WEBVTT 00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:10.880 This is a story about a man that I worked with probably 20-something years ago. 00:00:10.880 --> 00:00:12.720 His name is Steve Drew. 00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:16.800 Steve Drew lives in Texas, where we were living at the time. 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:20.000 And we hired Steve Drew at the company that I worked with. 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:27.120 And uh Steve was hired as a salesman, and I was a product expert and pseudo salesperson as well. 00:00:27.120 --> 00:00:28.719 So he and I did a lot of travel together. 00:00:28.719 --> 00:00:34.159 We had a small company, company about 40 people, and Steve and I spent a lot of time on the road. 00:00:34.159 --> 00:00:37.759 At that time in my life, I was not following God. 00:00:37.759 --> 00:00:43.840 I was, I always like to say I had a hold of his pinky finger, and that's about it. 00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:45.840 But I was not following God. 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:49.280 I was telling, I like telling jokes. 00:00:49.280 --> 00:00:51.280 I told a lot of inappropriate jokes. 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:53.280 I drank too much. 00:00:53.280 --> 00:00:56.880 I was not a what you would call a godly person. 00:00:56.880 --> 00:00:59.520 Steve was a Christian. 00:00:59.520 --> 00:01:04.640 And he didn't he didn't mind sharing that he was a Christian. 00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:12.000 And as we would travel, he would just shine the light of Jesus on me. 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:15.040 He would encourage me. 00:01:15.040 --> 00:01:20.000 He wouldn't preach to me, but he would just encourage me with his life. 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:22.239 He would encourage me with our conversations. 00:01:22.239 --> 00:01:24.719 Our conversations were always edifying. 00:01:24.719 --> 00:01:27.200 They never went down a wrong path. 00:01:27.200 --> 00:01:40.799 And after Steve left the company and I moved to Florida and God got a hold of me and changed me, I remember calling Steve up. 00:01:40.799 --> 00:01:48.480 And I said, Steve, I got to say thanks to you. 00:01:48.480 --> 00:01:50.879 And he said, Why, man? 00:01:50.879 --> 00:01:51.120 Why? 00:01:51.120 --> 00:01:56.480 Because I'd already talked to him before, but he I said, You loved me at my ugliest. 00:01:56.480 --> 00:02:01.760 And you shone the light of Jesus in my eyes so bright. 00:02:01.760 --> 00:02:04.239 And you made an impact on me. 00:02:04.239 --> 00:02:07.439 Well, that's what we're going to talk about today. 00:02:07.439 --> 00:02:10.000 We're going to talk about the Steve Drews. 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:14.800 We're in a two-part series on the book of Ephesians that we've titled In Christ. 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:16.080 It's been a great series. 00:02:16.080 --> 00:02:17.919 Have you guys enjoyed going through Ephesians? 00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:19.360 I know I sure have. 00:02:19.360 --> 00:02:20.240 It's been great. 00:02:20.240 --> 00:02:30.719 Well, in this series, we've been walking through the book of Ephesians and we've been pulling some great truths out of here about what the Apostle Paul talks about being in Christ. 00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:32.479 And it's been really good. 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:34.400 It's been really edifying for me. 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:38.719 And today we're picking up in Ephesians chapter 3, the first 13 verses. 00:02:38.719 --> 00:02:40.960 So let's go ahead and read those together. 00:02:40.960 --> 00:02:49.520 So in first one of Ephesians 3, of course they'll be up here if you've got your phone or your Bible in your hand, you can follow along. 00:02:49.520 --> 00:03:06.560 So Paul says, For this reason, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, on behalf of you Gentiles, assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I've written briefly. 00:03:06.560 --> 00:03:20.319 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 00:03:20.319 --> 00:03:30.879 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise of Christ Jesus through the gospel. 00:03:30.879 --> 00:03:40.000 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 00:03:40.000 --> 00:04:04.400 To me, though I am the very least of the saints, this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for the angels in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:15.599 This was according to the eternal purpose that was realized, that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:22.160 So I ask you, do not lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. 00:04:22.160 --> 00:04:29.120 Father, as we go through this passage of Scripture, Father, I pray that you would stir your spirit that is within us. 00:04:29.120 --> 00:04:42.720 I pray that we would hear these words, that they would cut us to the quick, and that we would respond, Father, to them, not because of my anything I say, but because of what you're going to say and speak to us through your spirit. 00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:47.439 We thank you, Father, we give this to you and we give this time to you in Jesus' name. 00:04:47.439 --> 00:04:48.399 Amen. 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:56.319 So within this passage in Ephesians, Paul is continuing to emphasize his call to take the gospel to the Gentiles. 00:04:56.319 --> 00:04:58.079 And he wrote about it in the previous chapters. 00:04:58.079 --> 00:05:00.399 It's been mentioned in a couple of sermons now. 00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:01.519 It's been great. 00:05:01.519 --> 00:05:10.240 But in this passage, we find two very simple yet purposeful steps that God took the apostle Paul through after he brought him to salvation. 00:05:10.240 --> 00:05:15.360 And these progressive steps were commissioning and empowering. 00:05:15.360 --> 00:05:20.319 He was commissioned and then he was empowered to carry out that commission. 00:05:20.319 --> 00:05:30.639 And they were necessary, by the way, to fulfill the ultimate goal that God had for the Apostle Paul in taking this message to the Galatians or to the Gentiles. 00:05:30.639 --> 00:05:42.720 So today I want to examine these two steps by drawing clear spiritual parallels between how God commissioned and empowered the Apostle Paul and how he does that for all of us today. 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:43.839 So let's start. 00:05:43.839 --> 00:05:46.639 Let's first look at how he commissioned the Apostle Paul. 00:05:46.639 --> 00:05:49.040 Now, most of you, you know this, you've seen this. 00:05:49.040 --> 00:05:58.639 I know a lot of us are reading the book of Galatians right now in our Bible reading, and Paul clearly states about his commission to the Gentiles, but let's just do a little rehearsal here. 00:05:58.639 --> 00:06:02.480 In the first three verses of Ephesians 3, listen to what he says. 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:03.439 Let's read it again. 00:06:03.439 --> 00:06:18.480 For this reason, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, on behalf of you Gentiles, assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:22.319 So he identifies his commission right up front. 00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:23.680 He's identifying it. 00:06:23.680 --> 00:06:31.839 And by the way, sometimes speaking, that commission is a way to just continue to absorb it and realize and take ownership of that. 00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:35.920 He said, I was a prisoner on behalf of you Gentiles. 00:06:35.920 --> 00:06:38.560 Now you know that this was a prison epistle, right? 00:06:38.560 --> 00:06:41.279 He was in prison in Rome during the time that he wrote this. 00:06:41.279 --> 00:06:44.240 So he's saying, I'm in prison because of you. 00:06:44.240 --> 00:06:46.639 Now he's not blaming them for it. 00:06:46.639 --> 00:06:54.079 He's simply identifying that the reason he's there is because he was sharing the gospel to the Gentiles. 00:06:54.079 --> 00:07:02.879 He even states in verse 2 that he assumes they have heard of his stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you. 00:07:02.879 --> 00:07:06.000 And by the way, the word stewardship is really interesting. 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:11.120 It's basically it's translated a plan that involves a set of arrangements. 00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:13.920 And I thought that was an interesting way interpretation. 00:07:13.920 --> 00:07:15.680 It basically says there's a plan. 00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:16.720 God arranged this. 00:07:16.720 --> 00:07:26.319 He gave him a commission, and he arranged it from the foundations of the earth that this was what Paul would be commissioned to do for God, of course, for the gospel. 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:37.199 And we know, by the way, through the stories that are kept in the book and recorded in the book of Acts, that this is exactly what happened. 00:07:37.199 --> 00:07:44.959 You know, in Acts 22, Paul recounts this story, and I could just imagine him writing this down, recounting what happened to him. 00:07:44.959 --> 00:07:54.639 Because as you all know, he was on a horse heading to Damascus, and suddenly the day was not normal anymore. 00:07:54.639 --> 00:08:02.959 So it's interesting in Acts 22, he recounts this story as he's telling people what happened. 00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:17.519 And he says in verse 12, starting in verse 12, and one Annaeas, a devout man, excuse me, according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me and standing beside me, said to me, by the way, he was standing beside him. 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:19.279 Remember, Paul was blind at this time, right? 00:08:19.279 --> 00:08:20.560 He was still blind. 00:08:20.560 --> 00:08:22.879 Brother Saul, receive your sight. 00:08:22.879 --> 00:08:27.040 In that very hour I received my sight, and I saw him. 00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:35.360 And he said, The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the righteous one, and to hear a voice from his mouth. 00:08:35.360 --> 00:08:41.279 For you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:44.159 And now, why do you wait? 00:08:44.159 --> 00:08:45.840 What are you waiting for? 00:08:45.840 --> 00:08:52.879 Get up, rise, be baptized, and wash away the sin, your sins for calling on his name. 00:08:52.879 --> 00:08:59.840 In that same account, literally down in 20 verse 21, he says this clearly. 00:08:59.840 --> 00:09:03.279 He's in a trance, by the way, at this time. 00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:13.600 And God is Jesus is speaking directly to him while he's in this trance, and he hears Jesus say to him, Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles. 00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:17.519 This was a clear, clear commission to this man. 00:09:17.519 --> 00:09:18.960 He had no doubt about it. 00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:20.559 He didn't need a neon sign. 00:09:20.559 --> 00:09:22.960 He heard it directly from God. 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:29.600 And by the way, in our own text today, in chapter 3 of Ephesians, he kind of confirms that as well. 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:35.679 In verse 8, he says, To me, though I am the very least of the saints, by the way, I love his humility. 00:09:35.679 --> 00:09:38.080 All through his writings you see this. 00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:42.879 He says, Though I am the very least of the saints, this grace was given to what? 00:09:42.879 --> 00:09:54.240 To preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for the ages in God who created all things. 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:58.960 Now, if you know anything about Paul, you know one thing. 00:09:58.960 --> 00:10:00.960 He owned this. 00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:03.519 He owned this. 00:10:03.519 --> 00:10:09.200 He accepted this commission and he walked in it in power. 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:10.240 He owned it. 00:10:10.240 --> 00:10:12.159 There was no halfway with him. 00:10:12.159 --> 00:10:14.720 That was his identity in many ways. 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:19.919 In Romans 11, 13, he says, I am the apostle to the Gentiles. 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:20.960 He took that. 00:10:20.960 --> 00:10:31.200 We just read this, by the way, earlier in Galatians, I think, where he talks about confronting Peter, and he was with the rest of the leaders in Jerusalem. 00:10:31.200 --> 00:10:32.559 And he talks about that again. 00:10:32.559 --> 00:10:36.559 He says, I have been called to the Gentiles, Peter to the Jews, right? 00:10:36.559 --> 00:10:37.919 He's identifying this. 00:10:37.919 --> 00:10:39.120 It was his identity. 00:10:39.120 --> 00:10:40.399 He owned it. 00:10:40.399 --> 00:10:44.879 So with that in mind, how about you and I? 00:10:44.879 --> 00:10:48.399 What commission have you gotten? 00:10:48.399 --> 00:10:55.200 I want to deal with a little fallacy here, just in case there might be residing somewhere in one of your minds. 00:10:55.200 --> 00:11:05.200 There's this fallacy that says, you know, there are some people that are commissioned, but if you look at scripture, most of this commissioning was given to a specific person. 00:11:05.200 --> 00:11:07.200 I mean, like this one here. 00:11:07.200 --> 00:11:09.840 The Apostle Paul was given to a specific person. 00:11:09.840 --> 00:11:19.759 And indeed, most of the scriptures, you could kind of make an argument when they talk about an actual commissioning, they focus on a person or a group of people. 00:11:19.759 --> 00:11:22.960 Matthew 28, the great commission. 00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:24.639 Who is he speaking to? 00:11:24.639 --> 00:11:27.919 He's speaking to his disciples just before his ascension, right? 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:35.679 Go ye therefore into all the world, preaching the gospel to everyone, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 00:11:35.679 --> 00:11:37.759 Well, that's he's talking to the disciples, Scott. 00:11:37.759 --> 00:11:38.720 It's not to me. 00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:39.360 Okay. 00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:43.919 Remember Paul commissioned Timothy in the book of Timothy? 00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:49.679 He was literally commissioning him as a shepherd elder and as a leader in the church. 00:11:49.679 --> 00:12:00.080 If you look at the office gifts in verse in chapter four, which we're going to talk about here in a couple weeks, evangelists, shepherds, teachers, apostles, prophets, all specific individuals. 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:00.960 Right? 00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:04.399 And in our own church, by the way, we commission people. 00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:06.639 We have people that are commissioned. 00:12:06.639 --> 00:12:10.000 Mark Medley is a perfect example of that. 00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:12.159 The church began to see a calling. 00:12:12.159 --> 00:12:14.000 He began to receive a calling. 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:16.720 He began to share that. 00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:18.240 People began to see that. 00:12:18.240 --> 00:12:19.440 He was prayed over. 00:12:19.440 --> 00:12:26.879 He was commissioned, and he is going out to all the different countries and he's sharing the gospel and encouraging leaders. 00:12:26.879 --> 00:12:28.879 He's called to minister to leaders. 00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:31.360 Yuri and Olga, same thing. 00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:33.279 And then you look locally. 00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:37.440 We've got some of our own people that are being commissioned all the time. 00:12:37.440 --> 00:12:42.399 I think of people like Rob and Chris Ellis, Ryan McCrillis. 00:12:42.399 --> 00:12:49.840 These people are called to locally, but they're called to go out and to share the gospel a lot of times through discipling. 00:12:49.840 --> 00:12:51.519 And Ryan McCrillis does a lot of that. 00:12:51.519 --> 00:12:52.480 It's wonderful. 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:55.519 But what about the average Christian? 00:12:55.519 --> 00:12:58.080 What's our commission? 00:12:58.080 --> 00:12:59.759 Do we have a commission? 00:12:59.759 --> 00:13:04.480 Well, I think scripture does identify there are two types of commissioning. 00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:11.600 One, like we talked about, to specific people to go out and to share the gospel or do specific things for him. 00:13:11.600 --> 00:13:16.799 But I also believe there is something that I've termed the commission of grace. 00:13:16.799 --> 00:13:26.000 A commission of grace that basically is given to everyone that has been saved by grace. 00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:32.399 Now, I put a definition together of what I call the commission of grace, and I think it'll be up here. 00:13:32.399 --> 00:13:43.840 It's a mandate given to all Christians to reflect the power of the gospel in their daily lives, serving as a beacon of hope and inspiration to the laws through their actions and words. 00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:48.559 In other words, Steve Drew. 00:13:48.559 --> 00:13:53.039 In other words, you. 00:13:53.039 --> 00:14:01.279 I bet when I told that story about Steve, I bet a lot of you were thinking of your own Steve Drew in your head. 00:14:01.279 --> 00:14:20.879 Because every one of us, every one of us that has been filled with the Holy Spirit, that has been called, that has repented, and we're walking, there has been a Steve Drew out there that God used through his commission of grace or her commission of grace to influence you. 00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:35.519 When God brings someone to salvation, the expectation, as we see in Scripture, and we will look at it, is that they will naturally become a beacon and a light to the world through their lives and actions. 00:14:35.519 --> 00:14:40.320 And it's for all Christians. 00:14:40.320 --> 00:14:43.759 And by the way, that might be your next door neighbor. 00:14:43.759 --> 00:14:46.720 Maybe you're called to be a light to your next door neighbor. 00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:49.919 Maybe you're it's a family member. 00:14:49.919 --> 00:14:52.960 In fact, I don't have to say maybe it is. 00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:59.759 It's your neighbor, it's your family member, it's your coworker, it's the person that you run across in Walmart. 00:14:59.759 --> 00:15:02.320 Or Target. 00:15:02.320 --> 00:15:11.039 Everyone, you have been called to fill that commission of grace. 00:15:11.039 --> 00:15:17.519 And Jesus makes the clearest statement about this that I can I could find that I thought was just so perfect. 00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:20.320 It's in Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount. 00:15:20.320 --> 00:15:22.960 Who's he talking to the Sermon on the Mount? 00:15:22.960 --> 00:15:24.559 The multitudes. 00:15:24.559 --> 00:15:28.159 He's talking to everybody, and look what he has the gall to say. 00:15:28.159 --> 00:15:31.120 He says, You are the light of the world. 00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:33.200 Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. 00:15:33.200 --> 00:15:36.000 Bunch of unsaved people here, Jesus. 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:38.240 You are the light of the world. 00:15:38.240 --> 00:15:41.600 A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 00:15:41.600 --> 00:15:44.080 I think about Derek's house, by the way. 00:15:44.080 --> 00:15:45.519 It's way up in a hill. 00:15:45.519 --> 00:15:47.360 Like he turns his Christmas lights on. 00:15:47.360 --> 00:15:48.240 Everybody's gonna see it. 00:15:48.240 --> 00:15:49.200 He's way up there. 00:15:49.200 --> 00:15:51.679 A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 00:15:51.679 --> 00:15:59.600 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but they put it on a stand and they give light to all in the house. 00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:07.360 In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. 00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:10.240 That's all of us. 00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:14.480 That's what I'm talking about when I talk about this commission of grace. 00:16:14.480 --> 00:16:18.080 Bringing a light means that we need to reflect the gospel. 00:16:18.080 --> 00:16:22.879 We need to reflect what's been done inside of us to everybody around us. 00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:26.240 And by the way, that doesn't mean we're called to be eloquent. 00:16:26.240 --> 00:16:29.120 We're not going to be Billy Graham's. 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:33.440 Very few people are called to that type of ministry. 00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:36.799 Very few people are commissioned to that type of ministry. 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:39.840 But we don't have to be eloquent to share Jesus. 00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:41.840 We'll talk about that a little bit more. 00:16:41.840 --> 00:16:43.279 We should always be ready. 00:16:43.279 --> 00:16:47.200 And I, a couple of scriptures, actually, I'm doing my practical apologetics class. 00:16:47.200 --> 00:16:50.799 In the first class, we covered this one scripture, 1 Peter 3.15. 00:16:50.799 --> 00:16:54.320 Something a lot of scripture a lot of you have heard before. 00:16:54.320 --> 00:17:06.960 Peter says, But in your hearts honor Christ, the Lord is holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect. 00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:11.680 He's talking specifically to us. 00:17:11.680 --> 00:17:13.200 Be ready. 00:17:13.200 --> 00:17:14.559 Well, what's that mean? 00:17:14.559 --> 00:17:18.400 Does that mean you have to be ready in case you get called up to a pulpit and have to preach? 00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:19.039 No. 00:17:19.039 --> 00:17:25.680 He's saying, be ready if you run across somebody that needs to hear the truth. 00:17:25.680 --> 00:17:28.079 And you're given an opportunity to share that. 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:29.519 Be ready for that. 00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:35.039 Paul also writes in Colossians 4, beginning in verse 5, walk in wisdom towards who? 00:17:35.039 --> 00:17:36.960 Outsiders. 00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:38.640 Oh, how do I do that? 00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:48.799 Making the best youth of your time, let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer, how you ought to answer each person. 00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:55.440 Again, a reference to how we are supposed to approach those that are not of the household of faith. 00:17:55.440 --> 00:17:59.039 So, how would we fulfill this commission of grace that we've got? 00:17:59.039 --> 00:18:01.200 How do we go about fulfilling this? 00:18:01.200 --> 00:18:02.559 Well, it's really simple. 00:18:02.559 --> 00:18:04.559 There's really three primary ways that we do this. 00:18:04.559 --> 00:18:06.000 And you could probably add more. 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:09.119 Sermon time didn't allow me to do that, but there's plenty. 00:18:09.119 --> 00:18:10.799 These are kind of the highlight ones. 00:18:10.799 --> 00:18:15.440 The first one is pretty obvious live holy lives. 00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:19.599 And by the way, that was talked a lot about here this morning already. 00:18:19.599 --> 00:18:22.240 Living holy lives. 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:30.079 One of the most powerful ways you can fulfill your commission of grace is to live a life that is holy so all around you can seek. 00:18:30.079 --> 00:18:34.799 And I'm talking about 24-7, y'all. 00:18:34.799 --> 00:18:46.240 I've known a few Christians that are great on Sunday mornings. 00:18:46.240 --> 00:18:52.000 But they aren't really very Christian on Monday morning at 8. 00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:58.799 Me, when it for me, being a Christian means you have to be all in. 00:18:58.799 --> 00:19:03.759 And I will tell you, when God got a hold of me, I remember that clearly. 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:05.920 I remember that moment in time. 00:19:05.920 --> 00:19:07.759 I was we were living in Florida. 00:19:07.759 --> 00:19:16.640 I was I had gone for a long walk in the woods, and I was sitting out there, and God just said, Scott, you're either in or out. 00:19:16.640 --> 00:19:18.960 There's no halfway. 00:19:18.960 --> 00:19:23.920 You're either in or you either believe this all the time or you don't believe it. 00:19:23.920 --> 00:19:25.359 What's it gonna be? 00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:29.279 And I remember just being hit like a ton of bricks by that. 00:19:29.279 --> 00:19:39.119 You know, Romans 12, 1 and 2, I love what the apostle Paul says here because he couples this with his word, with the word sacrifice. 00:19:39.119 --> 00:19:43.200 He says, I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God. 00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:45.440 What is the mercies of God to you and me? 00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:47.440 Salvation. 00:19:47.440 --> 00:19:52.240 In his mercy, he called us and saved us, right? 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:54.160 What should that be? 00:19:54.160 --> 00:19:59.759 To present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:01.599 Present your bodies? 00:20:01.599 --> 00:20:03.920 Like you're gonna die or get killed? 00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:08.079 Well, maybe, but I don't think that's what he's talking about specifically. 00:20:08.079 --> 00:20:18.559 I think he's saying your body, everything that you do, every action you take, should be presented to him as a sacrifice. 00:20:18.559 --> 00:20:24.000 I just you can't get anything else out of that. 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:25.680 It's so clear. 00:20:25.680 --> 00:20:28.000 Do not be conformed to this world. 00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:38.480 Okay, now he's expanding on that, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:41.039 Paul's saying, you gotta be all in, y'all. 00:20:41.039 --> 00:20:41.920 All in. 00:20:41.920 --> 00:20:44.319 All y'all gotta be all in. 00:20:44.319 --> 00:20:47.759 And by the way, it's hard to do. 00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:54.000 You know, many believe in God, many believe that God the Father sent Jesus to die for us. 00:20:54.000 --> 00:21:00.960 Many people even believe that you gotta accept the sacrifice of Christ in order to be saved. 00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:03.839 But unfortunately, many stop right there. 00:21:03.839 --> 00:21:06.559 That's where they stop. 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:12.480 They don't make Jesus the Lord of their lives. 00:21:12.480 --> 00:21:20.799 They give them a portion, they give them Sunday morning, but they don't give them the whole thing. 00:21:20.799 --> 00:21:29.599 And the challenge, I guess, the question I have to ask for all of us to ask ourselves is have you and I presented all of our lives to Jesus Christ? 00:21:29.599 --> 00:21:34.799 Because that what that's really what he's asking. 00:21:34.799 --> 00:21:37.119 That's what he's asking. 00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:41.839 And I appreciated what Derek had to say. 00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:45.279 We are pulled all the time. 00:21:45.279 --> 00:21:52.240 All the time we are pulled away from that, from that goal, from that, from that commitment. 00:21:52.240 --> 00:21:54.799 We have control over that. 00:21:54.799 --> 00:21:55.839 He did. 00:21:55.839 --> 00:22:05.440 And the control was the power of Jesus to break every chain, to break every chain, to break every chain. 00:22:05.440 --> 00:22:06.640 And he can. 00:22:06.640 --> 00:22:08.000 Do you believe that? 00:22:08.000 --> 00:22:09.440 Do you really believe that? 00:22:09.440 --> 00:22:11.920 He can break the chain that you have right now. 00:22:11.920 --> 00:22:13.039 Do you believe that? 00:22:13.039 --> 00:22:15.680 We have to. 00:22:15.680 --> 00:22:19.359 If you don't, you're gonna walk in defeat. 00:22:19.359 --> 00:22:22.160 And that's not what he's called us to walk. 00:22:22.160 --> 00:22:24.319 He's called us to walk in power. 00:22:24.319 --> 00:22:29.839 You know, do you still tell those little white lies and justify it in your mind? 00:22:29.839 --> 00:22:34.559 You know, do you you still gossip and trash talk people? 00:22:34.559 --> 00:22:39.839 You still use your sarcastic humor to cut people down. 00:22:39.839 --> 00:22:41.839 Man, I hate sarcasm. 00:22:41.839 --> 00:22:49.119 Do we treat our spouse with disrespect or hold back love from our spouse? 00:22:49.119 --> 00:22:54.799 You participate in ungodly things in our culture. 00:22:54.799 --> 00:22:57.359 Everybody does it. 00:22:57.359 --> 00:23:01.440 Well, he goes to church with me and they watch that show. 00:23:01.440 --> 00:23:03.680 It's gotta be okay. 00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:12.000 We ignore God's design for sex and decide, well, we're gonna do it our way. 00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:16.720 So I'll go right up to that point there, God, but this part I'm not gonna give to you. 00:23:16.720 --> 00:23:18.319 Do you see where I'm going with this? 00:23:18.319 --> 00:23:22.319 And I'm not talking about just obeying so you can obey to earn something. 00:23:22.319 --> 00:23:23.599 You gotta get that clear in your mind. 00:23:23.599 --> 00:23:25.599 I'm not preaching a how-to sermon here. 00:23:25.599 --> 00:23:30.160 I'm talking about giving it all over to God because that's what He demands. 00:23:30.160 --> 00:23:38.960 The reason some of us don't want to be a light to the world is that we haven't given ourselves completely over to the light of this world. 00:23:38.960 --> 00:23:47.680 And until you do that, you cannot reflect the life of Christ and the love of Christ in the eyes of the people that need to see it. 00:23:47.680 --> 00:23:55.119 Someone said one time, I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day of the week. 00:23:55.119 --> 00:24:03.039 You know, we get to get up here, we get to preach to you guys and share the gospel. 00:24:03.039 --> 00:24:05.599 You think, man, that person's got a lot of influence. 00:24:05.599 --> 00:24:13.359 You know, collectively, your influence is far greater than mine or anybody that stands up here and preaches. 00:24:13.359 --> 00:24:22.559 Because not only can each one of you influence multiple people, you get to influence the people that would never come into this church. 00:24:22.559 --> 00:24:24.400 Do you see that? 00:24:24.400 --> 00:24:25.359 You see that? 00:24:25.359 --> 00:24:35.599 I got I I've got neighbors, you got neighbors, we got people, we got coworkers of people that we can witness to and share to that somebody up here could never reach. 00:24:35.599 --> 00:24:40.000 That's the commissioning of grace, and we need to walk in that. 00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:42.240 So, holy lives. 00:24:42.240 --> 00:24:46.640 The great evangelist Billy Graham said this, and I thought it was really apropos. 00:24:46.640 --> 00:24:55.119 The unbelieving world should see our testimony lived out daily because it just may point them to the Savior. 00:24:55.119 --> 00:24:57.839 Oh, it's so true. 00:24:57.839 --> 00:25:01.839 Now, the second way you can fulfill the commission of grace is to serve. 00:25:01.839 --> 00:25:05.279 You want to fulfill the commission of grace, you need to become a servant. 00:25:05.279 --> 00:25:05.839 Why? 00:25:05.839 --> 00:25:08.319 Someone tell me why we need to be a servant. 00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:10.240 Jesus, yeah. 00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:14.240 Jesus is the right answer in this particular question. 00:25:14.240 --> 00:25:18.960 He epitomized what a servant was, he modeled it. 00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:28.240 I still, one of my favorite scenes from The Chosen is when James and John come up to him and they say, Hey, can we be on your right and left side? 00:25:28.240 --> 00:25:34.319 And I think Jonathan Roomy did a really good job of how he responded to them. 00:25:34.319 --> 00:25:48.079 But what he said to them, and is recorded in Mark 10, he said, Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 00:25:48.079 --> 00:25:50.079 Wow. 00:25:50.079 --> 00:25:56.799 For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. 00:25:56.799 --> 00:25:57.759 Wow. 00:25:57.759 --> 00:26:02.720 Jesus even talks more specifically about this in Matthew 25. 00:26:02.720 --> 00:26:08.400 And um, in this, he's the context is he's talking about the great day of judgment, right? 00:26:08.400 --> 00:26:15.519 And he's talking about uh why these people are being welcomed into the kingdom. 00:26:15.519 --> 00:26:22.640 And he says, for in verse 20 uh 35 of Matthew 25, he says, For I was hungry and you gave me food. 00:26:22.640 --> 00:26:24.720 I was thirsty, you gave me drink. 00:26:24.720 --> 00:26:26.559 I was a stranger and you welcomed me in. 00:26:26.559 --> 00:26:30.799 I was naked, you clothed me, I was sick, and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. 00:26:30.799 --> 00:26:38.720 And then the righteous are gonna look at him, and they said, Lord, when do we do any of these things? 00:26:38.720 --> 00:26:40.640 And they list them all. 00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:49.759 And he says in verse 40, and the king will answer them, saying, Truly I say to you, as you did it for one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me. 00:26:49.759 --> 00:26:52.079 Oh man. 00:26:52.079 --> 00:26:54.880 Serve people. 00:26:54.880 --> 00:26:58.480 And by the way, serving can be opportunistic. 00:26:58.480 --> 00:27:03.680 You might be driving home today and see an opportunity to serve somebody. 00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:06.720 Maybe someone's broke down the side of the road. 00:27:06.720 --> 00:27:12.720 Maybe you have an opportunity to, you're going out to eat and give a and give your server a great tip. 00:27:12.720 --> 00:27:19.039 You know what really shames me and I hate is that I've heard that when most Christians go out to eat, they don't tip very well. 00:27:19.039 --> 00:27:21.839 That should not be our reputation. 00:27:21.839 --> 00:27:28.960 Our reputation would be to make that person get weak in the knees by wow, you bless me this much. 00:27:28.960 --> 00:27:36.720 You want you want to share the gospel, share it with how you treat people. 00:27:36.720 --> 00:27:40.559 But you know, serving can also be purposeful. 00:27:40.559 --> 00:27:47.680 In fact, in our lives, it should be purposeful, meaning we look for places to serve and ways that we can help people. 00:27:47.680 --> 00:27:53.519 A lot of you that I know closely have a really strong servant's heart. 00:27:53.519 --> 00:27:58.880 Um, you know, in our church, and you can start here, by the way. 00:27:58.880 --> 00:28:01.759 We have plenty of opportunities to serve here. 00:28:01.759 --> 00:28:05.759 You know, whether you want to be an usher, whether you want to be in children's ministry. 00:28:05.759 --> 00:28:10.799 And by the way, like our media team right now, we're looking for people to train up in our media team. 00:28:10.799 --> 00:28:12.799 And you might say, Well, I don't know anything about that. 00:28:12.799 --> 00:28:14.319 Hey, that doesn't matter. 00:28:14.319 --> 00:28:15.680 Neither did they. 00:28:15.680 --> 00:28:18.960 In fact, sometimes I wonder if Timothy really knows anything. 00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:20.319 I'm just kidding, Timothy. 00:28:20.319 --> 00:28:24.079 Uh-oh, the lights are gonna go down, I'm gonna lose my power. 00:28:24.079 --> 00:28:27.680 But you might say, Well, I'm not qualified to serve. 00:28:27.680 --> 00:28:28.960 Of course you're not qualified. 00:28:28.960 --> 00:28:29.839 None of us are you. 00:28:29.839 --> 00:28:31.519 That's how you learn, right? 00:28:31.519 --> 00:28:36.079 So you can serve here in the church, but brethren, there's plenty of places to serve. 00:28:36.079 --> 00:28:38.799 And they don't always have to be even a Christian ministry. 00:28:38.799 --> 00:28:40.799 Those are great places to start. 00:28:40.799 --> 00:28:45.599 You know, we do a lot of that, and we see, and by the way, if you want to serve, just talk to Chris and Rob Ellis. 00:28:45.599 --> 00:28:47.200 They can teach you how to serve. 00:28:47.200 --> 00:28:49.359 You don't have to be in these walls to do it. 00:28:49.359 --> 00:28:51.680 In fact, most of the time you're not in these walls. 00:28:51.680 --> 00:28:54.319 My daughter Jessica, I'm so proud of her. 00:28:54.319 --> 00:28:55.759 She's been serving at Love Kitchen. 00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:57.119 Wave your hand, Jessica. 00:28:57.119 --> 00:29:00.559 Her and her aide faith have been serving, yeah. 00:29:00.559 --> 00:29:06.319 She's so cute. 00:29:06.319 --> 00:29:10.880 She has been serving at Love Kitchen for probably over four years. 00:29:10.880 --> 00:29:14.079 And this is a picture of her uh serving at Love Kitchen. 00:29:14.079 --> 00:29:20.799 And Love Kitchen, by the way, is is a ministry that was started by three black women. 00:29:20.799 --> 00:29:30.000 There were sisters, and they wanted to serve the needs in the in the in the community, giving food to shut-ins, giving food to homeless. 00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:35.839 And so they started small in their own little kitchen, and God blessed it, and God blessed it. 00:29:35.839 --> 00:29:47.519 And all these volunteers come in, and Jessica goes there and she she'll wash the dishes, she'll look, you know, she'll scoop out this the make the trays up and she'll do anything that needs to be done there. 00:29:47.519 --> 00:29:49.200 And she's serving. 00:29:49.200 --> 00:29:52.960 Just start looking. 00:29:52.960 --> 00:29:57.839 You want to shine the light of Jesus to people, serve them. 00:29:57.839 --> 00:29:59.839 It's as simple as that. 00:29:59.839 --> 00:30:00.640 That. 00:30:00.640 --> 00:30:06.480 A third way you can fulfill your commission of grace is to share your testimony. 00:30:06.480 --> 00:30:08.640