What do Deacons and Pastors Do? (Summer Sermon Clips 1)

To the Ruled Church podcast.

This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased. He is honored, and I get the glory. And by the way, it's even better, because you see that building in Perryville, Arkansas? You see that one in Pechote, Mexico?

Do you see that one in Tuxla, Guterres, down there in Chiapas? That building has my son's name on it.

The church is not a democracy, it's a monarchy.

Christ is king.

You can't be Christian without a local church.

You can't do anything better than to bend your knee and bow your heart, turn from your sin and repentance, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and join up with a good Bible-believing church, and spend your life serving Jesus in a local, visible congregation.

Summer Sermon Clip Introduction and Purpose

It's summertime. Welcome to the Ruled Church podcast. I'm your co-host, Alan Nelson. Periodically in the summer, we'll try to post a few sermon clips for your edification. This one comes from a little over 12 years ago at a church that I formerly pastored, First Baptist Church in DeWitt, Arkansas.

I was actually looking on my computer for a Word doc of something totally different. I was looking through some old files, and this one actually came up and forgot what it was. I listened to it, and I was like, oh yeah.

I remember being that young. So I think there's some things in there that are worthy of correction, but hopefully overall, you find it encouraging. And the sermon is on Philippians 1 .1, but the segment you're gonna hear is talking about overseers and deacons.

And I hope this is encouraging to you personally, but also may be helpful to you as you think about the local church. You'll have to forgive my voice. It's a little bit higher 12 years ago, but I hope the sermon clip that you're gonna hear is helpful and encouraging to your walk with the Lord and to your local church.

Obviously, having preached this sermon over 12 years ago, there's so many ways I could grow in my communication and articulation and way to preach, but hopefully the meat of the sermon, you find it helpful.

The Local Church, Christ's Rule, and Godly Leadership

So without further ado, here we go. Local church is founded upon Christ. The local church is full of saintly slaves. And finally, the local church follows godly leadership. You see, although we are a congregationalist church, God has placed leaders in this church to lead us that you are called to follow.

Paul says, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi with the overseers and deacons, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I gave a really good plug last week about the SBC.

I'm a Southern Baptist. I love being a Southern Baptist. But here's one negative thing that comes down from the Southern Baptist sometimes, and that comes down from Lifeway sometimes, and even from our own convention here in Arkansas sometimes.

And that is what they try to do sometimes is separate the church over here and the staff over here. This isn't what the New Testament does, is it? That Nathan and I, first, our first identity is in Christ.

Secondly, we're in this church. God has called us to be a member of First Baptist Church of DeWitt. So don't separate us out. When things come down, we're all one body. We're united together. Deacons, your identity is in Christ.

Secondly, your identity is that you are a member of First Baptist Church of DeWitt. And so let that be known as we go into this. Another thing that I want you to know as we go into this is that I think, your pastor thinks, that church government is very, very important.

I think it's crucial that we get this right. But here's something else. I don't hold it as tightly as I do the doctrines of the Trinity. I don't hold it as tightly as I do the doctrines of propitiation or grace or things like that.

So the point is we can still work with churches who maybe aren't as far along as we are as understanding church government. And I'll be honest, too. We have some room for improvement right here. We do.

There's one form of church government in the New Testament.

One.

And Paul lays it out right here. Other places he talks about it, too. And we'll look at some of those verses. But there's one form. That is a plurality of elders and deacons. Now, I know that we don't like to hear that word elder because we think, well, we're a Baptist church and we don't have elders, but stick with me.

I'm gonna explain what it means because that's the only form in the New Testament. One form. There's not a pastor, deacons, congregation or deacon board, pastor, congregation. There's none of those models.

There's one, overseers and deacons. So let's explain that a little bit. What is an overseer? What is a deacon? I think first we'll go to Acts chapter six. Acts chapter six, starting in verse one. It says, now in these days, when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenist arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.

And the 12th summoned the full number of the disciples and said, it is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the spirit and of wisdom who we will appoint to this duty.

But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to ministry of the word. You know, I see a distinction right there. I wanna use this illustration I've thought through this week and I'm not saying it's a perfect analogy, but I like it and I think it'll resonate with us.

But if we wanna take overseers and deacons, what are their responsibilities? What are they supposed to be doing? I think of a farm. I think of overseers as saying, this is where we're gonna plant. This is how we're gonna plant.

This is the type of seed we're gonna plant. These are the fields that we're gonna plant in. This is the ministry that we're gonna do. So where do deacons come in? Deacons come in and they support the overseers and they say, okay, this is where you wanna plant.

This is what you wanna plant. Come on, let's get the people together. Let's motivate them. Let's move them on. Let's make sure that the tractors are running. Let's make sure that they have enough gas.

Let's make sure that we have the chemicals. Let's make sure that the combines are working so when we harvest, let's do all these things. Do you understand kind of distinction there between the elders and the deacons?

We'll move on and talk about this a little bit more. What is an elder? In the New Testament, the word elder, pastor, overseer, and bishop are all used synonymous. Ironically, the word pastor is only used once, I believe, in Ephesians chapter four.

It's talking about pastors. And so the word pastor is really more of a function of the office of an elder, is that you're pastoring. You're shepherding the people. And so an elder, when I say the word elder, and from here on out, I'll probably use overseer or pastor or something like that.

That way it doesn't rub us the wrong way because we are Southern Baptists. But pastor, overseer, bishop, elder, they're all used synonymously. And the connotation here, church, is this. Literally, somebody who's in charge.

God has left us a church, but he's not left us to just be an amoeba floating around. He's left us with order and with structure. And he's appointed godly leaders to rule over the church, to be in charge.

And something else, and you say, well, that's kind of scary. We don't want a 24-year-old being in charge of the entire church. That's why God says in a plurality of elders. That's why we bring people on like Nathan, who is somewhat in training right now, because we're gonna ordain him and set him apart after we've observed him as a pastor.

That's why there is a plurality of elders. That's why we need men from our church, lay elders, who will serve in this capacity, because God has not given just one man to be king. He's given a plurality to watch over the church, to look over the church.

So a plurality of elders in the New Testament, it's always plural. There's never one instance in the New Testament where we look at just one elder. So what responsibility do I have as an elder? What responsibility do I have as an overseer?

Well, first of all, to govern, 1 Timothy 5, 17, it says, let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. Now, this isn't about Quatro being king.

It's about God setting aside godly men to rule over our church, to govern our church, to make sure that the ministries of our church are biblical. Also, I believe that there is a biblical precedent for one man being out front, one man being the pastor, because Paul says, especially those who labor in teaching and preaching, all elders are called to teach, but some have the specific responsibility of week in and week out preaching the word.

And so one of the responsibilities of the elders is literally to govern. Now, have you been following some of this stuff about Charlie Sheen? I've just caught bits and pieces of it. I think he's just, whoa, gone off the deep end.

But let me tell you the real underlying problem that Charlie Sheen has. Maybe I should just say Mr. Sheen. His problem is with authority. You understand that? He wants to go out and do whatever it is that he can do, then come in on the set of two and a half men and just be able to do whatever he wants, to be able to say, look, I can live my life out here like I want to, then I can come here on the set.

As long as I'm doing what I'm supposed to do here, then it's okay. What an analogy with the church. We reject the authority of pastors. We reject the authority of one man standing up here and preaching and having the authority through the word from God.

Like I said, come back tonight if you're curious about this. We're gonna discuss it more, but I will read another verse, Hebrews 13, 17. It says, obey your leaders. Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account.

Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. Moving along. So one point is that elders are to govern, are to rule. And secondly, elders are to teach. I already said that in 1 Timothy 5, 17.

He's talked about teaching and preaching well. It implies here that there is a primary teacher. And now we're gonna go into the qualifications. 1 Timothy chapter three, verse one. Paul says, this saying is trustworthy.

If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

He must manage his own household well, with all dignity, keeping his children submissive. For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into condemnation of the devil.

Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders so that he may not fall into disgrace into a snare of the devil. Church, this is what I want. Even as I read these verses, I want you to understand the tremendous weight and responsibility laid upon the shoulders of men who are called to be elders.

And I want you, don't say amen to this. I'm not perfect. I struggle with sin. Every morning, it's a fight, it's a battle. It's a real life battle to struggle with the remaining old quattro that I have in my life.

And so I struggle with that. I'm not telling you I'm perfect. I'm not telling you that I'm to be king. But this is what I want you to know, church. I want you to believe, I want you to trust me that I love the Lord, that I am passionate about following him.

And I want to tell you today, follow me. I want to tell you today, imitate me because I'm imitating Christ. Don't imitate me because I'm perfect. Imitate me because my God is perfect. Don't come to church and think how great of a preacher quattro is.

Come to church and think how great of a God that quattro serves. So help me, follow me, learn from me. I do have things to teach you, but also teach me, encourage me, knock me upside the head sometimes when I need it and let us do great things as a body of Christ for the honor and the glory of the Lord.

Deacons as Servants Who Support the Overseers

Now, what about deacons? First of all, I think I want to start out by saying I'm thankful for the men that God has set apart here as deacons. Thankful for your work, I'm thankful for your service. But let's look at what the Bible says about deacons.

Now deacons, the word for deacon is a servant, okay? But it's not just a servant, it's literally set aside as an office in the church. That's what deacons are. And I thought, I didn't come up with this saying, but I think it's good to help us.

Elders or overseers or pastors serve the church by leading it. Deacons lead the church by serving it. Does that make sense to us? So deacons, you are to serve. And your service, deacons, is not that you're the final decision makers at this church.

Your service, deacons, is not that you're the Senate body of this church. We're not set up like the United States where we have the executive officer and then we have the Senate and maybe the House of Representatives.

That's not how it works. Your job is to serve. Your job is to understand that you're under the authority of the overseers. I thought about this. I think sometimes that deacons in our church and maybe many churches think that they're a buffer between the people and the pastor.

Okay, pastor, you can make any decision you want as long as the people are happy about it. And if the people aren't happy about it, we'll take the complaints, we'll come to you, and then we'll straighten you out and you'll work things how we wanna see things worked.

But if you think about it, not only is that unbiblical, but that's the exact opposite of how it's supposed to work, isn't it? That if you really wanna think about the deacons being a buffer, it should be on the other side.

It should be between the people and the pastor in the sense that when the pastor sets a direction, when the pastor says that we're gonna do this or we're gonna go out and do this, then that's when the deacons come in to the people and they say, okay, let's go.

And if you complain, then you need to understand this is our pastor and this is what we're doing. And so let's go, let's motivate, let's make sure we have the resources. These are the job of deacons. Another example, y 'all, we're talking about this tonight, I hope we have a full crowd tonight to talk about this, but more examples of deacons' responsibilities.

Are they there to handle administrative tasks? I think in the New Testament, we see examples of them handling money, of them organizing people, of them going from house to house and visiting people, of them taking care of the physical needs of the people inside the church, and even some of the physical needs of the people in the community, and even some of the physical needs of the actual buildings at the church.

These are all examples. Now, 1 Timothy 3, eight through 13, where we picked up, where we left off earlier, it says this, deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.

They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. Let them also be tested first. Then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives, 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 and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

Deacons, you have been set apart as a visible office in the church. There are no secret deacons. Deacons, you're in a visible role. And so what that means is we need to see you more. It also means this, they support the overseers.

You don't have to agree with every single thing that I say because I'm gonna say a lot of silly things. I'm gonna say a lot of things that potentially could be wrong. So hold me accountable. But if we're doing something that is not unbiblical, then we need the support of the deacons to be out front.

Nathan, Quatro, deacons, can we really stand in front of the church and say, imitate us because we're imitating Christ? Be like us, give to the church like we give, come to the church like we do. Imitate our marriages, church.

Imitate our marriages because we're trying to love our wives just like God would have us to love. We are being the authority figure over our wives and our wives are not being the authority figure over us.

Deacons and Nathan and Quatro, can we stand up front and can we say, do this because we're trying to be like Christ? Because a local church must follow godly leadership. Deacons, can we tell the church to imitate how we pray?

Can we tell them to imitate how we memorize the Bible? Can we tell them to imitate our love for the Lord? Can we really tell people to live like us because we're living like Christ? And then I can't leave this point without asking you church, church, how are you doing with submitting to the leadership here?

Thabiti Enibowili says this in his book, What is a Healthy Church Member? He says, in the final analysis, church members are the people who generally make or break a local church. And making or breaking a church has a lot to do with the membership's attitudes and actions towards its leaders.

I was thinking of this the other day, First Baptist, we have 150 plus year legacy. That's a long legacy. Can you imagine when we get to heaven, we're gonna see all the people who are in heaven because of God using the ministries at First Baptist Church to do it?

It's gonna be amazing. We can look back on those 150 years and we can see many, many good and godly things that God has done through us. But here's where I wanna get to with this book of Philippians, this study.

I want us to look back and say, you know what? God's blessed us, but we've not been perfect. We've looked back maybe even more recently on the last 10, 15 years, and we think, you know what? There's a lot of things that maybe we need to do different.

So don't hold that up in pride, but say as God teaches us through this study, may we be willing, may we be the people of God that will repent and that will serve Christ no matter what it is that he called us to do, that we're gonna do it.

And that when people in this community look at our church, they're not gonna say what great deacons they have or what a great pastor they have or what a great church members they have. I hope they don't.

What I hope they do is look at our church and say, what a great God they serve.

If you really believe the church is the building, the church is the house, the church is what God's doing, this is his work. If we really believe what Ephesians says, we are the hoemas, the masterpiece of God.

How are you gonna respond?