A Christ-Shaped Ministry (Part 1 of 2)

This world has more than its fair share of problems don't have to look very far to see that we are surrounded by brokenness because people are looking for answers God's followers have a tremendous opportunity in today on Truth for Life.

Alastair Begg teaches us how we ought to approach gospel ministry. While it is both a privilege and a challenge to consider the subject, which is an exciting subject for me.

Christ shaped ministry and I take it that that has not been chosen because those who decided on the title believe it to be a certain kind of ministry to be chosen from a number of options, but rather because they believe.

I certainly believe that gospel ministry ministry of the word of God is to be, by definition, Christ shaped for the purpose of God from all of eternity is to make those whom he redeemed who redeems Christ shaped so that, in Romans, those whom God for new he predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. In other words, his purpose from all of eternity is to make our lives. Christ shaped the present time. As Paul says elsewhere. We are in the process of being transformed into the image of God and as John says in his letter at the beginning he says in one day when we see him we will be like him and the people who are under our tutelage as members of our congregation are men and women who in Christ are increasingly Christ shaped and who have come to an understanding of the absolute necessity and the profound benefit of sitting under a ministry of the word of God where the gospel is not only proclaimed, but is embodied the great compelling necessity for the gospel minister in the life of the congregation. As McShane said the greatest need.

Our congregation has is not our giftedness but is our godliness and that the purpose of God is to fashion us on so we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Christ sake. Note the subject opens up in all kinds of ways and it is certainly not possible to try and cover it in a comprehensive way but my thoughts when it was given to me was immediately. This interchurch big C that is increasingly feminized. There is a peculiar need for men but for these men to be gentle that for these men. If you like to be Christ shaped men exercising a Christ shaped ministry and it is for that reason that I've chosen to turn to Matthew 12 and to this longest Old Testament quotation in the book of Matthew that comes from Isaiah chapter 42 and if you find yourself looking down at your text and saying what he just said is not there and I hope you'll find if you flip over. It is actually in Isaiah 42 for there is a slight variation between the text as it is in 42 and as it is here in Matthew 12 know at the end of Matthew 11. If your Bible is open in front of you is I trust it will be yet.

That is where Jesus has issued this amazing invitation. Come to me all of you who are really in heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, I am gentle and I'm lowly in heart, as his self designation of all the things that he might've said on the back end of that invitation. It is compelling is not.

I am gentle and I am lowly in heart, and the yoke that I bring to bear upon you is easy and my burdens are light from there into chapter 12 and immediately, as is true throughout the Gospels are Jesus's opposed the Pharisees in the first little incident are so stuck on their legalistic perspective that they are prepared to leave the people hungry in the second whistle incident in the man with a withered hand, they are prepared to leave the poor soul helpless in the background is a darkening background. It's a background of hostility.

It's a background of hypocrisy. It is actually conspiracy the verb that is used here in verse 14 that the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him and against that backdrop… Drop. We are introduced to this picture of Jesus as one who is gentle, one who is modest and one who is kind and Matthew tells us that here in this little interlude.

We have fulfilled for us words of Isaiah the prophet, and in the encounter Jesus who is aware as happens routinely of the way in which the forces are opposed to him and of the great potential of those who have been drawn to him to go out and make a fuss and a bother. In a way would be unhelpful at this point in his ministry, Jesus, aware of all of this withdrew from their and even though he did that Manny followed him.

He healed them all and he issued an order that they would not make him known.

All of that is of course quite wonderfully helpful know this is Isaiah 42, isn't it.

And if you are able, like my need to go back and forth then you will realize that Isaiah 42 comes on the heels of Isaiah 41. Quite remarkable the way that happens is not and Isaiah 41 in part is pointing out the fight of the emptiness and the absolute futility on the part of men and women to turn to idols to the if you like heart level substitutes for God.

Whether that is 600 BC or whether it is 21 A.D. it remains the case and in the 29th verse which concludes Isaiah 41. They are all a delusion.

Their works are nothing their mental images are empty when and it is against that backdrop that what is required here is a wonderful Savior and a mighty God and so 42 begins with a behold behold my servant right on cue. Note at this point.

Perhaps we should just stay the thesis if you like of this address and it goes something along these lines, but what Isaiah prophesied Christ fulfilled and what is fulfilled in Christ is to be reproduced in some measure in those who are then the servants of Christ, he is the servant of the Lord. He is the true Israel of God.

He is the embodiment of all of this being clothed with Christ is a helpful thought. As we anticipate where we go from here. Behold my servant, the answer to the predicament of the world is in the servant of the Lord and I want to pause for just a moment and and and camp all night if I may, that the servant is introduced here in Isaiah 42 as the only answer to the great predicament of men and women in their idolatry, and here we are in the 21st century and we are ministers of the gospel in a world that is filled with idolatries and every week as we deal with the text of Scripture we are dealing with men and women, many of whom, despite the smiles on their faces and their ability to conduct themselves with a measure of of politeness.

They are in their lives are marked by quiet desperation inside and underneath, and particularly where they have become aware of the fight that they are there microcosmic plight is simply an expression of the totality of what's going on the world in which you and I know the minister is a world that is actually becoming increasingly aware of its need.

I don't find it difficult to talk to have a conversation with anyone about the fact that the world is broken. Nobody answers that in the negative. I doesn't matter what age the differences the discussion concerning why it is broken and how it's brokenness may be repaired and when we realize that the world is becoming more aware of its need, it is imperative then that the church does not lose its sense of mission and the way we lose our sense of mission or the way in which our mission is diminished is when we lose confidence in our message in the truth, and the power and in the relevance of the gospel when we begin to get distracted and when we's we stop saying with Wesley tears all my business here below to cry. Behold, the servant of the Lord. That's what's being done here. Here is the servant of the Lord, you don't have to look too hard in contemporary culture to realize that men and women, and I'm not talking about Christian men and women are far more alert to this than we give them credit for. I'm quoting here from a Jewish lady who writes on Tuesdays in the Times of London. She is a political journalist. She's a graduate of Cambridge University. She is a practicing but not an Orthodox Jew she's writing concerning the situation regarding the church in the United Kingdom and she says this religion, the restraint on behavior has been substantially replaced by therapy which diagnose such restraint as unhealthy repression. The slow death of Christianity in Britain meant a transfer of belief from messianic redemption to a secular utopia. St. Paul yielded to Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the doctrine of original sin was replaced by a doctrine of original innocence instead of fallen mankind, redeemed by a Savior on the cross, the goodness of mankind had to be redeemed from the corrupting effects of authority of any kind instead of salvation by faith.

The Association of free and unfettered spirits would now be left to create heaven on the earth remarkable that this is someone standing on the sidelines of things and looking at the church in Great Britain said it looks to me that if completely change the message I want to have the most confidence in the message. To get into the United States was able not as bad as that.

Yet hold on were coming fast behind but what what is happened to the United States will mission in many cases has been replaced with admonition, so that instead of actually seeing.

Behold, the servant of the Lord were tempted to say to a secular culture.

Why are you in the measuring logos. We know the answers that question. The answer to the plight of humanity. Six century BC was the servant of the same answer today Alec and I was introduced here is my servant, here is my servant, behold, my servant, who is he is the chosen one. Well, he could be chosen without being left but he's also the left and fight in him.

My soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit on him and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles's language reminiscent of the baptism of Jesus isn't this exactly the case is a reminder to his and I make no apology for saying it to you again that our responsibility if we have a Christ ministry. The focus has to be on Christ. Regardless, it was Spurgeon who, in his opening address of the Metropolitan Tabernacle quite a long time ago is a fairly young man said.

I would propose that the subject of the ministry in this house as long as this platform shall stand shall be the person of Jesus Christ. I am never.

He writes ashamed to involve myself a Calvinist.

I do not hesitate to take the name of Baptist, but if I am asked what is my creed. I reply it is Jesus Christ right that Ford would have us with regard here. The servant behold my servant now, how, how shall we trace this out. Let me suggest to you that we can give consider the way in which the servant then proceeds with ministry, the servant acts number one in dependence upon God in dependence upon God. Behold my servant whom I have chosen my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased.

I will put my spirit upon him, and that of course is the reminder that runs throughout all of Isaiah. All of Christ's ministry was performed by the power of the Holy Spirit. All of the ministry from his conception to his ascension. So when you come across the servant of God, as he is introduced to is in the profits, particularly in Isaiah, you have it again and again. Isaiah 11 there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him.

Isaiah 61 the spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because he has anointed me remember the passage that Jesus then quotes in the synagogue in Nazareth. When Peter is finally explaining to the gathered crowd in acts chapter 10 about the significance of the nature of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. He says to the group God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, straightforward observation, but it's there in the text.

The essential role of the Holy Spirit in Christ shape ministry which means of course that we, to the extent that we are clothed with Christ in the exercise of our ministry of the word need also to be manifestly clearly significantly personally privately essentially dependent upon the Holy Spirit of God. Some years ago I was preaching at a conference in London was out of my death are usually by the fellow would convene the conference had me over for supper in the evening and as I was in this gentleman's home for supper. He said to me in on what you giving us tomorrow. He said it when you're in your address and I so I'm going to try and tackle Paul in their first Thessalonians 1, where he makes the comment.

Our gospel came to you not only in word but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction and another man was but he said to me, so very interesting it was. It is English argument that much butter as he said. How very interesting is that just just as long as you're not going to give an answer.

Give is an event function, stuff brother and on the regulars any of function, stuff right. I thought I'd stop me dead in my tracks.

I thought, well, is there any other stuff. If there is no Holy Spirit unction. If Christ exercised his servant ministry by the power of the Holy Spirit. When the world getting united so he exercises it in dependence upon God. He exercises a secular you will notice in accordance with his mission in accordance with his mission. What is ultimately his mission. Well it's here bringing justice to victory or bringing justice to the nations. I'm not going to delay on this and I'm going to assume that you agreement me and if you don't, you can send me a note and I will pass it on the line send it on to Eric Alexander or somebody like that who failed to deal with it accordingly but no what what what is this what the servant of God brings the truth of God to the world and ultimately ultimately when we think in these terms were not actually talking about many of the social engagements that are increasingly prevalent today but the servant of God brings the truth of God to the world in accordance with God's purpose and redemption whereby justices exercised and mercy is revealed at the cross of Jesus Christ sold all thing is pointing forward to their and it is in accordance with that mission.

Behold the Lamb of God says John the Baptist who takes away the sin of the world with mercy and with judgment. My web of time, he will wear his justice satisfied with his love revealed without incongruity. Where is the second where is the judgment upon the nations to be revealed here in time and there in eternity. Thirdly, and this is really where were trying to get to the servant acts not only in dependence upon God and in accordance with this mission, but in keeping with his character. In keeping with this character. If you notice that were told what he doesn't do, behold, my servant who doesn't. He will not he will not he will not and what is this servant the great servant of the Lord. What we notice about. Remember Isaiah with what all of these proud characters, Cyrus and the rest with big trumpets is aware and big egos spirit of Nebuchadnezzar's arrival is alive and well, okay, in contrast to that this servant of the Lord will not cry aloud.

He doesn't draw attention to himself. He will not seek to startle the community with expressions of bravado, he will not quarrel or cry aloud. He will not lift up his voice.

I think probably the point. There is that he will not dominate the conversation by trying to talk over everybody. The way the sellers are tempted to do, he will not make his voice heard in the street quite staggering as to imagine what it was like to be there when Christ was moving in the lungs.

The crowd, the people to said which one is no special role no large chair, no group walking in front and coming behind caught up with the rest of the boys going about his business who touched me, Jesus who touched you. Have you seen the crowd, but he knew the power going out from it. He was the servant of the Lord.

He didn't make his voice heard in the street. He'd already in the sermon regarding the sermon on the Mount remember he has. He has warned the people who are who are listening to them in that mountain discourse.

He says you know you don't want to be like these Pharisees who love to stand and pray at the street corners quotes that they may be seen by others that they may be seen by others. The ministry of the Lord Jesus and thereby Christ shape ministry is not about putting ourselves forward, shouting, talking people down. Not if it's going to be Christ shaped how we serve like Jesus. That's Alistair Begg with part one of a message titled, a Christ shaped ministry. This is Truth for Life. Alister will conclude his teaching tomorrow.

Our study today reminds us of the importance of gospel ministry.

Only the message of the gospel has the power to truly heal the brokenness in our world. That's why our mission here at Truth for Life is to teach the Bible every day. On this program, we know that when God's word is taught. Unbelievers will be converted. Believers will be established in local churches will be strengthened when you give to support this mission. We want to invite you to request our featured book book is called God's Bible timeline. The big book of biblical history. It's a book that lays out the chronology of the overarching story of the Bible provides a series of illustrated timelines that give details about people and places and events book also contains added pages that offer descriptions of objects like the ark of God tabernacle things that are described in detail in the Bible but can be difficult for us to visualize.

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