I did choose thee. Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Nybert. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Now here's our pastor, Todd Nybert. In 1 Corinthians 3, verse 21,
Paul makes this incredible statement, this incredible promise to every
child of God. He says, all things are yours. Whatever comes under the umbrella
of all things belongs to the believer. Now, I'm not using
hyperbole when I say that the riches of Jeff Bezos belong to
me. You say, you mean you have access
to his accounts? Of course, I don't mean that.
But it is part of the all things. that work together for my good
and for God's glory. That's the promise of the scriptures.
Romans 8 28 says, and we know that all things, all things in
the world, all things, every event that takes place, everything
everybody has or doesn't have. All things, all the things of
God's providence, every single event. There is no such thing
as luck. There's no such thing as good
luck. There's no such thing as bad luck. All things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are called according
to his purpose. Therefore, Paul says to every
believer, all things are yours. If they belong to your father,
they belong to you. Now, it's very important for
us to understand who is included in the pronoun yours when he
says all things, and that means everything, all things are yours. Who is meant by yours? Does he mean all men without
exception? If you had wealthy parents or a wealthy parent and
your wealthy parent died and left everything to you and said,
it's all yours. What if someone you didn't even
know said, well, I'm included in yours. It's mine too. No,
it's not. It is only meant for those. It
was intended to be meant for. All things are yours. This is
talking about every believer. This is not talking about every
son of Adam. This is not talking about all
men without exception, but this is talking about every believer
without exception. All things are yours. Now, Who are these people that
Paul says all things are yours? You have vast wealth. And I'm just not talking about
material things. This is not material at all. Religion makes a big issue of
God blessing you with material riches and health and so on.
That's just foolishness. There's no truth to it. God's
blessings are spiritual blessings. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Now, I'm thankful
for any material provision the Lord sends my way, but you know,
the Lord Jesus Christ himself didn't have a place to lay his
head. He had no material wealth or material riches, and to put
an emphasis on something like that is just foolish and fleshly. But it's still true with regard
to every believer. All things are yours. Now, in the context of this passage
of Scripture, He says to the Corinthians, know ye not that
you are the temple of God? You are the dwelling place of
God and the spirit of God dwelleth in you. The third person of the
blessed Trinity, the spirit of God, fully God. He created the
universe. The Spirit of God dwells in you. And every believer is promised,
you're an heir of God and you're a joint heir with Christ. Whatever
Christ has coming to him, which is everything, is coming to you. Think of the impact of that statement,
joint heirs with Christ. Is it any wonder Paul said to
these people, all things are yours. All things belong to Christ. And if you belong to him, all
things are yours. I am my beloved's and he is mine. Now let's go on reading in verse
17. He's speaking of these people
that this incredible promise has been made to. He says, if
any defile the temple of God, that dwelling place of God, Hymns
of God destroy for the temple of God is holy, which temple
you are. And in my King James Version,
and this is one of the reasons I love the King James Version,
the word temple is in italics, and that means it wasn't in the
original. The translators put it there
because they thought it could help make it understandable,
but generally, it's better to read it without that italicized
word. Paul says to the Corinthians,
The temple of God is holy, which you are. He says to every believer,
you are holy. Now think about that. This is said of every believer
without exception. You are holy. Now what does that mean? What
does holy mean? Holy means other. Separate. When we speak of God's holiness,
we think of Him as utter purity. God is light. In Him is no darkness
at all. His perfection. Holiness is immutable. It can't become unholy. It can't
become more holy. Every believer is holy. They were chosen to be holy in
eternal election, according as he hath chosen us in him before
the foundation of the world. That's when this took place,
that we should be holy and without blame before him. Every believer
was made holy by the death of Christ on Calvary Street. Listen
to this scripture. By the which will we are sanctified,
that word means made holy, and it's in the perfect tense, completely
holy. You can't be any more holy, you
can't be any less holy. By the which will we are sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Now that's true of every believer.
A holiness that comes from God, that God accepts. and were made
holy in the new birth by the Holy Spirit when we're regenerated,
when we're born again, when we're birthed into the kingdom of God
and given a holy nature. Now, when we were born into this
world, we were born dead in sins, without holiness. Sinful. Do you remember when God said,
in the day you eat thereof, to Adam and Eve, in the day you
eat thereof, not the next day, but the very day, the very present
time you eat thereof, you shall surely die. Now, Adam didn't
die physically. His soul didn't die, but his
spirit died. And that's what spiritual death
is, every man, woman, that's born into this world is born
spiritually dead. And you hath he quickened who
were dead in trespasses and sins. Now remember, we're trying to
see who it is that Paul says, all things are yours. Well, Those
that God elected, those that Christ died for, and those that
are given the new birth, that are born from above, that are
given this holy nature, are the people of whom Paul says all
things are yours. I've got a question for you.
Can God sin? Is it possible for God to sin? Is it possible for God to commit
an evil act, to have an evil thought? No. God is holy. He's of two pure eyes to behold
iniquity. The scripture says he can't lie.
God cannot lie. It is impossible for him to lie
because he's God. You see, if you have a holy nature,
that holy nature Can't sin. Somebody says, what about Adam?
Didn't he have a holy nature when he sinned and fell? No,
he didn't have a holy nature. He had a innocent nature, not
a holy nature, an innocent nature. He didn't have the holiness of
God because if he had the holiness of God, he'd never have fallen
in the first place. But this was all a part of God's
purpose to manifest his own glory. But God is holy. He cannot sin. Now when we're talking about
being born again, quickened, given spiritual life, birthed
into the kingdom of heaven, can God give birth to anything that
can sin? No. If it comes from Him, if
it's His holy nature, the scripture says we're partakers of the divine
nature. Someone says, are you saying
you're a little God? No, but I'm saying I'm born of
God. And if I'm born of God, I have
a holy nature that cannot sin. Let me back that up in the scriptures
from 1 John 3. Whenever you make a big statement,
you better have a big scripture to back it up. Listen to this
scripture in 1 John 3 9. Whosoever is born of God doth
not commit sin. Somebody says, but I sin. Well,
if you're a believer, you still have your old nature. It's just
as bad as it ever was. You have the same appetite for
sin you ever had. It's wicked. It's dead. It's
still there. Whosoever is born of God though,
doth not commit sin, for his seed, the seed of God, that which
is given in the new birth, being born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth
and abideth forever, his seed, the seed of God, birthed in him,
remains in him, and he cannot sin. He lacks the ability to
sin because he is born of God. Every believer has two natures,
the nature he was born with and the nature that was given to
him when he was born again. 1 John 5, verse 18, John says,
we know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not. But he that's begotten of God
keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. Now, understand this with regard
to this man to whom this promise is made, all things are yours. He's a man that God's elected
to be holy. He's a man Christ made holy on
Calvary's tree. And he's a man that was birthed
by God and created by God and given a holy nature. Understand
this. Salvation is not having a changed life. You know, people
talk about a changed life, and I hope if my life is controlled
by some sin, I hope it does change. And if your life is controlled
by some kind of addiction or something like that, I hope you're
delivered from it, and I hope you do change. But that's not
what the new birth is. It's not a changed life. It's
a new life. It's something that was not there
before. A new heart will I give you. It's what Paul calls the new
man. Now this is the man that this
promise is made to. He's been elected by God, Christ
died for him, and God the Holy Spirit has given him this new
holy nature. Remember Paul said you are holy.
You are holy. That's true of every believer. Now let's go on reading. Let no man, after he makes this
statement, God is holy, which you are. He then says, let no
man deceive himself. Self-deception is the worst deception. Let no man deceive himself. If
any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him
become a fool that he may be wise. If any of you seem to be
or appear to be wise in this world, you appear to have the
tools and the abilities to succeed in this world, do not be deceived
into thinking that that ability has any value at all in the kingdom
of God. The Lord said that which is highly
esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. Let that
man that thinks he was wise, wise in this world, let him become
a fool that he may be truly wise. Then Paul makes this statement
in verse 19. For the wisdom of this world,
a lot of things the world counts
as valuable and important. The wisdom of this world is foolishness
with God. For it's written, he appeals
to the scriptures, he taketh the wise in their own craftiness
and again the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise that they're
vain. Therefore, here's what Paul concludes
from this, therefore, Let no man glory in men. Now this chapter
began with Paul rebuking the church of Corinth for this. One said, I'm a Paul. I'm one
of Paul's disciples. Somebody else said, not me, I'm
a Paulist disciple. Somebody said, I'm Peter's disciple.
And then the real pious one said, I don't follow any man. I don't
follow any of those guys. I just follow Christ. I'm Christ's
disciple. And Paul, says, do not glory
in men. I don't care if it's the Apostle
Paul. The Apostle Paul is a man. Man at his best state is altogether
vanity. Do not glory in men. Do not have confidence in men. Now, let me tell you something
about a holy man of God. And that describes every man
and woman that is a believer. They do not glory in men, they
glory in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now this word glory
means have confidence in, boast in, rejoice in, rest in, trust. That's what the word means. Every
holy man of God, every holy woman of God, glories nowhere but in
the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what Paul said. He said,
God forbid, may it never be so. God forbid that I should glory,
that I should have confidence in, that I should rejoice in
and trust anything save the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now that is the holy man's boast. He doesn't rejoice. He doesn't
have confidence in men. He has confidence in Christ alone. Now, let's go on reading. Whether,
verse 22, no, verse 21, therefore let no man glory in men for,
and here's the promise, all things are yours. All things are yours. When the writer to the Hebrews
said, let your conversation be without
covetousness, coveting things, things that you don't have. Let
your conversation be without covetousness and be content with
such things as you have. Well, what do you have if you're
a believer? All things. There's nothing to covet. You
have all that God requires. All God will ever require of
you, you have in Jesus Christ. I think of what Paul said in
1 Corinthians 1.30 at the beginning of this epistle. He says, Of
Him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us. Wisdom. He is my wisdom. God has fellowship with a wise
man because Jesus Christ is my wisdom before God. He's made
unto us wisdom and righteousness. I'm the very righteousness of
God because the righteousness of Christ is mine. God can embrace
me. He's made unto us sanctification.
He is my holiness. He's made unto us redemption,
full deliverance. that no flesh should glory in
his presence. He that glorieth, let him glory
in the Lord. That's the man to whom this promise
is made, all things are yours. And he says in verse 22, whether
Paul or Apollos or Cephas, these preachers, They're yours. God
appointed them to preach the gospel to you. They're blessings
of God to you. Don't glory in them. Don't put
them up on a pedestal that they shouldn't be put up on. They're
yours. Now, there's a very real sense
in which the preacher is just the servant of Christ. I'm not
the servant of men. I'm the servant of Christ. I'm
to preach his gospel. But Paul said, we're your servants
for Jesus' sake. When preachers kind of come across
with this clergy, laity thing, there's God's clergy and the
lay people down here, that's so offensive. You can't find
anything like that in the scripture. All things are yours, he says,
whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world, or the world, this
world, this planet. I don't care if I'm talking about
Central Kentucky, California, Russia, China, All things are
yours. You see, this is my father's
world. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the
world and they that dwell therein. It all belongs to him. It all
belongs to Christ. And if it all belongs to my father,
if it all belongs to my savior, it belongs to me. The world is
yours. Everything in this world belongs
to the child of God. It's all a part of All things
working together for good to them that love God, to them who
are called according to His purpose. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians
5.18, in everything, give thanks. For this, whatever it is, whatever
it is you're having a hard time giving thanks for, whatever it
is that's making you sad and troubling you, for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. It's for your good, His
glory. There's no point in worrying
or fretting about anything. The world is yours. And next
he says, life is yours. That's the life
of Jesus Christ for one thing. He said, I am the life. The life of Jesus Christ is my
personal history. When I stand before God and my
name is called on judgment day, it will be the life of Christ
that I'm judged by because his life is my life. Just as my sin
became his sin and he put it away, his life becomes mine. And everything in this life,
doesn't matter what it is, is working together for my good,
it's mine. And then the next thing he mentions is death. Death is yours. All the benefits
of the death of Christ. My dear friend, right before
he died, he said, it is finished. Now that's the benefits of his
death. He completed salvation by what
he did. All the benefits of his death
are yours. What more could you want? If
you're a believer, The day of your death will be the best day
of your life. You know, that which people dread so much, death,
it's the wedding day for the believer. It's being perfectly
conformed to his image. When I close my eyes in death,
I will open my eyes in glory, beholding the face of the Lord
Jesus Christ, perfectly conformed to his image, spending eternity
worshiping him and beholding his face. Oh, what glory that
will be. Death is mine. And then he says, things present.
Things present. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them that are in Christ Jesus. Behold, now are we the sons of
God in the present, being now justified by his blood. Now is
our salvation nearer than we believe. Now is the day of salvation. Now, Christ is in heaven now
to appear in the presence of God for us. Now. The best time is now. Now, I
realize that the time is coming when there will be no more time.
There will be an eternity. There won't be any past. There
won't be any present. I mean, there won't be any future.
All there will be is the here and now. And that will be eternally
looking to Christ. While we're here, right now,
everything in the present, it's mine. I love what John said,
as he is in the world, so are we. As he is, holy, perfect,
beautiful to God. As He is, so are we in this world
right now. And the last thing He mentions
is, for things to come. Everything that hadn't happened
yet is mine. It's going to be used by God
for my good and His glory. Heaven hadn't happened yet for
me. It is to come though, and it is mine. This is God's promise
to every believer, all things are yours. Now let me close this
message by reading a passage from John chapter 10, verse 24. Then came the Jews round about
him and saith unto him, how long dost thou make us to doubt? If
thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Lord had already told them, plainly. And look what he says. Jesus
answered them, I told you, and you believed not. The works that
I do in my father's name, they bear witness of me. There's no
excuse for your unbelief, but you believe not because you're
not of my sheep. He didn't say you're not my sheep
because you don't believe. He said, you believe not because
you're not of my sheep. His sheep are the ones he died for. His
sheep are the elect. And let's go on reading. my sheep,
hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto
them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall any
man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me
is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of
my Father's hand." There is the security of these to whom Paul
says, all things are yours. All things in eternity, all things
that God requires, all things that you need, all things are
yours and you are Christ's and Christ is God's. May God bless this word to you
according to his will. To receive a copy of the sermon
you have just heard, send a request to todd.neibert at gmail.com
or you may write or call the church at the information provided
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