Thank you for selecting this message by Dr. James Hoffman. Dr. Hoffman preaches verse by verse through the entire book of the Bible. From all of us at Living Water of Lapine here in Central Oregon, we hope that it will encourage you and feed you spiritually. And if you would like to leave a message after the sermon, our contact information is found on the sermon page where you found this sermon. Now may God richly bless you as you listen. In his book, Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek explains his understanding for church leadership. While working in Afghanistan, Sinek had an experience that had a great impact on his understanding about leaders. He explains. Everything on our trip went wrong. We actually got stuck there because the base came under rocket attack when I was there. And it was through this experience where I learned what service really means. Service means giving to others with no expectation of anything in return. Fulfillment, calm, security, peace of mind, confidence, all come from a willingness to serve others. Because only when I decided that I would look after others did I find calm, security, peace of mind. The rank of office is not what makes someone a leader. Leadership is the choice to serve others with or without any formal rank. Leaders are the ones who run head first into the unknown. They rush toward the danger. They put their own interests aside to protect us or to pull us into the future. Leaders would sooner sacrifice what is theirs to save what is ours. And they would never sacrifice what is ours to save what is theirs. This is what it means to be a leader. An elder is not the only office in the church. which is discussed here in 1 Timothy chapter three. It's not the only office that's discussed there either. Last week we discussed elders and this week we see that Paul's thoughts next turn to the position of deacon. Deacon simply means servant. Some think that our passage is about anyone who serves in the church. But the fact that qualifications are spelled out shows that he actually had the church office of deacon in mind. The source of the word deacon is very interesting also. It's a compound word based upon dia, through, and conus, dust, through dust. The imagery suggests a man who moves quickly to perform his tasks and who creates a trail of dust in his haste. I think that Simon Sinek is right to compare military men and women with church leaders. God raises up men and women of character to serve in his church as deacons and deaconesses. His concern is not about talents, looks, abilities, popularity, or worldly success. He looks for spiritual character. In the Older Testament, when Saul was chosen to lead God's people, he was picked because he was a choice and handsome man. There was not a more handsome person than he among the sons of Israel, scripture informs us. He was chosen for his good looks. But as we continue to read on in the book of 1 Samuel, we would see what a disaster his leadership was. Saul was an impetuous king who overstepped his authority, and a jealous king who slaughtered God's priests and their families so he could stay king. When Samuel looked for a replacement king, the Lord reminded him, the Lord looks on the heart. By the time that we get to the New Testament, there's no confusion as to what we are to look for as a leader for God's people. Last week, we saw what we are to look for, for an elder. As under-shepherds, they need to be men who listen to the Great Shepherd, Jesus. They pursue a holy lifestyle, making sure that they're able to hear him and follow his instruction for the local church that they lead. They enact the will of the Great Shepherd, Jesus. As we pick up with First Timothy verse eight today, we are going to try to understand what makes a deacon deke. We will see that both an elder and a deacon must be the kind of person who Will Rogers describes as not afraid to sell the family parrot to the town gossip. The standard for deacons is in no way inferior to the requirements for elders. Elders and deacons have different functions, even though their spiritual qualifications are nearly identical. There's no drop-off in spiritual quality or maturity from elder overseers or deacons. There really is possibly only one difference, an elder must be able to teach. While many deacons through the centuries were excellent teachers, it's not required as it is for an elder though. So if you have your Bibles with you, open them up to me, otherwise we'll have them on the screen up here to 1 Timothy chapter three, verses eight through 13. And it reads this way. 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. It's very striking that in last week's passage concerning the elders, the apostle wrote nothing about women. Yet here, in dealing with the deacons, their wives are brought into the picture. Why weren't the elders' wives considered? Is it only deacons' wives? Is Paul talking about wives at all, or did the ESV mistranslate this verse? Hmm. Well, I'll bring this back up when we come to verse 11. This is something on which not all biblical scholars agree. But there is something here where there is strong agreement. The function of the deacon in the early church rose out of a situation that is described in Acts chapter 6. As I have you turn there with me in your Bibles, I'm gonna try to set the stage here for what we are about to read. Now, first century Jerusalem was very used to receiving many visitors, many pilgrims. Jews from all over the world would swell the streets up to three times its normal population during Jewish festivals and holidays. Jerusalem barely had enough food and provisions for its own regular citizenry. So this put quite a stretch on its resources. Makes me wonder what kind of toilet paper panic they experienced. We probably didn't have it nearly as bad as what they did with their shortages. Everyone realized that when they went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, they needed to take their own provisions because otherwise they wouldn't be available. They had to bring their own food, fish, chicken, sheep, grain for making bread. And it had to be enough for their entire stay, however long they were planning to stay in Jerusalem. So when Pentecost came, right after Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection, the streets of Jerusalem swelled once again with religious pilgrims to the holy city. Gentile converts from all over the known world gathered to show their zeal for the Jewish faith. These Gentile converts were called Hellenistic Jews, or just simply Hellenists. When the Holy Spirit fell, Peter and the others preached, and the Hellenistic Jews all heard the gospel in their own language. Thousands came to Christ every day. Now many of these new converts wanted to stay in Jerusalem and not go home. They didn't have a church in their homeland. So they wanted to stay and learn more. The church in Jerusalem. became a mega church of both Jews and Hellenistic Gentile new believers. Now, how are you gonna provide for all of these people when normally you don't have the provisions? And you have this extra strain now upon them. And some of the people who stayed, these Hellenistic people from around the world, were widows. And what does the church say you're to do for widows? You're to provide for them. So the church now has this challenge. They have their normal widows, and they have these Hellenistic widows who have come and they heard about Christ and they joined the church and they want to stay now. Wow, there's already a thin supply of available resources. Suddenly, they had Jewish and Hellenistic widows who were there even though the Jerusalem church had a plan for feeding their widows. But with the limited resources, the Jewish widows They were being given special preference over these Hellenistic Jews who would come. The church was hearing these complaints, and they knew it wasn't right, and they had to continue to minister in a way that would honor Christ. The church needed fair administrators who wouldn't be prejudiced. Now, pick up with me, if you would, please, in Acts chapter six, starting with verse one. Now in these days, when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of disciples and said, it is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. And what they said pleased the whole gathering. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Procurus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicholas, a proselyte of Antioch. These they sat before the apostles, and they prayed, and they laid their hands on them, and the word of God continued to increase, and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith." Men of good reputation and character were selected, who were filled with the Holy Spirit, and who possessed the gift of wisdom. Such was needed to handle the practical problems of administration when it came to the church's resources. They were servants of the Lord, but they served the church. Paul wrote 1 Timothy some 30 years after this incident in Acts chapter 6. The church now had spread over the Roman Empire and was developed to the point that the offices of elder and deacon were needed in those churches as well. And so Paul gives Timothy five areas in which a deacon should be distinguished. The first area is by their personal character, and we see this in verse 8. Now back in 1 Timothy 3 and verse 8. Deacons, likewise, must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. Deacons must be dignified, Other translations have this as, deacons must be serious. Dignified and serious convey that he must be a realist, not a dreamer who chases after rainbows in the scheme of the day. He can't be one who is easily influenced. You know, we often have people come by the church and present their personal needs, often for finance, And they probably are hoping that we have gullible deacons. They're probably hoping that we have deacons who don't meet this qualifications, who are not, as the ESV says, dignified or serious, that they can really see life as it is and what's really going on here. If they're too easily influenced, a fraudulent person might drain the benevolent fund, and a person with a legitimate need would go wanting, would go without. Now, verse 8 also says, not double-tongued. A double-tongued person is a liar. He is not truthful. He adjusts his speech to whatever situation he faces, and it changes. Character of a deacon is that he does not say one thing to one member and entirely something else to another member. He can depend on what he says. Anyone can trust this man. Third, deacons are not to be addicted to wine. I already commented on this one last week with regard to elders. as it was also mentioned specifically of elders. They're not to be indulgent with wine. They must not be alcoholics to any degree at all. If they drink alcohol, it must be with moderation, sobriety, and self-control. Fourth, this one was also mentioned last week, must not be greedy for dishonest gain. They cannot be wheelers and dealers, always ready to take advantage of a situation in order to profit themselves. There cannot be any kind of temptation for someone who has access to the church's finances. We make ourselves vulnerable to them, so they must be trustworthy. Verse nine. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. This is a call to deep spiritual commitment to the mission of the church. The mystery of the faith is the gospel revealed through Jesus Christ, witnessed and taught by the apostles, and entrusted to the church to proclaim throughout the world. The deacon must cling to this gospel in faith and consistently live out its truth by serving. Deacons are the hands and the feet of the church more directly than any other office. Therefore, the apostle called for deacons to embody sincerity, moral purity, and submission to biblical truth. Deacons must be men of spiritual depth. Specifically, they should be men who understand and hold fast to the deep truths of the faith. Though the deacons are not required to be able to teach as are elders, they must keep and hold deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. Here's the concept of a clear conscience once again. Remember that Paul told Timothy that essential to fighting the good fight is holding on to faith and a good conscience, 1 Timothy 1.19. But please listen to Kent Hughes' warning about conscience. He writes, we must also remember that conscience alone is not enough. because our conscience can deceive us. Jiminy Cricket's advice to Pinocchio, let your conscience be your guide, is generally good advice. But if your conscience is seared by sin, it is of little help. Jonathan Edwards likened conscience to a sundial and God's word to the sun. Only the light of the sun will give the correct reading. Moonlight cannot work. Candlelight is a folly. Both will mislead you. The sunlight of scripture will always tell the truth. And when we live by the truth with a clear conscience, we are in great shape. Verse 10 says this. and let them also be tested first, then let them serve as deacons, if they prove themselves blameless. Paul's intent here was not to require some formal testing procedure, but rather that these men prove their quality over time in the ordinary activities of life and ministry. After they showed themselves irreproachable then let them serve as deacons. The words, if they prove blameless, is a translation of two Greek words, anen kalei toi ontes. It literally means being free from accusation. Well, we're due for some controversy about now, aren't we? So let's step in it together. Let's go back to what I mentioned just after I read the entire passage here. Women are mentioned in verse 11. Look at that one again with me, please. Their wives, likewise, must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Not very often, but sometimes. I have a major disagreement with how the version of the Bible I preach from translates a certain word. This is one of those occasions. My ESV says, their wives likewise. Now, when reading in the Greek New Testament, the reader is to start with the most common understanding of a word. Then, if it doesn't quite fit, you look at other, less common meanings. Here, the word is gunaikos. Its most common meaning is woman. A less common meaning is wife. I see no reason for moving to the less common meaning of the word. It doesn't make any sense at all to me why Paul would be concerned about the deacon's wives having spiritual maturity, but not the elders wives. If Paul was concerned about the wives and how of the deacons and how they behaved, he would have likely been just as concerned about the way elders' wives behaved. But he doesn't say anything about them. Even the way that Paul wrote would suggest that he didn't intend for us to understand that he meant the deacon's wives here. Do you see how we read in our English translations, their wives? The Greek doesn't have the word their, with gounikos. Paul would have written tous gounikos. His style of Greek was to include possessive pronouns, and he does so in the very next verse, their children and their own households, but he didn't do it here. Now, when we do not see that Paul is concerned in this verse with deacon's wives, and we do take the most common understanding of this Greek word, gounikos, it appears that Paul is saying that women are also called to serve as deacons. They can occupy this formal church office. But because there is a glaring absence of the mention of women in the middle of Paul's discussion about elders, women are not called to occupy that office. That's why we have deaconesses in our church, but we don't have elderesses. In the 16th chapter of Romans, Phoebe is called a deacon by the Apostle Paul. Today, we use the term deaconess for a female deacon, but there was no such word in Paul's day, so he calls Phoebe a deacon. Serving as a deacon in the church in Sanctuary, the port city of Corinth, she had been a great help to the Apostle Paul. Women can be deacons. And so Paul gives four qualities that should characterize them. First, they too are to be dignified. And this is the same word that Paul has already used. And there's another argument I would have, why would he do it twice here? But anyhow, women deacons must similarly be realistic people. Not dreamers are gullible to the ploys people may try to trick them with in their responsibilities in the church. Second, they are not to be slanderers. Literally in the Greek, this word is, are you ready for it? She-devils. Initially, I debated whether or not I was gonna mention this. And I'm not sure what kind of an image is conjured up in your mind at the term she-devil. But here is what I think the first century understanding of a she-devil was in the first century when this was written. She-devil was given to the practice of gossip and slandering the reputation of others. So care must be given to selecting women for this office who are not known as wreckers of reputations. Deaconesses see people in need and can so easily destroy the reputation of a person who needs their help. They must not be women who just can't wait to run out and tell others about the misfortunes of someone. Can't have that. That would be a she-devil. Women deacons must be sober-minded. They must be self-controlled in all areas of their life. And you know, even in the area of their work, some people can give themselves to work so much that they destroy themselves. I read the other day about a sign that sat on a person's desk in their office. And that sign said, TGIM. Thank God it's Monday. That person probably is not qualified for the office of deacon. Then the last qualification is that they are to be faithful in all things. They're to be responsible, trustworthy individuals who can carry through with their assignments. And I have to say, I am thankful to the Lord that he has given us such called women to the office of deaconess here in our church. After a special note to include the women who occupy this office in verse 11 here, Paul returns to his general discussion about deacons who were mainly men. And so we read in verse 12 as he continues after he includes these women in this office. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. So male deacons, if they are married, must have their eye for only one woman. They must have the characteristic of being a one-woman man. And that's what the Greek literally says here, a one-woman man. That means, He doesn't flirt with other women. It means he doesn't fantasize about other women. And last week I spoke of how many times people want to translate this word here to mean that there's no divorce in their life. You know, that's an awful low standard. That is a very, very low standard, because you can have somebody that doesn't have any divorce in their life, but they flirt, and they womanize, and they, no, this is a character standard here, and it means a one-woman man, exactly as it is worded here. We saw that it was a qualification for an elder also last week. Although I don't think that this verse mandates deacons to be married and to have families, You see, Paul himself probably wasn't married, and neither was Timothy. But if they are married with families, there is a lot that you can discern about the person's character, if they're qualified to be a deacon. How do they handle life's difficulties for themselves and for the ones that they are called to lead and to care for? That's what they're gonna do in the office of the church. Verse 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. I love this verse. Paul reminds us here that deacons who serve well are going to receive a twofold reward. First, faithful deacons and deaconesses will gain an excellent standing, a good reputation among fellow Christians who understand and appreciate the beauty of humble, selfless, Christ-like service. They'll have the respect of and influence with the congregation. That's what this verse is saying. And it's saying that there is another one too, but let me just say this. You know, the world system doesn't exactly resent people who give themselves to a ministry and to others and seek nothing in return. but neither does it reward selfless servanthood. You know as well as I do that the way to climb the corporate ladder is to get noticed, to take high profile risks. Look at me, look at me. You are so lucky to have me. And downplay one's failures. Move along now, nothing to see here. Unsung heroes in the corporate world rarely reap the rewards of success. God's kingdom, however, works very differently. Jesus turned the corporate ladder upside down to declare, in effect, the way up in my kingdom is to descend to the lowest rung and to become the servant of all. Matthew 20, verses 26 through 28. Paul echoes the Lord's words, promising that deacons and deaconesses who serve well earn this reward. And like I said, there's one other. And the second is better than the first. The second one is they will also grow closer to Christ in faith and assurance. They have confidence, even boldness, in their own faith in Christ. The faithful deacon, deaconess, will cultivate an unshakable confidence in the truth of the gospel and their own sincerity of faith in Christ. They lose any sense of feeling like a hypocrite. Doing good deeds always enhances our assurance of salvation because it resonates with the godly person that the Holy Spirit is creating in us. Whether it's serving the Lord in an office like an elder or a deacon or a deaconess, or whether it's serving the Lord as a regular church member, who doesn't hold an office. Christian leadership, hear me now, please. Christian leadership is about fading. The great ones willingly move into irrelevance. I still remember trying to hold back my tears. As a third grader, when our school teacher, Mrs. Sires, who I had the biggest crush on, read to the class E.B. White's book, Charlotte's Web, it was all I could do from embarrassing myself, looking like a crybaby as she read that story to us. You're probably all familiar with it. Charlotte's Web? It's a story about a spider named Charlotte who lives in a barn just above the stall of a pig named Wilbur. Wilbur is worried that once he grows fat enough, the farmer is going to turn him into bacon. It's a valid concern. You know, and I wonder how many school children have had this book read to them and it automatically made them vegetarians. Anyway, Charlotte and Wilbur develop a close friendship. And as Wilbur grows larger, Charlotte uses all of her resources to try to rescue Wilbur. She writes messages in her web to convince the farm's owners that Wilbur is a pig worth saving. The story builds to the final chapter, and that final chapter is titled, The Moment of Triumph. So what was Charlotte's moment of triumph? As the story draws to a close, Charlotte the spider is in the barn dying. Wilbur the pig is being judged at the county fair in a pig contest, and she can hear the roar of applause for Wilbur as he wins a special prize, and thus his life is spared. Charlotte finds great joy in knowing that her life has meant the success of another, her close friend, Wilbur. though no one will remember her, the things that she has done, and the sacrifices she had made. She is satisfied, having loved her friend in life and in death. Do you, like me, see Christian ministry No matter what your position is, like that, leadership is about fading. The great ones willingly move into irrelevance.