A Charge to the Preacher
Notes
Transcript
A Charge to the Preacher
2 Timothy 4:1-8
Introduction: I have known Bryce since he was 11 years old. I have been his pastor. I have been with him while he ministered in Haiti. I have discipled him. I have served alongside him. If I thought for one moment he was not qualified for the position of pastor I would let you know.
It is the tradition of Baptist pastors to give a charge to a man when he is being ordained. Bryce was given the choice of who would do that and here I am. I am humbled by the opportunity.
“Charge”= to testify (as in a court), to insist. To warn.
Tonight as Bryce officially begins his role as a pastor he will be charged in the presence of God and this congregation. Why do we do this?
Bryce has not arrived. He is just beginning. He’s put on his helmet. Now he’s heading into the game.
He’s put on his parachute, he’s about to jump.
He’s grabbed his weapon; he’s being sent to the front line of battle.
This church has said to Bryce “You’re ready, let’s go.”
The charge is a solemn word of warning and encouragement.
I have four simple things to say to him tonight from this passage.
1. The God who called you is the God who will judge you (1).
“in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus”
It’s as if Paul grabs Timothy by the shoulder and pulls him into the very throne room of God.
Imagine Timothy looking up and seeing God Almighty, The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. They are looking down upon Paul and Timothy.
The seriousness of the charge is seen in the language Paul uses. God Himself is the witness to the instructions Timothy is given.
As this charge is given tonight God is here. We are in His presence.
The greatest antidote for the fear of man is the fear of God.
I won’t judge anyone when they die.
This church won’t judge anyone when they die.
God is your judge. He will judge you as a pastor.
James 3:1 Be not many masters knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation!
The fear of God should accompany the call of God.
Have you thought of this? The greatest preacher who ever lived will judge you. Jesus was a preacher. You can’t say to Him “You don’t know how hard it was Lord!”
Jesus preached the full council of God (Heaven, hell, sin, divorce, greed, anger, unforgiveness, money, dying to self)
Jesus preached everywhere He went (Temple, synagogues, the streets, the homes)
Jesus preached to everyone (the poor, the rich, powerful, weak, dangerous).
When you stand before God He’s not going to say “Oh, you’re a preacher? Come right on in. Thank you so much!”
You aren’t overlooked because of this position.
You aren’t given a free pass because of your service.
On the contrary, you are judged more strictly.
Note also that those you preach to will be judged.
“the living and the dead”
Don’t just think about your own judgment day. Think about the judgment day of all you preach to.
Not just concerned with if they are coming to church or not. Be concerned with whether they are saved or not.
2. Preach the Word (2).
“Be ready” to preach the Word.
It is your responsibility to be prepared when you enter the pulpit.
No one can prepare your sermons for you.
The plague of plagiarism is rampant today.
Don’t buy your sermons.
Don’t steal your sermons.
Prepare your own sermons.
When Paul says preach the Word it implies you are studying the Word. Someone says your sermons are:
Unappealing to them
Unimpressive
Never let them say you are unprepared.
“In season & out of season”
Always
When it’s convenient and when it’s not.
When people want to hear it and when they don’t want to hear it.
The Bible is always in season.
We are told how to preach the Word:
Reprove- Correct
Rebuke - Warn
Exhort- Encourage
Every time you preach there will be someone in the congregation that needs to:
Repent
Be Redeemed
Rejoice
Edified
Evangelized
Encouraged
There will always be:
A backslider that needs to be reproved
A sinner that needs to be rebuked
A saint that needs to be exhorted
In every sermon tell:
The sinner how to get saved
The disobedient how to get right
Give the saint a reason to rejoice
How does the preacher do that? How does keep that balance in his preaching?
As you study the Bible and prepare sermons you must never:
Stop thinking of your own salvation.
Repenting of your own sins.
Rejoicing in your future.
When you do this, it will bleed into your sermons. All who hear you will hear something they need.
He says we are to preach with patience.
When no one responds, remember Jeremiah.
When no one but your own family shows up look to Noah.
When you don’t get the results you hoped for trust the Word of God and lean on the Spirit.
One day when you least expect it:
A drunk will hear you preach and get sober.
A prodigal will hear you preach and return home.
A couple on the brink of divorce will you preach and a marriage will be saved.
A sinner will hear you preach and a soul will be saved.
Not because of you, but because of the Word.
Don’t ever give up on the Word. If you give up on the Word, you give up on God.
Illust.- Person asking me if I was going to say when a person gets saved they get sober. I told them I have to believe the Bible and the Bible says they do.
3. When others are wandering, stay focused (3-5).
There is a progression.
Will not endure (3)
Turn away (4)
Wander off (4)
There will be people who do not want the Word. They will turn away from the truth and enter into lies.
Look at verse 10- Demas deserted Paul.
Look at verse 14- Alexander did Paul much harm.
Listen to me- You will have to preach to people you love about sins they love.
That’s not easy.
You’ll be tempted to not preach on certain sins. The bible is specific with sin and you are called to be as well. You can’t steer clear of the sins your church members are involved with.
The guy who gets drunk. You still must preach on drunkenness.
The couple living together. You must preach on fornication.
The person who speaks profanity. You must preach against it.
The homosexual or those who are justifying the sin- You still must preach against it.
People want their ears tickled.
You’re not a petter, you’re a pastor.
There will be plenty of petters. Paul says they will accumulate to themselves, KJV says “heap”. These petters will suit their own passions.
Isaiah 20:9-11 says
For they are a rebellious people,
lying children, children unwilling to hear
the instruction of the Lord;
who say to the seers, “Do not see,”
and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions,
leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.
Some preachers will tell people what they want to hear, and they may have:
Bigger churches
More opportunities
More attention
Paul says:
Endure suffering
Be sober (Scripture) minded
Fulfill YOUR ministry
Remember, the Bible is a Sword, not a back scratcher. Don’t trade your Bible for a back scratcher.
A backscratcher can’t:
Pierce into the depths of a man
Cut out the stony heart of a man
All false teaching can do is make a person feel good on their way to hell. People need the truth. God expects you to give it to them.
4. Finish well (6-8).
Paul was at the end of his life. He could say with integrity:
He had fought the good fight. You are going to have to fight the devil, fight the flesh, fight the culture and you might even have to fight a Baptist or two.
He finished the race. God had a course for him and he had come to its end.
He kept the faith. He still believed and lived the gospel of Jesus Christ.
He was ready to die.
“I am ready to be poured out as a drink offering.”
The drink offering was wine poured on top of the altar (Exodus 29:40-41).
Paul uses language that describes the death he will die. Could not be crucified because he was a citizen of Rome. He was beheaded.
Beheading was bloodier than crucifixion. With a drink offering the top was removed from a bottle of wine and the wine was poured on the altar. Paul’s head would be removed, and his blood would spill all over the ground. His life’s blood would be poured out onto the ground.
Paul knew he was going to die. He was ready to die.
Consider where Paul’s preaching took him. The Mamertine prison. I have been there. It is small. The ceiling is low. The air is damp. Paul spent his last days there.
Paul’s biggest earthly desire was to preach in Rome. He arrived there around 61 AD. By God’s providence Paul landed in Rome when one of the evilest emperors of history was in power.
Nero started an all-out war on Christians in Rome around AD 64. He burned them alive. He fed them to wild animals. Paul went to Rome to preach the gospel for the glory of God.
He spent a lot of time in prison.
He was killed.
Doesn’t sound like a happy ending.
At the end of his life Paul had regrets but being a preacher was not one of them. Paul says, “This is where my preaching has brought me!” He still encourages Timothy to preach. There can be only one explanation for that. Heaven is real.
Paul said there was a crown waiting for him and anyone else who loved the appearing of Jesus.
No preacher should wear a crown in this world. It’s not our time. Even our Savior refused a crown in this world. One was twisted out of thorns to mock Him.
Every faithful preacher will get a crown in heaven. We know it’s worth it!
It’s hard, but it’s worth it!
As preachers near the end, they start thinking about the preachers behind them. Today that is you, Bryce. Soon you will be the one thinking about the preachers behind you. It will be your responsibility to bring along someone. To do that you must endure to the end!
Finish well!
Don’t try to get a crown in this world. Even if you do you can’t take it with you to heaven.
At the end of your life the question will not be only have you preached the faith? It will be, have you kept the faith? Have you passed the faith on to someone else?