Motivation For Ministry

Motivation For Ministry Colossians 1:24-29; Hebrews 5:11-15 This church sure sits in a beautiful area of the country, doesn’t it? Every time we drive up here, we see the mountains in the distance grow larger, and we pass many farms with rolling hills. And it got me to thinking about this one old farmer who always described his Christian experience by saying, “Well, I’m not making much progress, but I’m established.” After one rainy spring day, this old farmer was hauling some logs, when his wagon wheels sank down to the axles in mud. He tried and tried, but he couldn’t get the wagon out. Tired and defeated, he sat atop the logs and pondered his dismal situation. Soon a neighbor and fellow churchgoer who had always tried to help the farmer grow in his faith came along and greeted him. He looked at the old farmer and said, “Well, I see you’re not making much progress, but you must be content because you’re well-established.” I think that neighbor and the apostle Paul would have gotten along good, because Paul, like the farmer's neighbor, wanted to see people mature in Christ. Paul knew that, as Christians, there would be days of watching a beautiful sunset while reaping a harvest, but that there would also be days of attempting to pull a heavy load through thick mud. It takes no experience to enjoy those sunsets, but when that heavy load comes, we had better know what to do. There’s an old Chinese Proverb that says, “If your vision is for a year, plant wheat. If your vision is for 10 years, plant trees. If your vision is for a lifetime, plant people.” Remember, as Christians, we’re all commanded to make disciples and follow Christ. Righteousness comes from Christ, and anyone whose attempted to live righteously in an unrighteous world knows that suffering will happen. In this self-indulgent age, many believe that people of faith shouldn't suffer. But according to author George MacDonald, "The Son of God suffered unto death, not that men might not suffer, but that their sufferings might be like His." In Colossians 1:24, the apostle Paul said that his own sufferings filled up what was "lacking in the afflictions of Christ." He didn't mean that Christ's death was inadequate to save us. He was indicating that suffering for the Lord is a part of following Him. As we live for Christ and proclaim His sacrifice to a lost world, we will experience suffering. What an example the apostle is to us! Instead of pitying himself, he joyfully suffered for Christ and His people. He knew that pain and suffering weren't too great a price for the privilege of being a blessing to others. He was planting people, then helping them grow. The title of today’s sermon is called “Motivation For Ministry,” because for Paul, no matter what he suffered, he desired to “present the Word of God in its fullness” (v25). He wanted believers to be filled with everything necessary for their spiritual development, and that included suffering. Paul’s ministry and stewardship were to prepare the church for the judgment seat of Christ. After all, one day every one of us will stand before Christ, and what do we want to hear? “Well done good and faithful servant.” To do this, Paul needed to expose every believer to “the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (v26,27). Christ is not a distant and unknowable God whose unapproachable. Christ indwells every believer, and once you start to realize just how close God is, you’ll start to change. You will start reflecting Christ’s character, conduct, attitude, and actions. Christ in you is like is like a new motor in an old car. Power has been restored, and when life gives you a wagon load of trees to pull, you’ll have the power to pull through the mud. It’s a lesson that we all will benefit from learning. Just like one day, a little boy was trying to pick up a rock. He said, “Dad, it’s too heavy.” “Son, you can do it,” his dad replied. The boy strained and tried, but said, “Dad, it’s too heavy.” The father insisted, “Son, you can do it.” He tried again, and said again, “Dad, it’s too heavy.” So his father said, “Son, you’re not using all your strength.” “Dad, I am. It’s just too heavy.” “Son, you’re not using all your strength,” the father said again. Outta frustration the boy said, “Dad, why are you saying I’m not using all my strength when it’s too heavy?” “I know you’re not using all your strength, because you haven’t asked me to help yet.” You know today people have become greatly self-sufficient. They need to do everything on their own, and they don’t want any help. They don’t want to rely upon anyone, and many people see weakness as failure. But there are simply some things in life that we don’t have the strength for. That’s why I’m telling you that there is more strength available to you than what you have! Weak knees might put you on the ground, but while you’re there, pray, then stand and be strong in the strength of the Father’s might! I like those truck commercials where they show the towing ability of a truck. They always show the truck pulling something, like a boat, or a trailer of logs up a hill. Do you know the thing that’s being pulled is doing nothing but going for a ride? You never see a boat or a trailer of logs hitched onto a truck struggling to climb a hill. The power for the tow is located under the hood of the truck. The power is built into the vehicle. All the boat or trailer has to do is be hooked onto the truck. The power for your Christian life is not in you. The power for your Christian life is having Christ under the hood; “it’s Christ in you, the hope of glory.” God has helped us answer a mystery, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” “Christ in you” means that Jesus both saved you and indwells in you. It means that change comes from the inside out. Circumstances will change, but how you react to those circumstances comes from within. “Christ in you” also means that Jesus doesn’t just want to be in your life. He wants TO BE your life! So the motivation for ministry is to “present everyone complete in Christ,” which was Paul’s goal, it’s my goal, it should be your goal, and it’s the church’s goal. Having Christ in us is one thing, but the Bible calls for more than that. Verse 28 says, “He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.” You know, even sin cannot turn away Christ’s love. And if I didn’t proclaim Christ and strive to “present everyone fully mature in Christ,” I wouldn’t be a pastor. But it’s not just pastors which verse 28 applies too. It applies to every Christian because we are to proclaim Christ and build each other up. We’re to grow and mature in Christ. But what does it mean to mature in Christ? Let me put it this way. Rate multiplied by time equals distance. If I walk from our church back to Statesville, which is about 18 miles, and I start off at noon, it’s going to take me a long time to get there. If at 1:00 you decide that you want to go to Statesville, but you want to drive, you’ll get there a lot faster. Even though I started out before you, you are going to get there before me because you are moving at a faster rate of speed than I am. You’ll be covering more territory in a shorter amount of time than I. You’ll be there and have eaten lunch before I even see Statesville on the horizon. The rate of your speed will allow you to cover more distance than the slow rate that I will be traveling. What’s the relevance of that to your spiritual growth? Some folks have been coming to church for years. Some people were almost born in church, raised in church, and they still aren’t in Statesville yet because they’re moving along at a crawl. Then there are those people who’ve only been saved a few years, but who have reached a steady level of spiritual stability because they moved at a faster rate. God has guaranteed maturity to every believer, but it’s what each believer does with their time that will determine the rate of their speed and time to arrival at the destination of maturity. We have the option to mature, and to see how that’s done, let’s look at Hebrews 5:11-15. First, we do the opposite of verse 11. Instead of growing lazy, dull, or stubborn, we need to have an open mind for learning. Some people have been Christians for a long time but haven’t grown in their faith. And the way to grow in our faith is our diet. We must go from milk to solid food. Verse 13 says, “Anyone who lives on milk is still an infant.” Knowing the ABC’s and 123’s of the Bible is important, but there comes a time to deepen your understanding and grow in God. So how can you tell the difference between a milk Christian and a solid food Christian? A milk Christian is not accustomed to God’s Word. They know Bible stories, but haven’t yet formed the habit of going to God’s Word to find answers to life’s issues. Instead of going to the Bible, milk Christians go straight to other people and bypass God. Because milk Christian’s don’t go to God, they never really change or find victory. There’s victory in Christ, but you have to listen and obey Christ to have that victory. And since milk Christian’s never find victory, they don’t grow and remain defeated. Like that old farmer stuck in the mud, they’re established, but they don’t make much progress. A solid food Christian, on the other hand, does what verse 14 says, “who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” They have learned to discern good and evil by using God’s Word. Solid food Christians have the ability to discern because they put God’s Word into practice. They don’t just read or memorize the Bible. Solid food Christians face challenges by applying the Bible to life. So in order to grow from milk to solid food Christians, we must learn discernment through a heavenly perspective instead of an earthly one. You must have a kingdom mindset, and learn to train your conscience, senses, minds, and bodies, to be strong in the Lord. Commitment to Christ moves people outta their comfort zone. And far too often people want God’s banquet before they’re spiritually capable of digesting it. You know, if you chew your food but don’t swallow, you’ll starve. That’s obvious. But what often goes undetected is chewing on God’s Word, but never digesting it. Lot’s of people chew on God’s Word and have the Bible in their mouth, but not in their hearts. You have to internalize and put God’s Word into practice. Only then will you be equipped to make Bible-driven decisions rather than circumstance-driven decisions. So remember this, “milk” is the content of God’s Word, while “solid food” is the spiritual application and use of God’s Word to life. What do you do with God’s Word? Are you a milk Christian or a solid food Christian, or are you somewhere in between? Well, to finish up, let me ask you these questions so you can better apply God’s truth to your life. Under what circumstance do you feel most like giving up spiritually? One a scale from 1-10, with 1 being a burden and 10 being a privilege, where would you rate your feelings toward ministry? How you answer those two questions will help point you towards applying the Bible to life. Remember, Christ wants all of us to be mature Christians, and we’re all ministers. He wants you to share the Gospel with others, and strengthen each other through good times, so you’ll be strong during those hard times. As Billy Graham once said, “We are the Bibles the world is reading; we are the creeds the world is needing; we are the sermons the world is heeding.” The world is watching, so read the whole Bible, because the whole Bible makes a whole Christian. So motivate yourself to become a whole Christian, and help others to do the same. In a world in desperate need of hope, reveal “the hope of glory,” Jesus Christ. AMEN