♪ Keep me safe and whole ♪ ♪ Yet by the Holy Spirit ♪ ♪ I fully am assured ♪ ♪ That mine is life eternal ♪ ♪ According to you ♪ Who's next? Bob, 534. 534. ♪ O come, O come, Emmanuel ♪ ♪ O come, O come, Emmanuel ♪ ♪ We will praise Him every night ♪ ♪ And as long as we live we'll praise Him every night ♪ ♪ We'll praise Him all the night ♪ ♪ And as long as we live we'll praise Him every night ♪ ♪ So shall his praise for his name be heard in Jerusalem ♪ ♪ So shall his praise for his name be heard in Jerusalem ♪ ♪ And every body of the world be led unto God ♪ Four, five, and nine. I hope this builds. How about one, three, and four? ♪ I wish you a jolly Christmas ♪ ♪ On Jesus' name. ♪ ♪ For Christ is born in Bethlehem. ♪ ♪ All the world will sing his name. ♪ ♪ All the world will sing his name. ♪ ♪ Praise to the King of Israel. ♪ ♪ The Lord be with you. ♪ ♪ God rest ye merry, merry, merry men ♪ ♪ On earth as it is in heaven above ♪ ♪ God rest ye merry, merry, merry men ♪ Now I know we've got a number of birthdays or anniversaries in July. We can come back. We'll circle back. Me? Jacob? You have a birthday? Yeah. What name do you want to say? Come, Thou Fount. What number is it again? What's it? Come, Thou Fount. 429. Verse 1 and 3. Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, ♪ And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air ♪ ♪ Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there ♪ Here's to the downtown, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's to the party, here's ♪ He will save you ♪ ♪ While you fall down to the floor ♪ ♪ He's your rescue, he will take you ♪ ♪ Into God's dearest precious world ♪ ♪ He's your grace, he'll lift the burden to you ♪ ♪ He'll be by your side to weep ♪ ♪ Let every sound of joy and glee ♪ ♪ Come from all the earth to thee ♪ ♪ Round to the world, let all her glory be ♪ ♪ Round to thee and all the world ♪ ♪ Hark, the herald angels sing ♪ ♪ Sing a new song of joy and glee ♪ Marlene, did you have a birthday or an anniversary? Which was it? Just a birthday? Did you have one? Just an anniversary? Just with this guy. Anybody birthday, anniversary, who has one ready to go? We'll do one more after this. What number? 172. ♪ Sing of the praise we love to hear ♪ ♪ Here is he, the Lord our God and Savior ♪ ♪ Take our cheer, lift it with us ♪ ♪ Fill the flesh with us, fill our hearts with praise ♪ ♪ O come let us adore him ♪ ♪ O come let us adore him ♪ to bless you, to touch you, to hold you all the time, and to love you all the eternity. And I praise you, sir, for all you say, and for giving you all that you love in all the world. Hey, ending our time, so one more, last one. Yes, Liz. 425. 425. Sweet and awesome, very good. Let's do the first four verses, and we'll make this the last one. 425 for the first four verses. ♪ I've seen the awesome distance of days ♪ ♪ When I was dreaming of you ♪ And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, ♪ Joy to the world, the peace ♪ ♪ Each of us rise with thankful tongue ♪ ♪ For Thine was our outpouring of grace ♪ ♪ I rose, I came to hear Your voice ♪ ♪ With bounteous hand from ancient shores ♪ ♪ And banners strong and proud ♪ ♪ T'was thus they fought that spread the peace ♪ and that sweetly drew us in, else we had still refused to taste and perished in. Amen. Thank you all for coming out a little early so we could bless one another while we blessed our great God and Savior in song. A few reminders. Please, please be thinking about praying about if you could serve in the nursery this fall and get that your information if you're willing to carry in ASAP so we can get a schedule started. We want to begin the second week of September, which is when Sunday school for all ages will also begin the second Sunday in September. Tonight, the offering is designated as it's there in the bulletin for our Hub Spokes missionaries. Unless you put differently on your check or whatever, all our giving tonight will go for those missionaries. And also an update from the Boardwalk Chapel team, in two Sundays, the second Sunday of August, I believe that's August 8th, in the evening service, or before the evening service, excuse me, at 5.30 sharp, we're going to be blessed and benefited by a presentation from our short-term missionaries. So put that on your calendar, two Sundays from now, 5.30, come here in the sanctuary and we'll get to hear the testimonials of God's goodness. as it has been on display for those who were on that trip. Let's stand for a call to worship tonight from Deuteronomy chapter 33. There is none like God, O Jerusalem, who rides through the heavens to your help. through the skies in his majesty. The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you. He said, destroy. So Israel lived in safety. Jacob lived alone in a land of grain and wine, whose heavens dropped down dew. Happy are you, O Israel, who is like you. a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help and the sword of your triumph. Let's pray. Oh God, as we come into your presence, we do feel we have been primed by the wonderful singing of your word as it's been expressed through the Psalms and the great hymns of the faith. And now in this wonderful text, we are reminded again of the God that we worship. There is none like you. who rides through the heavens to come to our rescue, the God who opens up himself to be our eternal dwelling place and holds us within his everlasting arms. This is who we come to worship, and we are indeed happy. We are blessed. Who is like us, a people who are saved by this God? Lord, the gospel of Jesus Christ has given us a dignity that we do not deserve. And so we come tonight to praise you and to worship you and to give you the honor that you deserve for bestowing on us such unmerited favor. Bless us in our worship. Would you silence all voices but your own. Cause us to be fixated upon you. And as you reveal yourself in your word, would we hear you speak. And we do ask, O Lord, that this would all be for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ, that his name would be magnified among us. Amen. Grace to you and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, his Son. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. ♪ As it was in the beginning ♪ ♪ Is now and ever shall be ♪ ♪ World without end ♪ ♪ Amen, amen ♪ Good evening, please turn with me to number 284. You servants of God, your master proclaim. Be still, O God, your Master proclaiming, Publish abroad his wonderful name, And be all victorious from Jesus' soul. His kingdom is glorious and rules over all. God who liveth on high, the Lord is your Saviour, and still in His eyes, His presence we have. A great congregation, His triumph shall take, a striving salvation, and with us a clean. ♪ Ovation to God who sits on the throne ♪ ♪ Let all cry out loud in honor of the sun ♪ ♪ The praises of Jesus the angels proclaim ♪ ♪ Fall down on their faces and worship the Lamb ♪ ♪ And let us adore him, give him his pride ♪ ♪ The glory of God and wisdom in mind ♪ ♪ All honor and blessing with angels above ♪ ♪ And thanks never ceasing for infinite love ♪ In the back of your hymnal, page 851, we read the Apostles' Creed. Page 851. Christian, what do you believe? I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit. the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. You may be seated. This evening, our responsive reading will be taken from Psalm 123. We'll be reading from the ESV version, which you can find in your pew Bible. I'll read the odd-numbered verses and you'll respond with reading the even-numbered verses. Psalm 123. To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God till he has mercy upon us. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease. of the contempt of the proud. You may remain seated as we turn to the hymnal number 123. To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes. 123. To you, O Lord, I lift my eyes, To you enthroned above the skies, As servants watch their master's hand, Or maidens watch their mistress' hand. So to the Lord our eyes we raise, until His mercy we displace. O Lord, on your mercy show, in pity, Lord, on us be. We have had our fill of scorn, and full contempt our soul has borne. The proud contempt that we endured from mighty men who lived secured. Please join with me then as we come together with our congregational prayer. Our Father, we ask that you would hear our prayer. Hear us this evening as we come to you. We come into this place together to worship you. We worship you because you are holy and you are good, and in your goodness have called us to worship you. We call upon your name because you have called us and you have called us by name. You know who we are. You know we are sinners and we fall short of your glory. Each of us has gone our own way. Each of us, each one of us has followed the desires of our heart. We've turned our back on you. We turned our back on our creator, God, who made us to glorify His name, and we deserve your wrath. We deserve your judgment, even hell itself. And you would be just if you turned us away, but you made another way for your people. And as we consider that way, we marvel at your long-suffering goodness and your grace. For us, you sent your son, your only son, and in him, the way has been ordered and established. In Christ Jesus, we have salvation through his atoning work, his life, his death, And for that, we come humbly before you and we thank you for your mercy and ask that you would have dealings with us yet again. Again, Lord, show us your goodwill towards your people. Teach us so we can do your will. Lord, we pray that you would teach us to be contented and satisfied. And in that, glorify your name. We thank you for your safekeeping for those who spent time at the Boardwalk Chapel, that you put that desire in their hearts and they were able to minister there. We pray your blessing upon their work and words, that there would be fruit upon those labors, that the people who were challenged and heard your message of redemption through Jesus would be brought to repentance and faith and a life in Christ. And we ask that those involved either through prayer and giving or actual participation would be blessed and encouraged and further grounded in you. The young people that have participated and given of themselves find peace and joy in that work and we're so happy to see their involvement. We pray for your continued work in their lives. We ask that you will encourage Claire Hamming as she continues to learn to labor in that work. We thank you for Marcus and Sharon, who again have shown such willingness to lead us. And we pray for your blessing on their continued labors and ask for hearts that are eager to serve with them. Lord, we ask that your name would be glorified and that we would be built up to stand up and to reach out with your gospel message. We thank you that Hannah has been encouraged to return to that work for a couple of weeks. Indeed that you have amazed us again and provided the means for that to happen even beyond our expectations. We pray for her safety and for your blessing on that ministry. We see again your work in our midst. This morning we were able to witness Caleb Vanderband make a public profession of his faith in you. You have laid your hand upon him and he's compelled to do no other than stand with your people and clearly declare his commitment to you as you have brought him to yourself. And we ask your continued work in his heart and life. We ask for the same Lord for all of our children. Oh Lord, our Lord, for this we implore you to remember your covenant with your people and to glorify your name and to deliver our children. Help us to raise them up in your love. And we pray that you would establish them, that they would be strong to war against the world and the flesh and the devil. We pray again for your church and for your people. We pray that the word of your gospel would go into all the world, that many would be brought into your kingdom. We pray for outreach ministries of this denomination and that you would bless many through those efforts. We pray your blessing upon the Hubs Spokes program. Even as we present our gifts again this evening, we remember again the Westervelts and the Hobbes and the Johnsons And though we may not know them, we ask that you would bless their efforts and the efforts of many more who diligently work to bring your word in truth. We pray for our own work and ministry here at community and that you would give us a calm and reasoned conclusion for our vote on Thursday. We want to do your will and we ask for your direction. We also ask that you would incline our hearts to meet together Wednesday night and meet with you eagerly and joyfully as we join our hearts in prayer, which to you is a sweet smelling aroma, as we heard again this morning. And then we pray that you would raise up men for the work of the deacon and eldership within this congregation. We also intercede for those who are struggling with problems that oppress them. Some are dealing with sickness and disease and even surgery and medical treatments. We intercede for those with deep wounds of a heart and mind, some for the pain of loss of friends or family, some for difficulties that come from family struggles or issues at work. And even in here, in this place right now, There are heavy burdens, Lord, and we come to you and ask for mercy. We pray for healing and we pray for strength, not only to endure, but strength to praise you in the midst of our trials. Oh Lord, we pray that you would teach us to lean upon you, to love you in the midst of our pain and our suffering and our wounds, to embrace the hand that deals with your people in love. though you may cause us to endure some hardship for a season. And now we mention and pray for Fran and Jan and Betsy and Dick and Jen and Adam and Ruth, for Melissa's dad, David, for Carrie Ann's dad, Bryce, for Steve, and for Doug and for Barb, and then not just for them, Lord, but we pray for those around them who support them because we know that the difficulties they endure, our shared experiences of struggle and of uncertainty and of grief. And Lord, as we would conclude this prayer, we pray that you would hear our cry for your loving, for your loving embrace. We pray that you would speak to us through Pastor Cruz as he opens your word. We ask that you would see our need and that we would see your holiness, that you would see our need for cleansing. We ask that you would show us Jesus, his teachings, his offerings of grace, and bathe us in his love, that we would go out from this place here refreshed and rekindled and eager to lift up the name of our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ, And it is in his name that we pray. Amen. At this time, I'd ask the deacons to come forward and receive our offering, which is designated for our hubs and spokes missionaries. Please stand with me. We'll sing from number 188, O Jesus, I have promised, which is our hymn of preparation. to serve Thee to the end. Be Thou forever near me, my Master and my Friend. I shall not fear the battle if Thou art by my side. Or wander from the pathway if Thou wilt be my guide. For Jesus Thou hast promised to all who follow Thee. And then, Lord, in glory we shall receive Thee. Oh, give me grace to follow my master and my friend. Oh, let me feel thee near me. The world is ever near. I see the sights that dazzle. ♪ The tempting sounds I hear ♪ ♪ My thoughts are ever near thee ♪ ♪ Around me and within ♪ ♪ But Jesus, draw thou nearer ♪ ♪ And shield my soul from sin ♪ ♪ Let me hear thee speak ♪ ♪ The waters of compassion, the rivers of self-will ♪ ♪ Will sweep you free and show you to reach your goal ♪ ♪ Will sweep you free and show you to reach your goal ♪ Father, indeed, this is our prayer, that we would hear you speaking, that you would speak to us in accents that are clear and still, that we could discern, that we could understand your word and your will for us. And would you speak to us in such a way that makes Christ abundantly plain to us? Would you present him in all of his fullness to our needy hearts now. We ask it for his sake. Amen. You may be seated. So I just want to remind you that we're kind of in this mini-series right now looking at the officers in the church, we looked at elders, the qualifications and calling of elders last week, deacons tonight, and next week talk about church membership more broadly, how we as church members are to respond and receive to the ministry of the elders and the deacons. And this is to help us, help you all as you're contemplating, praying about this season of nomination that we have going on. We're opening up nominations for both elders and deacons. Last week there was an insert. If you didn't get that, there's plenty more of this, of the nomination form on the table in the narthex. If you don't have one, at least pick one up so that you can go and you can read over what we're asking of you. You can be praying about it. Maybe you don't have anybody in mind right now. I still would like you to take that with you so that if somebody comes to mind, you can pray about it and have that form. And remember, those need to be turned into Elder Tom by the 8th. That's when we will be closing nominations for elders and deacons. So tonight, we want to consider what the Bible has to say about the calling and the character, the qualifications of We have two texts, then, to look at. First, Acts chapter 6, and then we'll turn to 1 Timothy chapter 3. Acts chapter 6, 1 through 7. Now, in these days, when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews. because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the 12 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, whom we will appoint to this duty. but we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. And what they said pleased the whole gathering. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Brachorus, and Canor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicholas, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles and they prayed and laid their hands on them and the word of God continued to increase and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. Now turning to 1 Timothy chapter three, beginning in verse eight. Deacons, likewise, must be dignified. Likewise is drawing our attention back up to the qualifications for elders that have already been given in the first seven verses. So in a similar way, deacons 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, and let them also be tested first Then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives, likewise, must be dignified, not slanderers, 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. The grass withers, the flower fades, the word of our Lord, this word that we have heard tonight, endures forever. Back to Acts 6, it is not right, the apostles say, that we should have to give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Serving tables sounds like a menial, even demeaning task. To many, it doesn't sound like real work or a real job. It's something you do just to make sure that, well, the lights stay on at home, just to make sure you can get the bills paid. Something you do until you get to the real thing. If you go to Los Angeles and step into any restaurant, any waiter, any waitress, they don't care about your order. They care about making it big. This is a stepping stone for them. Restaurants, cafes, coffee shops in Los Angeles are filled with people who really don't care about waiting tables. They care about making it as a model or an actor or a writer, director. And when we read about the creation of the office of deacon, and it's described as serving tables, perhaps there's a tendency to think that it is a lowly position. And my goal tonight is to prove to you all the exact opposite. that it's not a lowly calling in the least. I want you to see the spirituality of this office, the importance of this office, and therefore to be thinking of the kinds of men in our congregation who would be right to join in this important work alongside the deacons that we already have who serve us so faithfully, Derek, Seth, and David. And so tonight, I have four reasons for us as to why we can know beyond the shadow of a doubt that the office of deacon matters. First, it matters because of how it began. because of how it began. Looking at Acts 6, the origin story of the diaconate, and it shows that it arose from a pressing need within the apostolic church, within the early church gathering there in Jerusalem. The church had grown tremendously. Now, in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, in a short amount of time, the church has kind of had this explosion of attendance, membership, And now there were believing widows, women who had no other family or support system, and they relied on the love of the church to get them through each day. And so to that end, there was this daily distribution, the end of verse one tells us. The church sought to the needs of these widows by providing for them every day food, but two problems arose. One was cultural. There was a cultural issue. There were growing complaints from the Hellenists against the Hebrews. That is, complaints against the Greek-speaking, Greek-thinking believers against the Jewish-speaking, Jewish-thinking believers. They felt, the Hellenists felt like maybe they were being overlooked, that the church was playing favorites, that they preferred the Hebrew widows over the Hellenist widows, and this was causing a deep divide within this fragile, nascent church, that word there in verse One says that they were complaining. A complaint arose. It's the same verb in the Greek Old Testament that's used to describe the behavior of Israel against God and Moses when things don't go their way. They complain against Moses. They complain against God. The idea is that an insurrection could be eminent here in the early church. People might want to make an uprising. The first issue is this cultural one. The second, though, is more administrative. In order to ensure that there could be unity, that these cultural barriers could be overcome, the early church, the apostles there, recognized that they really needed to organize this distribution. But they did not have time to do that and also to preach and to teach. and to do the work of shepherding, praying. And so the diaconate is formed, both to quell the concerns of disunity and to meet the needs of the poor and the helpless. The fact that the apostles say that they don't have time to wait tables doesn't mean that the office of the deacon is not important. Actually, the fact that the apostles recognize that they can't do it, but it needs to be done underscores that this is a really important work. So we think about how it began, we know that it's important because of how it began. Think about it like this, the office of deacon was conceived by the minds of no less luminaries than the apostles themselves. Men personally commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ said this is what we need to do for the church and they confer his authority. upon them, upon these newly elected deacons, these seven men that are elected because they ordained them. And what do they do? We read that they, at the end of verse six, they prayed and they laid hands on them. Remember, that's the symbol of transferring authority. They've received authority from Christ and now they are conferring that authority upon this new office. The authority that they received from Jesus in their office was now used to constitute a new office. They recognized that the deacons were needed for the health, the well-being, the unity of the church. And what happens once we get our first cohort of deacons, verse 7, and the word of God continued to increase and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly? Another explosion of church growth. And we ask why, why? Is it because of the work of the deacons? Is it the ministry of mercy that is bringing people into the church and causing the numbers to increase and multiply? No, it's the ministry of the word, always, always that grows the church. And this is a really important point because many churches today are convinced that the way to reach a community and to grow your numbers is through the channels of the so-called social gospel. This was popular decades ago in the mainline church, which almost without exception have dwindled in their membership over the last four or five decades. But it's becoming popular again. It's reared its head again now under the moniker of wokeism. But we need to recognize that it's not the ministry of mercy or it's not social justice that grows the church. It's the ministry of the apostles that grew the church. It's the ministry of the word that grows the church. But here's the thing, that couldn't happen without the deacons, right? They freed up the apostles so that they could preach, so that the word could go forth, so that people would be converted, so that the church would grow. The deacons are essential, essential to the ministry of the word. In God's economy, all things, all things serve the purpose of furthering his word, including the role of deacons. And so when we look to see how the diaconate began, we can come away with no conclusion other than that this work is vital for the church. So how do we know it's important? First, because of how it began. Second, because of what it requires. because of what it requires of the men who would serve in that office. The qualifications for deacon prove that it's something that we all should take very seriously. In Acts chapter 6, the apostles, what do they look for? They say, brothers, pick out from among you men of good repute, full of the Spirit, capital S, the Holy Spirit, and of wisdom. It's a spiritual office. It's not just about money and it's not just about maintenance, which I think a lot of people kind of their default understanding of what a deacon is or does, it's just about those two things, money and maintenance. But I'm pretty sure that there are plenty of Loan officers out there, bankers out there, financial advisors out there, property managers, custodians, and social workers who do amazing work in their professions and do not have the Holy Spirit. But this is a different calling. This is a higher calling. 1 Timothy 3, we heard this, that deacons must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. It's a spiritual office. Part of being filled with the Spirit and being full of faith on the part of the deacons includes their recognition of the importance of the ministry of the Word, which we have said already in brief. As true servants, they must recognize that their work is a behind-the-scenes kind of work, so to speak. They are supporting the work of the word, they're not trying to supplant it. So one pastor puts it like this, that you want to make sure, as you look around the church and think who could be a deacon, he says you want to make sure that the potential deacon understands his role as an opportunity to free up the ministry of the word and prayer, not compete with it. So does he recognize this facilitating aspect of his role, or is he an advocate for more action to this or that practical need? The deacon understands the priority here. Martin Lloyd-Jones gave three reasons why it would have been wrong for the elders to give up preaching and praying to serve tables. He says, first, it would put man before God. Second, it would put body before soul. And third, it would put time before eternity. The ministry of the word puts God before man, it puts the soul before the body, and it puts eternity with those things which are forever, namely your relationship to almighty God, above those things which are temporary and feel more pressing but really are not as paramount as those eternal things. The deacon who is full of the spirit and of faith will understand that. Wisdom is also a qualification for the deacon. That makes, I think, a good deal of sense, why the deacon should be full of wisdom. There is a limited pool of resources within the church, and yet a seemingly endless list of needs that could be attended to. And the apostles needed men who could handle the logistical and organizational challenges of that daily distribution. And that's what the church today needs as well, men who are thoughtful and wise in the distribution of our resources for the sake of those in need. Full of faith, full of wisdom. First Timothy 3 also says that the deacon must be dignified. It could be translated sincere. I think it is in the NIV. And the deacon should not be double-tongued or devious in speech. Both of these get to the idea of honesty. A good deacon is an honest man. Why is that critical for this ministry of mercy? Well, if you think about it, much of a deacon's speech with someone is making sure, giving assurances that everything will be okay and that their problems will be handled. And so you don't want a man in the office of deacon who makes empty promises to people, people who are at times desperate, and it feels good to tell them something that they want to hear, but you know really you can't follow through on. We don't need men like that. We need men who are not double-tongued, who mean what they say and say what they mean. men who follow through on their word and keep their promises, even though at times it comes at personal cost of time and energy and emotion. Again, looking at 1 Timothy 3, the deacon must also, it says, be not addicted to much wine nor greedy for dishonest gain. These qualifications are Again about self-mastery and self-control, we saw that with elders as well. And it's absolutely critical because this is an office that should be, when rightly understood, it should be all about other people. All about other people. The drunk is only concerned about filling his belly with alcohol. The greedy deacon wants to fill his own wallet with the church's donations, not other people's. So look for men, brothers and sisters, look for men who are selfless. Men who don't think about their own wants and their needs above others. Look for men who are generous. The deacons of the church should be the most generous men of the church. And selflessness is not a natural trait. It's a gift from the Holy Spirit. So the fact that the Spirit must fill these officers with his gifts and graces is further proof of the dignity of the diaconate. Verse 10 of 1 Timothy 3 shows that the apostolic church took the calling so seriously that they made sure that not just anybody could be a deacon. Let them also be tested first, then let them serve as deacons. After they've been tested, then let them serve If they prove themselves blameless, I think churches get this backwards a lot. I think the office of deacon is sometimes used or seen or understood to be a training ground of sorts. Hey, this is a good guy, let's throw him in and see how he does as a deacon and if that goes well for a year or two, we'll make him an elder. So many churches view the diaconate that way, that it's sort of this stepping stone to something that actually matters. But this overlooks two important points when you view the diaconate like this. The first is that this requires a particular set of spiritual gifts that is distinct from that of ruling the church as an elder. Some men are gifted and are suited for each office, but not necessarily. And so there are people who are called, who have the qualifications for a deacon. That doesn't mean that they have the qualifications for an elder, or vice versa. So to act like, well, you become a deacon first, and then you can do the real thing, that gets this whole idea, or misses this whole idea, that these are two distinct offices for two distinct types of people. But the second thing it misses is exactly what First Timothy just told us, that the office of a deacon is not a training ground, but actually it requires a training ground. We should be looking for men who are already taking the lead or finding opportunities to help around the church, to offer a hand to people in need, who are ready to disadvantage themselves for the sake of the body. And then finally, in terms of qualifications, we read this. Let deacons, verse 12, each be the husband of one wife, managing their children in their own households well. We saw the same thing, this same qualification last week in terms of elders. They need to manage their homes well, their families well. And so I just want to repeat a few things that I said then because they apply exactly the same for deacons. As you're considering who could be called to this office, remember that someone's commitment to and involvement in the church is not the indicator that they have a healthy family life. Rather, we should view it the other way around. If we see somebody who has their family together, who's leading their family in devotions through the word and in prayer, somebody who has a wife who is submissive and respectful to her husband, who wants to support her husband, somebody whose kids aren't rebellious but respect the authority of their father, when you see somebody like that who prioritizes their family Only after God, then you see somebody who could be gifted to serve the church, right? The biological family is the indicator of what could be done within the spiritual family. If you can manage your household, then you could manage God's household. And if there are brothers tonight, this is what I said last week, who hear this and now they hang their heads because they think, well, I do have a strong desire to serve and ordain office, I do not have my family together, I do not have a submissive wife, I do not have children who obey me, or I don't have any sort of spiritual authority in my household. There's no semblance of any sort of training them up in the home to pray and to read and to sing. If that's you tonight, I don't want you to leave here with your head hanging low as though you could never serve in ordained office. Rather, I want this actually to be the catalyst for you to go home and get your family together so that one day you can serve the church. I was just speaking to a brother from a different church in a different state who's going through officer training. has some difficulty at home. And he was talking to me on the phone and he said, should I just give this whole thing up because of some issues with his marriage? Should I just quit now? Should I just stop the training now and pull my name out of consideration? It remains to be seen if that's the decision he should make in this particular instance. But he certainly had this defeatist attitude that because my family's like this, I can never do this. Friends, that doubts the power of God, which can change hearts, hearts of unsubmissive wives or rebellious children, hearts of apathetic fathers and husbands. God can change families. And so rather than saying dejectedly, well, I guess I can never serve, I'm not qualified, God wants to inspire you to get qualified, to go home, lead your family, start there. This is what matters most. Your family matters more than the church. Your family is your first church. God cares more about how you lead your family than the potential of you leading in this church. But you get that together. And then by God's grace, one day, you could be ready, more ready, to come and to serve here. So we know that the office of deacon matters because of the way it began, through the laying out of hands of the apostles, because of what it requires of the deacons, being filled with the spirit and wisdom. A third reason we know that this office matters is because of what we need. because of what we need. If you think about those widows in Jerusalem, they really needed food. They didn't turn them away. The apostles didn't turn them away and say, if you're hungry, then go home and pray harder. They took care of them. And so the early church does not try to over-spiritualize things to the point of saying that our physical needs aren't important, and the church today needs to follow that same pattern. Yes, our physical needs are secondary to our spiritual ones, but there's still needs and they still matter. God created our body just as he created our soul. I think of, it made me think of Shakespeare's famous line from the Merchant of Venice. He says, if you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And the answer is, yeah, that's us, isn't it, right? If I lose my job, do I still not have bills to pay? If my car breaks down, do I still not need to get around town? Or if I fall terribly ill, do I still not have deductibles to meet? Yes, yes, yes, we're human. Yes, we're alive in the spirit, but we're still embodied physically here on earth, liable to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. There's another Shakespeare for you. Friends, you're going to face difficulties in life with your health, with your finances, with your living situation, and that matters to God. It matters to Him. And since it matters to God, it matters to His Church, too. The Scriptures never promote a sort of Gnostic dualism that detaches our spiritual experience from our physical reality. The two are very much intertwined. God created body and soul, and he cares for both body and soul. And part of the way he shows the care for our bodies is through the diaconate. This office was constituted because we have very real needs. By the way, that means, friends, when you do have a pressing concern, because it will happen, pressing concern related to finance. or some other material or temporal need, when you don't tell it to the deacons, you could very well be bypassing the means that God would use to get you through that trial, that trouble. So make your needs known. But since the office arises out of God's concern for our physical and material welfare, be looking for men who excel in the traits of compassion and mercy. Remember how God responded to Israel as they were enslaved in Egypt. The people of Israel groaned because of their slavery. They cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God and God heard their groaning. God saw the people of Israel and God knew. Our compassionate God knows what we're going through and he does something about it. And so a good faithful deacon will know what you're going through and he'll do something about it. Fourthly and finally, we know that the office of deacon is an important one, not just because of how it began, not just because of what it requires or because of what we need, but most preeminently because of who it represents. We know it's important because of who this office represents. Our book of church order says this, deacons are called to show forth the compassion of Christ. Similarly, in the URCNA's church order, we find this, the office of deacon is based upon the interest and love of Christ on behalf of his own. We said at the start that the idea of table servants can make us think that the diaconate is a demeaning role, but far from being demeaning, it is dignifying because God himself in the person of Jesus Christ came to serve our tables. You remember John 13 in the upper room at the institution of the Lord's Supper? John gives us a different angle of what took place there. In the middle of the meal, Jesus gets up from the table and he takes off his outer garment and he ties a towel around his waist. It's the uniform for a waiter. for a servant, and he gets on his knees, and he starts washing the feet of the disciples. And you remember, they're kind of offended by this, because this isn't done. This isn't proper. A servant should wash his master's feet. A master should never, never stoop so low as to wash his servant's feet. And yet here the disciples learn that the way Christ masters them is by serving them. Do you know that tonight? Have you had that spirit-wrought revelation? Has the light bulb gone off where you realize, wait a second, the reason I can bow my knee to Jesus Christ as King It's because he first bowed the heavens and he came down and he bowed his head on a cross. The gospel is about the condescension of Christ. It's about receiving him as a servant. That's what it is to be saved. You need to receive Christ as a lowly servant. The gospel tells us that Christ, although he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor so that through his poverty you might become rich. And we're told by Paul in Philippians that though he was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant. It's impossible to know Christ as the reigning king of glory if you do not first know him as he reveals himself in the squalor of a borrowed stable, and as he reveals himself hanging from a shameful, humiliating cross. Receiving the ministry of our deacons is a way we receive the ministry of our Savior. Jesus, who came not to be served, but to serve. And he serves by giving his life as a ransom for many. Brothers and sisters, thank the ordained table servants that this church already has for the ways that they show you Jesus, and pray that the Lord would raise up more men to do just that. Our Father, we do thank you for what your word teaches us about this role, this important role of deacon, and how it is a wonderful, tangible picture, living proof to us of the role of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who came to serve. Lord, it takes humility to receive that ministry. The disciples were proud, they were arrogant, they did not want Jesus to wash their feet, and at times, Lord, we think we have it all together ourselves, and we refuse such a ministry, but Lord, there is no heaven without accepting His humiliation. Give us the faith to recognize that we are needy people, and yet these needs are met in Christ, and that these needs are met through Christ as he ministers through his appointed servants, the deacons of this church. Lord, thank you for the deacons that we have. Thank you for the work that they do, and if it be your will, would you raise up more men to serve alongside them? We do ask it for Jesus' sake. Amen. Number 537 in response and also in closing tonight, Jesus, Master, whose I am. Jesus, Master, whose I am, purchase Thine alone to me. By the blood, O spotless Lamb, shed so willingly for me. Let my heart be all Thine own. Let me live to Thee alone. Jesus, Master, I am Thine. Keep me faithful, keep me near. Let Thy presence in me shine, all my homeward way to cheer. Jesus, at Thy feet I fall, O be Thou my all in all. Jesus, Master, whom I serve, Though so feebly and so ill, Strength in hand and heart and nerve, All Thy bidding to fulfill, Open Thou mine eyes to see, all the work thou hast for me. Lord, thou needest not, I know, service such as I can bring. Yet I long to prove and show full allegiance to my King. ♪ Bow in honor, Lord, to me ♪ ♪ Let me be a praise to thee ♪ Lift up your heads and receive your Lord's blessing. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit rest and remain with you all now and forevermore, amen.