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Is It Worth It? (This sermon was delivered at South Hills Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. The occasion was the ordination of James Graham to the ministry. I taught a men’s Sunday school class at South Hills. James was one of the members. At his graduation from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, he was offered a position in another church. Prior to leaving South Hills, he was to be ordained. He asked me to preach his ordination message.) As I stand here tonight to present this charge to the Gospel ministry to Brother Graham. I realize that it is a charge to every person attending that Seminary on the hill. And it is a message for all of us who claim the name of Christ. I am also quite conscience of my sense of inadequacy. There have been many great preachers stand in this pulpit. At this very time there are great preachers in this congregation. And a great man of God is the pastor of this church. How can I truly relate the meaning of a life dedicated to the ministry, when there are giants in the land, and even this congregation, who can share far more eloquently than I can? And so as I realize my inadequacy, I turn to the scripture. And it is there that a true giant of the Gospel paints us a picture of what it means to commit a life to the ministry. We find our text in Second Timothy, Chapter 4, Verses 1 through 8: I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardships, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. for I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing. Through the record of the scripture, the apostle Paul shares some valuable insights with us as he nears the end of his ministry. The longer that I am a Christian, the more the fourth chapter of Second Timothy means to me. In this chapter, we find the apostle Paul in prison. This is the man who turned a world upside-down with the Gospel message, the man who stood before a ruler and boldly proclaimed the Gospel message, the man who could reason with philosophers and be understood by the simple minded. We find Paul, preacher, pastor, evangelist, and teacher. This is a man who no doubt was loved by all of Christianity of that time and hated equally by its enemies. This is a man with friends in every town between Palestine and Rome. Yet we find this same Paul alone in his darkest moment. We find the apostle Paul, a man who asked for nothing, gave all he had, and faced the cold mornings in his prison cell without a cloak to keep him warm. Can this be the reward of a life surrendered to the Gospel ministry? When we see the persecution and destitute condition that we find Paul in at the writing of this letter, it would not be unusual if we were to ask ourselves, “Is it worth it?” However, I want you to remember that it is the Paul of that moment that provides us with a glimpse of what a life lived for the gospel really stands for. There are few things in this life worth giving your life to. The Paul of this passage would say it is worth giving you life to service to Jesus. I believe that Paul would say that it is worth serving the Lord if only for the memories. As Paul sits in his prison, I have to believe that many memories flooded his soul. There are those memories that enter the minds of every preacher seated here tonight. I know that this is so because of the smiles that break upon your faces. But what kind of memories does the apostle Paul have. Like all of us, I am sure Paul has some very good ones and some very bad ones. Yes, Paul had bad memories. But as the song once said, we never appreciate the good ones until we experience the bad ones. I believe that Paul remembers a day on the Damascus road. He recalls the terror of the presence of the Lord and then the joy of his salvation. He remembers the pain of a jailers chains and the joy of leading that same jailer to Christ. He recalls the loneliness of the dusty road; and the warmth of the Christian home. Paul recalls the disappointment in a young man who turned back from a missionary journey; and he finds encouragement in a young preacher who is good for his ministry. He remembers the joy of the Pilippian’s love and the pain of the Corinthian’s rejection. As Paul sits in a Roman prison, he realizes that to be dedicated to the Gospel ministry does not mean all sunshine and roses. He realized that dark moments come into your lives. But we see by the testimony of this great Saint of God, that the man of God will persevere. The preachers of our day may not experience the same trials as did Paul. I doubt if anyone in our great country will be cast into prison tonight for preaching the Gospel message. However, trials will come. It isn’t easy to be separated as God’s man among the people. Separation to the Gospel ministry can be a very lonely experience. There are times when your heart breaks for your children, who had no say in this matter. They are preacher’s kids because of your decision, not theirs. It breaks your heart for your children to not be able to do the things that the other kids do. It hurts to not be able to provide your family with the niceties of life that it appears others have. It hurts to be different. But it is this very difference that makes all the difference. The fact that you have claimed the name of Christ makes you different. You have an inheritance that is different from the world. You have a hope in Jesus that cannot be found in possessions or in things or places. It is in this very service for the Lord that you will find your joy. Faces and events far more precious than possessions enter my mind even now as I address this. I give thanks that, because of this service to my Lord, my children have gained an understanding of God and His interpretation of what is right and what is wrong. I thank God that through the love of Jesus Christ my love for others can be made manifest. I thank God for the sorrow, the joy, and especially the laughter found in the service to the King. And there have been some funny times. Those of you who know my wife, Linda, know that there is not a mean bone in her body. But there was a time when she cast me into utter darkness. As a young preacher, the time came for me to perform my first baptism. In preparation, I had consulted with my preaching professor regarding technique. In addition I had read the manuals to obtain the proper order of service. On the afternoon of the service I arrived at the church extra early. I checked the water. It was deep enough and the temperature was not too cold. I even took this opportunity, while the sanctuary was deserted, to wade into the water to get the feel of it. I must say that I felt that I was especially well prepared and even confident. That night all went well. The service was on time. The candidate was ready. My time had come. All of the lights in the sanctuary were off except the little light in the baptistery. I descended into the baptistery and proceeded to read the passage regarding the Ethiopian eunuch and Phillip. As I read, my wife, Linda, assisted a young lady in the baptistery changing room. As she was waiting for her cue to send the candidate out, she noticed a string hanging from the ceiling. Curious as to what the string was for, she pulled it. The light went out in the baptistery. Every light in the church was now out, except the light in the baptistery changing room where Linda and the candidate waited. There I was, with a sanctuary full of people, standing in the dark with water up to my waist. I could not read anymore. So I made the rest of the story up from memory, in the dark. There was a happy ending though. It appears that, seeing no reaction to the pulled string, Linda decided to pull it again. And there was light, glorious light. Yes, it is worth serving the Lord if only for the memories. And it is worth serving the Lord to experience His power. Paul was a man well acquainted with the element of power. As a Roman he was a citizen of the most powerful nation to ever rule the known world. As a Hebrew he was a respected young Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin. It was the Sandhedrin that had given a much younger Paul the power to search out and destroy the early Christians. however, if you will notice that when Paul refers to power it is not in reference to human institutions. Paul does not equate real power to the Roman Empire. He does not equate real power to the Hebrew Sanhedrin. Rather, Paul equates real power to God. In Romans, Chapter 1 Verse 16, Paul boldly announces, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation.” In Second Corinthians, Chapter 4 Verse 7, Paul proclaims, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us...” And he again affirms in Second Timothy, Chapter 1 Verse 8, “Be not thou, therefore, ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner; but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.” No wonder Paul commands Timothy to preach the gospel in Verse 2. Paul knows that to serve the Lord is to experience His power. And equipped with the power of God, God’s servant need not be hesitant of speaking boldly. Paul experienced this power first-hand. He saw it in the life of Stephen, as Stephen was stoned to death. Paul saw it as the Lord freed him from a Phillipian jail. But I believe that Paul witnessed God’s power in the lives that Jesus touched. Time after time meaning and purpose and peace found its way into the lives of people as Paul preached the Gospel message. And so it shall also be in your ministry. So what does Paul say to us today? He proclaims across the centuries, that true power is not in who we are; but in who God is. Paul had discovered that ultimate and eternal power lay in God. There is a story of a small boy who was attending one of Billy Graham’s crusades. It seems that during the time of invitation, brother Graham had asked each Christian to turn to the person standing next to him and tell him that Jesus loves him and wants to save him. In complete obedience the little boy did this. He turned to a man standing next to him and informed the stranger that Jesus loved him and wanted to save him. To this the man replied in his most authoritative voice, “Why son, I’m an ordained deacon.” And to that the little boy replied, “That’s OK mister, the Lord will save you anyway.” In the mind of that child God’s power could do anything, even save a card carrying ordained deacon. A simple and humorous little story? Perhaps, but in all seriousness, whether you are a little boy with a simple understanding of spiritual things or the Apostle Paul who was a spiritual giant of that age and all the ages since, God’s power is a very real thing; and it is worth serving the Lord to experience God’s power. It was worth serving the Lord for the memories; and Paul had certainly learned of God’s power; but I believe that Paul realized that it is worth serving the Lord because his greatest desires would be fulfilled. And at this time in Paul’s life what do you suppose his greatest desires were? To be with his friends? I suppose he would have liked that. The scripture tells us, however, that they had all gone away from him, except for Dr. Luke. Perhaps his greatest desire was to simply be comfortable. We know that he asked for his cloak. A Roman dungeon surely can not be compared to the Hilton. Yes, I suppose that he would have desired a little comfort. But I don’t think that was his greatest desire. No, this passage tells us that his greatest desire was to have the parchments. He wanted his books. And just what are these parchments? Well, we really are not sure. But biblical scholars tell us that they were probably the closest things to a Bible that Paul had. These parchments carried with them no official authority that the Roman government would recognize. These parchments had no magical power. They could not, would not, free him from his prison cell; nor could they alter his fate. So what is so important about these parchments that it would require Timothy to leave his family and work; and to travel a long and perilous journey to bring them to Paul? Well, they represented all that Paul was and ever wanted to be. They told of God and his love for us all. They told of a reward that is guaranteed for the faithful. They emphasized the power of God; and, they helped satisfy one of Paul’s greatest desires....to know God. To know God. And hear me now, this is important. It was not Paul’s desire to know about God. It was his desire to know God. There is a difference in knowing about someone and then knowing them. These parchments were important to Paul; they were personal. There is a story that I heard a long time ago. It was about two young men: a Christian and a non-Christian. The non-Christian confronted his Christian friend one day and said, “I read your Bible while you were away this week. And I have to say that I did not understand it.” “I’m not surprised,” answered the Christian. “The Bible is a love letter to Christian’s. You should not expect to understand someone else’s mail.” These parchments were love letters to Paul from God. They represented the relationship between him and his God. Paul’s relationship with his heavenly Father was more than just an important part of his life. It was his life. And my friends, the Bible that you hold in your hand today is still God’s love letter to you. It tells you of the depth of God’s love for you; and it tells you of the length that God would go to have you reconciled with Him. The words of John 3:16 are still true. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” It is my prayer that every person who hears this message will recognize that God has sent them a love letter; and that they will want to know God...not know about God, but to know God. Now I believe that there is another great desire in Paul’s life. I believe that his other great desire was to share this knowledge of Christ. You see, Paul was a teacher. And, if service to the Lord required imprisonment in Rome, then Paul would gladly have choose prison. In fact that is what he did. Now don’t misunderstand. Paul did not necessarily want to be there. But if that is where his ministry would lead him, if that is where the work to be done is, if that is the place where he could reach those who needed to be reached, then that is where Paul wanted to be. Why? Because Paul’s desire to teach the gospel message was dearer to him than his own personal comfort. Now there is no law that says that people who serve the Lord should live a life of discomfort. I take offence to young religious zealots who measure their spirituality by the hardships and sacrifices that they make. Only a fool would make a spectacle of his hardships; and to some instances prefer them. It is my prayer that you do not live a life of discomfort. I would wish that all of you live in 6,000 sq.ft. houses, drive Cadillacs, and be immune from the IRS. And there is no law that says that a preacher or a teacher can not be a rich man. But most rich men are usually self-made men; and the true servant of God has got to be a God-made man. A man who is willing to sacrifice his personal comfort for the furtherance of the gospel message. To be able to accept that, your life motivating desire has got to be service to the King. The Apostle Paul would claim this as one of his burning desires. The testimony of the Apostle Paul, in Second Timothy, should be an encouragement to every pastor, preacher, teacher, and believer here tonight. When we consider Paul and the question of was it worth it all, I believe that Paul would say, “Yes!” Yes, it is worth serving Jesus, if only for the memories. Yes, it is worth serving Jesus in order to experience His power. And yes, it is worth serving Jesus because there are great desires to be fulfilled. One last thing, concerning where you will serve Him. Always be willing to serve where God has lead you; and not necessarily where you wish to be. That is a hard lesson that I have had to deal with. But, the poet expresses it this way: “Father, where shall I work today?” And my love flowed warm and free. Then he pointed me toward a tiny spot And said, “Tend that for me.” I answered quickly, “Oh, no, not that!” “Why no one would ever see, No matter how well my work was done, In that little place for thee.” And the word He spoke, it was stern; He answered tenderly; “Ah little one, search that heart of thine. Art thou working for them or Me? Nazareth was a little place, and so was Galilee.” It is my prayer that we live the life that God intends for us to live; and that our relationship with Him will be what He wants it to be. May God bless you and keep you.
© Copyright 2004 PlannerDan (UN: planner at Writing.Com).
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