
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
# 6015 "Ordained Deacon," by Bailey Smith, “Real Evangelism,” p. 117;
Roddy Chestnut Illustration Collection.
#14544 "His First Job Is Serving Jesus," by Jack Finegan, AT WIT’S END
(Richmond, VA: John Knox Press, 1963) 14; Fredericksburg Bible
Illustrator Supplements, 1214-1218, 7/1997.101.
#36132 "The Perfect Team," by Rev. Jeremy Houck, Kerux Sermon #27480,
July 22, 2008; ; edited by David Holwick.
These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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Sermon Notes
Summary of passage:
I. Deacons.
A. Likewise - same as overseers. (pastors)
B. Respect.
C. Sincere.
D. Not drunks.
E. Not greedy.
F. Grasp deep truths with a clear conscience.
G. Tested first.
II. Wives.
A. Respectable.
B. Not gossips.
C. Temperate.
D. Trustworthy.
III. More on deacons.
A. Husband of one wife.
B. Manage children and household well.
IV. This is how you should conduct yourself in the church.
Johnson
I. Emphasis not on what they do, but personal qualities.
A. No job description.
II. Crisis of leadership in 1 Timothy.
A. False teachers would be identifiable.
1) Problems in managing abilities, intellect and morality.
2) Charges against elders in 5:19.
3) Management confusion in care of widows, 5:1-16.
4) Rich maybe assumed they had dubs on high positions in church.
B. Replacements should match these criteria.
III. Qualifications of overseer.
A. Above reproach - he has a public and representational role in
the community.
B. ...
IV. Qualifications of deacons.
A. Moral probity outranks prophetic gifts.
1) Seriousness, sobriety, lack of greed, marital fidelity
and management skills.
