First Sunday in Advent

Why don't we pray and ask the Lord's blessing as we enter into his word.

Father, we thank you for yet another Sunday where we can gather as your people and consider the words of your Holy Scripture.

Lord, by your Holy Spirit, we ask that you would minister to us this morning,

that you'd open our eyes to truth that we have either grown cold to or maybe have never considered.

And Lord, we pray that we will be not just hearers of the word, but forever, forever, Lord, we will be doers of the word.

We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

If any of you have watched, it was a couple of years now, The Last Dance on Netflix, it's a great documentary.

The language is not great. A bunch of basketball players, and they're not holding back.

But it's about the last championship run of the Chicago Bulls in the 90s.

If you've seen it, you'll remember that what ended that dynasty had more to do with internal politics,

the struggle in the locker room with management, than it did with the 20-odd teams that also played in the NBA that season.

In a big way, the Chicago Bulls, they were unbeatable that season.

They were excellent.

But the team suffered from internal strife.

Management sparred with players, coaches, with management.

And eventually, the team, before the start of the season, it was broadcast that this would be the last run.

It's a great life lesson for us, in general, when we consider the importance of unity, conflict resolution,

and team over self, in general, in life.

That oftentimes, when we fail, a good amount of the time, it's because of own goals.

Things are going, by and large, okay.

We trip ourselves up.

I bring this up this morning because we enter into Acts chapter 6, where the church will face yet another conflict.

Acts 6 · chapter mention

Not round three with the Sanhedrin, but the third conflict that they will face will be from within.

I mean, thus far, there's been a highlight reel of the church.

Boldness of the apostles in front of the Sanhedrin twice.

Incredible boldness.

Times of wonderful prayer of the Holy Spirit visiting the church.

Opposition, and yet the spread of the gospel continues to go forth.

New converts, new converts, thousands of people, many men, women, and children, confessing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jerusalem has been turned upside down.

The ministry of the word that is preached and taught by the apostles from the scriptures, it has proven extremely fruitful.

However, an issue has arisen from within that had the potential to do what the Sanhedrin couldn't.

Really, to trip up and, I don't want to say destroy the church, but certainly, certainly splinter it.

You may remember that the ministry of the word, it has been front and center thus far in Acts, but only a few, in fact, only two specific references to the ministry of mercy that has happened in the church.

There's been just summary statements that talk about how nobody was in want or people sold everything they had and distributed among the poor.

So there's two different ministries at work within the early church.

Both the ministry of the word and the ministry of mercy or the ministry of charity were key to the obedient faith life of God's people.

And why wouldn't it?

The church is to pray, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

And in heaven, there is no want.

In heaven, there is no hunger.

There is no rich or poor.

There is no elite and lowly.

And the community of God's people are to reflect that reality.

The new community that is marked by the death, resurrection, ascension of Christ was to be a community of mercy and equality.

No one was supposed to be overlooked.

There would be no wants.

And yet, and yet, an issue arose because a group of widows were overlooked.

So what would happen?

This internal problem had the potential to do great damage because it threatened to create factions and power struggles and tribalism within the church.

So unity would be broken and there would be little pods or groups of people that would have conflicting interests that weren't looking to bless but to consolidate power and to look out for themselves.

So the text will shed light on God's heart for the broken.

That's what we'll see in this as we take a deeper look into it.

It'll shed light on God's heart for the broken, his love for unity in his church,

and his commitment to the ministry of reconciliation, the ministry of evangelism, of the word.

So, for the sake of simplicity, we'll break the section into, the text into three sections.

The first, we'll look, it'll just be verse 1, the deep problem of overlooked widows.

The second will be verses 2 to 6, and it'll be the wise solution of needed administration.

And finally, verse 7, the godly result of continued proclamation.

So, let's just jump right into it, the deep problem of overlooked widows.

If you have a Bible, please turn with me to verse 1 of chapter 6.

Pause real quickly there.

The Hellenists, it's a catch-all term for Greek-speaking or Greek-encultured Jewish people.

The church, at this point, had not spread, by and large, to the non-Jewish world, the Gentiles.

So, when we see the Hellenists and the Hebrews, it's specifically talking about Jewish people.

Some from the Greek-speaking world, and then those that are native to Jerusalem and the surrounding areas.

So, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.

So, we learn that Greek-Jewish widows were not being cared for the same as the Hebraic-Jewish widows.

In all likelihood, given that in the first part of verse 1, that the disciples were increasing in number,

it's a good possibility that this was just a mistake.

They, that is, the apostles, couldn't create the structures of distribution fast enough to address the growing number of people that needed mercy or charity.

It could very well also be that there was prejudice against the Greek-speaking widows.

I mean, the text, it doesn't say, so, at best, we are only at liberty to speculate.

But regardless of the reason, the problem was, the problem was that Greek-speaking widows weren't getting the food and the resources that they needed.

That they were being overlooked.

The problem was a legitimate one.

And it was starting to cause internal strife.

The Greek-speaking folk in the church were saying, what's the problem with our people?

Why can't you supply the needs for the Greek-speaking widows?

And you can picture in your mind the Hebraic widows saying, at the expense of, or the Greek-speaking Jews, at the expense of our widows.

And all of a sudden, we have a faction starting.

We have not a unified group of people under the lordship of Christ, but we have interest groups.

They do not get along.

They are not in solidarity in any sense of the term.

But they're in opposition.

So the apostles had to get this right.

They had to get this right because factions were a huge problem.

But they also had to get this right because what we have here is a litmus test

for how God's people understood their own relationship with God and how they were to express their faith in response.

So what do I mean?

Throughout the Old Testament, widows, also orphans and foreigners,

they were often mentioned as vulnerable people that had nobody to advocate for them.

They didn't have resources, no ability to work.

They were people that were extremely vulnerable to swindlers and scammers

and people that would take advantage of them in their helpless estate.

Unless they had a wealthy benefactor,

they were subject to begging or getting some kind of money from the temple.

They lived in poverty.

And in short, they were helpless.

The care of widows is a major biblical theme because it reflects who God is,

who he has chosen to reveal himself as,

using the language of a caring and protective husband.

Also, God, he talks about himself being an advocate for those

that have injustice committed against them, that have no voice.

So God does not stand idly by when injustice and neglect are evident.

And especially when that happens to the orphan, the widow, and the foreigner.

So here's some of these scripture verses.

There are a ton I could have picked from.

I picked three that communicate the heart of God.

So Deuteronomy 10.18, speaking of God.

He, God, executes justice for the fatherless and the widow,

and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.

Deuteronomy 24.

Malachi 3.5,

Then I will draw near to you for judgment.

I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers,

against those who swear falsely,

against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages,

the widow and the fatherless.

You feel God is, he is a,

he is a good father to the broken and the vulnerable.

You feel God's passion, his care.

If you remember the Exodus, in addition to all this,

you remember the Exodus,

it was a prime example of the Lord showing his kindness to a helpless people.

Remember, widows are helpless,

but so too were the people of Israel when they were in Egyptian slavery.

They cried out to God in their helpless estate,

and what did God do?

He rescued them out of Egyptian slavery.

The helpless had a voice.

They had an advocate.

So it was supposed to be the same with the church.

For the church,

like the widow,

like the orphan,

like the foreigner,

like the people of Israel in Egypt,

they are a collection of helpless people.

Helpless to fight against the sin in their own lives.

Helpless to fight against the power of death

that claims all,

and helpless to fight against the evil that is always encroaching.

The church is a collection of helpless people.

And what does God do to helpless people?

He saves them.

And that's what he has done with the church through the cross of Christ.

So,

the church ought to reflect,

and imitate,

and mimic

the God who

hears the helpless,

who does not overlook the marginal.

For God can't overlook the marginal.

He sees all and knows all,

and because his very nature is that of love,

he is compassionate and merciful.

He sees the plight of the downtrodden.

And this is a wonderful truth for us to hold on to.

He does not get compassion fatigue.

God doesn't grow weary of doing good to those who need help.

God doesn't grow weary of doing good to those who need help.

That's excellent news if you are overlooked.

That's excellent news if you desire to be seen and understood.

And that just seems to be an elusive desire

because you feel forever overlooked.

Passed over.

We have an internal, deep, in our DNA need

to know that we matter,

at least to somebody.

That we have a desire to be,

ultimately,

to know God and be known by Him.

And this is something that is

just way more evident in widows.

So on the need to be seen and understood,

not too long ago,

I was talking to a friend of mine,

struggling to understand

the purpose of

what God has with,

for them in a daily struggle,

in their daily struggle,

especially when

God could easily remove the daily struggle.

So what is the purpose of it?

What is the meaning of it?

Why must I go through this daily grind?

This is the conversation.

So we talked,

I asked questions,

and my friend shared.

And really,

it was like a good half an hour discussion.

And in the end,

my friend told me

that they felt heard

and understood

any feelings of being alone

or passed over

or overlooked

were gone.

And I bring this up,

not to talk about how

great a listener I am,

because to be honest,

I'm a so-so listener.

But I bring up this

example,

because it's a good one,

because I had the privilege

to witness somebody blossom

when they were heard

and understood

and seen.

I saw this person blossom

before my eyes.

It was a,

I don't know,

it was a very,

I'm sure it's happened

in the past,

but it was a unique moment.

At least I saw it

for what it was.

Well, for you,

when you've felt broken

and a kind word

or somebody sitting beside you,

listening to you,

not necessarily offering advice,

but interested in you,

how has that affected you

when you needed it?

The apostles,

you see,

they couldn't afford

to mess up the distribution

to these widows

because they were

to imitate God.

They were to,

in a sense,

have the church

have a little bit

of a foretaste

of what heaven would be like,

a little taste,

a little sample.

they were to care

for the helpless

as those who were

themselves

once spiritually helpless

and,

to be perfectly honest,

still helpless.

The problem

could have the potential

to compromise

the very gospel message

and undo the church.

So,

if that's a problem,

and it seems to be

a glaring problem,

it's not just an issue of,

hey,

we need to get

these widows fed.

It's a much bigger problem,

and indeed it was.

So,

what would be

a suitable solution?

And this brings us

to our second point,

the wise solution

of godly administration

or delegation.

Verses 2 to 6.

And the twelve summoned

the full number

of the disciples

and said,

it is not right

that we should

give up preaching

the word of God

to serve tables.

Therefore,

brothers,

pick out

from among you

seven men

of good repute,

full of the spirit

and of wisdom,

whom we will

appoint to this duty.

But we will devote

ourselves to prayer

and to the ministry

of the word.

And what they said

pleased the whole gathering,

and they chose

Stephen,

a man full of faith

and of the Holy Spirit,

Philip,

Prochorus,

Nicanor,

Timon,

Parmenas,

and Nicholas,

a proselyte

of Antioch.

These they set

before the apostles

and they prayed

and laid their hands

on them.

So,

the apostles,

they recognized

that the problem

was a real one.

But they weren't

the ones

to address it.

They were very honest

with their ability,

their calling.

They were laser-focused

in a sense

of obeying Christ

and His calling

on their lives.

They understood

their limitations.

It's not that

in any way

in this text

do we see

a downplaying

or a minimizing

of the importance

of the ministry

of mercy.

It just wasn't

their ministry.

The apostles

were called

to prayer

and to proclaiming

the word of God.

They had to be

true to their calling

because it was

Christ's calling

on their lives.

So,

the apostles,

they don't

on one hand

ignore or

downplay the issue.

Instead,

they call a council.

They see that

the problem

has the potential

to snowball

both in terms

of the potential

for factionalism

or tribalism,

splintering,

disunity,

but also

they see it

as a potential

problem

in that

it will distract

them from doing

their calling.

That is the

proclamation

of the word.

They communicate

that they see

the problem

but they also

communicate

that the solution

cannot be found

in them.

So,

they call

the council

together.

And this is wise

because it means

everybody has a say

both the Hellenists

and the Hebrew

speakers.

everybody has a

place at the table

to solve an issue

that affects

everybody.

Calling a council

has always been

the way the church

has solved huge issues.

Now,

this isn't like

the first council

was the Jerusalem

council we'll read

in the future

but this is kind

of like it.

There was an issue

that was a problem

that had to be solved

and a council

was called.

There was no

tyranny here.

There was no

strong arming

by the apostles

but the invited

the entire

group of disciples

to participate.

As a minister

of the Word

and sacrament

my ministry

is to primarily

lead our congregation

as an under-shepherd

to the great shepherd

Jesus.

So,

I trained

and was examined

and called

to teach God's Word

to administer

the sacraments

to intercede

for you all

provide spiritual

counsel

when needed

and encourage

evangelism

and to keep

Christ lifted high

through the proclamation

of the gospel.

And that doesn't mean

that I do not touch

anything administratively.

In fact,

in many ways

the first year

or so

of planting the church

and a bit before

I felt like I'd

almost do

only administration.

There's seasons

for that.

So,

I do participate

in that

but that

is not my calling.

My calling

is the ministry

of the Word

and sacrament.

And to be perfectly

frank with you guys

you guys make this

pretty easy.

It's a

wonderful group

of people we have.

We're in a sweet season

of the church plant.

Many of you serve

in one or more

areas

and have rolled up

your sleeves

to help out

in remarkable ways.

I mean,

maybe if I

spent 10 minutes

thinking hard

I could come up

with an example

but I can't think

of an example

of somebody

kind of rolling

their eyes

or kind of

doing something

begrudgingly

here in this church.

There's a real joy

in how people serve.

It's a wonderful thing.

Folks have spearheaded

ministries

of mercy.

They have helped

with kids ministry.

You guys have given

your time

and your talents

and your resources

in various ways.

And honestly,

genuinely,

thank you

for that.

Keep doing it

by the way.

But friends,

we'd be foolish

if we thought

this would always

be the case

where things

would always be sweet.

That we'd always

forever have a sweet

season in the church.

See,

as we grow,

when I was training

early,

early,

early in the church

planning,

somebody said

something very wise

to me about

how communities

are built.

I've shared this

with some of you

if you were around

in the early days.

When you gather

a group of people

together,

and then you have

pseudo-community.

Things are nice,

you know,

friendly,

there's new people,

we're Christians,

I'll pray for you,

sure,

let's grab coffee.

And then conflict

happens.

Why?

Because you are sinners.

And so am I.

But we're sinners,

so what happens?

And then conflict

happens,

and then we have

an opportunity

to either deal

with the conflict

in a godly way

or leave.

And if we deal

with it in a godly way,

we have real community.

But the thing is,

this isn't a closed-off

church.

We have an open door,

an unlocked door

in this case.

We have an open door

in our church.

So that means

new people come in

and then all of a sudden

we have community

mixed with pseudo-community,

mixed with conflict,

mixed with potential resolution

or people leaving,

and it's a big,

giant mess.

Sometimes.

We are in a sweet season

of the church,

but it might not

and likely will not

be this way

forever.

Factionalism in the church

is a real thing

and the fear

is that

those that are called

to mercy ministries

will be distracted

and I will be distracted

from the ministry

of the word.

These are very real threats

to the spiritual growth

and health

of our church.

It's a real,

real problem.

Not an impossible one.

Why?

Because we are called,

all of us,

to imitate Christ.

We have been given

his Holy Spirit

and hear these words

of Christ himself

from Matthew chapter 20

Matthew 20 · chapter mention

starting in verse 25.

He's saying this

to his disciples.

You know that the rulers

of the Gentiles

lord it over them

and their great ones

exercise authority

over them.

It shall not be so

among you,

but whoever

would be great

among you

must be your servant

and whoever

would be first

among you

must be your slave.

Verse 28,

Even as

the Son of Man

came not to be served,

but to serve

and to give his life

as a ransom

for many.

That is the very

animating force

behind why all of us

serve in the church

because we are

imitators of Christ.

And our king,

our leader,

our shepherd,

our captain,

our savior,

he served.

He takes off

his outer garment

and ties a towel

around his waist

and he cleans

the stinking feet

of his disciples

before he goes

to the cross.

He laments

in the garden

that the cross

before him

was so intense

and heavy

and yet he still went.

He took beatings

upon his back

and on his brow

and on his face

and hung on the cross

and did not call

for an army of angels

to take him down.

But he stayed.

And why?

Because the Son of Man

came not to be served,

but to serve

and to give his life

as a ransom for many.

Friends,

we will have

various opportunities

to serve both

inside and outside

the church.

Our driving force

in serving,

it has to be

the imitation of Christ

who is the servant

of all.

When conflict

comes in this church,

when frustration

with each other

might come in this church,

we serve one another.

We don't bicker

and grumble.

There's a whole history

of Israel grumbling

in the desert

and that did not

go well with them.

They did not see

the promised land.

Let us instead

take the posture

of Christ

and serve one another.

So,

we have a problem

that has been identified,

the solution

that has been suggested

and implemented,

the appointing

of the seven.

Now,

what do we see

as a result?

Look with me finally

in verse seven.

And the word of God

continued to increase

and the number

of the disciples

multiplied greatly

in Jerusalem

and a great many

of the priests

became obedient

to the faith.

So effective

was the solution

that it resulted

in continued growth

in the church.

So the words

increased and multiplied

in their original language

in the original

common Greek.

The tense

that is used

for both of these words

conveys a continuous

and ongoing

spread and growth.

It continued

and there's an

ongoing increase.

There's an ongoing

multiplication.

And remarkably,

even some of the

Levitical priests

came to obedient faith.

Now,

I mean,

maybe,

but likely,

unlikely rather,

that this is a reference

to the Sanhedrin,

any members

of the Sanhedrin.

You would remember

that some members

of the Sanhedrin

were of the priestly class,

but there was also

a whole class

of priests

in Jerusalem,

hundreds and hundreds

that would take turns

participating

in the work

at the temple.

And these priestly

class were almost

certainly not people

of lots of means.

If you are familiar

with the Bible,

when God is divvying

up the promised land,

the Levites

don't get a portion

of the land.

The Levites

are the priests.

The Levites,

the priests,

don't get a portion

of the land,

but the rest

of the nation

of Israel,

the people of God,

are to take care

of them.

So the priests

act on behalf

of God,

but the people

provide for the priests.

But by and large,

these priests,

given their number,

would not have been wealthy.

They would have relied

upon charity as well.

They were kind of like

helpless widows,

not necessarily

as they lost a spouse,

but they were helpless.

In the church,

the priests may have seen

a community

that reflected

the call of God,

the reflection of God,

the committed heart of God

to care for those

who could not

take care of themselves.

themselves.

And again,

this is speculation,

but that must have been

a beautiful

and exciting thing

for people

that were marginalized.

In essence,

these priests,

they were witness

to a faith

that was truly

obedient to

and reflective of

the heart

of Christ himself.

So in our cultural moment,

a situation

like the one

we have in

chapter 6

of Acts

would potentially

be met with

grumbling,

disruptions,

and calls

for an upheaval

of the power structures

of leadership.

Down with the Hebrews,

they've been in power

too long.

They've always

oppressed us.

Maybe,

maybe not.

But without a doubt,

if it happened today,

it would dissolve

and devolve

into a type of

tribalism

where various

factions claimed

various grievances.

And tribalism

and factionalism

unfortunately

are an all-too-common

solution

in our current

cultural moment

because they stress

differences,

constantly criticizing,

tearing down

without a viable

and healthy vision

of what things

ought to be like.

There's no solution.

For it never builds,

it only dismantles.

But consider the vision

that Christ has

for His church.

And it's not just

this tiny group

of people

because the church,

especially at the

tail end of chapter 6

with the martyrdom

of Stephen,

6 and 7 rather,

with the martyrdom

of Stephen,

the church will spread

and spread

all through Europe

and church history

tells us

into parts

of what is now

India,

all over

the known world.

So this vision

that Christ has

for His church,

really for the human race,

is of unity.

Where in Christ Jesus

real unity exists

without the elimination

of difference.

Historic and current

issues and grievances

do not,

should not,

find their way

into the church.

So for instance,

it should happen

and I would love it

to happen

if,

and you guys

know my background,

if I could worship

alongside

of an Arab

born in Nablus

in our church,

that would be

a beautiful thing.

It would be

a wonderful thing

if this was

in the deep south

in the 40s

or 50s

to see

a black man

and a white woman

together

worshipping

the same God.

Still black,

still white,

still Jewish,

still Arab,

but the dividing line

is destroyed

in Christ Jesus.

See Galatians chapter 3.

Galatians 3 · chapter mention

See Ephesians 2,

3,

and all of Ephesians.

Why?

Because

we actually hold

one thing in common.

We are unified

on one thing,

that we are sinners,

that we have fallen short

of the glory of God,

that we are in deep need

of a Savior.

And the other thing

that unifies us

is that God

has sent a Savior

for us.

All distinctions

and divisions

are obliterated

by the cross

because we are unified

on the issue

of sin

in our helplessness.

So you see,

in a very real way,

the entire human race

is just a giant collection

of orphans,

widows,

and foreigners.

Helpless people

in our sin

and slavery

to death and evil.

But Christ Jesus,

by hanging on the cross,

being buried,

resurrecting

to new life,

ascending into heaven,

sending the Holy Spirit,

He removes our sin,

He conquers death,

and He defeats evil

so that the orphan

is adopted,

the widow protected,

and the foreigner

is made a citizen.

It's a beautiful thing

about the Gospel.

And friends,

this reality

must mark the Church.

It must animate

our decisions

as we grow

and consider

mercy ministries,

evangelistic endeavors,

catechism

to old

and to young,

Sunday worship,

midweek study,

whatever it may be.

We must fight

against a pseudo-community

that is a counterfeit

for real

and godly

community.

So,

as we seek

to obediently

live out

our faith together,

we ought to expect

that in God's way

and in God's time,

we will see

continued increase

and multiplication

of disciples.

That we will grow

in our love

for Christ,

our love

for one another,

and

however many

God chooses

to give us,

grow in number.

If we stay focused

on the things

that He has called us

to focus on,

and we deal with issues

as they arise.

And by God's strength,

we'll do that.

Amen?

Let us pray.

Father in Heaven,

we thank You

for all of Your

many blessings

in the early church,

that You do not

spare in Your Word

the difficult

passages,

the uncomfortable

and ugly passages.

Lord,

Acts 6,

Acts 6:1

verse 1,

could have been

really, really bad,

and yet,

in Your goodness,

You brought

this wonderful

reality to bear

on the church

that increased

ministry.

Lord, let us be

people that see

need,

that see

opportunities to serve

and serve with

joyful hearts,

that do not

flee conflict,

nor do we run

to it with swords

drawn,

but Lord,

we look to You

for resolution.

Father,

that we would trust

that You

will build Your church,

that You love our church,

that You will continue

to love our church

until eternity,

for this church

is the very body

of Your Son.

So, Lord,

we pray that You

bless us this morning

and bless us

as we go forward.

In Christ's mighty name.

Amen.