3 and our sermon text will be verses 8 through 13. Let's give our attention to the reading of God's Word beginning at verse 8 of 1 Timothy chapter 3. Likewise, deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given too much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested, then let them serve as deacons being found blameless. Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith, which is in Christ Jesus. Amen. Would you pray with me? Father, we've just sung that your word is a light to our feet and a lamp to our path to guide us in the way that we should go. We pray that you would instruct us from your word today. Illuminate our minds with your Holy Spirit, we pray. Give us humility to receive your word. And we pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen. God is a God of order and not confusion. We hear Paul state as much in 1 Corinthians chapter 14 when he wrote this, And Paul went on to write that in the church all things ought to be done decently and in order. Orderliness, what is that? Orderliness is the quality of being arranged or organized in a neat, careful, and logical way. For example, when we survey creation, we see arrangement and order in nature. And just as there is order in the natural realm, so God reveals in his word what the organization of the church is to be for her flourishing. In the Church of Christ, the local church, there are members and there are officers. And among the officers, there are patently two offices distinguished in the Bible, namely elders and deacons. We see that outlined in 1 Timothy 3, don't we? In verses 1-7, Paul outlines the qualifications for men who might serve as elders, And then in verses 8 through 13, Paul gives qualifications for men who might serve as deacons in the church. At the expense of sounding obvious, this proves that the structure of the primitive church was very simple. I mentioned this last week, but Paul greeted the Philippian church in his letter with these words. To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, along with the bishops and deacons. We should note that. There are members of the church, the saints, and then there are officers of the church, denominated as bishops and deacons. This proves that there were only two ordinary offices in the early church. Now why is that important? It's important first because God's word is not unclear about the structure of Christ's church, what it is to be. There are many people today who say that the ecclesiology or the doctrine of the church in the New Testament is not easy to discern. But we disagree with that. It is quite easy, in fact, to discern that there were two ordinary offices in the church of Christ, bishops, who are sometimes called elders or pastors, depending on the passage, and deacons. This stands as a refutation against the Roman Catholic Church. All we have to do is ask the question, where in the primitive church do we see priests? Where do we see cardinals? Where do we see popes? And the answer is, they aren't there. You will look for them in vain. And indeed, in the very place where apostolic instruction has been given to the church for the selection of her pastors, what do we find the Apostle Paul instructing? He says the bishop must be the husband of one wife. The bishop must be one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence. Paul says that the bishop or elder or pastor of the church can be married and have a family. What does the Roman Catholic Church say? They forbid marriage to the priesthood. Why? Was there something wrong? with Paul's instruction in 1st Timothy? Was there something unclear about this text in 1st Timothy? The Roman Catholic Church effectively shuts the mouth of the Apostle Paul and goes its own way. And we should ask the question today, who gets to decide who governs the church? Should we listen to the Apostle Paul's instruction as a servant of Christ, or should we listen to another organization that says something not just different, mind you, but contrary to the instruction that Paul gives in 1 Timothy? And when we ask the question, does the Bible authoritatively speak about the qualifications of officers in the church, we are left with recognizing just how far certain churches have gone in their rejection of apostolic authority. One of the distinguishing phrases of the Reformation was the phrase ad fontes, which means to the sources. We must go back to the original sources of Christianity, to the scriptures, in order to embrace the scriptural structure of the church of God. And as we read the New Testament, it is not unclear what that structure is to be. And in this chapter, Paul is explaining what the requisites are for those who serve as elders and deacons in local churches. Paul's intention in this chapter is not so much to distinguish between the function of the two offices as much as to present the necessary qualifications for men who might serve. Now that being said, it is clear from the word overseer, bishop, that the elders are those who exercise watchful and responsible oversight of God's people. And it is also clear that bishops are the ones who teach the people of God by way of office. Paul says that an overseer must be able to teach. He must be competent to declare God's Word to the congregation. But notice that that same requirement is not found in the list of qualifications for deacons, is it? What does that mean? Well, that indicates something about the function of the diaconal office in distinction from eldership. Elders exercise watchful and responsible oversight of God's people with a particular emphasis on teaching and instructing the flock Deacons, on the other hand, are given to the church for the meeting of her practical needs. We see this, for example, in Acts chapter six. A need arose in the body of Christ in Jerusalem. It says there, now in those days when the number of disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution of food. Then the 12 apostles summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, it is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we, they said, will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. Now Acts chapter 6 shows us the inception of the diaconal office in the New Testament. And it informs us that deacons are spiritually qualified men. These men had to be men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and yet They were nevertheless tasked with a distinctive function in the life of the church, weren't they? They were tasked with serving in order to meet a very practical need. Brethren, all sorts of practical needs in the body of Christ come up on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. And the deacons of the church serve in a distinctive role of leadership in order to meet those very important and practical needs that you have. And thus, there is a splendid symmetry, we might say, between the care that elders exercise over the flock by way of spiritual oversight and the care that deacons exercise among the flock by way of meeting the practical needs of the people of God. Now in our passage today, there are really three facets that we need to examine. First, who are the men in a congregation who may be installed into this office? Who are the men in the congregation who may be installed into this office? Paul begins in verses eight through 10 by emphasizing different qualifications a man must meet in order to serve as a deacon in the church. And then in verses 11 through 12, the man's domestic relationships are noted. His wife must be a specific kind of Christian woman. The deacon must be a specific type of husband, and the man must be a specific kind of householder. finally in verse 13 Paul specifies the blessings of the diaconal office, the blessings of the diaconal office. So with that let's begin to look at verse 8 and the moral qualifications necessary for a deacon. In verse 8 Paul says, likewise deacons must be reverent, I remind you of that small word used back in verse 2 where Paul said a bishop must be blameless. Must be. Here in verse 8 we note that these qualifications are requirements. They are not suggestions. They are not mere good ideas, but necessary qualities in someone who will serve in this office. And the first requisite that Paul states is that a deacon must be reverent, the New King James Version says. What does that word mean? This word means that the potential man to serve as deacon must be the type of person considered as a respectable man. A dignified and serious man about his faith and about his life. An honorable man, we might say. In other words, other people must look up to him with esteem because of his character as a Christian. There must be nothing about a deacon that is dishonorable or that is immoral. That's the first qualification. The second qualification is related to the man's speech. According to Christ, the way that we speak is indicative of our inward character. Jesus said in Luke chapter six, a good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil, for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks. And Paul specifies here that a deacon must not speak routinely in a deceptive way. Paul says, deacons must not be double-tongued. This would indicate a person who says one thing but means another. Someone who speaks out of both sides of their mouth, we might say. This could indicate a sinful tendency towards gossip, but someone who speaks insincerely has not learned the clear teaching of the Lord Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount when he said, but let your yes be yes and your no, no. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. Deacons must be those whose speech is honest speech. Paul also notes the man's relationship to alcohol. And this is indicative, again, of how great a problem alcohol was in the first century. Paul stated in verse 3 that the overseer is not to be given to wine, not addicted to or devoted to wine. And that same thing is stated again in the book of Titus, chapter 1, verse 7. The same is true for deacons. We can consider God's indictment of the leaders of Judah for their drunkenness in the book of Isaiah. We looked at some of that this past week on Wednesday. Leaders of Christ's church are to be temperate in their use of alcohol. Paul states clearly that a potential deacon is not to be given too much wine, meaning that he is not to be an excessive drinker. Substance abuse is a very big problem in our culture. And substance abuse in any form should prevent a man from serving in Christ's church as an officer. And then the last qualification in verse eight specifies the relationship of the deacon to money. Paul says here that the deacon must not be greedy for dishonest gain. Not a greedy man for dishonest gain. Now, in light of the fact that deacons, as far as we can tell, were not paid for their labors in the church, why would it be necessary for a deacon to not be fond of sordid gain? or filthy lucre, as the King James Version says. This is an indication that the deacons were in control of dispersing funds to the needy of the church. Do you want someone in control of the church's purse who is greedy for gain? Obviously not. If someone is placed into the diaconate who is dishonest in relation to money, get ready for embezzlement. which would disrupt the peace and the unity of the church. Money that is given for offerings must be used for what those offerings were intended for. And since deacons are in control in a large way of the church's finances, it is necessary that they be good, honest men and not covetous. Now in verse nine, Paul states something very interesting. Notice here that the diaconate is for men who are holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. What does that mean? Well, we'll get back to the pure conscience in a moment. But what does Paul mean by mystery of the faith? The faith indicates the objective revealed truths of the Christian religion. But what does the mystery of the faith mean? Here it is. In the New Testament, mystery does not mean something incomprehensible, does not mean something enigmatic. The mystery of the New Testament epistles is actually the proclamation of the gospel itself. And I can prove that to you if you turn over in your Bibles to the book of Colossians. Turn over to Colossians chapter one, verse 24. Colossians chapter one, verse 24, Paul says, I now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of his body, which is the church. of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God, which was given to me for you to fulfill the word of God, the mystery, which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to his saints. You hear that? The mystery was concealed truth for generations of mankind. But now, Paul says, it is revealed truth for Christians. Paul says, to them, namely to the saints, God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is what? Here's the mystery. Christ in you, the hope of glory. The mystery is Christ. The mystery is the presence of Christ, operative in believers by the Holy Spirit through faith as the harbinger of eternal glory. Previous generations have the scripture, but they did not have the clarity of the gospel as it was heralded by Paul. Turn over to Colossians chapter four, verses one and two. beginning of verse two, Colossians chapter four, verse two. Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving, meanwhile praying also for us that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, the mystery which is Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak. Paul is saying that the mystery is the gospel. The mystery is the mediator of a new covenant come in real time, in real history, and now heralded towards those to whom Paul preached as the savior of sinful men. All right, so coming back to 1 Timothy 3, look over at verse 16. 1 Timothy 3, verse 16. Paul writes, and without controversy, no one denies this who's a real Christian, great is the mystery of godliness. There's that word mystery again. What is the mystery in this text? There's a debate about whether it should say he was manifested in the flesh or God was manifested in the flesh. But notice who this mystery of godliness is about. It's about Christ. God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up to glory. The mystery of godliness centers itself in the redemptive activity of the Messiah, Jesus. Does the prospective man who will serve as a deacon understand the gospel and hold to the gospel firmly? That's the mystery of the faith. Does this deacon know Christ, cling to Christ, love Christ, and desire to serve Christ by keeping a pure or a clean conscience? Conscience, what is that? Conscience is that faculty that we have given to us by God of moral reasoning. and the maintenance of a good conscience is necessary for a deacon. Remember back in chapter one, verse 19, Paul said to Timothy, having faith and a good conscience, maintaining, in other words, a firm grasp on Christ and maintaining a righteous and devout life. That is what a deacon ought to be characterized by. Now in verse 10, Paul speaks about the assessment of the deacon. Verse 10 says, but let these men who might serve also first be tested, then let them serve as deacons being found blameless. What this means is, let there be an assessment of the prospective deacon's doctrine and life. Let there be an examination of the pertinent factors from this list of qualifications in relation to this man. Bring the man under the magnifying glass, as it were, and search his faith and practice. And after all things have been searched out, having found no delinquency in doctrine or in life, then, Paul says, let them serve. Now exactly how long that assessment needs to take should be up to the wise discretion of the overseers of the church. But it must be long enough for the congregation to be able to take a knowledgeable and credible vote on the man to serve as a deacon in the midst of the body. And then we get to verses 11 and 12, where Paul speaks about the domestic relationships of the deacon. And for those of you who have studied this passage, you know that there is a great divide over how to understand the term wives in verse 11. Should it be translated wives, or should it be translated women? In which case Paul would be referring to female deacons or deaconesses. which is right. It's important to state that this word in Greek can certainly refer either to wives or to women and that it depends on the context to understand what Paul was saying. But I want to defend here what is the most credible understanding of this passage and the most credible understanding is that this is a reference to the wives of the deacons. and not to female deaconesses. Why is that the case? Well, commentators have laid out various reasons for this. First, there is the contextual reason. Remember what I said last week about the final verses of chapter two and not forgetting the final verses of chapter two. Paul said there that women are not to have authority over men. But the deacons serve in an office of the church and have delegated authority to care for the needs of the body of Christ. Therefore, we would not expect women to serve in the diaconate. So there's the contextual reason. But there's a lot of other reasons for thinking that this refers to a deacon's wife. First, anyone who argues that verse 11 refers to female deacons would have to argue that Paul awkwardly switches from one group of deacons in verses 8 through 10 to another group of deacons in verse 11 and then switches back to the original group in verse 12. That awkward switch would be strange since Paul could have mentioned female deacons last if he had desired to. Second, it makes more sense thematically of verses 11 and 12. It makes more sense thematically to say that verse 11 is dealing with the character of a potential deacon's wife. Why? Because then verses 11 and 12 would be characterized by a common theme, namely the deacon's domestic relationships. First, the character of his wife, and then in verse 12, the character of the man as a husband, and finally, the character of the man as a father, as a proven manager of his house. You see? Makes a lot more sense thematically to structure, to see the structure of the text as Paul speaking about the man's domestic relationships. Thirdly, The word for woman or wife used in verse 2 of the chapter is the same word used in verse 11. And in verse 2 it very clearly refers to the overseer as a one woman man. Meaning it's speaking about the man's wife. And then in verse 12, the verse that immediately follows verse 11, the same word used from verse 11 is used again but in reference to the wife of a potential deacon, that the potential deacon must be a one-woman man. So it is not strained or strange that the same word used in verse 11 would be a reference to wives. In fact, it makes a lot of sense in a context in which Paul has been speaking about wives in verses two and clearly in verse 12. Fourthly, Think of the disjunction of reading verse 11 with verse 12. And you'll notice the obvious nature of verse 11, necessitating a male deacon. Likewise, and we'll just say women, must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own house as well. That necessitates and leads to the obvious conclusion that the women of verse 11 refer to the potential deacon's wife. Because a requisite for a married man being looked at to fill the office of deacon is that he rules his house well. Fifthly, and finally, is that in all of the lists of qualifications for officers, Paul expressly notes the need for marital fidelity. But if verse 11 is about female deaconesses, he does not stress the need in the same way he does for men. And we would have to ask why not if he does so everywhere else. The answer is he did not specify that need because he's not talking about female deacons, he's talking about wives of potential deacons. So clearly, Paul indicates that these are to be the qualities of a deacon's wife. A man being looked at for deacon must not be looked at alone, but we must look and examine his wife's character. And there are four character qualities that Paul lists here. Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things, Paul says. That word reverent is the female form of the first word used to describe the deacon. And it means that a deacon must have a respectable wife. A deacon's wife must not be given to slander. Why not? Because her husband will be engaged in service of the church's practical needs, and those needs, much of the time, are necessarily private in nature. And so she must be able to tame her tongue and not speak about things among the church that ought to be left private. She must be temperate, meaning that she is to be sober-minded. And finally, Paul says, she must be a consistent image of Christian faithfulness. Faithful, he says, reliable or dependent in all things. The wife of a deacon must be known for her Christian virtue. Now here's the question. Some people have said, Paul must be talking about female deacons here because he did not specify the necessary requisites of an overseer's wife. But he does here. But might there be a reason that a deacon's wife must be a particular type of woman? I think that there is. A wife of a deacon will, upon occasion, assist her husband in his diaconal duties. to carry out tasks, perhaps, that are more suitable for a woman to carry out than for a man. But here's the thing. An overseer's wife, her character is not unimportant, but she, unlike the deacon's wife, will never assist her husband in his duties as an elder. Why not? Because she's not going to teach. And she's not going to manage God's people. Well, that brings us to the final points of a potential deacon's domestic life. What must be true of him? His wife must have certain characteristics. And Paul says, let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. The point here is the same one that Paul made in the previous verses. The deacon must be a man who has proven worth as a husband, a faithful husband of one woman, loyal to his wife, committed to her and giving her all of his affection and love. And he must manage as a father of his household well. And that brings us to the end of this list. The final verse, In this final verse, Paul expressly states the blessings of the diaconal office. It's a great way of closing these two lists of qualifications. Look at verse 13. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. Now, who wouldn't want that? Paul began this chapter by saying that the office of overseer is a noble work, it is excellent, and to aspire after it is a good thing. And he closes these two lists of qualifications with the blessings that accrue to deacons, particularly as deacons. What are these blessings for good service? Notice what Paul says, serving well as a deacon will lead to obtaining a good standing. What does that mean? That means a deacon who faithfully discharges his office in the church will be held in high regard by the saints. That's a blessing for diligent service. It's not a reason to serve, but it is a blessing that accompanies diligent service as deacons, that people will respect you deeply. The scriptures consistently commend the benefit of a good reputation. Proverbs 22.1, a good name is to be chosen rather than great riches. Ecclesiastes chapter 7 verse 1, a good name is better than precious ointment. Listen to this quote, when the apostle writes of obtaining a good standing, he is encouraging deacons who serve well with the prospect that because of their faithful service, they will be esteemed in the eyes of the fellowship they are serving. The prospect that the church will think highly of the deacon is an incentive to humbly do his duties. And then secondly, Paul says, those who have served well as deacons obtain great boldness in the faith which is in Christ. That could mean that they develop a greater outspokenness in being able to speak gospel truth to those they are serving. Or it could mean that their greater confidence is in God himself, that in the service of the church, a deeper assurance of salvation in Christ is true for them. Deacons through their service will grow in confident reliance that the things they have believed are indeed true. Now that should be a great encouragement for our deacons. who are currently serving this body faithfully. Ben, JD, Brady, thank you for your service to this church. Let verse 13 be a spur for you to greater zeal for Christ's people as you consider the advantages you will receive, particularly as deacons. But I also want to say this, that other men in this congregation should be praying and considering the possibility of future service in the offices of this church. Not all men are called to it, but one of the reasons that Paul closes with the benefits that accrue to deacons who serve well is so that men might consider the potential of becoming deacons themselves. It reaps blessed benefits. And as I said last week, we ought to pray as a church that God would continue to supply us with faithful men who can fill both offices and praise the Lord for Christ's gifts of officers in his church. Now I wanna close with a few thoughts. First, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, thank the Lord. for the service of the deacons in this church. Respect them highly on account of their work. Regard them with a good reputation. Pray for them. But also, secondly, be on your lookout for men who might serve in this office in years ahead. Be forward-looking. Be listening to the prayers and looking at the lives of men in this church who have these qualities. Be thinking, I wonder if he might serve as a deacon in years ahead. It is a responsibility of the members of this church to consider these things. Thirdly, note the distinction between the offices and act accordingly. What do I mean by that? Well, for many years, this church had two faithful elders, but no deacons. And those elders faithfully fielded all the needs of God's people. Have you thought about that? When this church did not have deacons, the elders served in effect as the elders and the deacons of the church. But we have now entered into a new stage of this church's existence where we have three highly capable, spiritual, loving, ready-to-serve deacons. And it is important to consider who you call first when a need arises in your life. Let's say an unexpected bill comes in the mail and you don't know how you're going to pay for it. Who should you go to first? I say go to the deacons. Not because the elders don't want to hear about it, but because the deacons are placed into that office in the church to offer the practical help that is needed in the body of Christ. If your car breaks down on the side of the road and you're not out of state somewhere, think about this. Who should I call if I have no one else around by way of family who can help? Call the deacons. When an important practical need arises in the life of this church, reach out to Ben, reach out to JD, reach out to Brady. Even if they cannot help you at the time, one of the things that deacons do in the life of the church is officiate other helpers who can help you. And fourthly and finally, brethren, I summon you, give to the church. give to the church to support the gospel ministry, yes, but also to enable the deacons to do their work. Continue, dear brothers and sisters, to give generously to the church that the deacons might carry out the work God has given them to do for the flourishing and the joy of this body of Christ, so that as the elder seers oversee and preach and teach the word and administer the sacraments. And as the deacons attend the physical and practical needs of this body of Christ, that our whole congregation will perceive the splendid symmetry of the care that Christ gives spiritually and practically through these two offices. Let's bow our heads and pray. Father, we praise you for the clarity of.