Prayer and the Authority of Scripture; John 15:7

Text: John 15:7                                                                 1/20/08 PM

Thesis: Fruitful prayer is bible saturated prayer.

 

Intro: This evening it is my earnest desire for us to spend some quality time in the deep soul-satisfying words of Christ.

Prayer and the Authority of Scripture sounds like a simple title with the goal being a community wide commitment to praying the words of Scripture.

That is an honorable goal; noble in its desire.

But a person can pray the words of Scripture with emptiness and a person can pray the bible without a relationship with Jesus Christ.

My goal tonight only sounds a little different but in practice it is wholly different. I want us to pray as a church with Christ’s words abiding in us.

I want the living Scripture in the hands of the Holy Spirit to search our hearts for evidence of abiding in Christ.

I want the word of God to penetrate inside us and do spiritual surgery dividing what is of Christ from what is not of Christ so that we can put to death the deeds of the flesh.

From John chapter 15 I want to challenge you with Christ’s intention for us in the areas of abiding in Him, His words abiding in us, and fruit-bearing prayer.

 

Read John 15:1-11

 

My plan of attack tonight is to unpack verse 7 using the rest of verses 1-11.

I originally wanted to deal with abiding in Christ and Christ abiding in us as two separate issues related to prayer but this proved impossible.

So we’re going to tackle them together. And conclude with some thoughts on how abiding effects praying.

 

I) We must abide in Christ

We’re talking here about the spiritual aspect, the faith aspect, and the intellectual aspect of abiding in Christ. Many people want only one or part of what it means to abide in Christ but this is not an option.

a)      First, let’s tackle the spiritual aspect

i)        Abiding is all or nothing.

ii)      Abiding in Christ means first that you, an individual Christian, are possessed by the Holy Spirit.

iii)    Turn to John 14:15-20 and let’s read it together.

iv)    This is clearly the spiritual or supernatural.

v)      Let’s think spiritual things. The Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth, will be sent based on the Son’s request of the Father.

vi)    The Son will ask the Father and the Father will send the Spirit, another Helper, to be with believers forever.

vii)  The Spirit is not sent to everyone and the Spirit is not received by everyone.

viii)            As Jesus was speaking these words to the disciples the truth was that the Spirit was with them. After the death and resurrection of Christ, at Pentecost, the Spirit would come and dwell within them.

ix)    Remember, the cross changes things.

x)      Then comes verse 18 which we love to take out of context but when we do it loses its power.

xi)    Jesus promises, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

xii)  We want to take this as a verse pointing to Christ’s second coming, but remember the context.

xiii)            Jesus will surely return and take us to be with him but in the context the way He will come to us does not wait for the paraousia.

xiv)            Jesus comes to us now removing our status of orphans by the spiritual indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

xv)  How will they see Him? How will they live? How will we see Him? How will we live?

xvi)            The Spirit does this by indwelling us. His presence in us will bind us to Christ. The Spirit’s existence within us is the cause of our abiding in Christ.

xvii)          No one can abide in Christ who does not have the Spirit abiding within them. All who have the Spirit abide in Christ.

xviii)        John 14:20, “in that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”

xix)            How will we know the Father and Son are perfectly unified? How will we know that Christ is united to us and we are united to Him?

xx)  When the Spirit comes upon us and takes up residence within us.

xxi)            Abiding in Christ is more but is certainly not less than the Spirit abiding within us.

xxii)          I abide in Christ because the Spirit abides in me. He speaks to my spirit and confirms by his testimony that I am God’s child (Rom 8:16). That is the spiritual.

b)      Now the faith aspect of abiding

i)        The faith aspect of abiding in Christ and Christ in us is given to us through the illustration of the vine and branches.

ii)      Read John 15:1-6

iii)    Notice who the true vine is: the true vine is Jesus Christ. The true vine is not Israel. That’s why salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

iv)    Salvation is not by grace through faith expressed in joining ourselves to geographical Israel.

v)      Christ is the source of life who has been planted by the Father the vinedresser.

vi)    There are some branches that have the appearance of life and connection to the things of the Father and Son but they are not fruit bearing so they are cast into hell.

vii)  Not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring (Rom 9:7). Jesus’ interchange with the Jewish leaders in John 8 proves the same.

viii)            Some people are attached to Christ so they can use him for their own ends. These will be cut away by the Father.  Think of Judas as the example of this group.

ix)    And there are others who are attached to Christ and bearing fruit. These will be pruned by God in order to bear more fruit. Think of Peter as the example of this group.

x)      Here again is excommunication and church discipline. One is a separating and the other is a strengthening.

xi)    Now what exactly is fruit bearing? Read 5 and 8

xii)  Fruit bearing must be seen in these three categories. The category of Christian character; do you bear the fruits of the Spirit?

xiii)            The category of evangelism; do you devote yourself to the work of conversion?

xiv)            The category of love; verse 12, this is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you; do you care for your brothers and sisters in Christ?

xv)  If you are not bearing the fruit of godliness, outreach, and love you are not abiding in the vine of Jesus Christ.

xvi)            You are in the perilous position of the branch caught between the blades of the vinedresser’s pruning shears.

xvii)          This points us back to the faith aspect of abiding. Jesus said, “whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit” (John 15:5).

xviii)        You abide in Christ if you trust and rest in him the way a branch trusts and rests in the vine.

xix)            There will be many on that day who will say, “Lord, Lord did we not ask Jesus into our hearts? Lord, Lord did we not give our hearts to Jesus?”

xx)  And He will say, “depart from me for I never knew you.”

xxi)            You never set up your abode in me. You did not abide in me the way a branch abides in the vine.

xxii)          You gave me your heart but you cared nothing about your heart. If you would have given me your pocket book or your career or your family that would have been something. You cared about those things.

xxiii)        And do not fool yourself by thinking abiding in Christ is trusting in Him to save you from your sins.

xxiv)        Abiding in Christ is so much more radical and consuming than that.

xxv)          Abiding in Christ is trusting and resting in Christ to transform every aspect of your life so that it reflects the holiness of God and is used for His holy purposes.

xxvi)        Christian, those aspects of your life that do not reflect holiness and are not useful for God’s purposes are those aspects of your life that the Father prunes.

xxvii)      Abiding in Christ is trusting yourself to the hands of the vinedresser when He begins to cut away the stuff.

xxviii)    Many people followed Christ when he was passing out free meal tickets and healing the sick but when he told them they must eat his blood and drink his flesh they said ‘that’s too much for me’ and they broke off from the vine.

xxix)        To be connected to the vine is to eat his flesh and drink his blood. It is to abide in Christ trusting him to provide the wisdom to know what to obey.

xxx)          It is to abide in Christ trusting him to provide the strength to obey.

xxxi)        It is to abide in Christ resting in him as the storm rages around the boat of your life.

xxxii)      It is to abide in Christ believing in him to provide forgiveness of sin and righteousness before God.

xxxiii)    Abiding in Christ is not what we consider giving our hearts to Jesus. What has become ‘giving our hearts to Jesus’ makes a mockery of the God-man Jesus Christ.

xxxiv)    Christ is infinitely bigger and more worthy than my puny little heart.

xxxv)      Abiding is all or it is nothing. Abiding is about faith.

c)      Now the intellectual aspect

i)        Jesus said in verse 7, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

ii)      Notice Jesus did not say, “If you abide in me and I abide in you ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.

iii)    This is because Jesus abiding in us and Jesus’ words abiding in us are the same things.

iv)    Look at John 14:23. There Jesus says the same thing.

v)      Read John 14:23.

vi)    If you love Christ, if you are spiritually joined to Christ and abiding in Him, you will keep His word.

vii)  And the Father will love you. This fruit bearing branch of your life will not be cut away but will be pruned and the Father and the Son will come and make their home with you.

viii)            Many of us in the church today and I fear some of us tonight have no fruit in our lives. No fruit of Christian character, no fruit of evangelism, and no fruit of sacrificial love but we think we’re Christians.

ix)    But a Christian is a person in whom the word of Christ abides and produces fruit.

x)      The word of Christ is the fullness of His teaching.

xi)    We’ve got 10 bibles at home on the shelf but can’t recite 10 verses with their correct book, chapter, and verse.

xii)  We rarely read the bible, we never study the bible, and it’s been decades since we’ve memorized Scripture and we think we’re Christians abiding in Christ.

xiii)            I’m not saying this so you will try harder. I’m saying this so by God’s grace you’ll be saved.

xiv)            To abide in Christ is to have his words in us. It is to do theology.

xv)  It is to care what Jesus thinks about sin, salvation, the poor, marriage, learning, taxes, prayer, missions, and all of life.

xvi)            HCYAWWJDIYDKWHD?

xvii)          How can you ask what would Jesus do if you don’t know what he did?

xviii)        How can we say that Christ abides in us if His words, His truth, His message does not?

xix)            Which brings us also to the issue of prayer; how can we pray with any confidence if Christ’s words do not abide in us?

II) Prayer and the authority of God’s word

This is more of a conclusion than an additional point

a)      If we abide in Jesus and his word abides in us when we pray our prayers will be answered with a ‘yes’.

i)        Pursue the spiritual aspect of abiding, pursue the faith aspect of abiding, pursue the intellectual aspect of abiding, and whatever you pray for will be given to you.

ii)      Let me read again the quote I read two Sundays ago from James Montgomery Boice, “we are so filled with the idea that prayer is getting something from God, that we rarely consider that prayer is actually a means by which God gets something from us. What he wants from us is glory, a glory that will lead others to trust him (1103).

iii)    Now look again to John 15:7&8 (read it).

iv)    The Father is glorified in us through prayer.

v)      We bring Him glory when we ask for things that will bear Christ-centered fruit.

vi)    When Christ’s words abide in us and reshape us into His image this strengthens our faith.

vii)  Based on our faith in Christ we ask God for things only He can give.

viii)            Have you noticed that the majority of our prayers can be answered by a boss, generous friend, or doctor?

ix)    Like CS Lewis said, “we’re content with mud pies when God promises us a holiday at the sea.”

x)      We’re characterized by mud pie prayers because the word of Christ has not reshaped us and faith in Christ does not guide us to ask for things that only God through Christ can provide.

xi)    We say we cherish the authority of Scripture. The Bible is God’s inerrant word full of truth without any mixture of error.

xii)  It’s essential for life and godliness.

xiii)            Okay, how much of the bible shows up in your prayers?

xiv)            How many of your prayers go unanswered and how many of your desires go unquestioned?

xv)  A powerful prayer life is caused by Christ’s powerful word abiding in you and you abiding in Christ.

xvi)            Our prayers oftentimes struggle because our relationship with Christ is struggling.

xvii)          We pray empty prayers because we possess empty brains. A lack of bible in our minds will produce a lack of power in prayer.

xviii)        The more you walk with Christ the more you will pray. The more you know of Christ the more your prayers will be answered.

xix)            Why is this? 2 Corinthians 3:18

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

xx)  We cherish the authority of Scripture because the authority of Scripture is the authority of Christ.

xxi)            As we study more of Christ we become more like Christ. We are transformed into His image.

xxii)          We are transformed into people who prayer with power; people who pray like Jesus Christ, the one whom all authority has been given.

xxiii)        Let’s pray.

Prayer and the Supremacy of God; John 14:13-14

Text: John 14:13-14                                                           1/6/08 PM

Thesis:  Our prayer lives should reflect a knowledge of God’s supremacy as well as a desire to see God’s supremacy spread.

Intro: Tonight we start our annual sermon series covering the 5 core values of Mambrino Baptist Church.

In 2005 these five defining characteristics of who we are were added to the church constitution:

1. The Supremacy of God
2. The Authority of Scripture
3. Prayer
4. The Great Commission
5. Biblical Fellowship

There were two main reasons for putting our core values together. First, they help someone looking for a church understand in a simple format who we are.

Second, they serve as a regular reminder to us of who we are and what should be of greatest importance.

The supremacy of God, the authority of Scripture, prayer, the Great Commission, and biblical fellowship are our roots.

So, at the first of every year we take some time to get back to our roots.

This year what I’d like to do from the gospel of John is to show you how our individual prayer lives and corporate prayer life should be shaped by the other core values.

Particularly I want us to look at the four statements Jesus made in John 14, 15, and 16 calling on us to ask the Father for things in Jesus’ name.

Tonight let’s turn together to John 14:12-14 and seek the wisdom that is from above that transforms us right where we are.

Read John 14:12-14

 

If we are going to understand the supremacy of God we must look to Christ because

I) The Supremacy of God is displayed in the person of Christ

a)      Here’s how, Jesus lived and died to display the supremacy of God

i)        Let me read for you John 12:27&28. This is Jesus speaking,

“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

ii)      Jesus’ 33 years were not years spent wasting time waiting for the cross. These were years lived by faith knowing always that God is supreme.

iii)    Jesus trusted God when he took on flesh. Jesus trusted God as a boy. Jesus trusted God as a young man. Jesus trusted God on a hill called Calvary and in a tomb.

iv)    Jesus believed that God is always bigger and better. When Satan tempted Jesus, Jesus believed God.

v)      Jesus’ answer to Philip is his answer to us. (read 8-11).

vi)    Christianity is about believing Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Him.

vii)  Christianity is about being shaken out of our “God can’t do that” mindset by the miracles of the bible and realizing that the miraculous Christ of the bible is himself God.

viii)            Christianity is not and never will be about picking and choosing what we like and don’t like about Jesus.

ix)    Christianity is about seeing Christ in all his raw power and by faith comprehending that we are seeing God.

x)      The God who has always worked for the sake of His great name has been displayed to us in the person of Jesus Christ who lived and died for the sake of His great name.

xi)    If we are going to live and pray for the supremacy of God we must, like Jesus, believe that God is indeed supreme; of greater worth than every person, institution, or thing.

xii)  Remember, believing in Jesus is not believing he existed or that he came to be the savior of the world.

xiii)            Believing in Jesus is knowing that Jesus is the glorious Son of God sent to show me God and sent to conqueror sin in order to bring me to God.

xiv)            There are people who pray like someone who only believes that Jesus exists and came to be the Savior.

xv)  Then there are people who pray believing in Jesus trusting all that they are to the God-man who lived, died, rose, ascended to God’s right hand, and is coming back. Their prayers are expressions of living faith.

xvi)            Right prayer always starts with right belief. That leads me to my next point.

II) Our understanding of the supremacy of God is displayed in what we do.

a)      Right belief leads to right action

i)        Read verse 12

ii)      Jesus introduced the remarkable thing he was about to say with a format that was intended to catch our attention.

iii)    Listen up! This is true. Whoever believes in Jesus will do what Jesus did.

iv)    And he’s not just talking to the disciples. “Whoever believes in me” is intentionally broad to include whoever believes in Jesus.

v)      What James said about faith without works is dead is true.  But we’re not just talking about seeing your brother in need and helping him out of your overflow.

vi)    Jesus is talking about us, believers, doing what he, the God-man, did.

vii)  But wait, it gets even more incredible. And greater works than these will he do.

viii)            Greater works than Jesus!?! Raising the dead, restoring sight, feeding thousands from a couple of loaves and fish, calming a raging storm with a word, and walking on water just to mention a few.

ix)    Don’t rationalize this passage away if you do it will suck the power out of your life.

x)      Now, works do include miracles but they are not limited to miracles.

xi)    Let’s read verse 12 again so you can be sure to get it.

xii)  The last phrase of verse 12 is crucial; it is the explanation for the greater works.

xiii)            Jesus said we will do even greater works than he did because he is going to the Father.

xiv)            What’s he saying? Jesus is saying that the cross will change everything.

xv)  His great work of redemption and His ascension to the Father’s right hand change everything.

xvi)            God’s amazing demonstration of love for us and Christ’s glorification over all things changes everything.

xvii)          We will not do great works because we are great people. If you think you will do great works because you are great then rest assured you will actually do nothing.

xviii)        You will not be attached to the fine so you will not bear fruit that lasts (Jn 15.5).

xix)            We must understand that Jesus’ ascension was not for the purpose of giving Halmark another reason to make pretty cards.

xx)  Jesus lived, died, and rose again so that you, young or old, will do great works.

xxi)            It’s not that God hopes you’ll do something for Him someday. It’s not that Jesus really wishes you would ask, “what would Jesus do?”

xxii)          It’s meditating on the truth that because of Christ you will do great works. It’s pursuing more of Christ so that you will do great works.

xxiii)        We have forgiveness, we have bold access to God, we have been given gifts, we have been given the Spirit, the foundation for the church has been laid, every spiritual benefit has been given to us, and Jesus is coming again to restore all things. So go and live for the glory of God.

xxiv)        Right belief leads to right action. Those people who understand the supremacy of God do things that aren’t normal because they daily feast on the glory of Jesus Christ and they know he’s not normal; He’s better.

xxv)          What we think about Jesus shapes what we do.

III) Our understanding of the supremacy of God is displayed in how we pray (read 13&14)

a)      We are to pray in Jesus’ name

i)        Martha, outside the tomb of Lazarus gives us the importance of Christ in prayer.

ii)      Martha said in John 11:22, “But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

iii)    When we pray in Jesus’ name we are praying with his authority and through him our perfect representative.

iv)    Prayer in Jesus’ name does not mean that we pray using his name as a formula. Instead it means the prayer we offer must be in accordance with all his name stands for.

v)      It is prayer proceeding from faith in Christ, prayer that gives expression to oneness with Christ, prayer that seeks to glorify Christ. And the purpose of it all is the glory of God, a glory that is “in the Son” (Morris, 574).

vi)    This type of prayer is an amazing shift. Previously they had prayed with the name of someone else.

vii)  When Moses was on the mountain with God and the people were involved in all kinds of sin God spoke of wiping the people out.

viii)            And Moses prayed in Exodus 32:13

Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’

ix)    Moses was saying, “God remember those men and act for us in accordance with them.”

x)      But now Jesus tells the disciples, and us, to pray to God in his name.

xi)    The fact that we have been bought with a price means we must glorify God with our bodies (1 Cor 6:20)

xii)  But the fact that we have been bought with a price also means we have been blessed with the ability to pray to God in the name of Jesus Christ. We are His.

xiii)            And when we pray in Jesus’ name He’ll do it.

xiv)            FF Bruce put it this way, “The Father denies nothing to the Son, and a request made in the Son’s name is treated as if the Son made it” (301).

xv)  Being a Christian, a little Christ, means we live like Christ, pray like Christ, and we are heard like Christ.

xvi)            By believing in Him we are changed by Him to do greater works than Him because our prayers are His prayers. It’s Spirit-filled multiplication.

xvii)          And the Father always answers the prayers of the Son. Let that settle in on your mind.

xviii)        Whatever we pray in Jesus’ name he will do it because He has bought us, redeemed us, and when we pray it is by his authority and because of his gift.

xix)            I want 2008 to be a reversal of the way we normally live life. This is what I mean.

b)      We must pray so that the Father may be glorified in the Son

i)        I was reading James Montgomery Boice on this verse and what he said floored me, “we are so filled with the idea that prayer is getting something from God, that we rarely consider that prayer is actually a means by which God gets something from us. What he wants from us is glory, a glory that will lead others to trust him” (1103).

ii)      The goal of prayer is not the fulfilling of our own requests; it is the glorification of God (Boice, 1104).

iii)    This is the condition to that amazing statement, “If you ask me anything in my name I will do it.”

iv)    So that the Father and the Son are seen as glorious.

v)      Think of it in these terms. God is not in the business of writing blank checks. God is in the business of bringing praise to Jesus Christ.

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

vi)    Stack that also against what the Spirit says through James

You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions (James 4:3).

vii)  Selfish prayers are generally unanswered prayers because God is not in the business of glorifying us.

viii)            If we are to pray with power, if we are to be righteous and our prayers powerful and effective, we must gaze continually on the magnificence of Jesus Christ.

ix)    Shoot from the hip biblically uninformed prayers are not what God is looking for from his people.

x)      Diapers on a two year old are normal but diapers on a 10 year old is just wrong.

xi)    Many of our prayer lives are empty and lifeless because we’re sitting in our own immature filth.

xii)  There is nothing wrong with being young and immature but being a Christian of many years and immature should bring us to shame.

xiii)            Is God not greater than this? Has He not promised greater things? Where is the glory of Christ?

xiv)             If this stirs your heart let me recommend after you have spend much time in Scripture that you read John Owen’s little book titled The Glory of Christ.

xv)  In this book he gives three pieces of advice to those who are strangers to the infinite glory of Christ (pages 22-23)

xvi)            First, make up your mind that to behold the glory of God by beholding the glory of Christ is the greatest privilege which is given to believers in this life.

xvii)          Second, as it is a great privilege, so also it is a great mystery which requires much spiritual wisdom to come to a right understanding of it and to practice it aright (1 Cor 2:4-5).

xviii)        Third, learn how to behold the glory of Christ by remembering how you once set your mind on worldly things.

xix)            Do you regularly think about God’s mercy, love, and grace displayed in Jesus Christ?

xx)  Do you intentionally bring to mind the sovereignty, majesty, and power exercised by the exalted Christ?

xxi)            Again to quote Owen, “we experience the power of his life in us only as our thoughts are filled with him and we continually delight in him. If, therefore, we would behold the glory of Christ, we must be filled with thoughts of Christ and his glory on all occasions and at all times. This is the mark of a true Christian (36).

xxii)          God does not give E’s for effort. God demands perfection in all things (Matt 5:48) and this includes your prayer life and mine.

xxiii)        If we are to do anything, if our lives are going to count, if our prayers are going to be answered, and if we are going to enter into God’s eternal rest we must abide in Jesus Christ.

xxiv)        We must trust the one who lived, served, died, and prayed perfectly. Jesus is our everything.

xxv)          Amazing works and amazing prayers are the results of amazement over the person and work of Jesus Christ.

xxvi)        My prayer for you, a prayer that will be answered, is that Jesus Christ would be exalted in every avenue of your life and mine.

xxvii)      I pray God will prune our lives. I pray God will lovingly discipline us His children. I pray that the piercing light of Jesus Christ would shine in us and through us.

The Dignified Deacon: 1st Timothy 3:8

Text: 1^st Timothy 3:8-9                                                      1/6/08 AM

Thesis: The deacon must be devoted to Christ.

 

Intro:  In 1^st Timothy 3:14&15 Paul makes his reason for writing this letter to Timothy clear: “so that…you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God.”

We’ve seen already how a pastor ought to behave in the household of God. Knowing these expectations also gives us the characteristics to look for when calling a new minister.

We turn our attention now in 1^st Timothy chapter three to the office of deacon. The Holy Spirit there details the personal expectations that are placed upon every deacon.

Knowing these expectations also gives us the characteristics to look for when setting apart new deacons for service in the church.  And this is exactly what we intend to do.

Lord willing, after we conclude our study of deacons in 1^st Timothy chapter 3 we will set aside a small number of men who will be tested and if proven blameless will serve this church as deacons.

So it is important that every member pay attention to what God tells us through Scripture because every member will be involved as we set these men apart.

As we go I’ll give you more specifics. The rough time line in my head is to study the office of deacon for 4-6 weeks then at the end of that time set aside men who will be tested. Upon proving themselves faithful these men will be affirmed as deacons.

It is exciting to look ahead and think of what God is going to do in and through us as His church. 

Read 1^st Timothy 3:8-13

 

I) Every deacon is an analogy of Christ

a)      Because the deacon is always and most obviously a Christ-like servant.

i)        The word episkopos means overseer and the word diakonos means servant.

ii)      The names of the two offices of the church give us the clearest description of their duties.

iii)    Mark 10:45, the words of Christ, “For even the Son of Man (which is a title for Christ) did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

iv)    The Son of man came to diakonesai. Jesus came to earth in order to serve.

v)      He came to do the work of a deacon.

vi)    The office of deacon is a glorious thing because it is a living demonstration of Jesus’ servant heart.

vii)  When you look at a deacon you should think, “if Jesus were here serving Mambrino Baptist Church Jesus would be doing what that guy is doing.”

viii)            And Jesus would be doing it with the attitude and humility that guy has.

ix)    When I think of the glorious service of Jesus Christ I think of him washing the disciples feet in John 13.

x)      It was the lowliest of jobs. This was a task none wanted and the servants were required to do. No one volunteered to wash people’s feet. No one but Jesus.

xi)    Foot washing was such a demoralizing task that Peter told Jesus in verse 8, “you shall never wash my feet.”

xii)  “No Jesus, this isn’t right. You’re too good to wash feet. You’re too important to wash feet. Get one of the slaves to do it. You do the stuff that really matters.”

xiii)            But Jesus did not come to be served, he came to serve. In John 13:15 Jesus said, “I have given you an example that you also should do just as I have done to you.”

xiv)            Deacons have been given to the church to show the church the servant heart of Christ.

xv)  This is precisely why the list of qualifications is not a to-do list for deacons.

xvi)            1^st Timothy 3:8-13 gives us a picture of who the deacon is to be.  If by faith a man pursues these things for the glory of Jesus Christ he will be a servant.

xvii)          As we continue I want you to keep this distinction in your mind. It will help you as you think about the differences between overseers and deacons.

xviii)        The overseer should display the leadership and teaching of Jesus Christ.

xix)            The deacon should display the servant spirit of Jesus Christ. We need both offices because we need the full display of the glory of Jesus Christ in this church.

xx)  We need leaders, teachers, and servants. We need men whose personal devotion to Christ produces a tangible display of the person of Christ in the church.

xxi)            Let’s turn our attention now to those qualification and we’ll do so with this mindset:

II) Personal holiness is a requirement for every deacon

a)      Every deacon must be dignified

i)        Because the deacon has been redeemed by Jesus and because that deacon is living every day for Jesus there is a dignity about him.

ii)      When you squeeze him it’s not service that comes out it’s Jesus Christ who comes out.

iii)    The deacon must be respectable. This same requirement is laid on pastors in verse 4.

iv)    And for both this is so much more than a superficial Dukes of Hazzard good ole boy morality.

v)      If the only time you hear a deacon or a pastor talk about the things of God is while your in the church building this guy is not dignified he’s a hypocrite.

vi)    The dignified deacon is not a man comes to Sunday night church, tithes, and isn’t divorced.

vii)  The dignified deacon is a man who when you see him you see glimpses of the glory of Christ.

viii)            You see a trust in God that produces powerful sacrificial service in the name of Jesus for the good of others.

ix)    No one inside or outside the Christian community should ever be surprised to learn I’m a pastor.

x)      No one inside or outside the Christian community should ever be surprised to learn that any of our deacons are deacons.

xi)    When a family member, co-worker, or neighbor finds out you’re a deacon they should say, “that makes sense” because of your dignified life.

xii)  Deacons if you are not on the front lines serving this church knowing not just the names but the needs of church members then you are not dignified.

xiii)            And if you are not dignified then you are not qualified to be a deacon according to the standards of Almighty God.

xiv)            Church we must raise the bar for pastors and deacons alike.

xv)  We’re not passing out ice-cream cones on the playground of life.

xvi)            We’re in a battle for souls and we need men who will biblically lead the charge and serve the soldiers.

xvii)          This is why every deacon must be dignified and

b)      Every deacon must not be double-tongued

i)        He must not say one thing to one person and another thing to another person.

ii)      This is crucial particularly because in his service the deacon will find himself as a go-between for the pastor and the congregation.

iii)    Many a church has been harmed by two-tongued pastors.

iv)    Many a pastor has been harmed by two-tongued deacons.

v)      One author wrote, “Since the [work] of such an officer would conceivably take him on constant rounds of visitation, a double-tongued person would spread havoc in short order. This officer must know how to bridle his tongue” (Kent, 132).

vi)    With the institution of the Seven in Acts 6 we learn that these men are to be first and foremost helpers.

vii)  What they do should lend aid to the church. This requirement of the deacon’s tongue makes it clear that what he says should lend aid to the church.

viii)            The deacon is not a creator of problems or a channel through which problems are conveyed to the pastor.

ix)    A deacon is always a biblical problem solver with his words and with his deeds.

x)      And it is true that deacons will often endear themselves to a congregation more than the pastor because they will be on the frontlines of service.

xi)    The deacons tongue must therefore be true to Christ.

xii)  Ephesians 4:29 is required of every Christian and is applicable here to the deacons, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

xiii)            Speak the truth, speak the hard things, and bring correction but always do so for the purpose of building up and always do so with an attitude that is full of grace.

xiv)            To do so is to have a single tongue bridled for the purposes of Jesus Christ.

c)      Next, every deacon must not be addicted to much wine

i)        There is a foolishness and a shamefulness that has always been attached to drunkenness.

ii)      It is impossible to be dignified and drunk. It is hypocrisy to say you are serving those in need while living in a state of indulgence.

iii)    The man who is captured by Christ and living a controlled life for Christ will not be a drunkard.

Proverbs 20 verse 1 says, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”

iv)    Does he quench the thirst of his soul with alcohol or does he quench his thirst with the majesty of Christ.

v)      The spiritual disciplines produce physical effects. We are not disjointed beings.

vi)    The pastor and deacon alike must model this hunger for Christ to the entire church.

vii)  And finally for this morning

d)     Every deacon must not be greedy for dishonest gain

i)        Remember Mikey, the kid who would eat anything? Give it to Mikey he’ll eat what other kids won’t. He’ll eat what others kids shouldn’t.

ii)      Deacons shouldn’t be Mikeys willing to do anything as long as they get paid.

iii)    When we view this qualification against Acts 6. In the early church in Jerusalem there were many in the church who were needy and the church was meeting those needs.

iv)    Originally the Apostles were involved in meeting the daily needs of widows. Then some of the ladies didn’t think they were getting their fair share so a dispute arose.

v)      As is often the case, this dispute forced the Apostles to the front and they found themselves no longer spending time in prayer and the ministry of the word but in settling disputes and keeping all things even.

vi)    Birthed from this conflict was a group of men who were appointed to the duty of serving tables; they were responsible for overseeing the distribution of aid were it was needed.

vii)  This would have surely involved finances. At this time there were several thousand Christians in Jerusalem. There were 7 men appointed to meet the needs of the needy. Clearly money was changing hands.

viii)            Where did Judas get the money to buy that field in which he died? He sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.

We are told in John 12:6, Judas “was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.

ix)    I’m sure Judas had his eye on that field for some time dreaming about what he could do with that land.

x)      His greed made the temptation to betray Jesus that much easier for Satan.

xi)    If a deacon is greedy for dishonest gain it will make the temptation to betray Jesus and His church that much easier for Satan.

xii)  How do you know if a man is greedy? It’s pretty easy. He’s always talking about money, he’s always trying to get more money, and he rarely gives away his money.

xiii)            He will regularly talk about what he deserves or what he wants instead of what others need.

xiv)            This type of deacon has come to be served not to serve.

xv)  It is good to work hard. God often blesses in the way of monetary gain. But hard work and blessings spent on selfish ends is a waste.

xvi)            Lying, cheating, or stealing to gain money is not a waste it is sin and reason to disqualify a man from the diaconate.

III) The deacon must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, and not greedy for dishonest gain.

a)      In a nutshell he must not be like the mother who told her daughter to lie in order to win Hanna Montana tickets.

i)        Her ruling desire was not to know God. This led her to do all manner of dishonest things.

ii)      When you look at a deacon you should immediately think that his ruling desire is to know God.

iii)    You see it in his life; he is respectable.

iv)    You see it in the way he speaks; he’s honest with the prince and the pauper alike.

v)      You see it in his diet; he’s not looking to drown his sorrows or lift his spirits with alcohol.

vi)    You see it in his finances; he works hard, he’s full of integrity, and he’s generous.

vii)  Let me close with a question for all of us. What do people see in you?

viii)            This is not a matter of being moral or having a clean nose. Satan can be moral and keep a clean nose when he wants but his end is destruction.

ix)    It’s not enough just to make a New Year’s resolution to stop doing sinning.

x)      God’s call on us is to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love our neighbors like we love ourselves (Mark 12:30&31).

xi)    We must devote ourselves to doing something namely knowing and loving God.

xii)  Those who devote themselves to loving God by knowing and serving Him will be dignified, they won’t be getting drunk to feel good, they won’t be lying because they’re afraid of what people might do, they won’t be lining their pockets with dirty money.

xiii)            Please church, devote yourself to learning more about Jesus Christ in the days ahead. Join us in the through the bible reading.

xiv)            Memorize Scripture. Before you come on Sundays be in prayer asking God to fill up your worship with His Spirit and His truth.

xv)  Start and finish every conversation with a prayer asking for strength to love God most.

xvi)            And if you don’t want to? Pray that God will change your heart. Pray that God will change your desires.

xvii)          The God who made the entire universe out of nothing can easily make good desires out of bad.

xviii)        Through faith in Jesus Christ and his work of salvation, trust God to change you entirely.

The Meaning of Christmas

Text: John 1                                                                   12/23/07 AM

Thesis: Christmas is the celebration of the light of Jesus Christ piercing the darkness of sin.

 

Intro:  Today I want to give you reason to celebrate. At the end of the sermon this morning we’re going to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

To prepare you for that I want to point you to the meaning of Christmas. I’m doing this because I believe that if we get Christmas right then we’ll get the Lord’s Supper right.

They are connected because both deal with our needs.

Now there is a lot of talk about needs out there and Christmas time tends to multiply those needs.

This happens because Christmas time tends to multiply our emptiness.

Christmas can point out emptiness at the family’s dinner table. Christmas can point out emptiness in your garage, in your bank account, in your career, and in your love life.

But we must be careful because Ed Welch is right. Ed Welch said, “The main reason why there is an epidemic of emptiness is that we have created and multiplied our needs, not God” (When People are Big and God is Small, 151).

Now this does not mean there is no such thing as needs. If that were the case then we’d have no reason for Christmas or this sermon.

What I want to do is bring us all back to center this Christmas by pointing out our need and showing how only Christ meets that need. 

Read Isaiah 42:1-9

 

I) Reversing the darkness is our greatest need

That’s somewhat difficult to grasp so we’re going to ask and answer two questions: What does it mean that we are in darkness? And, how does the darkness affect our lives?

a)      What does it mean that we are in darkness?

i)        Living in darkness means we cannot see God.

(1)   When the Apostle Paul described the work of God in salvation we were given the picture of being removed from the rule of one and transferred to the rule of another.

(2)   Ephesians 2:3 tells us that we are by nature children of wrath. We are born as sinners.

(3)   From Colossians 1:13 we learn that apart from God’s work of salvation we are under the domain of darkness.

(4)   But even in a sinless state we are different from God requiring God to come to us and reveal Himself to us. It was God who met Adam and Eve in the Garden. God had to intentionally show himself to them.

(5)   They didn’t accidentally bump into each other on the street. This being the case then sin entered the picture.

(6)   Sin brought separation from God. No longer did mankind walk in the light of God’s blessed presence.

(7)   Now, because of sin mankind walks in the darkness of God’s wrath. Because of sin God removes his presence and the darkness of death enters the picture. We are separated from Him.

ii)      The darkness also means we cannot understand the things of God

(1)   We’re not just dealing with the effects of sin on the retina or cornea. We’re talking about all of man.

(2)   The sinful mind is the mind that is set on the flesh. It’s the mind that believes, “it’s all about me.”

Romans 8:7&8 say, “the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. ⁸ Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

(3)   The sin that blinds the eye is the same sin that perverts our desires.

(4)   Why does a person not want to do what is right? God tells us it’s because the sinful mind cannot do what is right; it cannot submit to God’s law.

(5)   The person who lives in darkness cannot please God because he cannot see God and he cannot understand God.

(6)   Sin separates us from God and sin leads us away from God. We aren’t born sinful sitting there neither going to or away from God.

(7)   Because we are born sinful the first opportunity we get we’ll run from God’s law.

(8)   We do not become sinners when we sin. We sin because we are sinners

(9)   Sinners who do not understand the glory and splendor of God or the satisfying presence of the all-wise and all-powerful God.

(10)                       The darkness makes sacrifice and selflessness utterly absurd. And if we cannot understand sacrifice and selflessness we cannot understand God.

iii)    Next, the darkness means we do not glorify God

(1)   You were not created because God needed someone to love or because God needed someone to love him.

(2)   God doesn’t need anything from us (Acts 17.25).

(3)   Isaiah 43:6&7 tells us why we were created. God said, “bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, every who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

(4)   We were created to live for God. We were created to show the majesty of God as we mirror his excellencies to His creation.

(5)   But the darkness of sin ruined this. That’s why Romans 3:22&23 say, “For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

(6)   We were created to live with and for God; daily worshipping, knowing, and serving Him.

(7)   This is because God is the only thing big enough to warrant and sustain the worship, knowledge, and service of mankind.

(8)   Sin enters and we no longer live for God but we live for ourselves. We think that our jobs or our dreams or our families or our hobbies or our causes are big enough to sustain our worship and service.

(9)   Since we are separated from God we turn from God to things that cannot and will not satisfy.

b)      How does the darkness affect our lives?

i)        Living in darkness means we are unable to see the goal or the path to the goal for that matter so we crash into many obstacles.

ii)      The darkness affects everything about our lives; it messes everything up.

iii)    1st Timothy 6:10 tells us that there were some who craving money wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

iv)    When we exchange the truth of God for a lie it will bring pain because the darkness always leads us away from God who alone brings true and lasting joy.

v)      It is honestly a very depressing message. God is what we need but we cannot see Him.

vi)    We are born in sin and live in darkness. We are blinded by Satan and head everyday further away from God.

vii)  We do not and cannot do what we need to do; we cannot and do not live for God and bring him glory.

viii)            This is where love comes in. Love comes in at redemption. For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

ix)    Since God loves those He created for His glory He sent Jesus Christ to reverse the darkness.

II) Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5)

In light of what we’ve heard does it not get you excited to know that Jesus is the light of the world?

Jesus is exactly what we need.

Again we’re going to ask two questions: What does it mean that Jesus is the light of the world? And, How does Christmas affect our lives?

a)      What does it mean that Jesus is the light of the world?

i)        The incarnation makes the invisible God visible.

John 1:18 says, No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

(1)    Jesus Christ, who is himself God and is right now at the Father’s right hand, this Jesus has made God known to us.

(2)   If it weren’t for Jesus we would never truly know God. We’d be in sin and darkness trying to make sense of it all from little glimpses of God in nature.

(3)   Jesus himself said in John 14:9, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”

(4)   The desperate need of humanity is to be connected to God. We need to know Him and worship Him and glorify Him.

(5)   Jesus Christ was born at Christmas to show us God.

(6)   Jesus was born for the purpose of making God known.  Celebrating Christmas correctly is not about getting or giving presents.

(7)   Celebrating Christmas correctly is about knowing God.

(8)   If you survive Christmas and manage to give everyone the perfect gift, spend some quality time with family, and help the needy but do not know more about God then you’ve missed the meaning of Christmas.

(9)     Jesus came to reverse and cure our need. He came to meet our need of a right relationship with God.

(10) We cannot worship, serve, and glorify the one we do not know.

(11) The incarnation brings knowledge

ii)      The incarnation brings light to the darkness

(1)   Read John 1:1-5

(2)   Jesus is the name that God the Son is given when he became a human. God the Son has always existed and he has always existed as the 2^nd person of the Trinity.

(3)   God the Son is also called, the Word.  So, the Word is God and is with God. The Word made all of creation; nothing exists that the Son of God did not create.

(4)   Now, ‘In Him was life’ does not mean this is no longer the case. What it means is that this has always been the case. Life has been and always will be from and about God the Son.

(5)   Verse 4 affirms the fact that everything in creation is from and for Jesus Christ (Col 1:16). If anything is in existence it is because of Jesus who is the source of all physical life.

(6)   Verse 5 affirms that Jesus is the source of all spiritual life. The light that is Jesus came to shine into the darkness and the darkness has not, cannot and will not, overcome the light of Jesus Christ.

(7)   Those that are in the darkness need to know that our Redeemer is truth and the most powerful.

(8)   Being rescued one day so that you can be defeated the next is not a rescue. Being rescued so you can fight for the wrong side is not a rescue.

(9)   Rescue is being set free for eternity to be what we were created to be.

(10) 2 Corinthians 4:6 tells us, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

(11) Jesus came to change the facts that we cannot physically see God because of our nature and we cannot spiritually see God because of our sin.

(12) There is reason to celebrate: the darkness has been lifted through the person of Jesus Christ.

(13) He was born in order to remove the darkness caused by sin.

(14) Go to Jesus and be forgiven. Go to Jesus and meet God.  The incarnation brings light and

iii)    The incarnation connects the glory of God and man

(1)   John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

(2)   What does it mean to glorify God? From the life of Christ we see that living for the glory of God means to live life full of grace and truth.

(3)   Truth is always what is right. It is always doing God’s will God’s way.

(4)   Grace is freely giving what is not deserved.

(5)   To glorify God is to selflessly serve God by sacrificing for the good of others.

(6)   Jesus was born in order to show humanity what God is and Jesus was born in order to live for humanity the glorifying life that God requires.

(7)   Man needs to know God; Jesus meets that need.

(8)   Man needs to glorify God; Jesus meets that need.

(9)   Christmas has to be important to humanity because Christmas is all about God solving humanity’s problems.

(10) God didn’t do it by throwing money at us. God didn’t do it by brow beating us.

(11) God solved our problems by becoming one of us.

(12) God and humanity are connected because of the person and work of Jesus Christ.

(13) Let’s close with this final question

b)      How should Christmas affect our lives?

i)        Here’s how: if you want Christmas to affect your life you must have faith that Christmas is not about a baby. Christmas is about a baby who is Christ the Lord

ii)      Remember the message of the angels? (Read Lk 2:8-11)

iii)    What was born at Christmas was the Savior. This child will die in your place to redeem you from your sin.

iv)    The sin that separates you from God will one day be placed upon, swallowed up, and forever removed by the baby lying in the manger.

v)      What was born at Christmas was Christ the Lord. The baby wrapped in swaddling clothes is the God-man sent to reveal God to us and live the perfect life for us.

vi)    How should Christmas affect your life?

vii)  Celebrate the fact that there is no reason for you to remain in your sin and guilt. Your Savior has come and he has made peace by the blood of His cross (Col 1.20).

viii)            Rejoice in the fact that you are no longer in the domain of darkness but by faith in Christ you are in the kingdom of God’s beloved Son.

ix)    Because of Christ’s work for you, you belong to God and no one and nothing else.

x)      Show the world you know what Christmas is all about not just by saying, “Merry Christmas” but by growing in your knowledge of and love for God.

xi)    And finally Christmas should affect your life with a spirit of thanksgiving. God did not have to act but God did.

xii)  “God demonstrated his own love for us in this, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Rom 5.8).

xiii)            Christmas is not about getting what you want.

xiv)            Christmas is about rejoicing in what you have been given. Trust in the work of Christ gives Christmas it’s meaning.

III) The way we are going to rejoice in what we have been given this Christmas is by celebrating the Lord’s Supper.

a)      We’re going to sing the first and last verses of hymn number 296, Jesus is Lord of All.

b)      As we do that I’m going to ask those who will be serving to go ahead and come forward and prepare for the Lord’s Supper.

c)      And this is what I want from you. If there is anything in your life that is more important than knowing God and making Him known then confess that sin to God this morning and through the blood of Christ find forgiveness.

d)     Pray that God will show you today how the body and blood of Jesus Christ provide for you perfect forgiveness and perfect righteousness.

e)      Jesus came to show you the God you would never know and Jesus came to live for you the life you could never live.

f)       Jesus took on flesh, the body and blood we celebrate, so that we could see God and be reconciled to God.

g)      Pray that God will give you understanding.

h)      Let’s sing hymn 296, Jesus is Lord of All

The Race Set Before Us; Hebrews 12:1-2

Text: Hebrews 12:1-2                                                     12/16/07 PM

Thesis: As the next generation of God’s people we must love God with all our hearts by looking always to Jesus.

 

Intro: At different times in my life, as I’m sure it is with you, different passages of Scripture speak powerfully.

It’s difficult for me to pick a favorite verse for my life; it’s generally more appropriate for me to speak of my favorite verse for this year or this month or even today.

Hebrews 12:1 and 2 is one of my favorites. This passage has even been one that has stood the test and remained on the top ten list of my life for years.

It has the testimony of the past, hope for the future, and all of this grounded in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

This passage tells us how to live; how to run the race.

I love this passage and I pray you will too. 

Read Hebrews 12:1-2

 

I) We must have discipline to run

a)      Discipline comes by listening to the message of the faithful

i)        We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses and who are those witnesses? They are the faithful throughout the ages.

ii)      The men and women who gave their lives because they had the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.

iii)    Now we’re tempted to believe that this great crowd of witnesses has gathered to watch us the way tens of thousands of spectators gather to watch the Cowboys.

iv)    But this misses the idea of the word ‘witness’ and it deflates the message of Hebrews 11.

v)      In biblical thought the witness is not first and foremost a spectator. The witness is a person who testifies to something they have seen and know is true.

vi)    So do not think of these men and women just as people who are watching you. Think of these men and women as people who are telling you what is true about God.

vii)  These are people who are telling us what we need to hear in order to run the race well.

viii)            Let’s recap what we’ve seen about this first century Hebrew church and it’ll help us understand why this witness is so important.

ix)    Philip Hughes puts it best, “One of the chief problems with the Hebrew Christians to whom this letter is addressed is that they have set out on the race but, after a good start (10:32-34), they are now slackening in the will to persevere: their effort is decreasing (2:1), sin is holding them back (3:17-4:1), they need to recover their intensity of purpose (4:11), to shake off the sluggish mood into which they have fallen (6:11), to regain their confidence (10:35,39) and their competitive spirit (12:12)” (520).

x)      Remember those who have gone before. Consider the outcome of their ways; imitate them.

xi)    They tell you of the power and faithfulness of God. They teach you of endurance and faith.

xii)  Christian, do not look to them because they are looking at you; look to them because they are speaking to you a better message then you are telling yourself.

xiii)            You say trust yourself, rely on yourself, and this isn’t going to work. They say trust God, rely on God, and He is going to work.

xiv)            Train yourself to listen to the message of the faithful. Read your bible and read good biographies.

b)      Next, discipline yourself by laying aside the stuff that doesn’t help you live for God.

i)        Since we have their testimony to the power of God let us also lay aside every weight.

ii)      We are working through a passage where the metaphor of the athlete is obvious and important.

iii)    Competitions like the Olympic Games and other similar events were a big deal to these people.

iv)    Athletes gave their lives to training. They had strict diets. They did not want to run with any additional weight. A few pounds could make the difference in the victors crown and an empty hand.

v)      When they competed they wanted as little hindrance as possible, clothes were seen as a hindrance, so often times they would compete in the buff.

vi)    In the Christian life there are many things that are not sinful but if allowed a place of priority they can easily become a weight that slows us down as we run after Christ.

vii)  Here indeed is one of the marks of a mature believer. Every believer, be it a brand new believer of 10 minutes or a seasoned Christian of 50 years, must make the distinction between right and wrong.

viii)            Take the 10 commandments for example. Those draw a clear and specific differentiation between good and evil.

ix)    But the 10 commandments and the rest of Scripture for that matter are not specific concerning reading fiction novels, listening to rock music, who to marry, what job to take, where to go on vacation, and similar questions.

x)      Here’s where we must build on the elementary teaching and go on to maturity.

xi)    Maturity is marked by an addition to the question of is this right or wrong? Christian maturity asks, Does this help me or slow me down as I run the race of faith?

xii)  Paul Henebury is doing a great job on Wednesday nights at 6:30 teaching us about mature Christian conduct.  

xiii)            You will really benefit from being here.

xiv)            Because when you begin seeking the distinction between what is good and what is best you must be crammed full of Scripture.

xv)  The more Scripture you have memorized and meditated on will produce a greater knowledge of the will of God causing you to run the race of life farther and faster.

xvi)            Lay aside the weights that are holding you back. Cut the apron strings. Take off the training wheels.

xvii)          Stop doing stuff that used to work but doesn’t anymore. 

xviii)        Remember, the question is not just is this right or wrong but does this help me run better?  

xix)            Prepare to run by getting rid of stuff.

c)      And we prepare to run by getting rid of sin.

i)        We must lay aside every weight AND sin which clings so closely. This word about sin is difficult to translate.

ii)      King James says “sin that besets us”

iii)    NKJV, NIV, and NASB say, “sin that so easily entangles us”

iv)    ESV says, “sin that clings so closely”

v)      Maybe this illustration will help you make the distinction and run the race:

vi)    If you are running a race carrying 5 extra pounds of body weight that’s not wrong it’s just not good. The 5 pounds are not necessarily sinful but they are detrimental.

vii)  If you are running a race carrying a spider monkey that’s just wrong and it’s no good. Spider monkeys are those little monkeys that get into everything.

viii)            Imagine running a marathon with a monkey on your back constantly messing with your hair, ears, eyes, and mouth.

ix)    He never sets still but is constantly crawling all over you messing up your arms as you run.

x)      He entangles your legs as you run. You can never get away from him and he constantly trips you up.

xi)    There’s a big difference in carrying an extra 5 pounds around the belly and carrying a spider monkey.

xii)  If we as Christians and as a church are going to run the race and win the prize we’ve got to get rid of the spider monkeys of sin.

xiii)            I believe we’re talking about those secret sins that no body knows about; those monkey sins that cling so close to us like bitterness, pride, a lying tongue, pornography, a hatred for authority, and the like.

xiv)            It’s time to lay those aside and run.

xv)  Now up to this point we’ve been looking at disciplines necessary for the race. Listen to the testimony of the faithful and learn from them. Trim off the extra weight. Get rid of sin.

II) Now, we must run the race

a)      Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

i)        I want to make some obvious statements about this race that we are in that will hopefully help you run better.

ii)      Obvious statement number 1- we are in this together. Let us run the race. You are not running alone and you are not competing against everyone else.

iii)    The goal of the Christian life is not to get across the finish line first. The goal is to get yourself and as many others as possible across the finish line in the most God glorifying manner possible.

iv)    If you are running the Christian life alone then you are running wrongly.

v)      Obvious statement number 2- we must run with endurance. This is not the 100 yard dash this is a marathon.

vi)    Christians aren’t sprinters we’re endurance runners.

vii)  Jesus said the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few (Mt 7.14).

viii)            If you’re looking for the easy life at a good price then you’re looking in the wrong place.

ix)    Run the race that will consume all of your life, cost all of your life, and be worth every sacrifice.

x)      Obvious statement number 3- we don’t choose the race or the rules.  We are running a race that is set before us.

xi)    Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Elijah, Daniel, and the rest of the faithful did not set out to live the life they lived.

xii)  God set the race before them and they ran it.

xiii)            That means stop looking for meaning and purpose elsewhere. Stop looking for fulfillment in broken cisterns that hold no water.

xiv)            God has set the race of Christianity before you. Follow Him. Follow His rules and you will find a race worth running.

xv)  Many of us like those in the first century Hebrew church are tempted to stop running.

xvi)            Times are tough, it’s not what we expected, things aren’t going our way, and we want to give up.

xvii)          I’ve been there. Probably all of us if we’re honest would confess we’ve been there.

xviii)        This is precisely why we have verse 2

III) How to run the race well

Read verse 2

a)      The only proper way to run the race is by looking to Jesus

i)        This does not mean we can run looking at Jesus and other things. This type of looking to Christ demands looking away from all else.

ii)      This does not mean we need to carry around a photo of Jesus in our wallets, hang a picture of Jesus in every room, put his image in the instrument panel of our cars, and frame his face for our desks.

iii)    That would be cheesy and honestly not very helpful.

iv)    Hebrews 12:3 says, “consider Him.”

v)      Twice in Hebrews we are told to “hold fast the confession of our hope” (4:14; 10:23)

vi)    We are told to “hold fast to our confidence” (3:14)

vii)  Hebrews 6:18 tells us to “hold fast to the hope set before us”.

viii)            The Christian is not someone who passively looks at Jesus the way you would look at a painting in a museum.

ix)    The Christian looks to Jesus the way a ship’s captain looks at the light house guiding him to safe harbor in a storm.

x)      It’s the way a hunter locks onto his trophy. It’s the way a golfer keeps his eye on the ball.

xi)    If we take our eyes off of Him we will miss Him and if we miss Him we miss everything.

xii)  It’s common sense then that we would lay aside the extra weight and get rid of the entangling sin.

xiii)            And the way we drop those pounds and ditch that sin is by looking to Jesus. He is both our prize for running and our ability to run.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”

xiv)            Do you want to change? Are you convicted of sin? Don’t try harder. The Pharisees tried harder.

xv)  Instead look to Jesus. Don’t study the gospels so that you will know facts about Jesus. Study the gospels so that you can come to know Jesus.

xvi)            If you are not consistently studying the bible to learn about Christ you will not be transformed into His image.

xvii)          And there are some particular things to look for. Here is another list of obvious things:

b)      Obvious thing number 1- Jesus is the author and perfect of our faith

i)        The Alpha and Omega of the universe, the beginning and end of the universe, is the beginning and end of our faith.

ii)      Philippians 1:6 is true, “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.”

iii)    What began at Jesus Christ will be made perfect with Jesus Christ.

iv)    We need Jesus to start, run, and finish the race.

v)      Jesus is the author, leader, founder, or originator of our faith.  He did what we couldn’t do.

vi)    He went where we couldn’t go.

1 John 4:19 says, “we love him because he first loved us.”

1 John 4:10 says, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Jesus said in John 15:16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.”

vii)  The race God has set before us is a race on a road that was cut out by Jesus, paved by Jesus, and completed by Jesus.

viii)            We run the race with the strength that Jesus provides so that we can arrive where Jesus is.

ix)    Now we all do different things because all manner of things need to be done.

x)      What matters is that I preach and you go to school and you raise kids and you work in an office and you work outside and you raise a garden and you do whatever you do so that we get to Jesus in a way that honors Him with as many people as possible.

xi)    What began with Jesus will find its perfection in the very presence of Jesus. Jesus guarantees it.

c)      Obvious thing number 2- Jesus ran the race for joy

i)        For the joy set before him he endured the cross, despising the shame.

ii)      Do you remember how God’s plan is explained in Colossians chapter 1?

iii)    God’s plan according to Colossians 1:18 is for Christ to be preeminent in everything.

iv)    Colossians 1:19&20 tell us how, “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

v)      The joy set before Christ is the joy of his obedience to God and the joy of redeeming a people for God.

vi)    The race Christ ran toward obedience and redemption led to the cross.

vii)  If Christ is going to know joy, joy like he shared with the Father before creation, then he must endure the cross.

viii)            And the shame of the cross was horrific and we joke about the crosses we have to bear. But they rarely compare to the cross.

ix)    Almighty God who created everything and who is the reason his creation exists is murdered by his creation.

x)      The ones he formed in the womb mock him, beat him, spit on him, kick him, put a purple robe on him, put a crown of thorns on his head, and but a scepter in his hand. They demand that the very Word of God prophesy to them.

xi)    Then they parade him through the streets, strip him naked, and drive nails through his hands and feet.

xii)  And if that were not shameful enough Jesus also feels the sin of the world laid upon his back.

xiii)            God places all our sins on Him and for the first time Jesus, the eternal Son of God, feels what it is to be separated from his Father by the shame of sin.

xiv)            He feels forsaken for the first time in eternity.

xv)  And he knew all this would take place. And he did all this so that he could taste the joy of obedience and so he could taste the joy of our redemption.

xvi)            So the next time you think being someone’s friend, being involved in some ministry, or completing some task is below you then look to Jesus.

xvii)          The degradation you may feel will be far surpassed by the joy you will be given.

xviii)        Jesus ran through difficulty and attained joy. He longs to give you his joy and he longs for that joy to be complete (John 15:11).

xix)            Do not be surprised by difficulty as you run. Instead, look to Jesus and find joy as you run.

d)     And finally, obvious thing number three- Jesus is seated at God’s right hand

i)        I have mentioned often the benefits of Christ’s current position at God’s right hand, do you remember them?

ii)      Do you know these benefits and do they fuel your joy?

iii)    Christ is seated because his work is done. Nothing else is required for redemption. Jesus needs to do nothing else. To be saved we need to do nothing else.

iv)    Our great high priest is seated because he has put sin away. He has paid for our atonement.

v)      Jesus is at God’s right hand because it is THE seat of honor. None are greater than Jesus.

vi)    The one on whom the sins of the world were placed has been given the best seat in the house.

vii)  The sins of the world did not keep Christ out of God’s presence. Through Him, your sins will not keep you out of God’s presence.

viii)            And Jesus is right now on the other side of the cross living in the joy he longed for.

ix)    Jesus is right now on the other side of the cross the means to and the fullness of our eternal joy.

x)      Others have found it and testify to you today that finding Christ and knowing Christ and living for Christ are all worth it.

xi)    So please, please, please do not try harder. Instead look to Christ and expect him to fill you with his joy.

xii)  Joy that far surpasses the shame you may now be enduring.  What Jesus did for you He will do in you.

xiii)            Get up today and run to Him.

Maturity and a Good Witness; 1 Timothy 3:6-7

Text: 1^st Timothy 3:6-7                                                  12/16/07 AM

Thesis: The overseer must be spiritually mature and dignified even in the eyes of the world.

 

Intro: I have an older sister who, when we were younger, would often tell me to grow up.  My childish responses of sticking out my tongue at her or mimicking her behind her back where not uplifting times for her.

Growing up together we also learned a great deal about reputations. From Kindergarten through 4^th grade my father was my principle.

As long as I can remember my dad was also a deacon in the church where we attended.

By watching my father I learned what it meant to carry myself with integrity at home, at work, and at church.

Today we will finish the biblical requirements of every pastor found in 1^st Timothy chapter 3.

Simply put, every pastor must be mature and he must have a good reputation with those outside the church.

He must not be a spiritual baby and he must have integrity. 

Read 1^st Timothy 3:1-7

 

Again, we will follow the pattern of noting the general principle of each verse as it applies to every Christian then studying the specific requirement for every pastor.

I) First, every believer must seek to grow-up as a Christian

a)      The overseer must not be prideful

i)        To guard the church from prideful leaders it is stipulated here that the pastor must not be a new convert or a novice.

ii)      Literally this word refers to a new plant. The parable of the sower in Mark 4 should come to mind.

iii)    The seeds that fell on the rocky ground, among thorns, and on good soil all started out the same.

iv)    If you looked at these three plants you would be tempted to believe that since their beginnings were the same their ends would be the same.

v)      If you expected the yield to be the same in all three you would be sadly mistaken.

vi)    When the sun began to beat down on the plant in the rocky ground it withered up and died. When difficulty or persecution comes on this person he checks out; he wants nothing to do with Christ.

vii)  When the seed among the thorns starts it begins very well; it looks very promising. Then the thorns, the weeds, choke it out.

viii)            The deceitfulness of riches, the cares of the world, and the desire for things grab onto this person and when he learns that Christ is not a means to riches, worldly achievements, and possessions he wants nothing to do with Christ.

ix)    But there is another plant that produces fruit. The rocky soil and weed patch produce only death while the good soil produces life.

x)      Only time will tell the condition of our hearts. As a church we could probably make a painfully long list of family members whose lives testify to rocky soil and weeds. This is devastating and dangerous.

xi)    This is precisely why a pastor must not be a recent convert. He must prove himself.

xii)  Here is the danger of placing a recent convert into a leadership role: he may become puffed up with conceit.

xiii)            This role is an influential role. It’s a noble task. It has it’s blessings and it’s rewards.

xiv)            If he becomes conceited he will fall into the condemnation of the devil.

xv)  What’s the condemnation of the devil?

b)      A brief history of the devil

i)        The devil was created as an angel, a very powerful angel called a cherub (Ezekiel 28:13-16).

ii)      When there is more than one cherub they are called cherubim.

iii)    These are not fat half-naked babies. These are warrior angels with wings. Cherubim make up the top guns of the angels.

iv)    When Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden it was the cherubim with the flaming sword who were given the task of guarding the way back into the Garden.

v)      The cherubim guarded the Garden and they worshiped and covered the glory of God; not because something was lacking in God’s glory but because His glory is so spectacular.

vi)    This was Satan; in the very presence of God. He’s at the top but he wants more thus pride comes into existence.

vii)  Pride is best summarized in Isaiah 14:12-15. The pride of Babylon, the pride of Satan, the pride of a pastor, and your pride are clearly exposed in these words.

viii)            Read Isaiah 14:12-15.

ix)    Once unrighteousness was found in Satan he was cast down; cast out of God’s presence.

x)      No longer would he have an honored place in the courts of Almighty God. Now his reservation is in hell, the lake of fire, the place of eternal torment (Rev 20:10).

xi)    Clearly, Satan has been judged by being cast out of heaven. Satan has been defeated by the work of Christ. And Satan will be forever bound in hell at the end of this age.  This is his condemnation.

xii)  This is the condemnation of those who are full of pride. This is the condemnation of the pastor who is puffed up with conceit.

xiii)            Of the six things that the Lord hates, the seven things that are an abomination to him, the first of these are haughty eyes (Prov 6:16-19).

xiv)            God says plainly in Proverbs 8:13, “Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

xv)  Why is this so important for a pastor? Because the prideful tend to rule by intimidation.

xvi)            The prideful rule by making threats.

xvii)          If you don’t do what I want then I’ll get rid of you. If you don’t do what I want then I’ll leave.

xviii)        The prideful come to believe that they are necessary. The prideful spouse begins to think his wife can’t make it without him so when he doesn’t get his way he threatens to leave.

xix)            The prideful church member begins to think he is necessary for the church’s survival so when he doesn’t get his way he threatens to leave.

xx)  Fear, intimidation, and threats are the instruments of Satan and they cause only sin and harm.

xxi)            We as Christians and those who are pastors must never give into pride. We must live by faith.

xxii)          Christ is what my spouse needs. Husbands don’t give into pride. She doesn’t need an expensive vacation or a bigger home; she needs a man after God’s own heart.

xxiii)        Ladies don’t give into pride. You don’t need an expensive vacation or a bigger home. You need Christ and if you are married you need a man after God’s own heart.

xxiv)        The spiritually mature are those who bear fruit because they are attached to the vine.

xxv)          To mix some metaphors, out of the good soil and through being attached to Christ who is the true vine the spiritually mature bear fruit.

xxvi)        The spiritually mature pursue God’s will. Fruit looks different in each Christian’s life and it is in different quantities in each Christian’s life but fruit is also characterized by faithful to the gospel.

xxvii)      The pastor must not be faithful to himself through pride. He must be faithful to God through Christ.

xxviii)    Time will tell the condition of his heart. Therefore he must not be a recent convert.

xxix)        Get to know him and learn what his heart says.

II) Second, every believer must have integrity

Read 1^st Timothy 3:7

a)      The overseer must have a good reputation

i)        The mission of the church is to make disciples. It is our calling as a church to reach out to our community by meeting physical and spiritual needs.

ii)      We must evangelize those who are outside the church.

iii)    And it is not prideful to hold to this distinction. This is not a judgmental distinction; it is God’s distinction.

iv)    There are those who are inside the church. They are saved from sin by grace through faith in Christ alone. They are going to spend eternity with God in heaven.

v)      And there are those who are outside the church. They are not saved nor do they want to be saved. They are going to spend eternity with Satan in hell.

vi)    The distinction is made along the lines of loving God. The saved are those who love God and want no other gods besides him.

vii)  The lost are those who love everything and anything except God. They are wasting their souls.

viii)            God’s calling on every one of us who are inside the church is to engage the lost. Where ever we are, what ever we are doing, we should be intentional to share the gospel with everyone around us.

ix)    And people are watching you. They know you claim to be a Christian. They know you go to Mambrino Baptist Church. So, they are watching you.

x)      How you handle criticism, how you handle frustrations, how you handle disappointment, how you handle loss, and how you handle everything is building you a reputation.

xi)    Often you’ll hear complaints about not being able to let your guard down or just be yourself.

xii)  What we must be on guard against is using letting our guards down and being ourselves as excuses to sin.

xiii)            Christians are little Christs, little lovers of God, wherever they are.

xiv)            So, if your trying to keep up airs, if you are trying to fool everyone at church and in the world, then you’ll burn out.

xv)  You can’t do it. This is another reason pastors burn out. It’s because they’re fakers and the strain of being a faker will get you in the end.

xvi)            Christ must be our strength. We must daily seek his grace and his approval.  When God shines the light of the gospel of the glory of Jesus Christ into our souls at conversion we reach out in faith and grab onto what is truly good.

xvii)          In the face of Jesus Christ we see the glory of God. That means we see his holiness and seeing God’s holiness always exposes our sinfulness.

xviii)        In the face of Jesus Christ we also see our forgiveness. The holy God has made a way for me, a sinner to come to Him.

xix)            Jesus lived a perfect life for me and Jesus died a sinner’s death for me. Jesus is awesome and Jesus is my savior.

xx)  Jesus bought me and Jesus changes me. And this change does not just effect your Sunday mornings it effect every morning, every afternoon, and every evening.

xxi)            Knowing and living for Jesus effects the way you act inside the church walls and outside these church walls.

xxii)          Having a good reputation with those outside the church is not a matter of being a hypocrite or being a faker.

xxiii)        Having a good reputation means living out who you truly are in Jesus Christ.

xxiv)        If the pastor doesn’t do this then he’s not qualified to be a pastor.

b)      And we’re talking about day in and day out

i)        Let me say something that needs to be said. Satan is real and he is powerful.

ii)      2nd Timothy 2.26 tells us that the devil captures people to do his will.  He lays a snare down to catch people the way a hunter catches a bird.

iii)    That’s why the pastor, the Lord’s servant, “must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will” (2 Tim 2:24-26).

iv)    The pastor is not quarrelsome but kind with those who are outside the church. We would do well to remember that when we engage our culture and disagree with our culture.

v)      The pastor must correct his opponents with gentleness and patiently endure evil when his opponents attack.

vi)    How does a person do that? He trust God. He knows that if God doesn’t grant repentance leading to knowledge of the truth there will be no escape.

vii)  He knows that Satan has blinded the eyes of unbelievers and if God doesn’t shine the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ into their hearts they will never believe.

viii)            Satan is looking for people to devour. 1^st Peter 5:8 tells us that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

ix)    He’s laying snares to catch you. He’s particularly laying snares to catch and devour pastors.

x)      Be clear here we are not talking about demon possession but the destruction of a life.

xi)    We’ve already seen that Paul handed Hymenaeus and Alexander over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme (1 Tim 1:20).

xii)  Satan wants to destroy your life, your marriage, and your church. Satan wants to destroy a pastor’s ministry.

xiii)            If you are a faker or a hypocrite then you are well on your way to destruction.

xiv)            If in our pride we do not live like Christians then we are on our way toward a fall.

xv)  How do we avoid this? How do we conquer this roaring lion?

xvi)            1 Peter 5:9-11, “Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever amen.”

xvii)          You’ve got to spend time with Jesus. Pray that God will show you how big Jesus is then go and seek Him.

xviii)        Seek Christ in his word. Look for Christ in the bible. Learn about him, be amazed by him, and worship him.

xix)            In light of what you learn in the bible go and live in the world. Memorize Scripture and show Satan where he is wrong when he tempts you.

xx)  Expose his snares by knowing Jesus Christ.

xxi)            As your pastor this is what I want for you and this is how I want to live my life.

xxii)          Let’s seek Christ and by his grace lets become a people who are spiritually mature without pride and engaging our community with all integrity.

xxiii)        Let’s be Christians.

The Pastor as Example part 2; 1st Timothy 3:3-5

Text: 1^st Timothy 3:3-5                                                     12/9/07AM

Thesis: The pastor must be Christ-centered, a dignified leader at home, and a caring overseer of God’s church.

 

Intro: The Good Samaritan of Luke 10 holds out to us the type of man, woman, young man, young woman, or child we all must be as the church.

The care of the Samaritan man is convicting.  The sacrifice of the Samaritan man prepares us for ministry.

And I haven’t changed the plan for my sermon today. We’re again in 1st Timothy chapter 3 looking at the requirements of every pastor in the church.

There is an important word in our passage this morning it’s the word “care.” The overseer is one who cares for God’s church.

This word “care” is rare in the New Testament. The verb appears only in 1st Timothy 3:5 and Luke 10:34.

The pastor must care for the church in the same way that the Good Samaritan cared for the beaten man on the Jericho road.

We will see as we continue to unpack 1 Timothy chapter 3 that pastors are not cheerleaders at a Sunday morning pep rally.

Pastors are examples to the church, examples to other men, of what it means to live godly lives for the good of others.  

Read 1st Timothy 3:1-7

 

I) Seek to be a person who takes your greatest joy in Christ

One of the greatest condemnations on the church today is that we are not a joyful people.

At least we are not any more joyful than the next guy who wants nothing to do with Christ and Christ’s church.

We take the same medicines as the world, we yell at waitresses like the world, we get angry at the four way stop on the square like the world, and we look put out every Sunday for having to come to church.

Everyone of us and pastor’s in particular must seek to be a people who take great joy in Christ.

a)      Your pastor must not seek joy in alcohol

i)        1st Timothy 3:3 tells us an overseer must not be a drunkard. Literally he must not linger over his wine.

ii)      You know how you hover over the sweets set out at the Christmas party? One after the other you just can’t stop because they taste so good and make you feel good.

iii)    People get a buzz or get drunk for several reasons.

iv)    Some do it because they can’t deal with the difficulties of life or the stress of life any longer. For this person alcohol becomes their refuge and stronghold in difficult.

v)      Others want to feel good and do something different. On their own their conscience convicts them so alcohol is used to quiet the conscience and make one brave.

vi)    For this person alcohol becomes their strength and their means to achieving joy.

vii)  Still others drink because they want to fit in and be accepted.  They do not have friends and for some strange reason alcohol makes them feel like they have friends.

viii)            Alcohol becomes for many a pacifier, a cattle prod, or a way to feel like family.

ix)    People linger for a reason and a pastor should never linger over alcohol. A Christian should never linger over alcohol.

x)      The drinking pastor or Christian is a person who says, “Christ is not enough; the church is not my family.”

xi)    But Christ is more than sufficient. His glory is stronger. Knowing Him is true bread.  Walking with Him is true drink.

xii)  Isaiah 55:1-3 says,

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. ²Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.”

xiii)              The pastor must know and be satisfied with the steadfast sure love of God for his people.

b)      Your pastor must not be a violent man but gentle

i)        He must not be a striker. Many people have been taught to solve their problems with their fists.

ii)      If someone hits you then hit them back. If someone starts it then you better finish it.

iii)    We often excuse violence by claiming we didn’t start it.

iv)    Like Adam in the garden of Eden we try to excuse our sin by blaming it on someone else.

v)      It didn’t work back then, it won’t work today, and it particularly won’t work for the overseers of the church.

vi)    When considering a pastor how many of you have ever considered the pastor’s temper? You should.

vii)  You should because he must not be a violent man but gentle. The pastor is not a doormat everyone walks on.

viii)            He’s not a push over or a coward.

ix)    An overseer doesn’t let everyone do whatever they want to do because he must be gentle.

x)      2 Timothy 2:24&25 says,

And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, ²⁵ correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,

xi)    A pastor takes his greatest joy in being obedient to Christ and seeing others joyfully obey Christ.

xii)  This desire for holiness demands that the pastor correct those who are wrong and do so with gentleness.

xiii)            It is never my desire to run people off. It is my desire to point people to Christ.

xiv)            Every pastor must be this way so every pastor must not be violent but gentle.

c)      Your pastor must not stir up the church

i)        He must not be quarrelsome.

ii)      Clearly this was a big problem in the Ephesian church.

iii)    There was those in the church, 1^st Timothy 6:4 tells us, who had an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction between people.

iv)    There was conflict in the church and there was a group of people who weren’t handling it correctly.

v)      They were always ready to fight, they envied those in authority, they tore down people’s character, they were suspicious of everything, and they did everything they could to make progress difficult.

vi)    A pastor who is like this is a bad deal. A deacon who is like this is a bad deal. A Christian who is like this is a bad deal.

vii)  This means the pastor should possess a constructive demeanor that seeks to heal rifts caused by bitter argument (Towner, NICNT, 253).

viii)            This is a person who hates to fight but loves Jesus Christ so much he will stand for what is right even if it’s difficult.

ix)    He doesn’t take it personal and he doesn’t make it personal. It’s never us against them; it’s always a matter of what is true and what is not.

x)      There are some people looking to pick a fight always ready to go to war.

xi)    And there are some people who reluctantly with a sober-mind, self-control, respect, and hospitality stand for what is right.

xii)  A pastor must never love to quarrel. He must always love Christ and the progress of His glorious gospel.

d)     Your pastor must not be a lover of money

i)        He’s not out for filthy lucre. A pastor must not be greedy or hungry for dirty money.

ii)      A pastor doesn’t beg for people’s social security checks so he can buy his wife her own jet.

iii)    A pastor who is a lover of money will become a puppet to those members who have money.

iv)    He begins to show favoritism to the wealthy and caters to those with the bank accounts.

v)      Next thing you know he has fallen into a snare and is headed for destruction and ruin.

vi)    No longer is his joy in Christ. No longer does he know the satisfaction of godliness with contentment.

vii)  He’d rather have money than healthy Christians.

viii)            He’d rather be liked by the wealthy than be approved by God.

ix)    A pastor must not be a lover of money or he will be easily bought.

x)      Everyone of us here this morning must strive every day to gain our greatest joy from walking with Christ and not by feasting with the world.

II) We must be faithful with our families and God’s family

a)      The pastor must manage his household well

i)        The pastor’s home life is the testing grounds for his effectiveness in the church.

ii)      The overseer must lead, watch over, train up his family well.

iii)    1 Timothy 5:17 says, “let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor.”

iv)    Manage in 3:4 is the same word as rule in 5:17

v)      Every father is a leader. This is God’s expectation of you. God does not ultimately hold momma responsible for the kids.

vi)    God ultimately holds daddy responsible for the kids. Dad, you don’t get to pay the bills and leave the rest for your little lady. 

vii)  Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

viii)            Fathers, if you are leaving the instruction, discipline, and discipleship of your children to your wife to handle then you are living in sin.

ix)    God makes no excuses for hours worked per week or feelings of insecurity. God makes his demand clear: Dads, bring your children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

x)      Pastors must excel at this and they must excel at more than this. The idea of managing the household is more than just raising kids.

xi)    The financial state of his house is under scrutiny. The physical state of his house is under scrutiny.

xii)  We cannot control the sovereignty of God but we must seek to live godly lives.

xiii)            The pastor as father must have dignity.

xiv)            Dignity means, “a manner or mode of behavior that indicates one is above what is ordinary and therefore worthy of special respect” (BDAG).

xv)  The father is dignified not because he is cut from a different cloth or personally of a higher caliber. He’s dignified because he’s a man of God.

xvi)            Through the righteousness of Christ and commitment to Scripture this father carries himself with dignity.

xvii)          This type of man is as quick to offer grace as he is to offer correction. He compliments what is godly in his children more than he complains about differences.

xviii)        He is firm but not harsh. He is loving but not a wimp.  He is strong but not domineering.

xix)            He is a man of love who gives himself to his family instead of using his family.

xx)  With dignity he keeps his children submissive.

xxi)            William Hendriksen says, “[this] must be done in such a manner that the father’s firmness makes it advisable for a child to obey, that his wisdom makes it natural for a child to obey, and this his love makes it a pleasure for a child to obey” (127).

xxii)          Dads do you know where this starts? This starts with you submitting yourself to your heavenly father.

xxiii)        Often we kick against God, argue with God, disobey God, and act spitefully toward God.

xxiv)        In essence we act toward God like our kids act towards us and then we wonder what’s wrong with our kids.

xxv)          Do you want to pave a path toward being a father who is firm, wise, and full of love?

xxvi)        Live out before your family what it means to submit yourself to your heavenly Father who is firm, wise, and full of love.

xxvii)      Pastors must live this way and pastors must seek to raise up children who are this way. Here’s why:

b)      The pastor must care for the church of God

i)        Read verse 5

ii)      This does not mean that the family is small potatoes and the church is big potatoes.  The family is not the minor league and the church the major league.

iii)    Pastors don’t trade in their families for a church when they make a high enough grade.

iv)    The pastor’s family and the church run on parallel tracks only inches apart. A bump on one track will be felt on the other and vise versa.

v)      What this means is that a pastor with a jacked up family will end up being a pastor of a jacked up church.

vi)    You reap what you sow no matter what field you’re in. If your sowing is bad with corn it will be bad with wheat.

vii)  Does the pastor love his family? Then you can expect him to love God’s church.

viii)            Does the pastor train up and equip his family? Then you can expect him to train up and equip God’s church?

ix)    Does he discipline his family? Then you can expect him to discipline God’s church.

x)      Remember that word ‘care’? It’s the word used to describe the activity of the Good Samaritan.

xi)    In the Good Samaritan we see what godly care is all about because we see loving management.

xii)  We must return to and cling to the biblical understanding that it is the pastor’s calling to care for the church. He must know the church and care for it’s needs.

xiii)            I must know you and care for your needs.

xiv)            That’s why I want to sit down and talk to every new member about their salvation and ministry.

xv)  I want to know how to care for them. I want to know how to help and how to encourage.

xvi)            I want to know if that person is going to cause harm to the church.

xvii)          I talk to every new member because I care for them and because I care for you.

III) Will you pray for me?

a)      Pray that I will manage my household well. Pray that Jesus Christ will be the center of my life and that my family will be blessed by my devotion to Christ.

i)        Pray that I will be the husband Angela needs and the daddy my girls need.

ii)      Pray for our fruitfulness, pray for our health, pray for wise financial management, pray that Angela and particularly I would raise our children in godliness.

b)      And pray that I will care for the church.

i)        Pray that I would be wise and selfless. Pray that I will be bold and compassionate.

c)      Pray that Mambrino Baptist Church will be built up through Jesus Christ and that none of the gates of hell will stop us from reaching Granbury and the ends of the earth with the hope and salvation found only in Jesus Christ.

The Pastor as Example; 1 Timoty 3:2

 

Text: 1^st Timothy 3:2                                                      12/2/07 AM

Thesis: A healthy church is a group of God’s people seeking godliness led by men setting the example of godliness.

 

Intro: Often 1^st Timothy 3 is viewed as a simple character description of the men who serve the church through the office of overseer and the office of deacon.

This is true and beneficial but when viewed this way most people write off chapter three as not applicable to their lives.

Some think, “I’m not an overseer or a deacon so chapter three is not for me.” Or people only get interested in this chapter when it’s time to call a pastor or ordain deacons.

Put 1^st Timothy chapter four corrects this mindset. In chapter 4 verse 7 Timothy is told to train himself for godliness.

In verse 12 Timothy is told to set the example for other believers.

What is godliness? What does godliness look like? What is the example that is to be set for the entire church? Who should we look to and what should we look for?

1^st Timothy 3 details for us what godliness looks like and 1^st Timothy 3 tells us what type of example church leadership must set.

These are the necessary requirements of a pastor and the example the entire church should follow.

Read 1^st Timothy 3:1-7

 

Verse 2 opens with the word, “therefore.” The office of overseer is a good work, a noble task. Therefore, the qualifications for filling that office are intense.

As we work through these verses I want to give Christians the general principle then apply it specifically to pastors.

 

I) First, seek to be a person who is above reproach

a)      Your pastor must be blameless

i)        And being above reproach starts this list because it is of greatest importance.

ii)      Literally, this word means the overseer must live so that nothing dishonorable grabs hold of him.

iii)    The pastor must not be like the child whose mother when catching him in some wrong grabs him by the ear.

iv)    Above reproach also does not mean that charges are never brought against the elder but whenever fair methods of investigation are applied the charges are proved empty (Hendriksen, 120).

v)      The pastor wants to live a godly life and he obviously applies himself to living the godly life.

vi)    Purchased by the death of Christ the pastor seeks to glorify Christ with every thought, every word, every plan, and every deed.

vii)  This personal pursuit of Christ’s honor is evident to the church and therefore the church is willing to follow his leadership and be trained by his teaching.

viii)            That is why I beg you to pray for me. Pray that every aspect of my life will be captive to the majesty and worth of Jesus Christ.

ix)    No one is without sin but the pastor must publicly live a godly life full of love for Christ and free from all that is dishonorable.

x)      Through the power of the Holy Spirit the pastor must set the example as the Christian who consistently puts to death the deeds of the flesh (Rom 8.13, Col 3.5).

xi)    The pastor particularly and the church generally must all seek to be a people whose lives are free from every form of evil (1 Thess 5.22)

II) Second, seek to be a person who is faithful in marriage

a)      Your pastor must be a one woman man

i)        This is not a requirement that every pastor be married. It is a statement demanding necessary sexual fidelity.

ii)      The pastor must set the example to others of faithfulness to his one and only wife (Hendriksen, 121).

iii)    1^st Timothy 5:9 tells us to support the needs of a widow, “if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband.”

iv)    What I want you to see is that the phrase ‘wife of one husband’ uses the same words but in a different order than ‘husband of one wife’ in 1 Timothy 3:2.

v)      The Spirit goes on through the Apostle Paul to encourage the younger widows to marry, have kids, manage the household, and give the adversary no occasion for slander (1 Tim 5:14).

vi)    This is because upon death the husband and wife part. Believing husbands and wives do not part never to see each other again because they will see each other again in eternity.

vii)  But as Jesus said in Matthew 22:30, “in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.”

viii)            This is why Paul writes in Romans 7:2 and 1 Corinthians 7:39, “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.”

ix)    The same is true for a husband whose wife dies; he is free to be married to whom he wishes but only in the Lord.

x)      Requiring a pastor to be faithful to his bride does not mean simply that a pastor loves the one he’s with.

xi)    Looking into the past there is a consistent record of the pastor loving his wife like Christ loved the church.

xii)  There is no sexual immorality, divorce, or reproach in the area of marriage.

xiii)            Again, we need to bear in mind that these requirements are not to be met just today or at the moment of investigation but the pastor must have a proven record of these things.

xiv)            It must be obvious that the pastor loves and is devoted to his wife and to his wife only.

xv)  The church must be a people whose devotion to and joy in their spouses is strong and evident to all.

xvi)            The pastor must set the example as marriages in the church grow stronger and stronger.

III) Third, seek to be a person who lives a Christ-honoring life

a)      Your pastor must be sober-minded

i)        This word in verse 2 can mean simply not a drunk but since verse 3 deals clearly with the issue of alcohol this word in verse 2 takes on the quality of being clear-headed.

ii)      If this man is to oversee the church, caring for the needs of all the people, it is necessary that he not be frivolous with his judgments or a goofball.

iii)    You know people who you have to ask to be serious because everything is a joke or a sarcastic comment.

iv)    Other people fly off the handle at the slightest thing and are irrational in their responses.

v)      “The overseer is to maintain command of his reason, to be watchful and observant of things going on around him, and balanced in his assessment” (Towner, NICNT, 251).

vi)    The pastor does not have the luxury of playing favorites or catering to personalities.

vii)  He must seek the mind of Christ which is not clouded by selfish desires or worldly tunnel vision but is serious about the glory of God and the joyful expansion of Christ’s kingdom.

b)      In addition, your pastor must be self-controlled

i)        We live in a culture that is driven by impulse. You want it then go and get it no matter the ramifications.

ii)      Who cares if you can’t afford it? Who cares if someone gets hurt? You deserve to be happy so you deserve to have that or dump that.

iii)    But in the pastor there should be a different quality.

iv)    Paul will later write in 2^nd Timothy 2:4-6,

No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. ⁵ An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. ⁶ It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.

v)      The self-controlled soldier does not waste his energy on things that do not matter.

vi)    The self-controlled athlete cares as much for achieving the victor’s crown as he does for achieving the victor’s crown with honor and according to the rules.

vii)  The self-controlled farmer knows the time to plow, plant, and trust God for the harvest.

viii)            This man is not driven by lusts but by the desire to grow in godliness and see others grow in godliness.

ix)    So what he does is intentional. He can be funny, he must laugh at himself, but the self-controlled overseer knows the time and place for work, rest and play.

c)      Your pastor must also be respectable

i)        Those people who possess an inner self-control will exhibit an outward decency.

ii)      You may not like the guy but you must respect the way he handles himself and his calling.

iii)    He’s well-behaved and virtuous.  The church should never be ashamed of what their pastor does in public or in private.

iv)    I may dress differently but the way I handle myself at MacDonalds with Abigail, at PastaFina with Angela, at Auto Zone buying parts, or at church on Sunday should all be the same; my behavior should be respectable.

v)      And the same is true for you. I’m not saying it’s happened here but you know of people who are dirty rats during the week but the first the pray on Sunday.

vi)    The old line “you’re at church” doesn’t matter. You’re a Christian and your behavior should always be respectable.

vii)  The Christian should live always and everywhere with the desire to honor Christ with all our lives.

IV) Fourth, seek to be a person who invests in others

The end of verse two tells us that an overseer must be hospitable and apt to teach.

a)      Your pastor must be hospitable

i)        You hear in the word hospitable both hospice and hospital.  It’s taking care of the needs of others.

ii)      The needs of the dying, the needs of the sick, the needs of the stranger are to be cared for by the church.

iii)    That’s what was so powerful about the beginning of the modern missionary movement. Wherever the gospel went there came churches, hospitals, schools, and orphanages.

iv)    The overseer, by necessity, must look after the needs of others. This is one of the most cherished Christian qualities in the New Testament church.

v)      Jesus tells us that the hospitable will be rewarded, those who feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, and welcome the stranger (Matthew 25:35).

vi)    The Spirit tells us in Hebrews 13:2, “do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,” then in 1 Peter 4:9 we are told to show hospitality to one another without grumbling.

vii)  The overseer’s home should be a pleasant and welcoming place.

viii)            Do you want to make a difference in this church? Open your home up to strangers. Get to know people. Sign up for the ‘dinner for six’ ministry.

ix)    A Christian with a closed home will be a Christian with an unloving heart.  Our love for the church is demonstrated clearly through our homes.

x)      This is precisely why a pastor must be hospitable; it proves his love for the church and the world.

b)      Your pastor must also be a teacher

i)        It’s not enough that the pastor’s home be a place where you can go for a good time.  The pastor must also give himself for the building up of others in the faith.

ii)      In Titus one there is another list of qualifications for elders and verse nine says

He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

iii)    The pastor who is apt to teach is the pastor who personally is a man who loves and submits himself to Scripture.  Scripture is his authority in all of life.

iv)    And it’s not Scripture as he makes it but Scripture as it is and as he has been taught by other godly men.

v)      The pastor must know and constantly study God’s word so that positively he can train, instruct, encourage, and equip the church with sound doctrine.

vi)    Sermons that are heavy on stories, emotional tugging, and jokes but weak on doctrine are the product of a man who does not hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught.

vii)  There must be instruction to the church in preaching and teaching and there will also be times of rebuke.

viii)            The pastor who does not rebuke is either the pastor of the only sinless church on the face of the earth or he is a pastor who does not love the church.

ix)    If you’ve never been challenged or corrected by a pastor then you’ve never been loved by a pastor.

x)      This is precisely why I am warning you about the current condition of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

xi)    What is being taught and overlooked by the BGCT is not in accord with sound doctrine, it is not in accord with those who hold firm to the trustworthy word, and since it contradicts the Word of God it calls for a rebuke.

xii)  I’m not calling you to action because I love controversy but because I love the trustworthy word.

xiii)            This is why you need to be here tonight at 6:00pm to hear about another option for State Convention cooperation and it’s why you need to be here next Sunday the 9^th to vote at our business meeting.

xiv)            If I did not stand against those who contradict sound doctrine I would not be a suitable pastor.

xv)  We’re going to stop here today and pick up with verse three next week but I want to close with this thought.

V) As we worked through this text I’m sure many of you felt an area of weakness in your own life.

a)      Maybe you’re not a Christian and for the first time today you realized that the holy God of all creation demands holiness from his people.

i)        You see your sin and your need for a Savior for the first time. Jesus Christ is that perfect Savior. He died in your place to remove your sin for all eternity and restore you to a right relationship with God.

ii)      Today there is nothing greater that you can do than trust Jesus Christ.  Talk to him in prayer. Through faith pray to God and ask for his perfect forgiveness through the cross of Jesus Christ.

iii)    Through faith pray to God and ask for a new and pure life through the perfect obedience and life of Christ.

iv)    Confess Jesus as Lord, believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved.

b)      For others the Spirit has convicted you and pointed out an area of concern in your life where the glory of Jesus Christ needs to shine more clearly.

i)        Do not keep that to yourself. Confess it to God and seek the help of your parent, your spouse, your Sunday School teacher, your pastor, or your accountability partner.

ii)      The Spirit is here convicting you so that you will be forgiven in Christ and equipped for greater usefulness in the name of Christ.

iii)    Through faith in Christ seek change this morning

c)      Others of you as we worked through this text this morning sensed an area of weakness in my Christian life.

i)        No one here, including myself, is untouchable. I would ask that you pray for me. Pray for my progress in godliness.

ii)      Where an issue must be addressed pray for the Spirit to give you humility and search the Scriptures to be sure your concern is not personal but biblical.

iii)    When informed by Scripture and led by the Spirit come and bring your concern to me.

iv)    To talk to others and not to me is to gossip and bring division into the church.

v)      I am a man just like you but I serve a holy God. Through Jesus Christ I meet God’s holy standards and seek daily to bring all my life into accord with God’s word.

vi)    Where I am faithful be imitators of me. Where I am weak be my strength pointing me to Christ.

vii)  Where I am in sin bring quick and kind correction.

viii)            It’s time for Mambrino Baptist Church to come together and be the church Christ calls us to be.

People of Whom the World is Not Worthy; Hebrews 11:32-40

 

Text: Hebrews 11:32-40                                                  11/25/07PM

Thesis: Better things await those who have faith.

 

Intro: One of the greatest temptations when studying the role call of faith in Hebrews chapter 11 is to study it without thought of how it fits into the letter of Hebrews as a whole.

If we just look at this chapter or just some verses in this chapter without thought to the original readers and the context of the letter then we will miss out.

There are blessing to be had from studying this chapter alone but there are greater blessings to be had when we view it as the author intended.

Remember, this letter was being read by people who wanted to give up.

Chapter 10 tells us that they had already endured a hard struggle with suffering. As if a hard struggle isn’t enough this group had it with an extra serving of suffering.

They had been mocked, arrested, publicly humiliated, and if that hadn’t happened to them it happened to the people they were closest to.

They ministered to those in prison and some had their homes confiscated. They had gone through all that and now they were faced with more difficulty.

Hebrews chapter 11 is meant to be read by those people who were facing hard struggles with suffering in short succession.

Some wanted to throw away their confidence. Some wanted to shrink back in the face of difficulty.

And remember, we’re talking about a New Testament church of Christians who were tempted this way.

Are you struggling? Are you facing difficulty? Are you ready to give up or give in? Do you feel like you are at the end of your rope? Do you feel opposed on every front? This passage is for you.

Read Hebrews 11:32-40

 

I) Think about faith that achieves great things (vs. 32-35a)

a)      Through faith they conquered kingdoms

i)        What should come to mind here is the work of the judges and the work of David.

ii)      The judges are given to us first: Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jepthah.

iii)    What is surprising and encouraging is that even in this list we find people we do not expect to find.

iv)    Samson definitely had his issues. Jephthah made a rash vow and ended up sacrificing his daughter.

v)      Barak refused to go to war if Deborah did not go with him.

vi)    This is not a list of perfect people it is a list of imperfect people who exercised powerful faith.

vii)   Gideon was from the smallest tribe of Israel and his house was the weakest house. In essence, when you got Gideon you were scraping the bottom of the barrel.

viii)            But remember, God often doesn’t use those people who are A-team first string. The one with faith never looks at himself and says, “that will never happen.”

ix)    Faith looks at God and says, “with Him all things are possible.

x)      Gideon’s army of 300 trumpets and torches in jars defeated the army of Midian through faith.

xi)    Barak goes to battle against Sisera and his 900 chariots of iron. Sisera’s army was far superior to Barak’s but through faith Barak conquered Sisera.

xii)  Jephtah was the son of a prostitute and his half brothers ran him out refusing to recognize Jephtah as part of the family.

xiii)            Jephtah ran from his brothers but later through faith defeated the army of the Ammonites and chased them through 20 cities.

xiv)            David defeated the Philistines on several fronts over many years.

xv)  These men are examples of faith making the weak strong.

xvi)            These men and others are tangible real-life examples of the little guy becoming mighty in war putting the bullies to flight.  

xvii)          Who are you? By yourself you are just a little guy or a little gal. But through faith you have the power of God.

xviii)        Who is Mambrino Baptist Church? By ourselves we are just a little church. But through faith we have the power of God.

xix)            With Gideon, Barak, Jephtah, and David we read over and over again about God fighting for them and God routing the enemy.

xx)  The enemy before you may be huge. It may be as large as a kingdom. But with God all things are possible. Do not trust your abilities trust your Savior.

xxi)            Through faith they conquered kingdoms.

b)      Through faith they enforced justice

i)        Doing the right thing is not always easy and it’s not always popular.

ii)      Keeping your mouth shut and your nose clean while others take advantage of the weak is far from Christian.

iii)    Through faith we must do what is right and see that the powerless are defended.

iv)    Think of Nathan confronting King David in his sin and injustice.

v)      The prophets Amos and Micah both spoke against those people who used deceitful weights in order to cheat people (Amos 8:5; Micah 6:11).

vi)    James 1:27- pure and undefiled religion before God is to look after widows and orphans in their affliction.

vii)  The faithless say, “it’s not my problem.” Or, “I can’t make a difference.”

viii)            The faithful say, “I will stand for justice” And, “One by one through Christ I will make a difference.

c)      Through faith they obtained promises

i)        Think of the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah.

ii)      Think of the conquest of Canaan.

iii)    Think of the release of Israel from captivity.

iv)    The Hebrews who left Egypt had no faith in the promises so they received none of the reward of the promises.

v)      The Hebrews who entered the Promised Land did so by faith and they received the promises.

vi)    Keep in mind through all of this that we’re talking again and again about things we cannot do on our own.

vii)  We’re talking about example after example of the impossible being completed through faith.

d)     Through faith they stopped the mouths of lions

i)        Through the power of the Spirit, Samson tore apart a lion with his bare hands (Judges 14:6)

ii)      David killed the lion and the bear (1 Sam 17.36)

iii)    On a snowy day Benaiah killed a lion in a pit (2 Sam 23:20).

iv)    These all could be examples of faith stopping the mouths of lions but surely the clearest example is that of Daniel in the lions’ den.

v)      He would not submit to the law of King Darius knowing that it would mean his death (Daniel 6).

vi)    When morning came and Darius rushed to the lions’ den Daniel said, “O king, live forever! ²² My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me” (Dan 6:21&22).

vii)  The faithless do not pray; they are too busy trying to work it out for themselves. The faithful pray trusting God will guide and strengthen them. Then the faithful act.

e)      Through faith they quenched the power of fire

i)        Again, the clear example of quenching fire is that of  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from Daniel 3.

ii)      When Nebuchadnezzar ordered them to bow down and worship the golden image he had set up or be burned in the fire this was their response

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

iii)    We’ll return again to this idea more fully when we look at faith that endures but I want you to see from their statement that faith is not always a 100% assurance of good things and not painful things happening.

iv)    Faith is always a 100% trust in the steadfast love of God and in God’s ability to act. Faith says God is willing and able.

f)       Through faith they escaped the edge of the sword

i)        Think of David escaping the spear and army of Saul

ii)      Think of Elijah fleeing for his life from Jezebel.

iii)    How about Elisha when he was surrounded by the army of the king of Syria? The king sent this army for a particular mission: kill Elisha.

iv)    Because these men stayed loyal to God and to God’s truth it brought them into harms way.

v)      Through faith they endured and through faith they escaped.

g)      Faithful women received back their dead

i)        Elijah raised the son of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17)

ii)      Elisha raised the son of the Shunammite (2 Kings 4)

iii)    Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain (Lk 7) and Mary and Martha received back their brother Lazarus (Jn 11)

iv)    Hear Martha’s words of faith from John 11:21&22

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

v)      Now we come across a very helpful and in a strange way encouraging transition.

vi)    Up to this point we have seen the power of faith to achieve great things. These people saw amazing things in their lives, unexplainable things.

vii)  Faith does that, strong faith does that, but not always. If faith is focused only on this life then it is near sighted faith and near sighted faith can cause great damage.

viii)            Faith achieves great things and

II) Faith endures great things (vs. 35b-38)

a)      Through resurrection faith some were tortured (35b)

i)        During the intertestamental period, the gap of time between the last of the Old Testament writings and the beginning of the New Testament writings, a great deal occurred.

ii)      What I want to do is show how during this time period there were faithful people who endured great difficulties.

iii)    Around 167BC, a Greek ruler named Antiochus Epiphanies tried to come and over throw Jerusalem.

iv)    He did some awful things and the most memorable was sacrificing a pig on the altar in the temple.

v)      This, for obvious reasons, ticked the Jews off and the Maccabean revolt began.

vi)    The Maccabeans were successful but some paid for it with their lives.

vii)  There is a hero of the faith during this time named Eleazar. Eleazar was “an aged scribe, who, refusing release at the cost of compromising his profession, ‘welcomed death with renown rather than life with pollution’ and ‘of his own accord advanced to the instrument of torture’” (Hughes, 512, quoting 2 Macc 6).

viii)            The mother of 7 sons who were facing death and torture during this time is recorded to have said to them, “The Creator of the world, who shaped the beginning of man and devised the origin of all things, will in his mercy give life and breath back to you again” (2 Macc 7:9, 23).

ix)    God did not save them from the executioner’s hand. They were faithful but unlike Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego they were tortured and died.

x)      It wasn’t because they lacked faith. It wasn’t because they didn’t pray the right prayer. These men were faithful and yet they died.

xi)    What makes the difference is that they refused to accept release so that they might rise to a better life.

xii)  They had greater faith in the resurrection of the dead than in being comfortable in this life.

xiii)            The lived their lives knowing their will be a resurrection of the dead. Though my body be killed it will rise again.

xiv)            Resurrection faith does amazing things, endures amazing things, and accomplishes amazing things.

xv)  The resurrection is going to happen. Will you be a part? Do you live like you will be a part?

xvi)            Trust Christ and live knowing there is a resurrection.

b)      Through faith others suffered mocking, flogging, chains, and imprisonment

i)        The Maccabean period is full of these as well as church history. The Hebrew community who were originally reading this letter knew what it was like to experience these things because they were faithful.

ii)      Think of Adoniram Judson an early 19^th century American Baptist missionary to Burma who suffered these things.

iii)    Think of John Bunyan who was imprisoned for preaching the gospel and refused to stop preaching and stayed in prison for 12 years.

iv)    This type of persecution is not over and this type of enduring faith is not extinct.

c)      Through faith some were sawn in two and killed with the sword

i)        Early church fathers recount that the prophet Isaiah was sawn in two with a wooden saw.

ii)      Jezebel killed a large number of the Lord’s prophets (1 Kings 18:4, 13).

iii)    Jesus lamented the fact that Jerusalem was known for stoning the prophets sent to her (Mt 23:21).

iv)    Stephen was stoned for standing up and preaching the truth.

d)     Through faith they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated, wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth

i)        Jim Elliot, missionary to the Auca Indians and martyr at their hands is famous for having said, “he is no fool who loses what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

ii)      They lost their fancy clothes, their homes, and their jobs. They were mistreated and forced to scavenge in the remote deserts and mountains.

iii)    They lived in caves. Through faith they endured these things. Because they had faith they faced these things.

iv)    This is far from what is considered today as gaining your best life now.

v)      Faith is powerful when it achieves great things. I do not deny that this happens and I’m thankful it happens.

vi)    But it is deceptive to deny that faith also brings about struggles and even greater difficulties than those who do not have faith.

vii)  Often the reason for these difficulties is

e)      Through faith they became different than the world

i)        Read verse 38

ii)      One author wrote, this passage “depicts…the fierce hatred of the unbelieving world in its guilty hostility to the truth as it ruthlessly hunts and assaults those whose trust is in the immutability of the divine promises. Rejecting the world they are ejected by the world” (Hughes, 515).

iii)    Faithfully holding to God’s promises is not a popular thing in the world’s eye. Faithfully holding to God’s promises is unfortunately not a popular thing to do in many churches.

iv)    But the clear testimony of Scripture is that God’s people are not in a popularity contest. We are called to be faithful no matter if it leads to the achievement of great things or the necessary endurance of difficulty.

v)      What encourages us is that

III) God provided something better for us (read vs. 39-40)

a)      Through faith they received their commendation but not what was promised

i)        Do not look down on Old Testament saints. Do not knock who they were or what they did.

ii)      God commends them. God applauds them. We should do the same thing.

iii)    But there is a strange and amazing thing here as well. They were faithful but did not receive what was promised.

iv)    Don’t be duped by some guy or gal on TV telling you what you will receive if only you will do what they say.

v)      But a bigger and more difficult question is does the lack of fulfillment make God a liar?

vi)    God told them they would receive these things if they obeyed. They obeyed and many did not receive the things promised.

vii)  Is God practically a liar? Verse 40 gives the answer.

b)      With Christ comes the fullness of all things

i)        2 Corinthians 1:20 says

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

ii)      Read 1 Peter 1:6-12

iii)    All of history was building up to the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

iv)    All of history since that work is a testimony to his power and grace to save sinners.

v)      With the age of Christ comes the fullness that the prophets longed for and looked for.

vi)    God has given us something better; we’re not waiting for the promises to be fulfilled we have seen the fulfillment of the promises.

vii)  Through faith we love Christ whom we have not seen

viii)            Through faith in the middle of various trials we rejoice in joy inexpressible and filled with joy.

ix)    We are in the age of the completed work of Christ. We are God’s people joined forever with God’s people because of the work of Jesus Christ.

x)      Christ is our great high priest. Christ gives us a new and better covenant.

xi)    Christ is our perfect sacrifice securing our eternal redemption.

xii)  Christ builds a better house. Christ is greater than the angels. Through Christ God has spoken.

xiii)            We have Jesus Christ. We know him through the Word and power of the Spirit.

xiv)            Through faith we see His glory and understand that He is the greatest and richest reward for our souls.

xv)  Christ is surely these things and he is these things for all eternity.

xvi)            Are you struggling? Look to Christ who endured great things.

xvii)          Are you on the verge of a difficult battle? Look to Christ who achieved great things.

xviii)        Are you feeling cheated by the world? Look to Christ who has redeemed the world.

xix)            Believe in Christ, put your trust in Him, and through Christ become like these men and women: one whom the world is not worthy.

The Office of Overseer; 1 Timothy 3:1

Text: 1^st Timothy 3:1                                                     11/25/07 AM

Thesis: The office of overseer involves a distinct role, a clear desire, and Spirit filled service.

 

Intro:  As we turn this morning to 1^st Timothy chapter three I want us to spend some time looking again at roles.

There is so much confusion out there today concerning what matters that when you begin to work through the mountain of ideas many give up and go home.

Many today who call themselves Christians have resigned themselves to a state of confused peace.

 This constant state of confusion is unfortunate and it’s reeking havoc on our marriages, our homes, and our churches.

So, as we begin to look at God’s requirements of a pastor I want to address some of the confusion with God’s Word.

I want to show you God’s will and I pray you will be freed from your confusion to live the powerful Christian life.  

Read 1^st Timothy 2:11-3:7

 

I) God’s truth removes the confusion concerning roles

a)      There is a God ordained office called overseer

i)        Some translations have the word bishop in 1^st Timothy 3:1. This is a fair translation and actually close to a transliteration but the word bishop has been so loaded with unbiblical ideas that the translation overseer is preferred.

ii)      The overseer is one who does just that, they oversee the needs of the congregation. It is a leadership position.

iii)    At its minimum the office of overseer is one that includes the idea of a superintendent or steward.

iv)    Turn with me to the book of Acts. Let’s look first at Acts 1:20 (read verse 20)

v)      If you are reading the NKJV or the NASB you will notice a foot note on the word office which says, “position as overseer” or “position of overseer”.

vi)    Even at the death of Judas there was an understanding of a distinct office of leadership.

vii)  And we should note it’s the same word in 1st Timothy 3:1.  It’s translated office in Acts 2 and translated as office of overseer in 1st Timothy 3.

viii)            Stay in the book of Acts and turn to chapter 20. Here I want to show you that the office of overseer and the office of elder are the same thing.

ix)    Read verse 17 then verse 28

x)      In verse 17 this group of men were called elders. Then in verse 28 this group of men were called overseers.

xi)    Elder refers to what they are; it is a position of dignity.

xii)  Overseer refers to what they do; they pay careful attention to themselves and the whole flock.

xiii)            God has places these men in the church to care for, shepherd, or pastor the church.

xiv)            Turn now to the book of Titus chapter 1. Read verses 5-7.

xv)  The overseer, elder, or what we call a pastor are the same thing.

xvi)            Remember the prophecies spoken about Timothy that we looked at in chapter 1? Who made those prophecies?

xvii)          Chapter 3 verse 14 tells us it was a council of elders who made the prophecies.

xviii)        Read 1^st Timothy 5:17.

xix)            Notice these elders are involved in preaching and teaching. One of the requirements for the overseer in 1^st Timothy 3:2 is that he be able or apt to teach.

xx)  What gets stuck in our craws is the word rule. All the major translations have the word “rule” while the NIV translates it “direct the affairs of the church.”

xxi)            I think that gets the idea. It’s the equivalent of the requirement of 1^st Timothy 3:4. (read it)

xxii)          An elder is who he is. Overseeing is what he does; he directs the affairs of the church or if you prefer, he manages/cares for God’s church and a lot of this, but not all of this, happens through preaching and teaching.

xxiii)        Many people reply, that’s too much authority for one person. That’s the beauty of God’s wisdom in ordaining this office.

xxiv)        Throughout Scripture unless it’s a reference to the type of person the elder of overseer is supposed to be the elder/overseer is always in the plural.

xxv)          There is more than one. Paul wrote to the elders and deacons of Philippi (Philippians 1:1)

xxvi)        In Acts 20:17 Paul summoned the elders of the Ephesian church.

xxvii)      1 Timothy 4:14 refers to the council of elders.

xxviii)    1^st Timothy 5:17 mentions the elders who rule well.

xxix)        What we need to take home with us concerning the overseer is that it is a leadership position in which God entrusts faithful men with the oversight of the church.

xxx)          The major way but not the only way this leadership position is filled is through preaching and teaching.

b)      Now I’d like to warn you about a danger titled Egalitarianism

i)        Egalitarianism is movement based on the belief that everyone is equal; there should be no distinctions of roles.

ii)      They do not argue for equal pay for equal work. They argue there is no difference in men and women.

iii)    Often they wave the banner of Galatians 3:28

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

iv)    Egalitarians claim that in Christ all role distinctions are removed.  A woman can be a pastor. A wife should not be submissive to her husband.

v)      We’re all equals; everyone is a leader; everyone is submissive to everyone.

vi)    What the Egalitarians cannot swallow is that Galatians 3 is talking about salvation.  No man gets priority over a woman when it comes to being saved.

vii)  No free person gets priority over a slave when it comes to being saved.

viii)            God does not show favoritism when it comes to grace.  Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight.

ix)    But a lack of favoritism on God’s part does not mean God gives everyone the same gifts and the same calling.

x)      Michael Jordan and I were not given the same gifts.

xi)    Dale Moore and I were not given the same gifts.

xii)  Angela Duncan and I were not given the same gifts.

xiii)  Ephesians 4 tells us that Christ gave gifts and goes on to explain that these gifts are different (vs. 8-16).

xiv)            1 Corinthians 12 tells us that the Holy Spirit gives out different gifts and this He does to each one individually as He wills (v. 11).

xv)  The office of overseer, elder, or pastor is a special gifting by God. Throughout church history it has been referred to as a charismatic gift, a gift of the Spirit.

xvi)            The same Spirit who gives this gift is the same Spirit who gave us Scripture is the same Spirit who preserves Scripture.

xvii)          It is the Spirit who inspired the words, “I do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man.”

xviii)        The Egalitarian fails to acknowledge this prerogative of the Holy Spirit to give us God’s Word and give us gifts according to God’s Word.

xix)            This is precisely why I am not an Egalitarian but a Complementarian.

xx)  A Complementarian passionately defends the equal worth of men and women as well as passionately defending the biblical distinction between the roles of men and women.

xxi)            This is also why the pronoun in 1^st Timothy 3:1 is translated “he desires a noble task.”

xxii)          This is also why I said God’s truth removes the confusion concerning roles.

II) God’s truth removes the confusion concerning the call

a)      It is God who initiates the desire to serve

i)        Some have tried to misconstrue 1^st Timothy 3:1 into a negative, such that it’s a greedy desire to be a preacher.

ii)      If anybody wants to do it then come on in. But this also messes up the Spirit’s role in giving gifts.

iii)    Ephesians 4:11-12, it is the work of God in giving, “the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”

iv)    The same God who calls men and women to come to Him and be saved is the same God who gifts men and women to answer specific callings.

v)      And every Christian has been given a specific gift by God for the good of the entire church (1 Cor. 12:7)

vi)    What distinguishes those in the church who are called to be overseers from those who are not is desire to serve and a fulfillment of the requirements of an elder.

vii)  It’s not enough to want to serve he must meet the qualifications. And it’s not enough to meet the qualifications he must want to serve.

viii)            It is God who initiates this desire. If anyone aspires to the office of overseer is the idea of stretching out your hand to grab hold of something good.

ix)    Many of you are sensing the desire to reach out your hand and get involved in ministry.

x)      God has gifted you and is shaping you to fill a need. You have the desire and you meet the qualifications.

b)      The Christian must answer the call

i)        I am praying that God will raise up from among us pastors, missionaries, ministry leaders, and servants of all sizes.

ii)      It is the church’s job to equip you. It is specifically my calling as a pastor/overseer to equip you for ministry.

iii)    If you never tell me you are feeling called I won’t know how to go about sharpening the skills God has given.

iv)    If you never tell me you are feeling called I won’t know how to plug you in.

v)      Christian, you have been given a gift. It’s time to seek the training and opportunity so that you can be used.

vi)    Every member matters. Every Christian has a gift. For Mambrino Baptist Church to be effective as a disciple making church we need you to get involved.

vii)  God’s truth removes the confusion concerning the call

III) God’s truth removes the confusion concerning service

a)      God’s call to the pastorate is a call to work

i)        1 Timothy 3:1, “he desires a noble task”. It is a task.

ii)      It’s a fine work, a good work, to be an overseer.

iii)    The women of the church are to adorn themselves with good works (1^st Tim 2:10).

iv)    The men who are called, qualified, and aspire to be overseers desire a good work.

v)      First, the office of overseer is a call to work.

vi)    Unfortunately many inside and outside the pastorate see it as an inside job with no heavy lifting. It’s a simple desk job and you only work a couple hours a week.

vii)  Any pastor that is worth his salt puts his hand to the plow and works. It is a different work because it is a different calling.

viii)            The first group of deacons was called out in Acts 6 so that the Apostles could “devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4).

ix)     An overseer is a man who dedicates himself to prayer and the study of God’s word so that he can preach and teach God’s word to the church.

x)      Any pastor who is worth any thing is haunted by the words of Hebrews 13:17, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.”

xi)    The pastor is called by God to watch over the souls of those in the church.  We are to pray and study, preach and teach, as men who will stand before God and give an account for how we led the church into faithfulness.

xii)  The overseer who takes Hebrews 13:17 seriously will find no shortage of work. There will always be another task.

xiii)            And this is a good work, a noble task.  Caring for the flock, keeping watch over souls, feeding the sheep, teaching, praying, and preaching is glorious work.

xiv)            Why do so many pastors burnout and dropout? That happens because being a pastor is work. Let me tell you, you can’t shut it off.

xv)  Angela and I will go on a date and she’ll ask me if we can talk about anything but church stuff.

xvi)            It’s hard work but it’s good work.

b)      The pastor and church must work to preserve the nobility of the God ordained office.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, ¹³ and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

i)        Both preachers and churches need to work at restoring the nobility of the pastorate.

ii)      I say both because many pastors have wrecked it for the rest of us. The things some pastors say and the things some pastors do give the rest a bad reputation.

iii)    Sex scandals, embezzlement, serving like a hireling, ordering people around like a dictator, and the like bring scorn on the office of overseer.

iv)    That’s why 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 is so helpful. Pastors are called to labor, to work in the church.

v)      It is a position of oversight that involves correcting those who are wrong, encouraging those who are weak, and equipping every believer for ministry.

vi)    In response the church should offer respect. The church should esteem them highly in love because of their work. We should be at peace among ourselves.

c)      As we close I want to share a little with you about myself.

i)        There is no doubt in my mind that God has called me to be a pastor. 

ii)      As the days go by, through the Scriptures, the Spirit’s guidance, and regular confession, I’m being equipped to serve you better.

iii)    There is no doubt in my mind that God has called me to be a pastor and there is no doubt in my mind that God has called me to pastor Mambrino Baptist Church.

iv)    After three years of service I am still excited about what God is doing in us. After three years of service I am still excited about what God is going to do through us.

v)      I have no desire to leave this church. As long as the Lord desires I will stand in the pulpit and preach to you.

vi)    As long as the Lord desires I will lift you to God in prayer.

vii)  I will preach and teach as a man who will one day stand before God and give an account for your soul.

viii)            I do not take the calling lightly. I pray you will not either.

ix)    What I want us to do is pray for peace. I want us to be at peace among ourselves.

x)      I want us to rest in Jesus Christ. I want us to hope in Jesus Christ. I want us to repent through Jesus Christ.

xi)    I want us to be the biblical, faithful, effective, and peaceful body of Christ.