The Model Servant

If you have your bibles, if your turned with me

to Timothy one Timothy chapter three. This morning, we're going

to start in verse eight. First Timothy chapter three, starting

in verse eight. You know there's in the great work

of the movie Peter Pan. Remember the movie Peter Pan,

the Little Disney Movie, and Peter Pan in one moment,

tells John to take the boys and lead them, and

they do a game. You remember the game follow the Leader.

You played that game, Follow the Leader. What is the

premise of the game. The premise of the game, or

what Peter was getting John to do, is for a

leader to be chosen, and the leader leads their group

on where to go and then how to go. And

so when the leader jumps, everyone who's followed behind jumps.

When the leader squats down, all the those who are

following squad down. The premise of the game is that

the leader sets the example, and everyone who's following the

leader follows his example. You know, that's not only something

for Peter Pan. It's not only a game for children.

But in the Bible, God chooses to select two leaders

for the church, and the role for these leaders are

not only to have duties, but they are to be

an example. There to be leaders who accept an example.

I have.

Believers are to live their life, and they are to

go ahead of the congregation, and they are to lead

by example. And the example they set for our godliness

is the example that church members that we as believers

should follow to leaders that God ordains. As we come

to first Timothy, are elders or overseers, or pastors and deacons.

Those are the two offices that.

God gives us, elders and deacons. John Maxwell said once

about leaders. A leader is one who knows the way,

goes the way, and shows the way.

You know.

It is just like the game. Elders and deacons are

to be men who know the way to go, and

they go that direction and they show others how to

live that example. John Stodd, a great pastor, once said,

the authority by which Christian leaders leads is not power

but love, not force but an example, not coercion, but

reason but reason persuasion. It is the example that elders

and deacons are to set as we come to first Timothy.

Paul was writing to a young pastor named Timothy. He's

he's a pastor over the church in Ephesus, and he

is battling false teaching and false teachers in Ephesus. And

for Paul, the great weapon that God had given to

Timothy in battling the false teaching and false teachers of

the world at the time was godly leaders, the godly

leaders that he had put into the church in Ephesus.

And so he today is is reminding Timothy, Timothy, you're

in war against false teaching and false teachers. One weapon

that God's given you is your leaders, the elders and

the deacons that you have, and how they are to live.

What is faithfulness before the congregation and faithfulness before others.

I remember when I was a little boy, one time

my dad were I was doing something and I had

I'd done something I wasn't supposed to. I don't remember

at the time or today. I don't remember today what

that was, but I remember when Dad disciplment disciplined me

for my misbehavior. I remember saying him, but Daddy, you

do that, well, that ain't governor so well. But I

remember Dad saying these words, don't do as I do,

do as I say. Well, you know that really doesn't

work in the home, nor does it work in the church.

You know, we as.

Leaders need to be leaders who don't tell our church

people what to do, and we don't lead by the

example ourselves.

We need to be elders and deacons.

Who don't say do don't do as I do, do

as I say, but we show how to live.

And that is the example that we see.

Paul set. He lists elders, he lists deacons, and he

set he shows what kind of example there to set today?

This morning?

Do you recognize God's given you elders? Do you recognize

this morning God's given you elders and deacons for example

for you to set before you? You are to follow

their example. Do you recognize their example? Do you follow

their example? Are you deacon here today? Do you know

God's called you to be an example? How are you

faithful to that calling?

Today?

May we follow the leaders that God has given us,

and may we recognize their example that God has set

before us today? Let's read God's word together. First Timothy

Chapter three will start in verse eight. This morning, read

through thirteen. Let's read God's word together. The Bible says

deacons likewise must be dignified, not double tongue, not addicted

to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must

hold the mystery of faith with the clear conscience. Let

them be also be tested first. Then let them service deacons.

If they prove themselves blameless, their wives likewise, must be dignified,

not slanders, but sober minded, faithful in all things. Let

deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children.

Their households well. For those who serve well.

As deacons gain good standing for themselves and also great

confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. Let's

pray together, Father, we thank you Lord for your word.

We thank you for God, who you've brought into this

place today to worship the men you were watching online

or on TV.

Today.

God, we know that this moment and this passage was

appointed for today, Lord, by your sovereign will and said today.

We know we're not here by chance. God.

We know that you've brought us here Lord to hear

your word. So Lord, I pray that your word today

would speak.

Lord, that you would.

Open our hearts and our minds to your word, that

we would understand rightly what your word says, and Lord

and on we would understand that, by God, we would

apply it to our own lives. That we might follow

the examples that you set before us.

Today.

Lord, we love you, We thank you for your love

for the Church, your love for your people. And Lord, today,

may we be moved by your word today as we.

Look for you.

Lord today, I am a broken week pastor Lord that

desperately needs Lord, your power and your spirit to be

upon me. Lord today, Lord, I pray they're not moved

by my words, or my thoughts or my preparation.

Today.

God, I pray you'd move Lord, your people, by your

spirit and by your word.

So Lord, use me, mold me.

Lord, May I decrease that you might increase today, that

you receive all the praise and the glory from it.

In your name, we pray, Amen.

You may be seated as we come to this passage

of scripture, and we look at the second office of

the church, and that is deacons. The Bible says first

and verse eight deacons. The word deacon there actually means

just in the Greek servant, and the translators would later

on actually because it became an office, would make it

into a word deacon, but in just the Greek. If

you would just look at it and compare that word

that she used about one hundred times in the New Testament.

The word actually just means servant. Give you a few examples.

By the way, the verb form of this word actually

means serve. In Matthew twenty twenty, you remember the disciples

came to Jesus, the sons of Thunder, and they were

asking to say that the right had left of Jesus

when he establish his kingdom. And Jesus says, it's not

mine to give you. But he said this at the

very end of Matthew twenty six. He says, it shall

not be among you, but whoever will be great among

you must be what your servant. That word servant, there's

deacon os. It's the same word that she used. Here's

just means servant. The verb form of that has usually Remember,

Jesus is traveling, he just ministered to share the Gospel

and preaching the sn of God. And he goes to

Peter's house, and Peter's mother in law is sick, you remember,

and he prays over and heals her. And the Bible

says that Matthew eighteen fifteen, he touched her hand and

the fever left her, and she rose and began to

serve him. That is the verb form of deacon os.

It means to serve, to serve a meal, and that's

what she did to Jesus there. So we see that

this term just in the New Testament just means very

simply to serve. And as you come to this passage

of scripture this morning, you see the role of deacon

is is a servant. Their servants of the true elders

are overseers. They're meant to lead and to rule, to

guide the church and the direction that the God has

given it.

But deacons are different. Their role is servants. They are

to serve the church. They are to serve the Lord.

There to serve the church and its members. There's a

few distinctions between. If you compare, you notice these two

offices come back to back.

In First Timothy.

Chapter three, we see elders first and then we see

the office of deacons, and they are very similar you're

going to see today as we walk through these There's

a lot of these qualifications overlap, but there's a few

things that we see in distinction between the elders and

the deacons, and one is elders are there overseers.

They have authority there to exercise authority over the church.

Deacons do not. They do not have that role. They

are servants, you see, elders. One of the qualifications of

the elders they are to be able to teach.

So part of their role is to teach and lead

the church through expositing scripture, understanding scripture. That is not

one of the qualifications of a deacon.

They're not. They do not have to possess the quality

to teach.

And so their their functions a little different, but their

example is not. I think it is very interesting, as

I've said to you last week, Paul understands what is

what is the purpose?

If you walk?

If you read First Timothy? Why did Paul write First Timothy?

Was Paul write First Timothy to combat the false.

Teaching in Ephesus?

He knew, as I said, from the very beginning, he

knew one of the weapons God gave the church and

its battle against false teaching was its leaders, godly leaders.

And so here Paul doesn't focus on the function or

the duties of the deacons.

Or the elders. He functioned.

He focuses on their qualification, how they live their life. Sometimes,

as I said to you last Sunday, sometimes as churches.

We put so much emphasis on the duties of elders

in des and we neglect the quality and the example

that they're set. Can I tell you for Paul how

a pastor and a deacon lived was just, if not

more important, or just as important as what he did.

You see that?

And here that same thing comes for Paul as it

come to deacons. They are to be servants, but they

are to be a model servant. And I want you

to see this morning what that means to be this model,

this example of a servant to the church.

What does that look like?

Look at verse eight, it says deacon likewise must be dignified.

I think it's important as you read that verse, you

see that keyword there, likewise.

Why is Paul use the word likewise.

He's referring back to what he just said about the elders,

what he just said about the overseers. Just as likewise

these they had these qualifications. Likewise, the same qualifications, many

of them, flow to the deacons. Just as the elders

are to be example, likewise, the deacons are.

To be examples.

You remember I said to you last week that the

deacons were to be that the elders would be that

role model that leader followed the leader right, and the

imagery of we see in scripture. I think Paul's outlining

is the elders that set the example that.

The deacons are to follow. The deacons.

The elders set the examples of the deacons are to follow.

The elders set the example that the church members are

to follow. The deacons follow the example of the elders,

and the church members follow the examples of the deacons.

And we see this modeling from all, from from head down,

and it was supposed to flow. It's not supposed to

be just again elders and deacons who lived this way.

It's all of us together, a body of Christ.

All following the example that the Lord has set before us.

So what is this example a we see or first

we see in this passage Scripture one, a model of dignity?

He says, likewise us be dignified. The word dignified means

to be serious. It could be stately if the idea

or the idea is being serious, and means he's serious

in his character. It means someone who who takes things seriously,

if you will. It means a deacon is someone who's

to take his his role in his leading seriously. He's

to take worship seriously. He's to take guiding the church

and being a servant seriously. It's not something that he

should be flipping about. It's something that he should understand

that God's called me as a servant and I need

a lead and I need to be an example of

that at church and outside of church. Heard of a

deacon one time and he sent a message to the

to the church and to his members that he will

be there that day. He had some very important things

that he was sick and he came down with the flu,

and he will be there. One of the church members

came to find out that they saw the deacon wasn't

at home.

He was headed to the ballgame.

So he told the pastor that the deacon wasn't there

and said he was sick, but he was actually went

to the ball game. So the pastor decided to go

to the deacon's house. Went to the house to the

deacon says, I had information that you weren't sick at all,

that actually you went to the to the baseball game.

And he said.

The deacon says, I tell you what I protest that

I have that. I have a picture of that fish

I caught for you, just to show you that.

They were wrong. Okay, you'll catch that later. Hopefully it was.

He wasn't at the ballgame. He was fishing in the pond.

So he did lie. Evidently the imagery. I tell you

that story because it is serious. Sometimes we jokingly passed

by that. Well, the deacons and how how faithful they

are at church, that's not that important. These other things

are not important. How they lead, how they lead by

example and their worship no there to lead as in

a model of dignity, a model of that day. Take

their role serious and their example serious, and how they lead,

and how they guide conversations. There to handle that with dignity,

with seriousness. Secondly, we see that they're a model of discipline.

You see this passage likewise must be dignified. And then

it lists three prohibitions. These are the idea that it's

not just what the deacon does, but also what the

deacon does not do. I think as important as we

think about leaders, and I've told you this last Sunday.

As a pastor, we live in a glass house, and

everything that we do or is examined and how we do,

what we do and what we don't do.

And that also is for deacons.

Deacons, our lives are examined, and they're not only the

church body is not only looking at what you're doing,

but they're also looking at what you're not doing.

And just like the.

Story of the just told you about the deacon says

he was at the had the flu and he skipped church,

and the church members are watching, was he really or

was he really at the ball game?

Where was it really fishing in the lake or really

fishing at the pond.

They are watching, and they're watching on what you're doing,

but they're not watching what you're not doing.

And Paul knows this.

And so Paul says, deacons, there's things that you shouldn't.

Don't mean that you cannot do them, that you can

do these things, but you should not do these things.

And he lists three things.

Number one, they should not be double tongue the term

for double tongue very simply, maybe you shouldn't talk about

of both sides of your mouth. Right, should say one

thing to one person and say another thing to another person. Right,

it's a passage of Matthew five thirty seven says, let

what you say simply be yes or no.

Anything more than this comes from evil.

That's what matt Jesus says in Matthew five thirty seven.

It's the imagery of someone's not being double tongue, not again,

not saying talking out of both sides of your mouth.

I'm not saying one thing in the deacons meeting to

saying another thing to someone else.

Your yes b yes, and your no be noo. I'm

not double tongued.

I think it's so important that that you understand that

as deacons, you are to set that example. But that's

not only for you deacons. It's for us as church members.

We are to be people who are have honesty in

our speech. What we say is true, and we don't

speak out of both sides of our mouth to people

that we are faithful to our word here and outside

of here. Secondly, he's not to be addicted to much

given to much wine is the imagery of the passage here.

I'm not addicted to much wine. It's the idea of

being self control.

Here.

We know in scripture in Romans fourteen twenty one, it's

not good to eat meat or drink wine, or do

anything that causes your brother to stumble. So I think

it's important for you to understand, for an elder, for

a deacon, it's not only a matter of what you do,

but it's what you don't do. In drunkenness, by the way,

is prohibited from all people, whether you're an elder, a deacon,

or church member. We see that command in scripture. But

support for us to understand that people watch what you're doing,

and here for a deacon, they are not to be

associated with someone who's given to too much wine. I

promise you this. I've been in ministry enough to know,

and you know my view on alcohol. I believe in

alcohol abstinence. I believe wishes it stand from alcohol. I

know that's not a popular view today. I know that's

not a popular view in Durham and Raleigh, in our

world today, but I believe for witness sake, we should

have stayed from alcohol. Can you drink, Yes, absolutely you can.

Should you drink?

I don't think you should. And the reason why is

because people are watching how you live your life. I

could tell you how many times I've talked with church

leaders to say, hey, I would encourage you. You need

to stay from alcohol because people are watching. And long

and behold, it'll come up to hey, such and such

saw what saw you on Facebook, and they saw that

picture on that table, and they saw what was on

your table.

It's people were asking about what you're drinking.

Listen, it matters what we do, and it matters what

we don't do, and people are watching, and we don't

want to do anything in our life. Listen, it's going

to cast someone else's stumble and hurt our witness. For Christ,

it's important. It's important to Paul, it should be important

to us. It's important for elders. It's important for deacons.

It should important for it should be important for.

All of us. Second. Third, here, deacons are not greedy,

he says.

He says in this passage of Scripture, I'm not addicted

to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. It should

be lovers of money. And we see this all throughout Scripture.

Jesus says in Luke sixteen thirteen. No servant can serve

two masters, for either he will hate one and love

the other. He will be devoted to one and des

the other. You cannot serve God and money. He's not

to be a lover of money. We see the love

of money caused so many problems. You think about Judas, Judas,

it was the love of money that he pocketed some

of the money.

Of the disciples.

Right, it was and an incense of fire. Right, that

love money that led them to God's judgment. It's the

love of money that pierces many. Scripture tells us and

that a deacon should not be a lover of money.

He is not to be greedy. But you see not

needs to be a model of dignity. He's a model

of discipline, meanings.

He knows that he has the ability to do many things,

to love many things.

But he is disciplined.

He's disciplined not to love money. He's disciplined not to

be double tongued. He's disciplined not to be addicted to alcohol,

which you see. No, he's a model of dignity, a

model of discipline. But third he's a model of salvation.

Look at this passive scripture of verse nine. It says

they must hold the mystery of the faith with clear

conscious in scripture the idea of mystery. When we think

of mystery, we think of dateline or twenty twenty or

some type of mystery. Here, mystery is not some type

of mystery like we think of. Mystery, was something that

was once hidden but now is revealed. In the idea

of scripture, there were truths about who God was and

God's redentive plan that were mysterious in the Old Testament,

but God revealed in the New Testament. Let's think about

what those ideas are that we're in the Old Testament

that were maybe mysterious to the people of the Old Testament,

but revealed in the New Testament. There was the mystery

of the incarnation. There was the mystery of the indwelling

of the Holy Spirit. They're a mystery of the salvation

of Jews and gentiles in Christ. There was a mystery

of the gold News of the Gospel. There was the

mystery of the second Coming of Christ.

Those are mysteries. There's things that the.

Bible talked about and prophesied, but God's people did not understand.

But in the New Testament we know through Christ all

these things that were once hidden are now revealed. For

Colossians says the mystery Clausian's one twenty six. The mystery

hidden things for ages and generations, but now revealed to

the saints. There are things now that once we're hidden,

are now revealed.

To God's people. And what Paul was saying here.

Is that a deacon must understand these mysteries. And what

is the mystery that Paul says. Deacon should understand. They

should understand clearly the Gospel. Then they should understand the

incarnation of Jesus, that Jesus caught, came, led, and died

and rose again, that we might have forgiveness a sin

and write relationship with Jesus. A deacon must understand the Gospel.

He must understand how we are saved by fate through grace.

A deacon must understand those things. He must hold.

Those as Scripture says, he must hold the mystery of

the faith with clear conscience. The next part of that

is he must understand the Gospel, but he must understand

it with a clear conscious. The clear conscious is the

understand that I really believe that. It means that he

holds it with conviction. He means that he understands it,

but he believes it. What was simple a way to

say that it's not just head knowledge for him. He's

just not someone who's been through Sunday School and been

through Bible study, and he has a head knowledge of

the gospel, but has never impacted his heart. No, it's

one who not only does he understands hard to articulate it.

He understands the truth of the Gospel, but it also

has changed his heart. He holds a clear conscious in it.

He only to be a model of dignity, a model

of discipline. He needs to be a model of salvation.

But fourth, he needs to be a model of maturity.

For Paul knows this deacon must be dignified, disciplined, and

he must.

Be a model of salvation.

He knows the gospel, and he believes the gospel. In

verse ten, he's to be tested, and let him also

be tested, and let them serve as a deacon if

they proved themselves blameless. The imagery here is that he

is to be a man who's been tested. If you

think about scripture, you think about men in the Bible

who were tested.

Before they served.

Joseph served for thirteen years in Egypt before God led

him to be a leader. Moses cared for the sheep

and medium for forty years. Joshua was Moses's servant before

he came Moses's successor. David was tending sheep before God

made him king. Jesus was a carpenter, and Paul was

the tent maker.

You see, God raises up men.

But he takes men through seasons of testing. And Paul

was saying, before a deacon serves, he must be tested.

It must be a period of time where he has

seen that he has served, he's served faithfully, he's been tested,

he's been proven. I remember one time I was serving

in a church one time, and we were trying.

To find leaders in the church.

And there was a particular guy, a man in our

church who had he'd been going to church, but he

only come to Sunday school. He come to Sunday school,

and then after Sady school he'd take off. He never

come to Sunday morning service. And so they were talking

about needing deacons, I think at the time, and we yeah,

we really need some good, good deacons. And they said,

you know such and such, you know he's real faithful,

he's real faithful. Yeah, he comes to Sunday school every Sunday,

but he doesn't come to church. He doesn't come to

Wednesday night, he doesn't come to anything else. Except Sunday School.

You know, but I think I think, Preacher, I tell you,

I think if we make him a deacon, he'll come more.

Well, there's a problem here.

You're you're you're saying, let's put him in a position

and then.

That will make him faithful.

For Paul, No, he must be proven, he must be tested.

He must show.

Himself as an example before you put him into position.

Not put him into position and then see if he'll

fit the example. Do you see That's what Paul was

saying here. He showed to be an example before he serves,

just as Joseph showed himself faithful before he served, just

as Joshua showed himself faithful before God called him, Just

as David was faithful intending the sheep before God called

him to be king.

May we look.

For men who've been tested, who are examples of servants,

who are examples of godly men, before we choose them

to serve one person once said an untested Christian, as

an unprepared Christian, May we find men who are tested.

You see, he's a model of the family. The Bible

says in verse eleven and twelve, Their wives, likewise must

be dignified, not slanderers, but so reminded, faithful in all things.

Let the deacon each be the husband of one wife

and managing their children their households. Well, now here comes

the debated part of the sermon this morning here, when

we come to verse eleven, is really very hotly debated.

I'll give you kind of the two understand understandings of arguments. First,

I think it's important for you understand when you come

to the word in.

Verse eleven wives.

The word in the Greek is simply the same word

for either could be translated women or wives. So I

think that's important to understand very first the pronoun there.

There is not in the Greek that is simply in

the Greek women or wives. So then it comes to

the determination of what is the translation. Is he talking

about the wives of the deacon or he's just talking

about women. And there's two different arguments by this from

this one say this is deacons wives. Paul is as

you come to this passive scripture, he's given qualifications from

verse eight to verse ten is all qualifications of the deacons.

And then he goes into a section where he's discussing

the family of the deacon. So he discusses in verse

eleven the deacon's wife, and then in verse twelve he

talks about him leading his home, and then he talks

about leading his family. So these two verses, Paul is

talking about the life of the family. And so therefore

the translation that Paul is using here when he uses

this term that's used interchangeably for women or for wives,

he's talking.

About the wives of the deacons.

Some would say, you know, what Paul is talking about

here is not wives. The translationation as actually women, and

what Paul is talking about is women deacons or deaconesses.

The argument here is if you go to the passage

scripture their wives likewise. Now you notice if you go

to verse eight, as Paul starts with a new argument

of deacons, he starts deacons likewise, deacons.

Likewise like the elders.

Some say, as he comes to eleven, he's using the

same tool that says women deaconess's likewise follow the example

of the deacons. Therefore also follows some of the same

expectations of the elders, and so some would say he's

talking about women deacons.

There.

We also see in Romans sixteen to one that I

commend you, sister Phoebe a servant of the church. And

so some would say that that Phoebe there is a servant.

This word servant, so we don't know if it's the

office the deacon or not. Someone would say she's an

example of what Paul was talking about. I think that

it's important for you to understand here as you come

to this passage, there's there's this is heavily debated.

I think it's important for you to understand.

Number one, deacons do not have authority over the congregation.

They're not serving as an office of authority. Number two,

they're not teaching. They're just they're servants. And so but

I do think regardless of where there is he he

does tell whether it's women or women deacons.

He does say they are to have examples.

I will say from their early church to the Reformation

products its believed it's been the common belief that this

is their wives, because even the translators here would add

the pronoun there in the belief that this was talking

about their wives as deacons. So the deacon's wives an

important role. It gives this very quickly here it says

it says in verse eleven their wives likewise, must be dignified,

not slanderers, not so reminded, faithful all things. I think

you could probably have this idea that you can imagine

for the deacons. As they're serving the church, their wives

are going to come alongside and serve with their husbands.

They're going to help their husbands in different things. And

so therefore the wives of the deacons are to be an.

Example, as the deacons to be an example.

And so she's to be an example as he's an

example of in verse eleven. She's to be dignified as

he's dignified. She's not to be double tongued like he's

not to be double tungued. She's to be so reminded

as he's supposed to be soberminded. She's to be faithful

as he is to be faithful. I think it's important

for you to see models of the church.

Right. You have a husband, a.

Deacon who's leading faithfully and he's not doing it long.

But he has a wife who is what to be

his helpmate, and she's helping and she's following the same

example of her husband, and they're modeling a godly home

before the church. But you see not only that is

it's not only are they leading together as a couple,

but I also think you see in this passage of scripture,

not only are they leading, but he's leading in his fidelity.

The Bible says, let the deacon each be the husband

and one wife. I spent a good bit of time

on this last time.

Courage you.

If you missed that, maybe go back and watch or listen.

But the idea here, I believe is a one woman man.

It doesn't mean that he can he can never be

divorced or never be married and serving. I think the

idea and the main idea here is that he's to

be a one woman man. It means that he only

has eyes for his wife. He's faithful to her only.

And so that's the idea here.

Fidelity.

He's committed to his wife, He's he's not consumed by lust,

he's not consumed with pornography, he's not consumed with dirty jokes,

he's not concerned with being flirtatious.

He only has eyes for his wife. He's committed solely

to her.

He's to be he is to be a role model

of sexual purity for others, which you see, and only

that is he and only to be an example of purity.

He also has to manage his children well in their household,

So only is he to They are to be committed,

and there'll be examples together, but he's to be committed

to her. He's an example of purity before the church

and before others. The example of leading a household well,

they lead their family well. In John Bunyan's book Pilgrim's Progress,

there's a character talkative, and talkative is described as someone

who's saintely abroad and the devil at home. You know,

if you think about it, there is a danger within

ministers and church leaders, elders and deacons that we can

live one way in the church in another way outside

the church, and in particularly we can do this at home.

Live one way before the people. I live another way

at the home, but a failure in the home shows

there's a really serious trouble.

For the church.

For a deacon, he needs to be one who's faithful

in the church, an example in the church, and he also.

Needs to be an example to his home.

I will say one of the most important things that

I've always said for me is I tell my girls

read your bibles, pray, seek the Lord. But if I'm

not living that myself, I'm failing. I think one of

the greatest things my girls see is my Bible out

in he reading my Bible, praying, seeing their mother read

her Bible and pray. We must be an example here,

but we have to be the same example at home.

It starts there. Paul understands that as we.

Finish this morning, I want you to see, lastly, here

for a Paul, for a deacon, who's this model servant,

who is a model of dignity, a model of discipline,

the model of salvation, a model of maturity, a model

of family.

There's the results of this.

It produces something, and he ends this section with that

verse thirteen. For those who serve well as deacon gain

a good standing for themselves and also confidence in the

faith that is in Christ Jesus. You know, it's kind

of that ideas someone's watching, right, Someone's always watching, watching

how you live.

So what's the good in it? In the end, what

does it produce? Well, one, it gives you a good

reputation before others.

It is, if you will, a reputation of faithfulness. The

word for standing here literally means to elevate a stand.

He's using it metaphorically. That mean that we might put

someone on a pedestal. This is not pride. This is

not something that the deacons seek, but as an honor

that deacons receive. If they're that faithful example that God's

calling them to be, they can hold their head up

high before their peers that they've been faithful. They've been

a faithful servant to the Lord. In the eyes of

their peers, they hold a good reputation, a reputation of faithfulness.

Secondly, they have confidence in the faith.

Listen the way he says for those who serve well

as deacon gain a good standing for themselves and also

great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

The word confidence.

There is this idea of bold faith, confidence in their

walk with the Lord, their confidence in their relationship with Christ.

They know there where God wants them to be, and

that God is It's pleased with their faithfulness. They have

confidence before the Lord. Can I remind you today, Church,

as I said to you last Sunday. If you leave

this service and say that's a good message for the deacons,

you've missed it. This is a message for all of

us there to be role.

Models, role models that you follow.

So how are you this morning? How are you displaying dignity?

How are you being dis.

Sure?

There's things that you can do, but there's things that

you should not do as a Christian?

How are you displaying discipline?

How do you graft? Do you have a grasp of

the gospel that Jesus came and lived and died on

a cross for your sins? Do you believe that? Do

you have the conviction and do you have a clear

conscience that you know that Jesus has saved you today?

Are you a model of maturity? Maybe today God's testing you.

He's taking you through a season of testing like he

did Joseph, for like David, and maybe he's preparing you

to do something. Are you demonstrating maturity in the midst?

How about home?

Are you the same person at church as you're at home?

Would you just say Lord today, I want to be

faithful publicly and privately to you. I heard his story

as I closed this morning, I asked the priest team,

you can make your way up. Heard the story of

a two men they robbed a jewey store. One was

a lawyer, one was a just a high school dropout

he had been, They were arrested, they were convicted, sentence,

and the lawyer received a tenure prison sentence. It's whereas

the guy who dropped out of school, he only got

three years. The lawyers representative of his counselor stood before

the judge and pleaded with the judge, this is not fair.

I mean he's got the lawyer got ten years and

this other guy just got three. Why is it that

he got such a harsh sentence. The judge explained that

the lawyer had a greater responsibility because he.

Was an example of the law.

Can I tell you, elders, deacons, you and I are

will be held to a high your standard because of

what God's word.

Commanded of us. We're to be an example.

But can I tell you that responsibility and only falls

to the elders and falls to us as deacons, it

follows onto you as believers. Why because you know what

God's word says, and he will hold us responsible to

what his word says and how we measure up to

his word.

May you say to me, say to the Lord.

Today, Lord, help me be an example that others wants

to follow in my own life today?

Would you pray with me. Lord.

I thank you Lord that you give the church leaders

to be an example to the church.

Lord, I pray that we would be men women of God.

Who follow your word, who show a loss and the

dying world what it.

Means to be a Christian, what it means to be godly,

what it means to be holy. Lord, Your word tells

us to be holy, for you are holy. So God,

may we rise up to your word. God.

I thank you Lord for this word that you've given

us today. Lord, help us lords, submit Lord to your teaching.

Submit to your word today. Lord, I pray this as

we come to this time of invitation. If there's need

to come to.

This alter and pray, I pray you lead them to

do that. Lord.

If I could pray for someone, I pray you lead them. Lord,

I pray for someone here today that doesn't know the

truth of the Gospel, doesn't have never put their faith

in you for salvation.

Lord.

I pray today would be the day that they would surrender,

Lord to your word.

Lord, would surrender their life to you and put their

faith in you for salvation. Today.

Lord, we love you, We thank you Lord for this service.

Lead us. Now we pray