I know that we all enjoy wonderful occasions, happy occasions in the family when there's a wedding or the birth of a first child like the Phelps have enjoyed this week or the birthdays that follow after that or the anniversaries year by year, silver and golden and so on as the years go by. Those are great occasions and we celebrate and we have cakes and good times and the families gather together. And in the family of God, there are great occasions, wonderful occasions that we celebrate. I know you stand in the congregation, sit in the congregation when someone comes and professes faith in Christ and born again, you rejoice, you shed tears. It's a great celebration. when someone comes in to the family of God. And those very tender times when someone returns to the Lord after a period of falling or wandering away, and they come broken over their sin, and the Spirit of God has convicted them and drawn them back to the Lord. And the occasion that we're here to consider today is an occasion like these occasions. It's an occasion, really, of great joy in what God has done in showing His favor and smiling on this fellowship as well as the life of a young man. I'm sure that when a man is appointed to the ministry by God, that it is a time when the Lord is affirming a fellowship of believers and the people of God by doing something very unusual in their midst. God does call an appointment to the ministry of the Word and shows his favor in those men's lives, just as certainly as God calls people to salvation. Just as certainly as God has called everyone in this room to service and ministry in the local assembly and in the world as a witness for Christ, so the Bible does teach that God calls men specifically to the ministry of leadership within the body of Christ through the ministry of the Word of God. And tonight, this afternoon actually, we're celebrating just such a remarkable work of God. I had come to my mind when I was thinking about this, the text in Psalm 92.5, which says, O Lord, how great are Thy works. and thy thoughts are very deep." It is a great work, a real spiritual experience, in many ways unique, certainly not the common experience of every Christian, for a man to have formed in his heart, his thoughts, an absolute assurance that his life is to be invested in leadership of the people of God through the ministry of the work of God. This has come in Andrew's life through the wonderful encouragement of his family, his mother, his father, his grandparents, as you've heard him mention just a moment ago in his testimony. It's come through the wonderful encouragement of a sweet, energetic, a spirit filled wife who is a believer in the Lord and in her husband and is called to the ministry. In fact, she gave us her own personal testimony at the ordination at our request, her heart about this. And she told us when she first met Andrew that pretty soon right up front, she asked him, what are you going to do with your life? And when he said he didn't know, he didn't think he was called to the pastorate. She said, well, that's the end of it for us. And later, as they came to Greenville, Christie actually filled out his application for seminary and sent in the application fee, and he didn't know she was doing it. They had talked about it before, but that's the initiative this girl has. I said, girl, I'm going to hire you to recruit students for the seminary. You get a hold of their wives and have them fill out the applications. That's good. He has a great gift from the Lord in her. in encouraging him this way and believing in what God has done in his life. And of course, through the ministry of the Word of God and the Spirit of God over the years, the Lord has appointed him to the work of the ministry of the Word and wants to show his favor in and through Andrew's life. This afternoon, for a few minutes, I'd like us to consider The words of Paul, really in what could be called his last words in his second epistle, as he touches on this idea of the call to the ministry and what that really means. You know, I think it's healthy for us. I think it's really important for us as the people of God to understand what this is. We need to always be praying for and encouraging young men in this direction. It's hard to do that if we don't really fully understand the experience and what God is doing in the life of a young man to direct him that way. Even in the lives of your own sons, as I'm speaking this afternoon, the harvest is white. The laborers are few. God is calling. Whether or not your sons, whether or not the young men in this assembly have ears to hear and understanding to perceive the voice of God calling them into the ministry of the Word and leadership among the people of God may depend significantly on our understanding of this and our ability to explain this and encourage them in this. So it's really quite interesting that Paul takes time to talk about this, addressing his own protege in the ministry, Timothy, really at the end of his, Paul's ministry life. that he comes along the way in his discussion of these four chapters, which really all together are just 80 verses, 83 verses. It's just shy of the length of Luke chapter one, actually the whole letter that he keeps coming back around to this idea of the ministry and the call to it. And I'd like you to see with me some very important questions. that Paul answers about the cult of the ministry that is certainly true of Andrew and may be true of any one of a number of young men, even middle-aged men or older men in this assembly this afternoon. The first question that I think Paul answers for us about the ministry is how does God appoint a man to the ministry of the Word. How does he do this? I'd like you to look in your New Testament now to 2 Timothy chapter 1. And I'm going to read three verses from that chapter. We'll be walking through a couple other places in the epistle to see the answers to these questions. But the first one is, how does God appoint a man to the ministry? Well, Paul, in describing the Gospel and the work of it, beginning in verse 9 says, "...who hath saved us," speaking of the Lord, "...and called us with a holy calling." not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace. This is verse 9, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearance of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Whereunto I am appointed a preacher and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. A most interesting statement. Now, for sure, this is one statement. And the Bible has a great deal to say about this. At one point in my life, my ministry, a number of years ago, I came under an intense curiosity about this. How does God do this? And that launched me on a three-year project in doctoral studies that culminated in a 317-page book to answer that question. Rest easy. We'll be out in a few minutes. I'm saying that for one reason. I hesitated to mention it, but I'm saying it because I want you to understand this is a big topic. There is a lot in the Bible about this in the Old and the New Testament. And it's fascinating that this is a window through which we can look into a vast treasure store of information about how God does appoint a man to the ministry. I want you to see from this verse, from this statement, particularly verse 11, that a man comes to a conviction that he has been appointed. I mean, Paul said this, didn't he? I have been appointed to the ministry. In 1 Timothy, he put it a slightly different way when he said, God has put me into the ministry. A conviction that there was an action of God that actually took him from where he was and made him a leader among the people of God through the ministry of the Word. It's a simple statement of fact, but it really has a profound idea behind it. I think you can see that. Now, you know, you remember that Paul had a remarkable crisis in his life. In Acts chapter 9, it's recorded as he was on the road to Damascus, heading to that city to persecute, see to the arrest of and the death of Christians. And a great light shone, and the Lord Jesus appeared to him and said, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Who art thou, Lord? I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And he went to the home of a disciple, Ananias, and was there in a blind state for several days. And then he got his sight, and God made clear to him what he was to do. You say, that is so unusual. That's so strange. Listen, Paul is an unusual case. It certainly is not every man or most men that have that kind of crisis experience. But men and women, you know what else Jesus said to Paul in that Damascus Road experience? He said, Paul, it's hard for thee. This is the King James Version language. It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. That's an analogy, the picture of someone taking a goad and sticking an oxen with it. It's a picture of conviction. Moving that oxen in the right direction. That's very complimentary of the Lord Jesus, wasn't it? Listen, you dumb ox. I've been trying to get you to come to this for a long time. How do you think Paul felt, men and women, when he saw the face of Stephen, whose death he oversaw, shining like the face of an angel, as he looked up into heaven and said, Lord, receive me into thy presence? Paul was in a personal crisis. This had been going on in his life. He knew there was something about these Christians that he wasn't thinking correctly about. that God somehow was involved in this and the Lord was moving him to the point of this great change and great conviction which he experienced. It was a process. You see, yes, he came to a conviction and there was a crisis, but there was a process that led up to that. And that's the way it is for men that are called, appointed by God to the ministry. There is a process that leads up to that time of conviction. I think often that process, biblically as it's described, begins with a sense of desire. Do you remember the statement of Philippians chapter 2, verses 12 and 13, where Paul said to the Philippian believers, as you have obeyed in my presence, now much more in my absence, work out Your salvation with fear and trembling don't work to be saved. But now let's get it applied to your life now that you've been converted is what he was saying. And here's the next verse. For it is God which worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleasure. You know, the term to will there means to wish. to desire, to want, and then to do is good pleasure. It is God who by His Spirit causes to rise up in the soul of a man a desire to think about, to know about, to head toward the ministry of the Word and leadership over the people of God. And that's why Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 3, 1, if any man desired the office of an overseer, in other words, a pastor, He desirous a good work. God does this. And that desire reaches a point of intensity. So the man really wants the ministry. Paul said God has appointed me in that statement, a preacher, an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles. God had appointed him as a preacher, a care is the term, a proclaimer. And you know, with Paul, it was a matter of really wanting to proclaim the truth of God. He wanted to. He was made to by God through appointment, and he had to do it, but he rejoiced to do it. So that desire was a desire to proclaim. And we see that from the term preacher here, and it says that he was appointed an apostle. Now, Dr. Hankins, there was only a small group of apostles, and those people lived in the first century. I'm aware of that, but remember, those apostles were prototype ministers of the Word. There are lessons to us from them, and do you know what the term apostle actually means? It means someone who is sent by God with authority. Now listen to a very interesting statement in Romans chapter 10 in that regard, reference to any man appointed under the ministry. Romans 10 to 14 says, How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? How shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things. God is the great sender. And a man called to the ministry has a growing conviction to the point of intensity that he is being sent by God, appointed to this role. I've always just marveled over the statement of Acts 20, 28. where Paul said to the Ephesian pastors one time. He said, take heed unto yourselves and to all the flock over the which God has made you overseers. To feed the church of God which hath purchased you with his own blood. Over the which God, and it says specifically the Holy Spirit, has made you an overseer. God. May Pastor Taylor, our pastor. That's what that verse says. And the other pastors on our staff. God made the senior pastor. At Highland Baptist Church, who's visiting with us this afternoon, the pastor of that church, God is sending Andrew. Not only into the ministry generally, but to that flock specifically. That is what the Bible teaches. And Paul said, I'm appointed a teacher. There's a desire to proclaim authoritatively. There's a desire to go and do the work of the ministry in the place of God's appointment. There's a desire to teach, to systematically instruct people in the revelation of God to help them in their understanding, to open their eyes, to move them to growth and to action as a result of the teaching. But you know, part of this process is not only this conviction about being a preacher and being sent and being a teacher. But it is a gradual recognition, in fact, that there is a giftedness granted from God to do this. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 11 and 12 says that a man is a pastor teacher is a gift from God to the body of Christ. And we learn from 1 Corinthians chapter 12 that the teaching of the word is a giftedness granted by the Holy Spirit of God. The pastor teacher is a gifted gift, you could say. He a gift to the body of Christ, he gifted by God to lead through the ministry of the word of God. And that is an understanding that a man comes to through his knowledge of the revelation of God and through experience and through the recognition of others that, in fact, he is an effective leader of the people of God through the teaching of the word. This was, of course, completely unplanned. Andrew came to the seminary and finished his master's work with us, had numbers of instructors, teachers there and enjoyed the conversations that I had with him. the opportunities of experience and, of course, he came here and gained more experience and more exposure to the pastoral staff who gave him input about his abilities and his giftedness. And then I happen to be able, over the last approximately six months, when I'm not away somewhere teaching or preaching, speaking, to sit in the Sunday school class, many Sundays where Andrew has been teaching. And every Sunday, I was saying to myself, amen, amen. It is true. This young man has the gifts of God. He is appointed. So encouraging, so evident, so apparent, I think everyone in that class would probably say an amen. Class members say amen. Amen. There we go. It's true. And what a joy. This is part of the process. You see, as God fosters that desire, brings that conviction, but then enters into this process of getting a man to really have intense desire, but then to understand his giftedness from God, that God has imparted to him, and then others recognize it and it comes to an occasion, culminates in a day like today. When men of God, Lay hands on this young man and say, yes, we acknowledge this. God has appointed this young man to the ministry. God appoints young men and he favors them for leadership ministry through the word. But that leads to another question I want us to answer today. And that is, how does God show his favor to a young man he appoints to the ministry. I direct your attention to the second chapter in Second Timothy, to a verse that I hope many of you could actually quote to me. It's one perhaps you've memorized, where the apostle says to Timothy, study to show thyself approved unto God. Verse 15, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. You see, what this text of Scripture is saying is that God wants to approve of men that he has appointed. He wants to give them special favor. But how is it or on what basis will God show Andrew and any other man that's appointed to the ministry his special favor in the work of leadership through the ministry of the word? Well, one of the ways God does this or the basis on which God does this is that that young man and that man in the ministry, whatever age he may be, is a diligent workman in the Word of God. Study to show thyself unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed. The word study simply means be diligent. Many of you have versions of the Bible in your hands, perhaps that actually use that word to translate that passage. A diligent workman who is not ashamed. Laziness in the ministry of the word is a great sin. And it really does bring a fatherly frown and chastening from the Lord. And it brings a disinterest and an inattentiveness from the people of God. The ministry is no place for a man who personally is lazy. And how do you do that work? Well, 1 Timothy 5.17 says that double honor ought to be given to a man who labors in the word and doctrine. And the term labor there means labor to the point of exhaustion. in the reading, in the investigation, in the research, in the organization, in the deciding of how to say what you're going to say in order that the application of the truth and the meaning of the truth may be completely clear. So that your mind is absolutely to the point of fogged from thinking so long and so hard. Day after day after day. and your eyesight blurred and even weakened from the constant attention to the revelation of God. Is that really what this says, Dr. Hankins? Yes, men and women, it is what it says. Look at that text again, that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. You see, it's not only about hard work. diligence, but it is about careful work and working through very complicated, at times difficult things to understand in the Bible in order to make them clear to the people of God. That's what rightly dividing the word of truth is. You know, there's only one other place in the Bible that that term rightly dividing occurs. Another favorite passage, Proverbs three, five and six. It's actually in a very, very old Greek version of the Old Testament. That's written originally in Hebrew. It's called the Septuagint. And the term is in Proverbs 3, 5 and 6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall... What's the next word? Direct your paths. That's the same term that occurs right here that says rightly dividing. And you know what it means? It means to clear the path. It means to level the ground. It means to take the bulldozer, come up to the edge of the jungle, plow through all the undergrowth, fill in the ravines, build the bridges, make a highway through the revelation of God so people can travel it with ease and understanding. And that is our great joy. That's what we get to do for you. That's what Andrew gets to do the rest of his life, is to make the highway, the four-lane interstate, so you can move into the revelation of God, a 66-book library. that sometimes, candidly, you read it the first time and you say, I don't have a clue what that means. What did he mean by what he just said? Ever had that experience reading your Bible? Well, God has appointed a class of men whose lives are devoted to making the revelation of God easier for you to understand, to grasp, to obey, Can I just say that week after week, as we listen to the Word of God clearly unfolded to us, that does not come easy. But when a man does that, do you know what he gets? He gets the smile of God. He gets the approval of God. The man appointed to the ministry. That is what brings the approval of God. Andrews manifested a diligence in the scripture, his ordination counsel showed that, his ability to answer questions, a wonderful multi-page, clear yet concise presentation of truth in it, his ability to answer the practical and theological questions we answered, the years of education, men and women. This is a young man that spent four years in college and spent several more years in graduate school so he could do this. And he can do it. I've listened to him do it. Hallelujah. He's at a place where God can and will smile. Because he's put in the necessary labor and effort to accomplish this task. So the people of God will over and over as they listen to him have those aha moments. Ah, yes. OK, now I understand. And now not do I only understand, but I realize what I need to do. You know, there's a wonderful and powerful other question that Paul answers for Timothy and for any man appointed to the ministry. And it's found in chapter four, verse two. What does God primarily expect from a man He appoints to the ministry? He expects, verse 2, preach the Word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. Here it is stated clearly and unequivocally by the Apostle in magnificent summary like nowhere else in the Bible. It is preach the Word. This is what God desires and primarily expects from a man appointed to the ministry. And that means to authoritatively proclaim the non-negotiable message of God. Have you ever wondered why it is that preachers have this way of getting really intense. You know, my wife is always calm down, honey, you know, calm down. But I'm talking about in preaching. You know, that's what she does when I'm out of the pulpit. But in preaching, you know, why is it preachers, men and women? We are commissioned of God to authoritatively proclaim a non-negotiable message from the Word of God. We're not here. I'm not here. Andrew won't be here. His senior pastor's not here. Pastor Taylor's not here to entertain, to tell interesting stories, to be a stand-up comic. We're here to thunder, thus saith the Lord. A clear word from God. Yes, with heart and with compassion and with tenderness. But unequivocally, people need to hear from God in clear, powerful terms. They don't need my views. They don't need my opinions. They certainly don't need my small, little, sniveling thoughts. They need God's mind. And that is what Paul means when he says preach the word, proclaim it authoritatively and then accurately explain it. That's what it means when it says proclaim or preach the word. Explain the scriptures, what they mean, actually mean not what I imagine they mean. But what they do mean and not just what it means to me, I'm when the Bible says love your neighbor. Now, if that may mean specifically for you in application that you need to give your neighbors some money. Or you may need to help them in a time of illness or show kindness to them. In some way, specifically, But it always means that I'm to self-sacrificially and unconditionally give of myself for their good physically and spiritually and for the glory of God. That's what it always means in all its specific applications, whatever they may be. So I explain the meaning of the word. And then Paul says, being instant in season and out of season, I authoritatively proclaim, the man appointed to the word accurately explains, and then he is thoroughly prepared. instant, in season and out of season. That means always prepared thoroughly, no matter whether it's a convenient thing or an inconvenient thing for the man of God to be prepared. That means he preaches thoroughly in a prepared way, even if it meant he ran out of time during the daytime and he prepared all night the night before he stands before the people of God. He preaches when he's well rested and when he's exhausted and spent 60 hours in the hospital with two families in crisis, he still preaches as thoroughly prepared. He preaches when he's sick with a fever and prepares when he's sick and stands and proclaims the word of God because he's thoroughly prepared. And he prepares in the midst of family tragedy or distress or financial hardship or personal failures because he could be instant, always prepared in season when it's convenient and out of season. Why? Because you've taken the time. To listen. Because you worked all week. And you need the refreshing revelation of God because you're heartbroken, you lost your job, your wife walked out, or you're just desperate to grow more in Christ. So the man of God is thoroughly prepared no matter what. Instant, in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke and exhort. He appropriately applies the revelation of God, reproving and buking sin. And showing who's responsible for it. And what's gone wrong, but exhorting, encouraging, lifting up, urging along. That there can be greater faith, there can be greater hope. There can be forgiveness and cleansing and there will be more grace from God and more mercy from God. And one day there will be no more sickness and sorrow. There will be heaven and there will be the face of our heavenly father. Exhorting. Encouraging. Approving and rebuking seems to be an easier thing to do for some reason. I remember one time reading or hearing someone say, And it's a good thing for preachers to always remember, you can shear a sheep many times, but you can only skin them once. So, better to be encouraging and uplifting and kind as the Bible commands along with the rebuking and the reproving. So, we let the sun shine. And we blow away the clouds of life with the breath of the revelation of God. And we lift people out of their sadness and their difficulty. This is our joy. And Paul says, don't only proclaim authoritatively and explain clearly, and be thoroughly prepared and make appropriate application. But do it with all longsuffering and doctrine. Compassionately present the Word to people in ignorance because they're stubborn and won't respond. With those people, you are longsuffering because it may take The difficult hardness of tragedy or illness or trouble of some kind to melt the iciness of that heart to receive the water of the revelation of God. You minister the word compassionately to those in spiritual ignorance just because they don't know. Out of neglect, out of background. It's just hard for them to get things. So with them you minister with long-suffering and doctrine, teaching, line upon line, precept upon precept, week in and week out until the light comes on and they understand. Now here today, this afternoon, there may be men whose interest is raised by what I'm saying. Even at this moment, desire is stimulated. You're seeing God does appoint people. You're seeing the basis on which He shows favor to men in ministry. You're seeing what He expects of men in ministry. And somehow, this interests you more than normal. This may be a beginning of this process in your life. From this point forward, with joy, with his armor on, with the weapon of the revelation of God, the sword of the Spirit in his hand, Andrew is about to go to war. And that is a biblical metaphor. He's about to go to war. Military historians and writers record something strange that happens to people who go to war. It's called the joy of battle. There's fear and trembling and apprehension and insecurity. But once the battle is joined, the fight is on and the bullets are flying. The joy of battle, the exhilaration of potential victory, the glory of their nation, of their army, in Andrew's case, for God, will come upon him. But men and women, please, together with me, understand something. He has an enemy, and this evil one is relentless. He's going to tempt Andrew. He's going to discourage or attempt to discourage Christi. Pathetically, but truly, he will do what he can to even savage their children. He'll do everything possible to attempt to discredit this young man's life. Andrew, Don't ever look back. Don't ever give up. Never forget that you are appointed and called. Never stop fighting. You're a chosen man. You're a man of the Word. A man of God for the church and the world. You are a warrior for Jesus. That's what you'll be the rest of your life. And I'm encouraging you and asking you, if you'll join with us together in prayer, as Pastor comes, as we lay our hands on this man, that God will grant him all the grace and all the strength that he needs to be the warrior for Christ that he needs to be. Pastor.