SANCTIFICATION AND SEXUALITY

One of the most powerful temptations that a pastor will face is in the area of sexual sin. It may invade our mind through pornography that is so readily available. It may infiltrate our heart through a counseling setting that leads from sympathy with a hurting woman to seduction in lusting for the woman to sin in adultery with the woman.  This is the sobering reality: if David—a man after God’s own heart—could fall so wretchedly, then none of us are immune from the possibility.  David brought down a giant with a slingshot, but fell to the beautiful form of a woman.

The temptation is strong, yet God is far stronger—if we rely on Him. That is it His will for us to be sanctified is not debatable.  Our body is not our own—to do with as we please. It is His—purchased by the precious blood of Christ.  You will by His grace overcome sexual sin or sexual sin will overcome you. Do not desecrate the temple of God’s Holy Spirit!

Though we must say, “No!” when faced with the enticement, that may not be sufficient in itself. The wording, “that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,” suggests having a practical strategy to win this war. For instance: never meet a woman for counseling alone behind closed doors; involve your wife in such counseling; limit the number of times you will have counseling sessions before referral to someone else. You dare not let an emotional bond form that takes one down the road toward a physical one. Have monitoring software on your mobile devices. Get accountability partners who will pray for you and have difficult conversations with you.  Flush your mind daily with the washing of water by the Word. Meditate on it, day and night, for it is the Spirit’s sword to slay lust!

Understand that you are defrauding your brother and defiling your sister. That is, you are taking that which belongs to another.  Many a man has seen his ministry taken away because he was swept away by sexual sin.  That woman is meant to be someone else’s wife, not your plaything. That young lady you are leering at is some man’s daughter. 

Our ultimate accountability, of course, is to God.  We will stand before Him some day and give answer. I will never forget what Stephen Olford said over forty years ago as I began my work for the Lord, “The secret sin on earth is an open scandal in heaven!”

The call to preach is a call to purity. Those who are heralds are to be holy.  May God give us grace to be holy men of God in this filthy world!

THE FARMER AND HIS FIELD

 

Perhaps the most common metaphor to describe the pastor’s role is that of the shepherd and his flock. In fact, that is the meaning behind the word, “pastor.”  Yet, there are others, and if not as frequently mentioned, no less significant. One of these would be the farmer and his field.  Jesus spoke often of those sowing the seeds of the Gospel and reaping the harvest that was grown.  Paul’s commendation of Timothy’s labor for the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 3:2 will illustrate this principle.

We examine first THE CONNECTION IN THE HARVEST. Paul calls Timothy, “our brother.”  It is a family farm. Our Father God is the Lord of the Harvest, and we who are His children are employed not first because of our farming capability but our family connection. Our labor is a labor of love. 

There is a connection with our Father. In the secular world, there are gifted communicators, skilled counselors, and effective leaders, yet having these abilities does not in itself qualify one for work in the Lord’s field. That takes a new birth and spiritual gifting—the anointing of the Holy Spirit which enables us to speak, lead, and counsel the saints.  We do not function as a hired hand, but a loving son. That relationship will sustain us when the field is hard and the fruit is scant.

There is also a connection with our family. Our love is for the Lord with all our being—the Great Commandment—but is also love for our brothers—the second commandment, like unto the first. The pastor is to love the people. It is not foremost about projects to finish but people to further.  Never forget that within the family, there are brothers and sisters who also have gifts, and our ministry is most effective when we equip them in their ministry. Recall also the extended family—that there are fellow pastors who are serving in the same harvest—for the field is the world. We are not in competition with our brother in a nearby acre, but in connection working alongside him. Our joy and not our jealousy is called for when their crops appear more lush; our encouragement and assistance are required when their corner is withering and weed infested.

Paul also speaks to Timothy of THE CALLING TO THE HARVEST. He calls him a “minister of God.”  We are reminded that the field is the Lord’s. He owns it—not us. It is His church and not ours. He treasures His church and we should view our labor as a sacred calling to fulfill.

This speaks of our Master. We are foremost serving the Lord. Whatever His assignment for this day—wherever field He would send us—our work is for God. He is God and we are not. He is the Lord of the Harvest and determines our duty. In His sovereignty He calls us to specific places for set periods for select purposes. Frankly, there will be seasons of productivity when the ministry is rewarding, but there may also be seasons of paucity when the ministry is discouraging.  That is not our call. Faithfulness is our work and fruitfulness is God’s.

It also speaks of our manner. To be a minister is to serve God by serving others. We are not to pursue vanity in wanting the people to serve us, but we are to display humility by stooping to serve them. No work is too menial and no task too trivial, if we are serving our members. The Lord of Glory set the standard with taking a basin and towel, washing feet!

Then, the Apostle points to THE COMMITMENT TO THE HARVEST.  This is indicated by Paul’s reference to the young pastor as, “our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ.”  It takes commitment because farming requires toil and time. You do not just wander into a field, dump out a bag of seed and expect a harvest the next day. It takes toil. This is labor. There is no room for laziness in the ministry!  It is work where you sweat and get dirt under the fingernails of calloused hands. It takes time. Farming is continual business. After a harvest is gathered, it is time to till up the soil and get it prepared for the next season of growth. There is no occasion for impatience in the ministry! You cannot tug on a tender plant to expect it to grow more quickly or burn it up with excessive fertilizer. All you will do is kill it.

We must be committed to plowing and planting. Paul sent Timothy to the church “to establish [them].”  The Word of God is used to plow up the fallow ground. The sharp spade of Scripture will often meet a hard, resistant soil.  What are we to do?  Keep plowing!  Yet that is not sufficient, for we must also take Gospel seed and plant it. There is power in the Seed of Scripture. It contains life.  In it is latent a great harvest. Do not pursue the carnal and the novel in an effort to get a crowd—it may be just a quick, abundant crop of weeds!  Keep plowing and planting by preaching the Word, publicly and privately, in faith that the Lord of the Harvest will enable you to reap wheat in due season, if you do not faint.

We are further committed to watering and weeding. Timothy is also instructed “to encourage [them].”  Gospel work is ongoing. The cultivating of the crop is needed to sustain growth. In a fallen world, there will be times of spiritual drought and yet God has sent us to irrigate the tender plants with the water of the Word.  Because of the curse there will always be the need to pull weeds—taking great care not to uproot plants. Be on the watch for Satan to sow weeds among the wheat.  The consistently expounded truth will weed out carnality. They will get in or get out!

Then, in accordance with God’s purpose, there will be gathering and garnering. All the hardships of labor under the sun are quickly forgotten in the harvest of souls. Different fields produce different yields. Not every place will produce a bumper crop, but there will be some fruit.  The rigor is for us to bear and the results are for God to bring. Whatever He gives we garner to conserve. It is placed in the granary not only for the present use, but as future seed for many more harvests to come.  Paul’s labor produced a young plant named Timothy. Timothy would then produce others, and on down to us. Long after we are gone, the harvest we have gathered will still be yielding crops and producing more seed until the final harvest is gathered at the end of time! 

GOSPEL PREACHING

There is God’s sovereignty at work in the grace that calls sinners to salvation. Yet, there is also human responsibility in the Gospel declaration by the witness and the Gospel reception by the hearer.  How, this works has been the subject of theological debate for 2000 years of church history that I will not try to settle today. How it works, I may not understand, but that it works is undeniable, “knowing…your election by God.”  Gospel preachers call out the called.

In Gospel preaching there is PROCLAMATION, “in word.”  The facts of the Gospel—the vicarious crucifixion and victorious resurrection of Jesus—must be faithfully preached. The sower must sow the seed. We are not responsible for the condition of the soil, but the casting of the seed.

In Gospel preaching there is EXPECTATION, “in power.”  The Gospel is the power of God for salvation to all who believe (cf. Rom.1:16). We are not called to sort out who the called may be, but to have confidence that if we are faithful to the Gospel, the Gospel will be forceful to do its work. It is the power of the message and not the persuasiveness of the messenger that matters.  If I can talk someone into a decision, someone else can talk them out of it!

In Gospel preaching there is CONSECRATION, “the Holy Spirit.”   It was not the powerful personality of the Apostle that wrought conversion. In fact, Paul was not impressive in his appearance or charming in his style (cf. 1 Cor.2:1-5). True Gospel preaching flows from a vessel fully consecrated to God so that the fullness of the Spirit poured in may then be poured out. Gospel preaching is a Divine transaction.

In Gospel preaching there is CONVICTION, “much assurance.”  The meaning of the word is, “conviction,” and so the ESV renders it. There must be conviction in the preacher—a confidence in the truthfulness of our message—that will produce conviction in the hearer. He or she will be convicted of sin, righteousness, and judgment through the Spirit’s work (cf. John 16:7-11).  One will not be converted until they are convicted. Someone isn’t saved until they realize they are lost.  Then, those who are converted  have the conviction that if they look to Christ by faith He will save them.

In Gospel preaching there is IDENTIFICATION, “what kind of men we were among you for your sake.”  A good shepherd abides with his flock. They see the consistency of his walk and then will listen to the communication of his words. He can identify with them in their hurts and difficulties, with their hopes and dreams. They do not see him as a man isolated from them, but identified with them—as God’s man, yet still just a man.  The Gospel preacher is not a hireling who serves for his sake, but for the sake of the sheep.  His preaching is not lofty theory, but down to earth reality.  It is not speculation spoken from an ivory tower, but identification from a man who holds a Bible with a hand that has had dirt under the fingernails.

In Gospel preaching there is REPRODUCTION, “And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit.”  It is not a momentary decision that fades with the feeling or withers under opposition or disappointment.  It was not a superficial response, but a persevering commitment that was made. True faith produces works—genuine profession produces a godly practice.  The reception of the seed of the Word will yield the reproduction of the Lord in the fruit of the Spirit.

Let us pray that God would so bless our preaching. After all, such preaching is in reliance on Him. We must be prepared to preach, but cannot unless we abide in Christ.  As the old hymn underscores, “All is vain unless the Spirit Of the Holy One comes down; Brethren, pray, and holy manna Will be showered all around.” (George Askins)

MAINTAINING YOUR MINISTRY

It is likely that you have watched an Olympic track meet. The runners place their feet in the starting blocks and listen for the starter’s pistol to fire. Getting off to a good start is vital, but a good finish means victory. It is possible to start strong, but then to stumble.  This is likewise true of ministry. 

Paul is speaking to a young man in ministry named Archippus. We know little of him. He is mentioned in Scripture perhaps only one other time.  Paul mentions him along with Philemon, and Philemon’s wife Apphia (v.1-2) “and to the church in your house.”  So, it would seem Archippus was their son. The Apostle further refers to him as “our fellow soldier.”  Thus, we may conclude that this was a preacher boy Paul had recruited for the Lord’s army. 

There are three exhortations suggested here for those of us who preach the Gospel and lead the church. 

First, TAKE HEED!  Paul says, “Take heed to the ministry.”  Have a solid conviction that God has called you. Revisit persistently that assignment and meditate on God’s mandate for you. Saturate your mind with the Word of God.  Be alert to danger about you—moral disqualification or doctrinal deviation. Satan is like a lion ready to pounce.  Take heed to the truth. 

Secondly, TAKE HOLD!  Paul speaks of, “the ministry which you have received in the Lord.”  The opportunity to serve Christ had been offered and young Archippus had responded with enthusiasm, reaching out his hand to receive the grace to do  Gospel ministry.  When we begin to just show up because it is expected or to show off only when others are watching, we are in danger of service slipping from our grasp. Cherish your call as a treasure and hold to it firmly and joyfully.  Take hold of the task. 

Thirdly, TREAD ON!  The Apostle urges, “fulfill it.”  The road will not always be smooth. There are potholes and perils. It is an uphill slog.  There are a few like Stephen who are Gospel sprinters whose race is short as they run into immediate crisis. Yet, as difficult as that is, most in ministry will find it a cross-country mountain marathon.  It is a race of ups and downs—a race of endurance. You dare not give out or give up.  Tread on with tenacity.

Man of God, maintain your ministry. Don’t quit!  Fulfill it—fill it full by taking heed to the truth, taking hold of the task, and treading on with tenacity.

IN THE MASTER’S SERVICE

Paul writes in a day when men and women were bought and sold in the marketplace. So, there is the literal application of this truth to those were saved and yet still slaves. Yet, there is a spiritual implication for the preacher of the Gospel, too. Paul frequently referred to Himself as a bondservant in his labor for the Lord.  God’s preachers are bought by the precious blood of Christ. We are held by shackles of love. We are in the service of the Master. As such, there are some lessons for church leaders here.

Consider our FOCUS (v.22). We are to serve the Master pointedly. Our focus is to please the Master and not men. We do not work for a church board, some church bosses, the congregation, but for Christ.  The hypocrisy of people-pleasing will lead you sooner or later to failure and frustration. The sincerity of God-pleasing will bring you to success and satisfaction. You cannot please people all the time, but you can please God every time. The reality is that sometimes you will displease people by pleasing God. Always focus on Who you work for—the Boss is watching.  It is the fear of the Lord and not the fear of the people that should be our pointed intent.

Note our FERVENCY (v.23). We are to serve the Master passionately. Not only do we serve the Lord sincerely (v.22), but heartily. There should be a zeal that drives us. The preacher is not merely doing a job, but honoring the Lord. Think of the difference between someone who cooks for a living, and one who grills steaks for his lover.  The former is a job, while the latter is a joy. God looks on the heart and weighs the motivation behind the ministry. Going through the motions will drain you and you will eventually burn out. Serving with loving motivation will energize you and you will faithfully burn on. It does not mean you never get physically weary in well-doing, but you will not become spiritually weary of well-doing.  This is the way we serve with passionate insistence.

Weigh our FUTURE (v.24-25). We are to serve the Master persistently. As previously seen, ministry is not about pleasing people, but God. It is not about performing a job, but fulfilling a joy.  Now, we see it is not about temporal reimbursement, but eternal reward. If you work for a paycheck you will find yourself consumed with covetousness. You will be corrupted by vanity if you have a lot and consumed with envy if you have a little. What the preacher needs is just enough to provide for his family—even, if he must be a tent-maker like Paul to do so. Do not forget, “godliness with contentment is great gain,” (1 Tim.6:6). Our payday will be in heaven. God is keeping account and we will secure a reward or suffer a loss accordingly (see 1 Cor,3:10-15). This is why we serve as our persistent incentive.