HONORING GOD’s INVESTMENT-I—1Timothy 1:12-17
Attention:
Father Takes a Needle for His Fearful Son
Recently I was sitting in a doctor's office with one of my young sons, & the nurse wanted to draw blood from him for a test. As you can imagine, he did not want to have his blood drawn. Who does? So he told me, "Dad, I can't do it. I just can't do it."
The nurse said, "Here's the deal, buddy. We've got this numbing spray. We'll spray the numbing spray on you, & then we'll stick the needle in you, & you won't even feel it."
But my son kept saying, "I can't do it. I can't do it."
Finally I said to the nurse, "Ma'am, I know what I'm about to ask you may be out of bounds, but can you draw my blood first? Can you do it without the numbing spray? I just need to show my son."
She said, "Yes, I'll do it. We'll keep this between us."
So the father put his son on his lap, & said, "Watch Daddy."
I rolled up my sleeve & stuck my arm out. Then the nurse stuck me & drew blood.
A smile came over my son's face.
Yes, he was still a little nervous, but when he saw that Daddy already went through what he was about to go through, with no numbing spray, he stuck his arm out.
The boy honored his father’s Investment...by honoring his father’s wishes.
If we are close to God, then we will honor Him by choosing His will!
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” 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.”
Acts 9:15—“But the Lord said to him[Ananias], “Go, for he[Paul] is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, & the children of Israel.”
Ex. 3:16-18; 4:10-18—““Go & gather the elders of Israel together, & say to them, ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, & of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you & seen what is done to you in Egypt; “& I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites & the Hittites & the Amorites & the Perizzites & the Hivites & the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk & honey.”’ “Then they will heed your voice; & you shall come, you & the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; & you shall say to him, ‘The LORD God of the Hebrews has met with us; & now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’”.....“Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech & slow of tongue.” So the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? Now therefore, go, & I will be with your mouth & teach you what you shall say.””
Jer. 1:4-10—“Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Then said I: “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” But the LORD said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the LORD. Then the LORD put forth His hand & touched my mouth, & the LORD said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations & over the kingdoms, To root out & to pull down, To destroy & to throw down, To build & to plant.””
Jn. 15:16-17—““You[Disciples] did not choose Me[Jesus], but I chose you & appointed you that you should go & bear fruit, & that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. “These things I command you, that you love one another.”
Rom. 9:20-24—“But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor & another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show His wrath & to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, & that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?”
2Tim. 2:19-21—“Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” &, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold & silver, but also of wood & clay, some for honor & some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified & useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.”
Rom. 1:5-7—“Through Him we have received grace & apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you & peace from God our Father & the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Rom. 15:14-16—“Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God, that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”
Mat. 28:18-20—“And Jesus came & spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven & on earth. “Go therefore & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; & lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
Illustration:
Carolina Rubber Hose/2 guys on the calender machine/Describe the calendering process—Like a giant mechanized pasta roller—3 cylinders stacked on top of one another—6ft X8 ft.& each cylinder was about 2 ft. in diameter—gradually decreasing the distance between cylinders until the rubber was the desired thickness/Very dangerous—hands could easily have been pulled into the fast-moving rollers/The entire company centered around this process/The company paid them well knowing they would be faithful to doing their job well & safely/His FAITH In ME
Application:
?You Thankful for God’s FAITH in you?
?You Thankful for God’s Investment?
2—We honor God’s investment thru Thankfulness for...
His MERCY(:13)
Explanation: (:13)
:13—“although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, & an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.”
Prior to Paul’s conversion & calling in Christ, he admits that he actually opposed God in his religious fervor!
No truly ‘religious’ person wants to see themselves as a “blasphemer” of the very basis for their religious belief(their g(G)od).
No truly ‘religious’ person wants to see themselves as a “persecutor” of those whom their g(G)od has raised up for His witness.
No truly ‘religious’ person wants to see themselves as “insolent” in the eyes of their g(G)od & his people.
Though Paul had opposed God, he was granted “mercy.” This mercy was extended to Paul “because” he had opposed God thru his own weakness of misplaced faith. God’s mercy is ever present to overcome our weakness & lack of trust.
Paul was not a willful sinner or apostate in open opposition against God, but rather sought to honor Him. Paul’s honor however was couched in “ignorance” & thus when Christ spoke to him on the Damascus Road Paul willingly & immediately accepted Him.
Heb. 9:7—“But into the second part[Holy of Holies] the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself & for the people’s sins committed in ignorance;”
Lev. 5:17-19—““If a person sins, & commits any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD, though he does not know it, yet he is guilty & shall bear his iniquity. “And he shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish from the flock, with your valuation, as a trespass offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him regarding his ignorance in which he erred & did not know it, & it shall be forgiven him. “It is a trespass offering; he has certainly trespassed against the LORD.””
“Formerly/Before/Once”—proteron—Before, prior.
“Blasphemer”—blasfhmov—Speaking evil, slanderous, reproachful, railing, abusive. Strong—Scurrilous, i.e. Calumnious (against men), or (specially) Impious (against God). Used 5X.
“Persecutor”—diwkthv—Persecutor. Used 1X.
“Insolent/Injurious/Violent aggressor”—ubristhv—An insolent man; One who uplifted with pride, wither heaps insulting language upon others or does them some shameful act of wrong. One who delights in insolent wrong-doing toward others, finds pleasure in such acts. Cruelty & lust are two of the many forms which this quality assumes. Strong—An insulter, i.e. Maltreater.
English—‘Hubris’—“Showing a rude & arrogant lack of respect.” Overbearing pride or presumption.
“Obtained Mercy/Shown Mercy”[See :16]—eleew—V.—1)To have mercy on; 2)To help one afflicted or seeking aid; 3)To help the afflicted, to being help to the wretched; 4)To experience mercy. To feel sympathy with the misery of another, esp. such sympathy as manifests itself in act, less freq. in word. Strong—To compassionate (by word or deed, specially, by divine grace).
“Did it/Acted”—poiew—To make; To do.
“Ignorantly”—agnoew—To be ignorant, not to know; Not to understand, unknown; To err or sin through mistake, to be wrong.
“Unbelief”—apistia—1)Unfaithfulness, faithless; 2)Want of faith, unbelief; 3)Weakness of faith. Strong—Faithlessness, i.e. (negatively) Disbelief (lack of Christian faith), or (positively) Unfaithfulness (disobedience). Used 12X.
Argumentation:
Num. 14:18—“‘The LORD is longsuffering & abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity & transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third & fourth generation.’”
1Cor. 15:8-9—“Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”
2Cor. 12:2-10—“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago--whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows--such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows-- how he was caught up into Paradise & heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities. For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me. And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Eph. 2:1-10 & 11-13—“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses & sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh & of the mind, & were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), & raised us up together, & made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, & that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”.....“Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands-- that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel & strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope & without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
Titus 2:11-14—“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness & worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, & godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope & glorious appearing of our great God & Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed & purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”
Illustration:
Our experience with a wayward deacon(shacking up with a church member)/We offered Mercy/But rather than repentance(as was with Paul), the deacon defiantly left the church in a huff & not without leaving a few disconcerted members in his wake!/His MERCY
God overlooks the present failure in hopes that we will freely grasp His hand of mercy!
Application:
?You Thankful for God’s MERCY to you?
?You Thankful for God’s Investment?
3—We honor God’s investment thru Thankfulness for...
His EXCESS(:14)
Explanation: (:14)
:14—“And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith & love which are in Christ Jesus.”
Regarding God’s mercy, there was an “exceeding abundance” of the Christian’s “Lord’s” “grace” which was responsible for bringing the mercy to Paul. He was totally unfit to be the recipient of mercy.
“Electing grace grants us the ability to believe in Jesus Christ & trust God for salvation.”—John MacArthur
God’s grace came to Paul abundantly with the “faith & love” which both are had “in Christ Jesus.” Without the gracious advent of Jesus we would know nothing of the fullness of either “faith” or “love.”
Gal. 5:6—“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.”
“Grace”—cariv—Grace; Good-will, loving-kindness, favor; What is due to grace.
“Exceedingly abundant”—uperpleonazw—To be exceedingly abundant; To overflow; To possess in excess; Thanks, (for benefits, services, favors), recompense, reward. Strong—To superabound. Used 1X.
“Faith”—pistiv—Conviction of the truth of anything, belief; Fidelity, faithfulness.
“Love”—agaph—Brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence; Love feasts.
Argumentation:
1Cor. 15:10—“But by the grace of God I am what I am, & His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
2Cor. 3:2-6—“You are our epistle written in our hearts, known & read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
2Cor. 9:8-15—“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.” Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, & bread for food, supply & multiply the seed you have sown & increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, & for your liberal sharing with them & all men, & by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
Col. 1:24-27—“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, & fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages & from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Eph 3:14-21—“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven & earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted & grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width & length & depth & height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever & ever. Amen.”
Illustration:
Christmas presents/Geared around extravagance/That’s why we feel guilty when we can’t provide such extravagance/It is taken up even by the secular lost world unbeknownst to them/That the grace of God in Christ we receive is far beyond our ability to repay, though we try to emulate it!/His EXCESS
Citizens of 3rd world countries who come to America/They walk in a grocery store & are overwhelmed by the Abundance & EXCESS/His EXCESS
Application:
?You Thankful for God’s EXCESS granted to you?
?You Thankful for God’s Investment?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Father Takes a Needle for His Fearful Son
The boy honored his father’s Investment...by honoring his father’s wishes.
Action:
We honor God’s investment thru Thankfulness for...
1. His FAITH In ME/Us(:12)
2. His MERCY(:13)
3. His EXCESS(:14)
Presented 11/13/2011pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Needmore Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
