CHURCH

The Ministers: DeaconsSermon Eight

MESSAGE: To love the office of deacon in the church of the Living God.

WHY SHOULD I CARE? Deacons are the “special ops” of the church family. They quietly serve by doing the hard or undesirable work. So a good church family ought to be careful to love and appreciate them, because their proper presence helps them be more peaceful, unified, and growing. The church of the living God is better suited to know the facts as well as to accurately live the gospel message of Jesus.

  • The Navy Seal who said something like, “We do what we do so our people can rest easy at night, and they don’t have to know what evil there is in the world.”
  • A deacon is not an authoritative boss in the church family, but like we respect & honor a special operative for their service to our nation, we also do the same for a deacon.

ACTIVITY:Can you name the Deacons of your church? Can you identify what they do to serve in this church of the living God?

TEXT:

1)Context-

a)Human author? (Paul) Recipient? (Timothy) What is its relevance? (1 Timothy 3:14-16)

History of the Deacon:

b)The prominence of servitude in the Kingdom of Heaven: (*the same Greek word that is translated “Deacon” in our text)

(1)Luke 22:26 (KJV) 26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve*.

(2)John 12:26 (KJV) 26 If any man serve* me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant* be: if any man serve* me, him will my Father honour.

(3)Hebrews 6:10 (KJV) 10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered* to the saints, and do minister.

(4)Conclusion: God exalts and values servant hearts

c)Examples of the act of “deaconing” in the New Testament: (*the same Greek word that is translated “Deacon” in our text)

i)Matthew 4:11 (KJV) 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered* unto him.

ii)Matthew 8:15 (KJV) 15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered* unto them.

iii)Matthew 20:28 (KJV) 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered* unto, but to minister*, and to give his life a ransom for many.

iv)Matthew 25:44 (KJV) 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister* unto thee?

v)Matthew 27:55 (KJV) 55 And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering* unto him:

vi)Luke 10:40 (KJV) 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve* alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

vii)Luke 12:37 (KJV) 37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve* them.

viii)Luke 22:27 (KJV) 27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth*? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth*.

ix)Acts 19:21-22 (KJV) 21 After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome. 22 So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered* unto him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself stayed in Asia for a season.

x)Hebrews 1:14 (KJV) 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

xi)1 Peter 4:11 (KJV) 11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister*, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

xii)Conclusion: God’s people & angels exhibit servant hearts

d)The Birth of the OFFICE of Deacon:

i)Acts 6:1-6 (KJV) 1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. 2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve* tables. 3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry* of the word. 5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: 6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

ii)Conclusion- Because the Kingdom values servitude so highly, the church places value on it highly. Anyone who holds an office to serve the church must be full of the Spirit, of good reputation, and they must know & live the accurate gospel of Jesus. These men are selected by the church in response to the pastor(s)’s initiation. The ordained men lay hands on them to ceremonially set them apart for the duties. The deacons handle the busy work & difficulties which would otherwise prohibit the pastor to focus on prayer and “deacon” the Word of God.

e)Actions & The Result of proper deacons:

i)Acts 6:7 (KJV) 7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

ii)Acts 6:8 (KJV) 8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

iii)Acts 7:59-60 (KJV) 59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

iv)Acts 8:6-8 (KJV) 6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city.

v)Acts 8:35-40 (KJV) 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. 36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. 39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.

vi)Acts 21:8-9 (KJV) 8 And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. 9 And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.

vii)Philippians 1:1 (KJV) 1 Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

viii)Conclusion- These were Godly men who greatly impacted the Kingdom of Heaven. They were the kind of men that were useful in their local church, but were also functional in the Kingdom at large, often fulfilling a role of evangelist or missionary. A deacon was the first Christian martyr. They were not bishops, but they were such quality men of faith that they served God wherever they were needed.

  • Text-

1 Timothy 3:8-13 (KJV)
8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; 9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. 10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. 11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. 12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13 For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

  • Notes-
  1. Verse 8:
  2. Deacons= One who executes the commands of another esp. a master; a servant, an attendant, a minister
  3. Grave=August, venerable, reverend, to be venerated for character, honorable, respected.
  4. Not double tongued= saying the same thing twice, repeating, saying one thing to one person and the opposite to another. Have integrity.
  5. Not given to much wine= pros (toward) + eko (to have/hold) = to hold toward. Literally understood to turn toward. Came to have the idea of focusing mind upon or attending to or being attentive to a person or thing. To apply oneself to, to hold or cleave to a thing. Now we would say “addicted”.
  6. Not greedy for filthy lucre= eager for base gain, greedy for money, pursuing dishonest money.
  7. Verse 9:
  8. Holding= Being committed to, not backing down, bulldogged.
  9. Mystery of the Faith= That which was not known. This is the accurate information and lifestyle God revealed about Jesus that were not known or understood before.
  10. In a pure= unblemished, purified, clean
  11. conscience= Choosing between what is morally good & bad, prompting to do the good and shun the bad. Someone who is confident that what they have done is the right thing to do.
  12. What it says= This is a person who accepts the new Christian way and is not bothered in any way about it when confronted with Jews who have not converted.
  13. Verse 10:
  14. And let these also first be proved= The deacon prospects must first have a test to prove themselves. They are not to just be voted without proof of their ability to serve.
  15. Then let them use the office of deacon, being found blameless= If they have proven themselves, they are then able to serve without question. No one should raise questions about their abilities.
  16. Verse 11:
  17. Wives= Used universally of women in any stage, age, or station.
  18. Grave= Same as verse 8.
  19. Not Slanderers= Diabolos. Prone to slander, false accusing, resembling the devil. Women here must not be the kind who make false accusations against others. Likes to talk bad about others usually with a view to make them seem smaller or diminish them in some way.
  20. Sober= temperate, self-controlled, not addictive.
  21. Faithful in All Things= One who is not characterized as getting off task or losing focus. They do not stray from their priorities. Necessary as a person who supports a deacon.
  22. Verse 12:
  23. Let the deacons be the husband of one wife= Or woman. This may mean one at a time or one for all time.
  24. Ruling their own children & households well=

i)Ruling- To be a protector or guardian, to care for; give attention to.

ii)Well- In a quality way. Not meant to assume the man’s house & family are to be perfect. If God is the ruler of all there is, He couldn’t be a deacon if He were judged by that standard. But He does rule in a quality way.

  1. Verse 13:
  2. For they that have used the office of a deacon well= Those having ministered in a quality way….
  3. Purchase= To make, to remain over, to reserve, to leave or keep safe, to lay by, SO…. to preserve for oneself or to get for one’s self/purchase.
  4. Good= pleasing, beautiful, handsome, excellent, choice, surpassing, precious, useful, suitable, admirable, commendable
  5. Degree= threshold or step with regard to a grade of dignity, standing. In other words by serving in a quality way, they will be setting a choice reputation aside for themselves. They’ll be gaining position in reputation or opinion of the people.
  6. And great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus= by doing a good work they will have greater confidence in what they have learned about Jesus. A deacon should be the least moved in their faith if they are doing what God wants.
  • Points

1)Deacons Are Quality Men

a)Any man who holds this position should be regarded as a man of quality

b)Illustration- Just as every product has a brand which represents the “gold standard”, so too are the deacons to be considered the gold standard of male role-modeling in the church.

2)Deacons Have A Hard Job

a)The church should remember the deacons are voluntold to work long hours on difficult, touchy, or undesirable jobs.

b)Illustration- People who do the hard jobs in our world are often overlooked. Farmers, soldiers, emergency personnel, nurses, teachers, etc… Without them where would we be as a society?

3)Deacons Should Receive Our Love

a)The church members should find occasion to show love to the men who serve them.

b)1 Timothy 5:18 (KJV) 18 For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

c)These men typically receive complaints or gripes or criticisms rather than thank you’s & appreciations.

d)They are your appointed men to serve you as you work together for the gospel of Jesus, so thank them.

ACTIVITY- Think of one thing that a deacon has done that you have benefitted from or you can see that the entire church has been helped by. Make a decision to tell them and thank them.

FUNCTION: Love the office of Deacon in the church of the living God

1)They are quality men of God who work hard to serve the church.

2)They serve in the image of Jesus who was our pattern.

3)Jesus served mankind by His ministry on the cross.