[0:00] All right, well, please get out your Bibles and find Ephesians chapter 2 again, where we were last week. We'll review and then carry forward the thought.
[0:14] Ephesians chapter 2. We covered last week the thought, the title was What You Were Born to Do.
[0:37] And the thought was being born again, giving spiritual life in Jesus Christ. What God did that for? Why did he just to save you from hell, just to keep you from getting what you deserve?
[0:52] Well, he did a work in you and created in you a new creature. And that creature was born. That creature was given life. That creature never existed all the years of your life as you were lost, walking in your sins and your trespasses and sins, being dead, according to verse number 1.
[1:13] And we got the verse, well, we read about how God appropriates salvation toward the middle of that chapter or that passage that we read. And we got to verse 10, and he tells us that we are his workmanship.
[1:26] Created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Now, as a lost man in the beginning of the chapter, being dead in trespasses and sins, that lost man cannot do good works that gets the attention of God.
[1:40] They're dead works, according to Hebrews chapter 6. Those works are just his best righteousness, his best efforts. And according to Isaiah, all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.
[1:53] God has no need for them. And there's all he can see and separates his, or what separates us from him is our iniquities and our sins.
[2:05] And so, good works do not negate bad deeds. They never have, they won't. You need something better. You need the blood of Jesus Christ. You need his righteousness to get rid of those bad deeds.
[2:18] When a person trusts Jesus Christ and gets saved, like in verses 8 and 9, it's by the grace of God. It's through your faith in the gospel. And it's through the finished work of what Jesus Christ did on the cross.
[2:31] It highlights the rich mercy of God in verse 4. The great love wherewith he loved us. And we know that Jesus Christ died for our sins. As he died for our sins, we took him as our savior, placed our faith in him, and God quickens us.
[2:46] He makes us alive in Jesus Christ in a new creature. He doesn't do anything with that old flesh. That's still, it's still very much in you. You didn't change when you got saved as far as your desires for sin.
[2:59] It's still there, as you well know. But inside of you, he created a new creature. A new being that did not exist. And the thought was, what were you born for?
[3:10] Why was that creature there? Well, the passage tells us that we were created in Christ Jesus unto good works. And now I took you through some, quite a bit of scripture where Paul kind of, he really little by little by little just puts pieces together that we can pick up and formulate a truth and a doctrine to understand what God is doing and how he's working and how we can submit to him and fulfill his will in this life.
[3:41] And we're not just left here to wonder about and to just, you do what you feel is right and you over here, you do what you feel is right. But no, he gives us discernment. It's his spirit inside of each one of us.
[3:53] The same spirit, the same God directing you that directs me. And he always directs us according to his word. It's always going to be in line and in accordance to what the word of God says.
[4:04] He's going to direct you to his word first and then operate through the word. And we'll see that in a minute. So the first thought we gained last week was that God created you in Christ Jesus and he designed you that new man was fitted to bring forth good works.
[4:22] Or another passage says fruit unto righteousness. Being fruitful in every good work is another passage. And so that new man is the one that was designed for that.
[4:35] God made him that way. He didn't make you different, you different, you different in the new man. No, we're all created in Christ Jesus to do good works, to do those things that are pleasing to God. And so it should come natural to the new man to do good works, to live righteous, and to do things that are pleasing to God.
[4:56] It should come natural to him because that's the way he was designed and made and fashioned. As well as there's an expectation of God for this new man to bring forth fruit unto righteousness.
[5:10] Because he made him and fitted him for that. So he expects to see that and that's just understandable. So God created you in Christ Jesus to walk in good works and he has an expectation to be pleased.
[5:23] Then the second thing we studied, four different passages I took you to to show you that the good works that can come out of you are a product of God inside of you.
[5:35] And that was Philippians chapter 2 where it says, It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. What pleases him. He's inside.
[5:45] And he's going to lead you to those righteous things that pleases him. And he's going to work that way through you. In Colossians chapter 1 it was Christ in you. And Paul says, It was the grace of God that Paul says I am what I am in 1 Corinthians 15.
[6:04] It was the grace of God that caused him to labor abundantly above them all. In Hebrews 13 we turn to that passage and we saw it for the fourth time that it was God doing work on the inside of the believer.
[6:16] And the point with all of that thought, sub point, was to show you that we get frustrated and fearful in our flesh of opportunities and things that we could be doing for Jesus Christ in this life and we say, Oh, I can't do that.
[6:34] Oh, I don't know what to say. Or I've never done that before. Or I've never been trained or went to Bible school so I can't preach or I can't teach a Sunday school or I can't sing. Or I'm not as good as that person.
[6:46] And we have excuses and we have fears and the Lord might direct us to witness to our family member or to a friend or a neighbor and inside of us we'll say, No, they won't hear.
[6:58] Or they'll shut me off. Or they don't want to. And we'll have, like, the flesh has excuses. And it's got them ready. They're just preloaded. His excuse gun is loaded and ready to fire.
[7:11] But the new man says, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. So the truth is, what God is leading you to and opportunities that God puts in your life, in your Christian life, to serve and do right, you can do those things.
[7:28] Now the devil will take that thought and he'll put it over the top and show you, you know, he'll push you to do more, more, more, more, more, so much that you can't do it.
[7:39] Or you get frustrated or you get to where you just exhaust your resources and your mind and mentally can't keep up. And that's Satan. He'll see a Christian that wants to do something for God and try to push him so far that he falls off the other end.
[7:55] So there's always a balance to keep in mind and maintain. But you can do all things through Christ. And I gave you a couple verses about being strong in the Lord and in the power of his might and being strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man.
[8:10] That we have a treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. And so all these things shed light on some passages that teach that God didn't choose the mighty or the noble or the wise in this world.
[8:24] He'll choose the base ones, the things that are not. He'll choose people that are nothings in this world to glorify himself. So first of all, God created you in Christ and designed you in the new man, fitted you to fulfill his will on this earth.
[8:41] Things that are pleasing, things that are of righteousness. The fruit of the spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. It's going to fall into that category. And then he does the work.
[8:53] As you yield to him, he performs it. He doesn't call you to be saved and just say, go do all these great feats for me. No, he fits you for it and he empowers you through it.
[9:05] It's called the fruit of the spirit. It's the spirit bringing forth the fruit. And so that's something to remember. It's not the works of the flesh or it's not, I'm going to live for God now, so now I need to do these works.
[9:20] It's the spirit will bring those things out. Now I want to move to a third thought and then conclude it with a fourth one this morning. Just like we are born into this world and we're born into families and we're brought up in a culture and in a civilization and we're taught to function.
[9:44] We're taught to say words with our mouth. We're taught to write those words and letters and we're taught how to put things away and to clean up after ourselves.
[9:55] And it starts in a bedroom and sometimes it's not very successful. But we're trained to be that kind of a person, a human being that can be a civilized individual that can just be a productive member of the world and a successful one.
[10:15] Like parents try to give the tools and the training that they receive to pass it on to their children. When somebody doesn't operate that way, when somebody lives like, you say things like, what were you, raised by dogs?
[10:28] Or when a kid doesn't shut the door, they say, what were you, born in a barn? And obviously it's just kind of an overstretch there, but the idea you get is that there is an expectation of human beings to behave in a civilized manner.
[10:44] Now you get into a big city and you just see little, less and less and less of that. And more than that, the decline of American morality and culture that you experience in your lifetime, generation after, it just goes further and further and further from that, which is a sad thing to say, no doubt.
[11:02] But when somebody lacks manners and when they lack etiquette or just the ability to behave civilized, it's usually the lack of, either lack of training, they're still human, they've just never been taught certain things, their parents weren't very good parents or they didn't really spend time with them or take care of them.
[11:21] Or it's because they just refuse to submit to being a productive, civilized person. They just want to live on their own and live on the street or they just want to do what they want to do.
[11:32] And they'll never be told what to do by anybody. And there are people with that attitude. Now there's something similar about this thought of being civilized or being trained with manners and etiquette and just figuring things out and then submitting to that and choosing to live that way.
[11:49] The new creature that God created inside you, the new man, he possesses eternal life. He's a spiritual man, alive in Christ, and God is inside.
[12:02] And he's capable of doing the work that we discussed and saw that he does. But if he's never been trained, he's not going to bring forth much fruit.
[12:13] He's born. He's alive in Christ. You have eternal life. But if he never gets trained or if he never develops or never grows or matures, he'll never bring forth those fruits or those good works that God created him to bring forth and walk in.
[12:33] The baby doesn't just be born and then they're talking. They're not born and in two weeks they're starting to sketch out little plans for the future house they want to build one day.
[12:48] Like there's so much that needs to be input into them to get them to the place where they can actually function and perform and do some good things. The new creature in Christ is likened to a babe.
[13:00] And you're told to desire the sincere milk of the word. As newborn babes. And Paul says, you're babes in Christ in 1 Corinthians 3. And a baby is a fussery baby.
[13:11] A baby is whiny and he calls them carnal and there's strifes and divisions among them. And they need to be trained that that's wrong and this is right.
[13:22] And it takes time. The ability and the potential inside of that new creature exists inside of you, inside of me, inside of any newborn Christian.
[13:34] The ability and potential exist inside of them to walk in good works, to display that workmanship of God and have him work through them and do things through Christ.
[13:47] but it must be developed. It must be worked at. It must be cultivated. Turn to 2 Timothy chapter 2. The ability exists but it must be grown.
[14:08] This working of God inside the new man, this growth and maturity that God wants to bring you from a babe to an adult, this thing can be hindered or it can be helped.
[14:27] Sin will hinder it. The works of the flesh will hinder you from growing. Ungodly relationships and friendships will keep you from experiencing what God wants from walking in good works.
[14:39] It can be hindered or it can be helped. It can be prevented or it can be prepared. And that's a good word that we're going to see here in this passage. 2 Timothy 2, look at verses 19 through 21.
[14:52] Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal. The Lord knoweth them that are his. And let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
[15:04] But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honor and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and notice this, meat for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
[15:31] The next verse, flee also youthful lusts. Earlier it was depart from iniquity. In verse 21, purge himself from these vessels of dishonor so that you can be a vessel.
[15:45] Remember that was a word I highlighted last week. That's what you are is a vessel that God can fill and God can use. That's the new man. But that needs to be cultivated.
[15:56] The new birth alone just doesn't get the job done. You just don't start, you don't get saved and then just start doing these works for God that are bringing forth amazing fruit and a glorious testimony.
[16:06] No, it takes work. And here it takes departing from iniquity. And here it takes a purging from the way you live and the way you think and the way you act and what you've allowed in your home and in your heart and in your car and in the relationships you have, the friends you have.
[16:23] It takes a purging from them, a walking away from them. If they're not going to live for God, you shouldn't be hanging with them. If they're not in church on Sunday morning, they shouldn't be your go-to Sunday afternoon or Saturday.
[16:38] They're not going to help you. The Bible calls you to purge yourself from some people and to depart from some iniquities so that you can be a vessel that's prepared unto every good work.
[16:52] It takes some cultivating. Look at 2 Timothy 3, the next chapter, and notice it's the Holy Scriptures that can do this work inside of you.
[17:04] Verse 16, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. Notice this, verse 17, that the man of God may be perfect, that's a maturity, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
[17:26] Without the Scripture, you will not be furnished or prepared or fitted to bring forth fruit, to bring forth good works, to walk in them.
[17:38] So do you see, you were born, created in Christ Jesus, the God that can do the work is in you and is available, but you're going to have to yield yourself, you're going to have to get into the book, and you're going to have to shun some things and stay away from some things in order to give God the space and the time and put the effort in to allow Him to grow you, to mature you, to prepare you and to furnish you unto all good works.
[18:07] That's what you're called to do, remember, that's what you were born to do, good works, in Christ, the working of God coming out of you. Then you better get in the book, because the word of God is the thing that can furnish you unto good works.
[18:26] You better be in your Bible. The new birth won't get it done alone. There's a departing from iniquity and then a furnishing, an arming, like putting on the armor of God, a preparation toward those good works.
[18:45] And again, that's the purpose for your existence, that's your calling. God will not force you. He will not force you to work. He will not grow you against your will. You will only grow as much as you want to grow.
[18:58] As much as you want the Lord, as much as you want His word to transform and change you and renew your mind, you'll only grow as much as you want that to happen. Otherwise, you'll fill your flesh and your days and your life with just carnal vanity.
[19:14] You'll find something to entertain yourself and your mind with and people, but you'll never grow. In other words, you choose to pray.
[19:25] God doesn't force you to your knees. You choose to spend time in the Bible. God doesn't force you to pick it up and read. You choose to fellowship with like-minded believers.
[19:37] You choose when you come to church to seek something from the scriptures and to grow. You choose to pay attention. God doesn't force you to do any of that. When you make the right choices, when you seek God, He sees that heart, the results will be apparent.
[19:56] You'll grow. It's inevitable because the new man inside of you is built for that. He's hungry for that. He's starving. And when you give it to Him, He grows and the ceiling, who knows what the ceiling is.
[20:14] So the Word of God equips the believer to walk in good works. The Word of God is what transforms him into having the mind of Christ.
[20:25] The Word of God is what arms him with truth in a world that's full of deception, a world that's full of religious lies, a world of confused people that think they know what's right when they don't have any standard or basis.
[20:40] They don't have any contact with God. And Paul calls it a crooked and perverse generation. So just like a newborn babe, they're alive but they're incapable of doing something of value.
[20:56] They just sleep and cry and eat and make messes. They don't really do much. There's not much production. But when the atmosphere is right and when the feeding is right, the nourishment is there, they grow like weeds and they grow and grow and grow and they mature and then they become capable of functioning and taking care of certain things on their own and then they become a help to you and a help to somebody else and before long they're teaching somebody else how to do something because they're growing.
[21:33] The new man, the same way, needs that diet of scripture and of teaching and of preaching. He needs that fellowship with the saints. He needs to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
[21:48] As the new man grows he'll understand what the will of the Lord is. As the new man grows his mind is renewed to see things from God's perspective. He'll gain in strength, he'll gain in endurance, he'll improve his skills and he will be prepared to serve Jesus Christ and to walk in good works.
[22:07] Come to Romans chapter 12 with me for a moment just a quick read here of Romans chapter 12. Considering these thoughts just building one off of the other here's a real, real popular passage and it starts with the believer presenting themselves or surrendering themselves to allow the Lord to do something with them.
[22:36] Verse 1, I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies, that's the vessel Timothy talked about, present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, Timothy told us to depart from iniquity, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service and be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
[23:14] If you can get into that end of the verse to where what you do is acceptable to God, it's well pleasing in his sight, it's what you were born to do.
[23:26] That's what you were born to do. You need to get to that place to where you're pleasing God with your life. So God created you to walk in good works. He created that new creature and designed him for works of righteousness.
[23:42] He designed him to speak the truth. He designed him to love the truth. He designed him to minister grace to others and on and on.
[23:55] The works that are performed is the evidence, it is the working, the existing of God inside him. It's the Lord Jesus Christ in you, the spirit of God in you that lives and brings forth the fruit.
[24:12] And then thirdly, as we just discussed, this calling, this walk of good works, this Christian life, it's something that just doesn't happen overnight. It has to be worked at and developed and cultivated and prepared by surrendering to the Lord, by giving yourself to those spiritual things like the word of God, like time on your knees where you're talking in communion and the new man is growing in his connection to his creator, his God, his father, as well as spending time with other believers.
[24:50] I can't emphasize how big that is for new Christians to spend time with other believers. So now there's another thing to add and let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 12.
[25:09] 1 Corinthians 12 and this, we were in this chapter when we were in charity in 13 and 14 and it deals with spiritual gifts.
[25:20] Verse 1, now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I did not have you be ignorant. He talks about some things, I don't want to rehash all of this, I want to get to verse 17 and 18 where he says, if the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing?
[25:34] If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members, every one of them in the body, notice this, as it hath pleased him.
[25:46] So there's a list of gifts in the passage, there's a diversity of gifts and of administration and of administration and of operations in verses 4, 5, and 6.
[25:57] So there's differences within the church and the differences, the individuality of it is something that pleased God to do, to give one this and the other that, to fit one person toward this, to give them a proclivity and an ability toward this and another toward that.
[26:19] God does all of that. this, as it hath pleased him. It's his pleasure to not make us all machine-like robots and saying the same thing, thinking the same thing, repeating the same thing, acting the same thing.
[26:32] He put the diversity in here. He puts the diversity in, and he says, if the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? There needs to be hearing. And so within a local church even, there needs to be differences.
[26:45] There needs to be strengths on one side and weaknesses while there's strengths on the other side. That should be there in a healthy church. And that's what God does. It's a work of God.
[26:56] It pleases him to gift his children in different ways for the purpose of walking in good works. We don't all have to walk the same or do the same good works because God can gift us in different ways.
[27:10] And he does. And it pleases him to do it that way. You were created in Christ Jesus unto good works. That's kind of a broad statement, unto good works.
[27:25] And when I call it, when I, other references, the fruits or the works of righteousness or the fruits of righteousness, those are kind of broad terms. It doesn't say that you were born again to win souls every day of your life.
[27:42] And we could say, well, it's a good thing to do that right. Yes. Well, it's a bad thing if you don't do that. I suppose it would be to not seek souls and have a conviction and a desire to see them saved.
[27:56] But if you've been around a little bit, you'll realize some people are gifted. They're gifted to talk. They're gifted. They're never intimidated. They could go into a room of anybody and tell them all.
[28:09] And it's just, God gifts them with that. It's not to give you an excuse to say, well, I wasn't gifted with it so I can just bury my head in the sand and pretend that they can go to hell and it's not my fault. No, if God puts it on your heart and gives you opportunity, you have a job to obey the spirit of God too.
[28:25] But without question, I went to Bible school with a guy and he was in his third year of school when I came in the door and before, I can't think of the timing of this exactly, but it was over the summer is what it was.
[28:39] And they have a visitation program where you kind of have partners with other students and this was over the summer so I partnered with this guy. I got to meet him a little bit and I found him to be like incredibly good at talking to people.
[28:53] Like incredibly good and so I worked my way in to be his partner because I wanted to learn from him. I wanted to just be with him. I wanted to, because we went, everywhere we went, he was so good.
[29:04] Turns out he was a telemarketer for a job if that gives you any indication. He could talk anybody into anything but not in, you know, he didn't do it deceitfully with the word of God but I was so fascinated because I was more of an intimidated person when approaching strangers or, you know, I'm sizing them up and thinking the wrong things and he just walks right in with such a smooth tone and just could talk to anybody, old, young, big, different ethnicities, anything.
[29:35] And I was so impressed by it and I just walked with him for a whole summer there and just learned from him and felt like, this guy's gifted. He's really, really gifted with this.
[29:45] But there was other things when I was around him that I noticed he was kind of a slob. Like, really, just structurally wise, he couldn't put together much of anything and keep it together.
[29:57] He just kind of did that and left it go and then did that and then left that go and that was just kind of how he bounced around. It just, it wasn't his nature to really dot his I's and cross his T's too well.
[30:10] And I learned, I thought, he's definitely gifted in talking to people and he's using that gift for the Lord Jesus Christ and witnessing and soul winning. But there's other areas you probably don't want him to be in administration of something and rely on him because that's just not going to be a strength.
[30:28] He's not going to be able to serve the Lord in that capacity. And so I learned the Lord gifted him in one way but he gifts other people in other ways. And God willing, we'd all have a zeal and a fire to win the lost and to be willing to be used of the Lord to do those things.
[30:48] And let the ones that are better at it do better at it but don't stop trying to do it. I'll say that. Now God made us individuals and inside this room we're different.
[31:00] We have different personalities and it pleased God to bring these differences together into one church. It's of the Lord. And it pleased God to gift you and to give you different abilities because he did it as it hath pleased him.
[31:17] And so it pleased him to make us different. Now God fitted you with a personality and he fitted you with an ability and he seeks to use you.
[31:28] and he did that on purpose because he hath done all things well. And in Christ Jesus he created you under good works and he seeks to use you.
[31:39] Your job is not to do my job and mine is not to do yours. But the Lord has fitted us in the new man to bring forth fruits that are glorifying Jesus Christ.
[31:50] Christ. Now I told you last week some preachers get up and they say things like you need to find what your spiritual gift is and you need to do it. And I don't like the way they talk like that.
[32:01] I don't like saying that God gave you a gift now you have to go figure it out. You go figure it out and you get frustrated and you get confused trying to compare passages and find yourself in a passage.
[32:15] And I don't think the Lord deals like that. somebody says well I don't know what God wants me to do.
[32:27] I don't know what my gift is I don't know what to do. That's fine. That's totally fine. I won't put the pressure on you and say you need to write it down on a piece of paper before the night's over because you can't.
[32:37] You probably won't. But understand this much we each have a spiritual role to fulfill whether it's liken the body with an eye or an ear or a foot or a hand we each are needed to fulfill something different within the body of Christ.
[32:58] There's some function or some capacity that God designed you and gave you and it may be more than one. So I'm not trying to get you to isolate one thing I'm good at and say this is what my gift is because I just don't buy all of that preaching and teaching.
[33:15] It may be more than one. As a matter of fact I know some guys that are in the ministry that are very talented. I mean they can do a lot of things and they can do a lot of them very well and they draw people to them because of their talents and as long as they stay humble and are a vessel that God can use they'll go and it'll be blessed of the Lord and when they get filled with pride and start to make it about themselves then the Lord will pull back and it'll just be them going on their own abilities.
[33:42] But the Lord fits men and some men and women with abilities and talents if they'll use them and make themselves vessels for God to use he'll take that thing and he'll glorify himself with it and you in your humility will be pleased that you are being used of God.
[34:00] There's a verse where would I find that at 1 Corinthians 4 yeah look back at chapter 4 this is a caution against thinking that you are better than another person because you have more talents or excel at certain things and the thought is that whatever abilities and areas you can excel whatever that is that you have God gave that to you to be used for his glory verse 7 says for who maketh thee to differ from another the answer is God and what what hast thou that thou didst not receive the answer is nothing everything you have an ability and whether it's athletic or mental or emotional or consoling or anything or anything the way you are
[35:02] God put that in you you didn't just become that because you wanted to you're just learning over years this is what I'm good at or this is some area that I excel at where I can't do that for nothing and you start to realize God made me this way and the statement then at the end of the verse now if thou didst not receive it why dost thou glory now if thou didst receive it why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it why are you pretending that you made yourself that way so that's the statement now God creates us different and we each have a spiritual role to fulfill and a function within the body of Christ and if you don't know what it is it's not something you have to identify in a moment what you have to do is be that vessel that's yielded to the Lord Jesus Christ to allow him to fill you and to work through you and as you say yes to the opportunities in front of you that he puts in your life and in your path as you say yes it's of the
[36:06] Lord you'll find he'll lead you you'll find you'll excel or succeed or be a blessing in a certain way and you'll come to realize this is the Lord this is what he's fitted me to do and to be and to minister a way that someone else isn't you don't have to identify it you just have to submit you just have to walk you just have to yield yourself to him he'll lead you right to it he'll walk you right to it and if it falls in the category of good works that are pleasing to God you don't have to think I'm not very good at that if it falls in the category of good works it's what you were born to do now if you flop at something many many times maybe that's just not what you're here for there was a guy spiritual gift is and I said why do you say it like that and he said well
[37:06] I just thought it's a spiritual gift supposed to figure it out I said well what are you good at and he's like spiritually nothing and he was being honest because he's really kind of a carnal guy I said no what are you good at and he said anything I've ever been good at is making money making money and he felt guilty because that's a carnal thing making money I said well can God use that and he just he never put those two thoughts together I said every church I know needs money every ministry needs money every single one of them every missionary every evangelist every program everything could it be that God has blessed you with a mind and ability in the world to make money to use that to be a funnel to to filter down into his working in the body of Christ did you ever think of that he never thought of that the whole time he just kind of beating himself up figuring
[38:10] I can't I'm not spiritually minded like these guys I can't do these money hungry amen but it can be something that's used of God and God can and will use it when your heart's right with him you just want to please him you just give that to the Lord let him use you to minister to others it's what you were born to do so I don't believe it's about just pinpointing one thing and then even I don't believe it's about trying to imitate things that you see these these phenomenas in the scripture of the Holy Spirit doing these outward signs and wonders it's not about trying to imitate that either but rather about making yourself an available vessel unto God to use it's about you taking advantages of the opportunities that he gives you it's about growing from that babe and getting fitted and prepared to where he can use you to be a blessing and a spiritual help and edify somebody else in the faith if it's good if it's righteous it's what he called you to do it's good works remember we are his workmanship created in
[39:36] Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them so Christian if you're not bringing forth fruit if you're not walking in good works could it be that you've never done the training that you've never given yourself to those spiritual things that will grow the new man that will prepare the new man because you're not fitted for good works because you're walking in the flesh you've got too much world coming in and not enough God coming in to clean and push that guy away so that you can be used of God could that be the problem why you're confused why you don't know how to be used why you don't know what you should be doing if you'll give yourself to the scriptures give yourself to prayer and give yourself to being faithful to the local church that
[40:37] God placed you in and to feeding and growing and watching that new man be furnished unto good works then an opportunity will show up you know as a pastor if you've got something that you want to do or you need something done you just you kind of scan and think who could take care of that you kind of look for a faithful man you kind of look like the ones that come to mind first is somebody who's plugged in to what this is to a church to being faithful to the church to the word of God to growing somebody has a good testimony like that sounds like a person that you would gravitate toward first you know why because they've been furnished they've been prepared to it they've been fitted for good works and when an opportunity the Lord lays something on my heart or reveals a need and we need somebody to fill that need or fill that spot you don't go looking for the person that shows up once a month and who looks as worldly as can be and talks like it you don't look to them and be like oh this will really help them grow no it won't they'll never be able to do it because they haven't been fitted and furnished for it but when you walk with
[41:56] God and this is what I was born to do I'm serving God I have a job I have a capacity I have something I can do for Jesus Christ and there's not much more fulfilling than that you can make some money you can buy a nice home or car but that's going to burn this stuff we're talking about here what God put you on this planet for he put that new man he put his spirit inside of you is eternal it's going to last forever it's actually going to earn you a weight of glory an eternal weight of glory and that's a whole other discussion about this so wrapping this up God created you to walk in good works he designed that new guy in there to do that he needs to grow
[42:57] God will do the work God in the inside all of it's of him you need to give yourself to it depart from iniquity purge yourself from the people in your life that are holding you back from walking in good works give yourself to the Lord give yourself to his word get connected get faithful get plugged in to this local church and to become friends and feed and strengthen fellowship here and as you do an opportunity will arise or in your life you'll see and you've been furnished for it you've been trained for it I can't tell you how many times over my life of being around church or even just preaching myself and teaching things how people will say things or myself that that you hear a message you hear something and it shows up the next day or within that week an opportunity you relate it right back to what you heard you were ready for it you were fitted for it the Lord gave you his word on it and you you had the green light and you can rejoice in
[43:59] Jesus Christ because you didn't run away from it you had an opportunity to do good works now we're going to close there and I'm not going to have an invitation or anything like that I've just kind of put this out there today and last week and I hope together that it helps you to see where you're at and helps you the Lord impresses you where you need to go and what can what difference needs to be made in your life so that you can be at that place where you say yeah I'm furnished and I'm ready our Father we a prayer