Ø Disclaimer: The following sermon is offered for your edification and spiritual enlightenment. However, there may be some present… being immature in the faith… may find it offensive, and at times disruptive, to their comfort zone. Although seeded with much Scripture, and thoroughly prayed over, some Christians may conclude that this sermon is self-serving, and presented with an undo bias in favor of Pastor William Noel.
If at any time during the course of this sermon, you should feel ill to the stomach and need medical assistance….TOO BAD! What you’re feeling is called CONVICTION and God’s giving you what you need. So, Buck Up…Take it like a man (or woman) and change your ways!
That being said, Any and All complaints for this sermon should be directed to its Author, the Holy Spirit, and NOT… I repeat…NOT … to the speaker,… the Incredibly Handsome, Extraordinarily Intelligent and all-around nice guy, my pastor… the Right, Reverend, Bodacious.. yet, humble man of God… Doctor-Pastor-Teacher… William E. Noel, II (The ‘E’ stands for ‘Excellent). Thank you in advance for your cooperation!
Ø Ill.: Back in the day, preachers rode their horses from church to church, preaching and teaching the Word of God. These men were called Circuit Riding preachers. One particular preacher was up in age. His clothes were worn out. The brim of his hat was hanging on by a thread. But his horse, on the other hand, was in excellent condition. It always had good shoes on it. It was strong and well fed. And, never seemed to lack for anything. One day, the members of one of the churches this pastor preached at asked him a question. She said, “Reverend, how is that your horse is always well fed, but you’re so skinny? Why is the horse’s saddle blanket new, and your clothes are old and worn out? Why did you horse get new shoes at the blacksmith and your shoes have holes in them?” This preacher answered this dear Christian woman with the following truth, he said, “Dear Sister, it’s my responsibility to take care of my horse, and it’s your responsibility to take care of me!”
Ø Interesting Statistics:
v 90% work more than 46 hours a week.
v 80% believed pastoral ministry have negatively affected their families.
v 33% believed ministry was a hazard to their family.
v 75% reported a significant stress related crisis at least once in their ministry.
v 50% felt themselves unable to meet the needs of the job.
v 90% felt inadequately trained to cope with ministry demands.
v 70% say they have a lower self-esteem now compared to when they started in ministry.
v 40% reported serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month.
v 70% do not have someone they consider a close friend
Ø I Cor. 9:13-14
o God’s Plan: If I call you to preach the Gospel, your living should come from the Gospel!
o Man’s Plan
§ Plan A: Bivocational (Full time secular job, nothing/part-time pay from church)
§ Plan B: Part-Time (Part-Time secular Job, part-time pay from church)
§ Plan C: Volunteer (No job [retired] or full-time secular job, no pay from church)
Ø Gal. 6:6-8 Let him that is taught in the word (that’s you) communicate unto him (that’s me) that teacheth in all good things. (But, keep this in mind) Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Ø > It is my belief that when the teaching and preaching of the Word of God is emphasized above all else, then God will bless every other aspect of our ministry
o Emphasized in our participation (forsake not the assembly…)
o Emphasized in our evangelism (preach the word, be instant in season…)
o Emphasized in our compensation ( a laborer is worthy of his hire)
I. God Places An Emphasis On The Word , ‘taught in the Word’
A. The Word Is Profitable, II Tim. 3:16
B. The Word Is Powerful, Heb. 4:12
1. Ill.: Peter walking on water, Matt. 14:28-29
- And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
2. Ill.: Fishermen casting the net to the other side, Luke 5:5
- Notice, they were doing their job, but without fruit (‘taken nothing)
- Notice, they obeyed the Lord for the furtherance of the Gospel (taught the people out of the ship)
- Notice, they walked by faith, not by sight (at Thy word, I will)
C. The Word of God Is Productive, I Pet. 2:1-2
D. Ill.: Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”
II. God Places An Emphasis On The Teacher, ‘unto him that teacheth’
Mt. 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
A. God Calls Men, Not Methods, Isa. 6:1-8
1. God Called…
- Abram to be the father of a great nation
- Moses to be the deliverer of Israel
- Gideon to save God’s people for their enemy
- Elisha to proclaim ‘thus saith the Lord’
- Paul to be a minister of the Gospel of Grace & Glory to the Gentiles
2. Too many ‘Mama Called & Daddy Sent’ Teachers and Preachers in the ministry.
- They have the wrong motives!
- They teach and preach, but don’t practice!
- They want to be heard, but won’t listen!
- They can’t take the heat, so they quit the ministry!
3. The qualification for a Pastor,
- Titus 1:6-9 (as he has been taught)
- II Tim. 3:1-7 (apt to teach)
i. Teaching is not about giving answers. Teaching is about showing a person how to find the answers for themselves
ii. The reason so many Christians are floundering in their walk with Christ and personal faith, is because they haven’t been taught how to find the answers for themselves.
4. If God Called You into the ministry, He called you for LIFE!
- Rom. 11:29 ‘The gifts and calling of God are without repentance’, (They’re irrevocable)
B. God chose teaching for several reasons
1. To communicate the Word of God to the “head” Isa. 1:18
- Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isa. 1:18
2. To answer the attacks of critics Titus 1:9
3. To help the next generation of Christians
- Older men…teach younger men, Titus 2:2, 6-8
- Older women…teach younger women, Titus 2:3-5
4. To Grow The Family Of God, II Tim. 2:2
Conc.
· So, how do you Reap What You Sow, With Your Pastor?
A. When you emphasis a building, more than your teacher, your emphasis is wrong!
B. When you emphasis a choir, your emphasis is wrong!
C. When you emphasis a program, your emphasis is wrong
· When Jesus walked the earth…
A. The people who sought healing, got their healing…and still died!
B. The people who sought food, got their food…and still hungered again!
C. The people who sought other things, got other things…and left those other things with others when they died!
· But the people who sought Jesus (the Word), got the Word, and still have the Word to this very day!
