Deacons and the Compassion and Care of Our King

Matthew 15:32-39; Acts 6:1-7
October 17, 2021
Abraham Hong

Sermon Script

Praise be to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In the previous two Sundays, we considered the fact that it is ultimately Jesus himself who ministers to his church. And we considered how deacons exist to administer and attend to the practical parts of Jesus’ ministry and how deacons are to protect and promote the joy of Jesus’ salvation.

Deacons are a big part of the design of his church. And deacons are a big part of his love and care for us. Praise the Lord.

But who are deacons supposed to focus on? And what are deacons supposed to actually do? In Acts 6, we see how deacons were created to help widows and to serve tables in the daily distribution. But the principle at work here is much bigger than all of this.

The principle is about compassion and care.

Compassion and care for brothers and sisters in Christ who need physical, emotional, or mental help. Compassion and care for brothers and sisters in Christ who are poor, vulnerable, underprivileged, or disadvantaged. Compassion and care for brothers and sisters in Christ who are going through sufferings and troubles. Compassion and care for brothers and sisters in Christ who are lacking in friends, family, and a sense of home. Compassion and care that is about loving and serving and helping and supporting and encouraging and protecting and taking care of and looking after and standing up for one another at church.

This is what deacons are all about. The compassion and care of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our God is a God of compassion and care. And throughout all of the Bible, we see the character of our God - we see his compassion and his care - gloriously displayed in his laws and in his commands.

In the Old Testament, farmers and owners had to leave behind extra crops on their fields so that the poor could glean from them. They were not allowed to reap all the way up to the edges. They were not allowed to gather grapes in vineyards that had fallen to the ground. Our God is a God of compassion and care.

The tribes of Israel who had inheritance of land had to support the Levites who did not have inheritance of land. Instead of having land for their inheritance, they had God himself as their inheritance. The Levites were workers of the temple. They were counted with the poor. They lived on the tithes from all the other tribes of Israel. Our God is a God of compassion and care.

The saints of old were to welcome strangers and sojourners who came from foreign lands but believed in the promises of God’s salvation. They left their families and their homes. Even though they were new and from the outside, they were not to be socially or economically mistreated or neglected. Our God is a God of compassion and care.

Listen to these words from 1 John 3:16-18. “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” Our God is a God of compassion and care.

Listen to these words from 1 Timothy 6:17-19. “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” Our God is a God of compassion and care.

Listen to these words from 2 Corinthians 9:6-9. “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, ‘He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’” Our God is a God of compassion and care.

Dear Highland, this is the heart and the mind and the will of our God. God has great concern for those who need help. God has great concern for those who are poor. And so throughout all of the Bible, we see God’s compassion and care gloriously displayed in his laws and in his commands.

But dear Highland, we also see God’s compassion and care gloriously displayed in his mercy and in his grace. His compassion and care is gloriously displayed in his salvation of us from sin and from death. We needed help in the form of atonement, forgiveness, and payment of the penalty for our sins. We were poor in the sense that we were once without hope and outside of Christ Jesus. God saved you. God is compassionate toward you. God cares for you.

In today’s passage, it is important to see the reason as to why Jesus miraculously fed thousands and thousands of people. Listen to what it says in Matthew 15:32. “Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.’” Our God is a God of compassion and care.

This is what deacons are all about. And, Lord willing, this is what our deacons here at Highland will be all about. Compassion and care for us when we need physical, emotional, or mental help. Compassion and care for us when we are poor, vulnerable, underprivileged, or disadvantaged. Compassion and care for us when we are going through sufferings and troubles. Compassion and care for us when are lacking in friends, family, and a sense of home. Compassion and care that is about loving and serving and helping and supporting and encouraging and protecting and taking care of and looking after and standing up for us at church. This is what our deacons here at Highland will be all about.

There is so much compassion and care that is needed.

Dear Highland, consider the needs of our elderly Korean-speaking church members who are weak and warm and slow and sad and don’t have many years left to live. Consider the widows of our church and their hearts and minds. Our God is a God of compassion and care.

Dear Highland, consider our brother Dean and his physical disability and his living situation. Consider how he cannot get to church on his own and how he needs help with rides. Consider his life story. Consider what he is going through right now as he mourns the death of Janine. Our God is a God of compassion and care.

Dear Highland, consider our married couples and families and their need for counsel and support as they learn - through sufferings and trials and mistakes and failures - how to be more loving husbands and wives and more godly parents. Our God is a God of compassion and care.

Dear Highland, consider other brothers and sisters in Christ who may have issues with mental health. Consider members who are sad or down. Members who cannot think straight or concentrate well. Members who struggle with worry or guilt. Members who may be stuck in a rut or stuck in an addiction. Members who may be depressed or suicidal. Our God is a God of compassion and care.

Dear Highland, consider all of our members who are figuring out their careers and jobs. Consider how they need encouragement and support as they face their fears about the future and as they struggle to grow in diligence and responsibility and maturity. Consider how they need information and guidance in order to be wise and make good decisions in life. Our God is a God of compassion and care.

Dear Highland, consider our two pastoral interns, Pastor James and Pastor Peter, as they soon graduate from seminary. Consider their financial needs and how we can support them and provide for them so that they can stay here at our church. Our God is a God of compassion and care.

Dear Highland, consider other brothers and sisters in Christ who may have profound personal and relational needs. Consider members who may be struggling with broken relationships or friendships and need encouragement and support to get through conflict and reconciliation. Consider newcomers to our church who are looking for a sense of belonging and community. Our God is a God of compassion and care.

Dear Highland, consider future Meal Train meals for future pregnancies. Consider Ken and Emmeline, two of our church members who are out-of-state right now because of school. Consider Jamie and Sia and Jua for when Pastor James has to be away from home for army chaplain training for three months during the spring semester. Our God is a God of compassion and care.

These are some of the many needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ here at Highland. There is so much compassion and care that is needed. But we are all in this together. Every one of us is supposed to show compassion and care to everyone here at Highland. And it can feel overwhelming. But the Lord provides his church with deacons. Men who will take the lead in the ministry of compassion and care. Men who will officially organize us and equip us so that all of us can be diaconal. Not all of us are called to be deacons. But all of us are called to be diaconal. Not all of us are called to be ministers of practical love and care for everyone. But all of us are called to be a part of the ministry of practical love and care for everyone. And this ministry, this good work of being diaconal, is epic and vast and important and personal. Let us look forward to what will Lord willing be a new era in the history of our church. Let us prepare ourselves for the good work of compassion and care for one another here at Highland.

Praise be to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He ministers to his church. He calls deacons to protect and promote the joy of his salvation. And he calls deacons to lead his church in greater compassion and care.

Soli Deo Gloria