Sunday’s Sermons

Text: 1^st Timothy 4:14-16                                                3/30/08 a.m.

Thesis: To be saved and to be used to save others we must use our gifts, watch ourselves, and watch our doctrine.

 

Intro: When I stand under this tabernacle it always makes me think of the past. Did you know that Mambrino Baptist Church has existed for over 100 years?

And why do we exist? If a restaurant exists to feed people and a hotel exists to sleep people why does a church exist?

Any church, every church, and Mambrino Baptist Church exists to make disciples.

Go and serve people, proclaim the gospel, and teach them to obey every thing that Jesus commands.

That’s obvious in Scripture and in theory but how to we get it into practice? How do we work for the salvation of others?

 

Read 1^st Timothy 4:11-16

 

I) We must all faithfully use our gifts

a)      Timothy was given what he needed in order to do what God called him to do. God will do the same for you.

i)        Verse 14 says, “Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.”

ii)      God called Timothy to lead this church and God gave him the gift necessary to faithfully fulfill this ministry.

iii)    Timothy is just like us; he didn’t have what it takes to do what God called him to do.

iv)    God knows the task and God knows Timothy is inadequate for the task.

v)      So God gives him a charismata, a spiritual gift.

vi)    The Scripture I used on the front of our ministry description page is 1^st Corinthians 12:4-7:

vii)  Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

viii)            If you are a Christian you have been given the Holy Spirit and with the Holy Spirit comes the ability to serve the church in ways you could never have served on your own. We need you to serve with us.

Ephesians 4:15&16 say, “we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

ix)    Joyfully and faithfully using your gift is not about signing up and showing up.

x)      Joyfully and faithfully using your gift is about growing up and giving up.

xi)    Grow in faith living out the benefits of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Philippians 2:3-4 says, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

xii)  Do nothing from rivalry or conceit is another way of saying, “do not neglect the gift you have.”

b)      This is a command- don’t waste your life.

i)        When we neglect the gift we have been given by not seeking to grow up in every way in Christ then it’s not just our selves but the entire church that suffers.

ii)      But when each member is faithfully using their gifts it makes the body grow so that it is built up in love.

iii)    You can do that for Mambrino Baptist Church. You can bring growth and a strengthening of love but you’ve got to put aside the rivalry and selfish ambition.

iv)    A church can’t worry about territory or tenure or personal rights. A church must grow up in love seeking the good of others. It’s servants must be humble.

v)      To do this we must give attention to cultivating and using our spiritual gifts and even this is something we do as a part of the church.

c)      Timothy’s gifting for ministry came in the context of the church.

i)        You’ve got to catch this one thing I’m about to say or the rest of this sermon will not make sense.

ii)      You’ve got to get this or you may remain on the outskirts of the church floundering around wondering why God’s not doing anything.

iii)    God does everything, God can do anything He wants, AND God uses means to accomplish what He wants.

iv)    The sovereign God uses us, his redeemed people, to accomplish his intended means.

v)      So, God used a group of Ephesian elders plus the Apostle Paul to put Timothy’s spiritual gift in action.

vi)    This is nothing new. It happened to the Apostle Paul himself in Acts 13.

vii)  In Acts 13 it’s the church in Antioch that has gathered to worship the Lord and fast. During this time the Holy Spirit said to the leaders who were gathered, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

viii)            Acts 13:3 says, “Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.”

ix)    Prophecy is a Spirit-inspired pronunciation that generally is a command concerning the future.

x)      Usually it is a demand by God for a person or group to do something.  That something can be to get ready, to get going, or to repent.

xi)    In the case of Timothy this prophecy would have involved God’s calling and equipping him to be a pastor.

xii)  Make a mental note that this prophecy did not come to Timothy by himself as some autonomous individual. Timothy wasn’t alone he was at church.

xiii)            This prophecy came through the church. It is a dangerous thing for anyone to pursue a calling without the approval of the church.

xiv)            So, God gave Timothy His approval through the church and the church made a public display of it.

xv)  The elders laid their hands on Timothy as a display of his authority in the church.

xvi)            The prophecy came from God with the laying on of hands.

xvii)          In this powerful picture for the entire church the leaders would have gathered around their pastor and prayed for him, blessed him, and most importantly committed to following this God-called Spirit-gifted leader.

xviii)        That’s what ya’ll did for me in my ordination service April 10, 2005.

xix)            As the church we committed to answering God’s call as the Holy Spirit leads us and gives gifts to us.

xx)  The gifts we have are always according to God’s purposes, from the Holy Spirit, affirmed by the church, and for the common good. God is going to use us.

xxi)            That’s a very encouraging and uplifting statement. It’s true for me and it’s true for every member. So we must work.

II) Using your gift will always require work

a)      We must be focused on serving the church

i)        Timothy is told in verse 15 to practice these things.

ii)      It’s a continuation of the athletic metaphor that we have seen since verse 6.

iii)    If you want to make the greatest good you have to practice.

iv)    I guarantee I can show up on the basketball court without practicing a lick and whip any 3 year old you put before me.

v)      But as the skill level of my opponent increases my dedication to mastering my skills must increase.

vi)    If you want the most satisfaction and if you want Christ to be magnified in this church then you’ve got to stop playing only the 3 year olds.

vii)  To practice these things involves both the physical, mental, and spiritual qualities of the task before us.

viii)            It’s not enough just to be good at shooting free throws. You’ve got to work on every aspect of the game from offense to defense from the outside game to the roughhouse of the paint.

ix)    So, what are “these things” that Timothy must practice? They are from verse 11, commanding the church and teaching the church.

x)      These things are from verse 12, setting the example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

xi)    These things are from verse 13, the public reading of Scripture, exhortation, and teaching.

xii)  Man, I need to hear this, “Get your lazy tail out of bed, stop feeling sorry for yourself, stop complaining about what everyone else is NOT doing, and practice.”

xiii)            Devote yourself to the full use of your gift in the circumstances where God has placed you.

xiv)            Stop looking for a way out and start looking for the way in. Then get in it up to your eyes. Be devoted.

xv)  It’s a gut-check for pastor Timothy and if he wants to challenge the church to follow God and exercise their gifts then he needs to show them how.

xvi)            Practice these things, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. We get so wound up focusing on the growth of our ministry that we forget about our own spiritual growth.

xvii)          It is our calling in every ministry position to serve faithfully, grow spiritually, and trust God for the increase.

xviii)        It should be unmistakable to others both inside the church and outside the church that you are sold out for the cause of Christ.

xix)            If you are a basketball player your neighbors know it. If you are a hunter your neighbors know it. If you are devoted to something the people who live around you know it. You’ll have all the signs.

xx)  What this Ephesian church needed and what Mambrino Baptist Church needs is the example of a pastor who is sold out.

xxi)            I don’t mean you need to do more stuff. Joining the chess club instead of going to basketball practice doesn’t make you a better basketball player.

xxii)          What we need is a pastor who walks with Christ, knows his gifts, and lives a life dedicated to faithfully using those gifts in the cause of Christ.

xxiii)        It’s humility and faith. I can’t do everything, but through God’s help I can do all that the Holy Spirit gifts and calls me to do.

xxiv)        I realize you need to see me progressing in these things. I hope you have seen great changes in me over the past 3 years. I pray you will see even greater changes in me over the next 3.

xxv)          And why do I want this? Because I want to see people saved.

III) Salvation does not occur in a vacuum

Look at verse 16, “Keep a close watch on your self and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”

a)      We use our gifts because souls are at stake

i)        In verse 16 we are not talking about saving people from the mistakes of false teaching or the mistakes of an unfulfilled life.

ii)      We are talking about using our gifts for the eternal salvation of souls.

iii)    Let’s be clear. 1^st Timothy 4:10 tells us that God is the Savior of all people and 1^st Timothy 4:16 tells us that we are responsible for saving ourselves and others we come in contact with.

iv)    The sovereign God of the universe uses people like us to fulfill His purposes.

v)      If you will keep on. Keep on practicing. Keep on devoting yourself to what God has called you to do the end will be salvation.

vi)    It may be the salvation of a multitude of souls. You may reap a huge harvest. It may be the salvation of your own soul. You may labor for decade after decade and the only fruit of it being your own salvation.

vii)  If we approach verse 16 from any other angle it makes the church impotent and the Christian irrelevant.

viii)            Every one of us matters from the youngest believer to the oldest saint.

ix)    If you want your life to matter for your own salvation and the salvation of others this is what you must do.

b)      Keep a close watch on yourself and the teaching

i)        Pay attention to what you do. Judge yourself. Put yourself under the microscope.  Though painful at the time it will yield great fruit. The fruit of salvation.

ii)      Don’t dull the text. Your eternal soul could be lost to an eternal hell because you are lazy.

iii)    Throw off every weight. Cast off the sin that so easily entangles and run the race set before you.

iv)    “Why did I do that?” is a great question we should often ask our selves.

v)      We do the things we do because we believe the things we believe.

vi)    Take any action, any word, any thought and take the time to find out where it came from.

vii)  Even do this with the good stuff. I guarantee when you do, it will give you reason to praise God.

viii)            When you dissect something from your life and you find God as the cause it is incredibly encouraging.

ix)    Get to the heart of the matter which is the teaching.

x)      The pastor must watch himself and what he teaches.

xi)    Is what the pastor saying biblical? Does the pastor believe the things he is saying?

xii)  What type of life are you living in front of your family? What are you teaching your family? Are you leading them into the glorious kingdom of Christ?

xiii)            Keep watching what you do and keep watching what you say; persist in this.

xiv)            It’s spiritual warfare level red alert so do not let your guard down. If the guy who is on look-out falls asleep then the whole group is in danger.

xv)  I must constantly ask myself if I have fallen asleep on guard duty. Husbands have you fallen asleep?

xvi)            Fathers have you fallen asleep? C.S. Lewis once wrote something to the effect that it is a shameful thing for a nation to send it’s women to fight it’s battles.

xvii)          It’s a shameful thing for a church to send it’s women to fight it’s battles.

xviii)        It’s not shame on the women who stand in the gap and fill the void. It’s a shameful on the men who will not keep watch.

xix)            Oh but it is a glorious thing when the men step up and use their gifts for others. When the pastors, deacons, and men rise up to lead, encourage, and equip the church God’s work of salvation is done.

xx)  We’re going to close this service and go and line up for some lunch in the fellowship hall.

xxi)            As you line up there will be ministry leaders from this church available to answer your questions and show you immediate ways to use your Holy Spirit given gift for the common good.

xxii)          Get involved in this church. We need you. God has called you. Christ died and lives for you. The Spirit has gifted you.

xxiii)        Serve like your salvation and the salvation of others depends on it; because it does.