Be Great. Serve. (Matt Hayes Deacon Ordination)

Introduction

When the world thinks of greatness, thoughts about wealth, political power, social status, beauty, and physical strength come to mind. While there is nothing wrong with these things and they even should be pursued for the right reasons, even achieved they do not make one great. Greatness is found in serving others.

Jesus said in Matthew 23:11, “The greatest among you shall be your servant.” The word “servant” there you might recognize in another context: deacon.

I want to call attention to the act of ordination itself. Seems kind of odd to our modern sensibilities. In a few moments, Matt will come up here, previously ordained men will surround him and pray while laying their hands on him.

Seems almost superstitious.

Why are we ordaining Matt to be a deacon?

What is a deacon?

Man of Action (Acts 6:1-7)

Literally “servant.”

Servant of the church.

Frees the pastor for ministry of the Word.

Who should be a deacon? Man of character (1 Timothy 3:8-13)

Respected in the community (dignified)

Honest and keeps his word (not fork tongued)

Self-controlled (not addicted to much wine)

Not money or power hungry (not greedy)

Authentic, genuine (clear conscience)

Proven commodity (tested; blameless; cf 1 Tim 5:22)

Leaders at home

Godly wife

One wife

Behaved children

How does a man become a deacon? He is ordained.

Set apart by God.

Priests in the OT

Barnabas and Saul, Acts 13:2, As they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Seven first deacons, Acts 6:6, These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.

Prayed over, because the service to which they are being set apart is a holy office.

Laying on of hands

Sign of blessing

Jesus and the little children, Matthew 19:14-15, “14 Jesus said, “Leave the little children alone, and don’t try to keep them from coming to me, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 After placing his hands on them, he went on from there.”

Jesus and healing, Mark 5:23, “Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.”

New believers in Samaria received the Spirit, Acts 8:17, “They they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.”

Disciples of John the Baptist in Ephesus receiving the Spirit, Acts 19:6, “6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy.”

Sign of commissioning

OT Priests, Numbers 8:10 “10 Then present the Levites before the Lord, and have the Israelites lay their hands on them.”

Joshua from Moses, Numbers 27:18 “18 The Lord replied to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him.”

Timothy

1 Timothy 4:14 “14 Don’t neglect the gift that is in you; it was given to you through prophecy, with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.”

2 Timothy 1:6 “6 Therefore, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands.”

“Laying on of hands, then — like anointing or fasting or other external rituals for the church — is not magic and does not, as some claim, automatically confer grace. Rather, it is a “means of grace,” and accompanies words of commendation and corporate prayer, for those who believe. Like baptism, the laying on of hands is a kind of inaugural sign and ceremony, an initiating rite — a way of making an invisible reality visible, public, and memorable, both for the candidate and for the congregation, and then through the candidate and congregation to the world.”1

Today marks a new beginning for Matt and for us. He is committing to serve the Lord and this church, and we are committing to pray for and support him and his family.

Conclusion, Why does any of this matter?

We want to be faithful to God’s commands because we love Him.

Godly deacons are the backbone of a Christ-honoring, healthy church.

A Christ-honoring, healthy church is an awesome tool against in God’s hands.

In short, we want to honor God and win the lost of Lake View to Christ because they are going to hell. Ordaining Matt Hayes into the diaconate is a step towards accomplishing that.

1 David Mathis, “The Laying on of Hands: A Precious (and Misunderstood) Means of Grace Today,” https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-laying-on-of-hands. Accessed 19 September 2021.