EXTERNALS… if we’re not careful, in our worship and in our fellowship and in our friendships and EVEN in the church…
• We’ll focus on externals. What are you wearing? What are you doing? Why aren’t you? Why can’t you? What’s going on?
• It so quickly takes us way from love & grace.
Gal. 5.14-15 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!
SO AS God is looking & changing & fashioning the heart of a man, it seems as if the man that’s being changed looks only outwardly!
• The Bible says it is so…
1 Samuel 16.7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
IT WAS THE GRAND MISTAKE of the RELIGIOUS ELITE in Jesus day, the Pharisees… Consider Jesus’ stern rebuke…
Matt 23.24-26 "Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! 25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 "Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.
NOTE: They were masters of the MINISTRY… outwardly giving a show, while inwardly they were spiritually dead.
• Today with the cathedrals, the chants, the prayers, the rituals, the traditions, it’s still happening.
• “If I’m outwardly worshipping and no one sees my heart, then well I must be right with God.”
• But see, God’s not looking for ritual, but relationship.
• He wants a soft heart not a system, a connection not a creed.
• He sent His only Son not to set up some religious system, but to cover the sins of those whom He loves… you & me!
NOW If it’s possible with to focus on the externals in the MINISTRY, surely it’s done all the time with the MINISTERS.
• The pastor, the servant, the leader, the overseer…
• All under the microscope externally, all day, every day.
• So many are LOOKING FOR THE IDEAL PASTOR.
• And I came across an interesting list…
The ideal pastor is difficult to find. But if your church is fortunate, you may be able to secure his services. Since he is the ideal pastor, it won’t cost very much - he lives by faith. Yet he can be counted upon to tithe heavily and still be able to afford a large house in which he will regularly entertain the entire congregation.
He loves the older folks of the church, visiting them regularly. Besides this, he spends all of his time with the young people. The glow on his face reveals his secret. He’s spent many hours on his knees before God. However, he’s always available to anyone who drops by for a friendly chat. What’s a half-hour out of his schedule since he only works on Sunday anyway.
The ideal pastor loves to disciple new converts and gives full-time attention to calling on the elderly, ill, and shut-in. He has a model family, is always in the church office when you call and is busy at the hospital, just looking for a soul to comfort. He would never miss a church function, and attends every function sponsored by the ministerial association. In addition, he meets all his neighbors and civic leaders within the community and wins their hearts too.
The ideal pastor has a worldwide ministry through television, radio, tapes, and books and he travels extensively preaching the Word. He still has time, however, to listen to everyone’s problems and wants to be updated on the progress of your bunions and backaches.
The ideal pastor is only 29 and has been preaching 30 years. He preaches sermons that win the hearts of the lost and inspire the minds of the mature. He evangelizes like Billy Graham, has the eloquence of Spurgeon and the fervor of Moody. Yet he is so profoundly simple that even preschoolers are blessed. Even the teenagers take notes on his sermons.
The ideal pastor is tall, short, lean, and husky, with brown hair and blond hair. He even has one brown eye and one blue eye. He has a deep, resonant voice which, because it is quietly loud, pleases everyone and is audible to the hard of hearing. He can sing, lead music, and delegates authority to everyone. Besides this, he helps each layman and does all the things other people are too busy to do. In short, he keeps the entire church and each family running smoothly.
• There’s an amazing trend happening in our day & age.
• External Charisma is winning out over Internal Holiness.
• Outside of the man has become more important than what’s inside. And when a man falls, many fall with him.
• God’s precious sheep are ripped off by a lot of hoopla & hype.
Sorry to say, in many churches it seems that the pastor just can’t do anything right. No matter how sincere he may be or how hard he tries, there are always some who stand ready to find fault and criticize. Someone has described it this way:
• If the pastor is young, he lacks experience; if his hair is gray, he’s too old for the young people.
• If he has five or six children, he has too many; if he has none, he’s setting a bad example.
• If he preaches from notes, he has canned sermons and is dry; if his messages are extemporaneous, he isn’t deep enough.
• If he caters to the poor in the church, he’s playing to the grandstand; if he pays attention to the wealthy, he’s trying to be an aristocrat.
• If he uses too many illustrations, he’s neglecting the Bible; if he doesn’t include stories, he isn’t clear.
• If he fails to please everybody, he’s hurting the church and should leave; if he does make them all happy, he has no convictions.
• If he drives an old car, he shames his congregation; if he buys a new one, he’s setting his affection on earthly things.
• If he preaches all the time, the congregation gets tired of hearing just one man; if he invites guest ministers, he’s shirking his responsibility.
• If he receives a large salary, he’s mercenary; if he gets a small one, they say it proves he isn’t worth much anyway.
• If he condemns wrong, he’s cranky; if he doesn’t preach against sin, the claim he’s a compromiser.
• If he preaches the truth, he’s too offensive; if he doesn’t present the "whole counsel of God," he’s a hypocrite.
NOW YOU KNOW Why I’M READY FOR A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN!
NO… not in this church. I love you guys and the relationship God is forming in and among us. Marie & I so love this fellowship and appreciate your prayers, your faithfulness, your love for Jesus!
• You guys are the BEST fellowship family we’ve known!
• But it’s true, if we’re not careful, the externals will reign.
• And the church will weaken. The leaders puffed up with pride.
• And the wolves will come. And the sheep will be destroyed!
Acts 20.29-30 "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.
• And WORSE THAN ALL, OUR world, OUR generation will not be touched and saved by the love of Jesus through His church!
PAYING TOO MUCH ATTENTION TO EXTERNALS…
• And that’s A problem addressed in 1 & 2 Timothy.
• In Paul’s time appearances & apparel were king.
• Outward show was all that was needed… doctrine
• Timothy, these are the guidelines & goals for the church.
• This is how it’s to be done, and I want you set them in order.
• Bring health & stability back into the church there.
• Where does it begin? In the pastor & the spiritual leadership of the church. It starts with those God has called to lead!
NOTE: I have found that God is not so interested in the externals, as He is in the heart of the Pastor. God’s arrows aimed at the heart!
• 1 & 2 Tim, along with Titus are called the PASTORAL EPISTLES.
• They address spiritual leadership in the church.
• BUT THEY ARE MUCH MORE THAN THAT.
• As the pastor has the responsibility to lead, as the chief servant, as the example… so that extends beyond the pulpit.
THE PRINCIPLES WE’LL LEARN work in the home… moms & dads.
• They are key in the workplace at school, in the neighborhood
• They are needed for you Sunday School workers, worship team, prayer warriors, chair stackers…
• Truly for any Christian serving anywhere for any reason!
• So don’t check out when the word PASTOR is used, because in one way or the other, we all have the role of a pastor…
• A shepherd, leading others to the CHIEF SHEPHERD, Jesus Christ.
NOTE: God has called each of us that bear His name to live a life that is worthy of following.
• 2003, the year of the Christian on Display. Every year right?
• What are they seeing? What type of ground rules do your life represent to them?
• What guidelines do they see that reflect Jesus Christ?
• Well these letters are full of them and will help you navigate through life as a believer seeking God’s best for you.
TRULY… that’s my heart as we study in the next few months.
• I desire so deeply to see you attain God’s best, God’s highest, the wonderful calling of God upon your life.
• Your life matters! It’s important. God has so much for you!
• Paul put it this way to the Philippians Let’s turn to Phil. 3.13-14
It’s TRUE… GOD HAS OPENED TREMENDOUS DOORS FOR US HERE.
• We have before us the world… beginning right here in Aurora, extending throughout the Metro area, the state, the country, across the globe, around the world.
Acts 1.8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
With the OPEN DOORS comes WARFARE.
1 Cor. 16.9 For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
• Satan is not happy you’re being used, being effective.
• And so there are battles & attacks.
With OPEN DOORS there also come NEEDS
• Let’s turn to Acts 6:1ff
Our fellowship needs men & women who are sold out to the things of God… With good reputations, full of the Holy Spirit & wisdom.
• So we’re launching out studying these powerful letters knowing that they will build us up, equip us, protect us, and guide us in the wonderful open doors that are all around us.
• WHEW… Long introduction, but important.
I. (1:1-2) THE CALLING
1. (1) Greeting.
a. Paul, as was his custom, addresses who is writing this note right from the beginning. I appreciate that.
b. I don’t read mail that isn’t signed with an address on it.
PAUL DECLARES that he is an ‘apostle’: literally, one sent…
• The original Greek word refers to an ambassador sent on behalf of the king with a very important message.
• Paul understood his calling, he knew what God wanted him to both be and do.
SO MUCH SO he says that he is an apostle by the COMMANDMENT of God… That’s interesting because usually, Paul refers to his calling by the will of God, but here… it’s commanded.
NOTE: As you move in the ministry that God has called you to, you know that it was His will to put you there. There’s confidence.
• YET, at the same time, there really isn’t a choice.
• When God calls us to serve, he lays it before us and then lays it upon us a burden to jump in.
Phil. 2.12-13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Jonah’s a GREAT EXAMPLE: God didn’t make Jonah go to Nineveh, truly Jonah tried everything that he could to avoid that place.
• But at the same time, God worked it out so that Jonah finally did make the decision… get me out of here! I’ll go. I’ll go!
2. (2) Timothy, a true Son.
a. This letter is a personal one… it’s written from the aged Paul to the young man Timothy. Direction for his protégé.
b. Paul says Timothy was his true son in the faith.
NOTE: Timothy, it would appear, was greatly impacted by the ministry of Paul as he traveled through Lystra.
• Timothy’s mom & grandma loved the Word & taught it to him daily, instill it in Him, planting the seeds of his future!
2 Tim. 1.5 when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.
• But Timothy came from a Gentile father, which would put a stigma on him throughout his life.
• SO when Paul came and began to show how Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures, he was ready and ripe to come!
APP: Isn’t exciting? We just don’t know who’s ready & ripe to come… so we continue with sharing the gospel with everyone!
Timothy & Paul… partners in the ministry, likeminded in service, and yoked together by the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Yet there couldn’t be 2 more opposite people!
• Paul was a go-getter, non-stop mover, always pushing forward, not afraid.
• I don’t think we could accuse Paul of being an introvert.
• He was a TYPE-A personality all the way!
• So much so that he was given a thorn in his flesh… to slow him down and humble him.
2 Corinthians 12.7-8 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
BUT Timothy, he appears to be more timid & frail.
• Some have even called him rather sickly.
• Perhaps he struggled a bit with the fear of man.
1 Tim. 4.12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
NOTE: Regardless of personality though, God brought these men together for to fulfill his plan and his purpose.
• He knew together, they would do great things for the Kingdom!
• From all eternity, the ministry of Paul & Timothy was known.
APP: You guys have people in your life that God knew would be there… to help you, to mold you, so that you might be used.
• Even when you were a little kid, God was shaping you.
• He gave you personality, desires, likes, dislikes.
• And even being here, right now, is all a part of the great plan that God is working out in you!
Eph. 2.10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
• Original word is ‘poiema’ from which we get our word poem.
• Every believer is a sweet poem of God’s grace worked out in our lives daily.
• Which means every one of us is a work in progress!
• You are His poetry… absolutely a thing of beauty.
NOTE: Someone once read this & thought about being God’s poetry.
• They felt more like a comic strip than a poem… Isn’t that true?!
• Life can be one comic episode after another…
• But God still loves us… stills stands by us… still sustains us!
APP: Oh, how we need to remind people who say that Christians aren’t all that great, aren’t perfect, aren’t much different…
• They see all sorts of inconsistencies and hypocrisies.
• Truth is though, they wouldn’t believe how bad we used to be!!!
• Where we might be if the Lord Jesus didn’t break in our lives.
NOTE: Sometimes I think we watch each other and look at each other say “Oh that’s not good”, how can you and why are you…
• We look at ourselves and ask, “but I’m not good enough”, “I can’t go there, I can’t do that, what about my past, my weaknesses, my failures.
• I’m not Paul, I’m more like Timothy… well it takes us all!
• And the Lord, our Director whispers, “Oh no they aren’t that bad considering where they could be, or would be, if My work wasn’t being done in his life…”
• How wonderful is the work of God in our lives…
• His great grace working through even our dumbest mistakes…
• To make us a trophy and crown of His Grace…
AND So don’t count yourself down & out.
• He’s not done working in you & on you, or working thru you…
• You’re a work in progress.
SO Paul WRITE THIS LETTER to his protégé, young Timothy.
• Timothy was left in Ephesus to set things in order, to pastor the flock of God there…
• He’s a little nervous, a little scared, feeling like he needs out!
• We’ll see next week, Paul commands that he stay.
• How? In the Grace of God…
• In the Mercy of God… And in the Peace that comes from knowing that Jesus is full control and has everything lined up for you.
