E-SERMON No.36 - 1TIM 4:16 : A PASTOR CAN MAKE OR BREAK HIS FLOCK

PAUL SERIOUSLY WARNS TIMOTHY TO TAKE THE UTMOST CARE IN THE WAY HE CONDUCTS HIS LIFE AND HIS MINISTRY, because this could be the determining factor, not only in his own salvation, but also that of his flock.
Do you realise that it is possible in principle for one or more of the preachers in this church to spend eternity in hell should they (a) in their discipleship of Christ fail to be what they should be, or (b) preach heresy? The shocking fact is that while the average church member may still get away with something on that terrible day of reckoning, we as preachers may be doomed - because those who teach will be judged more strictly (James 3:1).
What is more, do you realise that we as preachers hopefully play a definite role in the salvation of each of you - but could also be the cause of your eternal damnation?
Take another look at our verse: A determinative condition for the salvation of both Timothy and his flock is that he keeps a close watch on his life and his doctrine, and persevere in both.
Many pastors think that their role in the salvation of a person ends when he or she has become converted and has joined the church. All that remains is to strengthen and assist such people in their sanctification. Only the lost need to be saved, not the members of the church. They, after all, have already been saved!
However the Bible teaches that if we fail to persevere in obedience to the end, it not only leads to a lower level of sanctification, but indeed to eternal damnation. The task of the pastor is therefore not only to edify the saints, but in fact to "save them"!

Is this Scriptural?

In the first place, is it not blasphemous arrogance to say that I can save people? Surely this is something only the Lord can do? Indeed! Yet the Bible makes it plain on more than one occasion that His workers, in some sense, also save people. Paul writes in 1 Cor 9:22: "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some". And James says: "Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death ..." (Ja 5:20) (cp. also Acts 26:18; Rm 11:14).
We should see it this way: in almost everything that He does on earth, God works mediately or indirectly - He uses instruments. Thus He makes use of His disciples - very often His preachers - to be instruments in His hand by which He saves people. It is in this sense that they save people.
Secondly, is it correct to say that those who have already been saved, still need to be saved?
The story goes that the famous 19th Century theologian, bishop Westcott, professor in theology at Cambridge, was once confronted by a rash student with these words, "Professor, are you saved?" "Good question," Westcott replied, "but it depends on what you mean by your question." He then changed over to Greek and used three passive participles of the verb "to save": I have been saved, I am being saved, and I will be saved. Needless to say, the student quietly disappeared off without comment.
Salvation is presented to us in three ways in Scripture. We have been saved (Rm 8:24; Lk 7:50; Eph 2:5, 8); we are being saved (1Cor 1:18; 2Cor 2:15); we will be saved (Rm 5:9-10; 13:11; 1Pe 1:5). This is because salvation is a process. In one sense therefore we still have to be saved.
In several places the Bible teaches that the life of a Christian is like a marathon race and that only those who persist until the very end will be saved.
This involvement of shepherds in the salvation of their flocks is not something to which they may adopt a casual approach - it demands their all. Paul writes: "Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory (2Tm 2:10). In 2Cor 1:6 he says, "If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation ..."
In the case of the Corinthians we have a good example of how a pastor can intervene to save his flock. They had fallen into sin, so Paul wrote them a letter which greatly disturbed them - the so-called "letter of tears". However, it had the desired effect, because the Corinthians repented. In his next letter Paul writes that he was strict with them, but not with bad intentions. No, he was concerned about their salvation - because "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death" (2Cor 7:10).
The letter to the Hebrews is perhaps the best example of such pastoral censure for the sake of believers' salvation. The Hebrews were at the point of forsaking the faith and reverting to Old Testament Jewish religion. The writer tried to stop them from doing so at all costs, and in the process bombarded them with some of the most serious pastoral warnings and reprimands to be found anywhere in the New Testament. "It is a dreadful thing," he says to these people who had been disciples for several years, "to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hb 10:31). As far as the writer was concerned, the eternal salvation of these people depended almost entirely on his pastoral effectiveness.
It is the responsibility of every pastor (and every elder) to perform his duties and live in such a manner that none of his brothers or sisters are lost. He is responsible to the Lord for this, and if any of them were to quit before reaching the winning-post, he is in a sense responsible. Have I put it too strongly? Well, that is the attitude with which every pastor should carry out his duties.
But, of course, the Bible emphasises the other side of the coin as well. While Scripture places a heavy emphasis on the responsibility of the under-shepherd and minister, a similar responsibility rests on the shoulders of each believer personally.
Paul warned both the Romans and the Corinthians not to become a stumbling block to their fellow believers, even in such trivial matters as their eating and drinking. To the Romans he writes, "Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died" (Rm 14:15). And to the Corinthians he says, that if you were to use your Christian freedom in such a manner as to have a fellow believer follow you contrary to his own convictions, you would be leading him to do something against his conscience - and that could cost him his salvation. "So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge" (1Cor 8:11).
How much more may the leaders of a church, who are naturally more prominent and influential, be the cause of fellow Christians losing their way?

In pastoral ministry and preaching
it is not only the members' growth in sanctification that is at stake,
but their very inheritance of eternal salvation.

A few points of application

1. Nothing should be more important to us than holy perseverance in the race of faith.
One thing that the apostles regarded in a very serious light is our responsibility to force our way into the Kingdom with everything in our power. Herein they were following the instructions of the Lord Jesus who said that the kingdom of heaven should be laid hold of forcefully (Mt 11:12), and that we should cut off our right hand or gouge out our right eye if either of them were to cause us to stumble (Mt 5:29-30).
It is correct to emphasise and rejoice in the fact that we owe our salvation to the sovereign intervention of the Lord in our lives. But this should never be the only way in which we consider our redemption. Unless we also continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, the chances are that we will never see the Lord. This is a terrible thought, but do you realise that unless the Lord shows us great mercy, some of the people listening to me today will spend their time in eternal damnation!
This I can say with a Biblical mandate: nobody, not one single person, will inherit the kingdom with a lackadaisical attitude and approach.

2. I must take great care not to be a stumbling block to my brothers and sisters in their race.
All this does not mean that those who have been truly saved can be lost. It emphasises that perseverance to the end is the ultimate proof of true salvation. Those who are not true believers will drop out. But note carefully what the Lord says in this respect: if you cause someone to stumble it will be better for you to be drowned in the depths of the sea with a millstone hung around your neck (Mt 18:6-7). Our influence on fellow-believers is no small matter!

3. The answer: the solid food of the Word.
In the light of what has been said above, it would be easy to reason that preachers should limit their preaching to the delivery of evangelistic sermons. Not so! This was exactly the problem in the case of the Hebrews: they never progressed beyond the milk of the first principles (Hb 5:11-6:3).

4. Innumerable people go on to eternal doom because they believe that it does not really matter to which church you belong.
Many think that it is quite sufficient merely to live in a personal relationship with the Lord. What they lose sight of is the fact that the race you run to a large extent depends on the preaching you receive every Sunday, and the quality of the discipleship with which you surround yourself. We tend to forget that the Christian race that ends in eternal glory, demands your all. And if you are not continually fed and strengthened by your church - not to mention the poisoning influence of some churches - chances are that you will not make it.

5. One of your most important and often repeated prayers should be for your minister(s).
In this church we are reluctant to attach too much importance to the office of the pastor. We much rather emphasise the fact that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. But this does not take anything away from the fact that a heavy responsibility rests on the shoulders of our preachers and elders.
Please pray that the gravity of our calling may be engraved ever more deeply in our hearts - because one of our gravest dangers is underestimating this responsibility before the Lord. According to Hb 13:17 we will have to give account for you!
But also pray for us, for your own sake. I think it is true that nobody plays a more vital role in your spiritual growth and perseverance than the elders and preachers of this church - apart from yourself, of course.

6. The secret of success in this race of faith is to keep your eyes rivetted on Jesus Christ.
Let me conclude with three quotes from the book of Hebrews: "...and, once made perfect, he [the Son] became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him ... (5:9). "We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first" (3:14). "... let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith ..." (12:1-2).

Nico van der Walt

TITBIT No.2 - GARDENS HAVE GARDENERS

The brilliant author, R.C. Sproul, tells a story in one of his books. Here is my version of this gem of a parable.

Two explorers penetrated a remote area of African jungle. With pangas they had to hack open every yard of the way. Suddenly the bush opened up and a clearing appeared - containing a marvellous garden, half the size of a soccer field. A wide range of fully cultivated plants grew in straight, symmetrical rows. The most beautiful rose bushes, freshly pruned, formed a border right around. The excited travellers immediately set up camp, waiting for the gardener to appear. They had, after all, not seen fellow human beings for two weeks. But no one turned up. After three days the first explorer suggested that they move on. The second one protested, suggesting that perhaps the gardener was invisible. Maybe he was slipping into the garden during the night. So our two friends set up a wire around the garden. They fastened some empty tins to it that would make a noise should the gardener trip over the wire in the dark. Nothing happened, however. After another three days the first explorer insisted that they move on. But the second one pleaded: could it not be that this mysterious gardener was not only invisible, but immaterial as well? To this his friend replied: 'What is the difference between an invisible, immaterial gardener - and no gardener at all?'
The answer is obvious, is it not. The difference is the garden!
Some years ago I went through a most difficult and traumatic time. I had been a Christian for almost two decades, but this experience shook my faith to the core. In my disillusionment I was bombarded daily by many questions and doubts. Did God exist? Was He aware of me? Was He in any way involved in my life? How could He allow these things to happen to me? Was my Christianity real?
So I started thinking through the ABC of my faith again. What did I really believe? What were the foundation stones of my convictions, the non-negotiable absolutes of my life? What were the benchmarks of my faith?
I had to start at the very beginning: Did I really, really believe in God? I had never seen Him, touched Him, smelled Him. How can one believe in such a God?
But then I became aware of the "garden". It was there - unmistakable. Not only could I see the mind-boggling glories of creation around me; my own life had changed completely since becoming a committed Christian. If ever a man understood 2 Corinthians 5:17, it was me: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" And, of course, there is much more to the garden.
My first benchmark was therefore in place: God is who He is - the sovereign, omnipotent and eternal Creator of heaven and earth! And this benchmark has become one of the cornerstones of my life. To this day I have great joy in pondering the glories of creation and reminisce God's dealings with me and my family over many years. And involved with us, He has really been.

Nico van der Walt

TITBIT No.1 - WATERSHEDS

THE LATE FRANCIS SCHAEFFER, well-known twentieth century Christian theologian and philosopher, uses a very striking illustration in his book, The Great Evangelical Disaster. He tells about a ridge of rock high up in the mountains near his home in Switzerland. On either side of this ridge runs a deep valley. In winter, as everyone knows, the Alps receive heavy snow falls. And on such occasions these particular rocks are completely covered by an unbroken bank of snow. The impression of unity is, however, an illusion. Why? Simply because the ridge beneath the surface acts as a divide, a watershed. One portion of snow, when melted, would flow into the one valley, whilst snow right next to it, would end up in the other valley.

But this is not all. What makes this watershed all the more striking, is the fact that the one valley is part of the Rhine River's catchment area. It means that water running down that side of the mountain flows through Germany and eventually ends up in the cold waters of the North Sea. But snow melting less than a metre away, runs down the other side of the mountain. It then flows into Lake Geneva, and from there down the Rhone Valley through France. Ultimately it enters the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea, more than a thousand kilometres from the Rhine's mouth.
This is what a watershed does. It cuts, it divides. Watersheds determine destinies!
All of us have our watershed moments. We can look back through the passages of our personal history and clearly see a number of destiny determining experiences. And usually these turning points come unannounced. It is only in retrospect that you can recognize them for what they were. Many years ago, on a very ordinary night, I was introduced to a not so ordinary girl. Eighteen months later she would become my wife, and in ensuing years the mother of my four daughters.
Some things in our lives have virtually no long-term consequences. But then there are those watershed actions, decisions, encounters, priorities, convictions. And, surely, no watersheds can be more critical than those determining our eternal destiny.

Nico van der Walt

E-SERMON No.90 - 1Cor 2:1-5 : OUR MESSAGE IS CHRIST

1Cor 2:2 : For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

A ridiculous message

# In his book, The Cross of Christ, John Stott makes this statement: "The Christians' choice of a cross as the symbol of their faith is the more surprising when we remember the horror with which crucifixion was regarded in the ancient world" (p.23).

# This cruelest form of execution deliberately delayed death to inflict the maximum torture. The helpless victim could suffer for days before dying. The Romans reserved it for criminals convicted of murder, rebellion or armed robbery - provided that they were also slaves, foreigners or other non-persons. Except in extreme cases of treason, Roman citizens were exempt from crucifixtion.

# The Jews made no distinction between a tree and a cross - and so between a hanging and a crucifixtion. They out of hand applied to crucified criminals the terrible statement of Dt 21:23 that "anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse". It is therefore not difficult to understand why the Jews could not bring themselves to believe that God's Messiah would die such a death.

# To the world of the first centuries therefore the Christians worshipped a god who was dead, who was a condemned criminal and who had died under God's curse. As Stott says: "This combination of death, crime and shame put him beyond the pale of respect, let alone of worship" (p.23). Surely, one cannot think of a more insurmountable obstacle to the spread of the gospel than this deep-seated perception. Whether Jewish or Roman, the enemies of Christianity lost no opportunity to ridicule the claim that God's anointed and man's Saviour ended his life on a cross. The idea was crazy.

An unacceptable method

# Corinth was a large Greek city - sophisticated, but at the same time terribly decadent. And, being Greek, it had a high premium on intelligent debate, watertight logic and acute eloquence. They were much more interested in discussion than in truth; in skilful presentation than in reality.

# Don Carson, in his book The Cross and Christian Ministry, writes: "It has been persuasively argued that Paul is alluding to the sophists of his day. Many intellectual movements greatly prized rhetoric. Philosophers were as widely praised for their oratory as for their content. But the sophists brought these ideals to new heights.... They enjoyed such widespread influence in the Mediterranean world, not least in Corinth, that public speakers who either could not meet their standards, or for any reason chose not to, were viewed as seriously inferior (p.33-34).

# One can therefore hardly believe your eyes when you read that Paul, before coming to Corinth, had intentionally decided that he would "not come with eloquence or superior wisdom" (1), nor "with wise and persuasive words" (4).
From the world's point of view the apostle's decision seems foolish to the extreme. Surely, here we have something worth exploring.

Paul's resolve

# Why did Paul not demonstrate his considerable learning and oratory abilities? Why this apparent foolish two-fold resolve concerning content and delivery? Did he not realize that he would only impress the Corinthians if he could beat them on their own turf – if his wisdom and eloquence would prove to be stronger medicine than their own? Did he not understand that the content of his preaching would be ridiculed? Was he not aware that it was necessary to fire on all rhetorical cylinders if you wanted to get anywhere – especially in Corinth?
If it was a case of not having what it takes, one can possibly understand Paul's approach. But surely, with regard to his message, his wisdom could match any philosopher's insights. And when it came to the method of delivery, his competence was such that in Lystra he had even been called "Hermes", the Greek god of communication (Acts 14:12). And in Thessalonica he had "reasoned" with the Jews, "explaining" and "proving" that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead (Acts 17:2-3).
And yet, and yet, he had made up his mind not to preach a message that would thrill the unbelievers, nor to depend on grand rhetorical techniques.

# The word translated "resolved" (2) emphasizes a deliberate act of the will, and furthermore that Paul had come to his decision before arriving in Corinth. He had decided not to
"know" - not to exhibit any knowledge (Gr.) - in their midst, except his knowledge of Jesus Christ, and specifically his understanding of Christ as the crucified one. Clearly, the apostle was adamant not to ride the Corinthian bandwagon. Why? Why?

Paul's reasons

It would seem that the apostle had at least five reasons for his decision - all five of vital importance to us.

1. Paul knew that he had a very narrow mandate: his only task was to preach the gospel of God's grace in Christ, nothing more.
In 1 Corinthians 1:17 he says: "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel - not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power." In no way Paul wanted to draw attention to himself - he did not want to preen his own feathers. Throughout the book of Acts and the apostolic letters it is overwhelmingly clear that his one and only passion in life was to glorify Christ. This is of course true of all the apostles, but of no one more so than Paul. The one response he desired from his listeners was, "What a great Saviour!"; never, "What a great preacher!"

2. If there was one thing the apostle feared, it was insulting and quenching the Spirit by trusting the arm of flesh.
Paul depended on God through His Holy Spirit to powerfully bring the Corinthians to faith (4b; 5b). But he knew two things: firstly that the Spirit had come to glorify Christ (Jh 16:14-15); and secondly that the Spirit will never allow Himself to be drawn into elevating man - not even Christ's beloved apostles. Paul was therefore acutely aware that he had to stay within the bounds of his mandate, because he would quench the Spirit if he stepped outside. And without the unction of the Spirit his mission - his whole life-task - would be an exercise in futility.

3. Paul knew that his task was to proclaim the sovereign God's command that all people everywhere repent and bow their knees before Him (Acts 17:30).
In verse 1 the words, "the testimony about God", can also be translated, "the testimony from God". Whilst the gospel is the revelation of God's wonderful salvation in Christ, it is also an urgent and serious proclamation - and a divine command to repent - coming from God.
The gospel is therefore not something to be discussed, debated or judged. It is the message that all men are under the judgement of God, and that it would culminate in eternal damnation unless they humble themselves before Him. God is never hard up for our acceptance, He never negotiates, He never compromises. He proclaims, He promulgates, He confronts.
Paul knew that by playing eloquent Corinthian games, he would be pandering to his pagan listener's pride and arrogance. They would see the gospel as something which could be weighed and disposed of at will - and as just another alternative to all their religious theories.

4. The last thing Paul wanted to do, was to lure people into accepting Christ for unacceptable reasons.
Paul knew that not every conversion is real. He understood that the seed of the gospel easily falls in rocky places or among thorns. And he was painfully aware of the God-dishonouring damage false conversions cause. So he wanted to avoid persuasion that is manipulative, to steer clear of preaching that moves people by its eloquence without faithfully presenting the gospel. He firmly believed that conversion had to be brought about by the truth and power of the gospel; not by glamourous oratory or emotional stories.

5. Paul left no stone unturned to make sure that each and everyone of his listeners understood that there is but one mediator between God and men – Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Preaching which is not consistently Christ-centred can easily create the impression that mere religiosity leads to salvation. Even when preaching focusses on Christ, but is delivered in a way which is inconsistent with the content, it causes all sorts of twisted ideas in listeners.
No, we must never grow tired of emphasising that true Christianity is not being religious; it is not even in the final instance a way of living - it is being united to Christ through a true and living faith. And although true faith allways shows, its deepest mark of authenticity is hanging onto Christ the crucified like a drowning man. A true Christian is not in the first instance being known by his morality, but by his deep, deep conviction that he never dares to appear before the thrice-holy God without a perfect Mediator.
Preachers must never presume that their flocks have sola gratia, solus Christus and sola fide written on the tablets of their hearts - they must preach it, again and again. Why? Because the true gospel goes against the grain of everything in fallen man. In a sense it is the exact opposite of religiosity, churchianity and moralism. Let us never forget the remarkably pious Cornelius who was only saved after the grace alone, Christ alone, faith alone gospel took root in his heart. Before that he was heading for hell - with all his devotion, fear of God, generosity and regular prayers (Acts 10:2; 11:14)!
Paul wanted to make sure that nobody misunderstood him. He had one message only: Christ and him crucified - and nothing else! There is but one Saviour! There is but one salvation!

A few qualifying remarks

Let us not stretch the apostle's statements too far.

1. We are not to understand Paul as telling us that he could not care about the cultural orientation of his listeners.
If in the book of Acts you compare his addresses to Jews and gentiles, you find quite a difference in approach. He explicitly tells us that, in order to win as many as possible, he became like a Jew to the Jews, and like a gentile to the gentiles (1Kor 9:19-23). In fact, one suspects that his cultural adaptation would have shocked many of us.
What he is saying in our text, is that he would never compromise his main calling - to preach Christ and Him alone as the crucified - in order to gratify people's cultural whims and hobbys. He would bend backwards not to cause his listeners to stumble, but never would he allow their cultural fads and fancies to dictate the content of his message or the style of his delivery.

2. We are not to understand Paul as telling us that he preached a simplistic message.
It was Luther who said to Erasmus: "There is more involved in preaching Christ crucified than going up and down saying simply, Christ was crucified!" Surely at Corinth, as everywhere else, Paul would have expounded the whole counsel of God. But he would have done it in such a way that the cross was always his centre of reference. He would never have allowed himself, or those to whom he was speaking, to get out of sight of the hill called Calvary.
So, whatever we preach, must always, in some way or another, be tied to the cross - whether it be Old Testament or New Testament, indicative or imperative, ethics, ecclesiology or eschatology. We must always be gospel-centred, cross-centred, Christ-centred.

3. We are not to understand Paul as telling us that the manner of our presentation is unimportant.
Every man with red-hot words from a heart on fire streaming over his lips, will appear to be fighting with bees. What is more, we should continually ask ourselves whether we communicate in a way which penetrates our hearers' minds and hearts. But cleverness, wit, flattery, amusement, smooth showmanship and entertainment is something completely different. No, our presentation must always be an expression of the solemnity of our message.

In conclusion

# The first question to ask in our missionary, evangelistic and pastoral work - and especially in our preaching - is not about methods, programs or institutions, but about the message. And the message is a Person. And the Person is Christ - the One who was crucified 2000 years ago for the sin of the world.

# Let us never forget that a Christ- and cross-centred ministry can depend on God's promises.
Paul's remark that he had preached "in weakness and fear, and with much trembling", tells us that he did not find it easy to keep to his resolve. It made him feel and look foolish.
We know that when he first came to Corinth he was at the point of throwing in the towel. But "one night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city. So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God" (Acts 18:9-11).
And the result? The church at Corinth!

# Let us remember that our weaknesses, fears and inadequacies do not disqualify us for ministry. When I am at the end of my tether, that is often the moment God most greatly displays His power. As long as people are impressed by our powerful personalities and impressive gifts, there is very little room for us to impress them with a crucified Saviour.
Later Paul would write these telling words to the Corinthians: "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me (his thorn in the flesh). But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2Cor 12:8-10).

# O, let us stay with the Paul of 1Cor 2:1-5!

Nico van der Walt