Preacher: Worthy Of Hire Part 1
Lessons From 1 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
Theme: Lessons From 1 Corinthians.
Hope: Create a clean heart within us through a better understanding of God’s most precious doctrines.
Last week we began looking at 1 Corinthians 9:1-3 wherein Paul defends his apostleship.
There is no doubt that Paul fit every criteria for being an apostle as we noticed.
Today, in our text of 1 Corinthians 9:4-23, we find why Paul was pointing out his apostleship.
As we discussed last week the word “apostle” simply means “one sent” or “messenger” (Acts 14:14; Hebrews 3:1).
Paul’s focus, in proving his apostleship, was to focus on his preaching for the Lord and that this fact made him “Worthy Of Hire” by the Lord’s church.
6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living?
13 Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? 14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.
Next week, we will take a closer look at the financial point of Paul’s argument, but today I want us to focus on what make’s a preacher, a gospel preacher and therefore worthy of higher by the Lord’s church.
A gospel preacher is worthy of his hire…
When He Has Counted The Cost
When He Has Counted The Cost
There Is A Price To Preaching.
There Is A Price To Preaching.
At BTSOP we had a class title, “The Life & Work of the Preacher” and Eddie Parrish taught it.
The first day of class Brother Parrish told us, “My job in this class is to scar off as many of you as possible right now before you become a gospel preacher.”
His point is an huge cost to preaching and living by the gospel.
Obviously, a young preacher will have to learn some of those lessons the hard way but a man must realize there is a price to pay and cost associated with living by the gospel.
The apostle Paul would explain this as “fulfilling your ministry” to Timothy.
5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Paul in his second later tells us what some of that preaching had “cost him.”
23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers;
A man wanting to be worthy of hire as a gospel preacher has counted the cost and understands there will by sacrifices made for the privilege of being a preacher.
The price will often be a lack of close friendships & family time.
Most preachers will not have “close friends” within the congregation, because most people don’t want to be on their “best behavior” a lot.
I can’t tell you how many times I have heard someone say or do something sinful and then say something like, “I don’t want to hear that in a sermon anytime soon.”
The price will be watching your family hurt when they witness the politics often in the church and the illusion of perfection for the preacher and his family.
Doug Dingley: The elders told him he had not preached anything unscriptural nor had he done anything in his daily life that was wrong, but there were some that didn’t like him.
Corey Johnson: Was told by elders they believed the truth on MDR and then within a year two of the three elders had kids get divorced & remarried and told him he was not allowed to preach on it.
The price will be a feeling of failure and discouragement often.
It’s impossible to preach and teach about sin in the lives of people and see it rejected and not feel like a failure and feel discouragement.
The great prophet Jeremiah was called the “weeping prophet” for this reason (Jeremiah 13:17).
The powerful prophet Elijah wanted to give up and die (1 Kings 19:4).
Summary
Summary
The point is for a man to even consider being worthy of hire by the Lord’s church he must first count the cost.
If he cannot handle the price of preaching the gospel he should not get into it.
1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
A man is also only worthy of hire as a gospel preacher…
When He Is Qualified
When He Is Qualified
The Three Obvious Characteristics.
The Three Obvious Characteristics.
A gospel preacher must be above reproach in his “current life.”
This simply means he is not to be one who has a current life of chaos and strife but rather is living a peaceably life as far as possible.
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
The nature of teaching truth naturally lends itself to confrontation from time to time but as much as possible a man that wants to be a gospel preacher must live a life above reproach.
A gospel preacher must have a good work ethic.
I say “work ethic” over “hard worker” not because they are not similar but because one is more in line with reality and how much a human as they age can accomplish.
When I first started preaching full time, had no kids, and was in my mid 20’s I could help brothers and sisters out all day and stay up most or much of the evening hours studying and doing my “actual preaching job.”
With kids, age, and many other factors I simply cannot burn both sides of the candle for as long as I use to.
7 I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.
A gospel preacher must be well spoken.
By well spoken I do not mean he must be a “great linguist” or “ oral master” but he must be able to convey the message of God with relevance to current time.
Illustration: Being able to expound the principle of “Jesus as a Good Shepherd” to people that have never had to shepherd a flock.
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
These three qualifications are the most commonly understood but there are some qualifications a man must posses if he wants to be a gospel preacher.
So what are potentially…
The Not So Obvious Characteristics.
The Not So Obvious Characteristics.
A gospel preacher must be an honorable man who pays his debts.
Romans 1:14–16 (NKJV)
14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
Romans 1:14 (ESV)
14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.
Paul owed these Greek, barbarian, wise, and foolish something, and that something was the gospel.
All preachers owe those they are preaching to the “unadulterated gospel.”
A gospel preacher is obligated to “preach the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) and not shirk that responsibility.
Corey Johnson: Three elders agreed with the truth on MDR but about two years later two of the elders had kids that divorced and remarried. Those elders “changed” their doctrinal stance and forbid Corey from preaching on MDR. He preached on it the next Sunday.
As the prophet Micaiah said…
14 But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I will speak.”
A gospel preacher must have a burning inside for preaching.
Jeremiah 20:9 (ESV)
9 If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.
1 Corinthians 9:16 (ESV)
16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
A gospel preacher will grow tired and weary from the daily grind of trying to inspire sinful men and women, especially himself, to mature spiritually.
This is when that inner burning will not let the gospel preacher quit preaching no matter how frustrated, how tired, how burned out, how hurt he will keep preaching because “woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.”
A gospel preacher must be a watchman for God.
17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 18 If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.
20 Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”
A gospel preacher is tasked with being able to determine “what the sin situation is” and then “preach on that sin situation.”
Therefore, he is watchman over people and their lives, something by the way people don’t often like others doing.
A preacher must be willing to go where God sends him.
8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
A preacher must be willing to do things that many if not most spiritually simply will not do.
Most people go to work, do their job that is laid out for them, go home and can forget about their job, and then do it over the next day.
A preachers day is always ripe for change because he is expected, rightfully or not, to drop everything he is doing and help with help is needed.
Most people aren’t expected when they get a call that their fellow brother or sister in Christ is headed to the hospital to stop their work, leave not knowing when they will get back, and still get that work they didn’t get done finished on their “own time.”
A gospel preacher must have a forehead harder than flint to preach when the listeners want truth and when they don’t.
4 And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— 6 not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you.
7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. 8 Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. 9 Like emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.”
2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
A gospel preacher must be just hardheaded enough to not get emotionally charged by those lashing out at their sins being exposed.
To be human is to err and to err is to be human (Romans 3:23) and humanity does not like to hear they are in the wrong but preachers cannot give in to their emotions.
When that couple in an unbiblical marriage finds out they are living in sin and are begging, pleading, for the truth not to be true, a preacher must lovingly and gently but firmly teach tell the truth.
Summary
Summary
When a man is fully qualified to be a gospel preacher and worthy of hire by the Lord’s church he will understand he is God’s servant and it is the Lord’s funds, not man’s that are supporting his preaching.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Let the Lord’s church better understand what they should be looking for in a gospel preacher and let the gospel preacher better understand what is expected of him.
When both the congregation and preacher have this understanding there is biblical harmony.
I have been blessed to have found the Lord’s church here in Ramona.
This congregation is becoming more and more rare but let me thank you for allowing me to not compromise on the expected qualifications of the preacher, encouraging me to grow, and helping me do so.
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.