Sermon Tone Analysis

We are continuing to look at fighting the good fight together as a church.

Last week, we began our two-week study on deacons.

We have seen that we are called to hold tightly to the truth of the gospel, live it out, and protect this truth from those who would try to distort, deny, or dilute it.

We looked back at to see that God gave deacons to the church to serve him and the church by meeting needs within the body.

They are to be godly men who enable the pastor to focus on his primary calling by helping minister to those in unique situations of need as well as helping communicate and care for all the members of the body.

The question, then, is what kind of man is God calling to serve as a deacon?

If a deacon is going to serve people when they are at their lowest, then he needs to be a man of highest character.

Thankfully, God has given us a clear set of qualifications these men are to have.

We find them in , so go ahead and turn over there.

While you are turning, I want to acknowledge that some of the qualifications God gives in this passage leave some room for interpretation.

As our leadership team prayed and studied both God’s Word and other resources, we prayerfully adopted what we believe to be the best interpretation at this time.

In fact, one of the resources we consulted heavily was a book by Alexander Strauch called The New Testament Deacon: The Churchs’ Ministers of Mercy.

I wanted to reference that particular book because I used it heavily in the preparation of this message.

Before we even begin to look at these qualifications, let me address a concern that may arise.Keep in mind that God has given us these qualifications.

By definition, any time that you have qualifications given, there will be some who do not meet those qualifications.

Are we saying that, if someone doesn’t meet all the criteria, they can’t serve Jesus and his church?

Not at all!

This isn’t saying that a person isn’t saved or that they cannot serve the Lord in other ways; it simply means they cannot serve as a deacon.

Now, if there is a sin issue that needs to be dealt with, then you should deal with it and get right with the Lord, not because you want to be a deacon, but because it is the right thing to do.

Why these qualifications?

Think back to the roles a deacon fulfills.

He is to provide a godly example to the church, so he has to model a God-honoring lifestyle.

He is going to be involved in sensitive situations, so he must be trustworthy with information and resources.

Would you want a man with a reputation for greed ministering to your widowed mother?

How about a gossip and a slanderer who had access to information about who had financial needs in the church or who was having family trouble?God entrusts these men with great responsibility, so he lays out great qualifications.

Let’s read together.

​ CSBDeacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

They must also be tested first; if they prove blameless, then they can serve as deacons.

Wives, too, must be worthy of respect, not slanderers, self-controlled, faithful in everything.

Deacons are to be husbands of one wife, managing their children and their own households competently.

For those who have served well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

We aren’t fighting this fight on our own; God has assembled a team together to fight.

That team is the church, and every member of the church is a vital part of the fight.

We can divide these qualifications into two main categories and then, in verse 13, we will make a general observation about the joy of being a deacon.

We can divide these qualifications into two main categories and then, in verse 13, we will make a general observation about the joy of being a deacon.

However, as we started seeing last week, there are some men whom God has called to lead out in the fight.

Last week, we saw in that some men will be called to help oversee the work of the church.

This passage calls those men “overseers”, but we saw that they can also be called “pastors” or “elders”.

We can sum up the character they have to have with the phrase “above reproach.”

That means that no accusation should stick if someone tries to attack their personal, home, or public lives.

As we went through that passage, we mentioned a second group of men who are called to help lead the fight.

These men are called “deacons,” and we are looking this morning at their character.

You will notice a number of similarities with the qualifications of overseers, so we may move through things a little quicker this week than we did last.

As we go through this list in just a minute, you will notice that, just like overseers, this list doesn’t contain job responsibilities of deacons.

As our church has prayerfully looked at the role of deacons in the past, we have used as a guide for thinking about their role.

Although that chapter doesn’t use the term “deacon”, it does seem to give an example of the kind of roles deacons fulfill.

The primary idea behind the word “deacon” is “servant.”

Although we are all called to serve God and his church, deacons have a unique role in serving the members of the church.

We also consulted a book titled The New Testament Deacon: Minister of Mercy by Alexander Strauch.

This book was helpful to us, and some of what you hear this morning comes from that book.

The primary idea behind the word “deacon” is “servant.”

Although we are all called to serve God and his church, deacons serve the church in a unique way, ministering to the needs of the church body.

Without getting into too much detail, we think of the main role of a deacon is to serve the church in a unique way, ministering to the needs of the church body.

The deacons are not part of a “farm system” that they hope will one day get them promoted to elder, although a man may serve as a deacon and have God call him to become an elder/overseer.

This is two distinct callings.

An overseer/pastor/elder is called to shepherd and lead the church, with a view to decision-making, preaching and teaching, etc.

A deacon, on the other hand, is called to serve the church by practically meeting ministry needs.

That doesn’t mean elders should never be involved in caring for the flock; instead, it multiplies the care the church can provide.

This strengthens the church and enables the pastors and elders to exercise their unique gifts in greater ways.

There may be some crossover between the two offices, but it isn’t that an overseer is a “promoted deacon”.

As a church, we have articulated their role this way:

1. Set a spiritual example through personal spiritual disciplines, including prayer and Bible study.

2. Contact & visit those in unique situations of need:

a. Widows

b.

Elderly

c. Sick

d.

Other pressing needs

3. Develop relationships with those families assigned to their care.

4. Help protect and promote unity by facilitating healthy communication throughout the church body and leadership.

5. Assist those new to Christ and/or the church in strengthening their relationship to Christ and his church.

A deacon’s role, then, is vital to the health of the church.

Without deacons helping the overseers tend to the needs of the church family, we will have wounded warriors falling out of the fight and not realize it until it it too late.

As a church, we need God to raise up more men who are willing to serve as deacons in the days ahead.

Our church was about half the size it is currently the last time we appointed deacons, and the four men who stepped forward to serve have done what they can to meet as many needs as possible.

However, one of our deacons has recently moved, we have more ministry needs than ever, and we need men to step in to help in this area.

We need, as it were, a few good men to serve this church in this unique way.

Following the pattern that we see in , in the coming weeks, we will give our church family an opportunity to nominate men to be considered to serve in the office of deacon.

As you hear their character qualifications this morning, begin praying now for the men God will raise up to serve his church this way.

Let’s read through the qualifications, then we will go through them together.

Start with me in .

We can break these qualifications along similar lines to what we saw last week with elders/overseers.

First, we see that a deacon should be known as a man with great...

1) Personal Character

Our first concern with a deacon’s character is his personal moral character.

This is the same concern we saw last week with overseers.

Just like an overseer must have exemplary moral character, so too a deacon must live a life of great integrity.

As we dive in, let’s recognize that these are not always as specific as you might want, but they paint a picture for us of a man’s general character.

Where you can’t draw a hard and fast line, I am reminded a statement I once heard John Piper make.

He was being asked to make a judgement call about an area that wasn’t as specific as some would like, and he replied:

“The impossibility of drawing a line between night and day doesn't mean you can't know it's midnight.”