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song of david may the lord may the name of the god of jacob defend you may he send you help from the sanctuary and strengthen may the lord fulfill all your petitions now i know that the lord saves his anointing he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand some trust in chariots and some and horses but we will remember the name of the lord our god they have bowed down and fallen but we have risen together [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] uh [Music] so huh [Music] uh well let us pray god most high it is a great blessed privilege to gather in your house again on this sabbath day we praise your great and awesome name we bless you for so great a salvation for the mercy that you have demonstrated to us in the gospel of our lord and savior jesus christ we know lord god it's not because of our good deeds it's not because of our free will or our free choice or anything like that but we know that you chose us in him before the foundation of the world and that in your time he came forth born of a woman and born under the law to redeem those under the law and we bless you for that life of perfect obedience that sacrificial death upon the cross on our behalf and that resurrection again on the third day and we praise you for sending the holy spirit and taking that accomplished redemption and applying it to the hearts of the elect and as we gather here tonight help us to do so in a manner that is consistent with what we find in scripture in in terms of who you are may you flood our hearts with reverence with respect with awe with fear and as well god may you flood our hearts with great rejoicing and thanksgiving as you have not dealt with us according to our sins nor rewarded us according to our transgression we ask that as we come to the father through the son and the spirit tonight that you would be magnified and glorified and honored in this glad hour we ask that you would forgive us for all of our sin in our transgression as we consider your holiness in holy scripture as we consider the call of god upon us in terms of the gospel we see our own waywardness and proneness to wander and proneness to leave the god that we love so lord forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness our transgression against that first table against the second table our sins against god and man lord cleanse us afresh in the precious blood of the lord jesus christ and we do long to see more and more people come out of darkness into marvelous light confessing faith in our lord jesus christ so god if there be any tonight that are still dead in their trespasses and sins we pray that you would awaken them as we as we read psalm 29 we we stand amazed that the voice of yahweh is able to crush the cedars of lebanon and certainly we know lord god that your word is powerful we know that you are able to make men willing in the day of that power and we pray that tonight sinners would be constrained to come to the lord jesus christ believing on him for everlasting life we ask that you look with favor upon our children and our young people we long to see them rightly connected to you through faith in our lord jesus we ask that you would bless their young hearts we love them we thank you for them we ask that you would help us to bring them up in the training and admonition of the lord and as well may we set before their eyes the the law of god to show them their sin as well the gospel the free and sovereign grace to show them the savior for sinners and may you be pleased to bless and set them apart as as vessels of mercy even from their early early days as well our god we pray tonight knowing the the flood waters are rising we ask that you would bless those in affected areas we think in particular of michael and laura we ask god in heaven that you would protect their property we ask that you would bless them and help them lord god to be still and to know that you are god that you will be exalted among the nations and in the earth and for others in our local body that are affected by this and for the greater community in chilliwack and in abbotsford we ask god that in your wrath you would remember mercy and we understand the wrath of god relative to a wicked and perverse generation for we live in a country that celebrates murder in terms of the unborn we live in a country that celebrates murder in terms of the the elderly and the infirm among us we live in a country where there is gross sexual perversion in all manner of lawlessness and and every symptom of christ our anti-christian thought and practice in this in this nation so god we pray as the prophet prayed that you would remember mercy that you would show pity that you would reveal to you to your people and to those image bearers that your patience is still intact and god help us to persevere as your people in the midst of these situations and give us boldness to hold forth the word of truth to those in need as well our god we pray for your blessing upon this community and upon this nation in terms of the gospel of our lord jesus we pray for pastors and for churches that they would be diligent to uphold the truth as it is in christ that the word of god would go forth in this land and that christ would have dominion from sea to sea we pray that for the nations of the earth for as we find in scripture you are not just the god of israel but you are the god who saves samaritans you are the god who saves gentiles you are the god who is called every tribe and tongue and people and nation and when we turn to the book of revelation we see that great church assembled before the throne in the age to come and it greatly encourages us and it gives us that hopeful expectation that the gospel will go forth conquering and to conquer lord god be glorified in this present world be exalted and praised and cause your church to celebrate redemption to celebrate the goodness of god as it's revealed in the truth and as well help us to hold forth the law of god for certainly this is a lawless age and one of the means by which you bring sinners to our lord is to show them their misery to show them their wretchedness and to show them their need for blood atonement through the savior king god we ask that you would look with favor upon other churches in our community we thank you for each one that is preaching the truth we ask that you would just bless those pastors she would strengthen them with might and the inner man that they may continue to glorify you we think of pastor koopman we thank you for him and his ministry we thank you for pastor champ and for pastor shuman and lord god i pray that you would just cause these men to remain faithful to their calling to set forth christ and him crucified and god finally we pray for the church in surrey for the plant and vernon and for the plant and dryden we give praise to you for what you are doing christ has taught us that the harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few and so god we thank you for those men that you have raised up we pray for more men to be raised up and we pray that you would indeed bless the work of the gospel in this generation as it is so desperately needed and lord thank you for one another in the midst of this congregation god bless our time together now and we pray through jesus christ our lord amen you can turn with me again in your hymn books to 463 463 will stand as we sing together [Music] is [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] too [Music] well please turn with me in your bibles to leviticus chapter 11 leviticus chapter 11 for our scripture reading much of what follows in leviticus is designed to set the people of israel apart from the nations surrounding them it has been referred to as the holiness code so you have the moral law of god given in exodus chapter 20. you have judicial law given in exodus chapter 21-23 and then you have much ceremonial law given in the book of leviticus not only in terms of sacrifice but in terms of personal conduct and again a means by which they were to be separate from the pagan nations around them so i'll read beginning in verse 1 of chapter 11. now the lord spoke to moses and aaron saying to the saying to them speak to the children of israel saying these are the animals which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth among the animals whatever divides the hoof having cloven hooves and chewing the cud that you may eat nevertheless these you shall not eat among those that chew the cod or that the those that have cloven hooves the camel because it chews the cod but does not have cloven hooves is unclean to you the rock hyrax because it chews the cod but does not have clue cloven hooves is unclean to you the hair because it chews the cod but does not have cloven hooves is unclean to you and the swine though it divides the hoof having cloven hoofs yet does not chew the cod is unclean to you their flesh flesh you shall not eat and their carcasses you shall not touch they are unclean to you these you may eat of all that are in the water whatever in the water has fins and scales whether in the seas or in the rivers that you may eat but all in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins and scales all the re all uh all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the water they are an abomination to you they shall be an abomination to you you shall not eat their flesh but you shall regard their carcasses as an abomination whatever in the water does not have fins or scales that shall be an abomination to you and these you shall regard as an abomination among among the birds they shall not be eaten they are an abomination the eagle the vulture the buzzard the kite and the falcon after its kind every raven after its kind the ostrich the short-eared owl the seagull and the hawk after its kind the little owl the fisher owl and the screech owl the white owl the jackdaw and the carrion vulture the stork the heron after its kind the huppo and the bat all flying insects that creep on all fours shall be an abomination to you yet these you may eat of every flying insect that creeps on all fours those which have jointed legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth these you may eat the locust after its kind the destroying locus after its kind the cricket after its kind and the grasshopper after its kind but all other flying insects which have four feet shall be an abomination to you by these you shall become unclean whoever touches the carcass of any of them shall be unclean until evening whoever carries part of the carcass of any of them shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening the carcass of any animal which divides the foot but is not cloven hoofed or does not chew the cod is unclean to you everyone who touches it shall be unclean and whatever goes on its pause among all kinds of animals that go on all fours those are unclean to you whoever touches any such carcass shall be unclean until evening whoever carries any such carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening it is unclean to you these also shall be unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth the mole the mouse and the large lizard after its kind the gecko the monitor lizard the sand reptile the sand lizard and the chameleon these are on all these are unclean to you among all that creep whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening anything on which any of them falls when they are dead shall be unclean whether it is any item of wood or clothing or skin or sac whatever item it is in which any work is done it must be put in water and it shall be unclean until evening then it shall be clean any earth and vessel into which any of them falls you shall break and whatever is in it shall be unclean in such a vessel any edible food upon which water falls becomes unclean and any drink that may be drunk from it becomes unclean and everything on which a part of any such carcass falls shall be unclean whether it is an oven or cooking stove it shall be broken down for they are unclean and shall be unclean to you nevertheless a spring or a cistern in which there is plenty of water shall be clean but whatever touches any such carcass becomes unclean and if a part of any such carcass falls on any planting seed which is to be sown it remains clean but if water is put on the seed and if a part of any such carcass falls on it it becomes unclean to you and if any animal which you may eat dies he who touches its carcass shall be unclean until evening he who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening he also who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth shall be an abomination it shall not be eaten whatever crawls on its belly whatever goes on all fours or whatever has many feet among all creeping things that creep on the earth these you shall not eat for they are an abomination you shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps nor shall you make yourselves unclean with them lest you be defiled by them for i am the lord your god you shall therefore consecrate yourselves and you shall be holy for i am holy neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth for i am the lord who brings you up out of the land of egypt to be your god you shall therefore be holy for i am holy this is the law of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters and of every creature that creeps on the earth to distinguish between the unclean and the clean and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten amen well let us pray our father in heaven we see the central principle that the children of israel be holy even as you are holy and we know that this is the abiding principle in this new covenant setting we see peter invoke this same passage and and exhort the people of god to be holy like the lord god is holy to be separate from those among us to be separate in terms of our commitment to our lord jesus christ and to seek to pursue those things which are pleasing in your sight we rejoice in your loving kindness and we see that even in these ceremonies even in these aspects and details of the law they were typical they were prefiguring they were pointing forward to new covenant reality when the son of man would come to save his people from their sins we thank you and we praise you that that has occurred that christ has lived christ has died christ has been raised again such that we may have everlasting life we rejoice in your loving kindness to us and we pray through jesus christ our lord amen well you can turn with me again in your hymn books to 421 421 will stand as we sing together [Music] see [Music] [Music] me [Music] hey [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] hey [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] we have two texts to read before we look at the tax in more detail the first is found in first timothy chapter 3 you can turn there first timothy chapter 3 i'll read the section pertaining to deacons because we had a lengthy study in elders i won't repeat uh jot for tittle everything that is overlapping in the qualifications for deacons but that is the emphasis tonight we're going to look at the need for what deacons do and then i'm going to encourage you to let me know who you think in our church should function in that capacity so i want to read first timothy chapter 3 verses 8 to 13 and then we'll turn over to acts chapter 6 and spend the bulk of our time in verses 1 to 7. so beginning in chapter 3 at verse 8 likewise deacons must be reverent not double tongued not given to much wine not greedy for money holding the mystery of the faith with the pure conscience but let these also first be tested then let them serve as deacons being found blameless likewise their wives must be reverent not slanderers temperate faithful in all things let deacons be the husbands of one wife ruling their children and their own houses well for those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in christ jesus now turn over to the book of acts acts chapter 6. acts chapter 6 i'll read verses 1 to 7. the word deacon is absent we don't see in acts 6 verses 1 to 7 the apostles telling the church in jerusalem we want deacons we want men that will serve in this particular capacity but most commentators most theologians see at least the the diaconate in seed form here though not called deacons this is the persons or these are the people that would become deacons in the church of the lord jesus christ so beginning in verse 1. now in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplying there arose a complaint against the hebrews by the hellenists because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said it is not desirable that we should leave the word of god and serve tables therefore brethren seek out from among you seven men of good reputation full of the holy spirit and wisdom whom we may appoint over this business but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word and the and the saying pleased the whole multitude and they chose stephen a man full of faith and the holy spirit philip prochurus nicanor timon parmanas and nicholas aprosolite from antioch whom they sat before the apostles and when they had prayed they laid hands on them then the word of god spread and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in jerusalem and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith amen well let us pray our father in heaven we thank you for the written word of the living and true god we thank you that it is uh sufficient for all matters of faith and practice and we know that that word governs church life and god we pray to you that you would give us wisdom and understanding concerning the qualifications for elders and now for deacons and help us to look out among us and to find men that fill these qualifications men that we can see utilized in the church of the lord jesus serving according to their gifting we ask god in heaven that you would bless us with the presence of the holy spirit now we ask that he would bless us again with the forgiveness of sins and we pray that we would thank your thoughts after you and we ask in the name and for the glory of our lord jesus christ amen well before we look at any particular texts or set this in its larger context we ought to consider the word deacon deacon simply means minister or something like servant and it's not consolidated to ecclesiastical or churchly use in romans chapter 13 the apostle paul says that the civil government is god's deacon god's minister the avenger of god's wrath in history so in the civil realm a minister is to be a servant i think we have forgotten that a long time ago we think of minister today and they're almost royal we are their subjects but that's not the way it's supposed to be as the word would indicate they're supposed to serve they're supposed to minister so in the civil sphere that is the function in the churchly or ecclesiastical sphere that is the function as well as we read through the list of qualifications in first timothy chapter 3 there's no emphasis on the deacon as having to teach or preach the word of god he doesn't have to possess that gifting however he does have to hold to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience he has to have a sure doctrinal footing but the primary emphasis in terms of the diaconate is service or ministry in terms of minister ministering to the people of god i think john gill gives the most succinct statement concerning the function of the deacons the deacons are to serve the table of the lord meaning not only put the elements on the table but everything connected to the actual functioning of god's house they are to serve the table of the poor they are ministers of mercy and we see that expressed in acts chapter 6 and then thirdly they're to serve the table of the minister or the pastor that doesn't mean they come over and cook and serve food but it means that they serve in such a way that the pastor or the man preaching the word is set apart as we see in this passage to devote himself to prayer and to the ministry of god's word so that's what the deacons do in the context of the church now let's look at acts chapter 6. now christ promises to build his church in matthew chapter 16. he said i will build my church and the gates of haiti shall not prevail against it now when he promises that he doesn't make another promise saying and you'll never have any problems it'll be smooth sailing all the way every time you gather it will only be joyful and happy and wonderful no there's always going to be difficulties there's always going to be challenges up to this point in the book of acts the church is persecuted in chapters 4 and 5. as well there is internal corruption in the church in acts chapter 5 verses 1 to 11. so you've got external persecution upon the people of god and then you have internal corruption much like israel the church has a two-fold enemy it's not only those from without but at times it's those from within now acts chapter 6 shows us another strategy of the devil to distract the church and it's that distraction this isn't persecution this isn't corruption but rather it is distraction and if this is not corrected then the apostles are not able to continue in devoting themselves to the word and to doctrine john gill says so that as it appears from the instance of ananias and sapphira that this first and pure gospel church was not free from hypocrites it is also manifest that though they were at first so united and harmonious in their affections and judgments yet they were not always clear of feuds animosities and contentions satan bestowed himself and got footing among them as he commonly does where the gospel is preached and there is an increase of it in other words if the church is doing what she's supposed to do she can't expect yes the blessing of god but yes the assault of the devil there are challenges to overcome in church life so i want to look first at the problem in the church in verses one and two second the proposal to the church in verses three and four and then finally the provision for the church in verses five to seven but notice the problem the time of it verse one now in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplying i want to say this as carefully and as gingerly and as kindly as i possibly can but more people typically add up to more problems parents you've known that after having one child and then you throw another into the mix and then on top of that you throw a third and then perhaps a fourth and some go up into ten and double digits in such a way that it's a it's a miracle that these ladies have hair that they've not pulled it all out so while god's blessing is evident and manifest in the church persons bring with them their own idiosyncrasies persons bring with them their own remaining sin and as often is the case in the context of the church we can bump into one another we can have some issues we can't have some challenges i don't suggest that we try to negate this reality that we say oh no that'll never happen because we're all so wonderful no understand that it's most likely going to happen but the bible gives a mechanism on how to deal with it it tells us that if your brother sins against you go to him if he hears you then you've won your brother it also tells us that if you are presenting your gift at the altar and there you remember that your pro brother has a problem with you go first be reconciled to him and then render your gift so my point is there will be issues there will be challenges there will be a bumping of heads among us from one time to another that's inevitable but the christian response is to deal with it according to the word of the living god too many christians are cowards too many christians just avoid anybody that would ever stand in their way no we deal with people lovingly and we exhibit the courage that christ calls us to and we try and deal faithfully one with another so the time that this occurs is when the number of disciples was multiplying the church was growing praise be to god now notice the specific issue in verse 1. it says there arose a complaint against the hebrews by the hellenists because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution the hebrews were jews from judea they were sort of native persons and native speakers of the language the hellenists were jews from outside of judah so they were greek speaking jews so you had hellenists and then you had the hebrews and so in this particular instance the the the problem is because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution it seems that the apostles were governing the situation in such a way that these widows were being fed these widows were being cared for these widows were being tended to but the hellenists had the idea that they were being slighted that the hebrew widows were getting more the hebrew widows were enjoying bounty while the hellenists were being shorted as far as they were concerned now this underscores a blessed reality and consistent consistency between the two testaments god has always had a heart for the widow and for the orphan in the book of exodus we see mandate we see command we see expression given by god to the nation to tend to their widows to tend to the orphans james defines true and undefiled religion in the sight of god and the father in this way to visit widows and orphans in their distress and to keep oneself unspotted from the world so the apostles are being consistent with what god had called them to not only in this new covenant setting but in the old covenant as well so there was a neglect now j.a alexander says neglected literally overlooked not necessarily implying ill will or contempt but merely such neglect as might arise from their being less known than the natives the jealousy of the races may have prompted the complaint without affording the occasion for it as well it underscores there wasn't a common refrigerator there was still the possession of private goods in the early church we see a benevolence on their part in chapter 2 and in chapter 4 to sell property to lay the money at the feet of the apostles so that they could distribute it among the people some have concluded christian socialism that is a wrong conclusion there was no coercion on the part of the civil state and there was no coercion on the part of the apostles it was a free will move on the part of the people of god now here again this was a distribution of food it wasn't the case that there was one common fridge and everybody had access at any time to it that's the practical problem in the church but notice in the second place the spiritual problem in verse two then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said it is not desirable that we should leave the word of god and serve tables so they call the church they summon the church they don't act unilaterally they don't act without accountability they act in a wise and responsible manner and they lay out this particular issue before the people of god so what do the apostles assume that the people of god are bright enough bulbs in the chandelier to be able to figure out certain situations like these we don't always need somebody above us making decisions for us we're very capable as blood-bought children of the living and true god filled with the holy spirit to make decisions that affect the entirety of the church it's a wonderful and a beautiful thing it's not strict democracy it is rather elder or apostle led at this particular point but they work in conjunction with the congregation and then notice it is not desirable that we should leave the word of god and serve tables they don't say it's wrong to serve tables they don't say it's beneath us to serve tables they don't say it's something that we're too holy and pure to engage with that's not their attitude at all rather the apostles rightly see what we call now the division of labor if the apostles are trying to serve tables and trying to prepare sermons they're not going to do either one well if they do appoint a class of men to serve the tables then that will free them up to devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word what's one of the take home messages from this particular passage no one man not even a small group of men can do everything the church is a multi-faceted organism there are a lot of things going on there are a lot of moving parts and therefore having biblically qualified men installed as deacons and as elders help us to orchestrate the calling that god has given so the work of serving tables is not beneath them john stott comments there is no hint whatever that the apostles regarded social work as inferior to pastoral work or beneath their dignity it was entirely a question of calling please get that the apostles aren't the right reverent doctor sir that have people giving them accolades that's not their emphasis their emphasis is we're here to preach the word of god the specific work committed to the apostles is given there it is not desirable that we should leave the word of god and serve tables now when we move on the apostolic ministry dies with the apostles there's no present apostolic ministry who gets this baton passed to them well we've studied first timothy chapter 3 verses 1 to 7. we see that it's the elders who are given the task of preaching and teaching the word remember first timothy 3 2 he must be able he must be apt to teach remember the emphasis throughout first and second timothy and titus is on sound doctrine it's on the function of the eldership to preach that word to teach that word and to lead the congregation or govern the congregation as servants of christ as servants of the people by the word of god so the apostles identify the problem practically the hellenists are not happy with the daily distribution of bread but the spiritual element of this issue is that it's not desirable for us to serve tables because then we'd have to leave the word of god now notice in the second place the proposal to the church in verses three and four the solution for the practical problem these men are smart these men are wise these men prescribe the particu a particular uh remedy that will fix the problem notice in verse 3 therefore brethren seek out from among you seven men of good reputation full of the holy spirit and wisdom whom we may appoint over this business the fact that there are seven called for does not give that as a mandate to all subsequent churches in other words if it was part and parcel of a diaconate to have seven we'd expect that in first timothy chapter three verses eight to thirteen most likely and this is just a supposition i think i picked it up from sam waldron some years ago probably seven for each day of the week set apart one man for the distribution of the bread on those particular days if you were deacon whoever you got monday if you were deacon whoever you got tuesday that's as good a supposition as any that i can see but the diaconate is need driven if there is a need for deacons and i suggest we have a need for deacons we should find qualified men and install them into that office of christian ministry if there is not a need then you don't have to just put somebody in for no reason it is a need driven sort of a situation now notice he gives or they give qualifications in this particular passage and we'll end tonight by looking again at first timothy chapter 3. but notice therefore brethren seek out from among you seven men of good rep reputation they need to be well spoken of they need to be approved sort of like when paul starts off with elders he says they must be blameless men they must have a good record they must be irreproachable they mustn't be non-sinners because that would never be the case they're not called to be perfect but there need to be men of good reputation notice they go on to say full of the holy spirit and wisdom full of the holy spirit and wisdom now the necessity of the holy spirit inde indicates or underscores the spirituality of the task they're not just to be good managers they're to be good managers governed by the spirit of the living god see the spirit of the living god works with means as well he can take a and cause him to do good things but for the most part the spirit uses a guy who has a modicum of wisdom who has a commitment to the written word of the living god and so it's not just a task in terms of managerial it's not just logistics it's not just making sure that the hellenists get as much food as do the hebrews he must be filled with the spirit but then notice the necessity of wisdom highlights the care that must be applied to the task when you're dealing in a situation like this you want wise men it's easy for us to read through this and not think that it's that big of a deal you've got one group of widows that are unhappy brethren that's a tough mountain to climb that is a tough obstacle to try and deal with when men are dealing with finances when they're dealing with food when they're dealing with logistics when they're dealing with organization when they're dealing with the sorts of things that these men are going to deal with you want men to have wisdom don't you it's pretty obvious and it should be pretty self-evident that the holy spirit and wisdom are requisite gifts for those involved in service to the church of the lord jesus christ now notice the function it says therefore brethren seek out from among you seven men of good reputation full of the holy spirit and wisdom whom we may appoint over this business this doesn't necessarily mean that phillip or a stephen rather was the man or stephen and philip were men or the rest of these particular deacons were men that were doing everything no they were men as well that would delegate to others you see that delegation of judicial authority in exodus chapter 18. it's a wonderful principle remember that moses is wearing himself out by by adjudicating all of the issues and the challenges of israel and jethro his his converted father-in-law comes to him and says basically you're going to kill yourself there's no one man that can do all that you're doing you need to appoint other men such that they can take some of the the the not as important stuff and then moses you can function as the supreme court in israel it made good sense it was good application of wisdom so moses imbibes that and he puts it into place so the apostles will establish the deacons over this particular work the apostles would appoint them over this business which further evidences and demonstrates that this business is important this business is crucial this business demands to have men govern it in such a way as to bring it about effect effectively they don't say well you know because these hellenists are complaining we're going to just end it this is why we can't have good things you need to stop that that's not how they handle it as well they don't engage in you know ethnic counseling oh you know you need to be more woke you hellenist you need to be a bit more sympathetic to the hebrews and the hebrew that's not the problem the problem is it was a matter of logistics it was a matter of distribution it was a matter of putting food on the table the apostles implement the division of labor for the glory of god so that would solve the practical problem and thus it would alleviate the spiritual problem notice in verse 4. but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word we will busy ourselves with we will be busily engaged in we will be devoted to the preaching of god's word and praying for the people now brethren it's at times like these that some say well you know that's not as important the preaching and the praying it's it's more about putting food on the table everybody wants to approach church life as an as a as an either or no we should see it as a both and practical acts of charity and as well an emphasis upon a sound gospel ministry it shouldn't be the case that we have one or the other we should aim by the grace of god to have a both and robust situation of practical concern and doctrinal devotion and so the apostles function notice underscored here we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word these are apostles these are the men that if anybody ever should have gotten a a nice parking spot and should have been addressed with right reverend sir it would have been them but they don't want that they don't want notoriety they don't want celebrity they don't want to be out in the public eye they don't want to be shocking and jiving and doing all that they want to devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word they want to devote themselves to the extension of christ's kingdom they want to devote themselves to that which god called them for that is biblical that is good that is absolutely admirable in this instance paul says the two great employees of a minister of jesus christ to pray unto god for the people and to speak unto the people from the lord john gill says these two prayer and preaching are the principal employment of a gospel ministry and are what he ought to be concerned in not only now and then but what he should be given or give himself up unto holy that his profiting might appear and what he should be continually exercised and employed in it's a great emphasis by john gill it's a great emphasis that we see in the proven masters in the church of the lord jesus christ everyone to a man saw the emphasis in terms of biblical eldership and biblical diaconate why for the advancement of the cause of jesus christ i'm going to give you a bit of a foreshadowing what happens after they appoint the deacons then the word of the lord spread what do we conclude from that that a biblically ordered church functioning according to the mind of christ with elders and deacons is a ripe place for the conversion of sinners in other words faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of god and if there is a class of man separated unto the preaching of that word and there is a class of men get this to protect those men that evidence is to us the heart of god in the saving of sinners and it also evidences to us the kinds of churches that the lord god blesses now certainly he can bless churches where there isn't elders and deacons that's not the issue but there is a close connection between the appointment of these deacons and then the spread of the word of the lord so look at finally the provision for the church in verses five to seven notice the choice of the men the saying pleased the whole multitude why wouldn't it right you've got the mind of christ your blood bought you have the holy spirit the apostles come they say we've got a practical problem the hell in a shrub said at the hebrews this is going to keep us from ministering to them in a way that is beneficial from for them but in a way that is beneficial for the entirety of the church because we're going to be kept back from the word and from prayer so find good men men of good reputation men who have the holy spirit men who have wisdom set them apart we can appoint them over this business and then we can do what we're supposed to do vis-a-vis devote ourselves to to to preaching into prayer so of course the people of god said yes notice they chose stephen a man full of faith and the holy spirit and philip those are the two men that we read of further phil uh stephen ferris large in chapter seven and then philip in chapter eight there's this man procuris the canter timon uh tim on uh parmenos and nicholas some in the early church thought this nicholas was the the the hatcher of the vile heresy associated with the nicolaitans in the book of revelation i don't know about that but that's what at least irenaeus and a couple of others thought but anyways they pick these particular men and then they appoint the men notice in verse six it says whom they sat before the apostles and when they had prayed they laid hands on them so the same sort of thing that we see with reference to elders in acts chapter 14 paul will go back through the cities and churches he established in the first missionary journey he will then have the church by common suffrage select men for the eldership they pray and they fast and they appoint those men to the eldership by the laying on of hands you see the same emphasis here our confession says the way appointed by christ for the calling of any person fitted and gifted by the holy spirit unto the office of bishop or elder in the in a church is that he be chosen there unto by the common suffrage of the church itself and solemnly set apart by fasting and prayer with imposition of hands of the eldership of the church if there be any before constituted therein and of a deacon that he be chosen by the like suffrage and set apart by prayer and the like imposition of hands so there is an order involved in this there are qualifications given for this which is obviously suggestive that it's an abiding office in the church of the lord jesus christ until he comes again in glory to judge the living and the dead it is a simple process but a most effective process and again it underscores the heart of god in terms of the salvation of sinners not only does he set apart a class of men to preach the gospel to those sinners he sets apart a class of men to protect those men so that they can preach the gospel to sinners it always amazes me when hyper calvinists think that god really doesn't want to save people everything in the bible is designed to tell us that god wants to save people every jot and tittle converges on that blessed reality jesus said i've come to seek and to save that which was lost we turn to the book of revelation there's a great multitude that no man can number from every tribe and tongue and people and nation but again i think this is a powerful argument for the goodness and the large-heartedness of god most high towards sinners he wants you saved in such a way that he's ordained a class of men to preach the gospel to you and he's ordained a class of men to protect those men so they can preach the gospel to you and then notice the progress of the church go back for just or go up rather to chapter 9. there's several progress reports that you find in the book of acts it's luke telling us the effect of the word as it is being proclaimed acts 9 31 then the churches throughout all judea judea galilee and samaria had peace and were edified and walking in the fear of the lord and in the comfort of the holy spirit they were multiplied that's a progress report turn over to chapter 12 at verse 24. a most intriguing one because the chapter starts off with james being beheaded and then peter being thrown in prison and then the chapter ends with a progress report verse 24 but the word of god grew and multiplied john stott says the chapter chapter 12 opens with james dead peter in prison and herod triumphing it closes with herod dead peter free and the word of god triumphing such is the power of god to overthrow hostile human plans and to establish his own in their place tyrants may be permitted for a time to boast and bluster oppressing the church and hindering the gospel but they will not last in the end their empire will be broken and their pride abased that's a great way to describe acts chapter 12. that hits the nail on the proverbial head look at acts 16 acts 16 paul comes into the region of derby and lystra he hears of timothy he wants him to accompany him on the second missionary journey and then notice what we see in verse 5 so the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in number daily turn over to acts chapter 19. these are great things these progress reports again in the midst of persecution in the midst of increasing hostility not only from the unbelieving jews but increasingly from the roman civil state nevertheless god is carrying out his purpose and plan notice in ephesus in acts 19 20. so the word of the lord grew mightily and prevailed and then there's a progress report at the end of the book of acts it ends with such acts 28 30. then paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house and received all who came to him preaching the kingdom of god and teaching the things which concern the lord jesus christ with all confidence no one forbidding him so you see the apostle ends up in prison at the end of the book of acts we might conclude without the progress report oh no everything is lost but no luke tells us this was another opportunity for the apostle to preach and teach the word of god and it's there that he writes ephesians philippians and colossians so back to acts chapter 6. notice at verse 7 then that connects us to the preceding context so what we have is that they sat before the apostles those seven men according to verse six when the apostles had prayed the apostles laid hands on them then the word of god spread and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in jerusalem and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith so the practical problem was dealt with which freed up the servants of the word or the ministers of the word with reference to the spiritual problem now that the practical was taken care of so was the spiritual they preached the word they're devoted to the word and prayer and thus god blesses it the word of god spreads and the number of the disciples multiplies greatly and this comment that of the a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith listen to john gill and that the priests and a large number of them should do this is very marvelous since they were the most inveterate enemies of the gospel and persecutors of the saints but what is it that efficacious grace cannot do it can certainly conquer the inveterate enemies of the church it will do so in acts chapter 9 with the conversion of saul of tarsus so you free up the man of god to give himself to prayer and to the ministry of the word of god and what happens faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of god it's not rocket science brethren it's not splitting the atom it is simply functioning in accordance with god's holy word in terms of the way he regulates the church and her conduct now in conclusion we ought to reckon with first of all the problems facing the church it's not just the external threat but there is an internal threat the case of ananias and sapphira underscore corruption the case of the various heretics named in the new testament underscore corruption this one again it's not corruption it's not heresy but it is distraction it is something that can jeopardize the smooth operation of the church of the lord jesus christ so by god's grace we seek to tend to those things so that we can keep the ship moving secondly the government of the church the abiding offices in the church are elders and deacons there are no more apostles with the death of the final apostle the apostle or apostolic ministry was no more it was foundational it was specific it was given for a time but it is no longer in perpetuity the remaining offices are those addressed by paul in 1st timothy 3 1-7 elders 8-13 deacons the division of labor in the church is crucial again whenever you look at these terms used philippians 1 1 it speaks of elders plural and deacons why elders plural because no one man can do everything that is requisite in church life the division of labor is crucial and then the presence however not however but i should always remind us the presence of church officers doesn't mean complete inactivity on the part of church members now early on well not early on but a couple of years in my life as a christian i was a deacon in the church in palmdale and i'll never forget a time when i was vacuuming the floor and i was near a brother and this brother just lifted his feet so i could vacuum under his feet and i thought it would be nice for you to get up and move i i you know i got struggles brethren i'm not a an absolute holy man i'm not a perfect man but but there there was almost this attitude that oh this guy will do it that's not the way we're supposed to view deacons and and elders it's not the the case some sometimes i i'm i this is probably going to make you think i'm really weird but i'll see a piece of trash in the parking lot i leave it there and i wonder is it going to be the deacons that pick it up or is there somebody else that will pick it up we ought not to think oh well we've got deacons they can pick up the trash we've got an elder that works here all week he can pick up all the excrement and i do i'll i'll do that because i don't think you should leave that laying around but the bottom line is the presence of officers in the church does not equal inactivity on the part of the members of the church just because we have a functioning diaconate and a functioning eldership doesn't mean you get to sit in the pew and grow moss it is absolutely unacceptable if your thought process is well there are deacons to go plunge the toilet go plunge the toilet serve the deacon he will probably enjoy that blessing in his life so i always feel constrained to make that observation now go to first timothy chapter three just a couple quick thoughts and then we close first timothy chapter three as i said we spent much time in the qualifications for elders you can see the overlap involved in terms of the deacons verse 8 describes as personal conduct likewise deacons must be reverent not double tongue not given to much wine not greedy for money again obvious evident as as as plain as the nose on your face it is the deacons that function in terms of the church finances you don't want a man who's greedy for money holding the money back judas was an obvious problem in the apostolate and then notice you've got his doctrinal conviction again just because he's not apt to teach or is it required to be apt to teach doesn't mean he needs to be a novice theologically it doesn't mean he doesn't need to know the bible and good theology verse 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience he's holding it because he understands it he's appropriated by faith and it is that by which he lives notice in the third place his proven faithfulness verse 10 but let these also first be tested then let them serve as deacons being found blameless and then notice his domestic situation again corresponding much with what we have in the description of the eldership so verses 11 and 12 underscore his domestic situation with this particular difference notice in verse 11 likewise their wives must be reverent not slanderers temperate faithful in all things i didn't have time to check the other other translations or i just didn't even think too but there are those who perhaps translate this differently there is some degree of disagreement on this particular section some suggest this isn't deacon's wives but rather it is deaconesses women deacons or women who function in the diaconate or perhaps they were a class of widow women perhaps older women that would serve in this particular capacity i think this is the proper translation i think that this is the proper way to view it i think that what paul is saying is that with reference to the deacons their wives have qualification why doesn't he say that the elder's wife has qualification because paul's supposition is clear and it's simple paul does not assume that the elder's wife will help him elder his task is to preach and teach the word of god and to govern the church two things prohibited of women in 1st timothy chapter 2. so the apostle doesn't give qualifications for the elder's wife that doesn't mean she can be a wino and lay around all day and watch soap operas and steal candy bars and be a rat no it doesn't mean that at all but i think the supposition is clear with the deacons the deacon's wives will help the deacons in their deaconing so while the deacon is tasked with the service of the table of the lord the table of the poor and the table of the minister a deacon's wife is very valuable and very helpful in that threefold pursuit for instance if there is a woman that is abused or there's some sort of a situation that requires the soft touch of a woman it ought to be the deacon's wife perhaps instead of the deacon so the apostle gives illustration or gives rather qualification for deacon's wives and again very evident very obvious very patent likewise their wives must be reverent not slanderers temperate faithful in all things so that's his domestic faithfulness relative to his wife but then he shares the similar qualification as the elder with reference to his children verse 12 let deacons be the husbands of one wife he's got to be proven in terms of sexual fidelity ruling their children and their own houses well and that it ends with a wonderful commendation to those men who serve and function in the capacity of the diaconate in a good way notice in verse 13 for those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in christ jesus it is a wonderful work that the lord god has given in the context of the local church it warms my heart when we gather together for prayer meeting and brothers pray for the deacons as we re as we saw intimately or or or wonderfully over the last year we saw the work of the deacons in ways that they weren't necessarily ready for but they stepped up to the plate they swung the bat and they hit home runs and i bless god for those brothers i bless god for their work and i bless god for the privilege of working alongside of them so brethren pray for that pray with reference to men in our church if you have somebody in mind please send me an email please send me a text an email is better because then i can print it out and put it in a folder i like doing that but if you want to please communicate in light of the qualifications for elders and for deacons what man or men in the context of our church you see fits the bill and by god's grace we will hopefully install a man or men for his glory for the progress of the kingdom of christ on earth because it was when they were installed that the word of the lord spread and a great many came to the faith including the inveterate enemies of the gospel those priests who had shaken their fist at the glorious christ and now we're submitting on bended knee confessing him as lord and savior well let us pray our father in heaven we thank you for your word we thank you for its clarity in these these church matters and we thank you for the men who serve in our church in this manner we give praise to you lord god for their faithfulness and we pray that you would continue to bless them and watch over them as well god we pray to you as the lord of the harvest to raise up elders to raise up deacons not just in our church we know that mike has needs we see for vernon we pray for ryan and that whole situation there that there would be not just him one day but a plurality we pray for the situation and dryden we thank you for the plurality of men in terms of eldership and the church in honduras and we know that this is indeed the mind of christ so god help us and grant us grace and give us this kind provision and we ask in the name and for the glory of our lord jesus christ amen we'll close with a brief time of meditation you you