WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.120 So let me just pray and then I'll speak. Lord 00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:09.259 God, by your Holy Spirit, open your word to our 00:00:09.259 --> 00:00:14.480 hearts. Form us in truth. Strengthen us by grace. 00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:18.320 And make us faithful servants of the gospel of 00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:25.539 our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Now, let me say 00:00:25.539 --> 00:00:29.140 to you that a faithful ministry today requires 00:00:29.140 --> 00:00:34.039 more than just good intentions or strong opinions 00:00:34.039 --> 00:00:39.520 or even managerial skills. It requires ministers 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:43.299 who know the Scriptures, love the Gospel, and 00:00:43.299 --> 00:00:46.439 can handle the Word of God truthfully, humbly, 00:00:46.439 --> 00:00:50.859 and courageously. We serve in a time of deep 00:00:50.859 --> 00:00:55.070 confusion. spiritual hunger, and lots of cultural 00:00:55.070 --> 00:00:59.689 pressure around us. The Church, not just the 00:00:59.689 --> 00:01:02.070 Church of England, but the Church of Jesus Christ, 00:01:02.409 --> 00:01:06.870 needs ministers who will not simply echo the 00:01:06.870 --> 00:01:11.090 edge, but will preach Christ faithfully, teach 00:01:11.090 --> 00:01:15.150 the faith that we have received, and pastor people 00:01:15.150 --> 00:01:18.549 with biblical conviction and pastoral tenderness. 00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:24.540 And to study, to live and teach the word of truth 00:01:24.540 --> 00:01:26.920 is not just a narrow calling like you would hear 00:01:26.920 --> 00:01:32.480 some people say to you or to us. It is the lifeblood 00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:37.560 of gospel ministry. Feeding the people of God, 00:01:37.780 --> 00:01:42.540 guarding the gospel, making disciples and bearing 00:01:42.540 --> 00:01:46.459 witnesses to Jesus Christ is what God has called 00:01:46.459 --> 00:01:49.459 you and I to do and that's why you're spending 00:01:50.079 --> 00:01:55.159 all this time here in this college. And so, to 00:01:55.159 --> 00:01:58.760 begin with, I just want to thank all of you who 00:01:58.760 --> 00:02:00.859 have decided to offer yourselves to ministry, 00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:04.579 gospel ministry, in whatever choice that God 00:02:04.579 --> 00:02:08.039 has called you to in this season of confusion 00:02:08.039 --> 00:02:12.400 and of challenge to the gospel. I thank you for 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:14.400 being bold enough and for being brave enough 00:02:14.400 --> 00:02:19.150 to offer yourselves to ministry. But I also want 00:02:19.150 --> 00:02:22.250 to thank your teachers and your tutors for all 00:02:22.250 --> 00:02:23.930 they're doing. And not just the teachers and 00:02:23.930 --> 00:02:28.250 tutors, but all those who work to ensure that 00:02:28.250 --> 00:02:31.849 you are properly formed for the gospel ministry 00:02:31.849 --> 00:02:34.629 that God has called you to or is preparing you 00:02:34.629 --> 00:02:41.409 to go and be part of. It's amazing because as 00:02:41.409 --> 00:02:45.250 a bishop, I always worry about drawing people 00:02:45.250 --> 00:02:48.919 into the Church of England. to train for ministry. 00:02:49.960 --> 00:02:52.599 And last year in Wolverhampton, we didn't have 00:02:52.599 --> 00:02:55.240 anybody to ordain because nobody came forward 00:02:55.240 --> 00:02:59.439 for ordination three years before then. And so 00:02:59.439 --> 00:03:01.099 it's always wonderful to come to a theological 00:03:01.099 --> 00:03:05.659 college such as this and to see men and women 00:03:05.659 --> 00:03:12.680 who can still say to God, here I am, Lord, send 00:03:12.680 --> 00:03:16.990 me. I just want to say it's not something to 00:03:16.990 --> 00:03:20.930 be taken for granted. We know that many are struggling 00:03:20.930 --> 00:03:24.629 today and asking themselves whether this is the 00:03:24.629 --> 00:03:27.189 church they want to continue serving at Jesus 00:03:27.189 --> 00:03:33.150 Christ in. We had two very beautiful readings 00:03:33.150 --> 00:03:37.110 this morning. We had Ezra chapter 7, verse 6 00:03:37.110 --> 00:03:39.810 to 10, and we had 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 00:03:39.810 --> 00:03:46.639 1 to 15. Ezra gives us a picture of the faithful 00:03:46.639 --> 00:03:50.699 teacher. He sets his heart on studying the law 00:03:50.699 --> 00:03:57.860 of the Lord, doing it and teaching it. Paul gives 00:03:57.860 --> 00:04:03.800 Timothy a charge for gospel ministry, to be strengthened 00:04:03.800 --> 00:04:09.439 by grace, to endure hardship, to entrust the 00:04:09.439 --> 00:04:12.740 gospel to faithful people and handle the word. 00:04:13.210 --> 00:04:19.370 of truth, rightly. And together, these two Bible 00:04:19.370 --> 00:04:21.889 readings reveal the heart of our ministry, our 00:04:21.889 --> 00:04:26.230 gospel ministry. It's not about self -display. 00:04:27.129 --> 00:04:30.930 It's not about novelty. It's not about career 00:04:30.930 --> 00:04:34.949 advancement, but faithful service under the authority 00:04:34.949 --> 00:04:39.670 of God's Word. In our days, we used to be told 00:04:39.670 --> 00:04:43.180 that it was more important to work on the way 00:04:43.180 --> 00:04:46.519 you deliver the message rather than whether your 00:04:46.519 --> 00:04:50.860 message was as faithful to what God was saying. 00:04:51.600 --> 00:04:54.120 So we worked hard on presentation. You probably 00:04:54.120 --> 00:04:57.139 need to work hard on presentation. But if you 00:04:57.139 --> 00:05:00.639 think that your job is to ensure you're presenting 00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:04.259 the gospel in the most attractive way in sort 00:05:04.259 --> 00:05:08.399 of a human point of view, If you think that the 00:05:08.399 --> 00:05:10.800 way you're going to advance in your career in 00:05:10.800 --> 00:05:16.680 the church is by how amazing you are as a preacher, 00:05:16.839 --> 00:05:20.399 rather than how faithful you are to the Word 00:05:20.399 --> 00:05:25.379 of God, then I think you're sliding down the 00:05:25.379 --> 00:05:29.860 drain very quickly. We meet people in the Church 00:05:29.860 --> 00:05:32.860 of England who are working really hard to become 00:05:32.860 --> 00:05:36.759 bishops. If I had my way, I would abolish the 00:05:36.759 --> 00:05:40.120 role of bishops. But then I think if you abolish 00:05:40.120 --> 00:05:43.019 bishops, you wouldn't have confirmation, because 00:05:43.019 --> 00:05:45.439 bishops have to do confirmation. That's why we 00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:48.579 keep the bishops. But we have people working 00:05:48.579 --> 00:05:50.639 really hard, thinking when are they going to 00:05:50.639 --> 00:05:53.740 become bishops. And so they get lost. Instead 00:05:53.740 --> 00:05:57.379 of focusing on God's Word and remaining faithful, 00:05:57.620 --> 00:06:01.259 they begin to be seduced by all these different 00:06:01.259 --> 00:06:06.350 things around us. So my goal this morning is 00:06:06.350 --> 00:06:11.089 simple. I want to encourage all of you, all of 00:06:11.089 --> 00:06:17.110 us here, to study, live, and teach the word of 00:06:17.110 --> 00:06:22.769 truth. To study, live, and teach the word of 00:06:22.769 --> 00:06:30.069 truth, and to do so very faithfully. And so just 00:06:30.069 --> 00:06:35.389 looking at our two readings this morning, It 00:06:35.389 --> 00:06:37.370 seems to me that there are three lessons that 00:06:37.370 --> 00:06:40.050 we can embrace from this two Bible readings. 00:06:41.689 --> 00:06:46.930 Firstly, set your heart to study God's Word. 00:06:47.089 --> 00:06:50.610 It's very simple, doesn't it? Set your heart 00:06:50.610 --> 00:06:56.750 to study God's Word. And secondly, let the Word 00:06:56.750 --> 00:07:01.589 shape your life before your teaching. Let the 00:07:01.589 --> 00:07:06.819 Word shape your life. before your teaching. And 00:07:06.819 --> 00:07:11.759 third, rightly handle the Word and entrust it 00:07:11.759 --> 00:07:16.800 to others. Rightly handle the Word and entrust 00:07:16.800 --> 00:07:23.319 it to others. So firstly, set your heart to study 00:07:23.319 --> 00:07:29.800 God's Word. In these readings here we see that 00:07:29.800 --> 00:07:33.860 Ezra is introduced not initially by his personality 00:07:33.860 --> 00:07:40.160 charisma or public platform but by his relationship 00:07:40.160 --> 00:07:47.399 to the word of God his ministry begins with a 00:07:47.399 --> 00:07:53.660 settled inward resolve listen again to Ezra chapter 00:07:53.660 --> 00:08:01.060 7 verse 10 it says this For Ezra had devoted 00:08:01.060 --> 00:08:06.240 himself to the study and observance of the law 00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:10.180 of the Lord, and of course to the teaching of 00:08:10.180 --> 00:08:14.920 his decrees and laws in Israel. That's verse 00:08:14.920 --> 00:08:20.680 10. So we see that Ezra is well -versed in the 00:08:20.680 --> 00:08:24.579 law of Moses. This did not happen accidentally. 00:08:26.250 --> 00:08:28.889 Because faithful teaching grows out of disciplined 00:08:28.889 --> 00:08:34.009 attention, repeated reading, prayerful reflection, 00:08:34.129 --> 00:08:39.370 and humble submission to Scripture. And the key 00:08:39.370 --> 00:08:47.269 phrase is that Ezra had devoted himself. Or in 00:08:47.269 --> 00:08:53.230 older language, set his heart. And this is more 00:08:53.230 --> 00:08:59.679 than academic study. It is love, hunger, reverence, 00:08:59.700 --> 00:09:02.419 and surrender before the word of the living Lord. 00:09:05.039 --> 00:09:07.919 Notice that the law is not treated as a human 00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:12.620 tradition to be managed, but as a word which 00:09:12.620 --> 00:09:18.360 the Lord, the God of Israel, had given. And so 00:09:18.360 --> 00:09:22.919 evangelical ministry begins here. God has spoken. 00:09:23.690 --> 00:09:27.590 And his word is trustworthy, sufficient, and 00:09:27.590 --> 00:09:32.169 life -giving. And so I want to say to you this 00:09:32.169 --> 00:09:36.889 morning that all the studies you do here are 00:09:36.889 --> 00:09:39.330 very important and all really matter for you. 00:09:40.190 --> 00:09:43.429 Whether it's Hebrew, Greek, I was very good at 00:09:43.429 --> 00:09:47.549 Greek or Hebrew. I had to have a private tutor, 00:09:47.789 --> 00:09:51.149 the principal's wife. took me into the principal 00:09:51.149 --> 00:09:53.629 house, and every time people came for Greek class, 00:09:53.710 --> 00:09:57.570 I went for my own private lessons. And I still 00:09:57.570 --> 00:09:59.929 just managed to scrape through. Didn't really 00:09:59.929 --> 00:10:02.549 get a distinction in Greek. But all these things 00:10:02.549 --> 00:10:06.730 matter. Hebrew, Greek doctrine, church history, 00:10:06.909 --> 00:10:09.769 ethics, preaching, and pastoral theology. All 00:10:09.769 --> 00:10:14.509 these are not just hoops to jump through. They're 00:10:14.509 --> 00:10:17.269 part of learning to hear God's word carefully. 00:10:18.320 --> 00:10:20.980 so that you may be able to feed God's people 00:10:20.980 --> 00:10:27.720 faithfully. Imagine a medical doctor. A medical 00:10:27.720 --> 00:10:31.259 doctor does not begin with public confidence, 00:10:31.320 --> 00:10:36.460 but with long study. It takes about six or seven 00:10:36.460 --> 00:10:40.259 years to qualify as a doctor. They have to study 00:10:40.259 --> 00:10:42.940 anatomy, diagnosis. They've got to study medicine. 00:10:43.840 --> 00:10:48.289 They've got to study patient care. All this must 00:10:48.289 --> 00:10:53.409 be learned carefully because lives are at stake. 00:10:55.809 --> 00:11:01.370 A careless doctor will harm bodies just the same 00:11:01.370 --> 00:11:04.809 way that a careless preacher will harm consciousness, 00:11:05.190 --> 00:11:10.950 faith, and eternal hope. And so the first lesson 00:11:10.950 --> 00:11:13.809 is this. Set your heart to study God's Word. 00:11:15.110 --> 00:11:18.809 Do not merely Seek to complete assignments, yes, 00:11:18.850 --> 00:11:21.590 you must complete them, and you must do them 00:11:21.590 --> 00:11:25.870 well, but become a lifelong learner of Scripture, 00:11:26.190 --> 00:11:30.889 a servant under the Word, a minister who listens 00:11:30.889 --> 00:11:37.309 before speaking. And yet Ezra does not just stop 00:11:37.309 --> 00:11:42.309 at studying. The Word studied must become the 00:11:42.309 --> 00:11:47.309 Word obeyed. Which brings us to our second lesson. 00:11:48.889 --> 00:11:53.490 Let the Word shape your life before your teaching. 00:11:55.470 --> 00:11:58.549 We see that Ezra's pattern is deeply important 00:11:58.549 --> 00:12:05.909 here. He studies, he does, and he teaches. And 00:12:05.909 --> 00:12:10.389 that order is very important. Study, do, and 00:12:10.389 --> 00:12:14.500 teach. And Paul says something similar to Timothy 00:12:14.500 --> 00:12:18.100 as well. The minister must be strengthened by 00:12:18.100 --> 00:12:22.379 grace and leave as a faithful servant before 00:12:22.379 --> 00:12:28.279 teaching others. Listen again to 2 Timothy 2, 00:12:28.740 --> 00:12:33.679 verses 1 and 2. He says, You then, my son, be 00:12:33.679 --> 00:12:36.460 strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 00:12:38.029 --> 00:12:41.049 And the things you have heard me say in the presence 00:12:41.049 --> 00:12:45.730 of many witnesses entrust reliable people who 00:12:45.730 --> 00:12:51.370 will also be qualified to teach others. And so 00:12:51.370 --> 00:12:55.409 Paul begins with grace. Be strong in the grace 00:12:55.409 --> 00:12:59.950 that is in Christ Jesus. Ministry is demanding, 00:13:00.110 --> 00:13:06.500 but it is not sustained by self -reliance. The 00:13:06.500 --> 00:13:11.000 minister's strength, your strength, and my strength 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:17.080 is not in our egos or cleverness, but it is in 00:13:17.080 --> 00:13:21.320 the grace that comes from drawing closer to Jesus 00:13:21.320 --> 00:13:25.639 Christ. Paul then presents three pictures for 00:13:25.639 --> 00:13:30.019 us in this passage. The picture of a soldier, 00:13:30.220 --> 00:13:36.360 picture of an athlete, and a farmer. The soldier 00:13:36.360 --> 00:13:41.620 is focused, the athlete is disciplined, and the 00:13:41.620 --> 00:13:45.360 farmer is patient. And together they describe 00:13:45.360 --> 00:13:51.360 the shape of a life formed by the gospel. This 00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:54.460 is where Ezra Spartan becomes searching. He studied 00:13:54.460 --> 00:13:59.279 the law and observed it. The preacher never becomes 00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:02.679 a signpost. The preacher must never become a 00:14:02.679 --> 00:14:06.620 signpost pointing others to a road. that they 00:14:06.620 --> 00:14:11.740 refuse to walk themselves. And so I say to all 00:14:11.740 --> 00:14:16.059 of us who are here, your future congregations 00:14:16.059 --> 00:14:20.440 or your present congregations will need more 00:14:20.440 --> 00:14:24.299 than your sermons. They will need your life. 00:14:24.799 --> 00:14:27.600 They will need your prayerfulness, integrity, 00:14:28.120 --> 00:14:35.000 repentance, courage, kindness, holiness, endurance, 00:14:35.950 --> 00:14:39.669 and most important of all your love for christ 00:14:39.669 --> 00:14:46.049 imagine an impressive bridge and london has many 00:14:46.049 --> 00:14:50.090 bridges chelsea westminster hammersmith or london 00:14:50.090 --> 00:14:54.230 bridge a bridge must support the weight placed 00:14:54.230 --> 00:14:58.149 upon it it is not enough for it to look impressive 00:14:58.149 --> 00:15:03.090 it must have strength beneath the surface in 00:15:03.090 --> 00:15:06.789 the same way Public ministry rests on hidden 00:15:06.789 --> 00:15:12.409 formation, on prayer, on repentance, on obedience, 00:15:12.509 --> 00:15:17.889 discipline, and grace. And so the second lesson 00:15:17.889 --> 00:15:22.389 is this. Let the Word shape your life before 00:15:22.389 --> 00:15:26.809 your teaching. The Church does not need flawless 00:15:26.809 --> 00:15:33.159 ministers, but it needs honest, repentant, and 00:15:33.159 --> 00:15:36.940 obedient ministers whose lives are being conformed 00:15:36.940 --> 00:15:41.100 to Christ. And when the Word has been studied 00:15:41.100 --> 00:15:46.120 and lived, it must be taught clearly, faithfully 00:15:46.120 --> 00:15:50.519 and courageously. Which brings us to our third 00:15:50.519 --> 00:15:57.480 lesson. Rightly handle the Word and entrust it 00:15:57.480 --> 00:16:02.919 to others. Paul knows that Timothy's ministry 00:16:02.919 --> 00:16:06.779 will be tested by suffering, false teaching and 00:16:06.779 --> 00:16:11.179 destruction. Therefore, he calls Timothy to careful, 00:16:11.440 --> 00:16:15.460 approved and faithful handling of the word of 00:16:15.460 --> 00:16:21.379 truth. Listen again to just a few verses from 00:16:21.379 --> 00:16:28.639 2 Timothy 2. Verse 8 says, Remember Jesus Christ. 00:16:30.059 --> 00:16:34.759 raised from the dead. And then verse 9b says, 00:16:35.100 --> 00:16:40.100 but God's word is not shamed. And then verse 00:16:40.100 --> 00:16:45.840 15, do your best to present yourself to God as 00:16:45.840 --> 00:16:49.299 one approved, a worker who does not need to be 00:16:49.299 --> 00:16:53.220 ashamed, who correctly handles the word of truth. 00:16:55.000 --> 00:17:00.370 Paul says, remember Jesus Christ. The center 00:17:00.370 --> 00:17:04.089 of faithful ministry is not technique or ideology 00:17:04.089 --> 00:17:09.809 or institutional survival. The center is Christ, 00:17:09.950 --> 00:17:14.890 crucified, risen, David's son, God's Messiah, 00:17:15.269 --> 00:17:21.990 the only Savior. Paul is chained, but God's word 00:17:21.990 --> 00:17:25.569 is not chained. And this is a wonderful encouragement 00:17:25.569 --> 00:17:29.759 to all of us. Because human circumstances may 00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:33.859 restrict us, institutions may disappoint us, 00:17:34.500 --> 00:17:39.220 culture may resist us, yet the word of God remains 00:17:39.220 --> 00:17:45.460 living and powerful. Timothy must correctly handle 00:17:45.460 --> 00:17:49.559 the word of truth. That means careful interpretation, 00:17:50.279 --> 00:17:56.420 honest preaching, gospel clarity and courage. 00:17:58.319 --> 00:18:00.900 We do not twist Scripture to suit ourselves. 00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:06.859 We submit to Scripture so that it may rightly 00:18:06.859 --> 00:18:12.559 shape the church. And Paul also says, entrust 00:18:12.559 --> 00:18:16.819 to reliable people. And so we see that ministry 00:18:16.819 --> 00:18:21.079 is not something we possess, but it is something 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:25.279 that we steward. The gospel we receive must be 00:18:25.279 --> 00:18:28.970 passed on to others. future preachers, lay readers, 00:18:29.250 --> 00:18:33.930 children, young people, families, parishes, and 00:18:33.930 --> 00:18:39.490 communities. Imagine a steward in Buckingham 00:18:39.490 --> 00:18:44.589 Palace. A steward in a great house does not own 00:18:44.589 --> 00:18:49.549 the treasure in that house. They guard it, they 00:18:49.549 --> 00:18:53.269 use it faithfully, and they pass it on according 00:18:53.269 --> 00:18:57.509 to the master's will. It's the same with us with 00:18:57.509 --> 00:19:02.890 the gospel. We do not invent it. We receive it. 00:19:03.369 --> 00:19:08.269 We guard it. We proclaim it. And we entrust it 00:19:08.269 --> 00:19:13.410 to others. And so very simply, the third lesson 00:19:13.410 --> 00:19:18.769 is this. Rightly handle the word and entrust 00:19:18.769 --> 00:19:22.690 it to others. The minister is a worker before 00:19:22.690 --> 00:19:28.450 God. Not a performer before an audience. Our 00:19:28.450 --> 00:19:34.569 task is to make Christ known faithfully. So how 00:19:34.569 --> 00:19:38.769 are we to aspire to faithfully study, live and 00:19:38.769 --> 00:19:43.009 teach the word of truth? I say this to all of 00:19:43.009 --> 00:19:49.650 us. Make scripture your daily home. Read it devotionally. 00:19:50.309 --> 00:19:54.650 Study it carefully. Preach it faithfully and 00:19:54.650 --> 00:19:58.750 let it examine you before you explain it to others. 00:20:00.829 --> 00:20:03.670 To those of us who are involved in tutoring, 00:20:03.930 --> 00:20:08.190 in teaching, in lecturing, continue forming ministers 00:20:08.190 --> 00:20:12.410 who are orthodox in doctrine, evangelical in 00:20:12.410 --> 00:20:15.950 conviction, pastoral in heart, and courageous 00:20:15.950 --> 00:20:20.960 in mission. And for our church, the wider church, 00:20:21.160 --> 00:20:23.640 let us pray for those who are considering ministry. 00:20:25.119 --> 00:20:29.220 Encourage and support them and ask God to raise 00:20:29.220 --> 00:20:32.579 faithful laborers who will rightly handle the 00:20:32.579 --> 00:20:37.420 word of truth. And may the Lord grant us a heart 00:20:37.420 --> 00:20:42.500 to study the word, to study his word, a life 00:20:42.500 --> 00:20:46.579 shaped by his word, and a ministry faithful to 00:20:46.579 --> 00:21:00.380 his word. Let us pray. Faithful God, thank you 00:21:00.380 --> 00:21:03.480 for calling your servants to minister in your 00:21:03.480 --> 00:21:08.480 church. Strengthen all who are preparing for 00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:15.079 ministry. Give them Ezra's devotion, Timothy's 00:21:15.079 --> 00:21:20.619 courage, Paul's gospel clarity, and above all, 00:21:20.759 --> 00:21:25.579 a deeper love for Jesus Christ. Make them faithful 00:21:25.579 --> 00:21:31.220 workers who need not be ashamed, rightly handling 00:21:31.220 --> 00:21:35.740 the word of truth. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.