SOBER WORDS FOR A SERIOUS CALLING
TEXT: 1 Timothy 4:14-16
1 Timothy 4:14-16 KJV Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. [15] Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. [16] Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
I. INTRODUCTION—THE ORDINATION OF A MINISTER
-It is a great honor and privilege to be able to preach this ordination message to our brothers in this setting.
-There is no higher calling that a man can have on his life than to be a minister of the Gospel.
• It is more important than the task of the mayor in our respective cities.
• It is more critical than the work of the senators and governors in our states.
• It is more vital than the role that the President of the United States will play.
-What all of those roles have in common are their effect on time while the responsibilities of the ministry has an impact on eternity. Time is limited, eternity is unlimited and never-ending.
Oswald Chambers—One man or woman called to God is worth a hundred who have elected to work for God.
-It will not be too long from now that these men who are to be ordained will have a charge read to them and then the presbytery will lay hands on them, confirming the gift that was placed there by the Holy Ghost.
-I trust you will grant me some latitude in this message to bear down on the seriousness of our calling and our part to play in this matter of the Lord building his church (Matthew 16:18).
II. THE PASTORAL EPISTLES
-The words that I read to you come from a segment of Scripture that coming is referred to as the Pastoral Epistles. The Pastoral Epistles of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus form the job description for those who are called into the ministry.
-There are things that we find in these short letters to two of Paul’s adopted sons of the Gospel. We find compelling words that deal more with the character and growth of a minister’s soul than the character and growth of the church that he serves.
-Paul knew that if the character and growth of the man’s soul who stood in the pulpit and gave himself to the building of that church was secure, then the church would be secure. While our times have been inundated with leadership books, leadership seminars, and leadership lessons, Paul was more concerned about the shape of a preacher’s soul than about his leadership capacity.
-When you march through these letters, there are some things that began to stand out, things that Paul calls us to flee from, follow after, and fight for (1 Timothy 6:11-12).
1 Timothy 6:11-12 KJV But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. [12] Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
-All of these things matter! At the end of the day, Paul’s writings to these two young men can be boiled down in to:
• Be faithful in their preaching of biblical truth.
• Be bold in exposing and refuting error.
• Be an example of personal godliness to the flock.
• Be diligent and work hard in the ministry.
• Be willing to suffer hardship and persecution in service to the Lord.
-There ought to be a longing in those matters of our service to the Lord.
III. SOBER WORDS FOR A SERIOUS CALLING
-There are a few words that we must explore when it comes to this matter of our calling and how that our text commanded that we are to take heed to ourselves and to our doctrine. In emphasis Paul is conveying the fact that we have to watch our lives and our doctrine because they are matters of life and death.
-There are four areas that I want to touch on but by no means are these areas exhaustive. There are others that could be added but for the sake of time we cannot get to them now. However, I pray that I provoke and challenge your mind in such a way that you will go home and literally dissect every verse that is contained in these three epistles.
A. 1 Timothy 1:3-4—Stay In Ephesus
1 Timothy 1:3-4 KJV As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, [4] Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
-Sober Words for a Serious Calling. . . The first sober word that Paul gave to Timothy comes immediately in the first few verses. There is a command to Timothy. . . Abide still in Ephesus. . . Stay In Ephesus!
-Consider Ephesus where Paul had established an important work in a decisive place. Luke gives the account in Acts 19 about what Paul dealt with when he was battling unbelief and evangelizing new territory.
• He established the apostolic doctrine of the New Birth to John’s disciples.
• He would have to contend with those in the synagogue who were stubborn and filled with unbelief over the apostolic doctrine but there was no equivocation in him.
• He would boldly go against Gnosticism which was being taught in Ephesus.
• Great healings, miracles, and conversions were taking place.
• A center of the occult.
• A place where magic was practiced.
• A home to the goddess, Diana (Artemis).
• A point where sensuality and immorality mixed with the worship of Diana.
• A pagan library that published books on the curious arts (Many would be burned after the conversion to Christianity).
• Sponsored roving bands of Jewish exorcists.
• Where Paul endured the wrath of the guild of craftsmen who formed and sold idols.
-All of this Paul was aware and yet he told Timothy to stay. . . abide still. . . Stay there no matter what happens to you.
-In Acts 19, Luke relates that when Demetrius and the silversmiths came after Paul that they incited a riot. Before it was over with the whole city was in an uproar and they met in the large theater. Some of Paul’s companions feared for his life and would not let him go to speak in the theater.
-Gaius, Aristarchus, and Alexander end up in the theater to speak in defense of the Gospel. When Alexander attempted to speak, the whole crowd shouted him down for two hours. . . Great is Diana of the Ephesians! Great is Diana of the Ephesians!
-That same thing goes on in our time. A hostile crowd that wants to shout down an apostolic preacher who dares to call men and women to the Lord!
• You must be born again. . . . Great is Diana of the Ephesians!
• You must repent of your sins. . . Great is Diana of the Ephesians!
• You must be baptized in Jesus’ Name. . . Great is Diana of the Ephesians!
• You must receive the infilling of the Holy Ghost with the initial evidence of speaking with tongues. . . Great is Diana of the Ephesians!
• There is only one God. . . Great is Diana of the Ephesians!
• You must life a holy and separated life. . . Great is Diana of the Ephesians!
• All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. . . Great is Diana of the Ephesians!
• At every point of our doctrine and belief system. . . When men get up to preach and open their mouths there is that great hindering spirit that wants to shout them down. . . Great is Diana of the Ephesians!
-Paul was encouraging Timothy that he must stay there and endure even if they still were trying to shout down his voice and his teaching and his influence among them!
-One of the most riveting scenes (and there are many) in Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan is early in the story when Christian is approaching the Palace Beautiful which is a picture of the church. This is the part from Pilgrim’s Progress:
But while he was thus bewailing his unhappy miscarriage, he lifted up his eyes, and behold there was a very stately palace before him, the name of which was Beautiful; and it stood just by the highway side.
So I saw in my dream that he made haste and went forward, that if possible he might get lodging there. Now, before he had gone far, he entered into a very narrow passage, which was about a furlong off the porter's lodge; and looking very narrowly before him as he went, he espied two lions in the way. “Now,” thought he, “I see the dangers that Mistrust and Timorous were driven back by.” (The lions were chained, but he saw not the chains.)
Then he was afraid, and thought also himself to go back after them, for he thought nothing but death was before him. But the porter at the lodge, whose name is Watchful, perceiving that Christian made a halt as if he would go back, cried unto him, saying, "Is your strength so small?" Fear not the lions, for they are chained, and are placed there for trial of faith where it is, and for discovery of those that had none. Keep in the midst of the path, no hurt shall come unto you.
Then I saw that he went on, trembling for fear of the lions, but taking good heed to the directions of the porter. He heard them roar, but they did him no harm. Then he clapped his hands, and went on till he came and stood before the gate where the porter was. Then said Christian to the porter, "Sir, what house is this? And may I lodge here tonight?" The porter answered, "This house was built by the Lord of the hill, and he built it for the relief and security of pilgrims." The porter also asked where he was from, and where he was going to.
-Walk in the light as He is in the light. . . That is the call that came ringing out from the Porter.
-When our world has so much instability in it. . . The economy. . . The job market. . . The unrelenting pressures of life. . . The marital strife. . . The challenges of raising children. . . The legislative changes that are moving us further away from God. . . The politicians who seem more atheistic than theistic. . .
-The most stable thing some saints have is a pastor who they know will be sitting on the platform when it is time for service. They will hear his preaching. . . They will hear his praying. . . That is why we must abide still at Ephesus. . .
B. 1 Timothy 1:18-19—Wage a Good Warfare
1 Timothy 1:18-19 KJV This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; [19] Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
-Stay in Ephesus. . . Now we move to the next point. . . 1 Timothy 1:18-19. . . War a good warfare! Paul knew something about spiritual warfare. In fact when the sons of Sceva could not cast the devil out of a man, that demonic force humiliated them. But they knew who Paul was.
-Give some thought to these words that Paul spoke:
• I have fought with the beasts at Ephesus. . . (Peter would call them natural brute beasts, Jude would call them brute beasts).
• Satan hindered us. . .
• We walk in the flesh but we do not war after the flesh. . .
• The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds. . .
• We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places. . .
-We cannot afford to fall into the trap of thinking that this kind of thing was only confined to the first century. We are literally in an invisible war and it requires us to fight. We fight it through various spiritual means. . . Holding faith and a good conscience . . . a clean conscience . . . a holy conscience that faith has literally imparted something to.
-What does spiritual warfare look like? The Word clearly determines that we are not fighting with flesh and blood but there are spirits that have to influence and work on flesh and blood so that they will oppose the progress of the work of God.
-If you have been in the ministry for any length of time, there is a truth that you have to accept. . . There are opponents to the holy work we are attempting to accomplish. While some of gone overboard in chasing all matter of foolishness in spiritual warfare, we would do well to remember the advice of C. S. Lewis in The Screwtape Letters. The devil either wants the church to totally ignore him or to go overboard chasing him.
-I believe what Paul said when he said that the Scriptures were given to us for “ensamples” (1 Cor. 10:11) and for our admonition and instruction. We have this wonderful message of the New Birth and it is clearly laid out for us in the Tabernacle plan. But there is far more instruction in the Old Testament and it pays us to see it through spiritual eyes.
-Don’t let those who have abused spiritual warfare in their teaching cause us to shy away from it. Perhaps the most spoken of the most is the spirit of Jezebel. But hear me out with some examples that I want to give.
• Delilah—A spirit that wants to destroy personal anointing and spiritual vitality.
• Jezebel—A spirit that wants to shut down the prophetic and kill the operation of the gifts of the Spirit.
• Athaliah (Jezebel’s daughter)—A spirit that wants to kill the oncoming generation and wipe out spiritual heritage.
-But that isn’t all that spiritual warfare looks like. For instance in the life of David there is the troubling situation that took place at Nob (1 Samuel 21). David is fleeing from Saul and when he comes to Nob, the priest, Ahimilech, asks what he is doing. David stretches the truth a bit and instead of telling him that he is fleeing from Saul, he implies that he is doing business for the king and he needs something to eat.
-Ahimilech trusts him. Before it is over, he has supplied David with some of the showbread to eat and Goliath’s sword. Over to the side of all of this is one of the darkest and nastiest characters in the Old Testament. Doeg the Edomite, the OT equivalent of Judas, goes and tells Saul what has taken place. Saul moves to Nob and kills Ahimilech.
-How many times have you given bread and swords to people whose motives weren’t right and then suffered for it? You gave them bread so they had strength for their journey and a sword so they could fight another day and then something within you died. That kind of thing goes on every week somewhere.
-But Ahimilech had a son named Abiathar who was also a priest. Even though his father died, he would become a priest who would serve David and provide him with some necessary spiritual leadership later in life.
-On the other hand, there is another scene in David’s live worth visiting to help us to see that there are positive sides to this matter of spiritual warfare. When David was enduring the curses and the rock throwing coming from Shimei (2 Samuel 16), there was a man standing nearby, Abishai, a faithful warrior, who had given David support for a long time. He was pleading with David, “Let me get my sword out, King! I will separate that man’s head from his body! All you have to do is say the word!”
-We have people who support us just like that. They are prayer warriors, intercessors, men like Onesiphorus, who minister refreshment to us and aren’t ashamed of the chains that we have to endure sometimes.
-This thing is a spiritual war!
David Frum, one of President George W. Bush’s speechwriters, wrote in his book The Right Man that when he drove home on the evening of September 11, 2001 after the tragic attack on our nation by Muslim terrorists that something grew within him. He wrote that a sudden sense of American ownership gripped him as never before. He said that suddenly the F-16’s flying overhead were his jets. The empty streets in Washington were his streets. The burning Twin Towers in New York were his towers. The smoldering Pentagon was his Pentagon. He said that when he got home, his wife and his children ran and embraced him almost in desperation. They were his family. On that night they piled up pillows and sleeping bags and all of them slept in the living room to be together. (pp. 129-130)
-There are times that the enemy would do his best to tear the church we serve to pieces. We have to stand up and say, “This is my church! This is my pulpit! This is my assignment!”
C. 1 Timothy 2:1—Give Yourself to Prayer
1 Timothy 2:1 KJV I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
-Stay in Ephesus. . . War a Good Warfare. . . One more is found in 1 Timothy 2:1. . . First of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions. . . Prayer is the neglected weapon in our generation.
-May God forgive us for neglecting the private closet of prayer. . .
John Owen—He that is more frequent in his pulpit to his people than he is in the closet for his people is a sorry watchman.
Arthur Mathews—Born For Battle—Prayer was never meant to be incidental to the work of God. It is the work of God. . . in all work for God, prayer is the working power of all that God could do through His people.
Robert Murray McCheyne—What a man is on his knees before God, that he is, and nothing more.
Matthew 6:6-13 KJV But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. [7] But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. [8] Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. [9] After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. [10] Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. [11] Give us this day our daily bread. [12] And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. [13] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
-We can prevail in prayer for those who are under our charge.
• Because spiritual warfare is unrelenting, we must pray.
• Because the days are evil, we must pray.
• Because revival demands it, we must pray.
• Because our families are protected by it, we must pray.
• Because spiritual authority comes through it, we must pray.
• Because it is a powerful weapon, we must pray.
-Prayer is hard work! We cannot simply decide to pray. . . . we have to pray! We must labor in our praying.
Colossians 4:12-13 KJV Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. [13] For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis.
-We are introduced to a man in Colossians that is frankly very obscure in the New Testament writings. In fact he is mentioned only three times. Twice in Colossians and once in Philemon. His name never enters the account of the Acts of the Apostles.
-He was a man who was willing to forgo the identity factor and was willing to be lost in the task of praying for the church. He was willing to be forgotten for the cause of the Cross. Little known in the earth but well known in Heaven.
-He spent his hours and his days prevailing in prayer. He was a comrade of Paul’s. He was an Ephesian convert but his native land was Colossae. So when the call of heightened ministry came to him, he became the pastor of the church there.
-He was a praying pastor and because of his concern for the church at Colossae he spent much time wrestling in prayer.
-Never minimize your value to your church when you are in the secret place of prayer. Your church needs it now more than ever.
• Praying for hedges to be around marriages.
• Praying for protection on the kids who are under your charge.
• Praying for all spiritual blessings (not material ones) to be on your church.
• Praying and pleading for a holy anointing to be prevalent in the house.
• Praying and pleading for the souls of those who are under your voice.
• Praying and pleading for revival to consume the carnality in the church.
-Never minimize the impact of your praying!
D. 1 Timothy 4:7—Discipline Yourself to Godliness
1 Timothy 4:7-8 KJV But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. [8] For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
1 Timothy 4:7-8 NASB But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; [8] for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
-Stay in Ephesus. . . Wage a good warfare. . . Give yourself to prayer. . . Discipline yourself to godliness.
Robert Murray McCheyne—The greatest need of my people — is my personal holiness. Take heed to yourself. Your own soul is your first and greatest care. Keep up close communion with God. Study likeness to Him in all things.
-If ever there needed to be a time for personal holiness in the life of pastors, evangelists, youth pastors, missionaries, Bible College and seminary professors, sectional officials, district officials, and general officials, it is now!
-Some would accuse us of legalism for the upholding of holiness principles and standards. However, the truest definition of legalism is anyone who has not been filled with the Spirit but is attempting to live out the mandates of Scripture.
-The reason that some have so much trouble with holiness is because they have such a low view of God and His Word. In Isaiah 6, when the royal prophet saw the train of the glory and holiness of God fill the temple, it put him prostrate before God. “I am a man of unclean lips. . . unclean mind. . . unclean life. . .” That is what getting into the holy presence of God will do to you.
-Worldliness exalts this world, holiness exalts God!
-Self-discipline starts in your spiritual life. There will be no spiritual discipline in the pew if there is no spiritual discipline in the pulpit!
-Paul is saying to this young pastor in Ephesus, “Look at the athlete and learn from his own schedule and commitment to winning and learn from it!”
-The athletes in the Olympic Games were what Paul was referring to as he addressed his son in the gospel. Yet all through the epistles, Paul used words like this were to make a difference:
• Lay aside. . .
• Fight against. . .
• Work out. . .
• Press toward. . .
• This one thing I do. . .
-He was enforcing the literal thought that no man can afford to be passive in this kind of thing called the ministry. You have to get out of bed fighting and go to bed fighting! You will have to fight against the spirit of the age and develop an appetite for God.
-Godliness is a life that seeks to please God. It is diametrically opposed to being cool, sophisticated, worldly, and so forth.
• 1 Timothy 2:2—In all godliness and dignity. Godliness is the inside and dignity is the outside.
• 1 Timothy 3:16—The mystery of godliness. It was in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. . . My life must mirror His!
• 1 Timothy 4:7-8—This is the passage we are working with now. . .
• 1 Timothy 6:3—Your doctrine should conform you to godliness.
• 1 Timothy 6:5—Godliness is not a way for men to get rich on the gospel. . .
• 1 Timothy 6:11—Flee from these things! Pursue godliness!
-Paul determines that godliness is to be a virtue of Christian character. Personal godliness is important because it inherently adds spiritual authority to our weaponry against the world, the flesh, and the devil.
IV. CONCLUSION—THE POWER OF A CALL
-We come from a long line of those who have gone before us. . .
-That is the line of men that we are following in the apostolic movement. We never outgrow our heritage. . . We outgrow the buildings and the some of the vehicles that have moved us forward but we never outgrow our apostolic doctrine and our apostolic heritage.
-My brothers. . . that is what we are being ordained into!
Philip Harrelson
April 13, 2015
