This morning, brethren, we want to continue our series on the subject of deacons, given that our current desire as a congregation is to discern whether we have men who can serve as deacons and who can, in due time, be appointed to this office here at Redeemer Reform Baptist Church. And over the past two weeks, we have considered deacons and the nature of their office and we discovered that their office is one of support to the elders or the pastors and one of service to the people and we have also considered deacons and the method by which they are selected and we learned that deacons are to be selected by the congregation itself as the congregation carefully considers from among its own members who has a heart of service and who carries their consciences when it comes to caring for the congregation and its physical needs. And of course, in saying this, I'm not suggesting that a servant's heart and a genuine concern for others are the only things required for a man to be a deacon, for all of the male members of a given congregation should be distinguished by their service to Christ and to one another, they should be characterized by a concern for the needs of others. And yet, all of the male members of a congregation are not called, they are not uniquely qualified for this office. Rather, serving as a deacon is a burden, a burden in sense of a calling, that God places upon a man's heart, a burden that convinces him that the best use of his gifts is in his service as a deacon. And it is a task that a man is uniquely suited for, given that the grace of God which has been and which still is at work within him, has created within him the Christian character, conduct, and consistency that others respect and eagerly acknowledge and submit to. For a man who is called and qualified to be a deacon will carry with him a reputation He will carry with him a spiritual demeanor. He will have about him a wise way of dealing with situations and people that set him apart from other men, even before he assumes this office. And it should not be difficult for a prayerful discerning congregation to identify him or them. For such men have a way, through God's enabling and by their own commitment to serving, of rising to the surface, so to speak, of standing out in ways that God's approval of their life and ministry can be seen. In fact, I don't believe that it was difficult or that it was a difficult task that the apostles set before the Jerusalem church in Acts chapter 6 when they instructed them to pick out from among them seven men to serve as deacons. For the men who were eventually selected were known by the congregation. And there is no indication that the congregation struggled over which men to select. For the good reputations of these men preceded them. In fact, note from the text, again Acts 6, 3, that they were men of good repute. Their spirituality as Christian men and as servants was Truly evident, they were men full of the Spirit. And their wisdom had been demonstrated in practical ways, from the things that they showed their commitment to, to the manner in which they dealt with the needs of the congregation. They were men full of wisdom. And so the apostles did not set before the Jerusalem saints a task that required supernatural insight into the lives of men. The apostles did not set before the Jerusalem congregation a task that required direct revelation from God in order to select the right men to serve as deacons. But they tasked the congregation to look out among them for the obvious indicators of men who were to carry out service as servants in the church. Men who would reflect honorably upon the cause of Christ. Men of good repute. Men who would show support and sensitivity to the physical needs of the congregation. Men full of the Spirit and of wisdom. And whichever men in Jerusalem, and of course Luke identifies who these men were in Acts chapter 6 and verse 5, possessed these traits most clearly and consistently Whichever men carried the consciences of the people most convincingly, whichever men who agreed to fulfill this office of deacon willingly and faithfully were selected to serve in it. And of course, in seeing the Jerusalem congregation select such men to serve them, the apostles were delighted to approve of these men and to appoint them, to ordain them to office. So even in Acts chapter 6, where we have a shorthand description of what qualifications the first deacons had to possess to fulfill their office, we see that deacons are to be, very simply, honest men. Men of good repute. spiritual men, men full of the Spirit, and wise men whose primary concerns in terms of service to the church are the glory of God, the going forth of the gospel. In fact, they're so committed to the gospel that they free up the pastors to openly proclaim the gospel. and they are committed to the good of God's people. And yet, brethren, Acts chapter 6, which I just read from, is not the only place in the New Testament where the office and the qualifications for deacons are mentioned. For given how important deacons are to the well-being of the congregation, The Apostle Paul also addresses deacons in 1 Timothy 3, verses 8-12 as a part of his instructions to Timothy on how to set God's church in proper order. For having addressed first, in the first part of chapter 3, the office and the qualifications of overseers or bishops or pastors, men who are responsible to lead and feed the flock, Paul now addresses here in our text deacons, their character, their content, and their consistency as servants, as husbands, and as fathers. Deacons, their character, their content, and their consistency as servants, as husbands, and as fathers. Let us spend the rest of our time this morning, brethren, considering what Paul has to say here about deacons and their qualifications, beginning with their character. And by the way, let me just say this, since this is Father's Day, the character of deacons should be the character of all Christian men. And yet deacons stand out in the sense they are distinguished by a particular character that suits them especially for the work that they do within the church. And let us notice that Paul lists four qualities that deacons must possess in terms of their character in order to function effectively as servants in Christ's church. four qualities related to their character. First, Paul states here in 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 8, the deacons, like elders, note the word likewise here, in the same manner or in like manner, must be, our text says here in the ESV, dignified. Dignified. Or the New King James Version translates this, reverent. And no doubt the idea here is that deacons are to be serious-minded men whose character brings them respect. They are to be serious-minded men whose character brings them respect. To flesh this out more and in practical ways, deacons are not to be perpetual jokesters whose seriousness is always being brought into question. Nor are they to be so solemn that they seem like ushers at someone's funeral. But rather, they are to be men who understand the seriousness of the office that they hold, and men who act in ways that show respect for that office and to the people that they actually serve. Or to put it in another way, they are men that you, as fellow Christians, and as members of this church, would be glad to say, he is a deacon in the church that I attend. And he is a man of such noble character. He is a man so worthy of your respect that you can go directly to Him if you have a need or if you have a problem, because He will take your needs and your problems seriously. He will treat you and your concerns with dignity, because He is a dignified man. Then secondly, in terms of his character, a deacon must not be double-tongued. Another translation states, he is sincere in his speech. And if we interpret it in that way, this points to his motives when he is conversing with others. This simply means that he is a man who keeps his word. He is a man who means what he says. He doesn't say one thing and then do another. When he's talking to two different parties, he doesn't tell each party something different. But rather, he is entirely consistent in everything that he says. You can rely upon his words. You can trust him to be straight and honest with you. You can take everything he says, so to speak, to the bank, because it has value. You can see, brethren, why this is very, very important, because deacons are always talking to people. Deacons are seeking to know the needs of the congregation. They are seeking to promote the peace and the happy consensus of the church. And yet, how can he do that if the congregation cannot trust what he says? Or, how can the congregation trust him if he simply tells people what they want to hear out of fear of offending someone, rather than always speaking the truth in love. For truly, a deacon with a double tongue can cause great confusion, can stimulate real division within a congregation. Then I want you to notice the third and fourth character traits here that Paul mentions, and that is that a deacon must be a man who is self-controlled. And he gives two examples of how this is so. First, Paul says here to Timothy that a deacon cannot be addicted or given over to much wine, or literally He must not be one who lingers long at the wine. You get the word picture there? One who lingers long at the wine. And certainly this means that a deacon must not be a drunkard, for that goes without saying, but in addition to that, he must be a man, this is the fundamental truth, he must be a man who can control his appetites and his desires. A deacon must not be a man who is always making excuses for his own lack of control. Furthermore, A deacon is one who refuses to be brought under the power and the control of any foreign substance. And so, not only does he not linger long at the wine, but he would not, for example, in addition to this, abuse a narcotic. or some kind of illegal substance, for that would violate the principle of Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 18, which says, Do not be drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with, or to be under the control of the Spirit. For again, if you remember in Acts chapter 6 and verse 3, a deacon must be full of the Spirit. And a man who is lingering long or a man who is filled to the brim with wine will have great difficulty in doing that and will eventually dishonor himself. And just in case you're wondering, Paul is not saying here in 1 Timothy 3 and verse 8 that a deacon must entirely abstain from wine. For the text would seem to suggest that he has liberty, that he can drink wine in moderation. But the real issue is, does he exercise self-control? Of course he must if he's going to be alert in his service to Christ. Then we should also note next here in verse 8 that his self-control must also extend to his relationship with money. Paul is very practical here. His relationship with money. Paul states here in this verse, again verse 8, that a deacon must not be greedy for dishonest gain. And no doubt this requirement is intended at least in part to protect the church from those men who would prey upon the congregation financially. And that was a problem even in the first century, not just a problem today. But more directly, This requirement is intended to keep out of office any man who would desire to profit from being a deacon. For deacons, because of the nature of their service, handle money. And a man who has not learned to be content with what he has, and who would be constantly looking out for ways to profit or to gain personally from his service as a deacon, is simply not qualified to be one. Because the church needs deacons who are models to the congregation of godliness and self-control. Then let us notice, moving on here to verse 9, that deacons are not only men of character, that's what we've been talking about, four character qualities have been mentioned, but They are also men of content. Men of content. And by this I mean that there is some substance to what they believe. And there is some sincerity in how they live in light of what they believe. Paul states here in verse 9 that deacons must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. Let's consider this phrase. Interesting phrase. Let's consider this first part. Hold the mystery of the faith. For this phrase refers to the kind of knowledge that deacons must have, which is not a comprehensive knowledge. They don't have to know everything. But it is a confident knowledge of what God has revealed primarily through His Son. A confident knowledge in what God has revealed primarily through His Son. And of course this is important because we should not expect, it is unreasonable to expect, that all deacons will be scholars and theologians. Nor should we permit our deacons to possess no theological knowledge or acumen at all. But rather, this phrase, hold the mystery of the faith, requires that deacons, in terms of knowledge, possess two things. First, they must possess a cognitive or an intellectual knowledge of the faith, a cognitive or an intellectual knowledge of the faith, the faith that was once a mystery to all men, but now is revealed through the gospel. Or in other words, to put it in another way, deacons must know and accept intellectually, embrace intellectually, the content of the gospel. They must be able to soundly articulate and explain the cardinal points of the gospel and of Christianity. In fact, it's hard to imagine that any deacon could carry out his duties effectively without this basic knowledge, without possessing this content. Again, he doesn't have to be a scholar, he doesn't have to be a theologian, but he must understand the content of this mystery. He must understand the content of this gospel. He must be able to articulate and to explain its substance. And yet this is not to say that a deacon must be a skilled teacher. It is not to say that a deacon must be able to preach. In fact, there is no requirement here in 1 Timothy chapter 3 that a deacon be able or apt to teach. although God, in His gracious bestowal of gifts, may give a deacon such a spiritual gifting." Then secondly, deacons must possess a saving knowledge of the faith, not just a cognitive, intellectual knowledge of the faith, able to articulate it and explain it, but he must possess a saving knowledge of the faith. And of course, Such a knowledge is a gift from God, isn't it? And yet it is essential for a deacon to possess this. No unbeliever can be a deacon. That's what's clearly communicated here. Only those who can give a credible testimony of personal faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation should be considered for the office of deacon. It is not enough to merely give intellectual assent to the truths of the Christian faith. That is important, but it's not enough to merely give assent to the truths of the Christian faith. There must also be an experiential knowledge of salvation in Christ. He must know Christ by personal experience. He must possess saving knowledge, which is a gift from God. Then notice here in verse 9, that deacons must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. A clear conscience. And this implies several things. First, it implies that he must hold the faith without doubt or without mental reservation. Without doubt or without mental reservation. For while he may have questions, While he may openly confess that there are things about the faith that are still very mysterious to him, things that he cannot fully comprehend, maybe even some things he cannot adequately explain to his own satisfaction, nevertheless he does not waver in his commitment to the faith, either as a body of truth or as a way of life. And so what Paul is saying here, very simply, brethren, is that there is a steadfastness, there is a stability to his faith. A deacon is a man who holds firm to his beliefs as a Christian. And then secondly, to hold to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience implies that both his life and his conscience conform to the faith that he claims to hold. Both his life and his conscience conform to the faith that he claims to hold. His faith is not expressed in word only, but it is demonstrated in the way that he lives. In fact, to live with a clear conscience means to live in a way that one's conscience does not condemn you. Meaning that, You cannot be condemned for duplicity or for hypocrisy. Duplicity is trying to live in two different ways at the same time. Hypocrisy is pretending to be something that you are not. A deacon must not be a man who is duplicious. A deacon must not be a man who is living in hypocrisy. He must live what he says, that he believes. And he does what he does, first and foremost, for the glory of God. For he understands that it is to God that he is ultimately accountable. So when it comes to his faith, a man who is qualified to be a deacon is not ignorant of the gospel. He can explain the gospel by his words. He can demonstrate the power of the gospel by the way that he lives. By his consistent Christian walk with a clear conscience before his God. And now let us move on to verse 10, here in 1 Timothy chapter 3. And we see that those who would serve as deacons must be tested first. Must be tested first. For Paul writes here, "...and let them be tested first, and let them serve as deacons, if they prove themselves blameless. And this testing that the Apostle Paul refers to here obviously is not academic testing. It's not that you give him a battery of academic tests and he has to show some type of proficiency academically. But rather this testing is a period of time when the candidate's qualifications are evaluated by the congregation. In fact, some have insisted that verse 10 means that a man must first be given deacon-like responsibilities to prove that he can handle them. That is a common interpretation in some circles. Give him the work of a deacon, let him do that work, and if he proves he can do that work, then make him a deacon. However, I would contend this morning that this is not really what Paul had in mind. Because what is being tested, or better yet, what is being evaluated here, is not his ability to serve. In fact, look at the text very carefully. It's not his ability to serve, but his moral qualifications in which he must be what? Blameless. In fact, this is the interpretation of Dr. George Knight in his highly regarded commentary on 1 Timothy 3, for he writes, how this testing is to be done is not specified, but the letter makes the requirements public, and later in 1 Timothy 5.22, Paul indicates that time must be given to appraise a man's life. From this, then, we can conclude that this testing is what? A thoughtful and careful evaluation of a man's life by a congregation which is aware of these vital and needed qualifications. That's the kind of testing that Paul is referring to. And let me assure you, brethren, that If we, if you as the congregation here at Redeemer Reformed Baptist Church, identify men who you believe should be serving as deacons here, we will have a time of evaluation and prayer before a formal vote is taken. Because we see the wisdom of God in such an evaluation. Yet not only is the deacon candidate to be evaluated, but I want you to notice this from the text. Don't miss this. His wife is not beyond evaluation herself. His wife is not beyond evaluation herself. For according to Paul here, She must meet certain requirements and qualifications as well. For Paul writes here in verse 11, their wives likewise, or their wives in like manner, or their wives also. Now, some Bible translations say women. The women likewise. And some would suggest and argue that Paul is setting forth here the office of a deaconess. I would suggest to you that's not what he is saying. I think the passage is translated correctly. This is a reference to deacons' wives. And notice, Paul goes on to say the deacons' wives must be dignified, not slanderers. In other words, they know how to control their tongues also. but sober-minded, faithful in all things." And it's very interesting, if you just look at these verses very carefully, to note that her qualifications are very similar to her husband's. They deal with matters of dignity, and matters of self-control, and matters of sobriety and faithful character. And it's easy to see why they would be. For as Calvin wrote in his comments on this verse, wives can hardly be aides to their husbands in office. And by the way, this would apply to elders' wives also, not just deacons' wives, but elders' wives would be included here too. But again, Calvin is saying, wives can hardly be aides to their husbands in office unless their own behavior excels that of others. And so while deacon's wives are not office bearers, there's not an office of deacon's wife, their moral character will add or their lack of character will subtract from their husband's effectiveness as deacons. And as for their requirements, let me just briefly comment on each one of them. I am mindful of the time here So I'll try to wrap up here in just a few moments. First, I've already talked about what it means to be dignified, but to review when Paul states here in verse 11 that deacons' wives must be dignified, he means that they must be reverent, they must be serious-minded. In fact, the King James Version uses the word grave. Deacons' wives must be grave. While that word isn't used much in our everyday speech today, it's a good word. It means serious or sober. For a deacon's wife must not be silly. A deacon's wife must not be sassy. A deacon's wife must not be snarky. Yes, that is a word. She mustn't be silly. She mustn't be sassy. She mustn't be snarky. She must not be irreverent in her tone. But she acts and speaks in a way that brings dignity to herself and to her husband, who is an office-bearer. And she is mindful of the fact that her husband is an office-bearer. Then secondly, here in verse 11, Paul states that deacon's wives must not be slanderers. The New American Standard Version says, must not be malicious gossips. Obviously, a deacon's wife must watch her speech. She must use her tongue to build up rather than tear down, which is what gossip does. She must be careful to hold things that she hears, and she will hear things in the course of her husband's ministry that she mustn't repeat. She must be careful to hold things in confidence. For deacons' wives as well as deacons hear many things that they must keep. under wraps. They must be in control of their tongues, for as James states in James chapter 3 and verse 5, the tongue is a little member, but oh what a fire the tongue can kindle. And then thirdly, deacons' wives, according to verse 11 here, must be sober-minded. sober-minded. The idea here is that she must be serious-minded, or as one scholar translates this, she must be level-headed. She too must be in control of her thoughts so that she might be an example to other women when it comes to taking one's responsibilities thoughtfully and seriously and soberly. And then lastly, I'll have to stop on this point this morning. A deacon's wife is to be faithful in all things. Faithful in all things. Meaning that she is to be a model of faithfulness in those things she is called to do. She must be a model of faithfulness in those things that she's called to do. She's called to be what? A wife and a mother. First and foremost. who just happens to be married to an office bearer in Christ's church. And a word about this expression, in all things. Paul is not saying that she must do all the things and that she must be faithful in them. Sometimes Churches misunderstand this and assume that deacons' wives must be the most involved faithful women in the church, and that deacons' wives must lead up all the activities. She must be faithful in every activity, in everything that's going on, in all things. But that's wrong. That's not what he's saying. What Paul is saying is that she must be a faithful woman in what she does. as a woman who knows what her true responsibilities are. And so, as we can see, a deacon's wife is not an office-bearer like her husband, and we must not forget this. And yet, she walks worthy of her calling, she exhibits faithfulness in her own life and service, and in doing so, she is a tremendous aid to her office-bearing husband. Let us pray this morning, brethren, that as God raises up men to serve as deacons here at Redeemer, He will prepare their wives for their unique service as well. For a man cannot serve well as a deacon without the prayerful aid and support of his wife. Next Sunday, Lord willing, we'll consider the domestic life of a man who would serve as a deacon, his role as a husband and as a father, his single-minded devotion to his own wife, his fatherly care and oversight of his own children, if God has blessed him with children. And then, in concluding our series on deacons next week, we'll examine the rewards that God sets before men who serve well in the office of deacon. For just as God is quick to require the best from those men who would serve as deacons, God is likewise quick and eager to reward those men who serve as deacons faithfully. But in the meantime, brethren, let us continue with open ears and with prayerful hearts and with discerning minds to receive what we are hearing each Lord's Day on this subject so that you and I as the congregation at Redeemer Reformed Baptist Church can be prepared if God so leads to select deacons here. Men among us who will be our servants. Men among us who will be committed to helping the pastor or the pastors set aside time for the preaching of the gospel. Men who will address faithfully the physical needs of this congregation. I would suggest to you, I have suggested to you, that we need such men. Let us pray for them. Let us look eagerly for God's provision. Let's pray. Our God and Father, we thank you for your faithfulness to us. We thank you for your Word, for how it instructs us in the things that we should do to set this church in order, to organize ourselves after the mind of Christ as revealed in Scripture. Father, I realize this is a topic that addresses our specific needs as a congregation, and there are visitors here today, but may they be encouraged by your truth. May they consider and ponder the character of a godly man, a godly father, not just deacons, but all Christian men. May you move upon their hearts the desire to be such men themselves, who lead their own wives and children well. Continue to bless us as a congregation, we pray. In Jesus' name, Amen.