Evening Sermon

March 16, 2008

The Minister and His Work

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I don't want you to think from my sermon title tonight that this is some sermon I have prepared for or would preach to a group of men in seminary preparing to be ministers. I don't want you to think that this sermon is intended for some sort of seminar designed to teach men how to preach or to be trained in the ministry. I could easily adapt this message for that purpose, but my focus this evening is entirely you. This congregation. The people of God in the body of Christ. And though I will essentially be giving you tonight a description and definition of the work of preaching to which God has called me, that explanation of what it is I do is designed to give you instruction as you receive that ministry of the word of God from me.

Let me say at the outset, that I am thankful for your reception of my ministry, my preaching ministry. I am thankful to God that I have the opportunity to preach to you with the freedom of knowing that you receive the word as it is, the word of God, and that you appreciate the emphasis upon the authority of God speaking in his word.

The importance of that ministry of the word is well stated by our Larger Catechism, Q. 155. "How is the Word made effectual to salvation?" Answer: "The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word, an effectual means of enlightening, convincing, and humbling sinners; of driving them out of themselves, and drawing them unto Christ; of conforming them to his image, and subduing them to his will; of strengthening them against temptations and corruptions; of building them up in grace, and establishing their hearts in holiness and comfort through faith unto salvation."

"The Spirit of God makes the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word, an effectual means of" our growth in grace as Christians!" The specific work of the ministry of the word is perhaps best defined in the Old Covenant context of,

Neh. 8:8 "So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading."

That's,

I. THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD. That is what Paul refers with the simple words, "Him we preach."

We've spent several weeks on the broader subject of the glory of Christ, the preeminence of Christ, and the deity of Christ. For several weeks the focus has been upon the doctrine of Christ's divine nature and his redemptive work as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Referring to Jesus, Paul declares,

v.14 "...in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross."

And then, last week, the declaration of the mystery revealed through the apostolic ministry of Paul to the saints, Christians,

v.27 "To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

Jesus Christ is fully and completely God. From eternity, he is unchangeably divine, having in himself the fullness of the Godhead, the fullness of divinity and God-ness. And in him, we not only have the forgiveness of sins but the sure and certain hope of eternal glory, "Christ in you, the hope of glory."

And "him we preach." I want to return at the end to that focus upon that reference to preaching Christ, and begin rather with the fuller description of what it involves. Paul himself tells us what it means to preach Christ, as verse 28 continues,

v.28 "...warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom."

That's how Paul defines what it is to preach Christ. Warning and teaching. Or,

A. Admonishing and teaching. I choose the English word admonishing because it is a bit more descriptive than merely warning. The idea of the word is to correct through instruction and warning. It would be proper even to say that the word means to confront someone through verbal instruction and warning. The Greek word implies a problem to be corrected. It presumes and presupposes the need for a change in the person confronted, that there is something wrong that needs to be made right. The Greek word is often translated to admonish or to warn. Christian counselor Jay Adams summarizes the word this way, that it is the practice of "bringing God's word to bear upon people's lives in order to expose sinful patterns, to correct what is wrong, and to establish new ways of life of which God approves."

It is the same word used in the command to fathers with regard to their children, Eph. 6:4 "And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord."

Training is better translated nurture, the whole, broad process of training and educating our children. It would include both instruction and chastisement. Then admonition. The same word used in our text tonight. Verbal correction, exhortation.

Combined with this warning, this admonishment, is what Paul identifies as "teaching." Instructing. Imparting information and knowledge, an explanation or exposition. Those two things go together, hand in hand. Warning, confronting a problem with the intention of bringing about a correction. With teaching and explanation.

Turn with me to 2 Timothy 4, where Paul addresses his young disciple Timothy.

2 Tim. 4:1 "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

There even more descriptive Greek words are used, translated "convince, rebuke and exhort." With patience and careful instruction and teaching. That's what preaching is. First convince, or reprove, a relatively mild word. A mild rebuke. Then, if needed, more strongly, rebuke. There the idea is of a censure or a more sharp rebuke. And exhort, an exhortation. A call to action and response. And not merely with yelling and screaming, but with much instruction. Faithfully, patiently, with longsuffering, teach the people of God what the Bible says and how it applies to their lives. Convince, rebuke and exhort them.

That's biblical preaching! And the call is to preach the word! The word of God, the Scriptures. So we read,

2 Tim. 3:16 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Do you see some of those same words again! The Bible is profitable for doctrine, what you believe. And for reproof and correction, to change what you believe and do that is wrong. And for instruction in righteousness. How to live.

Admonishing and teaching! With,

B. The wisdom of God. v.27 "in all wisdom."

That's not man's wisdom, but the revealed wisdom of God. The fullness of God's wisdom, with the fullness of Scripture.

Paul would say of his own ministry to the Ephesians, Acts 20:20 "...I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, 21 "testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ...26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27 "For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God."

The whole counsel of God. I declared to you the whole counsel of God. All Scripture. That's the work of the ministry of the Word. With a great goal to be kept in mind, and this we often lose sight of today in our carelessness and casual approach to Christian living. The goal is a transformed life. What Paul even calls perfection.

C. The goal is your perfection. v.28

That really isn't hard to explain or to understand. It does not mean "sinless perfection," because we know that is a goal that is never achieved.

1 John 1:8 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

Sinless perfection is God's ultimate goal, and he will accomplish it himself when we are glorified, at the conclusion of this life in this age. But what about the intermediate goal, the proximate goal that is at the heart of the gospel ministry in the church throughout this age? What is that goal.

The Greek word means to reach a conclusion, to achieve a goal. It means to be brought to an end, somewhat literally to become mature, such as a boy growing into a man. It means to be made complete.

That's the goal of the ministry of the word of God among you, that you might be presented to God "perfect in Christ Jesus." Completed in the work God has planned for your life.

We've seen that idea in the verses we looked on preaching, too.

Likewise to Titus, Paul gives this instruction, Titus 2:15 "Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you."

And what things, exactly? Urge the older men to "be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience." Urge "the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things-- 4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed."

He goes on. Titus 2:6 "Likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded, 7 in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, 8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. 9 Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things."

Exhort all these different groups unto the practice of godliness.

Titus 2: 11 "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. 15 Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you."

Paul goes on in the next chapter with further exhortations, and then concludes,

Titus 3:8 "This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men."

The ministry of the Word of God is to exhort the people of God to do good works! The preaching of the whole counsel of God as it is found in the inspired Holy Scriptures has as its goal your perfection, "that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Now, having said all that, let me say this. The power to accomplish all of that is in God. The power is not in a man, either in preaching or in hearing the word. Rather, we read, v.29

Paul is striving, isn't he? He is working and laboring. All that I have said thus far describes that work. And he often speaks of the tears of his labors. Again, speaking to the Ephesians in,

Acts 20:31 "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears."

So the preacher is actively engaged and involved, but the power of God must be at work. And so we come to,

II. THE WORK OF GOD IN THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD. There must be,

A. The power of God at work in preaching. The words themselves are simple, but the concept is essential. We read of God's "working." More specifically, God's effective working, which is why I translate it "power." It is the power of God by which God accomplishes his own purpose. And so this word is used in,

Eph. 1:11 "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will."

And that same effective working power is ascribed to the Word itself in, 1 Thes. 2:13 "For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe."

The Bible is a living book, for it is the living word of the living God. And it "effectively works in you who believe."

Heb. 4:12 "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

So the work of preaching is not dependent at all upon the power of a man, the power of persuasion or the power of eloquence. The power is not dependent upon the latest techniques or methods. In fact, it's ultimately not dependent upon a man at all. And certainly not upon the words of a man. So much so that Paul himself writes,

1 Cor. 2:1 "And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God...3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

Did you catch that? Paul wanted to be sure that the foundation for the faith of his hearers was not in HIS words, not in HIS wisdom. But in the power of God. And so what he would call the foolishness of preaching is the way in which God would have the gospel to be proclaimed.

1 Cor. 1:21 "...it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe."

The proclamation of words, that's how the power of God would be made to work most effectively.

We hear often about the relatively insignificant value of words today in communication. Visuals are what is needed to communicate a message. What people see is what they learn and what they remember. A picture is worth a thousand words.

But none of that is true when it comes to the work of God in the ministry of the word. Because God's work is the determining factor in the effectiveness of ministry, and God's work, God's power is at work when a man makes a fool of himself in the eyes of the world and dares to proclaim the Word of God.

Dear friends, don't ever settle for anything less. And pray, pray desperately for God's power to be made evident whenever and wherever the word is preached.

And don't ever doubt the power of God which is at work through the foolishness of preaching. 1 Cor. 1:25 "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

One more thing about all this, but it is not just something to tack on at the end. Rather, this one last thing is what gives meaning to all that has been proclaimed thus far. And that is to go back to,

v.28 "Him we preach."

B. Preaching Christ. The Jesus whom we have studied as being preeminent in all things. The Jesus we have studied as the one in whom "all the fullness [of deity] should dwell," HIM we preach. He is your hope of glory, Christ in you, the hope of glory, according to verse 18. He is "the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints," according to verse 26. Him we preach.

Paul put it this way to those Corinthians, 1 Cor. 2:2 "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."

So we preach Christ, and what does that mean? What does it mean for Paul to preach Christ? Well, here we are back at the minister and his work.

v.28 "Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus."

Warning and teaching in all wisdom, striving to present every man perfect before God, that's what it means to preach Christ. Because all warnings, all teaching, any possibility of equipping hearers to do every good work, can only be done by the blessing of God's power at work in preaching. And that blessing will only be received if, in fact, it is Jesus who is proclaimed.

So that is what takes place here in this church as we gather together from week to week. If I may join my words to those of the Apostle, I would do so with all appropriate humility,

v.29 "To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me." v.28 "Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus."

May God's blessings be upon us.

Heb. 13:20 "Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever."

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