Honoring God’s Investment-1 Series

HONORING GOD’s INVESTMENT-I—1Timothy 1:12-17

Attention:

Thanksgiving place-setting ideas:

‘If you could invite anyone for Thanksgiving dinner, Who would it be? & Why? What would they discover about you?

What are you most thankful for this year?

5 things for which you are thankful to God.

Tell everybody something you are grateful for about the person to your right(or left, across, etc.).

Need:

Paul reminded Timothy of the significance/gravity/weight behind God’s investment in us.

We must recognize the significance/gravity/weight of God’s investment.

When do we honor the gravity of God’s investment?

We honor the gravity of God’s investment when we are Thankful.

1—We honor God’s investment thru Thankfulness for...

His FAITH In ME/Us(:12)

Explanation: (:12)

:12—“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry,”

This “glorious gospel of the blessed God”(:11) was entrusted to Paul for his specific ministry.

Paul thereby truly thanks Christ Jesus who is both his Lord & the Lord of all believers(hence “our”). Paul’s Lord did not entrust him without also strengthening(“enabled”) him for the assignment.

The fact that Christ “enabled” Paul is itself a standing testimony to His recognizing Paul’s faithfulness. Not only Paul’s faithfulness but yours as well!

2Thes. 1:11-12—“Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, & fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness & the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, & you in Him, according to the grace of our God & the Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Lord’s faithfulness to Paul’s faithfulness is expressed practically in that Paul was “put” to “the ministry” of His Lord Jesus.

What exactly is “the ministry” Paul speaks of? His apostolic ministry & every practical outworking of it.

This tells us a little about that kind of ministry. It was a limited ministry entrusted to a very few & for a limited time. It was initiated & removed within one generational timeframe in order to birth the church. Today we live in the shadow of that apostolic commencement, not to copy & stylize its events, but to legitimize its life-transforming power found in Christ alone.

“Enabled/Strengthened”—endunamow—To be strong, endue with strength, strengthen; To receive strength, be strengthened, increase in strength; In a bad sense—To be bold, headstrong.

“Counted/Considered”—hgeomai—To lead—To go before, To be a leader—To rule, command, To have authority over—A prince, of regal power, governor, viceroy, chief, leading as respects influence, controlling in counsel, overseers or leaders of the churches—Used of any kind of leader, chief, commander, The leader in speech, chief, spokesman; To consider, deem, account, think. A belief resting not on one's inner feeling or sentiment, but on the due consideration of external grounds, & the weighing & comparing of facts. Denotes a more deliberate & careful judgment.

“Faithful”[See :15]—pistov—Trusty, faithful; Easily persuaded

“Putting”—tiyhmi—1)To set, put, place; 2)To make; 3)To set, fix, establish. Strong—To place (in the widest application, literally & figuratively; properly, in a passive or horizontal posture).

“Ministry/Service”—diakonia—Service, ministering, esp. of those who execute the commands of others; Of those who by the command of God proclaim & promote religion among men—Of the office of Moses, Of the office of the apostles & its administration, Of the office of prophets, evangelists, elders etc.; The ministration of those who render to others the offices of Christian affection esp. those who help meet need by either collecting or distributing of charities; The office of the deacon in the church; The service of those who prepare & present food.

Argumentation:

Acts 26:16-19—[Paul recounting his conversion to king Agrippa] Jesus said:“‘But rise & stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister & a witness both of the things which you have seen & of the things which I will yet reveal to you. ‘I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, ‘to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, & from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins & an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,”

2Cor. 4:1-2—“Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”

Php. 4:13—“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

2Tim. 4:16-17—“At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me & strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, & that all the Gentiles might hear. And I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.”