Shepherding Christ's Church Involves Excelling in Preaching - 1 Timothy 4:11-15

1 Timothy 4:11 "Prescribe and teach these things."

Introduction:

I begin today's post with this quote from author Marshall Shelly: "Farmers plow their lands, plant their seed, and then go home to bed, awaiting God’s germinating laws to work. Surgeons only cut; God heals. I must give my full energy to doing my part in the pulpit, but the ultimate success of my preaching rests in God." The past few days have been devoted to posts featuring what it takes to shepherd the church of Christ. That-is-to-say, what responsibilities does a pastor have to his congregation? Paul lays out certain responsibilities in 1 Timothy 4, with three of them having been already covered:

1. Exposing error. 1 Timothy 4:1-3

2. Emphasizing doctrine. 1 Timothy 4:4-6

3. Exemplifying godliness. 1 Timothy 4:7-10

Today's post deals with the fourth major responsibility of a pastor aiming to shepherd Christ's flock, namely the need to excel in preaching.

Pastor's need to excel in their preaching. 1 Timothy 4:11-15
In this 21st century church-world, the concern for preaching, and good preaching at that, seems so often relegated to a "secondary" place in the life of the church. Other types of ministries and programs are touted as the cure-alls to preventing the church from dwindling and sagging. Certainly reaching out to people in the church and in the community is necessary for the local church and emphasizes the reason for her place in this world. However God has ordained that preaching of the Word be ever-central to the Word-ministry of the local church. Pastors wear many hats. They are expected to juggle numbers, organize committees and have know-how on everything from buildings to counseling. However, the pastor's two chief tasks in his tenure at any church are loving the people and preaching the Word.

Paul makes several statements that suggest the need for the effective undershepherd to excel in his preaching. When I say "excel in one's preaching", I'm not saying to excel for the preacher's sake, or the people's sake, but for the sake and glory of God. Improving in one's preaching is described in these verses as a mark of maturity and growth. Notice what Paul states in 1 Timothy 4:15 "Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all." We can break down this verse into three clauses that reinforce to preachers and churches to excel and encourage their pastors to grow in the preaching of the Word.

a. "Take pains with these things.."
The underlined words "take pains" is translated the following ways in other English versions: 
"Practice" ESV, LEB, RSV
"Meditate upon" KJV 1900, AV 1873
"Be diligent" in NIV
"Give your complete attention" NLT
"Meditate" NKJV
"Put ... into practice" NRSV
"Take pains with" NASB95

The priority of improving in one's preaching and taking the opportunity to preach whenever one can is the point of this first part of the text. This author sees the move towards preachers preaching once a week or in one service a week more of a liability than a benefit. Some readers may disagree with me on this point. Whatever reasons may be presented for lessening the amount of preaching that goes on in a local church in favor of other formats, the difficulty lies in ignoring what we see in 1 Timothy 4:15. Preachers need to be preaching multiple times in order to improve in their delivery and for their people to get nourished and molded by the Spirit of God into the image of Christ.  

b. "be absorbed in them". 
This phrase in the original language could just as easily be translated "be in these things". Preaching is not what I do, preaching is what I am. Any preacher will tell you that what he does is not a job, not a duty, not a "check-off list" item. Preaching is the calling to which he was born-again to do. Where the sermon begins and the preacher ends no one can tell. If the preacher is as "absorbed" in the preaching as the texts commands, he will be living what he preaches. Meditating on whatever text the sermon is to be based causes the preacher and the sermon to be one. Though I as a preacher can never reach the level of flawless delivery, should I not aim for it nonetheless? When I preach, I preach for the King. His glory, His audience consistitutes this holy mandate to be absorbed in the process of preparation for preaching and the delivery and application of every sermon. 

c. "so that your progress will be evident to all."
Again we are looking at 1 Timothy 4:15 to understand the necessity for preachers to excel in their preaching. Progress in one's preaching ought to be measurable. The "progress" or "advancement" being touted in this part of the verse speaks not only to sermon delivery, but quality of godliness, pastoral care and level of devotion to Christ. Out of all the people that ought to be changed by the preaching of the Word is the preacher himself. Daily, week, monthly and yearly time spent in the field of God's Word ought to produce fruit. I would hope that anyone who has been listening to me preach for a period of time could honestly say that things have improved. 

Is there always room for growth? Absolutely! Which is why preaching is a thrilling desparation. Preaching is a thrilling event in that the God of glory sees fit to broadcast His voice through His Words by means of preaching. The Divine visitation of Christ by His Spirit in preaching is the epicenter of true Christian devotion. However, for the preacher, preaching is desparate in the sense that lest the Spirit attend the exposition and lest the preacher lean on the scriptures, no power, no transformation and no salvations will occur. This phrase "thrilling desparation" is for me the closest way I can describe what it is like when I preach, teach a lesson or do a devotional. 

Closing thoughts
Today we considered how shepherding Chris's church involves exceling in one's preaching. As we close, let me suggest five ways in which a pastor or preacher of the Word can practically excel in their preaching:

1. Listen to other preachers. When listen to other preachers, you can learn a lot. Listening improves your ability to communicate.

2. Read sermons. Websites such as "www.gty.org" contain all the sermons preached by one of the best living preachers today, Dr. John MacArthur. Transcripts of all his sermons are available. I would encourage anyone to start there to see how a master preacher articulates his sermons.

3. Pray about your preaching. Pray before, during and after your sermons

4. Listen to your sermons. This may be painful and ackward, but hearing yourself gives you the opportunity to figure out how you can do it better the next time.

5. Get feedback from others. This is perhaps the most difficult method of exceling in our preaching, since we fear what others say about it. Nonetheless, a trusted person can give you invaluable feedback. Don't solicit feedback to make yourself feel better nor to measure how successful you are. Rather, use feedback to do as the text says, "to make your progress evident to all.

Shepherding Christ's Church Involves Exemplifying Godliness - 1 Timothy 4:7-12

1 Timothy 4:7 "But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness."

Introduction:
In this series thus far we have been interested in understanding the five responsibilities of pastors for shepherding Christ's local church in 1 Timothy 4. Two functions have been explored in the past couple of posts:

1. Shepherding Christ's Church involves exposing error. 1 Timothy 4:1-3

2. Shepherding Christ's Church involves emphasizing doctrine. 1 Timothy 4:4-6

Today's post expands beyond the pastor's pulpit to the type of life he leads. 

Shepherding Christ's Church involves exemplifying godliness. 1 Timothy 4:7-12
At the heart of any pastor's ministry is the need for cultivating godliness. As the old saying goes: "if you take care of the depth of your relationship with God, He will take care of the breadth of your ministry." 1 Timothy 4:7-10 lays out three principles for both pastors and parshinoners to apply in understanding the need for godliness.

1. Godliness is commanded. 1 Timothy 4:7

1 Timothy 4:7 states - "But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness". Any pastor can "network" and "rub elbows" with the right people to gain popularity, however godliness takes work and sadly is not prized. The noun translated "discipline" comes from the Greek word whence derives our English word "gymnasium". Godliness is not optional, but is necessary. A pastor who may not start out with a strong sermon delivery can still be looked to for leadership if he is striving to discipline himself in godliness. I was just reading today of another pastor's moral failure in a major church in our nation. The article noted his speaking ability and the hopes had by many that his fresh ideas and youthfulness would lead the declining church. As wonderful as that can be, if we as pastors or church members fail to make godliness our chief priority, all the eloquence in the world won't demonstrate the reality of the sermons we preach. 

Heeding the command to be godly requires a close walk with the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 5:18) and relentless pursuit of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Paul's command to Timothy to reject "myths" and "old-wives" tales is a command we see repeated several times in the New Testament. (1 Timothy 1:4; 4:7; 2 Tim 4:4; Titus 1:14; 2 Peter 1:16). Whatever the exact nature of these influences might had been, we can say at bare minimum that the pastor must not let his conduct be informed by what is most popular, most gratifying to the flesh or self-promoting. In all honesty, if pastors expect the flocks assigned to them to be godly, they too must heed the command of God to do the same. Truth is the nail that holds our faith together and example is the hammer that drives it deeper into the wood of life. So pastors must exemplify godliness because it is commanded, but notice a second truth about godliness in these verses...

2. Godliness is beneficial. 1 Timothy 4:8

1 Timothy 4:8 states - "for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." True godliness ought to be pursued not only on the level of what one "ought to do", but moreso with the aim of what one "should desire to do". I'm so thankful for 1 Timothy 4:8, because we are reminded of the fact that godliness pays out greater dividends than whatever investment we may contribute. Godliness is not just about "sweating and gritting our teeth". Godliness, or to put it another way, "practical rightousness", relies upon the credited righteousness of Jesus Christ given at saving faith. As a pastor, the need to love the unloveable or do the things that many people would rather not do requires a heart not rooted in just my own practical righteousness alone. If I attempt to be an example to the flock on the basis of my own practical righteousness without reliance upon Christ's righteousness, I quickly lapse into self-righteousness. Rather than serving with a heart of gladness, I serve with the secret desire to be patted on the back or to gain the approval of people. 

As Paul uses the metaphor of physical exercise, we all know how beneficial physical activity of any sort can be. However in a comparative sense, physical exercises profits very little in comparison to the spiritual discipline associated with godliness. As I rely upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the awareness of who I am in Him and the ultimate destiny of being with Him in eternity increases. The greatest pastors I have ever known did not pastor merely out of duty, but out of delight for their Lord. Their earthly life and activities were flavored with the sweet savor of Christ and His kingdom. (compare 2 Corinthians 2:14-17) So godliness is needed in pastoral ministry and pew-life because it is commanded and beneficial. Now let us note one last principle assocated with the need to exemplify godliness...

3. Godliness cultivates hope. 1 Timothy 4:9-10

One of the clearest summaries of the Person and work of Jesus Christ is found in 1 Timothy 4:9-10 "It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. 10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers." As I have talked to many pastors over the years, and even in my own time as an undershepherd, the question will inevitably arise: "is it worth it?" Paul describes his efforts and the efforts of anyone in Gospel ministry by two words translated in our text as "labor" and "strive". The first word  "labor" could also be rendered "struggle, toil, weary hard work". Ministry is hard work, often exhausting and sometimes more draining than rewarding. The second term "strive" is even more striking. This verb in the original language is where our English word "agony" derives. At times ministry can be literally "agonizing". 

Such negative sounding language is mentioned by the Apostle to convey the oft-times reality of the Gospel ministry. However, such "striving" and "laboring" is driven not by duty, nor guilt, nor "tyranny of the urgent", but hope. As we strive to be godly, we discover that hope is pursued and ends up being the main engine of all godly living by both church members and pastors alike. 

As we noted a moment ago, 1 Timothy 4:9-10 gives us one of the clearest summaries of the Person and work of Jesus. The phrase "living God" speaks of His Deity as God manifested in the human flesh and the Lord over His church. (see 1 Timothy 3:15-16) Secondly, the clause "who is the Savior of all men" speaks of Jesus' work in its historical reality being sufficient enough to save all people. The atoning work of Jesus Christ grants space of repentance for all people so that all can hear the Gospel. Then lastly, the closing phrase "especially of believers" gives us the focus and definiteness of the atonement. It is both universal in its appeal for all men to believe and repent and be saved and yet specifying in its effect, granting a definite application and effect of true salvation to those who believe.  

Closing thoughts

As the Pastor preaches and lives out the Gospel everyday, his acquaintance with the Christ of glory only increases his hope. Hence exemplifying godliness is needed because it is commanded, beneficial and cultivates hope. 

Shepherding Christ's Church involves emphasizing doctrine - 1 Timothy 4:4-10

1 Timothy 4:6 "In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following."

Introduction:
Paul instructs his young protege Timothy to prepare himself for what will be his pastoral tenure at Ephesus. As Paul instructs Pastor Timothy, we find five key responsibilities that describe what it takes to shepherd or pastor the local church. We considered yesterday the first responsibility of a pastor shepherding Christ's church - namely exposing error. We noted three "isms" that must be guarded against and exposed: spiritualism (opening oneself up to false doctrine, spiritual darkness); egotism (ministries centered around personalities or approaches that base the ministry on people's preferences) and  ritualism (a Christianity that is performance based or centered around religious ritual). Exposing error is thus the first responsibility a pastor has according to 1 Timothy 4:1-3. Today's post will feature a second responsibility - emphasizing sound doctrine.  

Shepherding Christ's Church Emphasizes Sound Doctrine. 1 Timothy 4:4-6
1 Timothy 4:6 tells us: "In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following." When Paul wrote "these things", he was pointing out to Timothy what he had instructed him about in 1 Timothy 4:1-5, namely to expose error and emphasize sound doctrine. 

Sadly today many churches and many Christians frown on doctrine. Doctrine is viewed as something that unnecessarily divides Christians from one another. Most would even say "it doesn't matter what you believe, as long as your sincere." Within these verses we discover that doctrine is necessary for spiritual nourishment. Other scriptures explain how important sound biblical doctrine is to the Christian life:

Doctrine promotes healthy Christianity. Acts 2:42; Ephesians 4:14; 1 Timothy 1:19; Hebrews 13:9

Doctrine protects against error.
2 Cor 2:17; Col 2:8; 2 Timothy 2:14, 3:13; 1 John 4:3

Doctrine points us to Jesus Christ
Matt 5:19; Matthew 28:18-20; John 14:21-23; 1 Cor 3:11; Titus 2:11-14 

Doctrine promotes evangelism
Romans 1:1-4; 1 Peter 3:15; 1 Timothy 1:19

Out of all the scriptures that speaks on the important connection between practical living a doctrine, none perhaps is more clear than Titus 2:10 "not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect." This particular verse is so important because it shows how beautiful Christianity can be when it is living out the doctrines of the faith. Doctrine is the pearl necklace that drapes itself around the church. So having labored about importance of sound teaching from the Word of God, what are some of the doctrines needing to emphasized by the pastor who shepherds Christ's church every week? In 1 Timothy 4:4-6 we find four such doctrines:

a. Creation - 1 Timothy 4:4 "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude."

b. The Bible - 1 Timothy 4:5a "for it is sanctified by means of the word of God"

c. Prayer - 1 Timothy 4:5b "...and prayer". 

d. Person & Work of Christ - 1 Timothy 4:9-10  "It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. 10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixedour hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers."

When I think about these four areas, they are among the major battlefields that Christians experience the greatest attack. The relentless pursuit of evolutionary theory and naturalism postures itself as an alternative to the doctrine of creation. Many Bible Colleges, Seminaries and even some denominations have fallen for the temptation to mix together evolution with Biblical creationism. The danger of course is the erosion of Biblical authority in favor of taking one's cue from current scientific inquiry. Arriving at the truth not only requires sound answers, but also the right questions. Creation insists that the questions of "who made everything?" and "why is there something rather than nothing?" be included in among two other questions asked by science: "how does it all work?" and "what is happening?" Sadly, non-creation ideas eliminate the first two questions.

The second doctrine, the Bible, is under more assault today than ever before. Persistent denials of not only inerrancy, but even the Bible's clarity in expressing itself require a response from pastors who shephered their flocks. 

The third doctrine, prayer, is attack more so with the lack of practice. Satan's strategy here is to convince Christians of either praying less or not praying at all. 

Then the final doctrine that Paul commands Timothy to emphasize is the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. We can never separate the Person of Christ from the work He achieved. The current trend among skeptics is to deny the historical existence of Christ. The pastor's responsibility is to preach, teach and proclaim Who Jesus truly is. The other heresies of denying either His Deity or humanity persist. Every generation of pastors must expose such errors and emphasize what the Bible truly teaches. The work of Christ in regards to not only His atoning death on the cross but His physical resurrection must also be defended and proclaimed. 

Closing thoughts:
Today we considered the second area every pastor must shepherd in the local church, namely the area of emphasizing sound doctrine. We saw that Paul mentions four key doctrines: creation, the Bible, prayer and Jesus Christ. 

Shepherding Christ's Church involves exposing error - 1 Timothy 4:1-3

1 Timothy 4:6 "In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following."

Introduction:

These next few posts will represent what is close to my heart. Before I ever blogged or wrote, I had and still to this day proclaim God's Word as a pastor. My calling into ministry occurred when I was seventeen years of age. It had been the start of the school year for me as a senior in highschool. God had been stirring me and led me to pick up my Bible and begin reading. I had been a Christian for a little while, however that night in September was where God led me to 2 Timothy 4:2 which plainly states: "Preach the Word". The words lept off the page and into my heart. As God would have it, I began receiving catalogues from various schools, among which was a particular Bible College. Once enrolled in the fall of that year, I discovered in the following months that God was specifically calling me to be a pastor, an undershepherd of His flock. 23 years later, God still has me preaching His Word. My family and I are at a wonderful church in Oklahoma that I have been pastoring for four years. 

Reflecting back on those formative years and the time in-between, then-and-now, drives me to this text in 1 Timothy 4. What does it take to shepherd Christ's church? Paul instructs his young protege Timothy to prepare himself for what will be his pastoral tenure at Ephesus. As Paul instructs Pastor Timothy with regard to his duties, we find five key responsibilities that describe what it takes to shepherd or pastor the local church. I will list them out, and then we will consider the first one in today's post. Shepherding Christ's church involves...

1. Exposing Error  1 Timothy 4:1-3

2. Emphasizing Sound Doctrine  4:4-6

3. Exemplifying godliness  4:7-12

4. Exceling in preaching 4:13-15

5. Enduring to the finish 4:16

So if a pastor is going to shepherd Christ's church, he must first of all....

1. Expose error. 1 Timothy 4:1-3

1 Timothy 4:1-3 is diagnosing the general course of history from the days of the Apostles until now, with particular emphasis upon the time leading up to the coming of Jesus. Other places in the Bible warn of what will be the pattern of "falling away" or "apostasy". Such a pattern of false professors of the faith is called "the apostasy" in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:1 that this same time frame will be characterized as "difficult times". Peter in 2 Peter 3:13 and Jude in Jude 1:18 both describe how there will be "mockers, following after their own lusts." The prophetic portions of the Bible predict this tragic mass-defection by pretenders of the faith and alarming increase of false teachers in passages such as Daniel 11:35 and Matthew 24:5ff. 

As we look more closely at 1 Timothy 4:1-3, three classes of error are mentioned and merit the pastor's role in exposing such errors.

a. spiritualism. 1 Timothy 4:1

1 Timothy 4:1 states - "But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons." This first type of error is very interested in the invisible realm, but is not affirmative about God's existence nor the authority of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ. It must be made clear that any doctrinal teaching or religious instruction that is not supported by scripture is nothing less than demonic. So what is meant by the term "doctrines of demons" in 1 Timothy 4:1? Deuteronomy 32:17 states - “They sacrificed to demons who were not God,To gods whom they have not known, new gods who came lately,

Whom your fathers did not dread." 1 Corinthians 10:20 explains further - "No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons." The Apostle John writes in 1 John 4:1 "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." 

Today's culture is replete with example after example of false religions and teachings what run counter to scripture. Movements such as Wicca attempt to access the supernatural via the natural realm and effectively by-passing believe in an all-powerful God. The most dangerous sort of spiritualism is when paganism is mixed with Christianity - as in the case of Mormonism. The good under-shepherd must expose errors like spiritualism. Now notice a second type of error mentioned in 1 Timothy 4:2...

b. Egotism  1 Timothy 4:2

The false teachers described in 1 Timothy 4:2 are those who live as hypocrites, liars and as those who have "seared their conscience". To sear a conscience is to deaden it to the Spirit's conviction and any sense of remorse about sins done to oneself and others. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 explains this error in detail - "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money,boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents,ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these." When I say "egotism", this is an error that focuses on personality driven type ministries or self-centered Christianity. Whenever a church or preaching ministry becomes more about the preacher than the Word and Jesus that he preaches, the error of egotism has infected his heart. On the pew side of things, so-called "seeker sensitive" movements that build their ministry approach around the needs of so-called "seekers" are what I would classify as "egotisitical". We don't build our churches ministries around "felt needs" of unbelievers, nor around the preferences of Christians. Ministry should never be about the preacher or his agenda. All ministry must be focused around Jesus Christ and His Word. The only seekers are those who have already been converted. Whenever we adopt the methods of catering to a category of people that is not even Biblical, we end up trying to please people and give them what they want. This was the error developing at the church to which Paul wrote and characterizes our age. Pastors must expose the errors of spiritualism and egotism. However, there is one more error that must be exposed by faithful undershepherds in the local church, namely...

c. Ritualism. 1 Timothy 4:3

1 Timothy 4:3 reveals - "men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth." The church over her history has drifted into two directions when the preaching of the Word of God has lost its place. The first is what we already noted above - spiritualism. Included in that ditch are attitudes of speculation and unbridled interest in the experiential over the doctrinal. 

The second ditch is what we can term "ritualism". Unbelievers and the natural, carnal flesh default to trying to please God by way of performance. Man-made religion will develop elaborate rituals and multiple-step methods to try to attain peace and favor with God. In Paul's day, there were groups who were teaching that genuine favor with God entailed abstaining from certain things, attaining certain mystical insights of knowledge or totally ignoring the physical in favor of the spiritual. Such teachings would eventually lead to the heresy later called "gnosticism". Thus, in attempting to emphasize on the spiritual, these forerunners of the Gnostics believed it didn't matter what you did in the body, since the soul was all that counted. Thus in this twisted belief system, one could commit immorality and yet claim to be moral!

Ritualism today appears highly formalized systems that attempts to get one to God through participation in a system. Roman Catholicism for example mixes together genuine Christian belief with ritualism, resulting in the Roman Catholic Church functioning like a substitute Jesus. The evangelical scene has its own version of ritualism by way of cramming in busyness and "business", making the church function as a business that measures one's proximity to God by how much one does. 

Performance driven Christianity results when two things diminish: preaching of the Word and focus on the Person and work of Jesus Christ. Are we saying that churches should not have fellowshipping times, outreach and Bible studies? No. But whenever our churches operate in the extreme on the belief that offering more activities will draw in more people, and makes what we do the drawing card, rather than what Christ has done, ritualism will not be far behind. 

Closing thoughts

To be a faithful pastor who shepherds Christ's church, errors such as spiritualism, egotism and ritualism must be exposed. Thankfully, this first responsibility of the pastor is not the only role. There are four other roles that will be considered in future posts. Today I will close with these words from 1 Timothy 4:6 "In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following."

The Holy Spirit's work in the fruitful Christian life

Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

Introduction:

Today we consider Galatians 5 and the Holy Spirit's work in the fruitful Christian life. Throughout Galatians and other letters written by the Apostle Paul, the Holy Spirit's ministry in the life of the believer is closely connected to the fruit borne by the Christian. Undeniably the explicit mention of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 is tied to key ministries of the Spirit in the Christian life. Let the reader note three such works of the Spirit:

1. The sealing of the Spirit protects our fruitfulness. 

Galatians 5:5 "For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness." Unless we are exercising our eagerness for Christ through the Spirit, our eagerness, our fruit, will wither. The particular ministry of the Spirit highlighted here in Galatians 5:5 is described by the ministry of sealing. Ephesians 1:12-14 explains - "to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory." So the sealing of the Spirit protects our fruitfulness, but notice a second work of the Spirit in relationship to the fruitful Christian life...

2. Leading of the Spirit to desire fruitfulness. 

Three times in Galatians 5 we are encouraged to be led by the Spirit. Galatians 5:16 states - "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." Galatians 5:18 notes - "But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law." Then Galatians 5:25 mentions - "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." In the Christian walk we are going to be led by one of two things: either the Spirit or the flesh. Either one is accompanied by "desires" of some sort. The realm of our desires hitched to the human will is what older Christian writers refer to as the "affections". When the Spirit is leading me, I will desire what is godly. What I know I "ought to do" will turn into "what I want to do". Only the Spirit can take an "I have-to" and turn it into a genuine "I want-to". Thus the Spirit's sealing preserves me in my fruit-bearing and the Spirit's leading causes me to desire such. Now let's take a look at one more work or ministry of the Spirit as it relates to the fruitful Christian life, namely....

3. Filling of the Spirit produces spiritual fruit

When we consider Galatians 5:22-23, we can say it is similar in thought and topic to two other passages that speak of what is called the "filling of the Holy Spirit". Ephesians 5:18 tells us - "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit." When we talk about the "filling of the Spirit", we mean the Spirit's enabling, empowering and emboldoning of the Christian. Power and moral excellence are included in what it means to be filled with the Spirit. Additionally, the filling of the Spirit of God is a repeated, post-conversion reality that is commanded. Henceforth the Spirit-filled life is not optional nor only for a select few super-saints. Colossians 3:16 is another text that speaks of being filled with the Spirit by way of the the scriptures - "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God." 

So how do we know that the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 is related to what we just read about in Ephesians and Colossians? Notice what Paul states in Galatians 5:25-26 "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another." Only the Christian who is repeatedly filled with the Spirit and the Word will want to walk by the Spirit and not be concerned with being boastful and challenging others. Thus the Spirit's work of filling is what enables Christians to truly bear the fruit and partake of what is listed in Galatians 5:22-23. Galatians 5:22-23 describes and pictures what the Spirit-filled life looks like in action.

Closing thoughts

Today we briefly considers the Holy Spirit's work or ministry in the fruitful Christian life. We looked at three of the Spirit's ministries in Galatians 5:

1. The Spirit's sealing preserves our fruitfulness

2. The Spirit's leading causes us to desire fruitfulness

3. The Spirit's filling produces fruitfulness

Important purposes of the angelic realm in Jude

Jude 1:3 "Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints."

Introduction 

Today we want to consider the importance and purpose of the angelic realm in Jude. It was Jude's purpose to urge his readers (and us) to "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints." One of the ways Jude chose under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to urge his readers was by mentioning the angels, demons and Satan. The angelic realm (composed of demons, good angels and Satan) is portrayed in scripture as intelligent agents occupying the invisible realm of the created order. (compare Colossians 1:16-17) Good angels serve the purposes of serving God's people. (Hebrews 1:14) Demons are fallen angels led by Satan to opposed God's purposes and His people. (Ephesians 6:11-18; 1 Peter 5:8) With the span of Jude's short letter, we find reference to angels, demons and Satan no less than seven times. So the question is: why are angels so prominent within Jude's short letter? Moreover, what purposes can we gather as to why they are important for us today as we contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints? Notice three important purposes of the angelic realm in Jude...

1. Warn of the realities of Hell. Jude 1:1-16

The majority of material in Jude's short epistle is dedicated to warning his readers to be aware of false teachers and error. To drive home the point about the outcome of those who persist in the seduction of false teaching, Jude uses both historic examples of false prophets and teachers combined with the frightening reality of hell. Jude 1:5-11 lays out the examples of those who forsook Biblical faith, including those who came out of Egypt (Jude 1:5); Cain (Jude 11:11); Balaam the pagan prophet in the book of Numbers (Jude 1:11) and Korah who opposed Moses (Jude 1:11). False teaching and prophets lead to Hell. So what realities of hell do we discover in the Book of Jude? How do such realities allign with what Jesus taught on the subject?

Hell is described by Jude as a dark place (1:6, 1:13) Jesus called the darkness of Hell "outer darkness" in Matthew 25:46. Jude then explains hell as a destructive place through the imagery of fire, as seen in Jude 1:7,23. Jesus too refers to the details of unquenchable and everlasting fire burning in both the holding place of unbelievers called hades or Hell and the eternal place of punishment called "The Lake of Fire" or also by the same name "Hell" in  Mark 9:43 and Matthew 18:18.

To intensify his already strong warnings, Jude thirdly mentions that hell is demonically infested and reinforces this frightening imagery through the Devil's conflict with Michael the Archangel here on earth and some of the various fallen angels chained in reserved judgment. (1:6,8). 

The specific mention of fallen angels in Jude 1:6 matches with what we read of them in 2 Peter 2:4 "For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment." Also too, Jesus refers to Hell as having been prepared for "The Devil and his angels" in Matthew 25:41. It is quite likely that Jude is quoting Peter's second letter, which may explain why we also see such similarities between Jesus and Jude (not forgetting that Jude wrote under Divine inspiration).

The Bible Knowledge Commentary remarks: "Most commentators, however, assign the date between A.D. 67 and 80. Jude was probably influenced by Peter, who wrote his second epistle about A.D. 67–68. (Peter predicted that false teachers would arise [2 Peter 2:1; 3:3], but Jude stated that they have “slipped in among you” [Jude 4].)"

So who are the fallen angels mentioned by Jude? These particular demons may the very ones that participated in the abominations committed prior to the flood in Genesis 6:1-4 which resulted in the mutation of giants roaming on the earth. To think of the dangers of false doctrine as resulting in Hell is frightening enough. However to be reminded of hell being infested by demons far worse than those roaming freely here on earth serves more than fair warning to anyone contemplating apostasy from the faith. So the angelic realm, particularly the demons, are mentioned to warn us of the realities of hell. But what about the good angels? Notice a second purpose of the angelic realm in Jude, namely....

2. Encouragement with the realities of Heaven. Jude 1:14, 24-25

Jude 1:14 states - "It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones." In context, Jude is referencing a prophecy spoken by the pre-flood patriarch Enoch that is not recorded in Genesis. I won't get into the specific details of the nature of Jude's citation of Enoch in this post, and choose to point interested readers to a post written on Jude's use of Enoch at https://biblicalexegete.wordpress.com/2015/06/16/understanding-judes-quote-of-enoch-in-jude-114-15/. 

Instead, I want to focus the reader's attention on the underlined phrase "holy ones". Biblical passages such as Deuteronomy 33:2; Daniel 7:10; Matthew 16:27 and Hebrews 12:22 use this term to refer to the angels that comprise the heavenly court of God's glory and majesty. 

Even though the main point of Jude's reference is to indicate the judgment of the false teachers by Jesus at His second coming, mention of the good angels serves to remind the saints of God that they are on the winning side of eternity. The truth of the believer's heavenly home is a great way of reinforcing the need to contend for the faith once and for all delivered to the saints. As we saw a couple of days ago, Jesus and the Apostle Peter both taught quite a bit on Heaven. With Jude depending partly on Peter's writings, references to Heaven would only make sense. Heaven will definitely be a place populated by angels (Jude 1:14) and is the ultimate destination of the Christian. (Jude 1:24-25). Heaven is afterall the abode of God on His throne. More could be said but we must hasten. What important purposes do angels, demons and Satan serve in the book of Jude? We saw that God included them to warn about the realities of hell and to encourage believers with the realities of Heaven. Now notice the final purpose...

3. To focus attention on Jesus Christ. Jude 1:15-25

Jude 1:14b says again: “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones." What is the ultimate goal of the Christian fighting the good fight of faith? Now we already looked at our heavenly home as an ultimate goal. 

But what is "the" ultimate goal of the Christian? To see Jesus at His second coming. The devil who fought with Michael the archangel in Jude 1:8 will be destroyed and cast into the Lake of fire by Jesus at His return in Revelation 20. When Jesus comes, he will have an entourage of angelic hosts numbering in the trillions. All of heaven's angels will accompany Jesus and the saints who are behind Him in the train of His robe. (Matt 16:27; 25:31; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; 1 Thessalonians 3:13 & Revelation 15:8) Those saints who are with Jesus at His second advent will had been those who died in the Lord or who were raptured seven years prior. (Mt 13:39; 16:27; 24:31) Mentioning such heavenly realities serves to point the way to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why Jude closes out his book in Jude 1:24-25 "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."

Closing thoughts
Today we considered three important reasons for the angelic realm being mentioned in the Book of Jude. These three reasons aid in fulfilling the main point of the letter: "To contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints".

1. Warn of the realities of Hell
2. Encourage with the realities of Heaven
3. Focus attention on Jesus Christ

What Jesus and the Apostle Peter teach on heaven

John 14:2 "In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

2 Peter 1:11 "for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantlysupplied to you."

Introduction:

Yesterday we considered what Jesus and the Apostle Peter teach on Hell. Today's post features in brief what both taught on Heaven. 

1. Heaven is God's throne or abode

Matthew 5:34; 5:45; 6:9; 11:25; 12:50; 16:17 and 18:4 refer to the third heaven as God's primary base of operations. Undeniably God's Sovereignty extends over and through every square inch of creation. In 2 Peter 1:12, we read of the Holy Spirit being sent from Heaven - "It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look." Peter is perhaps thinking of the Day of Pentecost in which he was preaching some 30 years prior and in which the Holy Spirit had descended. The Spirit's descent signaled the presence of God being with His church as well as in Heaven. 

2. Heaven is a place.

Jesus taught the physical/spiritual reality of Heaven as a locatable place somewhere in the created order. He taught both the reality of the current heaven (Matthew 5:3, 20; 6:20; 19:21; Luke 10:20; John 17:24) and the One He is preparing (John 14:2-3). Heaven is a destination, a home, for the believer (John 14:2; Mt 5:8,5:12; 8:11; Mt 13:43; 25:34,46). The Apostle Peter also wrote of the reality of Heaven as a place. (1 Peter 1:4; 1:11) Peter also wrote of what will be the New Heaven as well. (1 Peter 3:13). Both Jesus and Peter refer to Heaven as having an entrance, thus lending further to its reality. (Matthew 25:34; 2 Peter 1:10)

3. Heaven has angels

The third commonality of the teaching on Heaven shared by Jesus and Peter is that it is a place occupied by angels. Jesus refers to angels that represent in some fashion children in Matthew 18:10. According to Matthew 22:30, Angels in heaven do not have offspring. Jesus speaks elsewhere of angels in Luke 12:10 and 15:10. In Luke 16:22 Jesus reveals that angels are somehow involved in escorting a believer's soul into the presence of God. The Apostle Peter too speaks of angels in Heaven as being curious beings about believer's salvation here on earth. 

Closing thoughts

Today we aimed to explore what Jesus and Peter taught regarding heaven. In our brief study we discovered three common points:

1. Heaven is God's throne/abode

2. Heaven is a place

3. Heaven has angels