In his sermon on the 'Qualifications of Deacons,' Jason Dohm delves into the roles and qualifications of deacons within the church, primarily referencing 1 Timothy 3:8-13 and Acts 6. Deacons are not merely church workers but hold positions of spiritual trust, requiring men of mature Christian character who are full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. Their qualifications are parallel to those of elders, emphasizing integrity, sound faith, and effective management of their households. The sermon highlights the importance of deacons' wives also meeting certain standards, as they are privy to sensitive church matters. Dohm underscores the rewards for deacons who serve well, including good standing and boldness in faith. He concludes by encouraging the congregation to prayerfully consider nominating qualified men to serve, ensuring the church remains strong and well-ordered.

Open your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 2 and 3. So we've allotted this time to talk about deacons' qualifications. The last time we were talking about deacons, functions and roles to do that we went to Acts chapter 6. Saw the early church in Jerusalem that had a really sensitive problem. Some widows were getting their provision in the distribution to widows and some were being left out.

And so people were already mad. You were talking about dealing with the most vulnerable in the church. Widows, you're talking about distribution of resources. So it was really prickly on a number of fronts and the leaders in the Church of Jerusalem recognized that the solution wasn't for them to back away from prayer and the ministry of the Word to take care of this problem, but they acknowledged that it was a real problem that the people of God need care and sometimes that the care they need has things that are sensitive. Often When care is needed in the church there are really sensitive matters that are attached to it So they asked the church to bring forward men full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom who they could appoint over these sensitive work in the church So that that really serves as though why why?

Qualifications because deacons aren't a ground screw Deacons aren't the janitors of the church. They're men who are spiritual men who exhibit a mature Christian character in their lives and so they can be entrusted with the money and with sensitive matters in the church. And so because of that they must be qualified to Scripture's standards and we're given really specific standards. Acts chapter 6 is somewhat general, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. 1st Timothy chapter 2 really teases it out into a list of very specific things so that's what we'll be looking at.

God, I pray now that you would help me to speak clearly and that the good in your word would just come out really clearly, may it be so in Jesus' name, amen. So I wanna actually start in 1 Timothy chapter three, then we'll back up to chapter 2 but in 1st Timothy chapter 3 we read this in verses 14 and 15. 1st Timothy 3 14 and 15. These things I write to you though I hope to come to you shortly. But if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Because the church is that kind of institution, the pillar and ground of the truth. Because the church is that kind of institution, the pillar and ground of the truth for the world, it must operate according to God's wisdom. If the church is really going to be the pillar and ground of the truth for planet Earth, then we need to know how to operate, not guess how to operate, not imagine how to operate, but be told by God how to operate in wisdom. So if you look at 1st Timothy as a whole you see Paul giving us a number of different puzzle pieces and there here in verse 15 he fits them together to show us the big picture, a well-ordered church. So this is really what deacons are about.

Their role and function and qualifications in the church is about having well-ordered local churches that function according to God's wisdom. Now let's back up to 1st Timothy 2 verses 8 through 13. Nope, excuse me, 3 verses 8 through 13. Sorry, 1st Timothy 3 still, 8 through 13. Paul writes, likewise, deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to 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 husband of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For those who have served well as deacons obtained for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus." So here we have it, the biblical qualifications for deacons. Verse 8 starts this way, likewise, like with elders, which was the lead into what I just read was qualifications for elders, like with elders, similar to the requirements for elders to meet certain qualifications.

Deacons must meet certain qualifications. Actually if you if you take the time we won't now because we don't have the time but if you take the time to match them up they're very similar in their qualifications. So don't think of deacons as junior elders. They have different functions, but they have very similar qualifications. These are to be spiritual men who have mature Christian character demonstrated in their lives.

Here's what Alexander Strauch says, shepherds and deacons hold positions of sacred trust. They direct and care for the family of God. They handle problems, money, needy people. They have access to people's homes and the most intimate details of their lives. They have access to people who are most vulnerable to deception or abuse.

Thus, they must be men of proven integrity." I think he's getting right to the point. Because of their functions and roles, because of all the information they have access to and the people they have access to, they must meet these character qualifications. So in thinking how should we think of the character qualifications? Well again we don't have time to go one by one, although that's a really profitable activity. You might want to go back and look at it one by one, but let me group them and sort of summarize what I think we have in the qualifications.

First, we have character qualifications. Who he is. So set aside the things that you know about what he's done. Who is he? When you get to the core of what he's like, what is he like, who is this man?

To be reverent, not double-tongued, not given too much wine, not greedy for money. The deacons handle the church's money. If you put a money lover as a deacon, the money is going to disappear. You have faith and practice qualifications. The text says it this way, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.

What's that saying? Sound in faith, sound in practice. Jude speaks of, quote, the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. That's Jude verse 3. So there is a faith, a body of truth that has been delivered by scripture, by Jesus and the apostles.

There is a faith that has been once and for all delivered to the saints. So they hold this faith, this mystery of the faith, and they hold it with a pure conscience. They know this once for all faith that has been delivered to the people of God and they hold to that faith in practice with a clear conscience. In other words, they live according to the faith that they profess. They have a sound biblical faith and then they live by it.

That's what you're looking for in deacons. We have family qualifications. His wife must be a certain way, which is a reflection of the husband. He must be a one-woman man when you see in the qualifications for both elders and for deacons that the same qualification exists. It's translated the husband of one wife but a more literal translation is a one-woman man.

Really helps you to know how to think of that qualification. It means more than just not divorced. In fact, I don't think it means never divorced at all. So that's a longer topic. Pull me aside if you want to talk about it, but when I say that's a one woman man, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

He has eyes and affections for his wife, and his eyes and his affections aren't, aren't wandering. That's a one woman man. That's the kind of man that you're looking for. He must govern his children and his home well because all of that is going to carry over into his care for the local church. All of this can be easily traced back to Acts chapter 6, verse 3.

The leaders in the church in Jerusalem say, brethren seek out from among you seven men of good reputation. So They're known for being mature, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. They're spiritual men and they have the fruits of the Spirit. They have the fruits of being spiritual men, being indwelt and worked on by the Holy Spirit and they say whom whom we may entrust a point over this business and I would add over this sensitive business because we looked at the business they were attending to in Acts chapter 6. So it's sensitive business and sensitive business in the local churches to be entrusted to mature Christian men.

Now let's talk for a minute about a deacon's wife. Look back at verse 11. There's really, I could argue and would argue that it's implied for elders, wives. I think it's strongly implied and I could try to make a case for that, but it's explicit with deacons, meaning it's not implied at all. It's right here in black and white.

Look at verse 11. Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Why is that? Why do not only the men who are going to be charged and put into service have to be a certain way, but their wives have to be a certain way as well? It's because husband and wife are not two but one.

They're one. As one, the wife of a deacon is going to have access to many details that many people in the church don't have access to. Elders' wives and deacons' wives know this to an extent that you don't know until you're in that position. They'll be relating to people about sensitive matters in ways that most people in the church won't. And so the wife of the deacon must always be an asset and never a liability.

She's helping this deacon as he serves the church in really practical ways and she is privy to a lot of things that are going on in the church that wouldn't be appropriate to talk about from the pulpit or in the conversations that happen at lunch table. So I wish Cammie was here too, but I just want to say to Tracy and Cammie, on behalf of Sovereign Redeemer Community Church, thank you, Thank you. The two of you have always been an asset to your husbands as they serve the church. We really do appreciate Jim and Josh very much. The wives of deacons can be tremendous assets to the local church and tremendous liabilities.

I've seen both. I've been in churches where deacons' wives were tremendous liabilities to the church, and we didn't know. Years ago, when we qualified these men and put them into service, one of the things the whole church sought through was what Cammie and Tracy were like. And the church affirmed that they met these qualifications and the passing of time has proved that the church was right about that. So I didn't want the time to come and go without thanking you for your part in your husband's service to the church.

Finally, is it all work and no rewards? Don't you want to know the answer to that question? The answer is no. It's not all work and no reward. Look again 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. So deacons who serve well will find that they receive a good standing among the brethren for their service. I think we can see that in our fellowship. And they receive boldness in the faith. There is a good part to being on the front row and seeing God's faithfulness to a church on the inner workings of things over a period of time that makes you bold in your faith.

I think that's that's part of what is being said here. So Sovereign Redeemer Community Church, I'll quote Acts chapter 6 again, Brethren seek out from among you seven men of good reputation. Doesn't have to be seven, doesn't even have to be two. Doesn't have to be one for that matter. Seek out from among you men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business." We're actually going to take one more week, two weeks from today, to just give you some exhortations about how you should think through nominating.

Where we're not taking nominations yet, we want to talk about roles and functions first, want to talk about qualifications, which we just did, want to spend one more week just talking about, hey think about this as you think about who you may nominate think about these variables these considerations and then as you're satisfied nominate man God Thank you for the officers that you have given this church. And it's been a joy to work together, serve together. And God, I pray that you would add elders over time at the right time, add deacons over time at the right time, now or in the future. Pray that you would just make us increasingly strong and stable as a church by by filling out both of these offices in our church and God for those who will never serve as an officer in the church, men, women, children, whoever they may be, that you would make us mighty in having people in our church who love you, want to follow you, and want to serve you, and serve your people in whatever way that they can. Give all the members of our church a mighty ministry in our church and in our community.

I pray In Jesus' name, amen.