Well, it's very excellent to have everybody here tonight. It's a grand occasion, a celebratory time. As our brother Steve had mentioned, it's great to see the brethren from Surrey. It's good to hear of how God is blessing there.

We've had a couple of people from our church visit recently, and they brought back glowing reports. It was also a privilege to have Michael Kirkpatrick next to me. I was thinking back to camp. But Pastor Kirkpatrick sat next to me yesterday to examine Ryan Maljars for the gospel ministry.

So it's a real encouragement to see God's work in our midst. It's a real encouragement to be able to send our brother Ryan. It's been a blessing to be able to mentor him and to be his friend, same as it was with Pastor Kirkpatrick. It's always bittersweet.

We train up men and then we get rid of them. It's not necessarily the best way to go, but that's the pattern that we've established thus far. Well, you can turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 4. 1 Timothy chapter 4. I'm glad we started an hour earlier because I have a lot of material.

It's probably not what that means, right? So 1 Timothy 4. If you were here a few years ago, when was it, Pastor Mike, that we sent you out? Well, I preach the same charge to Mike and to the receiving church in Surrey from chapter 4, verses 12 to 16.

I aim to do that tonight with reference to Ryan and with reference to the brethren in Vernon. I hope that they are tuning in. and I hope that they're listening. So I'll read the chapter, pray, and then we'll look at verses 12 to 16. So beginning in 1 Timothy 4.1.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies and hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. But reject profane and old wives' fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.

For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. These things command and teach.

Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things.

Give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. Amen.

Well, let us pray. God Most High, we gather together on this Sabbath day to praise and to glorify you. This is indeed a happy occasion, a time to celebrate, a time to reflect on your goodness and on your loving kindness. You've saved us by grace through faith as individuals.

You've brought us together in local churches. You've raised men up in our midst, and it's, again, bittersweet to send them out. but it's a glorious thing to see the advancement of Christ's kingdom on earth. We know from the psalm we sang at the outset of worship that you have stationed Christ at your right hand where he must reign till all of his enemies are made his footstool. We look at the establishment of gospel ministry as one means by which that kingdom of darkness is plundered. wherein sinners are called out of darkness into marvelous light.

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the proclamation goes forth, sinners are saved and added to the church. God, we stand amazed at your goodness to your creatures, your sinful creatures. We stand amazed at the gospel of our salvation, the reality that in Jesus Christ we have the forgiveness of sins, we have a righteousness that avails with you. Father, we have the message that this world desperately needs.

We know these are dark days in which we live. We live in a country where good is called evil and evil is called good. We know that politics certainly doesn't help at this point. We pray for the proclamation of your truth, the establishment of faithful churches.

God bless the churches represented here tonight, bless other churches in our community, and may your word go forth, conquering and to conquer. Forgive us now for all of our sin and unrighteousness, cleanse us in that precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and fill each and every one of us here with your Holy Spirit. And we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Introduction

Well, in this particular section, we can see the apostle's emphasis is upon Timothy being a faithful minister of the gospel. Again, it's a very appropriate passage for an occasion like this. So there's obviously things that Paul specifies in verses six to 11, but because of time restraint, we'll only look at verses 12 to 16. And basically what you have emphasized by the apostle, first is the minister's example in verse 12.

Secondly, the minister's public ministry in verses 13 and 14. Third, the minister's personal growth in verse 15. And then finally, the minister's perseverance. It's not enough simply to start off well, you have to finish well also.

And God's grace and God's spirit is sufficient to enable us to comply with that.

The Minister's Example

So let's look first of all at Paul's emphasis on the minister's example. in verse 12. He says, first, let no one despise your youth. He doesn't mean threaten them or hurt them, but rather the way by which Timothy will let no one despise his youth is by demonstrating maturity, by demonstrating faithfulness, by demonstrating godliness, by exemplifying the things that he is called upon by Paul to exemplify. He's probably about in his thirties at this particular time.

And with reference to the prohibition, let no one despise your youth, that's not for the good of Timothy. It's not so that Timothy doesn't get offended or get triggered or get somehow his nose bent out of shape. It is for the protection of the message of the gospel. The people of God are not to sit there and ponder the age of the minister, they are rather to receive the word that that minister preaches.

So let no one despise your youth. If you look back in the context at verse 11, he says these things command and teach. Now you can see why the apostle would follow that up with, let no one despise your youth. When a young man comes and commands and teaches you, there is that tendency, especially if it's something you're not keen on, to reject him, to resist him, and to say, well, you're just a young guy.

Why would I have to listen to you? because he's speaking the truth of God Most High. And when that happens, do not despise his youth.

Be an Example in Six Spheres

Notice as well the positive exhortation in verse 12. So let no one despise your youth, but be an example. Be an example. That's an emphasis throughout the New Testament in several places.

Paul is able to say, imitate me as I imitate the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians chapter three, he says we're to find those to serve or function as examples for us. Certainly we have the Word of God, we have the Spirit of God, but the emphasis with reference to church life is that we have each other. We can encourage one another, we can build one another up in our most holy faith.

Titus chapter 2, one of the emphases for the older women is that they are to teach or instruct the younger women. That doesn't mean they need to set up a pulpit. It may just mean they need to sit down with coffee and a sister and encourage her with reference to the Christian faith. So, do not let anyone despise you, Timothy, but rather function as an example to the flock of God Most High.

And then he specifies several things. Notice. Be an example to the believers in word. This typically means his general conversation or speech.

He's supposed to speak positively and he's supposed to guard his heart against speaking negatively. He's not to be a man who is corrupt in terms of his speech or conduct. That's the next term. Notice, in word and in conduct.

The Lord God Most High has crown rights Not just over our words, but our thoughts and our actions. We're studying the Ten Commandments or just completed the Ten Commandments on our Wednesday night Bible study. You see how actions that are sinful are prohibited. But the commandments end on the high note of guarding your tongue, the Ninth Commandment, and guarding your thoughts, the Tenth Commandment.

The law of God was never only intended for the external regulation of conduct. It goes to the heart of man. That's why in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, you have heard that it was said to those of old, but I say to you. He's not contrasting his teaching with Moses.

He's contrasting his teaching with the Pharisees. Those who said that in so far as you don't stop a man's heart from beating, you have satisfied the requirement of the sixth commandment. Jesus says, no, it was always intended to regulate the thoughts. You're not supposed to have that malice in your mind or heart toward a brother.

Same with adultery. It's not just the prohibition against going into your neighbor's wife. You're not supposed to lust after her. And so with reference to word and conduct, God wants his men to be faithful in exemplifying these virtues.

Notice as well, he speaks of love. Love. By this, all men will know that you are my disciples, if you subscribe to the Second London Confession of 1677. No, that's not what Jesus says in the upper room.

John 13, 35. By this, all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. And one of the blessed things to witness, I shrink back from saying this because I've never seen myself as an older man, but with reference to Pastor Mike and to be Pastor Ryan, they love people, they love brethren, they want to do good, they want to serve, they want to be faithful, they want to minister, they want to be what God has called them to be, and that is an expression of love. Notice he goes on to say, in spirit.

It's a bit of a textual variant here, but I'm going to preach it as being there. Matthew Poole says it speaks of zeal, warmth of spirit, truly inflamed with the love of Christ and for His glory. I've often thought there are guys in this world that preach the Bible in a boring way. I'm not suggesting you have to have a loud voice.

I'm not suggesting theatrics or anything like that. But this is the most compelling, most glorious written document in the history of the world. It is the revelation of the mind of God Most High for His creatures. He speaks of His creation, His providence, His redemption of sinners.

It is most glorious. Preach it as if it were the word of the living and true God. Preach it as it is intended to be, that which is most blessed of God. Notice he goes on to say, in faith.

Now the faith there is our attachment to Christ, justification by faith alone. wherein God pardons all our transgressions and accepts us as righteous in His sight only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone. So that faith is exemplified in a man's commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ in terms of salvation. But it's also a trust in God's Word. It's not a paring off the edges.

It's not somehow thinking, well, if I preach it the way that God wrote it, I'll offend people. If I preach it in the way that God wrote it, we'll have a small church. Look at what's happening in Surrey by God's grace. That church is growing.

It's a blessed exemplifying of faithful preaching and God blessing the use of the means. I have every expectation that's what's going to happen in Vernon as well. When a man who is owned by God, who is set apart by the church, preaches the Word of God accurately, preaches that Word boldly, again, we can expect, we can look for the blessing of God upon that endeavor. It is most glorious.

And then he says, in purity. Impurity, most likely he's talking about sexual chastity. Look at chapter 3, verse 2. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife.

He's a one-woman man. He is a one-woman man. He is sexually faithful. If a man is not good in that capacity, if a man is not to be trusted with reference to his own marriage, then why would you put him over a church?

Why would you give him additional responsibility? This kind of thing is absolutely crucial to maintain. Notice in 5.2, where there's instructions on how Timothy is to conduct himself with various people in the church. Verse 1, Notice, with all purity.

That's the emphasis of the apostle relative to Timothy's example. And again, I've seen this in Pastor Mike. I've seen this in my interaction and in my life knowing Ryan. And again, I expect, God willing, and if you don't, then we'll come after you, to see those things exemplified.

Now notice the point. Again, I think it goes very much hand in hand with verse 12. Let no one despise your youth. How do you overcome that?

By being a mature, faithful believer. George Knight says, the antidote given is to overcome the tendency of others to look down on youth by demonstrating a maturity in life and conduct. But I feel like I should add a qualification here, and I think Machin speaks well to this. J.

Gressom Machin said, we can preach the gospel, they tell us, by our lives. Perhaps you've heard that saying. It's ascribed to St. Francis of Assisi.

But, from what I gathered, he never said it. But it's something like, preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, or if necessary, use words. I think that Machen is far more balanced, far more biblical, and far more excellent on this. He says, we can preach the gospel, they tell us, by our lives, and do not need to preach it by our own words.

But they are wrong. Men are not saved by the exhibition of our glorious Christian virtues. If you want to get saved, don't follow me around all day. That's not going to lead you to heaven.

It's the word of God. betray the things that I'm called to in this passage. It's not the virtue of a Christian that brings salvation to a sinner, it's the word of God Most High. Of His own will, by the word of truth, He brought us forth. There is no other name given under heaven among men by which we must be saved.

He goes on to say, they are not saved by the contagion of our experiences. We cannot be the instruments of God in saving them if we preach to them thus only ourselves. Nay, we must preach to them the Lord Jesus Christ, for it is only through the gospel which sets him forth that they can be saved. Great emphasis.

Be the example, be the faithful display of Christian virtue. But understand that unless men hear of blood atonement through our Lord Jesus Christ, they will not be saved. You must hear of Christ and Him crucified and resurrected. You must hear of Him and by grace believe on Him.

That's the way of salvation. Watching a good Christian, watching a virtuous man, never let anybody into heaven. It is by faith in Christ. That is what the apostle everywhere emphasizes.

The Minister's Public Ministry

Now notice, secondly, the minister's public ministry, verses 13 and 14. Notice, first of all, the commitment involved on the part of Timothy. He says, Give attention, not just do this once in a while, not just do this sort of willy-nilly, but give attention to this. The word means to continue in close attention to something, to occupy oneself with, to devote or apply oneself.

And if you look at what he says, give attention, he then has three statements that begin with two. The kids will understand. These are called datives. This give attention governs the three datives.

So give attention to reading, give attention to exhortation, give attention to doctrine.

Give Attention to Reading

Now the reading of scripture in this context is not Timothy's devotional life. It's not his private time. It's not his quiet time. It's not the family altar.

It is the reading of the scripture in public worship. Why? Well, in the first place, that was the pattern established in the Old Covenant. Deuteronomy chapter 31, everyone gathers together in the reading of the law.

Nehemiah chapter 8, the post-exiles, we see them turn their ear to the book. And then the Levites not only read the word, but they give the sense of it. They preach. They even have a pulpit according to Nehemiah chapter 8.

You see this emphasis in the New Testament as well. Remember that in the first century they didn't have Cambridge wide margin Bibles. They didn't have Thomas Nelson publishers. They didn't have Zondervan.

The way that the people of God received the word of God was by coming to church. The means of grace were absolutely crucial for the maturation and growth of the people of God. If you didn't come to church, you didn't get the Word. And so the Apostle wants Timothy to give attention to the reading of God's Word in the public worship of God Most High.

Give Attention to Exhortation

Secondly, notice he says, give attention to exhortation. This word simply means the act of emboldening another in belief or course of action. Encouragement or exhortation. Turn to 2 Timothy 4, verse 2, you see the same word utilized. 2 Timothy 4.2, preach the word.

Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. See, there are Bible studies, there are informational sessions, there are lectures to be sure that men engage in in terms of instructing others in the word of God. Exhortation under the power of the Holy Spirit seeks to move the will. seeks to move men to compliance with the Word of God.

It's not just an informational session. Oh, wow, that was very much illuminating in terms of that particular passage. I remember years ago thinking that there was one preacher I typically gravitated to when I would listen to sermons. This was on these things that were called cassette tapes.

They were little square things, and that's how we used to have to do things. It was rough. But I remember there was one particular pastor that I really appreciated because when I would listen to that man preach, there would be times I'd actually pull my van over and pray and ask God to forgive me. It was the kind of preaching that had teeth, and I don't mean legalistic butchery of men's souls, but I mean bringing the Word of God to bear upon the people of God in the manner in which Paul specifies. convince, rebuke, exhort, 2 Timothy 4.2, with all long-suffering and teaching.

This is absolutely crucial in the church of Christ, not only to give the information, but to seek by the grace of God, under the power of the Spirit, to move the will of man. Now, we don't have that ability, we cannot persuade, but we can certainly bring to bear upon the conscience the truth of God's holy word. And then he ends on teaching.

Give Attention to Doctrine

Notice, give attention to reading, give attention to exhortation, give attention to doctrine. Now the broader context is one of false teaching in the church. Paul stations Timothy in Ephesus to combat that. In fact, look at 118.

He says, This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare. Timothy wasn't simply there to make friends. Timothy wasn't simply there to be the guy that everybody loved. Timothy was supposed to wage the good warfare, to plunder the kingdom of darkness, to proclaim the word in such a way to see sinners saved and to see the saints sanctified.

Well, with reference to Ephesus, there were some that had come in there and started twisting biblical teaching. You see it in 1 Timothy 4, verses 1 and following. Now, the Spirit expressly says that in latter times, some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. They have speaking lies and hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.

So there was certainly a difficulty involved for young Timothy, but Paul says, do this. Give attention to reading. Give attention to exhortation. Give attention to doctrine.

Some of us remember when people in churches used to say, oh, we don't want doctrine. Doctrine divides. Doctrine separates. No, it's doctrine that unifies.

That confession of faith that we subscribe, we don't look at it as infallible, inerrant, and inspired, but it is a great summary statement of things most surely believed among us. It brings us together. It helps us. It binds us together under the truth of God's holy word.

Doctrine is a good thing. 1 Corinthians 13, as Paul describes or defines for us love, he says that love rejoices in truth. The devil is about lies. The devil is about deception. The devil is about wickedness and lawlessness.

The people of God rejoice in truth. They want doctrine. Philip Towner makes this observation concerning these things. He says, these were certainly not innovations in the worship service.

Paul's not telling Timothy something that Timothy didn't already know. Again, you have the Old Covenant context, you have the emphasis in the ministry of our Lord Jesus, you see it in the book of Revelation. Over and over again, the churches in Asia Minor are told to hear the words spoken. by the Spirit to the churches. So he says, these were certainly not innovations in the worship service, but rather activities that needed to be continued or possibly resumed in view of the disruption caused by the false teaching.

The currency of confusing and contradictory doctrine calls for ongoing instruction in the apostolic traditions, theology and ethics, to ensure conformity with the will of God. Brethren, like 2 Timothy chapter 4, preach the word, be ready in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching, God knows what's best for his creatures. God knows what is best for his people. What do they need?

Do they need worship teams? Do they need bongo drums? Do they need kumbaya? Do they need therapy sessions?

They need the word of God proclaimed to them. In fact, turn back to 2 Timothy chapter 4, the apostle gives two reasons for his command that Timothy preach the word. So the command is verse 2, He then gives two reasons why Timothy is to do that. Let's look at the second one first.

It's in verse 6. Notice it says, 4, 4, I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race.

I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not to me only, but also to all who have loved His appearing. Paul says preach the word. Why?

Because Paul knows he's going to die. Paul understands the imminence of his death. Philippians, he alludes to the reality that he could possibly die, but he wasn't as certain. Here he's certain.

He knows there is great animosity toward the believers in the Roman Empire. He knows that Nero is nuts, and he knows that he's going to die. So he tells Timothy, in light of the fact that his departure is at hand, Paul's departure is at hand, do what you're supposed to do. Preach the word, be ready in season and out of season.

But the first reason is found in verse four, I'm sorry, verse three. Four, the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. They don't want the doctrine that you're preaching or teaching, Timothy. You could hear Timothy, well then, I don't think I want to do that, Paul.

Paul says that's exactly what you need to do. They're not the determiners of what's good for them. They are not the ones... It's kind of like your kid.

If you ask your child what he wants for dinner, he'll probably pick cake over broccoli any day of the week. He'll pick the sugary sweets versus the cruciferous vegetables that'll do him some genuine good. And then when it comes to protein and fat, he may not even be thinking about those sorts of things. He is not fit, equipped, or qualified to tell the parents what is good for him.

And yet in the church today, we have innovation. We have creativity. We have all kinds of strange fire offered up to God Most High in the name of Jesus and somehow persons think that's acceptable? Ask Nadab and Abihu if that is acceptable.

It is absolutely reprehensible and the church must do what God calls her to do. So preach the word, verse three, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. Worldly logic would say, well, then don't preach the word to them. I mean, if that doesn't make them happy, do what's going to make them happy.

Have puppets, have programs, have ponies if you're back in the 80s. Today it's, you know, guys rappelling in on harnesses and probably not even that anymore. We have gone astray relative to God's holy word. So preach the word for these reasons, the church's departure and the apostles' departure.

Now back to 1 Timothy chapter 4.

The Basis of Ministry: Gift and Ordination

Notice the basis of Timothy's ministry. We're still under public ministry. Notice in verse 14. He says, do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.

So the public ministry that Timothy was called to engage in was to be continued. Again, it's not a flash in the pan. It's not a one-time good thing. It's not just go to Vernon, preach a sermon, and the rest of the time, yeah, you just kind of do this and sing the goofy songs.

That's not it. Continue in them is what the apostle says. Do not neglect the gift that is in you. And then he goes on to say or speak of the origin of that gift, which was given to you by the prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.

So the gift given to Timothy was from God. It's a passive verb, that means that Timothy didn't earn it, Timothy didn't deserve it, Timothy didn't work for it, it's a gift, right? When somebody gives you a gift, it's a gift. So Timothy has this gift given to him by God, it's recognized by the church, and then the eldership lays hands on him.

Now in terms of the prophecy, we're not looking for prophecy anymore. There's no sort of open-ended canon of scripture. So we have the finished or complete canon of scripture vis-a-vis 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1, 1 Peter 5, that gives us a list of qualifications to see if in fact a man has been given the gift by God to minister to the flock of God. And again, it's a blessed privilege for us as Free Grace Baptist Church to participate in that, to recognize a man among us, to test that man, to publicly examine that man, and to vote on that man and then receive him into our eldership.

This is the same sort of an emphasis that the Apostle says. Timothy wasn't God's gift to the church because there was something intrinsically beneficial in Timothy. God made Timothy. God produced Timothy.

God equipped Timothy for the work of waging the good warfare in Ephesus at that particular time. And the church is absolutely crucial. You learn from this. The minister of the gospel is not self-appointed.

Neither is he self-promoting. We are to promote God. We are to exalt in Christ. We are to proclaim Him, that blessed one.

The bride describes as altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. The minister of the gospel is gifted by God. He's identified by God in this particular context with the prophecy or by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Today we do it through the written word, 1 Timothy 3, Titus chapter 1.

So the minister of the gospel is gifted by God, identified by God, and this is recognized by the presbytery or the eldership acting on behalf of the church of God. Now our confession acknowledges this. Our confession sees this as appropriate. Chapter 26, paragraph 9, it says, "...the way appointed by Christ for the calling of any persons fitted and gifted by the Holy Spirit unto the office of bishop or elder in a church is that he be chosen thereunto by the common suffrage of the church itself." That means she votes.

It's not a popularity contest. It's not the pastor says, well, you know, I like this particular guy. He's quite handy, and we can use him in the ministry. That's not how it functions or operates.

He must be what is described or laid out in 1 Timothy 3. He must be what is described or laid out in Titus 1. He must be or what is described in 1 Peter 5. Again, not perfectly.

And these lists of qualifications for elders should be every man's pursuit. Every single man, every single woman should pursue those Christian virtues. But in the man or men we select or elect for eldership, that must be proven. There must be demonstration of their ability to display and exemplify these particular virtues.

So back to the confession, that he be chosen thereunto by the common suffrage of the church itself, and solemnly set apart by fasting and prayer, with imposition of hands of the eldership of the church, if there be any before constituted therein." Now, after I conclude the sermon, I'm going to call up Pastor Kirkpatrick, and I'm going to call up Ryan, and we're going to lay hands on Ryan. I'm going to first read to him a specific oath. He's going to affirm that, and then we will have him get on his knees, we will lay our hands on him, and we will pray over him. to signify that what God has given to his church has been recognized, that he is in fact qualified, and that he does in fact have the gift that he needs with reference to the Christian ministry. So it's a blessed procedure that we are involved in.

It's a blessed thing that we get to participate in.

The Minister's Personal Growth

Now notice thirdly, the minister's personal growth. The minister's personal growth, verse 15. Two commands. He says in the first place, meditate on these things.

These things means God's word, it means theology. You know, when Paul speaks of eldership in 1 Timothy chapter 5, he says, let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor. And honor in that passage means pay them, means financial remuneration. We know that because in 5.3 you're supposed to honor widows who are widows indeed.

That means give them money so that they can buy food, so that they can buy shoes. Well, if a man is called, set apart by God, recognized by the church, and installed into the eldership, he's to make his living that way. But what Paul says is, let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor. And then he says, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.

That's why yesterday, when we examined our brother, we went through the word and doctrine. Our confession served as the doctrinal basis for that examination, and that does show us, or it does quantify for us, that the brother has it going on. So notice that Paul says, meditate on these things. This means to improve by care or study, to practice, to cultivate, to take pains with, to fix one's mind on something, think about, meditate upon.

So brother, it's a lifelong thing. You don't just prepare and finish the rest of your courses and then you just sit back. It needs to be an ongoing endeavor. This is what Paul says, meditate. on these things, but he doesn't stop there.

He says, then give yourself entirely to them. Literally, it means be in them, be absorbed in them. The minister of Christ is to meditate upon the word and upon that blessed doctrine. Now brethren, I think this is pretty obvious.

If I was a principal in a school and somebody wanted to teach history, I'd probably ask them, what were the last 10 books you read? If none of them had to do anything with history, I'd tell them to get out of my office. You need to be absorbed in your subject. Wherein is that most necessary but in gospel ministry? not only for the flock that he ministers unto, but for his own soul.

I love Martin Lloyd-Jones. He says, when a minister reads his Bible, he doesn't read in the first place for sermons. He reads in the first place for food. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

And then he counsels to have a pencil, and if you happen to see some sermon outlines while you're getting your food, go ahead and jot those things down. So there's a two-fold aim there. But with reference to the emphasis that the apostle gives here, Ryan, it's not just a matter of completing your studies through CBTS. It's not just a matter of completing well and very well what you did yesterday, but you need to keep on.

You need to persevere. You need to meditate on these things. You need to give yourself entirely to them. And then notice what he goes on to say.

He says, give yourself entirely to them that your progress may be evident to all. I don't want to embarrass Pastor Kirkpatrick, but if I asked the brethren, I'd say, has he been progressing? Is he more faithful and more competent in the handling of the Word of God? I would imagine everybody would say, oh yeah, oh yeah, it's evident, it's obvious.

How is he in terms of character and example? Well, he's growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That's the emphasis, right? It is to meditate on these things, to give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.

Now, the pagan and the heathen, they don't care. I think the all there means the church to which you minister. There needs to be growth. There needs to be advancement.

There needs to be progress with reference to the minister. What you know now, hopefully you will have exponentially in 10 years from now, in 20 years from now. If we happen to have a sort of revisited examination, you would dazzle us even more. The idea is to continue in them that your progress may be evident to all.

Not so that everybody will say, boy, he's so great, he's so awesome, he's so holy, what a wonderful specimen of a human being. No, but what it does display, what it does demonstrate is that this man has truck in holy things and that it affects him for good. That's what the people of God need in our current generation. An emphasis on godliness in terms of character, what Paul touches on earlier, and then faithfulness in terms of instruction, in terms of ability with the word of God. competency to handle accurately God's truth.

The Minister's Perseverance

Now notice finally the minister's perseverance. Verse 16. The minister's perseverance. Again, a couple of commands.

Verse 16, take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. The minister must take heed to himself. Personal piety. Go back in the context to verse 12.

Be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Take heed to yourself. He's not leaving you to figure it out. What does that mean?

He's telling you how you take heed to yourself. Be faithful. Be a man of purity. Be a man who's committed to his wife.

Be a man who governs his own house well. Be a man who's faithful in the little things, because those who are faithful in little things are typically faithful in much. That's what Paul's emphasis is relative to the man, but then and to the doctrine. Again, this is where a lot of guys go astray.

They don't keep up. They don't read. They don't pray. They don't search the scripture.

They don't continue to think. God's people need to be instructed with God's word, and the minister is to stay ahead of them so that he can feed them properly. If that sounds carnal or crass, I'm sorry, but that's the emphasis. Read theology, read Bible, obviously, each and every day, but grow in your understanding of these things and take heed to that.

Take heed to your doctrine. Again, the confession of faith is a wonderfully helpful tool in this regard. It's easy for us to spot defection. It's easy for us to spot apostasy.

If somebody in Vernon calls me in six months and says, you know, Ryan had a sermon teaching us on how to speak in tongues. Do you think I'm going to say, well, I hope it went well. I hope he handled accurately the word. I'm going to say, oh, really?

And then I'm going to say, what date? And they're going to say, oh, it was last Sunday night. And then when I hang up, I'm going to call him. and say, did you preach a sermon on speaking in tongues? If he says yes, then I'm going to probably say, I'm going to come over and meet with you.

And I'm going to bring Mike, and I may bring Cam. So you really, really better take heed here. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. This has a noble pedigree.

Genesis 4.4. Yahweh had regard for Abel and his offering. Right? Abel and his offering.

Acts 20.28. A passage we should get before us. You can turn there. Acts 20.28.

The first pastor's conference. Acts chapter 20. The apostle Paul, verse 17, from Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them, and now he addresses them.

Look at his charge to them in verse 20. Well, we'll pick up at verse 25. And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.

For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. The backdrop is the watchman prophecy in the prophet Ezekiel. God tells Ezekiel, there is impending judgment coming. There is impending doom coming to Judah.

And if you warn them, I will not require their blood at your hands. But if you don't warn them, I will require their blood from your hands. You haven't done your job. You haven't been a watchman.

You haven't cried aloud, spared not, lifted up your voice like a trumpet, and told Jerusalem her sins. You've been derelict in your duty, and I will require it from you." That's what Paul has in his head. That's what Paul has in his heart. Now notice, he says, therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock.

You see the emphasis there? Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock. Ezra 7.10, Ezra set his heart to study the law of the Lord, to do it and then to teach those statutes in Israel. There's a conspicuous pattern.

You read the Word of God for your own soul. You read the Word of God for your own edification. You learn the doctrine of God such that you are strengthened. But then, having been girded up with that information, you pass it on to others.

You preach it to them. So therefore, take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood. And back to our text in 1 Timothy 4, verse 6, if you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. Verse 11, these things command and teach.

And then again, verse 13, till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. John Calvin made the observation in his day. At the present day, there are many who are well nigh sickened by the very name of preaching, because there are so many stupid, ignorant men who blurt out their worthless brainwaves from the pulpit." Imagine if Calvin were to drop in to our generation of Zoom Christianity. That was a genuine expression of blurting out your useless brainwaves through the medium of the internet.

This is the reality. We have a context wherein we need faithful men, wherein we need consistent men, wherein we need churches that are about the Word of God and doctrine. So notice, he then gives him this emphasis on perseverance. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.

And then he says, continue in them. The things specified here are non-negotiable. They're not up for debate. Timothy had no right or wherewithal to say, you know, Paul, I think you're going a bit overboard.

I think I'll do quite well on my own. No, continue in them, persevere, be faithful. Again, it's not just starting well, it's finishing well. And as I've surveyed the scene, that's a tough one.

That is a tough one with reference to gospel ministry. I'm sure there's statistics and data. I bet Pastor Mike actually has the statistics and data, how many men actually make it to the end in terms of gospel ministry. I think I've read somewhere that suicide is highest in the profession of dentistry.

I don't know if that's true, but there is objective data out there that suggests such things. With reference to gospel ministry, I'm not convinced, and certainly in my observation over the last few years, not everybody who starts off finishes in that particular field. Paul says, continue in them, persevere, be faithful, be tireless, be relentless, do what God has called you to do. Again, not just initially, but in the middle and to the very end.

The old timers in our church, old timers, persons that have been here for a while will remember the middle mile. The middle mile is the most difficult in a race. Everybody's at the starting line. Everybody wants to see their champ start and run that race that is laid before them.

And then everybody comes to the finish line. You want to see your guy come across. You want to see your guy victorious. Nobody cares about the middle.

You don't go to the middle mile. Well, that's where the race is fought and won. That's where the perseverance is most exhibited. That's where it is most demonstrable what that runner has in terms of grit and mettle and ability to persevere.

It is the middle mile that at most of the times is most challenging for men. So I want to encourage you, my brother, continue in them. And then notice, for in doing, this is the rationale, this is the reason stated, and it underscores the gravity involved. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

Now, I'm pretty convinced that everybody in here, at least to some degree or other, is connected in some form or other to a Reformed confession. And at times when we hear things like men saving other men, it kind of causes us to say, well no, God saves. Jonah 2.9, salvation is of the Lord. We saw that passage this morning in Revelation 7.

That great multitude from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, they don't pat themselves on the back when they stand before God on that blessed day. They say salvation belongs to our God and to the Lamb who sits upon the throne. In other words, they give praise and glory to God for the reality that it's God who saves. As Paul says in Romans 9, it does not depend upon him who wills or upon him who runs, but upon God who shows mercy.

But now look at our text, 1 Timothy chapter 4. He says, take heed to yourself and to the doctrine, continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. The Lord God Almighty saves, but He does so through means. I mentioned one of them this morning, one of the passages in 1 Corinthians 1.21.

Romans 10.17, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Ephesians 1, 13, links our salvation to having by grace believed the gospel, the word of truth. James 1, 18, again, of his own will. 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 22 and 23, we're born again, not because we're great guys and girls, but because of the instrumentality of God's holy word under the power of the Spirit. But with reference to this emphasis, in doing this, you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

He does not mean that Pastor Mike or Pastor Ryan have the ability to actually save people. But by continuing in that, by being faithful, you will demonstrate and exemplify that you have been justified by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and you'll be a means of blessing and benefit for the people that sit under your ministry. You don't have the power to change their heart. You can't make them receive the Word of God.

You don't grant the graces of faith and repentance, but you bring the truth that the Holy Spirit utilizes to do that very work. So if a man stands in a pulpit and all he's about is entertaining people, or all he's about is telling stupid stories, or all he's about is talking about himself, that isn't going to save those who hear him. They need to hear the word of God. They need to hear the truth of the gospel.

They need Romans 4.25. He was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised for our justification. That's the emphasis, it's the instrumentality of the man of God that the Lord uses in terms of saving sinners. The Geneva Bible says, faith is by hearing and hearing by preaching.

And therefore the ministers of the word are so said to save themselves and others, for that in them the Lord hath put the word of reconciliation. So they bring that word that sinners desperately need, the Spirit works in through by that word, and causes sinners to be born again, to believe the gospel, to close with our blessed Savior, and pass from death unto life. It is a high and a noble calling. And a lot of professions out there aren't described, and I don't like profession necessarily applied to the pastoral ministry, but it is what it is.

Notice what we have in our passage. Continue in that. Continue in them. Pastoring, and this isn't a woe me moment, but pastoring's not really like everything else.

I mean, there's a lot of similarities. You get up, you go to work, you do your thing. But typically, if a man is really a pastor, he never stops thinking about the people. He's always got them on his heart or in his head, and it's okay that they don't.

If you're not thinking about me on a Thursday afternoon, that's fine. Great, great, great. Don't think about me on a Thursday afternoon. But for the most part, continue in them, be absorbed in them, be in them.

That is a high and noble calling. It takes great grace. It takes gift. It takes what God has given to men that are recognized by the church, who are qualified according to the word, who've been gifted by God for the grand task of calling sinners to repentance and faith.

Application to Minister and Congregation

Well, in conclusion, I want to first of all just sort of summarize everything we find in this chapter with reference to a faithful minister. I would say first of all, Ryan, you must instruct the church in the truth of God. Verse 6, if you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ. Do you know that fame and popularity and numbers doesn't make a faithful minister?

Faithfulness makes a faithful minister. First Corinthians chapter four, I remember when I was sent out by the church in Southern California, Pastor Barcelos took that text. First Corinthians 4.2, moreover stewards, or moreover brethren, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. Not famous, not the best.

I got a piece of practical advice. You're probably not as good a preacher as some people will tell you, but you're not as bad a preacher as others will tell you. You're typically right in the middle. Sometimes people say, I have the best preaching I've ever heard.

Don't listen to that. OK, thank you. And if somebody else comes along and says, that's the worst thing, try not to listen to that either. You probably will listen to that, and it'll cause your Monday to be really bad. but instructing the brethren in sound doctrine.

That's the job. That's the call. That's the emphasis. Preach the word.

Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort. As well, you must reject heresy. Notice 7a.

But reject profane and old wise fables. Don't give any countenance to bad doctrine, bad theology. Don't waste your time. I mean, know enough so that you can refute it, but typically the truth itself is enough to refute it.

If you work in a bank and you're able to spot, you know, the real, the genuine, then it's easier to spot the counterfeit. So reject heresy. Third, you must exercise yourself toward godliness. Notice in 7b, exercise yourself toward godliness.

In other words, it's not gonna just happen. You don't just go to bed and wake up one morning and wow, I'm godly all of a sudden. You need to discipline yourself. NASB I think renders it well.

Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. Notice next, you must command and teach, according to verse 11, not suggest and confuse. These things command and teach. Again, we live in an age where people don't like this.

I mean, praise God for Reformed churches where people actually do like it, but notice most Reformed churches aren't huge. They're not massive. This would be considered a megachurch tonight in our Reformed Baptist movement, right? I mean, you break a hundred, wow, you've really got something going on there.

That's just the way it is. Why is that? Yeah, it's God's blessing, it's God's sovereignty, it's God's providence, all that to be sure. But we live in a day and age where people don't want to be told what to do, especially by a young pastor, a guy who, you know, thinks he knows it all.

This is the emphasis of the apostle. You're supposed to command and teach, you're not supposed to suggest and confuse. We rip the guts right out of the Bible. when we present it as sort of optional. When the chatty pastor comes out with his hand in his pocket and a latte in his other hand, you know, he just kind of gives you some platitudes and some recommendations and a few virtues and tips on how to be a better you.

That's not what the church needs. The time will come when they will not endorse sound doctrine. So what do they need? More sound doctrine.

When the child won't endure broccoli, you don't say, okay, have cake. You give him broccoli. Hopefully in not too invasive of a way. As well, you must be an example to the flock.

Again, verse 12, you must engage in the public ministry commanded by God. Church worship, New Covenant worship, is very simple. It is very simple. Terry Johnson, I think, has described it well.

In worship, we pray the Bible, we read the Bible, we preach the Bible, we sing the Bible, and we see the Bible in the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper. It is Word-centered. Give attention to reading the Word. Give attention to exhorting people from that Word.

Give attention to doctrine, teaching people what that Word means. As well, you must engage, or rather you must remember, that you have been gifted by God and vetted by the church." You're always going to have doubts. There's always going to be this sort of, man, you know, this sense that you're out of place, right? I mean, I think about that first week in July.

It's going to be odd for you. It's going to be odd for you to be set apart as a man that is committed to preaching the Word of God. And having to do it a couple of times, a week. And typically in our Reformed worship, we're not doing, you know, sermonettes for Christianettes.

We're not doing 15-minute little pep talks. You're going to preach the Word. That's going to be demanding, and you need to make sure that you understand that going into it. As well, you must be devoted to the truth of God and make progress in personal piety and public usefulness.

That's the end game. You bring glory to God and you do so through the sanctification, edification, growth of God's people, and the calling of sinners to repentance and faith. You must embrace the gravity of this position and conduct yourself accordingly. Again, verse 16 underscores the gravity.

Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine, continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you." That's a grave situation. Or in Acts 20, 28, shepherd the church of God, which what? Which he purchased with his own blood. The church of God is like no other entity on the face of the earth, and you need to embrace the gravity of this position.

And then in terms of perseverance, persevere. It's one of the blessed things of having gotten to know not just Ryan, but Esther. I'm looking only at Ryan. Esther's going to have some fun, too, in the next few years in terms of adjustment and in terms of life and in that regard.

But faithful people, persevering people, don't stop. I wish I could make it more flowery and better, but don't stop. Just keep persevering. Keep being what you're supposed to be.

As well, there's a charge for the congregation. With reference to a faithful congregation, you must receive the Word of God with joy. This isn't drudgery, brethren. The Word of God is everything.

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. When you come to the Lord's house to hear from the Lord of the house, that is a joyful occasion. That is a blessed reality. That's a gift given by God Most High for the good of His people.

Do we receive it grudgingly? Do we receive it sleepily? Do we receive it as if it really doesn't matter? We ought to receive the Word of God with thankfulness, with gratitude, with joy.

As well, you must reject heresy with earnestness. See, one of the things that makes it difficult for pastors is when the people aren't keeping up. They're not paying attention. They're not listening to the Word.

They're not nourished in that sound doctrine. They're prone to wander and prone to leave the God they love. There are those guys that come along and speak those words that they're looking after, and they go after that. I'm not suggesting that our churches are the only true churches.

I would never do that. But brethren, with reference to the proclamation of the truth, if you've got a man set apart by God, recognized by the church, that's able to handle accurately the Word and doctrine, then receive it. Be nourished and reject heresy. Back in verse 7, reject profane and old wise fables.

That's for Timothy, but it doesn't mean that the people of God can go ahead and accept those things. No, you need to be on guard. You need to be watchful. Third, you must pursue those virtues commended by God.

He's not just a pastor that has to be an example or has to pursue this sort of virtuous life. It's all of God's people. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lust. 2 Corinthians 7.1, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Hebrews 12.14, holiness or pursue holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

Faithful congregations receive that word with joy, they do it with gratitude, they reject and shun heresy, but they are blessed as a result of that word and they begin, by grace, that conformity unto our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. I would suggest, fourthly, you must value and prize the public means of grace. I mean, think about it. The man is set apart, he's recognized, he's qualified, he can preach, and we have a church, but you don't come.

I've often thought if Spurgeon himself fell out of heaven and he ended up in a pulpit, it would only be so good if persons were there to hear it. It's the old adage, if a tree falls in the forest, does it make any noise? Nobody's around to hear it. With reference to the means of grace, there has been an emphasis on an individual maverick Christianity.

That's not the Bible's model. That's not the Bible's paradigm. The Bible is pro-church. Jesus said, I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

We have jettisoned the public means of grace for our private devotional times. I'm not suggesting you don't have private devotional times, but I am suggesting you don't have them to the exclusion of the public means of grace. In other words, when the church doors are open and the man is in the pulpit and he is proclaiming that word, be there. The Lord's table, we look at it as our service to God.

It's God the householder giving us a blessed feast to refresh our weary hearts in the pilgrim way. God Most High has done this for the well-being of His people. It doesn't do you any good to vacate or to absent yourself from the Church of Christ. It is a most blessed arrangement.

Now I realize on Sunday mornings, even ministers get this, there's a coldness, there's a sluggishness, but what do you do? Do you say, well I'm cold and sluggish, I'm going to go back to bed. No, you soldier on because you know that God blesses faithfulness, God blesses perseverance, and God blesses that word when it comes to people in the context of the public means of grace. Ryle makes this observation.

He says, preaching is an ordinance of which the value can never be overrated in the church of Christ. But it should never be forgotten that there must not only be good preaching, but good hearing. If a man preaches and he's able to handle that word and nobody's there to hear it, it's not going to benefit them. C.H.

Spurgeon on the parable of the sower in Mark chapter 4 has these four points. He says here. Here, H-E-A-R, hear with your ears. It is your wisdom to know what God says.

Two, hear well. God's teaching deserves the deepest attention. It will repay the best consideration. Three, hear often.

Waste no Sabbath nor any one of its services. Use weekday lectures and prayer meetings. Wow, if we said that today, you'd be called a legalist. How could you ever think that people should come to church?

It's terrible. That's the context we're in, brethren. Morning and evening worship, that's like becoming a unicorn. That's just not the norm today.

It's go in, get out, do your thing. Christian Sabbath, are you Judaizers? Are you nuts? Do you not have any concept of the Bible?

These kinds of things are what we face today, and you need to understand that. I'm sure Pastor Kirkpatrick has seen his share thus far. And then the last statement, he says, hear better. You will grow the holier thereby.

You will find heavenly joy by hearing with faith. And then finally, to the brethren in Vernon, to the brethren in Surrey, I wouldn't say this to the brethren in Chilliwack, not because of any other reason than it's embarrassing to kind of do that, but you must value and prize the minister of the public means of grace. That's scriptural. Turn to Hebrews chapter 13.

Hebrews chapter 13. And by the way, I love this church and the brethren, and I feel loved by this church and the brethren. Very much so. Very happily so.

I praise God and bless God for it being so. Notice in Hebrews 13, 7, remember those who rule over you. Now, this isn't civil government, and we know that because of what he goes on to say. Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.

Jump over to verse 17. Obey those who rule over you and be submissive. Again, not civil government. Notice, for they watch out for your souls.

Thankfully, we're not quite there yet where Justin Trudeau wants to govern our soul. Well, I think he does, but thankfully he's been kept from that thus far. But verse 17, obey those who rule over you and be submissive for they watch out for your souls as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable to you. 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 12, we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake.

Interesting modifier at the end, be at peace among yourselves. You mean the treatment of a minister might actually affect the congregation? If some are mistreating him, there might not be peace in the congregation? There's division at the level of how do we deal with our pastor?

Some hate him, some love him. That's not going to be for the good of the context in the church. So take seriously, as churchmen, these admonitions from our Holy Bible. And then finally, If anyone is here tonight and you don't know Jesus, we have, at least it's been a bee in my bonnet over the last couple of weeks, this whole idea of not just the what of the gospel, but the why.

I said it this morning, said it last week. The what is the life, death, resurrection of our Lord Jesus. The why is the great love of God. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. 2 Corinthians 5, God is in Christ reconciling the world to himself.

Luke 15, when that prodigal was a great way off, a long way off, what does the father do? Does he say, oh, don't even bother coming back here, you good-for-nothing wretch. No, the father runs from the porch, falls on the son, not with punches or rebuff, but he falls on the son to kiss him, to bring him back to the house, to put a ring on his finger, to put a robe on his back, to slay the fatted calf for a feast. Why?

Because God so loved the world. Now think about this. He not only loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, but he orchestrated a class of men who are dedicated to the propagation of that truth. The fact that there is eldership in the churches of Jesus Christ underscores God's willingness to save sinners.

If you are unsaved, come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Believe on Him and you will be saved. It is most blessed, it is most wondrous, it is most glorious. The moment a sinner believes on Him, we receive forgiveness of sins.

We sing a hymn in our hymn book and it says, my sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin not in part, but the whole is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord. We're forgiven the moment we believe, but not just that. We're forgiven.

The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. But we also receive the righteousness of Jesus. See, we need His death at the cross, we need His penal substitutionary atonement, we need that blood to cleanse us, but we need a righteousness. We need to be able to enter into the presence of God Most High.

And the way in which sinners do that is by justification by faith alone. So belief in Him brings forgiveness and brings the righteousness of Jesus Christ. God imputes it to us. It's not a moral transformation, it's a legal declaration.

This is why Luther could say, when I understood Romans 1, 16 and 17, it was as it were paradise opened up. I understood that the righteousness of God there wasn't the perfection or the attribute, but it was rather the righteousness that God demands and the righteousness that God supplies. It is in Jesus Christ, our Lord. If you are not a believer tonight, believe on him and you will be saved.

Well, let us pray.

Closing Prayer

Our God and our Father, we thank you so much for the Word of God. We thank you that you've not left us as orphans in the world. Jesus promised the sending of the Spirit, and we have that as well. We have that Word of God from Genesis to Revelation.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. We know its profitability in our own hearts and lives. We know its profitability in our churches. And again, Father, I pray for your hand of blessing to be upon Ryan and Esther and the children.

I pray for this transition to Vernon, that all would go well. There will certainly be challenges, there will certainly be obstacles and difficulties and hardships, but there's always grace, there's always the Holy Spirit, there's always that gospel of Jesus Christ that encourages the weary saint. So bless our dear brother, cause him to faithfully minister the word of truth. Thank you again for Pastor Mike and his faithful ministry over these last several years in Surrey.

We pray for the work in Dryden. We just commit those brethren to you and to the word of your grace and pray for the establishment of a faithful church there that will indeed proclaim the gospel of our blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And it's in his name that we pray, amen. Well, if I could ask Pastor Mike to come up and Ryan.

You could just turn that way, yeah, that's good. And then, Mike, you can just stand next to him there. All right.

Ordination Vows and Laying on of Hands

Do you commit to walk humbly with our God, to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord, endeavoring to have a conversation such as becometh the gospel, and also suitable to your place and capacity, vigorously to promote in others the practice of true religion and undefiled in the sight of God and our Father? Do you humbly recognize, not only as your qualifications for eldership, but as a perpetual guide and measure, the domestic, moral, and ecclesiastical qualities and virtues of 1 Timothy 3, 1 to 7, understanding the weight of James 3, 1, that teachers shall receive a stricter judgment? Do you receive the word of God and endeavor diligently to keep it, which says, therefore, take heed to yourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood? Do you commit yourself to contend earnestly for the faith, which was once for all delivered to the saints?

And do you receive the word of God, which says, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. Do you affirm that you have no itch to clog religion with new words, but that you do readily acquiesce in that form of sound words which have been in consent with the holy scriptures used by others before us, hereby declaring before God, angels, and men your hearty agreement with them in that wholesome Protestant doctrine, which with so clear evidence of scriptures they have asserted? And do you affirm your commitment to upholding the Second London Confession of Faith of 1677 as it is a faithful summary of biblical teaching on those things most surely believed among us? Yes.

Amen. I'm going to ask you to take a knee there. Will you pray? And then I'll pray.

Let's bow in prayer as we lay hands on our brother and set him apart for gospel ministry.

Ordination Prayer

Our gracious God, we are thankful for your plan of redemption that sees the salvation of sinners, and we're thankful for the means that you give for that salvation. Thank you for the gifts that you've provided to your church, and thank you, O God, we can add another gift this day. Thank you that you've done this in your providence and done this in your goodness and mercy. We pray, O God, that you would bless Brian and bless the church in Vernon.

We pray, O God, that he'd remember this day as well when he goes through Trying times as a pastor that you've affirmed him that you've confirmed him. The church has observed it and we're thankful Oh God, we can lay hands this day So we pray Oh God that your word would go forth and would not return void We pray that your sinners would be saved in Vernon and your saints would be strengthened by your word We pray that you give our brother faithfulness for that ministry. May he fulfill his ministry we pray that And thank you for all that you do, and may you be glorified in the name of Christ. Amen.

Amen. Our Father in heaven, we thank you that Christ is stationed at the right hand of the Father, and that he is building his church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. We know, Father, this is the reason, the basis, the foundation upon which we stand. It's not goodness in men, it's not ability in ministers, but it's the faithfulness and the power of our blessed Christ.

And God, what a privilege it is to be set apart to preach His gospel. I pray that Ryan would be thankful. I pray that he would be appreciative. I pray that he would have that joy of the Lord as he takes to the ministry of the word of God, that this would indeed flood his heart, that there would be love for Christ, love for men, faithfulness in handling the word of truth, faithfulness in defending that word of truth, contending earnestly for it in a godless age.

Just help him to be faithful. Help him not to capitulate. Help him to continue in these things, to meditate upon these things, to give himself entirely to these things, knowing the gravity of the situation. that the people that hear him, the people that listen, the people that receive the word of God, depend upon that word. And Lord, just bless the ministry there.

Bless the saints. It has been a bit of a long journey for them. And we have seen your faithfulness and preservation. We have seen addition to that group.

And God, we give you glory and praise. And as Carrie said, let us pray for great things. hope for great things and expect great things from our great God. Lord, just bless this brother, bless Esther as well and keep her, watch over her, grant grace to her to be faithful to her husband, bless each of the children. May they know the fear of the Lord, the joy of the Lord as their strength, and may this family serve as a great example of faithfulness, not perfection.

We know that's undoable on this side of glory. But God, may they be faithful, may they be persevering, and may you bless this man's ministry, may you strengthen the churches, may you continue to watch over the brethren in Surrey, and God be glorified in all of this. It is such a blessing to see that men, women, boys and girls from every tribe, tongue, people and nation will be assembled before the throne on that day. So God bless the word, cause it to run forth swiftly and to be glorified.

And we pray these things through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. Amen. Well, why don't we stand and sing the doxology, it's page 568, in praise to our great God. Oh, praise Him, all creatures here below, praise Him above ye heav'nly host.

Well, it's a privilege to be able to introduce to all of you Pastor Ryan Maljars. May God bless him, and may God bless the church, and may God continue to do great things among us. What a blessed day this has been, a blessed process. Great to see the brethren from Surrey, all the visitors here with us tonight.

Shout out to the Vernonites if you're tuning in. God is good. As a brother once said in my hearing, after a full day, he said, my heart is full. And I praise God for that.

So please embrace our brother, our pastor, And let me close in prayer. We'll give thanks for the food, and then we can go up and enjoy some food and fellowship. God, what a good day. What a blessed day.

What a wonderful thing to be in the house of God Almighty. Lord, thank you for redemption. Thank you for your sovereign grace. Thank you that you chose us in him before the foundation of the world.

It truly is amazing that in love you predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ our Lord. You've called us to yourself through faithful ministry. You've brought us into this local church. You've brought us to this place where we've seen a man We've seen that he's qualified, we've examined him, we've vetted him, and now it's a privilege to be able to send him out.

Go with him, strengthen him each and every day and cause him to be persevering. Lord, thank you for the food, thank you for this time for fellowship, thank you that we have church life to rejoice in. We pray now in the name and for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

You may be seated. We'll have a brief time of meditation and then go ahead and head upstairs.

Scripture References

• Genesis 4:4
• Deuteronomy 31
• Ezra 7:10
• Nehemiah 8
• Jonah 2:9
• Mark 4
• Luke 15
• John 13:35
• Acts 20:25-28
• Romans 1:16-17; 4:25; 9; 10:17
• 1 Corinthians 1:21; 4:2; 13
• 2 Corinthians 5; 7:1
• Galatians 1
• Ephesians 1:13
• Philippians 3
• 1 Thessalonians 5:12
• 1 Timothy 1:18; 3:1-7; 4:1; 4:6; 4:7; 4:11; 4:12-16; 5:1-3
• 2 Timothy 4:2; 4:6
• Titus 1; 2
• Hebrews 12:14; 13:7; 13:17
• James 1:18; 3:1
• 1 Peter 2:22-23; 5
• Revelation 7