Why God Ordains Deacons

WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.360 --> 00:00:08.189 Let's turn to acts. This is after the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, 2 00:00:08.230 --> 00:00:11.990 Luke and John, I mean the New Testament, acts chapter six. 3 00:00:13.269 --> 00:00:20.109 This morning I'll be reading verses one through seven. I'm doing so as we 4 00:00:20.230 --> 00:00:26.739 can continue to consider the work of Christ's the work of Christ and his church, 5 00:00:26.859 --> 00:00:31.899 particularly in the mercy that is given to his people, mercy and tangible 6 00:00:32.020 --> 00:00:40.689 ways, mercy that extends not only to our souls but also to our bodies. 7 00:00:42.009 --> 00:00:45.250 So let's your God's word. Now from acts chapter six, verses one 8 00:00:45.329 --> 00:00:53.079 through seven. Here we have the institution of the Office of Deacon. Now, 9 00:00:53.159 --> 00:00:57.320 in these days, when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint 10 00:00:57.439 --> 00:01:03.679 by the hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the 11 00:01:03.719 --> 00:01:08.310 daily distribution. And the twelve summon the full number of the disciples and said 12 00:01:08.989 --> 00:01:12.390 it is not right that we should give up the preaching of the word of 13 00:01:12.469 --> 00:01:18.700 God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven 14 00:01:18.780 --> 00:01:23.420 men of good repute, full of the spirit and of wisdom, whom we 15 00:01:23.540 --> 00:01:30.459 will appoint to this duty, but that we will devote ourselves to prayer and 16 00:01:30.739 --> 00:01:34.769 to the Ministry of the word and when they said that, and what they 17 00:01:34.849 --> 00:01:40.049 said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of 18 00:01:40.090 --> 00:01:45.209 faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip and pro chorus and Niko Noor 19 00:01:45.409 --> 00:01:51.159 and Timm and and Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselytite of Antioch. These they 20 00:01:51.239 --> 00:01:55.519 set before the apostles and prayed and laid their hands on them, and the 21 00:01:55.599 --> 00:02:00.430 word of God continued to increase and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem 22 00:02:01.069 --> 00:02:07.709 and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. Amen. 23 00:02:16.460 --> 00:02:22.060 Well, for the past couple of weeks I, as I mentioned before I 24 00:02:22.180 --> 00:02:25.780 read the passage, have been we've been focusing on the care of the Lord, 25 00:02:25.860 --> 00:02:31.490 the care of Christ and his church for the physical needs of his people, 26 00:02:32.569 --> 00:02:37.370 and this is a great and wonderful thing, and we begin by thinking 27 00:02:37.409 --> 00:02:40.409 about how God calls all of us, every member of his body, to 28 00:02:40.610 --> 00:02:46.000 serve one another, in spiritual ways, but in physical ways as well. 29 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:51.680 I'm providing for those in need, and we see that going on here in 30 00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:55.520 acts, chapter six. We see that there is a need that is happening 31 00:02:55.599 --> 00:03:00.270 among God's people. There's a daily distribution and it involves the whole church. 32 00:03:01.270 --> 00:03:07.949 When this problem comes up between the Hellenists and the Hebrews on the twelve, 33 00:03:07.189 --> 00:03:13.180 summon the full number of a disciples, because it infects, affects the whole 34 00:03:13.259 --> 00:03:20.020 church. The controversy is within the whole body. Everyone on matters here well, 35 00:03:20.020 --> 00:03:23.500 as we've seen the work, the diachonal work, the work of service 36 00:03:23.620 --> 00:03:28.090 that we are all called to give. We've seen that this is because we 37 00:03:28.330 --> 00:03:32.650 share in the heavenly calling of Christ and we care for those in need of 38 00:03:32.729 --> 00:03:37.849 material things, just as he did in his own ministry. Many times we 39 00:03:38.009 --> 00:03:43.639 saw the Lord giving the way food, healing bodies as well as souls. 40 00:03:45.560 --> 00:03:49.800 We've also seen, as in the passage last week from Second Corinthians, how, 41 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:53.080 when there is a culture of giving and receiving, when within the church, 42 00:03:53.159 --> 00:03:59.069 when that Ministry of Christ is mature within his body, when it's done 43 00:03:59.069 --> 00:04:02.430 from faith and to the glory of God, these seeds result in a big 44 00:04:02.669 --> 00:04:10.620 harvest, a harvest not only of provision for those in need and rejoicing for 45 00:04:10.740 --> 00:04:15.939 those who give, but a whole body of harvest, of Thanksgiving and praise, 46 00:04:17.699 --> 00:04:23.300 as the needs of God's people are taking care of through God's people ultimately, 47 00:04:23.420 --> 00:04:29.529 through the work of the spirit of Christ, God is glorified, his 48 00:04:29.769 --> 00:04:32.250 work is seen among us, it is testified to us, the love of 49 00:04:32.410 --> 00:04:38.410 Christ is made known. Well, so, now that we've seen the work 50 00:04:38.490 --> 00:04:41.920 of Christ at work in his body as a whole, throughouts all its members, 51 00:04:41.959 --> 00:04:46.199 I want out why? Want now to turn to the Special Office of 52 00:04:46.519 --> 00:04:51.399 Deacon and Tell You why God ordains some of his members, some of the 53 00:04:51.639 --> 00:04:57.870 members of the church, to serve as ordained officers, as deacons that are 54 00:04:57.910 --> 00:05:05.110 specifically called to this task. And what we will see is that, as 55 00:05:05.870 --> 00:05:12.500 the Church has tangible physical needs that must be provided for and as the Church 56 00:05:12.579 --> 00:05:17.819 has tangible resources that can provide for those needs, God is keen, God 57 00:05:18.060 --> 00:05:24.769 desires to match those up, to put those together, to use the body 58 00:05:25.449 --> 00:05:30.370 to help the body. But we also know from experience, and we see 59 00:05:30.370 --> 00:05:34.689 here in the word, that there are very significant challenges to that. God's 60 00:05:34.689 --> 00:05:41.319 grace in his church is necessary because there is still sin in the Church, 61 00:05:42.439 --> 00:05:47.160 there is laziness in the church, greetiness in the church, excuse making in 62 00:05:47.360 --> 00:05:53.389 the church, lack of of in the church, hardness of hearts in the 63 00:05:53.509 --> 00:05:58.790 church, and these are bad things, as we see here in act six, 64 00:05:58.990 --> 00:06:03.189 they threaten great danger. Three threaten our souls, they threaten the unity 65 00:06:03.230 --> 00:06:09.699 of the Church, they threaten our worship, they threaten our witness, they 66 00:06:09.819 --> 00:06:16.100 threaten our togetherness. And so in this God or Dain's servants to oversee this 67 00:06:16.300 --> 00:06:21.810 work, to make sure that it is not neglected. He makes sure that 68 00:06:21.930 --> 00:06:28.410 there are connectors and helpers, people particularly called in the government of the church 69 00:06:28.889 --> 00:06:35.759 to ensure that these good things are taking care of. As we consider this, 70 00:06:35.879 --> 00:06:40.959 I want to begin by considering the fact that this is not a new 71 00:06:41.079 --> 00:06:46.839 thing, that this pattern follows a pattern that God set even in the Old 72 00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:50.069 Testament. Now there are no deacons in the old testaments, as we will 73 00:06:50.069 --> 00:06:58.750 see, but there are very similar overlaps. In the Old Testament God cared 74 00:06:58.870 --> 00:07:02.339 for the poor as well. It wasn't just something that once Christ came now 75 00:07:02.500 --> 00:07:06.019 all of a sudden God cared for the poor. Now this is a dominant, 76 00:07:06.180 --> 00:07:14.180 major theme throughout the Old Testament and it is God instructs his people as 77 00:07:14.339 --> 00:07:18.290 he gathers them together after their redemption out of Egypt, and he calls them 78 00:07:18.370 --> 00:07:25.769 to do exactly that. Families had a responsibility to care for that poor and 79 00:07:25.930 --> 00:07:31.040 this was enshrined and codified in various laws. The closer you were at to 80 00:07:31.319 --> 00:07:36.759 up someone in need in your family, the more responsibility you had. These 81 00:07:36.879 --> 00:07:43.199 duties of family members to take care of their own form the backdrop of bow 82 00:07:43.399 --> 00:07:47.709 as is redemption of Ruth and Naomi, that whole if you know that story, 83 00:07:47.870 --> 00:07:53.149 the Kinsman Redeemer and all of those things that are going on, those 84 00:07:53.230 --> 00:07:58.779 are intimately tied with these laws about poverty, about caring for one's own. 85 00:08:01.180 --> 00:08:05.779 We also see that these that not only were families responsible to care for the 86 00:08:07.019 --> 00:08:11.939 poor, there are poor, society as a whole had a responsibility to care 87 00:08:11.019 --> 00:08:16.370 for the poor. We see that in some ways with the gleaning laws, 88 00:08:16.569 --> 00:08:22.810 even again in the story of Ruth. But in other ways we the fields 89 00:08:22.930 --> 00:08:26.240 were not to be totally stripped bare, but left some was to be left 90 00:08:26.279 --> 00:08:30.959 for the poor to gather. That's one of many, many, many examples. 91 00:08:31.600 --> 00:08:33.440 I WON'T GIVE I won't get into that in depth, but simply want 92 00:08:33.480 --> 00:08:37.799 to point out that society as a whole had a responsibility to care for the 93 00:08:37.960 --> 00:08:45.110 poor, especially when there were no family members available. That's why the refrain 94 00:08:45.309 --> 00:08:50.990 about the fatherless and the widow is those two categories of people are mentioned over 95 00:08:52.110 --> 00:08:56.139 and over again. They don't have family, they don't have people there to 96 00:08:56.299 --> 00:08:58.860 care for them, and so God's people, as the family of God, 97 00:09:00.340 --> 00:09:05.980 is called to be responsible for them as brothers and sisters. God was very 98 00:09:07.019 --> 00:09:13.730 serious about this. When we see the prophets prosecuting God's people for their breaking 99 00:09:13.809 --> 00:09:16.409 of the law, a lack of care for the poor was one of the 100 00:09:16.610 --> 00:09:22.889 main themes that comes up over and over again. Right alongside idolatry and chasing 101 00:09:22.970 --> 00:09:26.159 after other gods, is the lack of care for those who are in need. 102 00:09:28.440 --> 00:09:35.080 This general command to society is mean many places. Here's one from Deuteronomy 103 00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:39.309 fifteen seven through eight, deteronomy fifteen seven through eight, which sets kind of 104 00:09:39.470 --> 00:09:46.029 general command, the general direction of things. If among you, one of 105 00:09:46.110 --> 00:09:50.549 your brothers should become poor in any of your towns, within your land that 106 00:09:50.629 --> 00:09:56.779 the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or 107 00:09:56.980 --> 00:10:01.500 shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to 108 00:10:01.580 --> 00:10:07.570 him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Notice 109 00:10:07.610 --> 00:10:11.169 how this command is grounded in a gift, just as we saw in Second 110 00:10:11.289 --> 00:10:16.250 Corinthians nine last week. When you come into the land that the Lord your 111 00:10:16.370 --> 00:10:22.600 God is giving you out of these resources that you have just been given. 112 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:26.679 Do not then shut your heart against the one who is in need, just 113 00:10:26.919 --> 00:10:35.000 as you were moments ago. So families had a responsibility to care for the 114 00:10:35.159 --> 00:10:37.990 poor, society as a whole had a responsibility to care for the poor, 115 00:10:39.509 --> 00:10:43.750 and the government of the people in Israel also had a responsibility to care for 116 00:10:43.789 --> 00:10:50.940 the poor. This would be seen an Israel in the prosecution, not only 117 00:10:50.019 --> 00:10:56.779 against Israel as a whole, but in her kings in particular. Turn with 118 00:10:56.899 --> 00:11:01.899 me, if you will, to Psalm seventy two. Psalm seventy two, 119 00:11:09.929 --> 00:11:18.169 here in this prayer of Solomon, we have a prayer of his, psalm 120 00:11:18.529 --> 00:11:24.440 of his, and which he asks a God for kingly things related to the 121 00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:28.360 poor. A few verses from here, first versus one through four, listen 122 00:11:28.399 --> 00:11:33.549 to Solomon's words. Give the king your justice, O God, and your 123 00:11:33.590 --> 00:11:39.110 righteousness to the Royal Sun. May He Judge Your people with righteousness and your 124 00:11:39.269 --> 00:11:46.990 poor with justice. Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people and the hills 125 00:11:46.139 --> 00:11:50.779 in righteousness. May he defend the cause of the poor, for the of 126 00:11:50.899 --> 00:11:56.620 the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy and crush the oppressor. 127 00:11:58.860 --> 00:12:01.250 This is the king's job and this is what Solomon, as king, 128 00:12:01.450 --> 00:12:07.090 is praying for, that God would be plentiful in giving prosperity and righteousness to 129 00:12:07.169 --> 00:12:11.850 the people and the in that righteousness, the king would act. He would 130 00:12:11.889 --> 00:12:18.360 defend the cause of the poor, he would crush in judgment those who oppressed 131 00:12:18.440 --> 00:12:22.879 the poor. And now take a look at verses twelve through fourteen, for 132 00:12:24.039 --> 00:12:28.080 he delivers the needy. When he calls the poor and him who has no 133 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:33.710 helper, he has pity on the weak and the needy and saves the lives 134 00:12:33.789 --> 00:12:37.950 of the needy from oppression and violence. He redeems their life and precious is 135 00:12:39.669 --> 00:12:46.059 their blood in his sight. Well, if you have been I'm joining us 136 00:12:46.100 --> 00:12:50.179 for afternoon prayer and we've been going through first kings, you know about the 137 00:12:50.259 --> 00:13:00.169 great wealth of Solomon, fantastically, amazingly wealthy. Every awhere around there was 138 00:13:00.649 --> 00:13:05.450 prosperity. How awful it would have been for the king, who had been 139 00:13:05.649 --> 00:13:09.769 given so much, in a land that had been given so much, to 140 00:13:09.889 --> 00:13:15.200 then shut its heart to the poor in need or, even worse, to 141 00:13:15.320 --> 00:13:18.759 shut its heart to the poor in need who had then also been oppressed in 142 00:13:18.840 --> 00:13:22.759 their need, who had been crushed in their need or even been killed in 143 00:13:22.799 --> 00:13:28.750 their need. No, the king is not to be is not to overlook 144 00:13:28.830 --> 00:13:33.950 them and seek only those who might bring him glory, but he is to 145 00:13:33.110 --> 00:13:41.110 outstretch his protection and his love and his heart. The government of God's people 146 00:13:41.309 --> 00:13:48.659 is to outstretch the heart and love of Christ himself. And so we see 147 00:13:48.500 --> 00:13:54.340 in the church in the Old Testament, in its particular arrangement, a responsibility 148 00:13:54.379 --> 00:14:01.289 at multiple levels for the poor, for family members, for neighborhoods and towns 149 00:14:01.450 --> 00:14:07.889 and tribes, and then the government of the kingdom as well, to ensure 150 00:14:09.049 --> 00:14:13.600 that these things take place. The point is is that God cares, he 151 00:14:15.679 --> 00:14:20.679 cares deeply, and that he will he and that he works through these means, 152 00:14:20.960 --> 00:14:24.149 and when the people refuse to do this, they will be judged for 153 00:14:24.309 --> 00:14:31.029 their sins. That same care that we see of God for the poor and 154 00:14:31.149 --> 00:14:33.509 the needy in the old covenant, in the Church in the old covenant, 155 00:14:35.309 --> 00:14:39.620 is also true of the Church under the new covenant. Family members, for 156 00:14:39.740 --> 00:14:45.019 example, have a particular responsibility to care for their own Paul says to Timothy 157 00:14:45.139 --> 00:14:50.379 and first timothyve eight. But if anyone does not provide for his relatives and 158 00:14:50.539 --> 00:14:56.610 especially for members of his household. He has denied the faith and is worse 159 00:14:56.330 --> 00:15:03.210 than an unbeliever. Families have a responsibility to care for their own, especially 160 00:15:03.289 --> 00:15:09.840 their immediate family members and those that are in their household. And, as 161 00:15:09.879 --> 00:15:13.279 we have seen in the previous two sermons, the church as a whole is 162 00:15:13.399 --> 00:15:18.039 of course called to care for the Church family, brothers and sisters, both 163 00:15:18.240 --> 00:15:24.070 those that are near and those that are in very distant places. But what 164 00:15:24.190 --> 00:15:28.309 about government? What about the government of the Church? Is the government of 165 00:15:28.429 --> 00:15:35.070 the church also have a particular responsibility to oversee and protect and care and ensure 166 00:15:35.190 --> 00:15:43.179 that this work is done? The answers yes. Just as of the old 167 00:15:43.299 --> 00:15:48.580 covenant was ruled by a King, so are we in the old covenant. 168 00:15:48.740 --> 00:15:54.289 All that love and care that was commanded among the people and was to exhibit 169 00:15:54.370 --> 00:15:56.409 that love of Care of God, an Exalt of God himself, was to 170 00:15:56.529 --> 00:16:03.490 be in the king, in his office, in his work. King Josiah, 171 00:16:03.649 --> 00:16:08.440 for example, Jeremiah twenty two, fifteen and sixteen says he did Justice 172 00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:15.279 and righteousness, he judged the cause of the poor and the needy and he 173 00:16:15.399 --> 00:16:18.429 was a good king. He has commended for this. And you know what? 174 00:16:19.710 --> 00:16:26.389 This work of Josiah, this prayer of Solomon, anticipated the rule of 175 00:16:26.590 --> 00:16:34.580 God's Messiah, the coming King of Israel, the one whom Isaiah prophesied in 176 00:16:34.700 --> 00:16:38.980 eleven, Chapter Eleven, verse four, a prophecy of, of course, 177 00:16:40.059 --> 00:16:45.059 our Lord and Savior, the Great King, Jesus, with righteousness to judge 178 00:16:45.100 --> 00:16:49.649 the poor. He will come and decide with equity the meek on the earth. 179 00:16:51.490 --> 00:16:55.610 And did Jesus do that? Do we see his care and his compassion 180 00:16:55.850 --> 00:17:02.000 for for the poor and for the meek and for the humble and the outcast 181 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:06.400 and the down trodden? Absolutely, it's all over the place. When you 182 00:17:06.440 --> 00:17:11.079 read the Gospels. Chapter after chapter after chapter is devoted to seeing our Lord 183 00:17:12.279 --> 00:17:18.269 is the great king, fulfilling this calling. So what we see in all 184 00:17:18.309 --> 00:17:22.509 of this is that the Church and the new covenant is also ruled by a 185 00:17:22.630 --> 00:17:30.819 king who oversees the care of the poor. So why deacons then? One 186 00:17:30.940 --> 00:17:34.819 answer is that after the inauguration of this new and Better Covenant on the Cross 187 00:17:36.819 --> 00:17:41.980 and after his ascension into glory, are King's ascension into glory, The Lord 188 00:17:41.099 --> 00:17:47.609 did not cease his work but continued it and strengthened it through the work of 189 00:17:47.690 --> 00:17:53.089 the spirit and the church as a whole, in part by calling, ordaining 190 00:17:53.250 --> 00:18:00.000 and gifting men to the Office of Deacon to ensure that the government of his 191 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:07.119 church, under his authority, was also keen to ensure and establish and protect 192 00:18:07.480 --> 00:18:12.789 this ministry to his people. Another way we might put it, as we 193 00:18:12.869 --> 00:18:19.269 consider acts six, is that just as Christ's word is administered to those in 194 00:18:19.470 --> 00:18:29.619 need by pastors and his order is maintained by his elders, his material care 195 00:18:29.819 --> 00:18:37.099 for the needy is overseen by his deacons. This is his work in the 196 00:18:37.299 --> 00:18:42.569 church and for the church. Now, as a side note, amazingly, 197 00:18:42.730 --> 00:18:49.130 God cares also for his people and for those who are not his people, 198 00:18:51.569 --> 00:18:56.359 even those who are outside of his church. God cares for and he even 199 00:18:56.400 --> 00:19:02.119 gives us additional coverage, you might say, additional protection and care, even 200 00:19:02.200 --> 00:19:07.039 in our lives outside of the church. Consider Matthew five hundred and forty five, 201 00:19:07.240 --> 00:19:11.470 something we experienced here even this week. Matthew five hundred forty five, 202 00:19:11.789 --> 00:19:15.789 for he makes his son to rise on the evil and on the good and 203 00:19:17.750 --> 00:19:26.059 sends rain on the just and on the unjust. God provides Sun and rain 204 00:19:26.779 --> 00:19:29.660 for those who are his people and those who are not his people, for 205 00:19:29.779 --> 00:19:33.460 the righteous and the unrighteous, for the just and the unjust, or axe 206 00:19:33.700 --> 00:19:40.250 fourteen seventeen. Speaking to gentiles, the word says he did good by giving 207 00:19:40.329 --> 00:19:47.089 you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts and food with gladness. 208 00:19:48.970 --> 00:19:52.119 The New Testament, in the New Testament, the apostles call on unbelieving 209 00:19:52.599 --> 00:19:56.519 pagan people, I dollar trust people, and said and says to them. 210 00:19:56.839 --> 00:20:02.119 Wake up, look at all the ways in which God has provided for you, 211 00:20:02.200 --> 00:20:07.549 day after day, generation after generation. Don't let this kindness and forbearance 212 00:20:08.309 --> 00:20:12.710 be an excuse to continue in your sin, but instead see it what it 213 00:20:12.829 --> 00:20:18.029 for what it is, as God's grace. And so we see God's grace, 214 00:20:18.470 --> 00:20:22.940 I'm not only his special grace on the church, but his common grace 215 00:20:22.019 --> 00:20:26.859 on all people as well. It's not just Christian families who are called to 216 00:20:26.900 --> 00:20:32.460 take care of their own, but unbelieving families as well, and by God's 217 00:20:32.500 --> 00:20:37.609 grace, so many of them do. He also brings the stemic goods through 218 00:20:37.650 --> 00:20:42.930 societies as a whole, through things like rain and sun, the enactment of 219 00:20:44.009 --> 00:20:48.410 good laws and many other things. The government as well is called to care 220 00:20:48.609 --> 00:20:55.359 for its people. Now, of course, we know that doesn't always happen. 221 00:20:56.759 --> 00:21:03.519 ECCLESIASTES points this out. Says if you see oppression of the poor and 222 00:21:03.720 --> 00:21:07.630 denial of Justice and righteousness in the province, do not be shocked at this 223 00:21:07.829 --> 00:21:14.069 site, for one official watches over another official and there are higher officials over 224 00:21:14.190 --> 00:21:18.740 them. I think ECCLESI, the author of ECCLESIASTES, here is pointing out 225 00:21:18.779 --> 00:21:25.500 that, though the government is charged with this task of maintaining the righteous cause 226 00:21:25.700 --> 00:21:32.819 of the poor, often officials just end up watching each other's backs and bureaucracy 227 00:21:33.049 --> 00:21:37.650 levels and levels of bureaucracy pile up and the poor are neglected. And when 228 00:21:37.769 --> 00:21:41.490 this happens, the word says don't be shocked. This is life under the 229 00:21:41.609 --> 00:21:48.039 sun, this is life in a cursed world, but nevertheless you still sense 230 00:21:48.119 --> 00:21:53.440 the expectation. They're right. The commandment that is there. God's civil government, 231 00:21:53.640 --> 00:22:00.200 his ministers, is deacons. In civil government, these magistrates are called 232 00:22:00.279 --> 00:22:04.549 to rule and righteousness, a core component of which is the protection and care 233 00:22:04.950 --> 00:22:10.109 of the poor. Now there's much to think about here. In this is 234 00:22:10.190 --> 00:22:12.829 not the primary concern of acts six, and we're going to move back to 235 00:22:12.869 --> 00:22:15.900 the government of the church in a moment, but I simply want to point 236 00:22:15.940 --> 00:22:21.740 these things out so that you might be amazed at the overflow of God's grace 237 00:22:21.900 --> 00:22:26.940 to you and on this world. When God takes you out of the world 238 00:22:30.170 --> 00:22:33.970 and causes you to share in this heavenly calling in Christ, when he makes 239 00:22:33.009 --> 00:22:37.289 you a citizen of the Kingdom of God, he puts on you this extra 240 00:22:37.450 --> 00:22:45.279 protection, this special protection, because we're are adopted into his family, we 241 00:22:45.400 --> 00:22:52.359 are cared for as his own children. This is partly the blessing of what 242 00:22:52.440 --> 00:22:56.599 it means to belong to his church, to belong to his people and to 243 00:22:56.720 --> 00:23:03.190 receive the government and the care, the special care, of his deacons. 244 00:23:03.230 --> 00:23:08.109 In the Church there is a love that God reserves only for his bride, 245 00:23:10.829 --> 00:23:15.740 a God, a love that God gives specially to her, to us, 246 00:23:18.779 --> 00:23:22.099 to people didn't earn it, to people that are only here by His grace 247 00:23:23.099 --> 00:23:32.970 but are here nevertheless and loved by him. And so we turn to act 248 00:23:33.130 --> 00:23:37.849 six in particular and we see what's going on here. Before this, there 249 00:23:38.130 --> 00:23:45.200 was a lot of good happening. Note the setting of this events of NACT 250 00:23:45.279 --> 00:23:52.079 six. God's people had just experienced a new exodus. There are many ways 251 00:23:52.119 --> 00:23:55.829 that the scriptures point this out. I won't bring this out now, but 252 00:23:56.190 --> 00:24:00.630 there was a new exodus. Essentially, God's people had come out of slavery 253 00:24:00.710 --> 00:24:04.950 and bondage. So the worst kinds, not just over Pharaoh, but over 254 00:24:06.109 --> 00:24:11.220 Satan, over death itself, over idolatry. Christ had risen from the dead 255 00:24:11.740 --> 00:24:18.180 of victorious over the grave. And now, as the spirit of God has 256 00:24:18.220 --> 00:24:22.779 been poured out on God's people, the Kingdom of Heaven has come and there 257 00:24:22.940 --> 00:24:27.569 is joy and love to be shared by all. So listen to the result 258 00:24:27.650 --> 00:24:33.170 of these things. In acts to acts two, verses forty two through forty 259 00:24:33.210 --> 00:24:37.690 seven. This is after the coming of the spirit at pentecost, Peter's great 260 00:24:37.730 --> 00:24:45.279 sermon, thousand three thousand souls being saved that day. And then acts forty 261 00:24:45.400 --> 00:24:51.240 two, and they devote here's what happened next. They devoted themselves to the 262 00:24:51.400 --> 00:24:56.150 apostles teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers, and 263 00:24:56.470 --> 00:25:02.150 all came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were being done through the 264 00:25:02.230 --> 00:25:06.710 apostles, and all who believed were together and had all things in common, 265 00:25:06.750 --> 00:25:11.380 and they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, 266 00:25:11.460 --> 00:25:18.460 as any had need, and, day by day, attending the temple together 267 00:25:18.660 --> 00:25:22.329 and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous 268 00:25:22.369 --> 00:25:27.410 hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people and the Lord added 269 00:25:27.490 --> 00:25:33.690 to their number day by day. Those who are being saved amazing right, 270 00:25:33.250 --> 00:25:38.200 and here are. So we see here the experience of the Salvation of Christ 271 00:25:40.279 --> 00:25:45.359 is not just an experience in our souls, it also is something that we 272 00:25:45.559 --> 00:25:49.269 experience in our bodies, as we share food with one another, as our 273 00:25:49.349 --> 00:25:57.390 tummies are filled up, as we feel better and rejoice at fellowship meals gatherings, 274 00:25:57.630 --> 00:26:03.710 were we provide for one another and especially to those who had need. 275 00:26:03.700 --> 00:26:06.980 You've got a need, brother, don't worry, I'll take you'll sell some 276 00:26:07.059 --> 00:26:10.900 of my stuff, and then you're done. We're a family now, we 277 00:26:11.099 --> 00:26:18.049 belong to something new and in all of this great rejoicing, glad and generous 278 00:26:18.130 --> 00:26:22.849 hearts. So this is the background of at Acts Chapter Six. But in 279 00:26:22.970 --> 00:26:30.049 acts chapter six we see a problem coming. As the church was growing and 280 00:26:30.210 --> 00:26:36.960 growing, the needs grew and a problem arose. The particular problem acts tells 281 00:26:36.960 --> 00:26:41.319 us is that there was a complaint by the Hellenists. These would be Greek 282 00:26:41.640 --> 00:26:47.910 speaking Jewish Christians, Jewish Christians who, nevertheless, we're not a part of 283 00:26:47.950 --> 00:26:52.829 that core, you might say. These are people in farther places, Greek 284 00:26:52.910 --> 00:27:06.940 speaking Jews right who had become Christians, but they're upset. There's a cultural 285 00:27:07.259 --> 00:27:15.569 problem going on because the Hebrews. They rose against the Hebrews, the the 286 00:27:15.849 --> 00:27:22.769 the the Hebrew speaking Jewish Christians, because their widows, that is the speed 287 00:27:22.849 --> 00:27:29.130 widows of the Greek speaking Jews, were being neglected in the daily distribution. 288 00:27:30.920 --> 00:27:33.480 So these widows who were in need. There were widows on both in Jerusalem 289 00:27:33.559 --> 00:27:37.440 and outside of Jerusalem, among the people of God, as the Church as 290 00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:45.069 arising, and there's seems to be a brakedown even along cultural or ethnic lines. 291 00:27:45.829 --> 00:27:51.470 However we might classify that there is a problem of exclusion, a problem 292 00:27:51.509 --> 00:27:56.430 of distinctions, of one group not receiving what another group has because of their 293 00:27:56.589 --> 00:28:02.900 background, their history, which shouldn't make any difference in the body of Christ 294 00:28:03.859 --> 00:28:07.339 because in the body of Christ we are one, sharing with one another as 295 00:28:07.460 --> 00:28:12.250 we have knees, without preference to our backgrounds, are our history or any 296 00:28:12.250 --> 00:28:18.769 of these sorts of things. And these conflicts were very serious, even as 297 00:28:18.809 --> 00:28:22.849 they are today in our churches. Similar kinds of things happen when there is 298 00:28:22.930 --> 00:28:29.400 exclusion and privilege and separation among people on when our unity is to be in 299 00:28:29.480 --> 00:28:34.000 Christ it's a bad thing, and here it was so bad that the twelve 300 00:28:34.079 --> 00:28:40.480 apostles gathered the entire church together to talk about this, to deal with this, 301 00:28:40.680 --> 00:28:47.309 because there were multiple things under threat. One threat, as we have 302 00:28:47.430 --> 00:28:52.190 seen, is the care of the widows. Right that chief complaint. They 303 00:28:52.390 --> 00:28:56.740 had to be taken care of. They must be taken care of. James 304 00:28:56.819 --> 00:29:00.460 says, is if we neglect the poor and the widow, if we neglect 305 00:29:00.460 --> 00:29:03.059 the orphan and the widow, what good is our faith at all? That's 306 00:29:03.140 --> 00:29:07.140 no good, it's useless. It's a dead faith. To neglect, to 307 00:29:07.220 --> 00:29:14.329 say, and stop your whining. It's the neglects is to exhibit a heart 308 00:29:14.490 --> 00:29:18.690 that has not been changed by the faith of God. We're taking care of 309 00:29:18.849 --> 00:29:22.849 our own, why don't you deal with yours? We've been an awful thing. 310 00:29:25.720 --> 00:29:30.240 The hellenists were right to make a complaint. They were right to say 311 00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:36.200 that there was something wrong, because something was indeed wrong, and we see 312 00:29:36.240 --> 00:29:40.269 this because of the apostle's reaction the apostles didn't say, you guys just need 313 00:29:40.390 --> 00:29:44.509 to work harder or you guys need to stop your complaining. No, the 314 00:29:44.589 --> 00:29:48.990 apostles responded to a need. It was a legitimate need, it was a 315 00:29:48.109 --> 00:29:56.900 legitimate complaint. It was right to be made. One particular problem that I 316 00:29:56.940 --> 00:30:03.220 think is helpful to understand in the background is if you remember that as Israel 317 00:30:03.339 --> 00:30:07.369 was called to care for their own. Often synagogues would indeed care for widows. 318 00:30:08.609 --> 00:30:12.369 So imagine you are a Jewish Christian, or a, let's say, 319 00:30:12.410 --> 00:30:18.049 a Jewish woman in a synagogue who's cared for, a widow who's cared for 320 00:30:18.970 --> 00:30:25.640 in the synagogue, and now you become a Christian. What just happened? 321 00:30:26.519 --> 00:30:33.200 Listen to John Twenty two. His parents said these things because they feared the 322 00:30:33.279 --> 00:30:37.630 Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to 323 00:30:37.670 --> 00:30:42.230 be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. John Forty 324 00:30:42.269 --> 00:30:47.470 two. Nevertheless, many, even of the authorities, believed in Jesus, 325 00:30:48.230 --> 00:30:52.619 but for fear of the Pharisees, they did not confess it so that they 326 00:30:52.660 --> 00:30:57.579 would not be put out of the synagogue. I know some of you have 327 00:30:57.700 --> 00:31:03.369 experienced this yourselves, that you belong to families, to groups before you were 328 00:31:03.410 --> 00:31:08.490 Christian. That was your network, it was your support it was your support 329 00:31:08.650 --> 00:31:14.450 system, your emotional support system, your material support system. These were people 330 00:31:14.490 --> 00:31:17.450 that cared for you, that were there in times of need, and that 331 00:31:17.529 --> 00:31:22.799 when you confess Christ, you gave that up, that there was a cost 332 00:31:22.960 --> 00:31:26.119 to that, that you said, I'm going to follow the Lord Jesus, 333 00:31:26.240 --> 00:31:30.799 even if it means I no longer have the supports that I've always relied on. 334 00:31:30.920 --> 00:31:36.309 And that's what was happening to these widows as they confess the Lord Jesus 335 00:31:36.349 --> 00:31:38.710 Christ. Even some of the we read that in John Twelve, even some 336 00:31:38.789 --> 00:31:44.950 of the authorities, people in power and authority or not willing to confess the 337 00:31:45.029 --> 00:31:49.660 Lord Jesus because they were afraid of being put out of the synagogue. Can 338 00:31:49.740 --> 00:31:53.900 you imagine doing that if you didn't have authority, if you didn't have power, 339 00:31:53.940 --> 00:32:00.019 if you were very, even totally dependent upon other people? Now imagine 340 00:32:00.099 --> 00:32:04.410 going into the Church of Jesus Christ saying, you know what, I'm going 341 00:32:04.450 --> 00:32:07.650 to do it anyway, I'm going to follow the Lord Jesus, because that's 342 00:32:07.650 --> 00:32:10.250 what matters more than anything else, and you say I believe in the Lord 343 00:32:10.289 --> 00:32:15.529 Jesus Christ. You're kicked out of the synagogue and now you go. You're 344 00:32:15.529 --> 00:32:19.359 a part of God's people, this church, this community, and they won't 345 00:32:19.359 --> 00:32:30.000 provide for you because you're a Greek speaking widow. Bad, really bad. 346 00:32:32.430 --> 00:32:37.829 So you can see why the apostles responded as they did, and notice that 347 00:32:37.910 --> 00:32:44.500 they didn't respond by saying, boys, we got to double down, we 348 00:32:44.619 --> 00:32:45.859 got to work harder, we got to work faster, we got to work 349 00:32:45.900 --> 00:32:52.180 more efficiently. They said we can't do this, this is impossible for us 350 00:32:52.220 --> 00:32:58.500 to do, this work cannot be done, and so they go to the 351 00:32:58.650 --> 00:33:02.970 church. In a way that I see a similar thing going on with the 352 00:33:04.049 --> 00:33:08.930 first exodus. Do you remember when Moses brought his people, brought his people, 353 00:33:09.089 --> 00:33:13.519 God's people, out from Egypt and he brought them out and then in 354 00:33:13.640 --> 00:33:17.319 exodus eighteen, his fatherin law comes to him and says, what's a matter 355 00:33:17.440 --> 00:33:22.920 with you, Moses? You are all the day deciding disputes. There's no 356 00:33:23.119 --> 00:33:28.750 way you can keep up with this. God's grace has so abundantly poured out 357 00:33:28.869 --> 00:33:32.390 on you that there's no way you can handle this. What you need to 358 00:33:32.470 --> 00:33:38.789 do is a point leaders who are wise and responsible and gifted and qualified to 359 00:33:39.029 --> 00:33:45.180 support you in this work. Otherwise your work won't be done. And that's 360 00:33:45.180 --> 00:33:51.059 what that's what Moses did. He set a pattern, then, for government 361 00:33:51.339 --> 00:33:57.450 going forward. We see something similar happening here in the new covenant. After 362 00:33:57.529 --> 00:34:02.369 the exodus, coming out the apostles of functioning as Christ's emissaries and authorities on 363 00:34:02.529 --> 00:34:08.250 earth, even as Moses did under the old covenant, they find themselves in 364 00:34:08.409 --> 00:34:14.360 those some ways swamped by the grace of God. As the Lord adds to 365 00:34:14.400 --> 00:34:20.039 the number more and more and more and more. Something needs to be done, 366 00:34:20.079 --> 00:34:25.710 a pattern needs to be set and, much like happened before, we 367 00:34:25.909 --> 00:34:36.070 see we see a people being established, a government being established, and so 368 00:34:36.190 --> 00:34:39.179 that's what happens here. A pattern is set for us, a pattern which 369 00:34:39.179 --> 00:34:44.860 we follow today. In verse two, we read that the twelve summoned the 370 00:34:44.900 --> 00:34:49.099 full number of disciples and says it's not right that she we should give up 371 00:34:49.420 --> 00:34:57.849 the preaching of the word of God to the Acono tables, to serve tables. 372 00:34:58.530 --> 00:35:05.250 Therefore, brothers picked out from among them, from therefore, brothers, 373 00:35:05.289 --> 00:35:08.440 pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the spirit 374 00:35:08.480 --> 00:35:14.519 and full of wisdom and we will appoint and we will appoint, sorry, 375 00:35:14.519 --> 00:35:17.719 whom we will appoint to this duty, but we will devote ourselves to the 376 00:35:17.920 --> 00:35:24.150 prayer and to the Diacono. The service is the same, word of the 377 00:35:24.269 --> 00:35:30.510 word. They had a diaconal calling, in a way, lowercase D, 378 00:35:31.190 --> 00:35:37.019 to the Ministry of the word and to prayer. But there was another diaconal 379 00:35:37.139 --> 00:35:40.579 need that was needed, the the bodily care of the poor. Into that 380 00:35:40.820 --> 00:35:45.619 they called the deacons. And that's what happened. The they gathered the church 381 00:35:45.739 --> 00:35:51.449 together and the Church chose and the apostles appointed, through the laying of on 382 00:35:51.650 --> 00:35:57.530 of hands, these seven men, interesting, Allt Lee, who all have 383 00:35:58.130 --> 00:36:06.519 Greek names here, probably not by accident. And what happens is the result 384 00:36:06.599 --> 00:36:09.199 of all of that. We read in Verse Seven. And the word of 385 00:36:09.320 --> 00:36:16.239 God continued to increase. We see the Holy Spirit's blessing on all of this. 386 00:36:17.400 --> 00:36:22.909 The apostles aren't going rogue here. They're not. They're not shirking their 387 00:36:22.989 --> 00:36:30.949 duties, they're not giving up. Know the word of God blesses this even 388 00:36:30.030 --> 00:36:36.219 as he blessed the people of Even as God blessed his people in the old 389 00:36:36.340 --> 00:36:40.699 covenant. The word of God continued to increase and the number of disciples multiplied 390 00:36:40.739 --> 00:36:45.739 greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the 391 00:36:45.940 --> 00:36:54.530 faith. Disaster averted and a pattern set for God's people going forward. So 392 00:36:55.690 --> 00:37:00.679 back to the original question, why deacons? Well, ultimately it's because the 393 00:37:00.840 --> 00:37:07.440 Lord cares for his people. The Lord cares for us. He knows us, 394 00:37:07.519 --> 00:37:10.519 he knows our needs and he loves us and he knows that we have 395 00:37:10.679 --> 00:37:15.989 needs in this life. He knows that we need clothes and shelter and food, 396 00:37:16.949 --> 00:37:20.909 and he promises to take care of us and he does that in part 397 00:37:21.670 --> 00:37:27.909 through his church. He also knows that the church will struggle at times with 398 00:37:28.110 --> 00:37:32.820 greediness, with laziness, with exclusivity, with infighting, and these are not 399 00:37:34.019 --> 00:37:40.099 good and so, in part to help with that and to strengthen love and 400 00:37:40.219 --> 00:37:45.809 to set an example and to ensure that these things are not neglected and don't 401 00:37:45.889 --> 00:37:52.690 fall apart, the Lord, by His grace, gives us ordained officers do 402 00:37:52.929 --> 00:38:00.440 beacons, to protect us in the name of the Lord, in the Ministry 403 00:38:00.639 --> 00:38:06.360 of the Lord, doing his work as his hands in his feet, to 404 00:38:06.519 --> 00:38:12.679 set an example for us in our own giving, in our own serving to 405 00:38:12.840 --> 00:38:16.510 be connectors and helpers and make sure that everybody's taken care of, that the 406 00:38:16.630 --> 00:38:22.590 needs are known, that the needs are men and in all of this we 407 00:38:22.750 --> 00:38:30.619 see our common calling in Christ being shared. We see God's name being lifted 408 00:38:30.699 --> 00:38:35.500 up, we see the word going forward, we see the glory of His 409 00:38:35.579 --> 00:38:42.889 name and a harvest of Thanksgiving and praise, and the Word of God Goes 410 00:38:42.969 --> 00:38:49.250 Forth pee more and more people are brought in, more and more people are 411 00:38:49.329 --> 00:38:57.559 entering into the worship of God, more and more are saved. So when 412 00:38:57.559 --> 00:39:00.599 we consider the Office of Deacon, ultimately what we are considering is the love 413 00:39:00.639 --> 00:39:08.440 of Christ for us, for people who are needy and who are provided for 414 00:39:09.389 --> 00:39:15.269 by our king. So let us offer up to him lives of sacrifice and 415 00:39:15.429 --> 00:39:20.309 Thanksgiving and praise. Even now, let's pray