Glory, Ministry of Christ Displayed in the Diaconate

The Glory of Christ Revealed in John 1

0:03 Please turn, in the word of God, to the first chapter of the Gospel of John,

0:14 a portion that I'm sure we never tire of reading, because the more you read it, the more you realise how hard it is to plumb the depths of its glorious truths. But I want to read to you this morning the first 18 verses. Let me remind you that we are reading a passage which describes the glory of Jesus Christ and his great purpose for coming into this world. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

0:57 He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

1:21 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the light that all through him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light which gives light to every man who comes into the world.

1:44 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become the children of God, even to those who believe in his name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt in him.

2:14 He was among us, and we beheld his glory. The glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of him, and cried out, saying, This was he of whom I said, He who comes after me is preferred before me, for he was before me. And of his fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

2:43 For the law was given. Through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.

The Glory of Christ is His Ministry

3:04 My brethren, this morning I want to address you on the theme, the important subject of the ministry of Christ displayed in the diaconate. And I want us to think for a moment, in these opening moments, of the glory of Christ.

3:26 My thesis is, that the glory of Christ is his ministry. And his ministry is committed into the hands of his servants.

3:41 That is what I hope to show you this morning. Let's consider for a moment then, the glory of Christ. As we've seen in these verses, that we have read this morning.

3:53 His apostles, his disciples. John testifies, we saw his glory.

4:03 The glory of God was displayed in the person of Jesus Christ.

4:13 As the sun is to the solar system, so Christ is to the universe.

4:28 Seated at the right hand of God, in the heavenly places, Paul could open his letter to the Ephesians and describe this glorious being as the one who is seated at the right hand of God in the heavenly places far above all principalities, all powers, all might, and all dominion. Far above these things. Every name that is named. Not only in this age, but in the age to come.

5:03 The apostle Paul wants to convey to his Ephesian brethren a perspective concerning Jesus Christ which is far greater than the sun to the solar system. He wants to convey to them the preeminence of Christ in all his glory over all things in heaven and in earth. This glorious being. This glorious being.

5:33 This glory describes the revelation of the character and presence of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ is indeed Very God of Very God. He is the one who outshines

5:53 the divine glory. This outshining of the divine glory is his deity displayed. John says we beheld his glory how did they behold that glory if we can understand that if we can catch a glimpse of that perhaps by the enabling grace of God we can seek to do as Pastor Martin reminded us at the end of our devotional this morning to see the glory of Christ displayed in our ministry this glory is often described in the scriptures or depicted in the scriptures as as a glorious light indeed in the passage we read did you notice how the reference to the Lord Jesus is to the light that was the true light which gives light to every man John could say in describing his savior this light is the light of the world

7:07 Jesus himself testified I am the light of the world and in his displaying of his glory he displayed that as light this glory of which we speak is referred to specifically over in the 17th chapter of John's gospel would you turn there with me to notice how he says in verse 5 and now oh father glorify me together with yourself with the glory which I had with you before the world was the Lord refers in his high priestly prayer to that glory that he veiled when he came upon the earth that glory which he had with his father from the beginning before the day of his birth before the world was it is this glory of which he speaks it is this glory of which we read in

8:26 revelation 21 turn quickly if you will to that portion revelation 21 and notice here in verse 23 how again the glory of our Lord and Savior is described as the light John in his revelation speaks in this way the city had no need of the sun or the moon to shine in it for the glory of God illuminated it and the lamb is its light so when we speak of the glory of Christ we are speaking about his deity revealed as light as truth he is the center of all as we consider heaven and it's glory it is his glory that fills heaven and it is this savior brethren that we have the

9:37 privilege the unspeakable privilege of serving Christ whose glory then fills heaven will yet be manifested upon this earth for the son of man he says will come in the glory of his father with his angels and then he will reward each according to his works though veiled when he was upon earth the first time that glory is to be openly manifested and displayed at his second coming the apostle John in those early verses of the first chapter let me remind you says we beheld his glory and John could only see that glory veiled the day will come when that glory will be displayed in all its magnificence I want to ask you with me this morning to consider how is the glory of Christ revealed in the diaconate how could we possibly reveal that glory of Christ and to do that I want us to look at

Christ's Heart Displayed in His Two-Fold Ministry

11:05 three New Testament portions I want us to say I want to say by way of introduction to this whole issue of how the glory of Christ is revealed in the diaconate I want to say this that I believe that what those early disciples saw when they beheld his glory was an expression or the expression of the heart of Jesus Christ and they saw that in his ministry the glory of Christ is revealed to us today as it was to those early disciples through his ministry they saw his heart they saw his ministry and his heart revealed in that ministry look with me in Matthew chapter 11 and verses 1 through 6 you remember the familiar story John the Baptist is in prison Jesus is beginning his earthly ministry and already it is clear that John's ministry has come to an end imagine you were sitting with John the Baptist in prison and all you heard was coming

12:32 hearsay about what the light who came into the world to display the glory of God was doing John wanted to be sure is he truly the light is he indeed the Messiah the promised one the word comes back to the Lord Jesus from some of John the Baptist's disciples are you indeed the coming one or do we look for another listen to what Jesus says to John the Baptist's disciples go and tell John these things in verse 5 the blind receive their sight the lame walk the lepers are cleansed the deaf hear the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them here is the heart of Christ displayed John receives the message from his disciples Jesus is indeed the one who is doing two great tasks upon the earth he is heralding or preaching the word of God the poor have the gospel preached to them but more than that his ministry or his glory is being revealed not only in what he preaches and teaches but notice that Jesus wants John the Baptist to be confirmed in the identity of the Messiah

13:58 because he not only preaches the gospel to the poor he does that but look what else he does the blind receive their sight the lame walk the lepers are cleansed the deaf hear the dead are raised here are the poor the unloved the disadvantaged all being recipients what of? the heart of God revealed through the incarnate God the glory of God is displayed in his works of benevolence as well as in his ministry of teaching and preaching the gospel to the poor I hope to show you that this two-fold ministry is a display of the heart of Christ it is the very glory of Christ of which those disciples could say we beheld his glory certainly they saw the transfiguration I'm aware of that and certainly the glorious light of God was displayed to them in a way that's withheld from us but my own conscience is carried that the real issue that the disciples were speaking of

15:26 when they say that they beheld the glory of Christ was not so much in the display of the transcendent light of God there at the transfiguration as it was when the poor had the gospel preached to them and the blind were made to see and the sick were healed and the dead were raised as the servant of Jehovah we see our Lord Jesus proclaiming the good news and performing good works now let's see what Peter has to say I should say Paul has to say in Acts 10 turn with me there Peter in his sermon we'll get it right it was Peter preaching to Cornelius' household of course and here in Acts 10 verse 34 he opens his mouth and what does he say? he says I perceive that God shows no partiality but in every nation whoever fears him and works righteousness is accepted by him the word which God sent to the children of Israel preaching peace through Jesus Christ he is Lord of all

16:55 that word you know which was proclaimed through all Judea and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with him I hope you notice that there in verse 36 and verse 38 you see that two-fold ministry of Jesus he went preaching peace and he went about doing good here was a man who had a message to proclaim and here was a man from whose heart issued the compassion of God to those who were in need Christ's heart is displayed to the disciples in this wonderful way that he was a man filled with compassion and why? because he was the God-man he was indeed God manifest in the flesh showing us the compassion of God seeing men as sheep without a shepherd going astray blind spiritually lost spiritually lost the Lord Jesus is concerned for this great issue of a fallen nature of man but also and always

18:23 we see hand in hand the benevolence associated with the compassion for he sees men as a whole men as poor men as without a cloak men without health men in need without money and he is disposed to go to them and to help them the last scripture I want you to point to on this subject is found in Luke chapter 4 in Luke chapter 4 verse 18 and 19 Jesus is in the synagogue in Nazareth at the commencement of his ministry he has just come back from the wilderness and from the time of temptation as he commences his earthly ministry he finds himself reading from the book of Isaiah referring to the prophecy of Isaiah of the Messiah he says the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor sent me to heal the broken hearted to preach deliverance to the captives recovery of sight to the blind to set at liberty those who are oppressed to preach

19:50 the acceptable year of the Lord the incarnate son of God taking up this Old Testament prophecy simply reminds them today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing I have come he is saying to preach the gospel to the poor I have come yes to preach but also to heal the broken hearted to preach deliverance to the captives and the recovery of the sight to the blind to set at liberty those who are oppressed to preach the acceptable year of the Lord interlaced here in this prophecy we have works of benevolence we have works of compassion the Lord Jesus revealed to his disciples that this was his identity to those in the synagogue in Nazareth he could simply say here I am I am come to fulfill this prophecy and as the apostles learned at his side witnessed his ministry they were they came more and more to see the glory of God displayed here in this divine being

21:16 Jesus understood his identity and his ministry from Old Testament prophecy and we as deacons are to express the heart of our saviour in showing his compassion and his benevolence to the people for we if we are to be true servants of our master must see his glory and seek to promote it and how do we do that we do it as we seek to further and promote his ministry that ministry I hope I have carried your minds on was a ministry of both benevolence and compassion for their spiritual needs as well here then my brethren is I believe the heart of Christ displayed in the New Testament much more could be said if time permitted but I want to press this upon your hearts this morning and to ask you the question are we committed to the to displaying in our lives and in our ministry as deacons are we committed to manifesting

The Purpose of Christ's Ministry: To Reveal God

22:44 the glory of Jesus Christ in all of us in all of our diaconal duties your ministry brethren and mine will only ever glorify Christ as it does manifest his heart of compassion and benevolence let me say that again your ministry as deacons will only ever glorify Christ as it manifests and expresses his heart his heart of compassion and benevolence this then is what I believe the New Testament would teach us concerning the ministry of Jesus Christ that has been committed into our hands as deacons now I want to ask you a provocative question why did Jesus preach the gospel why did Jesus preach the gospel I'm looking for a response

24:06 why did Jesus preach the gospel why did Jesus Christ come into this world preaching the gospel let me see your hand ok brother you can help he came to seek and to save the lost to see souls converted now I thought you'd say that and that's a perfectly legitimate answer do you think it is the primary purpose for which he came preaching the gospel yes yes because he was concerned to bring glory to his father more specifically because he came to reveal the father to men and how would he reveal the father but in the gospel it is in the revelation of God that men see the compassion and love of a heavenly father for sinners why then did he do the works that he did why did he go to the needy and the poor the sick and the sad why did he go why did he manifest compassion for those in need and show benevolence why

25:32 he did it fundamentally to reveal his deity he came to reveal the father he came to be God with us in revealing himself in union with his father he brings salvation to sinners for this he says turn with me if you will to John 17 and verse 3 verse 3 for this is eternal life that they may know you speaking of his father the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent the purpose of Christ's ministry is to reveal God those who received that revelation received the benefits of God's saving purposes and the purpose for lost mankind and still do to this day it is Jesus who makes God's name known to men and this was why he came into the world and I mention that because if you and I would seek to promote the ministry of Jesus Christ

27:01 the glory of Christ in our ministry then we must have the same motive look what we read in the first chapter of John again John 1 verse 18 let me remind you of that verse no one we read has seen God at any time the only begotten son who is in the bosom of the father he has declared him unequivocally Jesus is telling the world by his very presence that he is a declaration of God he is the revelation of God God's saving purposes are all in his son the biblical purpose of preaching is to reveal the person of Jesus Christ to bring sinners to know Jesus Christ personally and thereby to know God the biblical purpose of diaconal ministries is the same it is to reveal Christ to demonstrate the benevolence of Christ so that sinners come to know Christ and to worship Christ and to believe in Christ

Diaconal Ministry Must Manifest Christ and the Gospel

28:29 and to love Christ the deacon's ministry I put it to you my brethren is precisely has the same purpose of the ministry of the Lord Jesus it is primarily to bring the gospel to sinners so that they repent and believe and God is manifested to them just as preaching is not merely setting forth doctrines of truth detached from the person of Jesus Christ so the diaconate is not merely doing good works ethical benevolence without being attached to the person of Jesus Christ let me say that again you would be very unhappy with a preacher who simply laid out the truth without setting forth the necessity of Jesus Christ being the beginning the middle and the end of all that you were saying

29:57 a preacher offering the gospel detached from the work the person of Jesus Christ is anathema to us well then what do you think of a deacon who goes into the home of one of Christ's needy ones and simply plonks down a basket of goodies and turns around and walks away totally detached from an understanding of the ministry and the glory of Jesus Christ conveyed in that benevolent act we must settle it in our minds brethren that the stated purpose of our ministry is to manifest Jesus Christ as Lord and God I heard a delightful true story from one of our sister churches recently one of the churches where there are more than an unusual number of genuinely poor people in the congregation one one of those members a sister was in prayer in the afternoon there had been no breakfast served that morning for the children because there was no money in the house to buy food with

31:27 she was praying on her knees pleading with God to meet the needs of this woman and her family and as she was praying even as she was praying one of the deacons of the church came with food with money clothing to describe her experience at that time was a very moving one apparently she said I didn't know whether to get up from my prayers and answer the door or whether I should continue in prayer because our needs were so great but when she eventually opened the door and received the brother what a thrill for him to give this food in the name of Jesus Christ and to do so with prayer and to do so pointing them to the giver of every good and perfect gift to do so conveying the ministry of Christ not only in deed but in word and for her along with many others in that church it was a wonderful display could she not say we beheld his glory here was the heart of God revealed through the ministry of the diaconate not simply in a delivery of a bundle of goodies

32:54 but out of a heart of compassion and a love to see that all the glory goes to the Lord Jesus prayer is offered in the presence of the individual thanks are given to God and Jesus Christ is manifested through his appointed deacon to serve that generation and to give a revelation of the heart of God to that woman all our ministry must have a gospel purpose brethren it's the gospel which must undergird our acts of benevolence it is this that distinguishes us from those charitable institutions those good will missions as good as they are as commendable as they are what distinguishes our benevolence is the heart or the ministry of Christ conveyed in our actions and through our words never allow yourselves my brethren to be guilt manipulated by those who would try to change the purposes of the church from worshipping and proclaiming Christ that is our mandate and deacons your ministry is precisely that to see promoted the worship of God

Christian Benevolence: Discriminatory and Evangelistic

34:21 and the glory of Christ that's to be central in everything that we do in our worship and in our acts of benevolence in the homes of the needy in all material distribution let's make sure that our ministry is a conveying of the heart of Jesus Christ on the other hand I must say that we should not forget that there's much in the scriptures that teaches us that we ought to think more than we do think about the needs of others who are not inside the church seems to me that the Lord Jesus does teach us that in the in the judgment day we will be examined not so much by our theological acumen but by our lives and our practice of a holy life at that there's much in the New Testament that would indicate to us that the Lord Jesus is concerned

35:49 not only with going into all the world to preach the gospel in Matthew 28 but also to be concerned about the needs of others in Matthew 25 the evangelization of sinners and the making of disciples the adding of disciples to the church and the teaching them the word of God all of this is without question the primary mandate of the church but there ought to be no conflict with Matthew 25 that when we go and evangelize we also in our evangelism display the benevolence of Christ and are willing to give cups of cold water in the name of Christ and are willing to seek to visit those in prison as though we were visiting Christ himself when we do this we will be displaying the ministry of Christ and inevitably this will lead to an increase in deeds of benevolence and it will lead to a greater confidence in God's people that they are indeed his true sheep I believe however that Christian benevolence is discriminatory as we heard this morning

37:17 from the study in the Old Testament that when Paul writing to the Galatians said let us do good to all men but especially to those of the household of faith he meant that and that we ought to be specially concerned for the needs of God's people and to do good to them remember there was only one gentile widow from Zarephath who was wonderfully provided for there was only one Naaman the Syrian there was only one man at the pool of Bethesda to whom the Lord discriminately went and healed imagine that a hospital full of sick people surrounding that pool but only one so far as we know was the recipient of that act of benevolence by our Savior yes there is a discrimination to be exercised by the diaconate and as we do good to those outside of the household we need to make sure that we do so evangelistically that we do so in a way that reveals the compassion of Christ for lost men I have serious problems about churches who send money to organisations to help the needy

38:45 but who have no ministry so far as I'm aware of pointing them to Christ it's like someone saying I'm going to be a missionary and never speaking of Jesus but just teaching people English as a second language in some third world what kind of missionary perspective is that and what kind of diaconal ministry is it when we simply send money into some organisation that in a vanilla way distributes that money without ever speaking of Christ without ever commending the gospel and seeking to reveal the glory of Christ the primary focus of our benevolence is to be therefore upon the household of faith and wherever it is exercised beyond that it must be with a view to promoting the gospel of Christ and revealing his glory there in summary brethren let us pray that God would instruct us in our ministry in the church as deacons let us learn that benevolence is rooted in God's heart and in Christ's ministry its purpose is always to reveal Christ it is your duty therefore as deacons

A Call to Deacons: Reflect Christ's Heart and Gospel

40:12 to engage in acts of benevolence to do so in a discriminatory way in a biblical way but always to do so with a view to seeing the glory of Christ revealed it is for us this inestimable privilege of seeking to offer a cup of cold water in the name of Christ that men might come to know him as God the saviour of sinners take heed my brethren to yourselves as I close this morning let me urge you to take heed to yourselves and to your ministry you are called by Christ that's a holy calling keep the priority of the kingdom of God before you remember your ministry like the ministry of the pulpit must be a ministry that reveals the glory of Christ all works of benevolence must reveal the heart of Christ and they must be accompanied by the gospel so that Christ will be manifested as the righteousness of God revealed from heaven towards sinners and if you are not in the practice

41:38 of commending Christ to those to whom you show benevolence and I urge you change you are not reflecting the heart of your saviour simply by deeds words were always associated the poor had the gospel preached as well as the sick being healed McShane has a wonderful phrase or two in a hymn he wrote on which I want to close conduct your ministry my brethren he would say as dying man to dying men with a broken heart and tear filled eyes with a mind aglow with the great truths of the gospel yes deacons this is how we are to conduct our ministry for Christ he has called us and he calls us to display his heart and to conduct our ministry as dying men to dying men and to do so with a broken heart

43:05 a heart of compassion broken in love for those that we seek to help with tear filled eyes with a mind aglow with the great truths of the gospel yes the gospel the great truths of the gospel must always be part and parcel of the ministry of the diaconate it is in the word of compassion for a men like sheep without a shepherd lost and in need that that gospel seeks to reveal God to them with a benevolent heart for the whole man that seeks to bring an extra blanket a cup of water in the name of Christ remember it is in this two fold way that we reveal the glory of Christ the day is coming when that glory will be revealed in an unmistakable way we need to make sure that those to whom we bring our diaconal services are never in question about who we are and to whom we belong who we represent that they may be ready for that day

44:30 of his glorious appearing let us pray our gracious God we thank you that you have given us your holy word to direct us that we might pursue our ministry according in our lives and in our ministry the glory of our saviour the heart of our saviour the very ministry of Jesus Christ that it might be conveyed through our feeble efforts by the blessing of your spirit that men may come to know you the one true and living God and that through our acts of benevolence and our words of compassion for lost sinners we might indeed see in Jesus Christ the light of the world we ask for this blessing upon us and give you thanks for your word pray that you would write it upon our hearts and give us grace to walk according to its truth through Jesus Christ our Lord we ask it Amen