Passing the Baton: Never Deviate From the Word of God
Dr RJ Sing, 4 September 2022, 13 min
Originally preached as “The Handover, 4 September 2022”
Sermon outline
As he hands the baton of the church to Pastor Wesley, he charges the next generation to love God and His sheep, keep to the Word without deviating, and live what they preach.
Opening
The recording begins mid-sentence as he tells the church that today is a very special day: Wesley is a pastor, and he wants to hand the baton over to him. He asks the church to stand and give the loudest hand clap.
Handing over the baton
He was an athlete at school and remembers running relays: the incoming runner had to sprint, even when out of breath, to keep pace and pass the baton cleanly so the team stayed in front. In the same way he is now handing the baton of the church to Wesley, who will be the local pastor.
Illustration: The school relay race, where you run hard to keep up so the baton can be handed over without losing the lead.
“Wesley is a pastor and I'm handing the baton to him.”
The charge: love God and love God's sheep
He charges Wesley and Yajna to love God with all their hearts and love God's sheep, be committed to the Scriptures and never deviate from the Word, be accountable, never lose their integrity, treat people well, forgive quickly and stay committed to the ministry. Above all they must have an exemplary family life, because the church must live the Word as well as preach it, and believers are letters read by everyone.
“You must have an exemplary family life because we must not only preach the word, but we're going to live the word.”
- 2 Corinthians 3:2
Keep to the Word and you will never make an error
He asks Wesley to consider his responsibility prayerfully. It is a huge responsibility, but the safeguard is simple: stay with the Word of God and the Scriptures and never move away from them.
“If you keep to the Word of God, and you keep to the Scriptures, and never deviate from that, you'll never make any error.”
We will still be here
He and Pastor Zubeda are not leaving and will not start another church: they will stay committed, keep serving and carry on as normal. Stepping back gives him a chance to rest, because the race has been long and tough, yet he has run it with joy and gladness, and he believes the new generation will take the church to the next level.
Illustration: He told Pastor Zubeda that morning that the years of ministry felt like being in the boxing ring with Mike Tyson for years and years.
“I do it with joy. I do it with gladness.”
This is the generations
With his family around him on stage, he points the church to the generations God has raised up. He was an ex-Hindu and Pastor Zubeda an ex-Muslim, and their family now includes people of many races and backgrounds. He tells Wesley to lead God's people, help them succeed, keep lifting people up and make prayer a big focus of his life.
“And so, lead God's people. Help them to succeed.”
Putting it into practice
- Love God with all your heart and love God's people.
- Stay committed to the Scriptures and never deviate from the Word.
- Keep your integrity, stay accountable and forgive quickly.
- Live the Word at home as well as preaching it.
- Make prayer a central focus of your life.
Closing
He speaks a blessing over Wesley and his wife, over Adrian and Roxanne and their family, and over his grandchildren, telling them he loves them with all his heart, and thanks those who helped. He then hands the microphone to Wesley, who responds by thanking his parents for raising their sons in a home of prayer and the Word, and promises to follow the Lord and the Word and take the church forward.
In his words
- “Wesley is a pastor and I'm handing the baton to him.”
- “You must love God's sheep.”
- “Never lose your integrity.”
- “You must forgive people quickly.”
- “Keep on lifting people up.”
Every scripture in this message
- 2 Corinthians 3:2