First, let me thank the ladies for doing that little part that goes along.
! How many of you like that? I just absolutely love it.
! I mean, I get cold chills on a lot of different things.
That's one of them. It's just like, wow!
That's a blessing.
Open your Bibles this morning to Ephesians chapter 4, verse 11.
Let me read the passage, and then you join me in prayer.
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers.
Father God, this morning as we take your word and we hold it in our hands and we put our eyes upon this text,
we're reminded of what it says in 1 Corinthians chapter 2,
that we need the enabling of the Spirit of God to understand these truths,
to revel in them,
to rejoice in your goodness,
in the wisdom and plan that you ordained,
not only in saving us, but in putting us together into a body
that we,
as a body under the headship of Christ,
should bring glory to the Son.
and we're thankful that not only did you put that plan in place,
but Lord, you also have chosen to reveal it to us in your word
that we, your children,
being well informed by the Scriptures and enabled by the Spirit,
may know the joy
that comes with being part of your body
and part of your plan,
actively engaged for your glory
and looking forward to every opportunity
where the name and testimony of Christ
might be lifted up.
Father, we ask that as we study the Scriptures this morning,
that you would be pleased with the attention of our heart
and then the outcome of we,
who are your children growing in grace,
and those who are here that do not know Christ,
we ask, Lord, that they would be drawn to the cross.
And that's our prayer together.
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Let me begin by giving you a little bit of an overview this morning
of what our text is going to address.
We find that Ephesians chapter 4 is an extended passage.
Actually, Ephesians chapter 4, verse 1 through 16
is an extended passage in which the apostle wants us to understand
how important unity is in the body of Christ.
You'll remember that Ephesians chapter 1 through 3
explains what Christ has done in saving us
and then Ephesians chapter 4 through 6 explain what we are to do
as a result of our salvation.
He saves us.
He draws us together for His glory
and He then expects us to walk in such a fashion
that He is the one that is exalted and glorified in that.
And it's very interesting that at the very beginning when Paul then launches into this explanation of,
all right, since you've been saved, how are you to live?
The first thing that he comes up with is not,
well, here's what your haircut's supposed to be like
or here's how you're supposed to wear a tie.
He starts out by saying,
you who are part of the family of God are to be united.
And when we stop and really think about it,
that issue of unity has legs to it.
And what I mean by that is that it has a long history
because from the very beginning,
when sin entered the garden,
division and separation and distance from one another
was the first outcome of sin,
at least publicly.
And so we can understand why,
in keeping with that pattern that we find there in Genesis,
that the first interest of the Spirit of God
is that we who are His people understand
the priority and the significance of the matter of unity.
And so as we looked here at our lesson,
we find out earlier as we've studied
that He puts us together
and He puts us under His headship
and then He gifts us.
And we're going to take a couple minutes here
and talk about the overview of gifts
and then we're going to deal in greater detail
with verse 11 that touches on servant gifts.
My primary objective this morning
in talking about the issue of gifts
is not to go deeply into it
because that would take me into the 12s and the 4s.
How many of you remember what I said last week?
I'm sure you do.
That it's easy to track down where spiritual gifts are
because they're stuck with the 12s and 4s.
We find it in Romans chapter 12.
We find it in 1 Corinthians chapter 12.
We find it in Ephesians chapter 4.
And we find it in 1 Peter chapter 4.
And so as you look at the broad picture of spiritual gifts,
we're not going to take the details together,
but we do want to pay attention to the broader look.
And we find that there are actually three different categories
of spiritual gifts in the New Testament.
There are temporary sign gifts,
such as miracles, prophetic utterances, and tongues.
And I'm fully persuaded that the purpose of those sign gifts
was undeniably so that the ministry of the Word
or the message could undeniably articulate it
and clearly understood by people.
I'm in the process of reading through the book of John
over and over again by way of preparation
for eventually, Lord willing, teaching it here.
And one of the things that I've been struck by
is how many times after Jesus performed a miracle,
He said, hey, this miracle is there as a testimony of who I am.
And in the Scriptures, as you look at the subject
of temporary sign gifts, you recognize that they came along
at particular times when the message was something
that needed to be articulated in a very clear and persuasive way
in a particular setting, and it happened.
During the time of Moses, during the time of two of the main prophets,
and then during the New Testament time,
during the time of Jesus and the apostles.
We understand, secondly, that there are permanent service gifts,
and those are the ones that we note in Romans chapter 12
and 1 Corinthians chapter 12.
There are gifts that are given to individuals in the body,
and I recognize the Scriptures make it clear
that when a person comes to Christ,
they are given specific gifts for service.
They're things that are given to you so that you can be,
you have a place, you have a part,
you have a role in the body of Christ,
and there's no such thing, theologically speaking anyway.
Now, what do I mean by theologically speaking?
In other words, the Scripture doesn't see
disconnected floaters in church.
It's like, hey, you are given this gift,
and His intention is that you actively employ that gift
in doing something in the body of Christ.
There's no intention in Christ's heart for unemployed saints.
You're gifted, and you're called to use that in the body.
Permanent service gifts are part of what help us together
do the work of Christ so that Christ is glorified.
And we do better together than we do alone.
Do you understand that?
Perfect illustration would be when I,
this morning I'm sitting over here on the front
and just listening to that little part
where the men sing their part and then the women.
And I'm just thinking, so what if the women decided,
well, I'm not doing that today?
What would happen in the mind of the average guy
when he's kind of waiting for that lovely, light little,
and I've got an attitude today,
and I'm not going to serve Christ by singing my part.
And I was like, what is your problem?
Would you agree with me, guys?
You'd nudge your wife and say, get with it, do your thing.
That's part of the role of a pastor is, you know,
saying to dear saints, get with it, do your thing, right?
So permanent service gifts are there to minister
to the glory of Christ in one another.
Well, then there's a third little category of servant gifts,
and that is actually service gifts.
There's a third category of gifts.
It is the servant gift, and that is what we are looking at
in Ephesians 4, verse 11.
Paul, as he's writing to the body,
talking about the fact that they are to be united
into the body of Christ,
and they are to use their gifts for God's glory,
he also reminds them,
I have given you individuals to help you with that.
And that's what we're going to focus on here.
As we get into the lesson,
one of the things that I want you to mark
at the very beginning in verse 11,
it says,
he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists,
the shepherds and teachers.
And so what we understand is that verse 11 is about servants
given to the church by his direct will
and for his purposes.
Just as the service gifts discussed in Romans 12
and 1 Corinthians 12
are given according to divine choice
and grace for the body's sake,
so those that he appoints to be servants in the body
are gifts that are given directly by him.
His servants, and I think it's important to remember
and understand,
are really tokens of his love
and evidences of his care.
In the larger context,
when you think about the things
that Christ has given to us,
we recognize that those gifts
are things that indicate his grace
and indicate his love.
I'll never forget,
one of the books that I read as a young pastor
was a book called
The Christian Ministry by Charles Bridges
written by a Puritan.
And in the flow of that book,
he made the comment
that a pastor is to be a living illustration
of the love of Christ.
And when individuals ask themselves
that practical question,
how do I know that Jesus loves me?
One of the thoughts that they should think
if a pastor is doing his work
is they should think,
I know Jesus loves me
because my pastor is an illustration of it.
I want you to look over in your Bibles
just for a moment to 1 Corinthians chapter 13.
1 Corinthians chapter 13 identifies
that we can be pretty brilliant,
we can be pretty successful,
we can be pretty significant,
but without love,
we are really not meeting the standard
that God has set.
1 Corinthians chapter 13,
If I speak with the tongues of men
and of angels but do not have love,
I'm a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
How many of you do not like it
when your car alarm goes off?
Or try it this way,
when somebody else in the neighborhood's
car alarm goes off,
bam, bam, bam,
and you're thinking what?
Get out there and fix it.
Well, here's what it says.
If I speak with the tongues of men
and of angels and I do not have love,
I am an irritating car alarm.
If I have prophetic powers
and understand all mysteries
and all knowledge
and I have all faith
so as to remove mountains
but do not have love,
I'm nothing.
I'm irrelevant.
And I think it's important for us
to recognize that
you may be excellent at this or that
or the other thing,
but here's the thing
that is the gold standard of ministry.
It is a genuine love
for those who God has called you to care for.
Is that something that happens naturally
in any person's heart?
What's the answer?
Not at all.
It is the work of grace
and the power of His Spirit
working to mold and shape a person's heart
that He cares and genuinely has an affection
for those who God's called Him
to be a shepherd to.
Allow me to make one more comment
about those that are called
to be gifted servants of the bride.
Each of the offices
that we are going to look at here
and go back to Ephesians chapter 4 verse 11,
each of these offices
have one particular thing in common
and I want you to pay attention
to that particular thing.
The apostle, the prophet,
the evangelist, shepherds and teachers
all are directly connected to the Word.
Each office is directly connected
to the proclamation
and to the teaching of the Word.
Each office calls for a dependence upon the Word
and a submission to the Word.
At the heart of what God calls
each individual to do
in the pastoral ministry
and in any of the offices
that are spoken of here,
it is to depend upon His Word
and to speak it with clarity
and with persuasion.
I am reminded of several different passages
that make the matter of the significance
of the Word a priority
both in the Old Testament
and in the New Testament.
I want you to think with me
just for a moment
of one of the illustrations
that we find over in Deuteronomy chapter 17
verse 18.
Deuteronomy chapter 17 verse 18.
You don't need to turn to it,
make a reference and go to it later.
But in Deuteronomy chapter 17, 18,
Moses is speaking to the nation of Israel.
He says, listen, when the day comes
that you have a king,
one of the things that I want the king to do
is I want him to make a handwritten copy
of the law
and he is to keep it by him
and he is to rely upon the law
so that he follows the law.
It is the law ultimately
that reigns in a person's life
and reigns in a nation
otherwise we are drifting into the abyss.
The other passage that I often recite to myself
is over in Malachi chapter 2 verse 7
and I want you to turn there just for a moment
when you stop and think about
what you ought to hear from any man
who ever stands behind this pulpit.
It is the word of God.
Look at Malachi chapter 2 verse 7.
You may want to underline it.
How many of you have this underlined in your Bible?
I hope you do.
I would encourage you to underline it.
I'll never forget.
Well, this is a story I tell on myself.
I'll never forget being part of a church
that was going through the process
of calling a pastor
and one of the candidates came up to the pulpit
and brought with him
a stack of about seven different books.
He had the Bible tucked in there somewhere
but he kept on making reference to this book,
that book, the other book
and so where's the word?
Where's the word?
You look here in Malachi chapter 2 verse 7
and it spells out
what you are to hear from a pastor's mouth.
For the lips of the priest should guard knowledge
and people should seek instruction from his mouth.
Now here's the part.
For he is the, what?
Messenger of the Lord of hosts.
He is the one responsible for giving God's message.
How many of you know what God's message is?
It happens to be between the covers of the Bible.
If I came to you and said,
God said and I didn't give you a passage and a reference,
you know what you ought to think?
Where's a rock?
Okay.
Now you probably give me a break and say,
Pastor, are you meaning to speak like that?
Give me a little chance, but here's the deal.
Ultimately, those who are shepherds,
those who are speaking for Christ,
you can identify what they have to say from the Bible itself.
In the New Testament,
we find the significance of the word
in a number of different places,
and you're there in Ephesians chapter 2,
so I want you to look back to verse 20 and 27.
Ephesians chapter 2,
he says this,
you're built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone.
And we find there that the thing that is the foundation
of this teaching of the word
is what Jesus said
and what the apostles and prophets had to say.
Look at another passage
where we see this kind of spelled out,
and it's in Acts chapter 27,
Acts chapter 20, verse 27.
Turn there if you will.
I think Ephesians is going to show up on the screen.
That's not what I want.
Acts chapter 20, verse 27.
This is Paul as he is giving his concluding speech
to actually the elders of Ephesus.
And there in verse 27,
he speaks of his ministry,
and he says this,
listen,
he says,
he says this,
for I did not shrink from declaring to you
the whole counsel of God.
In other words,
my ministry to you
was one that actively declared
what God had,
you want to know what the pastor's ministry is?
It's to tell you what God says.
And then over in verse 32,
he says,
and now I commend you to God
and to the word of his grace,
which is able to build you up
and to give you the inheritance
among all those who are sanctified.
I think also of 2 Peter,
if you'll go there just for a moment,
2 Peter chapter 1, verse 12.
And what we're looking at
is the fact that pastoral ministry
is always directly connected
to the word of God
and to making it clear.
2 Peter chapter 1, verse 12.
It was revealed to them
that they were servants
not themselves but you.
They were serving not themselves but you
in the things
that have now been announced to you
through those who preached
the good news to you
by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven,
things unto which angels
long to look.
They were speaking the word of God
to God's people,
and that was their ministry.
I think also of the passage
over in 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 2,
where the apostle is giving
his final statements to Timothy
who had been serving
as the pastor at Ephesus,
and as he is summarizing his work,
his pastoral work,
he says,
listen,
I give you this charge
before Christ
will judge the living and the dead.
He said,
preach the word.
And that word preach
is an interesting word
because what it's saying is
announce with earnestness
and persuasion and sincerity
exactly what God has to say.
Well, let's look a little more carefully
at the individual offices.
So turn back in your Bible,
if you would,
to Ephesians chapter 4
and understand that there are
two different kinds of offices
that are spoken of.
Let's look at them
a little more carefully.
For one, we understand
that there are temporary roles
of the apostle and prophet.
Christ gave the church,
apostles and prophets,
both offices,
which were for a period of time
and were directly connected
to establishing
the New Testament canon.
How many of you understand
what the word canon means?
It doesn't mean boom.
It means the 29 books
that make up the New Testament.
That is referred to
as the canon of the New Testament.
And once the New Testament canon
had been established,
once those 29 books
had been given
through apostolic writing
to the church,
the ministry of the apostle
and the prophet
then passed from the scene.
Now, I want you to understand
that what the word apostle means
is a sent one.
And it was used
in the legal
terms of the day.
It was used of someone
who actually had
power of attorney.
I remember when Judith
and I were younger
and we were going to be gone
for a period of time
and we asked,
I think,
Jack McEverkin,
for one,
to be power of attorney
for our children.
If we both had died
in a plane wreck,
Jack was going to take over.
He was going to take care
of our children.
And we had to sign
a legal document
that said,
in our demise,
he has authority
to act in our behalf.
A person who was an apostle
was one who acted
in Christ's behalf.
And more particularly,
the word was used
to refer to a person
who was directly commissioned
by Christ himself
as his representative
during the formation
of the faith.
One of the things
that we bump into now
is the idea
that there are modern-day
apostles floating around today
that have apostolic power
and are actually apostles
of Jesus Christ.
And that is not true.
There are only 12 men
who were appointed
by Christ
to be his apostles.
Now, I would be one
who would say
that of those 12,
Paul is the one
who gets the nod,
not Matthias.
Now, you can have it
either way.
We'll find out
when we get to heaven.
But I do want you
to look in your Bible
to Revelation chapter 21,
verse 14.
How do I know
that there are only
12 apostles
of the Lord Jesus Christ
formally commissioned
to do his work
as an apostle?
Revelation chapter 21,
verse 14.
And the wall of the city
had 12 foundations,
and on them were the,
what's the next word?
12 names
of the 12 apostles
of the Lamb.
How many?
12.
No more.
The eternal city
will only have
the names of 12 men
who were appointed
to be the apostles
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And you can recognize
that those 12 men
are in an exclusive category.
There's another indication
that the Bible
has no space
for the idea
of apostolic succession.
You know what I mean
by apostolic succession?
The idea that,
well,
the apostles
handed off
the responsibility
to somebody else.
Let me have you again.
And by the way,
you are not here
to hear my opinion.
Do you understand that?
Nod your head.
We're not interested
in your opinion.
We're interested
in what the Bible teaches.
And so,
I want you to turn
in your Bible,
if you would,
to a passage
that deals with this subject
and look,
if you would,
at Acts 12,
verse 2.
We're recognizing
that there's only
12 apostles
of the Lord Jesus
and there was
no apostolic succession.
Acts,
chapter 12.
By the way,
who was John's brother,
also an apostle?
They were called
the sons of thunder?
James.
What happened
to James
in chapter 12
is that he was
what?
Executed.
About that time,
Herod the king
laid violent hands
on some who belonged
to the church.
He killed James,
the brother of John,
with the sword.
Do we have any indication
that the church,
after the murder
of James,
decided,
oh, oh, oh, oh,
we need some apostle
to replace James?
What did they do?
They were down one.
And as the apostles
died off,
the apostolic office
came to a conclusion.
I want you to recognize
also that we find
that in the New Testament,
going back to that passage
in Ephesians chapter 4,
it says there
he gave the apostles,
he gave the prophets.
And in the Old Testament,
the prophets were those
who foretold
and forthtold.
And one of the things
that the prophets
would often say,
in fact,
invariably they would say,
to identify
their common speech
from that which was
divinely appointed,
they would say
something like this,
thus saith the Lord.
And when they said that,
they were making it clear
that they were speaking
directly according
to the direction of God.
They weren't just kind of
freewheeling it
and ad-libbing it.
This is what God
wanted His people to hear.
And these individuals
were divinely enabled
to declare God's Word.
In the New Testament,
prophets were individuals
who were given to the church
during the time
prior to the completion
of the 29 books
of the New Testament.
And these individuals
were empowered
in much the same way,
more so to teach
and proclaim the Word
rather than to give
prophetic utterance.
Now, both the apostles
and the prophets,
divinely appointed by Christ,
had the right and authority
to say,
thus saith the Lord,
and be heard that way.
By the way,
those who profess today
that they have
the same divine power
ought to think very carefully
about several different passages
in relationship
to saying,
God told me,
or I'm telling you
this is what God wants.
How many of you
bumped into people
that claim to have
prophetic authority
and power today?
Well, let's look at
two different passages
in relationship to that.
Turn back in your Bible
to Deuteronomy chapter 18.
We're looking not
at the only illustration
of this statement,
but one that is,
I think, undeniably clear.
Deuteronomy chapter 18,
verse 20 and 22.
But the prophet
who presumes to speak
a word in my name
that I have not commanded
him to speak,
or who speaks in the name
of other gods,
that same prophet shall die.
And if you say in your heart,
how we may know
that the word
that the Lord
has not spoken,
how can you tell
this person's not
a prophet of God?
Look at verse 22.
When a prophet speaks
in the name of the Lord,
if the word does not
come to pass
or come true,
that is a word
that the Lord
has not spoken.
So how many times
does a person
who professes
to be a prophet of God
get to get it wrong?
How many?
One.
Because the outcome
of saying,
thus saith the Lord,
everybody says,
all right,
the clock is ticking,
I'm picking up stones,
and if it doesn't happen,
you're toast.
Hmm?
How many of you
have picked up
the little controller
and channel surfed
and had different individuals
on the TV
that have said
they're prophets of God?
If the church
actually exercised
the understanding
of Scriptures,
we'd have fewer people
doing that.
Turn back in your Bible
also to Revelation
chapter 22,
verse 19.
Revelation chapter 22,
verse 19.
If anyone takes away
from the words
of the book
of this prophecy,
God will take away
his share
in the tree of life
and the holy city
which are described
in this book.
Okay?
So we understand
you're not to add,
you're not to take away,
you're not to mess
with the revelation
of God.
God has given it
and it was his place
to give that understanding
and instruction
to his apostles
and to his prophets.
Now let's go
to Ephesians chapter 4
and understand
the permanent roles
of the evangelist
and the pastor
and teacher.
Ephesians chapter 4,
we're looking there
at verse 11,
it says that
he gave
the evangelists.
Now I do want you
to notice
that it's
the apostles,
it is the prophets,
it is the evangelists
and I want you
to understand
that an evangelist
is one who travels
from place to place
sharing the gospel.
While every believer,
every one of us
here this morning
are called
to be witnesses
of his grace
and we are to gladly
talk about his power
to save us
and draw us
out of the darkness
of our condition,
nevertheless,
there are those
who he has
gifted
to be evangelists.
There are individuals
who bring the gospel
and make it clear
and people come
to Christ.
Christ has used
and will continue
to use
until he comes back
appointed evangelists
to win people
to the gospel,
to start churches,
to cross oceans
and share
the good news.
I think one of the
best examples
of that
in our modern day
is Billy Graham.
I was doing
a little bit
of research
in terms of his ministry
and this man
has ministered
the gospel
in a formal setting
for over 66 years.
in that time
whether he's been
preaching in auditoriums
or stadiums
or wherever
different kind of places
he has had
an opportunity
of having over
2 billion people
hear him present
the gospel.
I do want to remind you
that we are in prayer
and we're looking forward
to what will perhaps
be Billy Graham's
last evangelistic outreach
and it's going to be
different than most
of the others.
In the past
he would come to a city
and he would go
to a place
like a stadium
and he would rent
that place
and you'd have
a gathering of people
to that place.
This time
he is going to
preach the gospel
and he's going to
present his message
probably in a studio
somewhere.
It's going to be
recorded
but then sometime
during November
during a series
of days
he is going to
present the gospel
and the encouragement
that I want you
to pray about
and then think about
how you can make
it work
is I want you
to invite people
who are your friends
and neighbors
you don't go to
Cooper Stadium
to hear Billy Graham
you go to your house
and they're on TV
you can have
Billy Graham
present a simple
gospel message
and then when it's over
you get to step on
and say hey listen
let me tell you
what Jesus did for me
and you get to talk
as well
and just share
the simple truth
of how Christ
brought you out
of the hopelessness
of your estate
and gave you
the joy of salvation
we think about evangelists
we think about the fact
that God has appointed
some to travel
around the place
and share the gospel
that brings us then
in Ephesians chapter 4
verse 11
to the last little part
it says
the shepherds
and teachers
now there have been
some arguments
or disputes
I wouldn't call them
arguments
no stone throwing here
but there are those
who have the idea
that shepherds
and teachers
are two separate
individuals
I don't think
that is supported
by the text
and I'll tell you why
because we look
at the little word
the
which is named
how many times
how many the's
do you find
in this passage
I'm holding up
your fingers
my fingers
so you can see
there are four the's
definite articles
they're identifying offices
the apostle
the prophet
the evangelist
the pastor
teacher
and so if you're
to describe
what this office
is that is being
spoken of
it is identifying
the fact
that there is
one individual
who serves
in both capacities
he is a shepherd
and he is a teacher
one of the things
that I periodically
have individuals
say to me
is okay
okay
how do you want
to be titled
I have friends
that eventually
occasionally call me
bishop
I don't like bishop
now there's nothing
wrong with calling
me a bishop
because the word
prosbuteros
is there in the
Greek
and I have to
live with it
but it just
I like shepherd
my son-in-law
calls me bishop
every now and then
he can get away
with it
it's alright
but the truth
of the matter
is if you ask me
what would I
prefer to be called
I would prefer
to be called
pastor
and the reason
is because
God made me
a shepherd
I do my
shepherd thing
and I want you
to understand
that when he
is speaking
of this servant
as a shepherd
the Holy Spirit
is pointing
to the responsibility
that a pastor
has of staying
with those
Christ has appointed
him to care for
and leading
protecting
correcting
and feeding
the shepherd
is never the owner
of the flock
the shepherd
is one
who is a servant
of the Lord
Jesus Christ
and serves
in his stead
and for his good
a faithful shepherd
cares for the
beloved of Christ
and models his love
to the people
that Christ loves
I want you to
recognize that a
faithful shepherd
is a divine gift
from the body
and is under
assignment from
the chief shepherd
if you want to
know why I'm here
I am here
because Christ
sent me here
we are praying
asking God
to bring us
a family youth
pastor
and one of the
things that I
pray for
is Lord
you send us
your man
I was talking
with a dear
pastor
I'm getting hot
so bear with me
I was talking
with a dear
pastor
that they
have been
looking for
a family
youth pastor
much the same
way as we
have
for 18
months
18 months
and the
congregation
there
has begun
to become
a little bit
impatient
and that
dear pastor
has said
to them
on more
than one
occasion
listen
we can
fill this
position
very quickly
but if
we are
precipitous
and we do
not wait
on the
Lord
we will
not have
God's
man
and we
will
be
sorry
I want
to tell
you
thank you
that you
have not
been
impatient
we are
looking
for a
man
who is
sent
from
God
we
don't
know
who
he
is
yet
but
every
now
and then
when
Tim
Kenoyer
gets a
little
frustrated
and I
so
appreciate
the parents
and our
youth
leaders
they're
doing a
great
job
I
remind
myself
that
Jesus
loves
this
body
more
than
I
do
and
he
has
somebody
out
there
and
he
will
provide
in
his
time
I
think
about
what
it
says
in
1
Peter
chapter
5
where
the
apostle
Peter
writes
to
those
who
would
be
shepherds
!
He
says
feed
the
flock
of
God
and
I'm
reminded
that
my
responsibility
is to
care
for
you
by
that
I
actually
heard
Boy
I'm
trying
to
think
of
who
it
is
Capitol
Hill
Baptist
Church
in
Washington
D.C.
Sam
tell me
who the
pastor
is
Mark
Dever
Mark
Dever
that's
it
here's
how
Mark
Dever
summarizes
pastoral
ministry
he says
love
he says
teach
and pray
you got
that
teach and pray
love
and stay
teach and pray
love
and stay
I like that
description
one of the things that has been stunning
and sobering
as your search committee has been pursuing
men to serve as pastors here
or a pastor here
we have been discouraged by the
transients
pastors who are staying two years
two and a half years
and thinking that they've kind of fulfilled their duty
I didn't even get to know you in two years
do you understand that
how many of you would trust a person to walk in two years
no
it takes time to get there
teach and pray
love
and stay
in speaking of this servant
we recognize that he's a shepherd
but he's also a teacher
and what the Holy Spirit is reminding the church of
is that the man that God gives them
is primarily tasked with the responsibility of being a teacher of the word
at the heart of what this man's call is
the holy duty
of first modeling
and then opening the word
and calling people to hear it
and follow the wisdom
and the counsel of God
a man who is a shepherd
teacher
is one who has to live the word
and apply the word
and then open it up
and instruct people from the word
and so when I stand before you
I stand before you
with a sensitivity to the fact
that I am responsible for my walk
in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 7
the author of the book of Hebrews says
you are to remember those
who taught the word among you
and in saying remember
he's saying hey
pay attention to their life
to their walk
to their behavior
because really
how a man lives
ultimately
is an indication
of what he believes
isn't that right
you can stand up here in the pulpit
and say a lot
but at the end of the day
what you are
comes out in how you act
and so I want you to understand
that a pastor's life
like that
of a godly father
in Deuteronomy chapter 6
is first of all
to be marked
by a love for the word
and a willingness
to obey it
and then subsequently
a willingness to teach it
let me close by reminding you
that the servant gifts
are in one sense
no different
than the serving gifts
now what do I mean by that
serving gifts
are things like
showing mercy
ability to
to minister
to
to administrate
different kinds
of serving gifts
and those are the ones
that we find in
Romans 12
and 1 Corinthians 12
and I said that
there is fundamentally
no difference
between the servant gifts
which are individuals
and serving gifts
that we've all been given
in that
they are designed
for the good
of the body
and their blessing
and benefit
is only seen
when they are
actively engaged
in doing
what they've been called
and equipped to do
does that make sense
if I walked in here
tomorrow
and said
I'm done being a servant
I don't like being a pastor
well I do like being a pastor
but just if I said that
that would be sinful
would you agree with me
that would be wrong
yeah I have been
I have been the
I have
I have first of all
been saved by the grace of God
and gifted
for your sake
and you
have been gifted
for one another's sake
I have no more right
to step away
from my responsibility
of serving Christ
in this place
than you do
and all God's people said
that is theologically accurate
and correct
and it deserves
a loud amen
okay
took you a while
but you got on a roll
it's the truth
so
Pastor Saul
is going to be overwhelmed
with people
who want to put
their spiritual gifts
to use
in the nursery
you had them
take care of them
amen
it's an amen
for people that are over 70
that's the right
amen
okay
but anyway
hey
get to work
all of you
so let me ask you
a practical question
are you a believer
if you're here today
and you do not know Christ
talking to you
about being actively involved
in the body of Christ
just doesn't make any sense
because the first thing
you need to do
is come to the cross
and recognize
that you are
a morally bankrupt
on the way to hell
sinner
and you have no hope
apart from Jesus Christ
you can't stand up
in eternity
and wave the little stack
of chits
of the nice things
you've done
and say
Jesus
can I come in
I was
blah blah blah blah
no
and if you're here
this morning
and you do not know
Christ
the first thing
that you desperately need
is to come to the point
of confessing your sin
and believing in Jesus Christ
in whom alone
is salvation
and if you are a believer
Ephesians chapter 4
says
with the power
of the spirit
of God
behind it
connect
and use your
gifts
for the sake
and the glory
of Christ
only one life
will soon be passed
only what's done
for Christ
what
will last
let's close in prayer
Father God
not by power
nor by might
but by my spirit
saith the Lord
use your word
plant it deep
within our hearts
let it bear fruit
to the glory
and testimony
of Christ
give us humble
and contrite
spirits
as we desire
Christ's glory
and no one
else's
and we ask this
in your precious name
amen
and we ask this
of God
and we ask this
of God
if any of those
any of those