Let us turn to the word of God
in that portion of scripture we read and I am directing you
now to the second chapter, the second chapter of the second
epistle of Paul to Timothy and I read again at verse 3 through
to verse 6. 2 Timothy chapter 2 verses 3
to six, thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of
Jesus Christ. O man that watereth and tangleth
himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him
who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for
masteries, yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully. The husbandman that laboureth
must be first partaker of the fruits, really what I want to
say follows from what we were considering last Thursday, remember
we were then looking at those words towards the end of this
epistle, this is the last of the inspired writings of the
Apostle written shortly before he left this world for his eternal
reward and we were looking at words there in chapter 4 at verse
16, the following, where he speaks of how he was deserted by men
when he came before Caesar's tribunal. He had appealed to
Caesar back at the end of the Acts when the Jews were scheming
and plotting against him. He had been taken to Rome and
he says here in chapter 4 verse 16 at my first answer no man
stood with me but all men forsook me I pray God that it may not
be like to their charge notwithstanding the Lord stood with me and strengthened
me that by me the preaching might be fully known and that all the
Gentiles might hear and I was delivered out of the mouth of
the lion and the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and well-preservation
unto his heavenly kingdom to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. And in the course of the
ministry last Thursday then we said something with regards to
how though Paul was deserted by men he was owned by God. The Lord stood with him and the
Lord not only stood with him but he said the Lord delivered
him. out of the mouth of the lion, whether that was the Emperor
Nero, or whether we are to think more particularly of the great
adversary of Saul, Satan himself, who walked about as a roaring
lion, seeking whom he may devour. But the Lord delivered him. And
yet, we remarked on how the experience was all for the furtherance of
the Gospel. Those words in verse 17, that
by me, here is the the outcome, the consequence. It is the purpose
of all that he passed through in order that by merge the preaching
might be fully known and that all the Gentiles might hear.
He himself then was brought to such
a knowledge of the truth, he knew it in his own soul, he felt
it in his own soul and it was evident then in that ministry
that he was still able to exercise, not in many senses dissimilar
to what we read concerning Vanya when he said that he preached
what he felt what I smartingly did feel says the Tinkler. And
so we considered something of that aspect of Paul's ministry
that came through the various sufferings that he had to endure.
He was truly an experimental minister. And here in this epistle
of course he is seeking to give instruction and direction to
another minister, to Timothy. These epistles to Timothy and
that to Titus are often referred to as the pastoral epistles.
They contain much instruction with regards to that work of
the ministry. And here in this second chapter,
the opening verses, Paul writes, Thou therefore my son, be strong
in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and the things that thou
hast heard of me, among many witnesses the same commit thou
to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also what
was true of Paul must be true of Timothy must be true of others
and it then goes on in the verses that I read verses 3 to 6 to
use this threefold figure as it were to describe something
of the work of the minister and yet whilst it is in the first
instance applicable to those who are called to minister the
word of God surely there is in these verses a more general a
more wide application we might say to all believers there are
truths here that surely belong to all the people of God look
at the figures that he employs he speaks first of all of one who is a soldier. Though
therefore, he says, endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ,
no man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this
life, that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. Not only Timothy, not only a
minister is a soldier, but all the people of God are called
to be soldiers, warriors and the Lord Jesus Christ himself
is often referred to is he not as a commander and a leader of
the people there in Isaiah 55 a witness, a commander, a leader
of the people in Hebrews chapter 2 for example we read of Christ
as the captain of salvation And as Christ is the captain, so
those who know him, those who are in him, they also are engaged
in a conflict of warfare. Again, in the end of the previous
epistle, in 1 Timothy chapter 6, in verse 12 we have that exhortation,
fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto
thou art also called and hast professed a good profession,
before many witnesses and that is true of Timothy that is true
of the minister but that is true of all the people of God we are
to fight the fight and it is said to be a good fight the fight
of faith and God provides armour for that conflict the end of
Ephesians chapter 6 we have that gospel armour put on The whole
armour of God, he says, that you may be able to withstand
in the evil dark and having done all to stand and then we have
the various parts of that armour that is provided for the believers'
conflict. For the weapons of our warfare
are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. Well, is Christ the captain of
our salvation while his ministers also are to be engaged in this
great conflict. No man at war hath entangled
himself with the affairs of this life. How true that must be with
regards to those who are engaged in that work of Christian ministry. But now all the people of God
are also to engage in this warfare. we live of course in enemy territory
the whole world lies in the wicked one we thought and we need them
to be ever on our guard but then he uses another figure also he
speaks in verse 5 of an athlete a man if a man also strive for
mastery yet is he not crowned except He strived lawfully. Paul was familiar of course with
those ancient Grecian games and several times in his epistles
he uses this figure. In the end of the ninth chapter
in 1 Corinthians we find him employing the figure. Verse 24
he says, Now you know that they which run in a race run all,
but one receiveth the prize, so run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for
the master is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain
a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible. I therefore so
run, not as uncertain, so fight I, not as one that beateth the
air, but I keep under my body, and bring it unto subjection. lest that by any means when I
have preached to others I myself should be cast away. How the
believer is to see that he is in a fit condition to run the
race. And it is a spiritual race, the
exercise in spiritual exercise there must be that mortifying,
that putting to death the deeds of the body. and that's true
not only of the minister that's true of all the people of God
and then we have this third figure that he is using as he gives
his exhortation to Timothy in verse 6 and it's this particular
verse that I want to centre your attention on for a while this
morning the husbandman he says he's spoken of a soldier he's
spoken of an athlete And there he speaks of the man who works
the land, a farmer, a husbandman. The husbandman that laboureth,
he says, must be first partaker of the fruits. And this very
much fits in, does it not, with the same imagery that we find
used by the Lord Jesus Christ himself concerning the great
needs when one considers the work of God and the multitudes
of lost souls. There at the end of Matthew chapter
9 when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion
on them because they fainted and were scattered abroad as
sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples,
The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few. Pray
ye therefore, O Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers
into his harvest. And you are probably aware of
the strength of the verb that he uses, to send forth, to throst
forth Oh, it is a mighty work of God thrusting forth labourers
into this great harvest field. And here in the text then we
read something of that work of this labourer, the husbandman,
that labourers must be first partaker of the fruits. Well, I want to divide what I'm
going to say now into just two parts. First of all, to consider
the the labouring of this husband-man and then in the second place
to consider the way in which he partakes of the fruits. First of all the labouring of
the husband-man. We're thinking of course most
particularly here of that work of those who are called to teach
and to preach, but as I said there is a more general application.
But the ministry here is set before us as that that involves
work. It involves work, it involves
diligent work, the study of the scriptures, the careful examination
of the Word of God, the proper exegesis of The words of Holy
Scripture, we see that from what he says later in the chapter
at verse 15. Study, he says, to show thyself
approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth. Arduous labour is what
is being suggested here. A man must exert himself. he is referred to there in verse
15 as a workman a workman and it's interesting to examine precisely
what the word that is rendered workman believes and it is a
word that is usually used in reference to a man who is labouring
in the fields a man who is having to exert himself toiling with
the soil this is the imagery that is being used now the same
word is also used in the first epistle there in chapter 5 and verse
18 we read of the labourer the scripture
says thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn
and the labourer or the workman is the same word is worthy of
his reward. But when we look at the context
here, the previous verse, we see what he's speaking of. He's
speaking of the elders, or the elders, the elders in the church. Let the elders that rule well,
he says, be counted worthy of double honour, especially they
who labour in the word and doctrine. Then he goes on to say the labourer
is worthy of his reward. It's to do with the maintenance
and support of the ministry. But the word that he uses there
in chapter 5 verse 17, they who labour, it's not the same word
as we have in verse 18, the labourer. It's from a completely different
root and it's interesting to observe the difference because
that word in verse 17 as the basic, the literal meaning of
to grow weary hence to work with great effort to work with much
toil and it's that particular word the one that has this idea
of growing weary because one is so diligent in applying oneself,
it's his particular word that is used here in verse 6. The husbandman that labours always
to toil and he is to toil again and he is to feel it, he is to
grow weary as he is toiling in the work. This is the imagery
I say that is used. How important it is then that
the minister is one who does give himself to that diligent
study of the scripture. that he seeks to rightly divide
the Word of God, he digs into the Word of God, if we might
continue the imagery, you see, he's to dig into the Word, he's
to examine the Word, he's to, as I said at the beginning, he's
to be careful in the way in which he divides it, he's to seek to
understand exactly what the text is saying and to bring out the
meaning of the text. This is how he is to labour and
as he labours in the word so at the same time he is to be
labouring in prayer to God. It's good of course that the
man has his helps and has those things that assist him in the
course of his study but he must also be much in prayer that God
would open up the word to him. Whilst he might use his own mental
abilities, he knows that what he is dealing with is a spiritual
book and it's God who must open up the great spiritual depths
of the word of God to him. Think of the determination of
the apostles back in Acts chapter 6 when there was that disputing
concerning the distribution of the funds to the widows, disputing
between the Hebrews and the Gentiles and there we have the appointment
of that that grows into the office of the deaconate. But what do
the apostles say? They cannot be the sole functionaries
anymore in the church. That's how it seems it was at
the beginning. They had the responsibility of
everything. And they are expected then to
deal with this matter of the distribution of the funds. But
they cannot be doing everything. And so they appoint these men
who are to serve as the deacons and to deal with this matter
and what will they do? We will give ourselves continually,
they say, to prayer and to the ministry of the word. As there
is to be that labour in the ministry of the word, so at the same time
there must be that labouring in prayer, those prayers to God,
that calling upon God. And it's interesting to observe
the order there. We will give ourselves continually
to prayer. Prayer is placed first. And then
the ministry of the word. What is the ministry of the word?
Without many cries to God that he would bless the preaching
of the word. But here we see something of
the labouring of this husbandman. He labours in words and in doctrine. He labours in it. He seeks rightly
to divide it. We can go back to the Old Testament
and those words that we find, for example, in the book of Ecclesiastes,
which is the book of the preacher. That's the subtitle that's given
to the book of Ecclesiastes, the book of the preacher. And what are we told there at
the end, in chapter 12 and verse 9? Moreover, because the preacher
was wise, He still taught the people knowledge, yea, he gave
good heed and sought out and set in order many proverbs. The preacher sought to find out
acceptable words, and that which was written was upright, even
words of truth. He is to be diligent then in
his study of the scriptures, that he might understand it,
that he might see it in its content. but he might also see the spiritual
significance of those things that are written. All the labouring
there, the labouring that is involved. It's the opposite of
course to what we read in the Proverbs concerning the sluggard. The sluggard. In Proverbs chapter
20 verse 4 Solomon Solomon is not only the author
of Proverbs, he is also the human author under the inspiration
of the Holy Ghost, yes, but the author nonetheless of the book
of Ecclesiastes, the book of the preacher. And what does he
say in Proverbs 20 and verse 4? The sluggard will not plough
by reason of the cold, therefore shall he beg in harvest and have
nothing. Then he goes on in another chapter,
the end of chapter 24 in Proverbs, to speak of what he witnessed
when he went by the field of the slothful man. I went by the
field of the slothful and by the vineyard of the man, void
of understanding, and though it was all grown over with thorns
and nettles, it had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall
thereof was broken down. Then I saw and considered it
well. I looked upon it and received
instruction, yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding
of the hands to sleep, so shall thy poverty come as one that
travels, and thy wants as an armed man. He speaks then of
the man who is slothful, the sluggard. What we have here concerning
this husbandman is the complete opposite of it. The husbandman
that he is to labour, he is to give himself to this toilsome
work. But where does the blessing come
from? Oh, here, friends, is the truth. It's not because of his
labours. It's not because of his labours
that prosperity comes, ultimately. It is only God who can make his
word to be a fruitful word. God alone is the one who can
give the increase. Remember how Paul rebukes the
church at Corinth because of their partiality to certain ministers,
how they look to certain men. No good looking to a man. It
is only God. He says there in chapter 3 and
1 Corinthians verse 6, I have planted a palace watered by God. gave the increase. So then neither
he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth, but God that
giveth the increase. For we are labourers together
with God, he says. But then this, ye are God's husbandry,
ye are God's building, ye are God's workmen. And God alone
is the one who can grant his blessing upon the ministry of
his work. the husbandman that labourer
it is the work then that the man has to give himself to and
work and be diligent in it I say again that there is a more general
application we should all be diligent children in our consideration
of the word of God diligent in our daily reading of it having
a desire to feed ourselves with it that we might understand it
that we might appreciate the great truths that are couched
here or to dig into the word of God and to find sustenance
for our never dying souls in those great truths that are contained
in this blessed book. But then turning in the second
place to say something with regards to the way in which the husband
then partakes. He not only labours in the word
in a mental way, intellectually seeking to to fill his mind with
it as it were. But he must also feed upon it
experimentally. He must experience the truth
of it. That's what we have here in the
text. He must first be partaker of the fruits. He must experience
in the saving power that is here in the words of God. He must know what it is for these
truths to be real food to his never dying soul. Are we not
told by the same apostle when he writes to the Corinthians
that the Kingdom of God is not in words but in power. This man must know something
of the power of the things that he is handling. There is an interesting
sentence in the writings of William Huntington,
he says he is concerning the preacher, he says the preacher
is a taster for the people of God. The preacher is a taster,
in other words he tastes it himself, he proves it himself before he
is able to minister that same truth to others. Now we see that
quite clearly in both the ministry of the Old Testament prophets
and also with regards to New Testament apostles. We have the
example of Ezekiel. There at the end of the second
chapter, right at the beginning of the book of Ezekiel, we have
that set before us with regards to that role. He must first eat the role. and it is only as he eats the
roll that he is equally then able to prophesy only as he has
partaken of that truth can he proclaim that same message to
others there at the end of the second chapter verse 9 of chapter
2 when I looked he says behold a hand was sent unto me and lo
a roll of a book was therein and he spread it before me and
it was written within and without in other words it's a scroll
this is how things would have been recorded of course in those
days not in books as we would be familiar with them today but
the scroll written on both its sides he spread it before me
and it was written within and without and there was written
therein lamentations and mourning and woe. Moreover, he said unto
me, son of man, eat that thou findest, eat this roll, and go
and speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he
caused me to eat that roll. And he said unto me, son of man,
cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that
I give thee. Then did I eat it. and it was
in my mouth as honey for sweetness. Do you see the connection here?
Then in the first verse of chapter three he is commanded eat this
scroll and go and speak unto the house of Israel only as he
has eaten the roll only as he has partaken of that scroll is
he able to go and speak he first receives the word before ever
he can give the word That's the significance of it. He must first
receive the Word. But how does he receive it? It
has to enter into his very being. He has to experience it. And
it was the same, was it not, with the Apostle John in the
Book of Revelation. We then have an example from
the Old Testament in Ezekiel. And we have this one also in
the New Testament. from what we are told concerning
John. Revelation chapter 10 and verse 9. John writes, And
I went unto the angel and said unto him, Give me the little
book. And he said unto me, Take it and eat it up, and it shall
make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as
honey. and I took the little book out
of the angel's hand and ate it up and it was in my mouth sweet
as honey and as soon as I had eaten my belly was bitter it
is bitter and sweet that John experiences and isn't this a
truth with regard to the word of God if a man knows anything
of the word of God he knows these two things he knows something
of the bitterness of it and you know something of the sweetness
of it. Or there are bitter things here
in scripture, because here of course we see ourselves as in
a glass, do we not? Man in his pristine condition, when he comes
from the hand of his creator, is a holy creature. He is made
in God's image, he is created after God's likeness. And yet
man is never a fallen creature. because of the sin of our first
parents there in Genesis chapter 3. And so when we come as we
have before us this book which is God's revelation, it's God
revealing himself, we see ourselves as James has in the glass. And
we see what manner of men, what manner of women we are, we are
not to go away and forget. And we see ourselves. When God
shows us ourselves and he does it, does he not in the light
of the holy law that he gave at man's high night, that law
which is but a revealing of him, his holiness, his righteousness,
his justice. And we are those who are found
out by the Lord of Gods. By the Lord is the knowledge
of sin, it's a bitter thing. It's a bitter thing. And yet
the wise man says again that to the hungry soul every bitter
thing is sweet. or it's when we see what we are,
when we feel the bitterness of our sins that we discover the
sweetness of the gospel. Oh, that great salvation that
God has laid up in the person and the work of his only begotten
son answers all our needs. Well, the majesty is to know
by experience these things, if he's going to speak the truth
of God's Word, he must know the bitter, he must know the sweet.
This, I say, is that true experimental preaching. There's much confusion
with regards to what it means to be an experimental preacher.
Some seem to imagine that what it is, it's to stand in the pulpit
and to tell stories about yourself, to fill your sermon with anecdotes.
Well, of course, anecdotes are interesting, illustrations are
useful, But it's not just speaking of our own experiences. It's
seeking to show to the congregation what it is for God's Word to
come and to take hold of the soul of a man. And for that man
to see himself as a sinner and to feel the bitterness of his
sins as he partakes of the Word of God. But then also to know
that sweetness that comes in the Gospel. The psalmist says,
oh taste and see that the Lord is good. And he can say that
from experience, or taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed
is the man that trusteth in him. Always the man himself is trusting
only in the Lord Jesus Christ. And sees all his salvation as
being in Christ. Will he not want to exalt Christ?
Will he not want his sermon to be filled with Christ? There
is the sweetness of the Gospel. But there must, I say, be the
experience of these things. Again the psalmist can say in
another psalm, come and hear all ye that fear God and I will
declare what he has done for my soul. God has done something
for the man's soul, he has partaken of these things. The husband,
the labourer must be first partaker of the fruits, he must partake
of these things. If they mean something to him,
that will be conveyed to those that he seeks to address. They
will know that these things are truly precious to him. Now, in
order to do our souls any good, we all of course must be those
who not only hear the word of God, but those who are truly
feeding upon the word of God. That's true of all of us. What
is the point of us coming together if all we're doing is exercising
our minds and seeking to instruct our understanding? It's good,
it's right, it's proper that we should desire a sound mind
and a sound mind well instructed in the things of God. That is
commendable. But we need something more of
that. We need for the truth of God's
word to be applied, brought home to our souls, made a reality
in our lives. And how is it that we can know
that blessed experience? Well, we must plead with God,
we must pray to God that he would grant that gracious work of his
spirit not only upon us but within us, that there might be that
real feeding upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember how Christ himself
speaks of what true experimental union is. In the sixth chapter
of John's Gospel he speaks of the importance of eating his
flesh and drinking his blood. In John chapter 6 verse 53 Then said Jesus unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of
Man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whosoever
eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life,
and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat
indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh
and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me, and I in him. Oh, what precious truth is this,
friends. And this is that precious truth,
of course, that is so corrupted and polluted by the Roman Church
when it speaks of the doctrine of transubstantiation. When it
tells the poor, finited Romanist that when he goes to the Mass
and partakes of the wafer because of something that the priest
has done when he's mumbled over it. It has been converted now
into the body and blood, the soul, the divinity of the Lord
Jesus Christ. That awful teaching of transubstantiation. These verses have nothing to
do with that. This is a spiritual partaking of Christ, to eat his
flesh and to drink his blood. And isn't the preacher to make
it plain that all that flesh of Christ is meat indeed and
that blood of Christ is drink indeed. Oh friends, we should
be those who desire that we might feed upon Him and know a true
union with Him. There is an eternal union. The
elect are chosen in Him before the foundation of the world and
once in Him In him forever says good John Kent. How great the
truth is that eternal union. But that eternal union must be
realised in experience. It must be an experimental union.
We must know him. By faith we must be those who
are feeding upon him. Now to feed him we must first
find him. and to find him we must of course
seek him ye shall seek me says God through the prophet and find
me when you shall search after me with all your heart you see
there is diligence here there is diligence for the husbandman,
labouring labouring in word and in doctrine but there must be
diligence in those who would profit under the ministry of
the word of God they must be diligent in prayer, we must be
those who would be calling upon God and seeking God and be whole-hearted
in our desire towards Him. It is how we come under the sound
of God's Word. It is true of you this morning
as we gather together in this place. You want that your soul
might be fed with some good thing from the Word of God, to be established
in those great truths of the everlasting gospel the man labours
you see in words and in doctrine or to see those great doctrines
that are couched here in the scriptures that concern the Lord
Jesus Christ see how Paul continues we finish at verse 7 I did wonder
whether we might have read on but he goes on at verse 8 to
say this, remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was
raised from the dead according to my gospel. Lord to know what
it is to feed today on that precious truth. The doctrine of Christ's
resurrection from the dead, it's a great vindication of Christ.
Declared to be the Son of God with power by the Spirit of holiness
according to the resurrection from the dead, says the apostle
in the opening chapter of Romans. Can we not feed upon that? We
come together this day, this first day of the week, the Lord's
Day, the Christian Sabbath day, and we remember that Christ is
that one who on the first day rose again from the dead. Here's a precious truth that
we should not only remember but desire to partake of. Remember that Jesus Christ of
the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my
gospel. Oh God grant friends that we
might be those who know what it is to labour and by that labour
to be those who are brought to partake of these precious fruits. The husbandman that laboureth
must be first partaker of the fruits. The Lord bless his work.