Sunday
Evening Bible Study
June 25, 2000
Introduction
Paul has been talking about how we have been given the privilege of
reconciling people to God. We have the
message of reconciliation, the message that says that God offers forgiveness
freely.
:1 that ye receive not the grace of
God in vain.
Robertson - “The plan of
God, the work of Christ on the cross, the pleas of the ambassador may all be
nullified by the recipient of the message”.
Be good soil. Be open to God's work in your life.
:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of
salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now
is the day of salvation.)
Paul kind of makes a
break in his thought to stress the urgency of getting right with God.
Paul is quoting Is.49:8,
a section prophesying about the coming Messiah and His mission.
Isaiah 49:8 Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard
thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee,
and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to
inherit the desolate heritages;
1st
accepted – dektos – accepted, acceptable
2nd
accepted – euprosdektos – well received, accepted, acceptable
Paul is saying that now
is the well-acceptable time, that now is more than the acceptable time.
Paul is urging them to
get right with God, and to do it now.
Now is more than acceptable.
Today is the day
Illustration
Dwight L. Moody, by his own admission, made a mistake on the eighth of
October 1871 -- a mistake he determined never to repeat.
He had been preaching in the city of Chicago. That particular night drew his largest audience yet. His message was "What will you do then
with Jesus who is called the Christ?"
By the end of the service, he was tired.
He concluded his message with a presentation of the gospel and a
concluding statement: "Now I give
you a week to think that over. And when
we come together again, you will have opportunity to respond."
A soloist began to sing. But before
the final note, the music was drowned out by clanging bells and wailing sirens
screaming through the streets. The
great Chicago Fire was blazing. In the
ashen aftermath, hundreds were dead and over a hundred thousand were homeless.
Without a doubt, some who heard Moody's message had died in the fire. He reflected remorsefully that he would have
given his right arm before he would ever give an audience another week to think
over the message of the gospel.
Illustration
There is an ancient story about three demons who were arguing over the best
way to destroy the Christian mission in the world. The first demon says, “Let’s
tell all the Christians there is no heaven.
Take away the reward incentive and the mission will collapse.” The second demon says, “Let’s tell all the
Christians there is no hell. Take away
the fear of punishment and the mission will collapse.” The third demon says, “There is one better
way. Let’s tell all the Christians that
there is no hurry” and all three immediately say, “That’s it! All we have to do
is tell them there’s no hurry and the whole Christian enterprise will
collapse.”
:3 Giving no offence in any thing,
offence – proskope – an
occasion of stumbling; to do something which causes others to stumble; i.e.
leads them into error or sin
To the Romans
(Rom.14:13-23), the issue was whether or not to eat meat sacrificed to
idols. Some thought it was okay, some
didn't. Those who thought it was okay
were ragging on the others, trying to make them do it anyway.
:3 that the ministry be not blamed:
blamed – momaomai – to
blame, find fault with, mock at
I Corinthians 9:24-27 Know ye not that they which run in a race run
all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man
that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they [do it] to
obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, no t as one
that beateth the air: But I keep under
my body, and bring [it] into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have
preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
We need to be careful
that our lives match what we say.
We could list plenty of
examples today of how a ministry has been discredited because of the lives of
the people in it.
:4 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God
approving – sunistao – to
place together, to set in the same place, to bring or band together; to put
together by way of composition or combination, to teach by combining and
comparing; to show, prove, establish, exhibit
ministers – diakonos – one
who executes the commands of another, esp. of a master, a servant, attendant,
minister
(Mat 20:25-28 KJV) But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye
know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they
that are great exercise authority upon them. {26} But it shall not be so among
you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
{27} And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: {28} Even
as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister,
and to give his life a ransom for many.
Ministry is not about being “great” or exercising authority over others,
telling them what to do.
Ministry is all about being a servant of others.
Paul now elaborates on just what “ministry” is all about.
Illustration
The Perfect Preacher
After hundreds of years, one has been found! A model preacher preaches 20
minutes and sits down. He condemns sin but never hurts anyone’s feelings. He works from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. in every
type of work from preaching to custodial service. He makes $60 a week, wears
good clothes, buys good books
regularly, has a nice family, drives a good car and gives $100 a week to
the church. He also stands ready to
contribute to every good work that comes
along. He is 26 years old and
has been preaching for 30 years. He is tall and short, thin and heavy-set. He has one brown eye,
and one blue, and hair parted down the
middle, left side dark and straight and the right brown and wavy. He has a burning desire to work with the
teenagers, and spends all his time with
the older folks. He smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor that keeps him
seriously dedicated to his work. He makes 15 calls a day on church members,
spends all of his time evangelizing the unchurched, and is never out of his
office.
:4 in much patience, in
afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,
:5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in
fastings;
How does your “ministry”
stack up to these things? Are there
things here you’d rather avoid?
much patience – hupomone – to remain
under; patient enduring, endurance, especially dealing with patience in tough
times.
afflictions – thlipsesin – pressure,
tribulation, affliction, distress.
necessities – anagkais – necessity, to
be compelled; force, violence, hence pain, distress. Hardship. Going without.
distresses – stenochoriais –
narrowness of space, want of room; difficulty, distress. We might say, “between a rock and a hard
place”.
stripes – plegais – a blow, stripe,
wound. Sometimes the blows are as much
emotional and mental as physical.
imprisonments – phulakais – a guarding, a
guard; a prison.
tumults – akatastasiais – (sounds
like catastrophe!) instability; confusion, tumult, disorder.
labours – kopois – a striking,
beating; laborious toil, trouble. The
emphasis in this word is on fatigue.
watchings – agrupniais –
sleeplessness, watching.
fastings – nesteiais – fasting, a
fast. Sometimes involuntarily. Hunger.
:6 By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy
Ghost, by love unfeigned,
pureness – hagnoteti – from hagnos
(free from ceremonial defilement, holy, sacred, pure, chaste, undefiled), purity,
chastity.
Ministry ought to be
pure. There should be no place for
yucky motives.
knowledge – gnosei – a seeking to
know, inquiry, investigation; knowledge, especially of the knowledge of
spiritual truth.
longsuffering – makrothumia – patience,
long-suffering, forbearance, esp. patience with difficult people.
kindness – chrestoteti – goodness,
excellence, uprightness; goodness of heart, kindness.
the Holy Spirit – pneumati hagio – the Holy
Spirit! Ministry characterized by the
Holy Spirit!
love unfeigned – agape anupokrito – AGAPE
(1Cor.13), (opp. of hypocrite); unfeigned.
Not something faked.
John 13:34-25 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one
another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall
all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
:7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of
righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
the word of truth – logo aletheias – God's
Word.
II Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman
that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
the power of God – dunamei theou –
I Corinthians 2:1-5 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not
with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of
God. For I determined not to know any
thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear,
and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching [was] not
with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of
power: That your faith should not stand
in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
the armour of
righteousness on the right hand and on the left (Eph.6:13-17; 1Chron.12:1,2) – hoplon
ten dikaiosunes...
Typically, the offensive
weapons (like spears and swords) were held in the right hand, the defensive
weapons (like shields) were held in the left.
We are in a spiritual
battle.
(2 Cor 10:4-5 NLT) We use
God's mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil's
strongholds. {5} With these weapons we break down every proud argument that
keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebellious
ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ.
Spiritual battles require
spiritual weapons.
(Eph 6:11-18 NLT) Put on
all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all
strategies and tricks of the Devil. {12} For we are not fighting against people
made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the
unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and
against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms. {13} Use every piece of God's
armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you
will still be standing firm. {14} Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt
of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. {15} For shoes, put on the
peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. {16}
In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows
aimed at you by Satan. {17} Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword
of the Spirit, which is the word of God. {18} Pray at all times and on every
occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your
prayers for all Christians everywhere.
Truth,
righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, God’s Word, prayer. These are our weapons.
This might be talking
about having skill with spiritual weapons.
(1 Chr 12:1-2 NLT) The
following men joined David at Ziklag while he was hiding from Saul son of Kish.
They were among the warriors who fought beside David in battle. {2} All of them
were expert archers, and they could shoot arrows or sling stones with their
left hand as well as their right. They were all relatives of Saul from the
tribe of Benjamin.
These mighty men of David
could fight with either their right or their left hands. They were well trained, valuable men.
How skillful are you with
God’s weapons?
Illustration
In The Encourager,
Charles Mylander writes: “Sunrise was dawning when Los Angeles motorcycle
police officer Bob Vernon saw a red pickup truck speed through a stop sign.
This guy must be late to work, he thought to himself. He turned on his
emergency lights and radioed that he was in pursuit. The pickup pulled over,
and the officer approached.
“Meanwhile in the truck,
the driver thought, The cops already know! He was scared. He rested his hand on
the same gun he had used a few moments before to rob a twenty-four-hour market.
The sack of stolen money was beside him on the seat.
“The officer said, ‘Good
morning, sir, may I see your—‘
“He never finished the
sentence. The driver shoved his gun toward the policeman’s chest and fired from
just inches away. The cop was knocked flat seven feet away.
“A few seconds later, to
the shock of the criminal, the officer stood up, pulled his service revolver,
and fired twice. The first bullet went through the open window and smashed the
windshield. The second tore through the door and ripped into the driver’s left
leg.
“’Don’t shoot!’ the thief
screamed, throwing the gun and sack of money out the pickup window.
“What saved the
policeman’s life was dozens of layers of Kevlar, the super strong fabric used
for bulletproof vests. Only three-eighths of an inch thick, Kevlar can stop
bullets cold.” In Ephesians 6, the
Bible instructs every Christian to put on the full armor of God. Simple
qualities like righteousness and faith can deflect what the Enemy of souls may
fire at us.
:8 By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers,
and yet true;
honour – doxa – opinion;
glory, honor. There can be a lot of
glory and honor in the ministry. You
can get a lot of attention.
and dishonour – atimia – dishonour,
ignominy, disgrace. If you think that
ministry comes only with honor, you’re wrong.
There will be people who will dislike you. Even in church.
evil report and good
report – dusphemias,
euphemias (play on words in greek). When you serve the Lord, you start
getting all kinds of flack.
deceivers and yet true – planoi (wandering,
vagabond, imposter), aletheis (true).
Some people will think that you are a fake or a liar. You can see it on their faces. Nothing you can say will change their mind
about you. They’ll take everything you
say wrong.
Others will know you are true.
Illustration
One pastor writes,
While I conducted my usual Tuesday evening prison ministry, my wife decided
to attend a local home sales party. Our
fifteen-year-old daughter, Faith, was at home and later told us about a call
she had taken from one of our church members.
It went like this:
“Hello, is your father home?”
“No, he’s in jail,” Faith said.
“Well, then, is your mother home?”
“No, she’s at a party.”
The church member still reminds us of that call.
-- Richard R. Smith of Cottonwood Falls, Kansas,
Christian Reader, January/February, 1997, p. 13.
:9 As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as
chastened, and not killed;
unknown yet well-known – agnooumenoi (as ignored,
nonentities, obscure, without proper credentials), epiginoskomenoi
(fully recognized, by all who really matter).
Ministry is not for
people who want to make a name for themselves.
Some people get a lot of glitz and glamor, but for the most part, it
consists of doing things without any recognition.
It can get really
confusing sometimes. When you are at
church, you can be seen as a “star”, as a “somebody”, as somebody with a
“title”. But don’t let it go to your
head. You’re just “Timmy’s dad”.
dying yet behold, we
live – apothneskontes,
dzomen –
punished yet not put
to death – paideuomenoi,
thanotoumenoi – We don’t know anything of this in America. Paul’s life was often on the line for the
gospel.
:10 As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as
having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
sorrowful yet always
rejoicing – lupoumenoi,
chairontes –
There are great sorrows
in serving the Lord, yet also great times of joy.
Illustration
“I am burning with a
fever, and have a violent cold; but Christ's presence makes me smile at pain;
and the fire of his love burns up all fevers whatsoever.”
-- George Whitefield.
Christian History, Issue 38.
poor yet making many
rich – ptochoi,
ploutidzontes –
Spiritual riches, that
is.
having nothing yet possessing
all things – meden
echontes, panta katechontes
(2 Cor 6:10 NLT) …We own nothing, and yet we have everything.
Illustration
While on a short-term missions trip, Pastor Jack Hinton was leading worship
at a leper colony on the island of Tobago. A woman who had been facing away
from the pulpit turned around.
“It was the most hideous face I had ever seen,” Hinton said. “The woman’s
nose and ears were entirely gone. She lifted a fingerless hand in the air and
asked, ‘Can we sing Count Your Many Blessings?’ “
Overcome with emotion, Hinton left the service. He was followed by a team
member who said, “I guess you’ll never be able to sing that song again.”
“Yes I will,” he replied, “but I’ll never sing it the same way.”
-- The Pastor's Update (5/96).
Fresh Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching (Baker), from the
editors of Leadership.