Immanuel Baptist Church

Jeremiah 17:5-11

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Pastor Chris was out this Sunday, September 27th. Rev. Gene Hodges, currently serving as interim pastor of Springfield Baptist Church, filled the pulpit in his place.

John 3:1-16

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Pastor Chris was out this Sunday, September 27th. Rev. Gene Hodges, currently serving as interim pastor of Springfield Baptist Church, filled the pulpit in his place.

The following is our menu for the Wednesday evening fellowship meal on September 30th.

Baked chicken
Potato salad
Green beans
Baked apples
Roll
Dessert

The meal will begin at 5:30 in the fellowship hall. Those unable to attend can still come at 6:15 for the prayer time and Bible study.

Cost for meals is $5.00 per adult or $3.00 per child.

Psalm 121:1-2 tells us, I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. How hard is it for you to trust in the Lord when your foot begins to slip, when you feel the waters around your neck, when the fires of affliction threaten to consume you?

Christian, be not dismayed! Your God lives and in the end he will stand upon the earth! He is already victorious over all things. All around us the battle seems to press hard but the last chapter is already written. Jesus’ cry from the cross is his cry of victory: It is finished!

Do not despair when the days are hard and the nights are empty. Do not despair when wickedness seems to thrive and evil men to prosper. Instead rejoice that you have received the salvation of your God! You are a pilgrim headed to the home prepared for you by Jesus himself. Remember the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18: So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

We will not have a regular luncheon meeting in October. 20 folks are going to Senior Celebration in Orlando that will take the place of our regular monthly meeting.

Be involved!

Martha

1 Kings 12-2 Kings 25

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This sermon was preached by Rev. Chris Roberts during the evening service on September 20, 2009.

The following resources are also available from this service:
Presentation notes

Ephesians 4:11-12

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This sermon was preached by Rev. Chris Roberts during the morning service on Sunday, September 20, 2009.

Last week in Ephesians we looked at Ephesians 4:7-10 and read about Jesus Christ conquering the grave and giving gifts to men. He did this to fill the earth with his presence through the church, the body of all believers, which displays his glory. God has not left his church without his aid but continues to guide us and equip us to carry out his purpose. Among the ways that he equips the church are certain gifts God gives to the church. These gifts take two forms. On the one hand are spiritual gifts and abilities given to every individual so that we all have been equipped to perform some work for the body. On the other hand there are not just gifts for people but there are people gifted to the church. These have been called and equipped for the purpose of building and guiding the church of God.

In our passage today, Ephesians 4:11-12, Paul lists four types of gifted people given to the church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors. Now if you wonder why I say four people instead of five, and pastors instead of shepherds and teachers, don’t worry, we will get there. Of the different groups given to the church we will spend the majority of our time today looking at pastors.

Ephesians 4:11-12

Paul’s first two groups are the apostles and the prophets. These callings are distinct but I mention them together for two reasons. First, because these are both callings that existed in the early church that no longer exist today. Second, because apostles and prophets are named together two other times in Ephesians, in 2:20 and in 3:5.

The apostles and prophets held foundational offices in the early church. Apostles were men given authority to plant churches, exercise oversight of those churches, and teach with the full weight of divine inspiration. The Apostle Paul had no New Testament to guide his teaching but he was guided by the Holy Spirit to teach truth to his churches and in the process to write much of the New Testament.

Like the apostles, the prophets were given the ability to speak the words of God, delivering new revelation to people as well as preserving the inspired words of the apostles. Unlike the apostles they were not given specific evangelistic duties such as a traveling preaching ministry or the work of planting churches.

Evangelists carry out the preaching and church planting work of the apostles but do not have their authority or ability to write Scripture. They have been given to the church for the spread of the gospel. All Christians have been called to be evangelists in the sense that we are all called to spread the gospel. But there is a special sort of Christian for whom the spread of the gospel is his life focus and to whom special gifts and abilities of evangelism have been given. He is the missionary, the evangelist. The obvious example for our day would be Billy Graham and men like him who have both a special calling and a special gifting to spread the good news.

This leads to the fourth person given to the church, the pastor. I use the word pastor where the text says shepherds and teachers. The reason is found in the Greek. In Greek this verse follows a particular grammatical pattern until it gets to the end. To rephrase our english translation, Paul writes that he gave on the one hand the apostles, also the prophets, also the evangelists, also the shepherds and teachers. The text joins these two, so I will join them. The word used for shepherd is a word often translated pastor so we can put these two together and say this man is a pastor, but the text presents us with the pastor as shepherd and the pastor as teacher, overlapping roles that must work together in pastoral ministry.

In looking at the pastor as shepherd we see several biblical examples of shepherds overseeing the people of God. In Matthew 9:36 Jesus was passing through the crowds and he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Several times in the Old Testament, such as in Ezekiel 34 and Jeremiah 3:15 God condemns the priests of Israel for being shepherds who do not look after their sheep. So when Jesus comes he announces himself as the good shepherd, as he says in John 10:11: I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Then in verses 14-15 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. and verse 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. The good shepherd protects his people from the thieves and wolves. the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.

In 1 Peter 5:2-3 Peter writes to the overseers of the churches that they are to shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to your flock. These shepherds are appointed to exercise oversight, to do so willingly and eagerly, and to set a good example for the people.

We could give many more examples from Scripture about the shepherds of God’s people. Today it is common to hear pastors referred to as under shepherds, a term that recognizes us as shepherds of the church who serve under the good shepherd. The other day someone told me that pastors are like sheep dogs, with one eye on the good shepherd and one eye on the flock. The point is that those called as pastors are given special work over the people of God but under the leadership of Jesus Christ.

How does a pastor shepherd his people? There are three tasks of the shepherd. First, the shepherd protects the people of God from the wolves. Second, the shepherd points the people of God to the Good Shepherd. And third, the shepherd will feed the sheep.

In protecting the people of God, the shepherd follows the lead of the good shepherd who will not let his sheep be eaten by the wolves. In Acts 20:26-32 Paul delivers a farewell summary of his ministry as well as a charge to other shepherds. In verse 29 he says I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you. He then charges these men to be alert and rely on God’s Word. The wolves are everywhere today. Temptations and lures of the world that distract Christians from church or Godly service. False teachers within the church that claim to be agents of the truth but speak only falsehood. It is the work of the shepherd to warn his flock of these dangers and, so much as he is able, to protect them.

Second, It is the work of the shepherd to point the people of God to the good shepherd who has given his life for the sheep. Jesus is the only one whose death brings our salvation. And Jesus is the only one who by his own character and nature shined forth the glory of God. Pastor, point the eyes of your people to Christ! Christian, fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith!

Third, it is the work of the shepherd to feed the sheep. This was Jesus’ instruction to Peter in John 21:15-19 and it continues to be his instruction to those called to pastor. Through pastors God fulfills the promise given in Jeremiah 3:15 to give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. Jesus is the Shepherd given in Ezekiel 34:23; pastors are the shepherds given in Jeremiah 3:15.

The food that shepherds are to give the sheep is revealed in Matthew 4:4 where Jesus says, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Shepherds are to feed people with the Word of God. It will not always be given in the way people want, and people will not always get the food they want, but as a parent feeds his child what the child needs, whether the child likes it or not, so the pastor must give his people that which is needed. And in this feeding the three roles of the shepherd come together. First, the shepherd protects his people by feeding them the Word of God. When Jesus threw off Satan’s temptations, he did so by quoting Scripture. When the Word is taught, the people are equipped to fight off the wolves. Second, Jesus is exalted in Scripture. When the Word is taught, the people are directed to the Good Shepherd. Third, believers are fed when they receive the Word of God. And this leads to the next work of the pastor, the pastor as teacher.

So in shepherding the flock a pastor will feed his sheep the word of Scripture. This feeding is done through teaching. I believe Scripture teaches that teaching the Word of God is the most vital part of a pastor’s ministry.

Look again at Jeremiah 3:15. God promised to send shepherds who would feed the people. What will he feed them? Too many pulpits today are filled with shepherds giving sugar candies of ego boosts and good feelings, healing lightly the wounds of God’s people and crying Peace! Peace! when there is no peace. But God says his shepherds will impart to his people knowledge and understanding. Such knowledge comes from the Word of God.

One of the best passages to see the heart of pastoral ministry is Acts 20:26-32 where Paul summarizes his ministry. Earlier we looked at the last part of this passage where Paul warns about coming wolves. But in verses 26-27 Paul defends his ministry by saying, Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Paul did not measure his ministry by any measure except the measure of God’s Word: how well did he deliver the whole counsel of God. Later in 2 Timothy 4:1-2, a letter written primarily to give instruction about pastoral ministry, Paul tells Timothy, I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. The chief charge Paul gives to Timothy is to preach the Word. We could go on and on with these kinds of examples. The Bible defines pastoral ministry as a ministry of the Word.

In Ephesians 4:12-16 Paul explains what this ministry should accomplish and what believers in the church should be. We will look at this in more detail next time. In brief, verse 12 tells us that the work of apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors is carried out to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. We make a mistake when we think if the pastor as the minister of the church. We should instead think of the pastor as the one who trains all the church to be ministers. We are all called to serve God. The pastor is given to the church to prepare the whole body to carry out the labor of the Lord.

The work of the pastor takes place in many venues. I believe pastoral ministry finds its chief expression in the pulpit, where the pastor carefully instructs the people in the word and ways of God. But it also takes place in the homes as the pastor exercises oversight and checks on the spiritual health of his people. It takes place in the hospitals and nursing homes as the pastor guides his people to have faith and be a bold witness in the midst of suffering while also praying for their infirmities and striving to fill them with the hope of Christ. And as we have seen too many times in my short ministry here at Immanuel, it also takes place at the cemetery as the pastor works to instill in people this great hope that this world is not our home, God has given victory over the grave, but while our work on earth continues, we are to labor with all our might.

There is so much more that can be said about pastoral ministry. I am passionate about it because I am called to it and I want to be sure people are clear of just what it is I have been called to do. But we cannot go on all afternoon, and yet there is one more thing I want to mention before we close.

A pastor is called to shepherd the flock of God. To each pastor a people has been entrusted. One day God will call each pastor to account for how he handled that people. The pastor is not accountable to his people for how well his ministry goes, he is accountable to God. The church does not define pastoral ministry, God defines it. And God has defined it in such a way that the pastor exercises spiritual authority over his people. A pastor is not a dictator, as some have tried to make it. I have heard pastors that try to control every detail of the lives of their people. But hear the words of Hebrews 13:17 as God’s instruction for you and how you should respond to those God has set over you: Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

God is your chief shepherd and his Word should guide your actions but God has also placed pastors over the church to exercise leadership and guidance here on earth. Be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 who searched the Scriptures daily to make sure what Paul taught lined up with what God taught. Don’t take anything I say without confirming it in Scripture. I know some of you will take me to task if need be. I am grateful for you. But also recognize that God is the one who calls and equips pastors and sets them as leaders of churches. You have been a delight for me to pastor, I am very grateful for this flock. So this morning I encourage you to continue being a delight. Let my ministry here be a joyful ministry as we labor together to accomplish the work God has given us to do.

Remember to come for flu shots next week at the clinic at Immanuel on September 23rd.

We will not have a regular luncheon meeting in October. 20 folks are going to Senior Celebration in Orlando that will take the place of our regular monthly meeting.

Be involved!

Martha

The following is our menu for the Wednesday evening fellowship meal on September 23rd.

Hamburger steak w/onions
Baked apples
Black-eye peas
Mashed potatoes
Roll
Dessert

The meal will begin at 5:30 in the fellowship hall. Those unable to attend can still come at 6:15 for the prayer time and Bible study.

Cost for meals is $5.00 per adult or $3.00 per child.

Psalm 116:15 tells us, Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. We have had a lot of death in the past year. I remember how nervous I was in assisting with my first few funerals. That has passed. And on Saturday we lay to rest another child of God.

Events of this week triggered a nightmare in which I dreamed the death of one of my children. In the dream I felt a crushing weight of despair that stayed with me the rest of the day. Thinking it through later I concluded that God gave me a glimpse of the grief of those who have no hope in the Lord. For them death is a deathly cold, quiet, dark room filled with crushing despair that overwhelms all other senses or experiences.

This is not the experience for God’s people. With Christ the pain of separation will continue to be real. Grief will be present in crushing waves but mingled with that is the shining sun of God’s glory and the blessed hope of the empty tomb. Death is not the end! The chains of the grave have been broken! Jesus Christ is the victor!

How urgent, then, for us to share with others this hope of resurrection. All people will live on but our experiences beyond the grave will not be the same. The possibilities before us are an eternity spent in the joy of the love and fellowship of God or eternity under his just wrath and judgment. Share with someone today the hope of Christ, the mercy of forgiveness, and the glory of the resurrection.