November 20, 2022
BE GRATEFUL FOR THE MISSION
November 20, 2022
Pastor Jonathan Falwell
Thanksgiving week—what a perfect time to thank God for our many blessings. Our salvation should top the list, perhaps followed by family, a job, a home—and we could go on for several days. Today we’re going to look at one of the most confusing of issues for each of us personally: why would the great Creator God not only offer His only Son, Jesus Christ, as a payment for our individual sin debt, but also plan a lifetime of happiness and holiness for us? How can He possibly love us so much? Turn with us to the book of 1 Timothy as we see what the apostle Paul wrote concerning his own amazing testimony of being used by God—as well as his gratefulness for the new life he found in Jesus Christ.
Focal Passage: 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Acts 1:8.
We’ve been made ready
· Read 1 Tim. 1:12a. Paul, in writing to Timothy, leaves his words of exhortation in the previous verses to remind Timothy of his personal testimony. He begins by recounting his calling by God. Why would the fact that Jesus Christ “strengthened” him be uppermost on Paul’s mind? What kind of strengthening do you think was in his mind? What are other translations for this word?
· If God asked you to do something for Him, what would you want Him to do in your spirit? Who were some Bible characters who did not think they were good enough for God to use them? How did He equip them for the job He needed them to do?
· Read Phil. 4:13. Can someone share what Paul was specifically talking about in the verses previous to 13? What, then, did he mean that God would apply the strengthening for? How can we take this verse out of context?
· If God calls us to a specific work or ministry, do you really believe that He will give you everything you need to see it through? What do you base your faith upon?
We’ve all been called
· Read 1 Tim. 1:12b. Why did God call Paul? Was his faithfulness a thing of the past, or of his potential? Why is faithfulness a quality that sets one apart? When you think back over your life, is faithfulness a virtue that you have emulated?
· Read Psalm 139:1-6. Do you really believe that God knows you this well? Why? The better question would be, Can He trust you with a ministry? Read 1 Cor. 4:1-2. Why should it be imperative that a steward (a manager) be faithful in his job? Can you have any higher calling than God trusting you with a ministry?
· Read Jeremiah 29:11. Why would this verse have been encouraging to whomever read it? How well does God know every weakness and sin that we have? Why can He still use us? Would you have trusted Paul prior to his conversion? Why or why not?
We’ve been forgiven
· Read 1 Tim. 1:13. How do you think Paul may have felt in his spirit when he saw the living Lord Jesus on the Damascus Road? How could he have let his past discourage him from serving Christ? What were some of Paul’s character traits that would serve him well over the next years?
· Has God ever called you to a ministry? Did you think you could not be used when you considered your past? What power did you receive at salvation? Read Acts 1:8. Is this verse meant for believers today? How strong is that power?
Because it’s not about us, it’s about Him
· Jesus Christ, the Son of God, knew Paul from the foundation of the world. Read verses 14-17. In verses 14, 15, and 16, how did he turn the praise back to Jesus with each of those statements?
· Why does he say in verse 16 that Jesus saved him? Do you find yourself giving all the praise to Jesus as you share your testimony?
Close:
It is so amazing to realize that, because of the mercy, grace, and forgiveness of Jesus Christ for our sins, we will someday be united in heaven with Jesus, Paul, and Old and New Testament saints! What a time to look forward to! We also can take great pleasure in knowing that Paul victoriously crossed the finished line to meet Jesus after dying a martyr’s death. He never got over the miracle of God’s love saving him.
Hopefully, that same miracle has occurred in the lives of everyone who has joined us in this sermon study. It is an awesome wonder that we will only know once we get to heaven, and see “face to face,” rather than through the dark glass we have here on earth. The incredible phenomenon of it, though, should never leave us, nor should we ever let past sins cause us to shun God’s calling on our lives to share the good news of salvation. It is available to all people, and we are given the ministry of going to the whole world with that wonderful message of hope.
Don’t ever stop praising God for the great things He has done for you. Sing of His faithfulness, thank Him for His presence every moment, and worship Him as often as you feel His Spirit encouraging you to shout His praise! Go out to a rural area where the sky shines with billions of stars (that are all called by name by God) and remind yourself that the same God who made the world and all that is in it is the same God who has saved you, who loves you, and who will bring you to glory with Himself one day. Don’t ever let that incredible fact fade in splendor. “And to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Submitted by Sandy Day November 20, 2022