Sept 27, 2020 Sunday Worship Service

Back to Basics, that's where we've been for a number of weeks. And we continue in this series talking about the basics of the fundamentals of the faith. And today they were talking about a new role a new office. If you will entitled deacons about deacons, you know, when Jesus established his church and it came to fulfillment on the day of Pentecost.

He had in mind the idea of leadership and the leadership wasn't meant to be something where people were to be dumped that the leadership was too. Sure. And that's what Jesus came to Earth to. Do. You remember when he after the Lord's Supper he bent down and he began to wash the disciples feet. And they looked at me kind of funny because he's the Lord. So he bent down to begin washing their feet and Peter said no. No. No, you're not going to wash my feet. And Jesus said well then anyone who does not want me to wash your feet will have no part with me and Sophie turned around and just and he said well not just my feet but my whole body if you going to watch me do it that way and saw Jesus bent down to begin to wash all the disciples feet. And and so what his point was was that even the leaders sir leader sir. And the funny thing about it is that we're all called to be leaders and yet we're all called to be servants. And in those leadership positions or will say roles are certain roles that belong to certain people. So as Christians were all called to serve and when you think about Christianity. It's the only religion where are cell is not the central theme.

Focus in Christianity is upon others. Service for Jesus by serving others. And so that's the whole point of Christianity, What's in it for me? What am I going to get out of how do I reach Utopia? How do I get the best things in life? And so it's all in words looking the religion of Jesus Christ looking to help others to serve others in their best interest. That's the one we're talking about Greek word for Servant. It's one Greek word for Servant. There's another word doulos which means servant slave and slave. Oh Jesus Christ. So we're to wait we have the freedom. In Christ, Jesus to be slaves, and it's something. So when we consider Jesus and I want to thank you for bringing our minds back to Jesus this morning during that communion. Thought when we think about the cross we think about our predicament we think about our situation without the cross. And then when we think about Jesus dying for our sins, we view things in a different perspective. Why we have freedom. We're free to serve Jesus because of what he did on the cross its own wearing thing from the heart. It's or not compelled to serve. Jesus doesn't Force us to serve him but the cross reminds us why we should serve him then why we need to serve him. And so this is the idea of being a slave for Jesus to being a slave to our fellow man. To be a slave to one another and that includes all kinds of service. Right. It's all kinds of service. What a particular this war. Diagnose has been translated Deacon Deacon in one sense and a servant in another and a reason that so is because there's a position. an office a work That entitles the person to be at the house. A servant a particular serving a deacon and this is what we're going to look at in 1st Timothy Chapter 3 in just a second. Thought we think of the word diagnose. Look of the word under the word Deacon the English word deacon. Now, this is a transliteration. It's not a translation. Here's a difference between a and a translation.

Look up we got the first letter in the Greek in that word is d a funny-looking scribble up there, but that's a d so they so what they translators did instead of translating the word. They simply took the corresponding letters with from the Greek letters to the English letters and it's almost spelled word for word letter by letter except in the great. There's an eye after the D. And in the English, there's a t e l f corset. Next letter is an A and it's similar to our English a next letter. Looks like a k is a c sounding and then there's the Omicron Oto and that's the V that's really an n in the Greek but in English it's an ad so it spells Deacon letter by letter accepting coffee o u s And you get that word deacon. Your recipe that's what this that's what's done with the word that pizza. Guys instead of translating instead of translating the word. They transliterated it took it letter-by-letter. So instead of saying whenever the word baptized came around in Scripture that would say immersed and merge them to know that the translators had a different opinion about that tourism. Most of our translators don't believe baptism is immersion. Many of the translators believed in pouring or sprinkling water. All right, so because that was a controversial item And a and instead of translating the word to be too meaning of Mercer dip they simply transliterated by taking the corresponding English letters. So there's your schooling for the morning when it comes to the idea of transliteration or translation for the word Jack knows it's really a transliterated work and if they were to translate it would mean servant. Healthy where to translate the word That Tito with me near immerse dip plunge submerge, that's the idea. And so we need to understand those Concepts sometimes when it comes to words such as these but we come to the context of 1st Timothy Chapter 3. We talked about elders. The qualifications of an elder of town in the very same chapter verses 1 through 7. And so Paul he begins the next session section by saying likewise in other words in similar fashion deacons must be reverent.

Must be reverent. That means not unruly they are to be disciplined. They're doing mindful who they are and where they are at all times and had to be respectful of others and to respectful of Christ and his church there have to be double tongue. You don't double tongue people, right? You know, sometimes I don't want corners of mouth and say nice things about so-and-so but then it comes to someone else and have the next court of them out there saying bad things about the same individual double tongue forked tongue as they would say in the old days or even double-minded because the double tongue comes from the double mine. Not given to much wine.

Not given to much wine. That's the literal rendering there is not to be addicted to wine. not greedy for money not greedy for money. We live in in the most powerful Nation on Earth the wealthiest Nation ever on the face of the Earth. Are even the poorest of people are rich compared to the rest of the world poor. And so we are wealthy Nation. and a lot of times because of The materialistic aspect of our country we can be influenced by materialism. And so we we want and we want and we see advertisements on on television. We see things on the internet and we read our books and magazines and journals and they all had advertisements for things materialism. And so we look at that and sometimes we we try to convince ourselves. Yeah, I think I need that. I think I need that. when we don't so greedy for money means you want enough money. To do the things that you want to do. Right and your greedy for it? Cuz there's not much you wouldn't do. for money and that's a sad statement concerning some folks. Money has its place. But Christ must come first in the heart of any individual holding the mystery of the faith the faith and the idea there is the word of God and the Mystery of which Paul already taught about in Ephesians chapter 3 talking about the mystery that the Gentiles are fellow heirs with the Jews in the one body the one Church of Jesus Christ. That's the mystery unfolded. That's the mystery revealed and he says every Deacon every servant needs to be a hold the mystery of the faith not to compromise it. with a pure conscience But these also first be tested then. Let them serve as deacons servants deacons being found blameless not send list, but blameless. But I happen to think in Chapter 2. He's talking about being found blameless as well blame us in life concerning our Lord, but also being blameless as it relates to these specific qualifications these characteristics or qualities. Does likewise your wives must be reverent not slanderers temperate faithlyn all think so even those who desire to be a deacon their wives must be held at the same temperament the same idea of the same mindset that is both willing to serve Jesus Christ. So he says then let deacons be the husbands of one wife ruin your children in their own house as well. So like the Elder the deacons are to be the husband of one wife. So that rules out the Deaconess you probably heard that term from time to time. It's actually found in Romans chapter 16 or talk about Phoebe was a Deaconess a servant basically a female servant but here the word is based upon the context you find the meaning of the word based upon what the context was talking about us talking about a servant but a special kind of serving that is assigned to the individual by the elders. Another word for the elders other Shepherds, then there are the administrators but yet they can't do everything and so they need the help and the work of those special servants called distance. And so really Deacon should be doing Deacon work and Elder should be doing Elder work Elder should really not be doing Deacon working dick and should not be doing Elder work. The elders work is about being concerned with the spiritual and being concerned with all of our souls. Quotes about the spiritual aspects of the church, where as the deacons gets into more of the material aspect. The fleshly things the things that need to be done. Now the example of this goes back to ask after 6 you recall that in there there was a dispute in the early Jerusalem Church now in the early Jerusalem Church, there were full-blooded Jews. And there were the hellenists people who had Gentile blood in them. Another Words Their Obama or their daddy wasn't a Jew but they're one of them walls and so they were hellenists. And so they were kind of considered Gentiles but not quite full. But if you remember I was hated or despised by the Jews because they were the chosen people of God. And then you recall that the Samaritans they were part of the ten tribes of the north now the trial of Samaria the Samaritans they had gone into captivity, but they intermingle didn't married. And worship the gods of the land. And then they dispersed over a. Of time over a certain segment of the area. Well when the country was UNIF that again the true-blooded use despise the Samaritans because the intermingled with the Gentiles people even more than the Gentiles themselves, so if they hate the Gentiles, but they really really really hated those Samaritans because of that but in any case there was his opposition between the Jews and the hellenists in the early Jerusalem Church and evidently the widows their widows who were Christians who are hellenists who were not being taken care of The Jews were making sure however that the Jewish widows were being taken care of. I saw this called enough work in the church. And so this was brought to the attention of the Apostles. And so the apostles got together and they said here's what we're going to do. You're going to choose out seven men among you. And they're going to work together to take care of this matter. But you're not going to we're not going to get involved with that because we have to be about the word and the spiritual aspect of the Lord's Church. You transfer that over since we no longer have a possible but we transfer that concept over to the work of Elders and over and over again. The Elmer's are taught to be the shepherd. And so they have to be in tune with the congregation and they are the ones who are responsible for the spiritual makeup of the church. So therefore they aren't responsible for the meaning of the word and that the souls of the Church of being fed properly as they guard and watch over the church. So they're in charge of the spiritual matters and whatever other matters that are associated with that that take walking that take blood work that take Springs and they take the other physical matters. They handles over to other people called servants in this case Deacons. Special service deacons eat one of these deacons is to be a male. How do we know that because supposed to be the husband of one wife. So again you have in this neck of the woods number of congregations. I can go into this morning and I could go in and find a number of deaconesses.

Deaconesses in the church is here because that's how they they think about it. And I think about well because Phoebe would call the Deaconess for that. Therefore there must be able to be women deacons in the church know you have to know what the word means servant initially and then understand the concept the context from what's that word is in and how does it apply to the context? That's how you understand any book. It's how you understand God's word as well. And so in this case, he's talking about male leadership those who are going to be leaders in the church and he's talking about special qualifications. The rest of us were called to be servants. We have no special qualifications or just service. The bone when you come up there in the waters of baptism. You're a servant. You're in the army of God. and so but these special service called deacons they have to be qualified. They have to meet these certain expectations laid out by the Lord. So they have to be all these things reverent not slanderous temp of faithful and all things husbands of one wife for those who have served. Well as the pain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith, which is in Christ Jesus. And so whenever we do a good job and doing something don't you feel good? I do. And so it is with these positions whether it be an elder or Deacon. It says when they do something good when they do good in their work and makes them feel good and to know that the pain for themselves a good stand. And gratefulness in the faith, which is in Christ Jesus. So when you think about the two distinct Nature's associated with elders and deacons Elders are associated with a spiritual aspect of the church and primarily. Wow, the deacons are the guys who are responsible for carrying out all the needs associated with those things. So if we need to serve our Brethren, perhaps we need to help somebody with their meals because they can't feed themselves for some physical malady. They might have well we would call upon the Deacons. And Steve would have to whip up some five-course meal and go feed that not necessarily but they would be helping those people and again not just them include ourselves. Right? We should be one of the first people to stand up and say that I have to do that because my brother and my sister that's why and so just because there are deacons and just because there are Elders doesn't mean we don't serve we have to serve and service is all about being a part of the body of Christ and being a servant is being a Christian. Without being a servant one is not a Christian. Because one is not following what Jesus desires of the individual Jesus desires that we serve one another. And so it is with the deacons they sure they serve and they serve the church. And so we have a couple of Elders here this morning Nolan. Would you please stand up and Steve? Would you please stand up just to know these helped these deacons? So these are the deacons that we have here who will him meet me at the qualifications. They have served in the past and they continue to serve we would like to add more perhaps we will one of these days the same with elders, but we're thankful that they serve us. Thank you gentleman. Thank you very much. Now, I want everyone to stand up stand up.

If you are a Christian if you have been baptized in a watery grave for the remission of your sins, and you've come up out of the water your sins are forgiven. But guess what you've been added to the church. Guess what you're a child of God, which means you're a Christian, which also means you are a servant a slave of Christ and therefore you sure so you're all service and I want you to realize that and we all need to serve not only one another but the community that means our family or friends all those in our workplaces in school. We have that obligation. And so not only do we commend to work in the service of the elders and the service of the work of everybody here this morning because all working together. That's what Paul talks about. We're all the body has different parts, but all working together brings about success. That brings about growth let the elders held let the deacons beat and let all the servants serve. I remember there's no such thing as a minister. We're all Ministers of God ESV servant but a servant for all Servants of God, there are such thing as the elders and deacons and that makes the distinction. Okay, you can be seated.

I was thankful for the service of each one of you and we're thankful that God allows us to serve and we have that opportunity it quite it it it really is quite a privilege to be able to serve Jesus Christ as he so desires, but one of the things that we need to understand about Jesus. Motivates us to be servants who motivates us is the fact that he came to serve and he's our greatest example, but as an example, and as a leader, Jesus said very simply he that believes and is baptized shall be saved. That's where it all begins. If you believe all that he says then you'll follow me and in following me you're going to do what I say. But so if you believe that I am the price you'll be baptized. That's how it works. And if you're baptized you're baptized for the remission of your sins. And then you're added to the Lord's church. If you desire to be baptized this morning, if you desire to become a servant of the living Christ, if you desire to be a child of the Living God to be a worker in the Lord's Church do it today do today before it's too late. If you've done that but you haven't been quite the servant and we all have our downfalls when it comes to serving. Sometimes we don't serve as we should I'm times. We just don't sir. Jesus called his back and he says serve me with all your heart with all your mind with all your soul with all your strength. And then do a little bit more. That's what Jesus demands of us because he loves us your subject the imitation of Jesus Christ this morning what you come forward as Together We Stand and sing.