Rejoicing In God's Workman Series

Title: Rejoicing in God’s Workman

Theme: Enjoying What the Lord Has Done Through Dean and Ann Husted

Series: Pillars of the Church

Introduction: The leadership and the members of CrossRoads Church strive to make the Word of God their guide in determining what the Lord would have us do in worshiping Jesus Christ. The Bible says, the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. (Ephesians 6:17) If a person does not make his choices or decisions based on the whole counsel of God’s Word, then he will make decisions according the sinful nature, from a world’s view or worse yet Satan’s lies. Three of the influences I have just mentioned lead to destruction; to seek out and obey God’s Word leads to eternal life in Christ Jesus.

Proposition: I would propose to you that when you honor a faithful servant of the Lord who sacrificially exercises his Spiritual gifts, you are honoring God who created that person, Christ who died for that person’s redemption and the Holy Spirit whom enables that person to achieve God’s will for them.

Interrogative Sentence: What does God’s Word say about Christians who have Spiritual gifts? Are we to honor them? Is honoring them pleasing to God? How is God glorified through them?

Transitional Sentence: All are called to honor the servants of the Lord, whether they be public servants or Christians who exercise Spiritual gifts. Romans 13:7 says, “Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”

Romans 12:10 tells us, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

To “honor” (time) means to ascribe his worth to a person and/or give recognition of another’s worth. (Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament) Honor is to be given by believers one to another instead of claiming it for self.” (Vines Dictionary of the New Testament) Matthew Henry tells us that Romans 13:7 “sums up the duty which we owe not only to magistrates, but to all superiors, parents, masters, all that are over us in the Lord, according to the fifth commandment.”

The truths we are to grasp from Romans 12:10 is that we are to have a heart of giving honor rather than taking honor. This is the attitude we are to have of those who exercise their Spiritual gifts sacrificially. (Bible Exposition Commentary; Matthew Henry Commentary)

Even the secular world understands the value of recognition of those who serve others. Corporations and small businesses have seen a tremendous increase of productivity and improved morale in the people who work for them when proper recognition is given to sacrificial service. They have seen the destruction that comes when recognition for sacrificial service is replaced with reward for productivity. Appreciation for sacrificial service builds up, rewards for productivity breed unhealthy competition then quality of service is replaced with quantity of mass production.

Transitional Sentence: Once the Body of Christ understands the value of honoring one another they must have illumination of were their resources come from.

The Apostle Paul set the heart pulse for the Body of Christ in regard to how we should feel about the children of God when he wrote, “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning, God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14) The Body of Christ only gets to enjoy the value of having other Christians around to serve them because God in His mercy sent the Holy Spirit into a sinner’s life and called them to Christ.

The members of CrossRoads Church are very thankful to the Lord for sending His Holy Spirit into the life of Dean and Ann Husted to reveal their need of Christ and enabling them to begin a new life in and through Him.

It must be noted that Christians are under the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit of Christ. They are not perfected yet.

The Apostle Paul used the word “sanctifying” (hagiamós) referring to not only of the activity of the Holy Spirit in setting man apart unto salvation and transferring him into the ranks of the redeemed, but also enabling him to be holy. (The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament; Zodhiates) In Philippians 1:6 the Apostle Paul tells of his confidence in the church of Jesus Christ, “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Please note the words “in you” and catch the truth that God will continue to do His work through the Body of Christ. (The Bible Knowledge Commentary)