“The Lord GOD has given me
the tongue of those who are taught,
that I may know how to sustain with a word
him who is weary.
Morning by morning he awakens;
he awakens my ear
to hear as those who are taught.” [1]
Peter had a tongue that once spoke foolishly as he cursed and denied Jesus. Yet, that same tongue when it had been tamed and empowered by the Holy Spirit, was divinely employed at Pentecost until it became God’s agent used to bring three thousand souls to their knees and to faith in the Risen Lord of Glory.
Paul had a vitriolic tongue, malicious and murderous, a vile tongue that spoke against Christ and commented with pleasure, no doubt, upon the death of Stephen. Nevertheless, tamed by the Holy Spirit that once hate-motivated tongue spoke in such a way that Felix trembled. The tongue of the once vitriolic Rabbi of Rage would become the sweet voice of reason that would send the Roman eagle screaming from its nest to race across leaden skies clearing the way for the knowledge of God’s love.
Long after the earliest days of the advent of the Faith of Christ the Lord, God was accomplishing great things with transformed tongues. We learn from history that John Knox had a tongue that was once out of God’s keeping, but God so transformed that tongue and empowered it in prayer ensuring that the tongue of John Knox would become more alarming to a wicked queen than the bayonets of ten thousand men.
Early in life, Mel Trotter had a tongue that was foul, filthy, wicked, and wild. His tongue spewed out vile epithets. Yet, this same tongue, losing half its vocabulary when he was converted to Christ, became an instrument of holy fire for God’s glory.
And not only were the tongues of servants of the Risen Lord of Glory transformed, but we witness the power of the tongue for good when the tongues of statesmen spoke wisely. Surely, God was at work employing the tongues of great national spokesmen for good. For instance, we know how the tongue of Abraham Lincoln spoke for three minutes at Gettysburg with such logical and emotional power that not a single cheer arose from the massive audience. The words the President spoke that day, like the clarion call of a silver bell, will ring in the hearts of men to the end of time. His tongue that day laid the foundation for the healing of a nation deeply wounded by civil war. Would that statesmen in this day possessed the same ability and commitment for healing the nation instead of advancing their own distorted agendas.
The tongue of Winston Churchill inspired patriotism, courage, and fortitude in all the allied nations of the world in the darkest days of World War II. His speeches, broadcast via radio, rallied a battered nation to unite in opposition to the tyranny that then threatened to extinguish the lamp of liberty for millennia to come.
Tragically, the tongue of many of the saints of God inflict massive wounds that are almost impossible to heal. We do so thoughtlessly, imagining that we have the right to wound others because we are confident that we are right. We find wisdom in the sayings of the wise, and it is not surprising that these proverbs address the tongue as they do so many other facets of life. As an example, consider the following statements that speak of the impact of our words, whether for good or whether for evil.
“What the righteous say is like the best silver,
but what the wicked think is of little value.”
[PROVERBS 10:20 NET BIBLE 2nd]
“There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
[PROVERBS 12:18]
“The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but the mouths of fools pour out folly”
“A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.”
[PROVERBS 15:2, 4]
“[The excellent wife] opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.”
[PROVERBS 31:26]
Mark these verses in your Bible; memorise these verses as they will equip you with guidance to direct what you say by weighing how your words can build or destroy.
Our tongue, the words we speak and even the tone of our speech, has an impact far out of proportion to mere words. We learn the languages we speak, and we communicate the thoughts and the ideas that grow in our mind. What we say will either bless those who hear us, or our words will crush those who are addressed. The impact of our words will either build others and honour the Lord Whom we serve, or our words will dishonour Him. It all depends on who controls our tongue.
THE TONGUE GOD HAS GIVEN ME —
“The Lord GOD has given me
the tongue of those who are taught.”
[ISAIAH 50:4a]
The verse under scrutiny in this message is the opening statement in the third in a series of songs known as the Servant Songs. The song is understood to point to the character of Messiah at His advent. I recognise the application of this song, but I hold that what is written is applicable to those who look to Messiah as the One Who would deliver Himself for their salvation. Jesus the Messiah is our model and we follow His example.
As one who follows the Lord Christ, you received the Holy Spirit; He took up residence in your life when you were saved. The Apostle reminds us, “It is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” [2 CORINTHIANS 1:21-22]. God has placed His Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee, as a down payment of what is yet to come!
Later, in this same missive, we witness the Apostle encouraging us when he writes, “We know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee” [2 CORINTHIANS 5:1-5]. God has given us His Spirit to ensure that we will have confidence in what is yet to take place when this life is finished.
Consider one other place where the Apostle has spoken of the Spirit God gave us. Writing Timothy, the pastor of the Ephesian congregation, Paul revealed, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” [2 TIMOTHY 1:7].
As an aside of no minor significance, the Spirit that God placed in us does not create a climate of fear in our lives, rather, He empowers us and enables us to do mighty works in the Name of Christ the Lord and to the praise of His glory. Is this not the testimony given when the Apostle writes, “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” [ROMANS 8:12-17].
The Word of God consistently testifies that the Spirit of God lives within the redeemed child of God. And this Holy Spirit is always working to control the tongue of the one who is saved. In support of this statement, recall the events that transpired on the day of Pentecost. The language recorded is significant in ensuring us that God’s Spirit, when He has filled the redeemed soul, controls what is said by the saved individual.
Here’s the account as given in Acts. “When the day of Pentecost arrived, [the disciples] were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them” [ACTS 2:1-3]. Now pay particular attention to what happened when the Spirit of God had filled these first saints: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” [ACTS 2:1-4]. The Holy Spirit directed their speech, giving them the precise words they were to speak. Their words had outsized impact!
I’m not suggesting that we must wait around for external phenomena to know that the Spirit of God has taken up residence in our heart before we trust Him to guide us, and especially to direct our speech. “We walk by faith, not by sight” [2 CORINTHIANS 5:7], and we therefore are assured that the Father has given us His Spirit because we are born from above through faith in the Son of God and not because of some standardised phenomena.
This, then, is what I mean—we must know for a certainty that God’s Spirit, living in us, will give us the words to speak whenever we are challenged to glorify the Son of God, or whenever we are challenged to tell someone why we are confident in what lies in store for us because we have been saved, or whenever we are challenged to testify of the grace we have received. We can trust Him to do what is promised. Though you may feel that your words are inadequate, as a twice born follower of the Son of God can be certain that the Spirit of Christ living in you will glorify the Saviour when you speak.
Let me tell you why I can be so confident that what I just stated is true and certain. Consider the instruction the Master delivered to His disciples on one occasion. It was as He prepared to send the disciples out on their first working tour through the land, we hear Jesus instructing them, “I am sending you out like sheep surrounded by wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of people, because they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues. And you will be brought before governors and kings because of me, as a witness to them and the Gentiles. Whenever they hand you over for trial, do not worry about how to speak or what to say, for what you should say will be given to you at that time. For it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” [MATTHEW 10:16-19 NET 2nd].
Did you catch what Jesus said concerning Who was speaking when these disciples were challenged? The same truth holds for you and for me when we are challenged to speak of what we have believed and why we hold to these truths. When challenged to tell others who I believe, or what I believe, or why I believe, I may be certain that the Spirit of my Father will ensure that I will say what is proper and truthful and that what I say will glorify the Name of Christ the Lord.
If that were the only time Jesus made such a promise, it would be sufficient to assure me that this is the way in which God works in us who have believed. However, we see other instances when the Master made the same promise. Another time we hear Jesus encouraging disciples when He said, “When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say” [LUKE 12:11-12]. When you are compelled to speak of your faith and forced to speak of the One in Whom you have trusted, you may be assured that the Spirit of Christ is speaking through you. You will be amazed at the words given you in that stressful time.
The Prophet Isaiah, looking to the future, has said,
“The Lord GOD has given me
the tongue of those who are taught.”
[ISAIAH 50:4a]
And we have seen that our God has indeed given me the tongue of those who are taught. God has given His Spirit to each one who is twice born. And because the Holy Spirit lives in the twice born child of God, He teaches us what to say at the moment we must speak, just as we have seen. Whether to testify of God’s power, or to speak of the salvation that is found only in Christ, or to warn of impending doom for the lost, or to encourage the downhearted, God equips you to say the precise word that is needed as opportunity arises. You are equipped and enabled to speak in Christ’s stead. Amen.
In this beautiful Song of the Servant, the Lord GOD states that His Servant, Jesus the Anointed One, would be given the tongue that permitted Him to speak as One among “those who are taught,” and that His words would sustain the weary. Do you remember the promise Jesus gave His disciples as He prepared them for His exodus? Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father” [JOHN 14:12].
This statement provides sufficient reason to allow me to hold that the words written in the text are applicable to the redeemed people of God in this Church Age. We who follow Christ the Lord as Master over our lives have His promise that we are equipped to perform many of the works He did, speaking with His authority and power because He is now appearing before the Father on our behalf.
THE PURPOSE OF GOD’S GIFT —
“The Lord GOD has given me
the tongue of those who are taught,
that I may know how to sustain with a word
him who is weary”
[ISAIAH 50:4a]
One contemporary translation has rendered these opening words of this, the third of the Servant Songs, as it is presented in Isaiah’s prophecy,
The Sovereign LORD has given me the capacity to be his spokesman,
so that I know how to help the weary.
[ISAIAH 50:4a NET 2nd]
Hold this truth in mind as you read this verse: above all else, God equips His people to speak, and the equipping they receive is designed to minister to the weary, to the needy.
A moment ago I demonstrated by reciting Jesus’ statement that the faith of His disciples would enable them to do what He did—and even more! In this message I have argued that the text before us informs us that the not only would Messiah possess the capacity to be spokesman for the Lord GOD, but through looking at what is said of the presence of the Spirit of Christ in the one who follows God’s Anointed One, that the redeemed soul will likewise be enabled to serve as God’s spokesman. Serving as a spokesman for the Living God, the saved soul is equipped to help the weary, just as Isaiah prophesied. And that is great encouragement for us who believe!
Look at an incident recorded in John’s Gospel. On the last day of the Feast of Booths, John records that Jesus stood up, crying out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” [JOHN 7:37-38]. He spoke of the Holy Spirit and His work.
What Jesus said at that time had an impact on those who heard Him speak. Thus, we read, “When they heard these words, some of the people said, ‘This really is the Prophet.’ Others said, ‘This is the Christ’” [JOHN 7:40-41a]. The gracious words of the Master have always had a divisive effect, however. Some refused to accept that someone from “Nazareth” could be the Christ. So John notes there was a division about Him.
Among those hearing Jesus that day, some wanted to arrest Him, but no one from among the crowd moved to seize Him. Among those present were officers empowered to seize those who might sound as though they were blaspheming the Law or as though they were blaspheming the Temple. And though there were officials present, they didn’t seize Jesus. Later, these officials of the Sanhedrin appeared before the religious leaders to whom they had to give answer. This is what John wrote of that appearance. “The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, ‘Why did you not bring him?’ The officers answered, ‘No one ever spoke like this man’” [JOHN 7:45-46]!
Jesus could speak with a brilliant theologian, confounding the man with the simple explanation that only those who were born from above could anticipate knowing the Father of Lights, the God Who alone can redeem lost souls. And when that theologian questioned how this could be, he would hear the words pointing him to life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” [JOHN 3:5-8].
With a Word, Jesus could revive the spirit of a broken woman, pointing her to a future bright with the promises of God. Excited by what she heard, the woman would rush into the town where she had been debased and derided challenging those she encountered, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ” [JOHN 4:29]? As result of her testimony, an entire town rushed out to meet the Messiah.
A father, grieving because his son lay dying was encouraged to believe when the Master spoke the simple, soothing words, “Your son will live” [JOHN 4:50]—and he lived!
Challenged to reveal from whence His authority was derived, Jesus testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment” [JOHN 5:19-29].
As one who follows the Risen Son of God, your testimony is powerful. Your statement of what the Lord has done in your life cannot be refuted by philosophers and theologians. Your testimony is yours alone; no one can tell you what God has done in your life. The peace you have, the intimacy with the Father, the joy which the Spirit of Christ gives, the power of Christ speak through you, is evidence of Christ at work in you.
We who are saved, need to be encouraged to heed the admonition of the Psalmist,
“Let the redeemed of the LORD proclaim
that he has redeemed them from the power of the foe
and has gathered them from the lands—
from the east and the west,
from the north and the south.”
[PSALM 107:2-3 CSB]
Your confession of faith in the Son of God is far more powerful than you might ever imagine. Your testimony of His deliverance is powerful at turning others to righteousness. Your simple statement of God’s grace working in your life may be just what some brilliant soul needs if they are to come to faith in the Son of God. Speak up, then, knowing that the Lord God has enabled you to be His spokesman at that moment.
When you point others to life in the Son of God, telling them of His power to save and speaking of the forgiveness of sin, you cannot know what power will be revealed through those who believe. The final toll of redeemed souls that began with you speaking of Jesus as the Son of God will not be revealed this side of Heaven. Your gentle word delivered with grace will have an impact in each person who hears you. And of this you may be assured: Some will believe.
You may think that you can’t speak with others because you are not a rhetorician. You may have convinced yourself that your words have no power to change the outlook of the broken-hearted, lifting that dispirited soul out of the slough of despair. You need to remember the promise Jesus gave His disciples, the promise that we saw just a short while past: “It is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” [MATTHEW 10:16-19 NET 2nd].
When you sit quietly with that grieving widow, just being present will encourage her and give her hope. When you do speak as the Spirit gives guidance, you will give her fresh courage to face the uncertain future. Your words will sustain her and infuse hope into a hopeless situation.
When you counsel a confused young man struggling to know what steps to take as he prepares for the days allotted on this earth, because the Spirit of God lives in you, you will speak truth and what you say will direct him to walk boldly into the dim unknown knowing that the unseen God will guide him just as the Lord has guided you.
When that neighbour who is weary from the grind of daily life questions how you are able to keep on living victoriously in a world that seemingly is run by powerful interests that are clueless about what they are doing, your testimony that the Living God has given you understanding of what lies ahead will be the catalyst that opens the heart of that confused soul, making it possible for the voice of the Lord to be heard.
The Prophet had said that the spokesman of God would know how to sustain with a word the one who was weary. And you will be that spokesman who helps the soul that is exhausted by the craziness of this frenetic life. You, as one who follows the Risen Lord of Glory, will become that spokesman who instills hope and courage into the soul of those who feel they are living through a hopeless situation or who feel they are facing conditions that can only grow worse. You, as God’s spokesman guided by His Spirit, will become a powerful voice to glorify the Son of God. Amen.
OUR NEED TO RECEIVE GOD’S TRAINING —
“Morning by morning he awakens;
he awakens my ear
to hear as those who are taught.”
[ISAIAH 50:4b]
The thrust of the Prophet’s words is that the Messiah is taught by the Lord GOD. Indeed, the Holy Spirit was with the Lord from the moment He was revealed to Israel, and Jesus walked in the power of the Spirit, guided and taught to ensure that He fulfilled the will of the Father. You will recall how the Spirit of God descended on Him after He had been baptised by the Baptist. Scripture records, “When Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’” [MATTHEW 3:16-17].
Immediately after He was baptised, Jesus was led by the Spirit to face the temptations of the devil. Luke informs us, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil” [LUKE 4:1-2a].
After overcoming the temptations presented by Satan, we read of a significant incident in Jesus’ life. “Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’”
[LUKE 4:14-19]
What Jesus said after reading this portion of the Word assigned to be read that day, stunned each one who was present in the synagogue that day. Listen as Doctor Luke relates what happened next. “He rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing’” [LUKE 4:20-21].
Filled with the Spirit, Jesus announced that He was appointed to fulfil Isaiah’s prophecy. Henceforth, He would proclaim good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to the captives, give sight to the blind, free the oppressed, proclaiming God’s favour!
No less is it true that you and I, if we follow the Lord Jesus, are appointed and empowered to proclaim good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to the captives, give sight to the blind, set at liberty those who are oppressed, while we proclaim the Lord’s favour! Surely, this is the import of the words recorded by the Apostle when he writes in the second letter to the Corinthians [2 CORINTHIANS 5:18-6:2], “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
“Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says,
‘In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you.’
Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
The presence of the Spirit fulfils the promise that the lost can never know, but the promise that is a reality for each twice born child of the True and Living God. Jesus instructed His disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” [JOHN 14:15-17].
The Spirit of God is in you who are born from above, anointing you, equipping you, and teaching you how you are to glorify the Son of God. Jesus promised, “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me” [JOHN 15:26]. And this is the Spirit He has placed in you.
Again, we hear the promise Jesus made when He said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come” [JOHN 16:13].
How does the Spirit of Christ living in us instruct us? How does He work in us? He speaks to our heart, telling us the things of God, just as Jesus said. Jesus told us how the Spirit would work when He said, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you” [JOHN 16:7-14].
We can be confident that the Spirit of God will teach us what is required for us to be effective in service to the Saviour. But we haven’t spoken specifically of how the Spirit will teach us. Of course, He will speak to our heart when we are moving away from walking with the Saviour. What God said to His ancient people holds true for us. “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left” [ISAIAH 30:21].
The Spirit of the Lord is always working in the life of God’s child, teaching them, and guiding them. Paul makes this plain when he writes, “Now we do speak wisdom among the mature, but not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are perishing. Instead we speak the wisdom of God, hidden in a mystery, that God determined before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood it. If they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But just as it is written, ‘Things that no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love him.’ God has revealed these to us by the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the things of a man except the man’s spirit within him? So too, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things that are freely given to us by God” [1 CORINTHIANS 2:6-12 NET BIBLE 2nd].
What is on occasion ignored is that this teaching is communicated through the Word that God caused to be written. Nor should this be surprising since the Spirit guided those who penned Scripture. Peter speaks of this when he testifies, “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” [2 PETER 1:16-21].
There is yet a more common means of instruction that God has provided, and because it is witnessed commonly, it may be taken for granted by an increasing number of those professing to follow the Saviour. Of course, I am speaking of the instruction provided by those appointed by the Lord to teach. Almost every congregation of the Lord Jesus has at least one individual who bears the title of “Pastor.” In the Ephesian Encyclical, we witness Paul writing, “Grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says,
‘When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.’”
[EPHESIANS 4:7-8]
And it is these gifts that need to be recognised and acknowledged.
“He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” [EPHESIANS 4:11-16].
Apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers are Christ’s ascension gifts given specifically to equip the saints for the work of ministry. The whole Body works together to reveal Christ in this present Age of Grace, but some of those serving have the specific task of ensuring that the faithful are equipped for the work of ministry and for building up the Body of Christ, striving always to assist the saints attaining maturity. There is no benefit for any of us to remain immature or childish.
It is at this point that a cautionary statement must be given. The Apostle to the Jews speaks of a grave danger when he writes, “False prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep” [2 PETER 2:1-3].
The danger was acute in those early days, and even Jude warned of the danger. “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” [JUDE 3-4]. He gives some insight into these false teachers when he writes, “These people … relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones” [JUDE 8].
Not every individual standing behind the sacred desk is worthy of the title, “Pastor.” Some, slyly will not openly deny Christ, but in their lifestyle will deny His reign. Beware of those who mishandle the Word, attempting to explain away what has been delivered to the saints of the Most High God. Beware of those who draw attention to themselves. Above all else, keep your eyes fixed on Christ the Lord. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
