Ministry God's Way: Part 2

So please bow with me in prayer as we seek our Lord once more in this time of worship as we hear from Heaven and turn to the Word of God and worship Him. Our Father and our God, we thank You and we praise You.

Thank You for Your Holy Word. Lord, You even said in Your Word, Heaven is my throne, Earth is my footstool, where is the house that You will build me? Where is the place of my rest? For all these things my hand has made and all those things exist, says the Lord.

But on this one will I look, on Him who is poor and of a contrite spirit and who trembles at my Word. Father, that is our desire today, is to be poor, contrite spirit. Jesus, You said blessed are the poor in spirit, theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Lord, You're looking for a heart to dwell in, a habitation, a heart that is tender, a heart that is broken, a heart to dwell in that takes Your Word seriously. So Lord, You're the seeker. You're the seeker this morning, not us.

Seeking true worshipers that will worship You in spirit and truth. And Father, only You can help us do this by Your grace and spirit. So Father, our prayer is, speak Lord for Your servant hears and transform us today by Your Holy Spirit that we may be more like Jesus, more made in the image and conformed into the image of Your dear Son.

We thank You for this and we ask this in Your beloved Son's name, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, for Your honor and glory. Amen. Ministry of God's way. Ministry of God's way. I would not dare give you a definition of my own knowledge of this because Scripture has so much to say and God gives us the definition of ministry.

Last Lord's Day, we looked at priorities and purpose and power and pattern. I didn't finish and I'd like to finish this today and we're just taking a small break from 2 Peter chapter 2. Lord willing, we'll continue our track back to 2 Peter next Lord's Day.

But I think this is something that will encourage us as a small church. It's something I've been seeking the Lord about. It's constantly on my mind and I thought, well, it's been bearing on my mind and my heart and I'm just giving it to You, passing the blessing to You.

And something that I believe is extremely important for us as a little church, it's the Lord's church, right? We are the Lord's church. We're bought with a precious price. So we ask the Lord to help us in this, right?

The Nature of Ministry: Serving God and Others

Now, let me begin in this introduction here when I ask about the effects of ministry on serving the Lord and others and serving others because that's really what ministry is, right? It's serving God first and foremost and it's serving others.

It's not about serving ourselves. We are to serve others. We're to serve God. That is our delight. That is our duty. My first inclination is to make clear that our primary focus in serving should always be on what we give rather than what we get out of.

We give not what we get out of it. Matter of fact, if you look in Acts chapter 20 verse 35, I like to begin here as a foundation and we're going to move our way in Scripture, through Scripture and try to get through as many Scriptures as possible because the Bible says so much about ministry.

Paul the Apostle here, if you notice in chapter 20 verse 35, says by the Holy Spirit, he says, I've shown you in every way by laboring like this, he was a laborer for the Lord, that you must support the weak.

Now that's giving, isn't it? That's ministry. He says, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. That's a powerful verse, isn't it? About ministry.

That's ministry. It is more blessed to give than to receive. There's more blessing in the giving than the receiving. Even Jesus, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, came to serve and not to be served.

We read that last Lord's Day in Matthew chapter 20 verse 28, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. And to give his life a ransom for many. And this is our Master, this is our Lord, this is our Savior.

He is the one in whom we follow. He set the example, he set the pace, he set the pattern for us as followers of Jesus Christ. That is part of his church. Now that's the biblical definition of God's ministry.

That's the biblical definition. Now taken from that verse I just quoted to you in Matthew chapter 20 verse 28, notice with me the word that's translated for, literally means in the place of. In the place of, thus underscoring the substitutionary nature of, I'll get my words right in a minute, nature of Christ's sacrifice.

In other words, he gave himself a ransom for us. And that's what the word actually says. So Jesus gives himself a ransom. And you know as well as I do, is a ransom is a price that's paid to redeem a slave or a prisoner.

And that's what Christ has done for us. He has freed us from the slave market of sin, from a hard taskmaster that would take us to hell. So in redemption Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price. And that price was of course his precious blood that he offered to God as the Lamb of God once and for all.

He satisfied God's justice. God's holy justice was satisfied through Jesus Christ and his precious blood. This is the heart of the gospel, isn't it? The atonement. God's wrath was satisfied against sin.

Outside of that, we're doomed and hell bound. And this is where the world stands. The price that Jesus paid was a high price. The price of his very life, his body and his blood. His body and his blood, the blood atonement.

The blood of the everlasting covenant, Hebrews says. Thus we see the very meaning of the cross, don't we? And this is really the foundation of true ministry. We look to Jesus, right? I believe the writer of Hebrews says that clearly in Hebrews chapter 12.

Looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. He begins us, he will finish us. He who has begun a good work in you will finish it. He will produce that in us. But Jesus is the one we look to.

There's many, many other ministries we can look to in the word of God. But Jesus is the ultimate perfect example. And I don't know about you, I'd like to look at a perfect example and Jesus is it. Our Lord is it.

And Jesus Christ subjected himself, he submitted himself to the divine punishment against sin on our behalf. On our behalf. Beloved, Jesus is the priority. The points I gave and the points I'd like for us to look at, the priority of ministry, the power of ministry, the purpose of ministry, the pattern of ministry is all summed up in Jesus and him crucified.

That reminds me, 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Turn with me there please. This has been on my heart all week. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 gives us a wonderful definition I should say, but a wonderful example of what this is.

I'd like to begin in the earlier verses. Let me begin with verse 9. Verse 9 to 11 basically speaks of the judgment seat of Christ. And this is something we should set before us as we all do ministry, right?

Because we're going to all stand before God one day, give an account for the works. That's sobering. That sobers us. As Ravenhill says, that actually curbs our life. Even as a Christian. Notice what he says in verse 9.

Therefore we make it our aim. This is our aim. Whether present or absent, to be well-pleasing to him. I believe that's the first and foremost thing, isn't it? Is to please God. And Hebrews 11 .6 basically says, without faith it is impossible to please God.

And we know as we look in Scripture, as you break it down, faith is believing, but just not intellectual knowledge, but it is action.

It's faith at work.

It's faith demonstrated.

Faith works.

The whole book of James. We went through that. So we want to be well-pleasing to him every day that we live as Christians. I don't know about you. My prayer is, Lord, I want to please you. You know, ultimately we do sin.

Even in our very best. So we know only in Jesus and through Jesus, we can be pleasing to him. But when we do sin, we take it to the Lord in prayer and we ask God, sanctify us. So our sanctification is at the process of this.

But notice where Paul goes with this. We want to be our aim. That is the aim, to be well-pleasing to him. Then Paul brings verse 10 before us. For we, all of us, God's people, no one is exempt. No one will be exempt from this.

We must, must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. That each one may receive the things done in the body. According to what he has done, whether good or bad. That's sobering. I tell you, that sobers me that we may receive the things done in the body.

So there will be rewards given to God's people in that day. But notice where he goes. He goes to evangelism here. Verse 11, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord.

God's terror.

What is God's terror? We are to persuade men. We persuade men. And that's where we are to be persuasive. In our evangelism. Because of the terror of the Lord. But we are well known to God. And I also trust are well known in your consciousness.

And now he talks about this is where we aim sinners to. We take them to scripture, right? We take them to the scriptures. Basically to be reconciled to God. Because this is a world that is under the death penalty.

They're dead men walking.

Unholy.

For we do not commend ourselves again to you. Verse 12, but give you an opportunity to boast on our behalf. That you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God.

For if we are of sound mind, it is for you. Now he mentioned in verse 11. That we are to persuade men with the terror of the Lord. But what compels us? Verse 14 tells us. For the love of Christ compels us.

The love of Christ. Because we judge thus. That if one died for all, then all died. And he died for all that those who live should live no longer for themselves.

Wow.

That's ministry, isn't it? We don't live for ourselves. We don't please ourselves. We please God. Our aim is to please God. And then he says. But for him who died for them and rose again. Jesus Christ.

The head of the church. And verse 16. Let me read on. Therefore from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh. Yet now we know him thus no longer.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ. He is a new creation. Don't you love that verse? Old things have passed away. Behold all things have become new. Basically when regeneration takes place. We have been transformed by the power of God.

We are different people. We're a different breed of people. We are now God's people. We are God's people. Verse 18. Now all things are of God. Who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ. And by the way.

We know that there's no other name under heaven. Whereby men can be saved only through Jesus Christ. He is the way. He's the truth. He is the life. No one Jesus says comes to the father but by me. So now all things are of God.

Who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ. And has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That that is our ministry right there. The ministry of reconciliation.

That is.

And then Paul breaks it down for us by the Holy Spirit. In verse 19. That God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. And not imputing their trespasses to them. He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Once again he mentions that. It's only in Jesus Christ and him alone. People can be saved. Reconciled to the Holy God. How can a sinful man be reconciled to a Holy God? He answers this. But in verse 20.

He says we're basically God's ambassadors.

Notice this.

Now then we are ambassadors. That means representatives. We represent Jesus Christ. He represents us here there in heaven. He represents us here. And we represent him here on earth. We are ambassadors for Christ.

And as though God were pleading through us. Don't you love that? Though God pleading through us. The body of Christ.

He pleads through us.

He cries through us. He suffers through us. He glories through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf. Be reconciled to God. That's the ministry. That's our message. And then he sums it up right here. In this wonderful verse 21 of what the gospel is all about.

The gospel is all about right here. Double imputation. You know you hear a single imputation. I talked to this friend of mine. And he is a Christian. And he speaks all the time about single imputation.

He talks about the physical sufferings of Christ. I said yeah that's part of the gospel. Jesus suffered severely physically for us. And he talks about the forgiveness of sins. I said yeah Jesus forgave us on the cross.

But I said that's only single imputation. I said my brother. I said have you ever thought about the other part of it? He looked at me like what? And he's only familiar with the single imputation. But there's double imputation here.

There's a great exchange. Though Jesus took our sin on behalf of his people. And took our place as the substitute. And forgives us by taking our sin.

But he gives us his righteousness.

That's where the victory comes through. Comes in. And he says this. For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us. Then the great exchange. That we might become the righteousness of God in him. I tell you what.

If the church can get a hold of that verse. We'll turn this world upside down for Jesus Christ. That one verse. The glorious atonement. That God made him. Jesus Christ who knew no sin.

Perfect.

The Lamb of God to be sin for us. God treated him as the worst sinner. And all the sins was put on him. What a mystery. But it took place. And he was the Lamb of God as our substitute. And he took it to the altar of the cross on Mount Calvary.

And then in the great exchange. He gives us his robes of righteousness. Doesn't he? That we might become the righteousness of God in him.

That's the gospel.

That's the good news. And we're to plead with people. Be reconciled to God on Christ's behalf.

Plead with them. Beg them.

Charge them in love. Speak the truth in love. Now, Paul doesn't stop there. Now, our Bible breaks it up in chapter 6. But he continues. Now he gives the marks of the ministry. Notice what he says. We then as workers together with him.

Also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. Now he's using that word plead once again. For he says in an acceptable time I have heard you. And in the day of salvation I have helped you.

And don't you love the urgency? Don't you love the urgency of God? Behold now is the accepted time. Behold now is the day of salvation. Not tomorrow. Not to procrastinate. That's the devil's biggest lie is to wait till tomorrow.

Put it off. But God says now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. Come to Christ now. And we give no offense in anything that our ministry may not be blamed. Now he's talking about ministry.

And then I love where Paul goes on this. He says but in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God. Now he's basically going to say I've got the marks of the ministry. I'm going to show it to you.

He had to defend his apostleship here against false teachers. And later on you will see that he uses a third person later on. But here he basically gives the marks of a true minister of God. And notice what he says.

In much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in strikes, in imprisonments, in tomahs, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings, by purity, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report, as deceivers and yet true, as unknown and yet well-known.

Paradox there is incredible. As dying and behold we live, as chastened and yet not killed, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.

Don't you love the paradox? The marks of the ministry. Then he goes and speaks in a heart urgency to the Corinthians, these carnal believers here, these worldly believers, and some probably not believers of course, but he charges them, O Corinthians, we have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open.

Then from there on out to the end of the chapter and then flows over to chapter 7, he speaks about what it means to be holy, to be set apart. We are different people, aren't we? That's the ministry. That's the ministry of reconciliation that God has given us and talks about those marks of the ministry.

That's the ministry. Now, Jesus Christ our Lord is our first priority, isn't He, in ministry. And by the way, you read this in Philippians 3, Jesus was Paul's first priority. He says, I pressed toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

And He says, that one thing I do, I forget those things behind, I press toward the mark. That was His vocation. That was His call and that is our call as well. We're affectionately called into His family by the grace of God, but we are called to take the message to a lost and dying world.

And I cannot help but think, the first thing always before us is our communion with God, to know Him deeper and more intimate. And then we take this message and take the love of God. And as He said, our aim is to please the Lord.

And because one day we're going to give an account before God of all that we will do as children of God, so we must make our lives count for Jesus Christ.

Life is short.

This should be before us. And each one of us is going to receive the things done in the body according to what He has done, whether it be good or bad. So we, therefore, we, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.

But, as verse 14 says in chapter 5 of Corinthians, for the love of Christ compels us.

Compels us.

It's almost a word that drives us.

It's like the engine. It's like the engine of a train. It's the thing that makes it go. It's the love of God. 1 Corinthians 13. Without that, we're nothing, right? That's ministry.

That's God's ministry.

And we looked at that last week. Loving God and loving others, right? Loving God, loving others. Jesus says, by this you shall know that you are my disciples if you have love toward one another. As we've seen also in Luke chapter 10, we saw the parable of the good Samaritan.

And that is actually how it's applied. It's applied in doing this in a daily life and reaching out to people that are lost and dying. And Jesus gave a wonderful parable to a lawyer that asked the question about eternal life.

The priority here is no doubt the most important, isn't it? And why we start with the priority? Because the reason it is the root and then there's the fruit. Now, this is always something we should have before us.

And this is what scripture speaks of. Proverbs 10 .25 says this. When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more. But the righteous has an everlasting foundation. That everlasting foundation. What Solomon is talking about is the root.

The foundation is Jesus Christ. Paul says no one can lay any other foundation than which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Why?

Why?

Because the root of the righteous shall not be moved.

That's why.

We shall not be moved. The root of the righteous are planted in a good soil. You know, we actually see this in Psalm 1, don't we? It reminds me of Psalm 1. If you look at Psalm 1. And by the way, Psalm 1 is the introduction to the whole books of Psalms.

The Psalter. The way of the righteous and the end of the ungodly. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.

Notice the pattern there. He walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, the wicked, nor stands, the walking, the standing, he stands, he does not stand in the path of sinners, nor does he sit in the seat of the scornful.

There is a pattern that is declining. Walking, standing, sitting. Verse 2, but his delight is in the law of the Lord. You can actually say his delight is in God's Word. His delight is in the Word of God.

His delight, isn't that our delight? It's God's Word because God's Word is everything to us. He delights in it. And by the way, he shows it because he ponders on it. He meditates on it day and night. In his law, he meditates day and night.

He just didn't say stop with day, did he? He just didn't stop with night. He said day and night. It's continual because that's his delight. And he shall be like a tree planted, there it is, the root of the righteous, planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season.

Notice that? The tree is planted by the rivers of water, therefore it brings forth its fruit in its season. It must have the water in order to produce the fruit. Whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper.

Then he gives us a picture, the ungodly are not so, but are like the shaft which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Then you go all the way through the whole book of Psalms, and you can go back to this Psalm right here that introduces every one of the Psalms and take it back to right there.

So we see the effect, effectiveness of ministry must always be measured by what truly brings glory, honor, and praise to God. Not what elevates us. God help us. Not man. We're just instruments of righteousness for the glory of God.

We must decrease so Jesus increases, as John the Baptist said. That's the first law of ministry. So it's not what elevates us or makes us feel accomplished. And how sad it is in our nation, and even as you look about, you see man-centeredness.

It's humanism. Even pastors are falling prey to that they think that the church is all about them. Beloved, you and I know better than what the Word of God says, and as Brother Keith says, Jesus says, it's His church upon my church.

He purchased it.

He's the head of the church. He purchased it by His blood. And how dare anyone rob God from His glory? As a little man gets behind a podium and a pulpit, and as most will be doing, few will be today preaching God's Word, but most will be basically telling stories and myths and everything else.

And scratching ancient ears. It's not about man, is it? It's not about the preacher. It's not about us. It's about God. It's about Jesus Christ. Jesus is building His church. God not only sets the standard, by the way, God is the standard.

God is the standard. I can back that up with Scripture. All you got to do is open the Word of God. It's all the way from Genesis to Revelation, right? But I do like to go to Colossians. Look at Colossians chapter 1.

Colossians chapter 1 is all about the preeminence of Christ. What does that mean? Jesus is first. He's first in everything, isn't He?

No rivals.

Amen, Brother Keith. Notice in verse 9. There's so much here. For this reason, we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you.

Now, there's prayer.

We're going to talk about that later. How important it is in ministry for all of us to be in an attitude of prayer. Do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

That you may walk worthy of the Lord fully pleasing, being fruitful.

There it is.

Being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power. For all patience and longsuffering with joy. Given thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God.

The firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth. Visible and invisible. Whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

Speaking of Jesus Christ. Verse 17. And He is before all things and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body. He's the head of the church, isn't He? This is His church. The church. The church.

The called out ones.

Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead that in all things He may have the preeminence. He is to be first. In all things. In all things. So we see that ministry effectiveness. Jesus is to be first.

I love verse 10, don't you? That you may walk worthy of the Lord. Worthy of the Lord. Fully pleasing Him. Being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. You know, it's like Paul through the Holy Spirit.

You know, as he mentioned earlier in 2 Corinthians. That we're going to all appear before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. Each one may receive the things done in his body according to what he has done.

Whether good or bad. And it's like here he gives us the tools. How we can be fully pleasing. And how we can walk worthy of the Lord. And all these things.

And how we can be fruitful.

We're not left without the knowledge of God in showing us.

Right?

There's a process. Then there's the result. And the results we leave up to God. But there is also that process and the fruit. I guess you could say the process is walking worthy of the Lord. Basically encompasses the godly behavior.

That we are to walk in our everyday life.

The way we talk. The way we behave ourselves.

The way we react. That's convicting. Because therefore we need to be filled with God. And we need to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit. So our walk encompasses everything that we do. Our walk with the Lord.

Our personal holiness. That's the root. That's the fruit. Then the fruit. Fully pleasing Him. Being fruitful in every good work. And notice how bearing fruit brings God's glory.

Right?

Bearing fruit gives God glory.

Jesus speaks much of this.

It lets people know we belong to Him for His glory and purpose. And when we bear fruit unto holiness. We are reflecting Jesus to others.

We reflect Him.

Go with me to John chapter 15.

This is key.

Isn't it? Well familiar chapter that we know of. But how we need to keep this before us. Because I'm telling you. The Christian life would not be effective and fruitful. Unless it's for what Jesus speaks of in John 15.

Because Jesus is that true vine. Jesus is that true vine. And He says this. I am the true vine. And then He says. My Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit. He takes away.

And every branch that bears fruit. He prunes. I believe that's the sanctification. It's the pruning. That's sanctifying. That it may bear fruit. More fruit. You know this. You got a rose bush. It needs pruning at times.

Doesn't it?

To have a more beautiful rose. Or fruit trees. There's a pruning process. And farmers know this. And in agriculture. They know all about the pruning process. And people who grow roses and plants and flowers.

There's a pruning process for it to have. Just not better foliage. But to have the fruit.

The flower.

Jesus says that.

Every branch that bears fruit. He prunes. That it may bear more fruit. So if you're chastened to the Lord in that pruning. It's going to bear more fruit. Because it's God's love. Then he says. And you are already clean.

Because of the word which I've spoken to you. Isn't that wonderful? It's the word of Christ that cleanses us. The washing. The regeneration of the word. He says about the truth. In John 17.

Sanctify them.

By the truth.

Thy word is truth.

That's the sanctifying element. That's why we need to stay in God's word. That's why we need to meditate on it day and night. Because there's a cleansing process. And that cleansing sanctifies us. And there is something there.

That the more we stay in it. And delight in it. The further away we want to get away from sin.

And hate sin.

And the more sin we sin ourselves. And then Jesus said it in verse 4. Abide in me and I in you.

Dividing.

This is our relationship with Jesus Christ. This is our personal holiness. This is how fruit comes. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself. It cannot bear fruit of itself. Right? I haven't seen a branch do that.

It has to have a vine. Unless it abides in the vine. Neither can you. Unless you abide in me.

Verse 5.

I am the vine. You are the branches. He who abides in me. Or you could say he who continues in me. And I in him bears much fruit. For without me you can do nothing. We need to keep that before us don't we?

Without Jesus Christ not only we are nothing.

We can do nothing.

Our doing is nothing. Now we're talking about effectiveness of ministry here. This is how we can be effective in ministry. By bearing fruit. And abiding in Jesus Christ. By our personal relationship with Him.

And knowing Him.

I don't know.

Every day that I live it is my goal to know Jesus Christ more and more. Amen? Isn't that your goal? To press toward the mark of the prize that Paul says. That I may know Him and the fellowship of His sufferings.

And the power of His resurrection.

That I may know Him.