Fulfilling Our Ministry
Since we will all appear some day
before God and Jesus Christ,
we are to diligently fulfill our ministry.
Here's Gene:
Let me simply remind you that Paul
has already talked about the fact that
he believed we were living in the last days.
Two thousand years later,
we're reading this letter and Paul is here
talking about the coming of Jesus
and the judgment seat.
Particularly the judgment seat of Christ
which will be first in terms of the
fulfillment of what the apostle Paul
is [stating] here--2nd Timothy 4:1:
I solemnly charge you before God
and Christ Jesus, who is going to
judge the living and the dead.
Now first of all, I believe this refers,
in terms of believers,
the appearing involves the
judgment seat of Christ.
And when you go back to 2nd Corinthians,
Paul made reference
to the fact that we will all, as believers,
appear before the judgment seat of Christ.
And he says:
For we must all appear before
the judgment seat of Christ,
[2nd Corinthians 5:10]
so that each may be repaid
for what he has done in the body,
whether good or evil.
Now that doesn't mean we're going
to be judged in terms of our salvation,
but in terms of the way we lived our lives.
And by the way, the Greek word is the "bema."
Translated "judgment seat."
And this is a metaphor that the apostle Paul
used when he was in Corinth.
And this is the bema, as you can see.
This was the judgment seat.
This is where the Roman governor
would judge the people--the bema.
And so Paul, looking at that, the bema,
used that metaphor to refer to
the bema of Jesus Christ.
The judgment seat of Jesus Christ.
And in 1st Corinthians, he already
addressed this Principle.
In chapter 3, verses 11 and following:
For no one can lay any other foundation
than what has been laid down.
That foundation is Jesus Christ. ...
And if you go back and
read 1st Corinthians, you will see that
there were some believers actually,
who were trying to lay down
another foundation.
They were getting really off track
through false teaching:
...If anyone [Paul says] builds on the
foundation with gold, silver,
[and] costly stones...
Immediately you can see the value there,
the positive value:
...wood, hay, or straw, [by contrast]
each one's work will become obvious. ...
He's using metaphors, obviously.
But you can see the contrast:
...For the day will disclose it,
because it will be revealed by fire;
the fire will test the quality
of each one's work. ...
And there, again I think he's
speaking metaphorically, as a test:
...If anyone's work that he has built survives,
he will receive a reward. ...
And he's talking about believers.
Now keep in mind he's talking to believers:
...If anyone's work is burned up,
he will experience loss,
but he himself will be saved--
but only as through fire.
As it were.
You can see he's talking to believers.
But he said: here will be believers
where all their works are burned up.
Because it's just wood and it's hay
and it's straw.
He uses that metaphor.
So Paul is really referring to this.
He doesn't develop it that specifically here
in his letter to Timothy.
But he is really eluding to certainly,
first of all, the judgment seat of Jesus Christ.
And in view of the fact that
Christ is going to come in the
twinkling of an eye, all believers,
both those who have died
and those who are alive, all of us
will be gathered up before Christ.
And we will appear at the judgment seat
of Jesus Christ as believers.
And so Paul reviews that and he says:
Timothy because of that fulfill your ministry.
Fulfill your ministry.
Keep on keeping on.
And then he outlines a number of ways
in which Timothy, actually 9 ways,
in which Timothy should fulfill his ministry.
And here they are:
Preach the Word.
And in other portions
and I'll correlate some Scripture with this:
Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching
that you have heard from me,
in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Preach the Word, Timothy.
Secondly, Timothy: Be ready in season and out of season.
And that takes us back to 2nd Timothy 1:6:
Therefore, I remind you to rekindle
the gift of God that is in you
through the laying on of my hands.
In other words, stir up the gift.
Be ready in season, out of season.
And then he says:
Rebuke and Correct.
And I put these together
because in 2nd Timothy 3:16 he says:
All Scripture is inspired by God
and is profitable for teaching,
for [What?] rebuking, for correcting,
for training in righteousness...
The very two words he uses here
in verse 2 of chapter 4.
Encourage with Great Patience.
And here he has already told him how
to relate to all ages when he says:
Don't rebuke an older man...
This is in 1st Timothy.
But exhort him as a father,
younger men as brothers,
older women as mothers,
[and] the younger women as sisters
with all purity.
In other words, Timothy,
encourage with great patience.
All ages.
Number 6:
Exercise self-control in everything
and here my thoughts went back
to 1st Thessalonians when he said:
So then, let us not sleep, like the rest
but let us stay awake and be self-controlled.
Exercise self-control in everything Timothy.
Number 7: Endure hardship[s].
And we've looked at those verses
here in 2, 3 of 2nd Timothy:
Share in suffering as a good soldier
of [Jesus Christ].
Number 8: Do the work of an evangelist.
In that sense, Paul was saying:
Timothy, you don't have the gift
of evangelism, as I do, and perhaps
as the other apostles.
But you can do the work of an evangelist
in communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And there, of course, you go back
to the exhortation: Preach the Word.
And number 9 he then says:
Fulfill your ministry.
In a sense, what he's just said
in these 8 statements is how he was
to fulfill his ministry.
And he illustrates that, as we've seen,
from his own life.
Paul does when he said:
I have fought the good fight,
I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith.
Timothy, do the same.
Fulfill your ministry.
And so an application.
As you reflect on the charge Paul gave Timothy,
which exhortations are most applicable
to all Christians, particularly in view of
what Paul stated about all believers?
That we're members of the
body of Jesus Christ--all of us.
And so I just want you to think about
this as we just review these.
For example, Preach the Word.
It's really interesting that Peter said
we're to be ready at any time to share
the reason for the hope that we have.
All of us.
Be ready in season [and] out of season.
At any time, be ready.
And so we need to practice in essence
what Paul wrote to Timothy
in that corporate sense.
Rebuke and Correct go together.
My mind went to the fact that
Paul in Colossians said we're to teach
and admonish one other.
We're all to communicate with each other
and correct each other.
Encourage with great patience.
Remember what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians?
Encourage one another.
That's part of being a faithful member
of the body of Jesus Christ.
Exercise self-control in everything.
Well that certainly applies to every one of us.
As believers cause Paul states that
very clearly to all believers
when he wrote to the Thessalonians,
the Colossians, and the Ephesians.
Endure hardship.
Yes.
Do the work of an evangelist.
Yes.
And fulfill your ministry--our ministry.
And as you think in terms of
doing the work of an evangelist,
my mind goes back to what Jesus said
to the apostles in the upper room.
And that is we're to love one another
as Christ loved us.
And then as he left, headed for the cross,
he prayed for the eleven apostles
who were trailing him and following him
towards the garden of Gethsemane.
And he prayed:
Father, I pray that these men will be one.
And by the way, they just had horrible arguments,
even at the Passover meal.
Who was going to be the greatest in the kingdom.
Father, I pray that these men
will be one as we are one.
I in you and you in me.
And I pray not just for them
but I pray for all those who will believe on me
through their work.
That's us.
And why did Jesus pray that?
That we'll all be one so the world
will believe, Father, that you sent me.
That's the incarnation.
That's why Jesus came.
Salvation.
And so through the love and unity
that we can demonstrate in families
and marriages and in the
church of Jesus Christ, we are indeed
doing the work of an evangelist
and fulfilling our ministry for Jesus Christ.
And Paul says we should do that
until Christ comes again.
So let's remember this Principle to Live By:
Since we will all appear some day
before God and Jesus Christ, we are to
diligently fulfill our ministry.