Sermon Tone Analysis

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“I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”
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The Apostle has emphasised a concept that is not often welcomed today—hardship.
Directing student ministries at a major pastoral school some years past, I often emphasised the need for the preacher boys to “pay their dues.”
I daresay that the overwhelming majority of young men (and some not so young) who attended that school imagined that they would soon be pastoring megachurches.
They knew they were great preachers, and it was only a matter of time until the saints recognised their superior abilities.
That the Apostle is continuing on the theme of hardship in service of the King becomes evident from the first word of the text—“Therefore!”
When we read, we often give scant attention to prepositions such as the first word in this verse.
However, he is drawing a logical conclusion from what he has just stated.
In order to refresh our memories, look back to the opening verses of the letter.
“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.
An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.
Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
“Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal.
But the word of God is not bound” [2 TIMOTHY 2:1-9]!
Paul has enjoined the pastor especially to prepare men for ministry, equipping them to serve.
Fulfilling this responsibility will entail suffering; but suffering because of service to the Master is to be embraced, not spurned.
Suffering itself is not particularly praise-worthy; suffering because of the Faith merits the Saviour’s commendation.
We have Jesus’ statement on this matter.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” [MATTHEW 5:10-12].
Mark well that the anticipated reward is “in heaven.”
That reward is not, as many imagine, given at this time.
Throughout the preceding verses, Paul has insisted that the pastor must have the singular focus of fulfilling the appointment received from the Lord of Glory.
The soldier aims to please the one who enlisted him.
The athlete must compete according to the rules.
The farmer must toil if he anticipates a share of the crop.
However, in each instance success is recognised and rewarded only at the completion of the battle, or after the contest is concluded, or after the crop is harvested.
Until the appointment is fulfilled, all must anticipate toil, deprivation and exhausting labour.
Just so, in pastoral service, no man should expect praise and commendation.
At his best, the pastor is only doing what he was appointed to do.
The same truth holds for every follower of the Christ.
This is a shocking thing for many people to deal with, but commendation for service rendered is not given in this life.
Jesus appears to have stunned His disciples when he challenged them concerning this matter.
These are the words of the Master.
“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’?
Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’?
Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded?
So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty’” [LUKE 17:7-10].
Thus, the Apostle writes, “diá hoûtos,” “Because of this!”
Because I am appointed a servant of the Risen Son of God, because I am appointed to steadfast service in His Name, because I am appointed to fulfil faithfully my appointment, “I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”
The assembly to which He appointed me is to receive my full attention at all times.
I have on occasion had young preachers complain because they didn’t have the larger field of service they felt they deserved.
I have often gently remonstrated with them as I insisted that He appoints; we do not hire out.
Each of us must be reminded on occasion that God does not appoint to positions beyond our capability.
He appoints as He sees fit, always seeking the benefit of His holy people.
No appointment is to focus on commendation now.
We who serve the King of kings are not to seek the applause of dying people; we are to look to the glory that awaits the conclusion of our service.
Writing saints who were suffering because of the Faith, Paul reminded them that those who persecuted them would suffer greatly at the return of our Master, and they would be commended.
Listen to what the Apostle wrote.
“God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.”
However, Paul is not finished; he immediately reminds these fellow believers that this will take place “When [Christ] comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.”
The purpose of Jesus’ return is “to be glorified in His saints and to be marvelled at among all who have believed.”
Judgement of the wicked seems almost incidental, a matter of tidying up.
Listen to the conclusion of the Apostle’s thoughts.
He appends a prayer for those who suffer.
“To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” [2 THESSALONIANS 1:6-12].
The pastor must keep his eyes focused on what comes after his service.
I suggest that all believers must ensure that they remain focused on what is coming.
We are not to become so entangled with the affairs of this dying world that we forget why we were saved.
Christ saved us so that He may be glorified in us!
Let that thought sink in.
Christ is returning to be glorified in His people!
Even now, he is being glorified in us.
Of all people, the pastor must remain focused on what comes after his service.
*A HOLY PRINCIPLE* — “I endure everything for the sake of the elect.”
I confess that the word “everything” gave me pause when I read this verse.
My initial reaction was, “Everything?”
Perhaps a bit of explanation is in order.
Enduring everything for the sake of the elect does not include abuse.
Tragically, many of the professed saints appear to be of the opinion that they hire the pastor and thus expect him to do their work for them.
We preachers have done a poor job of instructing the assemblies of the responsibilities of the pastor.
Paul writes in the Ephesian encyclical, “He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” [EPHESIANS 4:10-16].
Of course, the One who descended and Who also ascended is the Christ.
He gave ascension gifts to the saints, including apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.
Jesus gave these gifted men to the churches for the specific purpose of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry and for building up the body of Christ.
Take note that their primary responsibilities do not include doing the work of the ministry, though they are responsible to fulfil their ministries; their primary responsibility is to equip the saints so that they can do the work of the ministry.
In performing this task, these gifted men will build up the body of Christ.
The goal of their labours is building unity of the Faith and instructing in the knowledge of the Son of God so that the faithful can grow mature and strong.
Ideally, a congregation will be equipped to stand firm against every error even if the pastor-teacher is removed.
Often, modern churches are run much like a sporting event.
The saints live without thought of the Faith and give an hour of their time on Sunday to watch a performance.
Cheerleaders (worship teams) perform and get the audience ready for the main event.
The preacher is paid to put on a good performance that affirms the audience in their chosen lifestyles, assuring them that God loves them and has a plan for their lives.
It’s not a bad show!
Tragically, it is not what God appoints His servants to do.
Clearly, the Apostle is speaking of his willingness to endure deprivation, opposition from outsiders and even demands on his time.
The word that is translated “I endure” is a compound word meaning “to remain under.”
It came to speak of patient steadfastness that does not shrink from trouble.
The modern idea of a pastor being a sort of Caspar Milquetoast is not substantiated through appeal to Scripture.
The New Testament pastor is willing to stand firm against error for the sake of the flock over which he has been appointed.
He is not always looking for a bigger position because he has been appointed rather than hired.
The verb is in the present tense.
As I have pointed out at other times, the Greek tenses do not speak of time as do English tenses; the Greek tenses indicate the quality of an action.
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