The Eight-Point Preacher – Part 2
1 Timothy 4:15-16
April 25, 2010
Last week we began studying this text in which “The Preacher” is in view.
1 Timothy is a letter dedicated to the explanation
Of what God’s church is supposed to look like.
It is a letter written, “so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”
And so as this letter is written
Evaluating the various roles and offices of the church,
It is only obvious that a section would be included
That evaluated the preacher.
While the elders were supposed to be men who were “able to teach”,
The role of preacher is not to be confused with those.
Certainly the preacher was an elder, but obviously one
Who was specifically gifted for proclaiming the word of God.
And God is very particular about what this man is supposed to be.
Throughout Scripture we see God
Very adamant about those who speak for Him.
To Ezekiel God said:
Ezekiel 2:3-7 “Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. “I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ “As for them, whether they listen or not — for they are a rebellious house — they will know that a prophet has been among them. “And you, son of man, neither fear them nor fear their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; neither fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house. “But you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.”
To Jeremiah God said:
Jeremiah 1:17-19 “Now, gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all which I command you. Do not be dismayed before them, or I will dismay you before them. “Now behold, I have made you today as a fortified city and as a pillar of iron and as walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its princes, to its priests and to the people of the land. “They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.”
And from both of those callings one catches a glimpse
Of both the difficulty of the job,
And the expectation of God in the midst of that difficulty.
God expects those whom He appoints
To proclaim His words, regardless of the conflict.
And make no mistake, He is watching.
James said:
James 3:1 “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.”
And as for those who do it poorly, God is most certainly not pleased.
Jeremiah 23:25-32 “I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy falsely in My name, saying, ‘I had a dream, I had a dream!’ “How long? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, even these prophets of the deception of their own heart, who intend to make My people forget My name by their dreams which they relate to one another, just as their fathers forgot My name because of Baal? “The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the LORD. “Is not My word like fire?” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock? “Therefore behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the LORD, “who steal My words from each other. “Behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the LORD, “who use their tongues and declare, ‘The Lord declares.’ “Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams,” declares the LORD, “and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit,” declares the LORD.”
We are reminded that accepting the call to preach is not enough.
Once a man surrenders, there are expectations he must meet.
These are not man’s expectations, these are God’s expectations.
And here in verses 11-16 of 1 Timothy 4
Paul lists 8 of those expectations to Timothy.
These are the standard by which God measures the preacher, and therefore those by which a preacher of God’s Word is to measure himself.
We saw the first four last week.
1) HE PREACHES TRUTH
(11) “Prescribe and teach these things.”
Obviously referring to the truths about apostasy and the growing heresy Timothy should know that God’s spokesman is not allowed to be silent.
He is called to preach, and that is what he must do.
And he must not just preach what the people want to hear.
He must preach what the people need to hear.
He is to preach “these things”.
God expects that the man who answers the call to preach will do just that.
2) HE IS SPIRITUALLY MATURE
(12) “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself and example of those who believe.”
This is not a verse scolding the aged for disdaining the young.
This is a verse admonishing the young to understand that
Their age actually works against them in the ministry.
They don’t have the luxury of “Common Assumption” on their side.
When people see a gray headed preacher in his 60’s or 70’s
They automatically assume he is weathered and tested,
And that his theology is accurate, and that he is trustworthy.
But when they see a young preacher (like Timothy) that is not the case. He is often times assumed to be naïve, inexperienced, and shallow.
That meant that Timothy was going to have strive harder
To put his spiritual maturity on display.
He would have to earn their respect through display of spiritual maturity.
In that we learned that the preacher must be spiritually mature
If he is to be effective in his preaching.
3) HE FOCUSES ON ESSENTIALS
(13) “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.”
Paul said nothing of hospital ministry, administrative workshops, convention work, or community involvement.
There are all sorts of venues that can distract a preacher,
Steal his time, and grave his attention.
God’s preacher must be guarded against it.
His calling is clear.
Proclaim the Word
Explain the Word
Apply the Word
It echoes the statement of Peter, “It is not good that we neglect the word of God in order to wait tables…but we will devote ourselves to the ministry of the word and to prayer.”
He must be focused on the essential work of proclaiming God’s word.
4) HE SUBMITS TO THE SPIRIT
(14) “Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.”
And the simple reminder here is that God has not only called,
But has also gifted the preacher to preach,
And so being a preacher is not an option, it is a duty.
Many think that Timothy was debating quitting at this point,
And Paul is reminding him that if God has gifted him to preach,
He will never be in the will of God unless he is preaching.
God’s Spirit has chosen to manifest Himself in Timothy as a preacher
And therefore only by preaching can Timothy fully obey God.
God’s preacher must submit to be what God calls him to be,
And of course he must preach where God calls him to preach.
And those are the first four expectations that God has for the preacher.
Tonight we see the final four.
He Preaches Truth He is Spiritually Mature
He Focuses on Essentials He Submits to the Spirit
#5 HE WORKS HARD AND IMPROVES
1 Timothy 4:15
You really have to appreciate the terminology Paul uses here.
“Take pains with these things”
“No Pain, No Gain”
As we have said there are many truths of Scripture
That do not easily yield themselves to the surface.
And there is no other way to mine out those truths except with labor.
Part of that labor is reading…
Part of that labor is meditation…
Part of that labor is seeking in prayer…
It is certainly not physical labor, but it is labor none the less.
It is mental anguish and it is absolutely required.
God knows the difficulties found in searching out His word,
Yet He expects that the preacher will exert the effort necessary.
In his second letter Paul tells Timothy:
2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”
Of himself Paul said:
1 Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”
2 Corinthians 11:23 “Are they servants of Christ? — I speak as if insane — I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death.”
Colossians 1:28-29 “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”
Many today have assumed the life of a preacher to be a life of vacation
And that reputation is probably earned,
But it is most definitely not the way God intended it.
God’s preacher is called to work hard at preaching.
Not only that but Paul says he must “be absorbed in them”
It carries the idea of a man possessed or consumed with his work.
Today people talk about the fact that a healthy lifestyle
Requires a person to separate his job from his personal life.
And I’ve heard preachers talk about this as well.
• I hang my problems on the problem tree.
• I changed my clothes.
And while our worries should be given to God,
A preacher can never fully put aside his preaching.
His sermon is always on his mind.
He cannot lay it aside, he cannot put it on the shelf, thinks of it continually
BECAUSE IT IS A PART OF WHO HE IS.
AND PAUL EXPLAINS WHY A PREACHER MUST THINK THIS WAY.
“so that your progress will be evident to all.”
Contentment is the fastest killer of progress a preacher will ever see.
No preacher has ever arrived.
We are talking about the depths of the word of God.
Can any preacher actually sit back and say, “I’ve got it all figured out?”
Can any preacher sit back and say, “I preach so good, that God couldn’t do it any better?”
No way!
Paul said:
Philippians 3:12-14 “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
This is the same mindset that every preacher has to have.
He has to be so consumed with getting better…
So consumed with being accurate…
So consumed with being faithful…
So consumed with making a difference…
That his passion drives him to work harder, study deeper,
Meditate longer, and to do it all more often.
God expects that His preacher will work hard to improve.
#6 HE EVALUATES HIMSELF
1 Timothy 16a
“Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching;”
We are all aware of the constant need
For self-evaluation in the Christian life.
2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the test?”
If this is true for the Christian in the pew, how much more necessary is it for the Christian in the pulpit?
HIS LIFE MUST BE UNDER CONSTANT EVALUATION
And furthermore he must continually evaluate his “teaching”
It is one thing to be wrong when you tell someone how to bake a cake.
It is one thing to be wrong when you tell someone how to fix a car.
It is even one thing to be wrong when you tell someone how to treat an illness.
But if you are the one who is telling people
How to be right with God you had better be right.
(Your teaching is most certainly under the scrutiny of God)
But it must be under yours as well.
Doctrinal error should be the absolute greatest fear
That a preacher faces on a daily basis.
Angry listeners are insignificant compared to deceived listeners.
If a man doesn’t tell the truth, then he is not being a faithful watchman
And the blood of those who listen is most definitely upon his hands.
It is not ok for a preacher to not preach the truth.
#7 HE DOESN’T QUIT
1 Timothy 4:16b
“Persevere in these things”
There will be times when the opposition is intimidating…
There will be times with the task is daunting…
There will be times when the results are discouraging…
PRESS ON
This is the very heart of why Paul wrote 2 Timothy.
2 Timothy 1:8 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,”
2 Timothy 2:1-3 “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”
2 Timothy 3:12-15 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
2 Timothy 4:1-2 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”
God’s preacher cannot get discouraged, he must persevere
In his preaching, in his study, in his evaluation.
And this is really one of the most difficult things.
Listen to Isaiah.
Isaiah 6:8-13 “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.” Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered, “Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant, Houses are without people And the land is utterly desolate, “The LORD has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. “Yet there will be a tenth portion in it, And it will again be subject to burning, Like a terebinth or an oak Whose stump remains when it is felled. The holy seed is its stump.”
Listen to Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 15:18 “Why has my pain been perpetual And my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will You indeed be to me like a deceptive stream With water that is unreliable?”
And God answered him.
Jeremiah 15:19-21 “Therefore, thus says the LORD, “If you return, then I will restore you — Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them. “Then I will make you to this people A fortified wall of bronze; And though they fight against you, They will not prevail over you; For I am with you to save you And deliver you,” declares the LORD. “So I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, And I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent.”
Over and over and over we see it.
God’s preacher must learn to persevere.
About a year and ½ ago I was at a point of discouragement.
(A pity party can do that to a person)
And I read an article by John MacArthur called “Keys to an Enduring Ministry”
I now keep it in my desk and read it periodically.
One point was
“2. Learn to be patient. Humble patience with people may be the most important virtue you will ever exercise. After all, your goal as a pastor should be to bring the convictions of your congregation into line with the full message of God’s Word, and their lives to spiritual maturity. And this is a process of sanctification that takes time (decades not just months or years). It only comes from trusting the Spirit’s power in using His Word as it is faithfully preached week after week, year after year.”
In short, it takes perseverance.
God expects it of His preachers.
#8 HE REALIZES WHAT IS AT STAKE
1 Timothy 4:16c
“for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”
If you haven’t noticed, Paul just brought us back full circle.
He opened the chapter with this statement.
(1) “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,”
AND HOW DID PAUL PROPOSE THAT WE FIGHT SUCH A PROBLEM?
He turned to the preacher.
I know it is not a fun topic to think about,
But the Bible promises that false brethren are a reality.
• Some are there, and do not even realize what they are.
• Others know they are lost, and work to deceive.
These are the ones Jude warned about who have “crept in unnoticed”
But regardless if the false brethren are deceived or are deceivers
The Bible promises that they are here none the less.
They are not easily spotted.
The tares look a lot like the wheat.
Jude calls them “hidden reefs in your love feasts”
And the real question is what do we do about them?
The answer: preach word.
There is nothing like it.
Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”
I may not be able to spot the false brethren are, but the Holy Spirit can.
I may not be able to confront a false brother, but the Holy Spirit can.
And when God’s Word is preached,
That is precisely what the Holy Spirit does.
He confronts those who are false.
He exposes them for what they are.
He calls them unto salvation.
Richard Jackson said, “That first year we baptized 18 or those 14, I’m not even sure all of them were saved.”
The point is, it is impossible to fully know
Who is and who is not a true child of God.
But you do know that they are not all real. (for scripture says so)
And the only way to address the problem is to preach the truth.
Preach on apostasy…
Preach on false assurance…
Preach on genuine salvation…
Preach on the fruit of salvation…
“for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”
The only way to reach someone steeped in false belief
Is for the Holy Spirit of God to reach into his heart and draw him.
But if the preacher assumes that his entire congregation is ok,
And they don’t need to hear it,
He is condemning those false brothers who have fooled him.
The stakes are high, and the preacher has to be aware of that.
He has to hit the pulpit
Worried about the salvation of everyone who hears.
And he has to be convicted that the only thing that can change their eternal destiny is for them to hear the word of God.
Romans 10:13-14 “for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”
That is the question ever echoing through his mind.
This is what God expects from those He calls to preach.
• He Preaches Truth
• He is Spiritually Mature
• He Focuses on Essentials
• He Submits to the Spirit
• He Works Hard and Improves
• He Evaluates Himself
• He Doesn’t Quit
• He Realizes What is at Stake
Never expect anything less in your preacher,
Or any other preacher,
Than that which God expects from him.
1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”
