Preach the Word

1 Peter 5:1-4; 2 Timothy 4:1-2

By Pastor Josh Robinson from ARBC

We're reading from the book of first Peter, chapter five, verses one through four. One Peter, chapter five, verses one through four.

The elders who are among you, I exhort I am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ. And also a partaker among you. Serving as overseers.

Not by compulsion, but willingly. Not for dishonest gain, but eagerly. But eagerly.

Nor as being lord, over those entrusted to you. But being examples to with love. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not make way.

Take my life and let it be consecration. Lord, to thee. Take my moments and my days.

Let them flow in ceaseless praise. Take my hands and let them move at the arrows of my love. Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee.

And let them be filled with messages from thee. Take my silver and my gold not a might would I withhold take my intellect and use every power that hash thou shalt choose take my will and make a blind it shall be no longer mine take my heart, it is thine hope it shall be like one. Take my love my lord, I pour let thy treasure store take myself and I will be father only all for thee.

Good morning. I invite you to join me in second Timothy, chapter four. Second Timothy, chapter four.

We'll be looking at verses one to two. While you're turning. I just want to say it is a privilege to be here this morning.

This is actually my first time ever being in the building I've driven by before. But I still feel a connection with you all. We as a church have been praying for you for a long time.

And we've had several members come and speak. We feel like we've been right alongside you. With the ministry of Pastor Johnston, Pastor Craighead, Ken Rathbun, Jordan.

And we were thrilled at the opportunity. When we heard that you were looking at Jordan Hines. And so Jordan and Jenny were thrilled with that.

So it is a joy to be here this morning. I'm going to start by reading our passage. Second Timothy, four, one, two.

And then we'll pray and we'll jump in. 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. Preach the word, be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and teaching.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, this morning we do rejoice. With Northridge Baptist church.

With Jordan and Jenny. We rejoice even this morning. Though at times in the last several years.

It may have been hard to see your purpose this morning. We look good timing at your perfect plan. Lord, I pray that even this morning, as we turn our attention to this passage, that your spirit would work through your word, that you would remind us of the context in which we are living, that you would remind us of the task ahead of us, that you would even this morning challenge us to be faithful in the little things that you have called us to, that the gospel may go forth even here in this neighborhood.

And we pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. The first time I really got to know Jordan, I think it was your senior year in high school when you guys came to Indianapolis.

My wife and I were working in an inner city ministry in Indianapolis, and Jordan and the youth group came to visit and to help out. I got to see Jordan right there from the very beginning as I'm getting to know him, really in the throes of ministry, going up and down streets that most people would not want to walk on after dark, and yet him with others were walking up and down there. He poured into the kids that he was ministering to, and he loved them well.

And one thing I saw in Jordan right from the very beginning is I got to know him there in Indianapolis. And then as the Lord brought us to Tuna and I had the privilege of serving alongside Jordan and seeing him through his college years. And after that was from the very beginning.

Jordan has had a heart for ministry from the very beginning, as I first met him, he has had a desire to be in the pastorate, and it is a joy and an honor to be here this morning celebrating with you. Northridge Baptist Church, even as many of our own churches come to show our support and to be here with Jordan and Jenny and to rejoice with them at what the Lord has done and how he has led them. This morning, as we turn our attention to this passage, I want to give a challenge, a call to Jordan and then to the church.

Jordan, as you start your ministry here, and then church, as he is ministering among you, I want us to see the context of ministry or really the context of preaching and the task of preaching. Why is it that it is so important? Why is it that it is the pulpit that is at the center of our auditoriums? What is so important about the preaching of the word of God? And the first thing you see here in verse one of two, Timothy four, is the context of preaching. Preaching, or ministry, really, which is seen here in preaching, is carried out in a context.

And Paul, writing to young Timothy, starts this way he says, I charge you. Therefore, that word therefore keys us into the fact that there's a context here. There's something going on in this passage.

We're not jumping into the beginning of a book. We're jumping into the middle. That therefore backs up to even the beginning of two Timothy three, in the context of the last days in which we live, context in which false teachers are going to rise up, scoffers, as we see in two Peter, chapter three.

Who will rise up in these last days? It is in this context of the last days, but it's also at the end of two Timothy three, in the understanding of the power and the purpose of God's word. A well known passage there, two Timothy three. All scripture is by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for proof, for correction, for instruction and righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

So understanding this, that we are living in the last days, and that God has given us his word, understanding that I charge you, Timothy, that word, charge. It's not just a suggestion. As Paul writes this, he's not saying, hey, hey, Timothy, this would be a good idea.

It would be a good idea for you. No, this is an urgent command. In fact, the language implies a perilous context, heightening the need for compliance.

You need to. For your survival, Timothy. You need to do this.

And yet, though the very context of this passage, the fact that we are living in the last days and the fact that we have the power and the purpose of God's word, though that alone grabs our attention and gives a great urgency to Paul's charge, before Paul even gets to his charge, here he adds even a greater possible, even a greater weight. In fact, it is the greatest possible weight to his command. I charge you therefore, Timothy, in the last days in which you are ministering, and on the power and the purpose of God's word, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead and his appearing and his kingdom.

I want you to understand, young Timothy, that as you do the work of the ministry, you are doing it in the name of the Lord. You are doing the work of the ministry under his authority, by his power, for his glory and under his watchful eye. You're carrying this out before God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

And it is the same Lord Jesus Christ who is coming. He is the one who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom. He is watching, and you are ministering in his power, under his authority, for his glory.

And he is coming again. Jordan, understand this. That ministry is carried out in a context, and I don't mean the context of the neighborhood in which you live.

That's important. Know your people, know your neighborhood, be involved. But I mean the context of the second coming.

You are ministering after the resurrection and in the power and the hope of resurrection, and yet in the reality that Christ is coming again. That's a theme that we see repeated throughout scripture. The apostles, following the example of Jesus himself, consistently preached the second coming of Jesus Christ from the very beginning of the church.

Their ministries, the ministries of the apostles, as they laid the foundation for the church, their ministries were carried out under the expectation of the imminent return of Jesus Christ. And I feel like sadly, recent generations, we've missed that. Generations before us, they were, they knew that they ministered.

Jesus could come back at any moment. Minister in that context, Jordan, with that understanding, understand that the gospel unbelievers will be judged and condemned. Talk about a weight under which to carry out ministry.

Everyone under your preaching will stand before God one day. So what in the world are we as ministers to do under such weight? Paul tells us in the next verse, we are to preach the inspired word of God. Preach the word in this context in the last days, knowing that you are doing this ministry under the authority, by the power and for the glory of Jesus Christ, knowing that he has given you his word, his inspired word.

Preacher, the word. This is the primary imperative of this passage. It's the primary responsibility of pastoral ministry.

And so it must be your primary concern as pastor. Preach the word. There are many things that Paul could have said to Timothy at this point.

Underneath such weight, Paul could have encouraged Timothy. Timothy, you really need to invest in a praise band so that you can pull lots of people in. Or given that Timothy is a young man, he could have instructed Timothy.

Timothy under such weight, you need to sit down, submit to those who are much older and more experienced than you, and you need to maybe pursue some more education. Let others do this. Paul doesn't say that.

Paul recognizes that God has called Timothy this church and the Lord has called you Jordan here. So preach the word. You are a young man, and it's Timothy.

As Paul writes to Timothy, let no one despise your youth. Don't give them an opportunity to look down on you. You set the example.

Know this, that though you are a young man, your authority as pastor, as you step into the pulpit.