R sbc
Date: July 9th
Series: Christ The Sum & Substance
Subject: “Paul’s Heart In The Ministry of Christ”
Text: 2 Tim 4:9-18
Intro: I guess it takes man years in the ministry before it ever sinks into a man’s head that this is serious business. It may even come to persecution before he really seems to grasp the importance of this task.
Paul was not like that, he knew from the beginning that he has been chosen for a great task, for he had been personally communicating with the LORD JESUS CHRIST...”What wilt thou have me to do”. In this text we can see a man coming to the end of his life as we seen last Sunday... from verse 7 ...
Sometimes churches never learn of the importance of supporting, praying, loving, defending, their pastors. They seem to think of him as a administrator, a do it all good boy, someone that they can chew up when he does not make the decision that they wish. They seem to think that there is nothing to the ministry after all he works 3 hrs a week.
I know that this is not the case of this church I trust it will never be. Let us look at a few things this morning about the “Ministry of Paul and how it relates to ministers today and even myself.
I... “ THE FORSAKING OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST”..VS 10-11
Every pastor will feel this at times and will experience it with some preachers whom has great confidence in. Paul points this out in his last words to Timothy...
(1.) The fact stated: “ Demas hath forsaken me”..vs 10
Paul mentions him two other times in the Bible and that briefly .. Col 4:14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you. Phm 1:24 Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers. The context leads us to believe that he forsook him while he was in jail. Instead of doing what he was supposed to do he ran..
(2.) The reason stated: “having loved this present world”..vs 10
This bible is clear with regard to this present world... 1Jo 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. It could have been meant by Paul not the things but his life, he love this life in this world more than he love his calling and his Lord.
Mt 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
II... “ THE NEED FOR OTHERS IN THE GOSPEL WORK”..VS 11-13
If you remember Luke wrote Acts and his gospel and now he is the only one left with Paul trying to help. Every preacher needs help, every missionary needs help, no man is island to himself... Paul said in 1Co 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
(1.) Bring Mark...vs 11
This is significant and here is why: Acts 15-36-41 Paul now had forgiven him..this is a true spirit for the preacher to have he must be willing to part when one cannot work together but also must be willing when certain times come around to mend their ways and that for the ministry...
(2.) Some other things mention:..vs 13
There is such a need today for helpers in the ministry just as it was then, the mission field where the Lord is working there is not a enough labors in the field. Missionary are asking for help on the field... many of them need other preachers, some need nurses, some need school teachers, some need counselors...
III... “ THE OPPOSITION MUST BE RECOGNIZED”...VS 14-15
There is always opposition not only in such cases as this man who hated Paul and done what he could to destroy him, but even in the churches there has been and there will always be opposition...
A preacher that is not ready to deal with “opposition” he is not ready for the ministry. It is real and it will come. Php 1:16 The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:
A God called preacher can spot an “Alexander the coppersmith” if he is in the will of the LORD. The bible clearly teaches what to do with these people “ Ro 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
Let them have enough rope and they will hang themselves as we will see later in this text. Paul clearly said... “The Lord reward him according to his works”. It was so with Christ our saviour and head and it will certainly be so with us...
Mt 26:59 Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
IV... “ THE ATTITUDE HE HAD CONCERNING THIS ”..VS 16
(1.) It was an attitude of prayer...
Is not this what our Lord told him and us to do: Listen to these familiar verses...Mt 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
It is not enough to say I am a preacher and when I am spitefully talked about, are mistreated to just push it off and ignore it...but I must pray for them, and I must love them as the LORD teaches us. Paul knew this and practiced it.
(2.) It was an attitude of the LORD will take care of it:
Many times we fail the LORD because we try to handled it ourselves and we make it worse than it is... There is no question that we need wisdom to handle the ministry and you and I need wisdom to handled the Christian life.
Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him...
V... “ HIS FAITH IN THE MINISTRY”...VS 17-18
Our Lord Jesus Christ told the devil that Man is not to live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God... So living by the word of God...We are to live by faith for without faith it is impossible to please God... We are to walk by faith and not sight, without this walk we cannot please the Lord, we are to look to him by faith are we cannot please the Lord...Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
By Paul looking to the LORD and believing that he would do what he said we can readily see the fruit of it...
(1.) All men forsook him, but the Lord was with him: vs 19
Joseph had the Lord with him and he prospered: Ge 39:3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.
Ge 39:23 The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.
You also remember that he was in prison, so circumstances does not change the fact of his promise I will not leave thee nor forsake thee.
The Lord was with Samuel and blessed his words: 1Sa 3:19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
Saul was afraid of David because he saw that the Lord was with him: 1Sa 18:12 And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul.
(2.) The Lord strengthened him also: vs 17
There is nothing that will strengthen a man of God than to sense the presence of the LORD in his life and in his ministry and in his church that the Lord has given him to oversee...
(a.) There must be a waiting for his strength: Ps 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
(b.) There must be faith in his promise to strengthen us: Isa 41:10 ¶ Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
(c.) We can expect strength when we are down: 1Pe 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
VI. “WHY THE LORD DID ALL OF THIS”...VS. 17-18
Note he delivered him from the Lion’s mouth “ Alexander the Coppersmith” and also out of all evil work and persevered him... Why because he felt sorry for Paul, no because of the following...
That he could preach the gospel to the gentiles...vs 17
The purpose of preaching is to convert the sinners, to edify the believers, and to honor the LORD by this chosen means that is foolish to the world by the wisdom to the LORD. Preaching is the paramount means of God in this world...
Acts 23-11 And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
Satan if he could would have hindered the gospel from other nations but the LORD restrained him from doing so. If he could have he would have never allowed it to go any further than Jerusalem. He certainly did not want Paul in Rome. He did not want him to carry this wonderful news of Christ our Lord.
(1.)The gospel is of him: 1 Cor 15-1-5
(2.) The gospel about him: John 1:29
(3.) The gospel is to him:
Ro 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Can you trust Christ this morning? If so do it right were you are at. Coming to Christ as Bro Paul Brown said is not with your feet but your heart..