INTRO.- A noble task. What’s that? It depends on what you consider to be a noble task. I personally would not commend tending bar as being a noble task nor many other jobs in this world. Like: prostitution, dealing at a table at a gambling casino, etc. Nobility carries the idea of excellence or high moral character or standing. High ranking, excellent, moral, superior, illustrious.
ILL.- When Richard Nixon was Vice President (1953-61 under Eisenhower) he enjoyed relating an incident that took place at the Boy Scout Jamboree at Valley Forge. Practically every scout there had a camera and was trying to get a picture of the Vice President. One little fellow was as anxious as anyone else, but after snapping three shots he closed his camera and said, “That’s all my budget allows for Vice Presidents.”
Personally speaking, my budget doesn’t allow anything for Vice Presidents and sometimes, even Presidents!
ILL.- A little girl asked her father, “Do all fairy tales begin with Once upon a time?” The father replied, “No, some begin with - If I’m elected.”
We all know that being a politician is not popular these days. Far too many don’t keep their promises or else they deal under the table in order to get what they want. What do you call that?
Now here’s a better example of nobility.
ILL.- I love the old story about missionary Hudson Taylor who was scheduled to speak at a Large Presbyterian church in Melbourne, Australia. The moderator of the service introduced the missionary in eloquent and glowing terms. He told the large congregation all that Taylor had accomplished in China, and then presented him as "our illustrious guest."
Taylor stood quietly for a moment, and then opened his message by saying, "Dear friends, I am only the little servant of an illustrious Master."
Now that’s being noble as far as I’m concerned! I believe that if anything good comes from our lives then the Lord should be praised for it. HE IS THE AUTHOR OF GOOD IN OUR LIVES! And when we live for His praise and glory and that’s being very noble or very excellent!
Being a doctor has generally always been considered a noble task. And so with being a preacher or a pastor. However, with some corruption in these ranks they are not considered as high ranking as they once were. BUT THEY SHOULD! These jobs/occupations should be restored to the position of nobility by those who serve long and well!
PROP.- In our text, Paul speaks of several noble tasks in the church.
1- The noble task of being an elder
2- The noble task of being a deacon
3- The noble task of being a leader’s wife
I. THE NOBLE TASK OF BEING AN ELDER
1Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. 2Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 5(If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
Would you want to be an elder? If you do, you desire a noble task. An elder who is qualified and does his work is a noble person indeed.
Being a good elder is something that some men should shoot for! However, it seems like we don’t see many young men who have the desire to be an elder. WHY IS THIS? Why is there a lack of interest of being an elder or church leader in general?
It could be either because some leaders have done such a poor job or else the congregations where they served criticized them so much that no one wanted the job!
ILL.- On April 12th, 1945, Harry Truman was summoned to the White House. Ushered into Eleanor Roosevelt’s sitting room, the vice president was gently informed that President Roosevelt had died.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" Truman asked after a moment’s reflection. "Is there anything we can do for you?" Eleanor replied. "You’re the one in trouble now!" That’s probably how a newly elected elder feels.
ILL.- President Clinton once said running a country is a lot like running a cemetery; you’ve got a lot of people under you and nobody’s listening.
That may also be how elders feel. I know that’s often how preachers feel. Nobody’s listening.
2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect.
There’s a lot of “must bes” or “must-not-bes” in this text. This again may be why some men don’t want to be an elder. They may consider the qualifications as being too hard or too steep to meet.
He must be:
- Above reproach (nothing bad should be seen in him)
- One woman man (preferably a one wife only man)
- Temperate (moderate in all things)
- Self-controlled (not overindulgent in anything, unless it’s the Lord. Not lazy, etc.)
- Respectable (what do most people think of him?)
- Hospitable (quick to share with others)
- Have the ability to teach
- Must not be a heavy drinker (debatable, I know)
- Must not violent (temperamental, hot-headed)
- Must not be quarrelsome (someone who likes to argue)
- Must not be greedy (not money hungry)
- Must be a good family manager (children in obedience)
- Must not be a recent convert (should be obvious. And we shoudn’t put someone in the office of elder just because they are likeable)
- Must have a good reputation outside the church
What a list! It’s something for every Christian man to strive to be!
II. THE NOBLE TASK OF BEING A DEACON
8Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. 9They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.
12A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well. 13Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.
Deacons, likewise. What’s the difference in an elder and a deacon? That’s a good question for many people and most don’t know there is a difference.
The word “deacon” in the NT indicates one who is a servant. It’s not that elders don’t serve, because they do. In fact, Seth Wilson of Ozark Christian College said one time, “Elders are servants of servants in a serving brotherhood of love.” Amen?
If elders are supposed to be “servants and servants” then what about deacons? They, too, are to serve one another in love. It’s just that their service may deal more with the physical aspect of service whereas elders deal with the spiritual stuff.
It’s not that deacons can’t be spiritual and serve in spiritual ways it’s just that their service may deal MORE with the physical stuff.
We get this idea from the early in church in Acts 6 where those early deacons served food to widows who were being neglected.
Acts 6:1-4 1In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."
I think that deacons in the church today should be quick to serve the widows who need with errands, rides, various projects, etc. For example, I’ve known of deacons to go to widows’ homes, rake leaves, paint their houses, and do other kinds of work for them.
If the family doesn’t take care of them then the family of God should and this would be a part of the deacons’ service. Most of the time, however, we may think that the deacons are simply here to serve the Lord’s Supper and do nothing more.
Deacons should rightfully serve in the church and outside the church anyway they can!
And they, too, have a list of qualifications in this text. They must:
- Be men worthy of respect.
- Be sincere.
- Must not indulge in much wine (a little dab will do)
- Must not be dishonest
- Must hold to the truths of the faith (men of strong faith)
- Must be tested (watched before being asked to serve)
- Must be a one woman/wife man
- Must manage his children well (Well?)
ILL.- William Arthur Ward wrote: "We must be silent before we can listen. We must listen before we can learn. We must learn before we can prepare. We must prepare before we can serve. We must serve before we can lead."
Before any leader can lead (elder or deacon) he must first be a servant to others. Being a humble servant is probably the best qualification for any leader or any Christian, for that matter.
III. THE NOBLE TASK OF BEING A LEADER’S WIFE
11In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.
Their wives. Are these words written to the wives of deacons or are these what some call deaconesses?
Romans 16:1 “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea.”
There will always be a debate about having women leaders in the church. I think women have always been leaders in our churches even if they weren’t duly elected. How so? By teaching in Sunday School. By directing and teaching in our Vacation Bible School programs. In the past, if the women didn’t do it, it didn’t get done. And they were often faithful in attending church when the men, the husbands wouldn’t come!
I do believe, of course, that women servers or women servants should be the best they can be, just like elders and deacons. We should never put just anyone in a place of service or teaching just because we need someone.
Some churches have deaconesses who serve in various ways; teaching, on church boards, etc. But, of course, I don’t see how a woman can be an elder since the word indicates an older male.
Whether the women mentioned in this verse are deaconnesses or the wives of deacons, they are to be women of respect. Do people inside the church and outside the church respect them?
They must be temperate and trustworthy. Some versions read serious and dependable. These are great qualities for anyone. And I tend to think that some women are more serious and dependable than many men are!
Ruth 1:16-18 “But Ruth replied, "Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me." When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
Ruth said to her mother-in-law, Naomi, after losing her husband, “I will go with you....” How’s that for being serious and dependable? That’s the kind of stuff we need to see in both men and women today. These kinds of servants will always bless the Lord and the church.
CONCLUSION--------------------
ILL.- Feb., 2010. Chicago has openings for two good men or women. - Help wanted: registered voter with a conscience for position on the Chicago City Council. Salary $110,556 a year. Ex-felons need not apply. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley decided to take a different approach to fill two vacancies on the city’s 50-member city council, posting a notice on the city’s website listing qualifications for the job.
Candidates should be registered voters, have lived in the ward for a least a year and provide three letters of recommendation attesting to their community involvement. No current politicians, tax delinquents or anyone convicted of any "infamous crime, bribery, perjury or other felony" need apply.
Kind of humorous, wouldn’t you say? How would we advertise for church leaders? Good men wanted. Clean conscience, no bad record. God bless our godly leaders who serve nobly, superbly.
Steve Shepherd, Jonesboro Christian Church, AR
jonesborochristianchurch@suddenlink.net
