Let the Lion Out (Part 1 of 2)

The we live in confusing time within the church there were many people work for exactly what they're supposed to believe or how to behave.

Some of that may be due to pastors who seem to of lost any conviction about their need to teach God's word today on Truth for Life. Alastair beg helps us understand why teaching the Bible is so critically important for verse one I charge you in the presence of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead by his appearing and his kingdom preach the word ready in season and out of season reproved rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching for the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober minded endure suffering do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. Amen. I'm giving you my text. I want to let you know that my title for this talk I am borrowing from a well-known quote from one of Spurgeon's sermons sermon that he preached, entitled Christ and his coworkers. Here is the quote and I think you will quickly determine what the title is a great many learned men are defending the gospel. No doubt it is a very proper and right thing to do. Yet I always notice that when that are most books of that kind is because the gospel itself is not being preach suppose a number of persons where to take it into their heads that they had to defend a lien there he is in his cage here come all the soldiers of the Army to fight for him.

Well I should suggest to them if they would not object and feel that it was humbling to them that they should kindly standby and open the door and let the lion out. I believe that would be the best way of defending him, for he would take care of himself and the best apology for the gospel is to let the gospel out nevermind about defending Deuteronomy or the whole of the Pentateuch preach Jesus Christ and him crucified. Let a lion out and see who will dare approach and the lion of the tribe of Judah will soon drive away all his adversaries and saw our text is two Timothy 4125 and our title is led lion out all here in the opening verses of these chapters is identifying the necessity that is laid upon Timothy as the chapter goes on and he's telling Timothy the time for his departure has come before the fight is finished the race he's kept the faith. And now it is absolutely crucial that Timothy is young Lieut. will do likewise.

And he is urging upon him the absolute priority of the ministry of the word of God to preach the word to let the lion out for what Timothy believes about the Scriptures will become apparent in his preaching and what is true of Timothy will be true for you and me as well. In the concluding verses of chapter 3, from which we have quoted already this morning. Paul is not informing Timothy there of truth that he hadn't known Timothy had grown up with an understanding of the Bible. He knew the familiarity of the Old Testament phrase the word of the Lord came to Solomon to share my sandal to the all of the prophets, but he understood that what Paul was doing was reminding him of a truth that he dare never forget and essentially my brief this morning is to do just that. To remind us of what we know and hopefully to encourage us in that very task. The Scriptures are divinely inspired, they are completely reliable. They are totally sufficient and as Paul has pointed out, they provide the key to the competence and to the usefulness of the man of God know he's made Timothy aware of the fight that he had faced himself as the apostle of wholesale desertion in the context of Asia from a human perspective, there is actually no guarantee that the fledgling church would be sustained in the next generation from a human perspective, and therefore it was crucial that Timothy continue in what he had learned had become convinced of, and had firmly believe because he was actually ministering in an environment not to do similar to our own. He was preach the word of God in a time of absolute confusion and particularly on two fronts, moral and doctrinal in a context where people did not know how they were supposed to behave and they did not really know what it was they were supposed to believe and saw with the departure of the apostle and the transition from the apostolic to the post-apostolic church.

It is time now for Timothy to take up this charge, noticing that it is a solemn charge. I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus. There is nothing casual, nothing inconsequential about Matthew Henry says aptly the best of man have need to be laws into the discharge of their ministry and so Paul reminds his young friend that he exercises this ministry with the father and the son as his witnesses that when Jesus comes in power.

He will judge the living and the dead, and what he's actually doing is urging Timothy to live his life and exercise his charge in the very same way that Paul had done because he lived in the light of Christ's appearing and he lived in the concept and expectation of the consummation of Christ's kingdom. So Timothy needs to do the same writer to the Hebrews puts it in terms that are quite awesome when he reminds the people that they must pay attention to their leaders because they keep watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Give an account to Mrs. Philpott is playing the piano for 14 years and is a nuisance or giving an account giving an account of the Board of Trustees show up intermittently and never very profitably know the town is being given to the God before whom he serves not remember that a few stools thrown at him in his day was said to have feared the face of God so much that he never actually feared the face of any man or woman for that matter, we see Paul lived his life in the now, in light of the reality of the then and when we read church history, don't we discover that those who have lived in that way, for whom the prospect of their I remember one of whom it was said heaven was in him before he was in heaven so that the prospect of then so impinges upon the now that it makes them different from what they would have been otherwise. Some others are so convinced about living in the now that we've almost completely lost any thought of that. Then not so for Murray McShane. When this passing world is done and when have sung this glaring sun when we stand with Christ on high looking or life's history, then Lord, then Lord shall I fully know not to listen how much I is a solemn charge. It's much worse than getting married.

If you use the Anglican prayer book.

You know that you said in the Marriages are then by God, and so on, and it is not to be entered upon lightly or carelessly but thoughtfully, with reverence for God with due consideration for the purposes of which it was established by God, such as the call in the charge to the ministry of the word of God. Solemn. Secondly, it is simple simple chart in the sense that it is straightforward, is not hard to grasp. Timothy can get all of this immediately and so may you and I know all the Paul is already written to Timothy in this letter, and indeed, in his previous letter concerning the pattern of the sound words. The good deposit word of truth.

The sacred writings, all of that underpins this direct. It is a ministry of the word is to be exercised in the awareness that the word of God accomplishes the work of God by the Spirit of God and that powerful preaching of the Bible is not related to the histrionics of the preacher but is directly related to a consciousness of God consciousness which must be a consciousness first of the preacher before it will ever be of the congregation a sense of God's presence sense of God's majesty is otherness is awesomeness is transcendence and the same time is in its that he is here that he is present.

The charges received in the presence of the father and of the son, and in light of the appearing of the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ as white preaching is culturally neutral because people understand what it is to do and it is there from the very beginning. Deuteronomy chapter 4 God says gather the people to me that I may let them hear my words so that they may learn to fear me all the days of the live on their and that they may teach their children so the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire you hear the sound of words but saw no form. There was only a voice only a voice. I'm sure you've been isomerized routinely by as some clueless and your kind friends who say managed to come up with something all the time. How long have you been doing goodness gracious.

How do you come up. Sadly, too many of us have been coming up with the fool puts filled by inventive, well-meaning individuals speaking with a contrived emphasis suggesting that somehow, to expound the Scriptures is simply to provide that the ultimate objective is achieved by providing increased knowledge about the passage with a few practical pointers that you can take home and talk about with one another in the afternoon.

That's all well and good but surely that is not the objective that is not the primary objective of the ministry of the word of God it is that as a word of God is brought home by the spirit of God and may have a life shaping grace, changing encounter with God himself that we are made in different as a result of that we are different on account because God has accomplished his purposes as white mage and when he addressed the students was very clear on this, pushing them again and again.

Back to the Bible.

He says to them, it is with the open Bible that the real Christian preacher comes before the congregation. He does not come to present his opinions. He does not come to present the results of this research is in the phenomenon of religion but he comes to set forward.

What is contained in the word of God, so that what God has spoken to the apostles has been bequeathed to us in the Bible so that we like Timothy are to preach the word and nothing but that was Sangster, the famous Methodist preacher from Methodist central holes in London tie-dye thinking towards the end of the 1950s.

Thousands of people apparently would come to listen to him preach, but as he neared the end of his life, albeit not aware of the fact that his life was petering out. He bemoaned the fact, as he put it, that preaching is in the shadows. The world does not believe in. And here we are now in the 21st century. Is it unkind to suggest that we might replace world with church preaching is in the shadows. The church does not believe in it is fair to say that we are sorely in need of this solemn simple charge. May I ask my colleagues. Are you convinced that the regular expository preaching and teaching of the Bible owned by clothed in sustained by the work of the Spirit of God that that is the driving force that shapes authentic church life.

In verse two. It's always that Paul is preparing him for these various seasons that will come. Some will be more daunting, potentially discouraging than others, so he says I want you to preach the word and to be ready when you do in the season and out of season through you sort complete patience and teaching the new English Bible, which I don't often quote translates it pressed the message on on all occasions convenient or inconvenient is quite good. In other words, there is no excuse here for fearfulness or for laziness preach the word. When people are hostile or when the receptor when their children when they are tuned out when the prospect of a Sunday is delightful. When the thought of a Sunday is dreadful.

When the crowd is growing when the congregation is dwindling in the awareness of the fact that by its very nature Scripture will do what it dies, it will route it will rebuke you will exhort it would always be comfortable, but it will always be profitable. As Paula said in verse 16 of the previous chapter, who is sufficient for this. Think about the vastness of our congregations. If there more than 50.

How can we know everything and know everyone. How do we know just exactly what to do and how to say it, how to apply.

He says you you bring home the word of God and realize that God opens blind eyes, and God softens our hearts and God will accomplish his purpose and I should do this, do so with complete patience and teaching.

Phillips paraphrases it using the utmost patience and your teaching an IV with great patience and careful instruction in here in the ESV with complete patience and teaching what an unfortunate adjective complete could have just said with a wee bit of patience being intermittently patient in your approach will complete patience.

I confess to you that just yesterday as I reviewed listen set table some. I had a vivid flashback actually a painful flashback to a park in suburban Glasgow summer evening as I tried desperately to teach my son to write about without any stabilizers or training wheels as we refer to. I was so committed to him being able to write by. I was passionately concerned that he would be able to be so, but I haven't checked because I don't want to encase he also remembers that Erin some cause I lost my patience with and what should have been a wonderful location of discovery, albeit with a wonderful objective and good motivation was actually my by my impatience. Then I thought how often in these years of pastoral ministry hasn't been your impatience back that has marred the benefit of the instruction you conveyed and then I went looking for a quote from volume to Martin Lloyd Jones by Ian Murray on page 458 and there it was just as I thought it would be quoting someone who said a young minister is prone to try to attain by one jump.

The height which others have reached by a long series of single steps in the labor of 1/4 of a century, and I think it was the invoice. It was Jim who said it to me since recorded ready. He said you know is you as you engage in things.

Alister remembered that what what you think you can accomplish and even in a year you won't be able to do, and you be surprised how much one is able to accomplish in five so to recap the charges solemn and straightforward. It is the inerrant word that is to be preached to be preached when the wind is with us when all occasions do inform against us and to be preached patiently and carefully.

The reason this is so important. Paul now sets before Timothy in the challenge that is his verses three and four. He's already been made aware of those who swear from the truth.

And now he's going to exercise the ministry in the absence of Paul faced with people who are turning away from the truth and were wondering into myth, the time is coming. It's always coming. It's a recurring phenomenon we quoted earlier from Moses words in Deuteronomy 4 absolute clarity as God speaks through his profit to his people and he says this wasn't a visual thing. This was a notable thing and he says I'm distinguishing you amongst all the nations in this one respect, particularly that you will listen to my voice that you will pay attention to my word, you will be distinguishable by this very feature and what have they immediately went out and they were intrigued by attracted by all kinds of visual possibilities.

Instead of buying before their creator became creators themselves creating their unmanageable little guards who would accommodate essentially the exchange the truth of God for a lie as Martin Luther observed. If a man will not have God he must have his idols, that is Alister Bragg exhorting pastors to patiently preach God's word.

Let God do the rest.

This is true for life with a message called let the lion out. We just learned that God's word accomplishes God's work by the spirit of God and its listers like you who make it possible for Truth for Life to let the lie about life-changing gospel message you here on Truth for Life is released worldwide because of your faithful prayers and the generosity of the men and women who come alongside us every time you donate to Truth for Life. You make it possible for our mission to become a reality today were saying thanks for your financial support by inviting you to request a book titled heaven on earth. What the Bible teaches about life to come. The author is Derek Thomason. He provides a glimpse into life after death. He addresses common questions with biblical answers so we can face death with hope rather than with anxiety. Request a copy of the book heaven on earth. When you donate to Truth for Life today is a Truth for Life.org/donate or call 888588788 Bob Lapine thanks for listing. We've all heard the old adage, do as I say not as I do well as Christians it's not that easy. Were called to speak truth but also to live without join us tomorrow for the conclusion of today's message as we learn how to live out the gospel.

Click the Bible teaching of Alister Bragg is punished by truth or lying with the learning is prolific