Well, welcome once again to our final episode in our study of the offices of Christ. I hope that this has been a very stimulating study for you, as it has been very stimulating for me. I believe we've gotten to know our Savior in new ways and in deeper ways, and I hope this final lesson will put a nice cap on our study. So I want to begin by once again reviewing that statement in the form of government of the Book of Church Order of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. This is chapter one, and it is speaking about Christ as the king and head of the church. And in that statement, they noted that his mediatorial office includes all the offices in his church. So we've already looked at Christ as a pastor or a minister, the great shepherd. We looked at him last time as an elder, one who governs his church. And today we finish with Christ as a deacon, that he serves in diaconal ministry. I also wanted to go back to a statement I made in our opening lesson when we talked about The whole idea of office and how do you define office? And I proposed a definition, and let me read that to you again. A formal position determined by God whereby the person is called and set apart for a specific role. Given the authority necessary to carry out that role, and assign specific functions to accomplish in that role. So this is the position God has determined and He has called specific persons out and set them apart to fill that specific role in His church. He has given them authority, the authority necessary for them to carry out their role and he has assigned specific functions to them, duties for them to fulfill in that role. And I also made the statement that the office itself cannot really be separated from the functions of the office. I think that's important to remember because we see many officers in society particularly in our civil government, who are not necessarily carrying out the functions of their office. And they're holding the formal title, but they're not doing the thing they're supposed to do. And we don't want to get political, but when there's someone in an office who is not fulfilling the functions Well, he should really be removed from that office because he's not doing what he's there to do. And that is true, equally true in the church. But our comfort is that Christ in his various offices fulfills all of his functions fully, thoroughly, and perfectly. So as I said, today we're looking at Christ as a deacon. And there's one particular passage which I want to read for you, which I think is germane. It is Romans chapter 15, verses 8 and 9. And Paul, writing here, says, For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy, as it is written. Therefore, I will give praise to you among the Gentiles, and I will sing to your name." Now here, Christ is called a servant or a diakonos. the word which we get deacon from. And he is a servant, a diakonos, to the circumcision, which means to the Jews, to Jewish Christians, on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the father. So he is serving the Jews, but he's also serving the Gentiles in order to glorify God for his mercy. So Christ presents himself as a servant. Now here is the reality, the truth of the matter. Deacons are servants and they are called to a ministry of service. And when you look at it that way, you see that Christ is certainly a servant. In fact, in the book of Isaiah, he is foreshadowed as the suffering servant, the servant who would give himself a ransom for many. And Christ, throughout his ministry, is presenting himself as a servant, as the Lord's servant, and as the servant of the people to whom he came. And so if you think of deacon as servant, then you would say, well, certainly, of course, he is a deacon because he is a servant. But maybe some would be a bit skeptical and say that thread is a bit too thin to support the weight of what you're saying. But then let me turn it back again to my earlier comment that the office is really not separated from the function. So if you say, well, there's not enough evidence to really say he's a deacon, another way to skin the cat, and there were no cats harmed in this, another way to look at this is to say, does he fulfill the function? Does he do the work of a deacon? Is he carrying out a ministry of mercy to help those who are in need? Does he show the signs, the characteristics, the qualities of a good deacon in doing the functions that a deacon is supposed to do. And I would say absolutely, certainly he is. And as we study his life and ministry in the Gospels, we see him involved in these ways many, many different times and in various facets. So I am fully comfortable myself in saying that just as Christ is a minister or a shepherd, and just as Christ is an elder governing his church, he is also a deacon who is serving in a ministry of mercy to the needy. But let's take a look now at the compassion of Christ. Because good deacons are men of compassion. who feel the needs of those who they serve. And they don't just dismiss them and say, well, here's a down-and-out person that I guess I'd better help. No, there's a sense in which you put yourself in their place and where a deacon feels for that person in their suffering and in their affliction. So the first example that I want to point you to is Mark chapter 8, verses 1-9. In those days when there was again a large crowd and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples and said to them, I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with me now three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way, and some of them will have come And some of them have come a great distance. And his disciples answered him, Where will anyone be able to find enough bread here in this desolate place to satisfy these people? And he was asking them, How many loaves do you have? And they said, Seven. And he directed the people to sit down on the ground And taking the seven loaves, he gave thanks and broke them, and started giving them to his disciples to serve them, and they served them to the people. He also had a few small fish, and after he had blessed them, he ordered these to be served as well. And they ate and were satisfied. And they picked up seven large baskets full of what was left over, of the broken pieces. About 4,000 were there and he sent them away. So here Jesus has been with these people in a very desolate place for three days. They have come from great distances from Judea and Jerusalem in the south up to the area in the north Tyre and Sidon on the Mediterranean coast. And Jew and Gentile alike had come together in large numbers to hear the Savior. And he had taught them for three days. But now, they're out of food. They have nothing to eat. In fact, when they examine the provisions, they can only find seven loaves and a few small fish. And among 4,000 people, that's not a lot of food. And Jesus looks at them, and He thinks about their situation, and He tells His disciples, I feel compassion for the people. He felt it deep down. Here are these people who are spiritually hungry and thirsty. They have journeyed to Him to be fed spiritual food, to drink of the water of life, but they don't have any more provisions left and he knows if I send them away to their homes and some of them have to travel for days they're so famished they'll fall down and some of them may die in the wilderness and so this is not just a throwaway comment oh look at those poor people he enters into their situation he feels for them And then, he takes action on their behalf. He takes these seven loaves, he prays over them, he distributes them. He does the same with the few small fish. And through his miraculous power, enough food goes out from there that the entire crowd of 4,000 is satisfied. They don't just get a crumb or a tidbit. They eat to their heart's content. And not only do they eat to their heart's content, but they have leftovers, baskets and baskets of leftovers, which are then gathered up. And after they have been fed and satisfied, then Jesus can finally send them away. He is a servant of compassion. Another passage is from Luke 6, verses 17-19. Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place. And there was a large crowd of His disciples and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and from the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon who had come to hear Him. and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured. And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming out from Him and healing them all." So this is a different scene. This is a situation where there are people who are sick with various conditions. And again, they have flocked to Him from all over the place, from Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre, and Sidon, and they have come to be cured, and as He is there with them, power was coming from Him and healing them all. Now this is just one of many examples in Jesus' ministry where He was healing large numbers of sickly people. people with a whole host of different conditions. And in the context of that day and age, he was providing medical care for them which no one else could possibly offer. There were not hospitals, there were not medicines, there were not treatments, there were not surgeries. It was a very kind of rude and undeveloped time, medically speaking. So these people had nowhere to go, but they go to Jesus and He heals them. Now because this is one of many different situations, you could say, well, didn't he ever get tired of doing this? When the crowds would clog up his house so that he couldn't even move in his house? Didn't he ever get fed up with all these sick people who kept coming? And the answer is no, he just kept healing people. he kept on serving them. And by doing this, he was showing kindness and compassion to them. Now, very often, as he would be among them, he would not only be healing their physical needs, but he would be teaching them the truth as well. And we get a sense of this in verse 18. These people had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. this is what is sometimes called a word and deed ministry where you have the word proclaimed the good news but you also have the deeds which confirm the proclamation of the word and so words and deeds go together and they work together and they serve each other if you have only words proclaimed but no deeds It seems like just so much empty talk. If you have only deeds being done, but no words, then how do you make sense of the deeds? There's no explanation available. But when you have both of these, word and deed, well, the words explain the deeds, and the deeds confirm the words. And Jesus, in his ministry, often carried out this kind of word and deed ministry where he is doing both and and sometimes doing them very close together simultaneously almost and again why was he doing this because he cared about people he cared about their bodies and he cared about their souls one other passage and this is of a different nature still this is Luke 7 verses 11 through 15. Soon afterwards, he went to a city called Name, and his disciples were going along with him, accompanied by a large crowd. And as he approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a sizable crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, he felt compassion for her and said to her, Do not weep. And he came up and touched the coffin, and the bearers came to a halt. And he said, Young man, I say to you, arise. The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. So here is Jesus with his disciples being followed by a large crowd. Then they come upon this scene at the gate of the city called Nain. And here is a dead man. It's a funeral procession. And he is being carried out in a coffin. And his mother is there. And she is a widow. And we would guess a somewhat older widow. because she has a son and he's not a baby he's a young man well this was the only son that this woman had so she had lost her husband and now she had lost her only child and she's bereft she's left alone how will she fend for herself who will care for her and everybody's weeping And she's weeping. Now, Jesus understood what He was about to do. He doesn't surprise Himself and say, oh, I didn't know I could do that. No, He knew exactly what He was about. But rather than just telling her, hang on, good things are coming, He enters into her sorrow and He counsels her not to weep. because he felt compassion for her. You know the same thing is true when Mary and Martha lost their brother and Jesus goes and there at the tomb of Lazarus it says Jesus wept though he knew exactly what he was just about to do. In compassion he enters the sorrow of these poor people and this poor woman. But he doesn't just stop there. He touches the coffin. He stops the procession. He speaks the word of life and power to this young man. Young man, I say to you, arise. And with his voice comes resurrection power. And this young man comes to life and sits up in the coffin and begins to speak. Can you imagine what this mother was feeling as she saw this all playing out in front of her? And she is just torn up with grief and Jesus is telling her, do not weep. And then he's saying this and suddenly she sees her son, her dead son, sit up alive in the coffin and he's speaking. And Jesus gave him back to his mother and her heart, which had been broken, is now overflowing with joy and thanksgiving. Now, these are just a few representative examples. You could find many, many more throughout the Gospels of Jesus doing this kind of ministry. In fact, He gave many, many days to this exact sort of ministry. He wasn't an ivory tower theologian who was having classes and sitting in some exalted position. He was down among the people, rubbing shoulders with them, caring for them, looking for their needs. So again, you say, is he really a deacon? I think the evidence is irrefutable based on the function that he so often embraced. Well, I want to take one more look at deacons before we wrap up our series. What is the work of a deacon? In our form of government of the Book of Church Order, chapter 11 on deacons, it gives some information which I find helpful about the work of deacons. And the first paragraph of that chapter says, The scripture designates the office of deacon as distinct and perpetual in the church. Deacons are called to show forth the compassion of Christ in a manifold ministry of mercy toward the saints and strangers on behalf of the church. To this end, they exercise in the fellowship of the church a recognized stewardship of care and of gifts for those in need or distress. This service is distinct from that of rule in the church. The second paragraph goes on. Those chosen to this office should be of great faith, exemplary lives, honest repute, brotherly love, warm sympathies, and sound judgment. The board of deacons shall oversee the ministry of mercy in the church and shall collect and disperse funds for the relief of the needy. Other forms of service for the church may also be committed to the deacons. So does this describe Jesus? Are these things which he embodied Great faith, exemplary life, honest repute, brotherly love, warm sympathy, sound judgment. Check, check, check, check, check. All of them. And did he give himself to a ministry of mercy? Did he provide for the needs and the relief of the needy? He did all of this. Now there's another point in our form of government which also touches on the duties of deacons. This is actually in the section where it's ordaining and installing deacons. It says this, the duties of deacons consist of encouraging members of the church to provide for those who are in want, seeking to prevent poverty, making discreet and cheerful distribution to the needy, praying with the distressed and reminding them of the consolations of Holy Scripture. And again, Jesus was one who would pray with and for people, and he was one who always was speaking of the consolations of Scripture. So I believe that the case is sound that Christ filled the office of deacon, that he was a deacon par excellence. Well, let's conclude then with just a few thoughts on this series as a whole. As we look back over the last 17 lessons, what have we seen here? Well, first of all, I would say this. What a wonderfully multifaceted ministry our Savior has for his people. I hope that as you have listened to these lessons, This class has significantly broadened your horizons and expanded your understanding of your Savior. I hope you've grown to appreciate Him in new ways, in deeper ways. Because through His offices, you see the heart of Christ. I would pray that God has also caused your heart to respond with deeper and truer love for Jesus, that you have loved Jesus more and more as you have thought about his offices. Not only in what he has done for you, but also what he is to his church. As you think about any one of these, prophet, priest, king, judge, any of these, what He is to His church and how He serves us so very well. Well, I would hope and trust that seeing Jesus' work in His office has also spurred you on to greater faithfulness in your calling. As you see Him fulfill all of His duties, it should stimulate you to forge ahead in your respective duties. He is an example to us. Now, He's not only an example, not merely an example, but He is an example. And as He has shown us faithfulness in His official calling and duties, it should spur us to greater faithfulness in our calling and in our duties. particularly for those who serve in ecclesiastical office, and I'm talking here to ministers, to elders, and to deacons. May these lessons provoke you to appreciate the great privilege of sharing in and serving with Christ. If you have been called to office, if you are serving as a minister, an elder, or a deacon, what a great blessing you have. and you should fulfill your calling in His church with great joy. Not complaining, not griping and groaning about all the things expected of you, but just having a sense of the privilege of being raised up by Christ and set apart by Christ to share in an office which He Himself has. You are rubbing shoulders with the Son of God, the Redeemer of His elect. The final thing that I would say is that I hope and pray that this series helps you in your study of Scripture and makes your study of Scripture to be richer and fuller. So, for instance, what we've looked at today with his work as a deacon, with that thought in mind, go back to the Gospels. And as you read through the Gospels, make note of those times when he was healing the sick, or feeding the hungry, or comforting those who mourned. Look for all the ways in which he is fulfilling that office as deacon. And I would expect that as you read your Bible with that in view, you're going to come up with some fresh and new insights. I saw this in my study of Christ as the shepherd, as a minister, and I started to realize how many, many different times shepherds and shepherding and sheep just show up throughout the Bible and especially there in the Gospels. And that just spurs me on to read the Bible at a deeper level. So this is one of the great things about serious Bible study. As you read the word with greater maturity and insight, it causes you to notice things you've never seen before. And as you begin to take those in and assimilate those new insights, it then adds to your ability to read with wiser and deeper understanding. And as you go up in your maturity level, even more insights become available. And it's just this kind of upward spiral as you're growing in the knowledge of God and of His Word, and it just kind of feeds itself. And you get more and more understanding and love and appreciation The more you know about Jesus, the more you love Him. And the more you love Him, the more you want to serve Him. And the more you want to serve Him, the more you experience His grace and mercy in your own service to Him, and you just keep expanding and growing and flourishing. It's like a tree that is planted by a riverside and that has good sources of water and nutrients and it draws it up through its roots and the tree itself grows and flourishes and produces more and better fruit over time. Settle for nothing less. Don't be willing to just have a bare minimum kind of Christianity that just checks a few boxes so you can hopefully go to heaven. Hunger and thirst and long for a deeper, fuller appreciation and experience of the grace of God and the work of Christ in your life. Because as you long for that and as you look for that, He is going to give you what you desire. This is a good thing. It's a good thing to want to be closer to Christ and to know Him more truly and more fully. And as you pray for that and as you yearn for that, He delights to answer that and to give you more than you've even dared to imagine. And this is what the Christian life should be. Not a lowest common denominator ritualism or ceremonialism. but this rich, full life in fellowship with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Well, thank you again for your long and careful attention to our important topics. May the Lord bless you, and may you grow in His grace and knowledge.