SUSTAINING CHRISTIAN MINISTRY-IV—2Peter 1:12-15
Attention:
‘The Constitution of the United States of America’ is a document that records the unprecedented experimental design for a new country, that was born from the collective wisdom of the founding fathers. One of their main concerns in the design, was to PREVENT the tyrannical abuse of power that was commonly experienced thru centralizing sovereign power in a single person of influence—a fallible human king. So the Constitution establishes three branches of government & their powers: Legislative(Congress--House of Representatives & Senate), Executive(office of the President,) & Judicial(Federal court system). It also wisely sets forth a system of checks & balances that is designed to prevent any one of those separate powers from becoming dominant.
When Americans, as a people, see fit to add certain ‘amendments’(27 thus far) to our Federal Constitution, it should always be an attempt to further clarify & update law, & always in the spirit of the original writer’s intent.
And so, IF we ‘haphazardly’ amend the Constitution, then we may as well not have a Constitution at all! Because to so, would be to make it & our country, declare & stand for something that it was never intended to declare or stand for. Thru indiscriminate corrective emendations, the Constitution’s original intent would be effectively changed, albeit ever so slightly. And should such ‘so-called improvements’ be based merely on ‘preference of opinion’, rather than the betterment of the country overall, THEN the very nature of our nation’s founding would become baseless.
IF however, overall governance in our country takes the American Constitution seriously, then there will be very few amendments made to it. But even more telling, is when those amendments are put in place, there will be substantial effort put forth to ensure, not ONLY that ‘many voices’ are considered, but that those ‘many voices’ are held accountable for the country’s betterment.
*There is a need to faithfully SUSTAIN our American Constitution, so that it stands the test of time. Our American Constitution needs to be faithfully SUSTAINed so that it does not get watered down by limitations of opinion that are anything other than prudent or forward thinking.
*Likewise, Christian ministry, must be faithfully SUSTAINED, within the context of the Gospel, for the betterment of all mankind. It must continue to offer everyone THE proper way—God’s way— of navigating the pitfalls of this life!
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 without God’s direction.
They never discover God’s desire for themselves.
These easily fall victim to the devil’s lies: — ‘I’m not good enough’, ‘I’m not smart enough’, ‘I’m not young enough’, ‘I’m not old enough’, or ‘I’m not blessed enough’, & ‘God can’t use me!’
Don’t let the devil & the world talk you into becoming a victim!
*IF ALL of God’s people caved in to seeing themselves as ‘victims’ instead of victors, THEN God’s Good News would never be shared! And it’s life-transforming message would die with the ‘victimized’ generation!
God does not want His people to ignore the fact, that He ably equips, & wants to enable, EVERY SINGLE ONE of His children, in order to further His Kingdom work on earth & on into eternity.
But God’s equipping must be individually & personally, accepted, invited, & applied!
The apostle Peter was concerned with sustaining Christian ministry.
So:
Christian ministry must be sustained indefinitely.
But:
?What sustains Christian ministry?
Or:
?How is Christian ministry sustained?
We’re attempting to answer those questions by looking at:
4 concerns, by which Christian ministry is sustained.
So far we have found that:
Christian ministry is sustained thru...
1. PERSONAL CONCERNs(:12-15)
•We looked at the personal “I”s of our verses(:12-15).
•And the TIME constraints Peter faced(:13-15).
2. NEGLIGENCE CONCERNs(:12a)
3. ESTABLISHED CONCERNs(:12b-13)
Today we’ll end this series with the reality that:
4—Christian ministry is also sustained thru...
SECURED(Ensured) CONCERNs(:15)
Explanation:(:15)Availability
:15—“Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.”
:15—“Moreover...”
“Moreover”—That is, on top of all that has been previously stated, regarding the reason & motivation(:12) for Peter’s actively “reminding”(:12) or keeping the Church(es) aware of their equipping & responsibilities....
“I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things...”
Peter has accepted the God-ordained duty of “being careful to ensure”(spoudazw) a specific something takes place. Peter must “Endeavor”, “Make every effort,” & “Be diligent” to attend to whatever it is that God has raised him up to do. Peter is not going to waste his time with secondary matters that would take away from his major concern.
*“I Will Be Careful To Ensure/I Will Endeavor/I Will Make Every Effort/I Will Be Diligent”(See :10)—spoudazw—Future Active Indicative 1st Sing.—1) To hasten, make haste; 2) To exert one's self, endeavor, give diligence. Strong—To use speed, i.e. To make effort, be prompt or earnest. Used 11X.?From—spoudh—“Speed”, i.e. by implication--Dispatch, eagerness, earnestness.
Peter’s major concern being...
“...that you always have a reminder of these things...”
And the ‘specific thing’ that God has raised Peter up to do, is to “ensure that” all Churches, including all local churches, & all individual Christians, & even lost people, will “always have a reminder of” certain things... “these things.”
•God has called upon Peter specifically to “ensure”, to be “diligent”, to “endeavor”, to focus his “every effort” toward helping the Church grasp the importance of, & put into action, their personal & church-wide applications of Christian reality, as put forth in verses :2-11[!READ them!]
•The force behind the word translated as “always”(ekastote used 1X), carries a nuance of meaning: ‘on each occasion’ or ‘at ever instance.’....
•That is, it assumes that the audience, whether an individual or a group, would return again & again to Peter the apostle’s letter for godly guidance!
All the written word that comes to us thru Peter(& all the Bible!), is pertinent for the overall health & direction of the varied ministries of the Church, of every generation. And so, they are also pertinent for the Christian individual as well.
Even though Peter knows that he will some day(sooner or later) pass this life, before Jesus returns(:14), he does not allow that fact to alter in any way, his God-ordained mission to equip, supply, & prepare the generational Church with godly knowledge, for godly living.
*By equipping the Church in such a way, the Good News that is centered in Christ Jesus, will:
1)Continue to be disseminated/broadcast,
2)Continue to invite the lost to conviction,
3)Continue to invite the saved to grow in their faith,
4)Continue to invite the saved to active ministry,
5)Continue to multiply the Church among mankind, &
6)Continue to advance the Kingdom of God in Christ!...
...So that all people, willing or not, will be properly prepared for the resurrection & rapture of the Church when Christ Jesus returns, & so, for being properly prepared for life here on earth!
Argumentation:
Deut. 31:19-21—YHWH to Moses, of ‘the Song of Moses’(32:1-43),—““Now therefore, write down this song for yourselves, & teach it to the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel. When I have brought them to the land flowing with milk & honey, of which I swore to their fathers, & they have eaten & filled themselves & grown fat, then they will turn to other gods & serve them; & they will provoke Me & break My covenant. Then it shall be, when many evils & troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify against them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten in the mouths of their descendants, for I know the inclination of their behavior today, even before I have brought them to the land of which I swore to give them.””
Josh. 4:1-7—“And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying: “Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, “& command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you & leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.’” Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe; & Joshua said to them: “Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, & each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, “that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ “Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.””
Deut. 27:1-3, 8—“Now Moses, with the elders of Israel, commanded the people, saying: “Keep all the commandments which I command you today. “And it shall be, on the day when you cross over the Jordan to the land which the LORD your God is giving you, that you shall set up for yourselves large stones, & whitewash them with lime. You shall write on them all the words of this law, when you have crossed over, that you may enter the land which the LORD your God is giving you, ‘a land flowing with milk & honey,’ just as the LORD God of your fathers promised you......“And you shall write very plainly on the stones all the words of this law.”
Josh. 24:11-29—Joshua declares “the LORD’s word to Israel after they had taken the ‘promised land’—‘Then you went over the Jordan & came to Jericho. And the men of Jericho fought against you--also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, & the Jebusites. But I delivered them into your hand. I sent the hornet before you which drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the Amorites, but not with your sword or with your bow. ‘I have given you a land for which you did not labor, & cities which you did not build, & you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards & olive groves which you did not plant.’ “Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity & in truth, & put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River & in Egypt. Serve the LORD! “And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me & my house, we will serve the LORD.” “So the people answered & said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; “for the LORD our God is He who brought us & our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, & preserved us in all the way that we went & among all the people through whom we passed. “And the LORD drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We also will serve the LORD, for He is our God.” But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. If you forsake the LORD & serve foreign gods, then He will turn & do you harm & consume you, after He has done you good.” And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the LORD!” So Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD for yourselves, to serve Him.” And they said, “We are witnesses!” “Now therefore,” he said, “put away the foreign gods which are among you, & incline your heart to the LORD God of Israel.” And the people said to Joshua, “The LORD our God we will serve, & His voice we will obey!” :25—So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, & made for them a statute & an ordinance in Shechem. Then Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone, & set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God.” So Joshua let the people depart, each to his own inheritance. Now it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being one hundred & ten years old.”
Gen. 6:13-22—“And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; & behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, & cover it inside & outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, & its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, & you shall finish it to a cubit from above; & set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, & third decks. And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish My covenant with you; & you shall go into the ark--you, your sons, your wife, & your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male & female. Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, & of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, & you shall gather it to yourself; & it shall be food for you & for them.” Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.”
Gen. 7:1-5—“Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you & all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male & his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male & his female; also seven each of birds of the air, male & female, to keep the species[“seed”] alive on the face of all the earth. For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days & forty nights, & I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.” And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him.”
2Pet. 1:19-21—“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns & the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
2Tim. 3:16-17—“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God[God-breathed], & is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
•We must be able to continually return to that body of writing that consists of the faithful standing record of God’s word!
2Tim. 2:1-2—“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
•And how will they effectively “teach others also”? By returning to the standing record!
Illustration:
*After I’ve exited the door at home, & hear the latch catch behind me, I sometimes have a sinking feeling that I’ve locked myself out! I’m trying to teach myself to never lock any door behind me, without using the key to lock it directly! If I can flawlessly do so, I will never lock myself out! I have then SECURED(Ensured) my CONCERNs
SUNDAY SCHOOL(potential applications), DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING(practicalities of service), & BIBLE STUDY(Scriptural knowledge) are all necessary.
•It is a guard against loose religion based on fleshly appeals.
And yet, those things are all offered, but not enforced. And so not everybody takes advantage of the opportunity.
SECURED(Ensured) CONCERNs
Church Clerk Tabulations—Helps us keep our ‘By-laws’ & ‘operational standards’ fully tethered to the Bible, by seeing how they have been applied in the past. So we should always have good reasons for doing what we do. SECURED(Ensured) CONCERNs
Application:
?Is Christian ministry sustained thru YOUR SECURED(Ensured) CONCERNs?
?Are YOU sustaining legitimate Christian ministry in the world?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
If we are to remain Americans, we must SUSTAIN our Constitution, so that it does not get watered down by any preference of opinion that is beyond the founder’s intent.
Likewise, the Good News of Jesus Christ, carried thru Christian ministry, MUST be faithfully SUSTAINED, for the betterment of all mankind. It must continue to offer everyone God’s solution for navigating the pitfalls of this life!
Action:
Christian ministry is sustained thru...
4. SECURED(Ensured) CONCERNs(:15)
1. PERSONAL CONCERNs(:12-15)
2. NEGLIGENCE CONCERNs(:12a)
3. ESTABLISHED CONCERNs(:12b-13)
Pt# 4 only! presented 02/02/2025am to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Rd.
Bennettsville, SC 29512
