SUSTAINING CHRISTIAN MINISTRY-I—2Peter 1:12-15
So far in our analysis of 2Peter, we’ve discovered some provisions for God’s people that are ACQUIRED Thru FAITH(1:1-4)...
Those being:
1. TRUSTWORTHY APOSTLES(:1a)
2. CHRISTIAN FAMILY(:1b)
3. The SINGULAR, PERFECT SAVIOR(:1c)
4. MULTIPLIED GRACE & PEACE(:2a)
5. KNOWLEDGE Of GOD(:2b, :3b)
6. EVERYTHING NEEDFUL For FULFILLING LIFE(:3a)
7. The CALL Of GOD’s GLORY & VIRTUE(:3c)
8. GOD’s FLAWLESS PROMISES(:4a)
9. The DIVINE MINDSET(:4b)
—AND we’ve also found the importance of FURTHERING Your FAITH(1:5-11), & that it involves...
1. DUE DILIGENCE DONE(:5-7)
2. FRUITFULNESS(:8)
3. AWARENESS/ATTENTIVENESS(:9)
4. ASSURANCE/SURE-FOOTEDNESS(:10-11)
TODAY we’ll begin looking at the significance of:
SUSTAINING CHRISTIAN MINISTRY-I—2Peter 1:12-15
Attention:
Momma’s recipe box:
My mother was a housewife, a stay-at-home-mom. She was a good cook.
She didn’t necessarily like or enjoy the rigors of regular meal-preparation, but she provided many a tasty & nourishing meal for our family.
She had a little file box full of recipes. After she died, I inherited that recipe box.
But I soon found out that Momma used most of the original recipes she had acquired, only as a template! She tweaked/changed recipes she had found over the years, but didn’t write down most of the changes she made! So most of her recipes that I loved, are unable to be resurrected, because she added things to &/or removed things from the original version of the recipe.
Sadly, many of my Momma’s recipes are lost to history!
Those ‘lost recipes’ present a warning to us, on a far more encompassing & comprehensive level....
The Good News of Jesus Christ, absolutely MUST be faithfully sustained!
Need:
Some people, who are numbered among the saved, never grasp & are never empowered by the life-changing fullness that comes with their being born-again.
They wander thru life with no direction, just as if they had never submitted themselves to Jesus at all.
They may claim membership in churches, but never discover God’s desire for themselves.
They cannot see themselves as ministers of anything revolving around God’s will.
They cannot see themselves as being in God’s active service. They suppose that it is too far-fetched an idea, to consider that God can directly & indirectly use them to honor His name.
Instead of submitting themselves to God completely, they use their human inabilities as an excuse. They may appear humble, but in so doing, they deny the fact that God continuously overwhelms human weakness with His perfect ability, for those who trust Him fully!
Such people have fallen victim to the devil’s mantra—‘You’re not good enough’ or ‘God can’t use me!’
Such spiritually poverty-stricken people, willingly overlook the fact that God equips, & wants to equip, EVERY SINGLE ONE of His children in particular ways, in order to further His Kingdom work on earth.
*A Christian with a ‘defeatist attitude’ like that, is the death-knell of the Church, & God’s will, both locally & globally!
*IF that defeatist attitude were maintained by ALL of God’s people, THEN Good News would never be shared! And it’s life-transforming message would die with our generation. And the Church would eventually become nonexistent!
The apostle Peter concerned himself with sustaining Christian ministry.
So:
Christian ministry must be sustained indefinitely.
But:
?What sustains Christian ministry?
Or:
?How is Christian ministry sustained?
Today we’re going to attempt to answer those questions by looking at:
4 concerns, by which Christian ministry is sustained.
1—Christian ministry is sustained thru...
PERSONAL CONCERNs(:12-15)
Explanation:(:12-15)
:12—“For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know & are established in the present truth.”
:13—“Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you,”
:14—“knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.”
:15—“Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.”
A.—Notice the “I”s in each verse(:12-15).
:12—“I will not be negligent...”
:13—“I think it is right...”
:14—“shortly I must put off my tent...”
:15—“I will be careful to...”
•Verses :12-15 relate the personal concerns of Peter specifically. And the power revealed in these verses, revolves around & touches on the particular ministry to which Peter has been called.
•The power revealed in the verses, concerns the particular BENEFIT that Peter adds to Christian ministry.
?What benefit(s) do YOU add to Christian ministry?
•Peter was an apostle(a sent one) & bondservant thru & of the Lord Jesus Christ(1:1). So everything Peter did, flowed from & involved revealing God’s truth, tying together or ‘dovetailing’ God’s truth, & properly interpreting & applying it, for Christians, & so for the Church as well.
Some QUESTIONS:
?If you are one who knows Jesus, what are the ‘Personal Concerns’ that God has placed in YOUR heart?
?What are YOUR ‘Personal Concerns’ surrounding matters of truth & reality?
•?Are they aligned with God’s design & plan for His creation, including yourself?
?What are some of YOUR ‘Personal Concerns’ surrounding the fullness of life?—the fullness of life that is in Jesus, & the life that He offers to all people?
•?And do those concerns of yours, relate to the present as well as to eternity?
?Do those concerns relate to ALL people, or just some people?
?Do YOUR ‘Personal Concerns’ help to sustain the Gospel of God in Christ Jesus?
•If so, then you have ‘Personal Concerns’ like Peter did!
B.— ALSO, notice that Peter is very aware of the limitations of his TIME(:13-15) on earth.
•Peter DOES NOT know the day of his departure, but he DOES know with CERTAINTY that he will die before the Lord returns!
a.-“as long as I am in this tent”(:13)
b.-“shortly I must put off this tent”(:14)
c.-“after my decease”(:15)
2Cor. 5:1-8—“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body & to be present with the Lord.”
Before his ascension, the resurrected Jesus had revealed to Peter that he would undergo an undeserved & untimely death because of his faith in Jesus as the Christ(Jn. 21:15-23).
Jn. 21:18-19—Jesus to Peter—““Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself & walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, & another will gird you & carry you where you do not wish.” This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.””
Peter considers himself responsible for “putting off”(:14) his fleshly dwelling, by stating, “I must put off my tent.”(:14) We all know that the fulfillment of the “putting off” of our individual “tents” depends entirely upon God’s promise to do so for us.
Yet, Peter is considering ‘his part’ in the “putting off” of his “tent”, as something that is also settled & determined by means of his own mind & heart. The “putting off” of Peter’s “tent” is determined, ON HIS PART, thru his personal trust in, & obedience to His Lord Jesus.
The Scripture compels every believer to fully surrender their physical & spiritual life, to God. And like Peter, you & I must surrender our life to God, despite what ramifications that obedience might invite into our lives.
We should never become ‘morbidly obsessed’ with, or fearful of the fact, that we WILL DIE one day. And that is because, Jesus came to not just give LIFE to mankind, but to give us ETERNAL LIFE with Him in heaven! So instead of being fearful, we should EXCITEDLY ANTICIPATE the fact of death!
The only thing that can prevent your physical death, is an EVENT that will happen only one-time! And that, in mankind’s future. And THAT will occur within the span of one-day only! That singular occurrence will take place when Christ will return to ‘rapture’ or ‘snatch away’ His Church—the saved, or believers....
When Jesus returns, all THOSE WHO HAVE DIED in Christ, will RISE FIRST, & they will then meet the glorified Christ in the air.(1Thess. 4:13-16)
1Thes. 4:13-16—the apostle Paul wrote,—“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died & rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive & remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, & with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.”
•So at Christ’s bidding, the bodies of the dead in Christ—the parts of bodies, & dust of their bodies—will undergo an immediate transformation in the grave, which will allow them to pass thru the water or ground, wherever they fell or had been buried.
Isa. 57:1-2—“The righteous perishes, And no man takes it to heart; Merciful men are taken away, While no one considers That the righteous is taken away from evil. He shall enter into peace; They shall rest in their beds, Each one walking in his uprightness.”
Job 19:25-27—Job proclaimed,—““For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, & not another. How my heart yearns within me!””
•2Tim. 4:8—the apostle Paul said,—“Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, & not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
Jn. 5:24-29—Jesus said,—““Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word & believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, & shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, & now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; & those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, & has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice & come forth--those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, & those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”
•And those ‘righteous dead’ in Christ, having been raised & fitted for heaven, will THEN be FOLLOWED/met by, all those in Christ who are STILL LIVING ON EARTH, at that same time when Christ returns!(1Cor. 15:42-44; 1Jn. 3:2-3)
1Thess. 4:17-18—“Then we who are alive & remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
1Jn. 3:2—the apostle John said,—“Beloved, now we are children of God; & it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
!!DO NOT let the ministry of Christ die with you!!
None of God’s people, including yourself, can afford to keep the Good News hidden from others or under wraps! Neither you nor the world, can afford for you to hide the fact that Jesus is THE Savior, Jesus is THE Master, & that therefore, Jesus is THE King of kings & Lord of lords, & the Lord of YOU also!!
Argumentation:
Tim. 4:7—“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
1Cor. 15:57-58—“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
Rev. 14:12-13—“Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God & the faith of Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, & their works follow them.””
Heb. 6:10-12—“For God is not unjust to forget your work & labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, & do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith & patience inherit the promises.”
Php. 1:12-26—the apostle Paul’s own testimony to wrestling with death versus Christian work—“But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, & to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; & most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even from envy & strife, & some also from good will: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; & in this I rejoice, yes, & will rejoice. For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer & the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation & hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, & to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart & be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain & continue with you all for your progress & joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.”
Illustration:
The work of Salem’s ‘Nominating Committee.’ Their job is to faithfully fill volunteer positions that will aid the mission of Salem Baptist Church. The Committee is concerned with the continuance of various ministries in the church. But sometimes the Committee’s anxiety is heightened, when no one with obvious God-ordered giftedness will make him or herself available to the church’s need.
Likewise, the Committee’s anxiety is removed whenever God’s people readily give themselves to the tasks at hand, because God has gifted them & convicted them!
The Committee also has to be attentive to which specific ministries God has equipped Salem Baptist Church to exemplify. That equipping can change thru the years. Certain ministries might be dropped completely, or scaled back severely—And NOT mainly because of a lack of funding for them, but more because of a lack of personnel to energize them & see the ministry thru to honoring God!
God places people in strategic places as He sees fit, & He equips them for the task at hand.
Yes, the Nominating Committee needs to be aware of & to secure the proper use of the ‘pool’ of Salem’s available giftedness. BUT it is ALSO every Christian individual’s calling to make themselves openly available for the work & tasks they are called to!
PERSONAL CONCERNs
Application:
?Is Christian ministry sustained thru YOUR PERSONAL CONCERNs?
?Are YOU sustaining legitimate Christian ministry in the world?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Many of my Momma’s recipes are lost to history because they cannot be recreated or sustained!
The ‘lostness’ of those recipes’ pictures a warning for you & me....
The Good News of Jesus Christ, absolutely MUST be faithfully sustained!
Action:
Christian ministry is sustained thru...
1. PERSONAL CONCERNs(:12-15)
Pt# 1 only!! presented 01/05/2025am to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Rd.
Bennettsville, SC 29512
