[0:00] This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfred, Georgia. It is our prayer that you will be blessed by the preaching of God's Word. Take your Bible, if you would, and open with me to Romans chapter 15. Romans chapter 15.
[0:11] And we will enjoy these last verses for two or three more weeks in the book of Romans chapter 15. I hope you enjoyed that offering devotional. I hope you know that giving is a part of who we are.
[0:24] We are excited about what God's done in our lives, and we're excited that God has blessed us, and we want to do that back. We want to give back. Take with me, if you would, and go to Romans 15.
[0:36] This is just extra. You can write these three words in the margin of your Bible in Romans chapter 15, verses 26 and 27, and then we'll work our way through the chapter, but I think there are three exciting words you can write down right here in Romans chapter 15, verse 26.
[0:50] The Bible says, For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. It hath pleased them verily, and their debtors they are.
[1:03] For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things. And so look at these verses with me, and I want you to notice what happened.
[1:16] You know, we studied this in the book of Corinthians. The church out on the mission field, the church that had received the word of God, sent to them from the church at Jerusalem.
[1:27] They had taken up an offering because Jerusalem was in really bad shape. The people were hungry. They needed help, and they had sent money back to them. They were taking up the offering.
[1:37] So Paul, as he ends the book of Romans, he's given us a whole lot of doctrine, and he's given us a whole lot of practice in Romans 15 and 16. He's kind of closing the letter down. It's a letter to a church.
[1:48] He's talking to a church, and he says something about the offering that they were given. He says something about the fact that they were giving an offering. And so if you would, write down in your Bible in the margin next to verse 26 the word delight.
[2:02] Look at it. It says, It hath pleased them. So circle the word pleased. It's in verse 26, it pleased them to make a certain contribution. They were glad.
[2:13] They delighted. They were excited that they got to make a contribution for the poor saints, for the poor brothers in Christ which are at Jerusalem. In verse 27 it said, It hath pleased them truly, verily.
[2:26] It pleased them. And that's the lesson that you just heard from Brother John. It pleases us. It delights us. We're excited to be able to give to God because we know God's been good to us.
[2:38] And we're excited to be able to give. And every one of us ought to be givers. It ought to be a part of you to say, I know that everything I have and everything I am comes from God.
[2:49] And he has done a great work in my life. And I'm excited about being able to give back to the things and the work of God. The second word you can write down in the margin of your Bible is debtor. Look if you would, in verse 27, It said, It hath pleased them verily, and their debtors they are.
[3:05] Their debtors they are. And here's what Paul was saying to the Romans. Look this way just so I can catch this. He's saying those churches in Corinth and Macedonia and Achaia, they owed the church at Jerusalem.
[3:19] They owed a large debt. Because though they had not received money from them, and they were sending an offering to them, he said, You owe them. They gave the gospel to you.
[3:31] They sent preachers to you. They sent men of God to you. They invested in you in a spiritual way. You are in debt to them.
[3:42] And I don't know if you've ever thought about how much you are in debt to those that have preached the Bible to you. The somebody told you a long time ago about Jesus down on a cross. Think back with me to the time that you got saved.
[3:54] I think back to Wrigley Baptist Church, May the 6th, 1962. I'm a seven-year-old boy. I'll soon be eight years old. I've been going to church all of my life. Carlton Flowers stands to preach.
[4:05] I'll never forget him. I've searched for him on Facebook. He's probably dead by now, but I've searched for him on Facebook. I've searched for him on Google. I've done everything I could to find him. He was my pastor.
[4:15] He told me about Jesus. I remember very distinctly that day. You say, how do you know the date? My mama wrote it down, and I found it in her Bible. I didn't know the date when I got saved.
[4:25] I just knew I got saved. And I remembered it, and I found that in my mother's Bible. But on May the 6th, 1962, a preacher stood up and told me about Jesus. And he explained to me how I could go to heaven when I died.
[4:37] And so I'm in debt to Carlton Flowers. I'll never forget that man shared with me about Jesus Christ. And God made a great difference in my life. I can remember that week as I was on my way home.
[4:49] I asked my dad. I said, if I die before next Sunday, because I was going to get baptized on May the 13th down in Mill Creek, outside the church. I said, if I die before I get baptized, do I go to heaven or do I go to hell?
[5:02] And my daddy said, baptism doesn't get you into heaven. Baptism doesn't keep you out of heaven. You trusted Jesus Christ and you're going to heaven. You're only going to get baptized to tell people that you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
[5:13] I'm a debtor. I can remember all those people over all the years that taught me. I can remember Pastor Gary when I was a boy in 7th grade through 12th grade. And how he taught me the Bible and how I'd spend time at the church.
[5:26] And how I was a young boy in the church. And he showed interest in me and taught me about the things of God. I can remember Herbert Greenville in my Sunday school class sharing with me about Jesus Christ.
[5:37] And how I can remember going to his Sunday school class. It was actually interesting because he really taught the Bible. I can remember Larry who taught me the Bible in college and showed me the Bible.
[5:47] I can remember a guy named Steve that invested so much. And I could go through my life and tell you God's done big things and I am in debt to them. That's what he said right here. You are their debtor. We owe people that have given to us spiritually.
[6:00] Then there's a third word you can write down if you would. And you'll find that word in verse 27. He said, And it pleased them verily and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, of what the Jews had, their duty.
[6:15] Write down the word duty. Their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things. He said, There's three words I hope you got written down there. Delight, Debtor, Duty.
[6:27] It was their delight. It pleased them. They were in debt because they owed them. But it was their duty. And I wish you'd look this way. Listen just a second. I don't preach on giving. I don't preach on giving. But unless a passage comes to it.
[6:38] But this passage is about giving. And I'm just going to mention it to you as we go through. Because we're going to finish Lord willing Romans chapter 15. But let me explain something to you. The way God's work works is that you get involved.
[6:49] And one of the ways you get involved is you realize, Hey, I'm excited about giving to the work of God because God's done such a work in my life. I give because I owe. I owe because God sent people to my life.
[7:01] And then we send preachers out. So he said, It's your duty. They gave you spiritual things. And you give back to them carnal things. That preacher preaches. And all he gives you are words and teaching and inspiration and what the Bible says.
[7:16] But you replace that with carnal things. Shoes and clothes and food and a house and all that stuff. And we do that for preachers who carry the gospel around the world. So Paul wanted them to get involved in giving.
[7:28] He said, It's not just a delight. And you don't just owe. He actually used the word duty. He said, You ought to be giving to this thing. You ought to be involved in it.
[7:39] And I will say to you, You ought to be involved. If you haven't learned how to give, You should learn how to give. You should start maybe with a tithe. Maybe 10%. You say, Why a tithe?
[7:49] I don't believe in being legalistic. I don't believe we ought to have to have a certain amount. We'll start with 3%. I don't care where you start. But get disciplined about giving to the things of God.
[8:00] You ought to say, Man, God's work is valuable to me. You ought to say, I believe in what God's doing. I delight in Him. I count myself a debtor, And I find it my duty to be involved.
[8:11] And give to God a small percentage. 10% is what they did in the Old Testament. 10% is kind of like the basic thing that's been taught for many years. But hey, I don't care. Start with 1%.
[8:22] Give 1%. And then next year, Give 2% and 3% and 4% and 10% and 11%. But get excited about what God's doing. And get involved in the work of God. If God is important to you, It'll show up in how you spend your time.
[8:36] If God's important to you, It'll show up in how you spend your time. Do you give Him some time every day with some prayer and Bible study? It'll show up in how you spend your treasure. How you spend your money.
[8:46] Because I can always tell what's important to you. You know, your gym membership comes out of your paycheck every month. And hey, the food bill comes out of the paycheck every month. And the movies things come out of that.
[8:59] Or entertainment or internet. It comes out every month. And where's the things that God come out? Well, I throw Him some change. When I first arrived in Peru, They used to call it limosna.
[9:12] Which is a Spanish word for basically, What you give to beggars. And I said, We won't call that alms at this church ever. We won't call it what you give to a beggar.
[9:22] Because God's not a beggar. We ought to give to God first. We give to God before we get. You know, You give God the first bite. You give God the first portion.
[9:33] You give God the first part. Because He's important to you. And the work of God's important to you. So I don't know where you stand on your giving. But I challenge you. You see, If you really believe in something, You don't mind getting into your pocket and giving.
[9:46] There are people giving more to PETA Than some Christians are giving to the work of God. You and I want to not be that way. We want to be people that say, Hey, I believe in giving. So there are three words. I hope you got them written down there. It was their delight.
[9:58] It pleased them. They were happy. They didn't say, Man, that preacher's talking about money again. I'm getting mad. It pleased them. Then they realized they were debtors. They said, We owe. Boy, somebody's been good to us.
[10:09] And that, by the way, Is why you ought to be a Sunday school teacher. Because somebody taught you. That's why you ought to be involved in ministry. You ought to be involved in discipleship. Because somebody taught you. And that's why you ought to give. Because they owed them.
[10:21] He said, Take an offer and send it back to them. And then he said, Not only is it your delight and your debt, But it's your duty. You ought to be given to them. Now take your Bible, If you would, Go to Romans chapter 15.
[10:31] Romans chapter 15. We'll go up to verse 14. Let me show you what the Bible says in verse 14, If I could. In chapter 15, verse 14, The Bible said, I myself also am persuaded of you, My brethren, That you also are full of goodness, Filled with all knowledge, And able also to admonish one another.
[10:50] Now that's an unreal verse. Do you remember, You're in the book of the Bible, Where he started out and he said, In the book of the Bible, He started out and he said, You are sinners, And you're going to go to hell.
[11:01] Do you remember how, When we started the book of Romans, Week after week, We went over the fact that we were sinners. Week after week, We went over the fact that we had failed. I mean, It was like every week, It was like, Can we get off of this?
[11:12] Alright, We stink. We get it. But when he was writing to the Romans, He wasn't saying that they weren't saved. He was trying to make sure they understood some doctrine. That they understood some Bible teaching.
[11:24] And that Bible teaching is that all men have sinned. All men have come short of the glory of God. Nobody's good enough. Who goes to heaven on their own merit? Absolutely no one. Nobody goes to heaven, Because of how good he or she is.
[11:38] If you stay in what you're able to do, And what you're able to produce, You will go to hell. That's a clear teaching. But look what he said to them. He said, I'm persuaded of you. Would you write that down? Write that down the margin maybe.
[11:49] He's persuaded. He's confident. He's sure of something. He said, He's sure, And he's sure of three things that you find in that verse. Three things that are exciting. That Paul said, I know this about you.
[12:02] I know this about you. Please don't forget, You went through 11 chapters. It sounded pretty negative. Now he's finishing the book, And he says, I want y'all to, I close this book to know I know you, And I believe in you.
[12:13] Look what he said first. You're filled with all goodness. You're filled with all goodness. You see that in the verse? Look at what he said. I am also persuaded of you, My brethren, That you also are full of goodness.
[12:25] Whoa. Oh, Look here a second. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Isn't that different than what we read in Romans 3.10? As it is written, There is none righteous, No, Not one. Isn't that different in Romans 3.23, For all have sinned, And come short of the glory of God.
[12:38] Isn't that different than all those verses? See, That's who we were. This is who we are. That's who we were. This is who we are. I was full.
[12:48] I was in Ephesians chapter 2, Dead. I was in rebellion, And I was in disobedience. But all of a sudden, Something fantastic happened. The Holy Spirit of God saved me. God saved me.
[12:59] He convicted me of my sin. He caused me to see the truth, And I got saved. And now we are full of goodness. Can you understand? Did you get that? That's like the wildest, Craziest thing in the world.
[13:11] Especially in Romans. Especially after we went through the book of Romans, You read all those chapters, And you're like, Man, This is a dark book. This is really sad. That we're all bad.
[13:22] But he ends up saying, No, No, No, I am persuaded of something about you. That you are full of goodness. The Bible says in Galatians 5.22, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, Joy, Peace, Long-suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Temperance against such there is no law.
[13:39] In verse 22, It said goodness. Now watch this. Romans chapter 8. Do you remember? Now there's no condemnation to those of us who are in Christ Jesus. Do you remember what he said? He said in Romans chapter 8, In verse 9, If you don't have the Spirit, You're not His.
[13:52] We are saved. The Holy Spirit came into us. And when He came into us, He produces in us something different. In Galatians, It talks about the fruit of the Spirit, And it talks about the works of the flesh. We are not in the flesh.
[14:04] We're in the Spirit. God is producing us. Goodness, Love, Joy, Peace, But He's produced goodness in us. Paul said, I am convinced of something about you guys. You are full of goodness. In Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 9, The Bible says, The fruit of the Spirit is all goodness.
[14:19] It's in all goodness. And righteousness and truth. He changed us. We were sinners. We were full of anger and wrath and malice and bitterness.
[14:31] That's who we were. But now we are full of goodness. Paul believes that they're saved. Paul believes God has done a work of grace in them. If you are saved, Then it's God who did a work in you.
[14:43] And if you're not saved, You're what you used to be. Or you're still there. And you're lost. The Bible says, Ephesians 2, 8 and 9, For by grace are you saved through faith. And that not of yourselves. It's a gift of God, Not of works.
[14:55] But verse 10, You often skip. In verse 10, He says this, We are His workmanship. Created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Now look this way just a second.
[15:07] He saved us. We're not who we used to be. How many of you are not who you used to be? Say amen. Not about who you are. Not about what you did. But about the cross that Ed led us into singing about today.
[15:18] The cross. It's there that Jesus changed us. Say amen. He made new creatures out of us. He changed us. We're no longer children of the devil. We're no longer children of disobedience. We're no longer full of lies and bitterness and hate.
[15:30] We're full of goodness because of the work of God in our lives through Jesus Christ. That's not all he said. That's good. That's good. I mean, can you imagine? If somebody wrote, I don't even know if my wife would write me and say, Austin, you are full of goodness.
[15:43] I think my wife might say, Austin, you are, You're 88% full of goodness. You're 98% full of goodness, but there's still that devil in you. And she probably knows that. And it's the truth. But Paul writes, I know something about you guys.
[15:53] I'm persuaded about it. You're full of goodness. That's pretty good stuff. Amen. But look at the next thing he said. The next thing he said to him in verse, in the same verse, in verse 14, he said, You're full of goodness.
[16:05] He said, You're filled with all knowledge. Excuse me. Excuse me. He said, He said, I am persuaded that you're also full of goodness. And filled with all knowledge.
[16:17] They had learned. They had grown. They had started filling themselves up with the word of God. The word of God was filling up them. It was just oozing out their pores.
[16:27] They were full of Jesus, full of the Bible, full of God's word, full of knowledge. They had learned. It's not about your head, by the way. Because in the Bible, it's never about what you know.
[16:38] It's not about what you have in your head. It's about what you got in your feet. It's not about how much you know, but it's how much it's lived out. And he said, Hey man, you know you're living it. It's something new in you.
[16:49] It's something new in you. It says in verse 14, you are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge. Remember what it said in Romans 12, 1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
[17:06] And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans chapter 12.
[17:16] I got saved by the grace of God. I am full of goodness, but I'm not just full of goodness. I'm not just full of goodness. I'm set, soak and sour. I'm full of goodness to know some stuff, to learn, to grow, to grow in the Lord, to know more about him.
[17:28] And you know what? As you serve God, you know what his will is. As you get in the Bible, you figure out what God wants you to do. As you learn more of the word of God, it's not, it's not the knowledge it puffs up, but it's the knowledge that shows a man how to put his life, his faith into action.
[17:43] It's learning what God's will is for my life. It's living out who I am. I'm a new creature. And Paul said, man, I'm convinced about something. I'm convinced you're full of goodness, and I'm convinced you understand, you know, you've learned some things.
[17:55] Then he said a third thing that's really wild and crazy. That verse. Did you see that verse? Look at Romans chapter 15 and verse 14. If you would look at what it said, it said, full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to admonish one another.
[18:08] Look at that. Able to admonish one another. They were able to motivate and challenge each other to live. About their faith. Now listen to this. Paul said to the Romans, I'm not the one able to admonish you and teach you.
[18:22] Y'all are able to do it all together. You see, the assembly gets together, and in the assembly, in the assembly, people are excited. This morning, you walked into our church. If you got here for the Sunday school hour, you saw little groups of people scattered all around the building, and different people sharing.
[18:37] They were admonishing, motivating, provoking, teaching, challenging other people to serve Jesus. My Sunday school class, a young man said, hey, I want to say something today. I've got a lesson prepared. And he came in, and everybody enjoyed it.
[18:49] Because we are able to admonish. I'm full of goodness, and I'm saved by the grace of God. I'm full of knowledge, but I'm also able to help others grow. I'm also able to help motivate others.
[19:00] This isn't a spectator sport. It's for everybody. Remember what the Bible said in Hebrews chapter 10. We went through the book of Hebrews a long time ago. In Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 24, the Bible said, let us consider one another.
[19:11] Let's think about one another to provoke unto love and to good works. Let's think about each other. Let's come to church and go, man, I want to help you learn to live for Jesus. I want to help you grow in Christ. And by the way, you know what you're thinking?
[19:21] You're thinking the same thing about me. We're all helping each other. We're all motivating each other. We're all provoking each other. We're all pushing each other to do more for Jesus. We're excited. Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 25 said, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as a matter of some is, but exhorting, challenging, motivating one another so much so more as you see the day approaching.
[19:43] We need, each other. I need you and you need me and you need him and you need her and we need each other. God wants the church to get together.
[19:54] It's a fantastic thing. Paul said, you're full of knowledge. Oh, excuse me. You're full of goodness. You're, you got all knowledge, but you're also able to admonish and teach and motivate each other. Paul knew the Holy Spirit was working in them.
[20:06] He's working in you. Don't you ever become a pew setter. Don't ever become a chair setter. Get in this church and say, man, God saved me. I used to be full of all wickedness and now I'm full of goodness.
[20:19] And not only that, he's taught me and I'm growing and I'm learning and I'm knowing more about God every day. But not only that, I'm helping to motivate, admonish, teach, provoke others to do it.
[20:31] Has God changed you? Has God changed you? Are you full of goodness now? Does God, does serving God, loving Him and living for Him fill your heart and desires now? Are you a different person?
[20:44] Now listen to me. I need to stop a second and say, just because you sit on a church, you don't mean anything. There are tons of people going to go to hell right from a church. Because it's not about coming to church, it's not about getting baptized, it's not about following some rituals, it's about God doing a work of grace in me and showing me my lost condition and showing me I'm a sinner and showing me I deserve to go to hell and I wake up and say, man, I don't want that.
[21:09] I want to know God. I want to serve God and God making a difference. Have you learned to discern what God wants you doing in your life now? Are you living out what God is doing in your life? Are you actively participating in the assembly?
[21:22] To motivate and encourage others to serve God and do more for Him than you've ever done before and help them do more than they've ever done. You ought to be involved. Paul said, I know some things about you.
[21:33] I know you guys are full of goodness. That's like the wildest thought in the book of Romans. That sounds like Philippians. In Philippians, he seems to be really happy.
[21:44] In Philippians, every chapter is like wonderful. In Romans, he's like, I mean, for 11 chapters, we've been, and now all of a sudden, he goes, y'all are full of goodness. We're like, whoa, whoa. What are you saying, Paul?
[21:55] God's changed you. Not only that, you're full of knowledge. You got all knowledge, man. You have learned and you have grown and you've learned what the Word of God says and not only that, you're useful.
[22:07] You can do something with your life and you can do something in the ministry and you can make a difference in the ministry. Now go with me if you want to verse 15. That'll be as far as we'll get to go today.
[22:18] Verse 15. Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly of you in some sort as putting you in mine because of the grace that is given to me of God that I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.
[22:31] Ministering the gospel of God and the offering and offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable but being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. Now look this way. Paul had this special gift.
[22:42] Paul had this special gift. Read the verse for me if you would. It says, because of the grace that is given to me of God. Because of the gift, the ability, the power that God has given to me to do something special.
[22:58] Paul was given the grace of carrying the gospel to the Gentiles. You've got to understand there are 12 apostles. One went bad. They named another named Matthias and those 12 guys, they pretty well ministered only in the beginning only to Jews in Jerusalem and Judea.
[23:15] They didn't hardly venture out even into Samaria. And one guy comes on the scene and his name is Paul. And Paul, he's the apostle of the Gentiles. The word Gentile means pagan.
[23:27] So to get you to understand it better, he said, I'm the apostle of the pagans. I'm the apostle of the not God's people. I'm the apostle of the people nobody would ever expect to get saved. I'm the apostle of everybody that's a Jew, not a Jew.
[23:39] They're a Gentile. They're a dog. And I'm an apostle to them. He was given a grace, a gift, an opportunity, a ministry to share the gospel with the Gentiles.
[23:50] By the way, could I just tell you if you take anything out of verse 15, you should take this out there. God gave Paul a gift, grace, to do something special for him and God has gifted you too. You listen to what I'm telling you.
[24:02] You are not some bump on the log that's not important in the things of God. God has a plan for you. God is working in your life. He gifted you so you could be used of him. Paul knew God wanted him reaching out to the totally unreached.
[24:14] What's God put in your heart? What abilities to serve him have you found in you? Do you realize he has a plan for your service to him and are trying to live it out? Are you trying to live that out?
[24:25] It's not God's got the best plan for your life and it's for you to get rich and live. God has a job for you to do serving him and serving him means serving the church. We get to Romans 16 next week or the next week in Romans 16 you're going to find the word labor.
[24:38] Labor. Labor. Hard work. You're going to find the word help. Help and sucker or however you say that which is a special kind of like the patron of the church like the person who kind of paid the bills.
[24:50] I mean that's who this lady was and you're going to find you're going to find it which is another type of help. You're going to find work in every one of us. Everyone in this room it's not like Austin, Robert, Trent and Warren are the special guys and Ronald are the special guys.
[25:06] Everyone in this room God gave Paul grace. Paul you got a job to do with your life. In Hebrews chapter 12 you have a race to run. The race that's set before you.
[25:18] God has a plan for you. It's very likely it's not to be a preacher it's very likely it's not to be a missionary it's very likely not to be a pastor but you should never say I'm off the hook. I'm off the hook.
[25:29] God never called me to be in the pastorate God never called me to be in the ministry I'm off the hook. No, God's given you grace to be used of him. Paul was serving God as he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.
[25:42] I want you to look if you would at verse 16 and look what it says in verse 16 that I should be the minister of Jesus Christ the servant of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. Minister is serve.
[25:53] The servant the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. Ministering serving the gospel of Jesus Christ. The exciting verse my time's gone. I'll try to get you some more of it next week but watch this this is fantastic.
[26:06] He said amen he said I'm going to one day I'm going to offer up to God the offering of the Gentiles. This is wild. I'll throw in one verse and I'll quit.
[26:17] Watch this. Paul goes over here to all these pagans and he starts leading them to Christ and he's getting them saved and he's training them and he's teaching them he's telling them what's wrong that they're doing telling them how to do right telling them how to live out Christ.
[26:29] Tell them how to live out the truth and he said one day I'm going to go back to God and I'm going to say God here are the Gentiles you let me lead to Christ I hope that's an acceptable gift to you. I worked with what you gave me. I worked with what you gave me.
[26:43] I hope you're pleased. And by the way I know that anything happened it was the work of the Holy Spirit it wasn't me. I'll give you one verse in closing. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 10 look at that verse with me. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 10 I am what I am by the grace of God I'm nothing it's all the work of God in me.
[27:02] But there are two really strong catchphrases and I'm sure you've heard me say it before and you're going to hear me say it many many more times but he said he says this he said and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain.
[27:16] Now he got saved and how many of you are saved say amen? But wait a minute there's been some other grace given to you. Not just grace to not go to hell not just grace to not go to hell but grace to serve.
[27:29] With some of you he gave you musical ability. With some of you he gave he gave teaching and preaching ability. With some of you he gave serving and helping ability. And with some of you he gave leadership and administration gifts.
[27:43] He's gifted us to do something for him. And here's what Paul said. What God gave me wasn't wasted. What God gave me wasn't wasted.
[27:53] His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain. In other words it was basically like if you can imagine here's a guy getting ready to run a football and the quarterback is going to hand him the football.
[28:05] Everybody in the backfield is probably thinking to themselves if you give me the ball I can make a touchdown. They're all kind of cocky and they're all kind of thinking of the guy throw me the ball or pass me the ball or hand me the ball but give me the ball or let me go with it.
[28:17] That's the grace. And so God says he turns and he says Paul here's the grace here's the gift here's the football for you buddy run and make a touchdown with it. You can see Gentiles saved.
[28:29] You're going to be able to do a great work and Paul said you give it to me I'm going to run like I never run before I'm going to duck tackles like I've never ducked tackles I'm going to do what I've never done. Your grace won't be in vain.
[28:40] He says I'll work harder in all of them. Read the verse 1 Corinthians 15 10 right here behind me. 1 Corinthians it said his grace which was out of me was not in vain I worked harder than all of them I labored harder. Now you look this way you've been gifted and see I pretty well got an idea that I'm supposed to preach and you're probably not supposed to that's fine.
[28:59] See there's not a quality it's not like God says preaching's up here and this is no but God's given you money are you using it for him? God's given you time he's given you talents he's given you abilities he's given you friendships he's put you around all sorts of people that could get saved and lives could get changed he made you unique there's nobody else like you on the planet because God wanted one of you and he made you special but not so you could have your best life and enjoy your millions but so you could serve Jesus and one day walk up to him and say here's my offering to the Gentiles I hope it's acceptable hope I pleased you well done thou good and faithful servant well done thou good and faithful servant so this morning I'd ask you what job has he given you?
[29:46] what talent has he given you? what ability has he given you? man if God had put music into my fingers I promise you I'd be using it every bit I could if God had put if God had put the ability to teach or preach I promise you I'd teach and preach on every continent that I could I'd teach and preach in every place I would drive and preach anywhere they'd open a door for me because man I'm going to use what he gave me to use if God puts money in my hand I promise you I'm going to use it for his honor and his glory if God gives me the ability to wish that somebody talks to me I'm going to do it that's what he's saying that's what he's saying Paul said God gave me a grace God gave me an ability God gave me an opportunity you have one too but you might go all week long and never mention Jesus never give out a gospel track never invite anybody to church you might just kind of ignore all that God gave you or you might say plan on using it this week his grace which was sold on me wasn't in vain I worked harder than everybody what are you doing with what God has given you to serve him
[30:50] Father in heaven I love you and I pray that you would draw your people to you I pray you'd strengthen your people and I pray that you'd have your people Lord step out and do things like they've never done before and I'll give you praise and honor and glory for what you do God I love you and I thank you and I pray God that the two things that I've tried to show them this morning so clearly that they would do number one that they would become givers and number two they'd become servers and I pray God that you would work in lives and I pray that when we leave here today we would be more givers than we've ever been and more servers than we've ever been and we would seek your will this message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfredo, Georgia for more information log on to www.visionbaptist.com where you can find our service times location contact information and more audio and video recordings