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. I'm reading from 1 Timothy 1,
verse 12. This is the Apostle Paul speaking,
and he says, And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled
me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry. I've entitled this
message, What is the Ministry? Paul begins with, I thank Christ
Jesus our Lord. He is the Christ. God's prophet,
the Word of God. He's God's priest. He's not like some human priest
that men have put into office who are sinful in and of themselves
and claim to represent other men to God. No, he's God's priest. He's the effectual priest, the
effective priest, the priest after the order of Melchizedek.
If he represents you before God, you must be saved. He's God's
King. Yet have I set my King upon my
holy hill of Zion. I thank Christ Jesus. How we love His name, Jesus. Thou shalt call His name, Jesus,
Savior. For He shall save His people
from their sins. I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord. He's the Lord. He's Lord of creation. He created the universe. He's
Lord of providence. He's the first cause behind everything. and he's Lord of salvation. That
means salvation is in his hands. He determines who is saved because
he is the Lord. I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord,
who hath enabled me. Now, I am totally dependent, as Paul
was, on his enabling grace. He enabled me. If he did not enable me, I would
not do this. He ascribes everything to the
enabling grace of God. I am what I am by the grace of
God. I'm a sinner, and it's only the
grace of God that's taught me that. I'm justified, and that's
the act of His grace. I'm redeemed, that's the act
of His grace. I love Christ, that's the gift
of His grace. Enabling grace. I thank Christ
Jesus, our Lord, who hath enabled me, and here's what He did. He enabled me to be faithful,
and then counted me faithful. The only reason I'm faithful
is he enabled me to be faithful and he counted that faithfulness
to me. That's the way grace works. Putting
me into the ministry. He put me in the ministry. I
didn't put myself in the ministry. He appointed me for the ministry. Now, If I'm in the ministry,
it's because he put me there. And listen to this real carefully.
If you're a child of God, you are in the ministry as well. There is no clergy and laity
in the kingdom of heaven. that is a man-made and a wicked
concoction. All of God's people are God's
clergy. All of God's people are God's
inheritance. And the idea of clergy and laity
is offensive. It's offensive to God. It's the
doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate, the Lord
said. And the word Nicolaitan means above the people. That's
the clergy, above the people. God hates that. Christ hates
that. You know, somebody says, I've
been called to full-time Christian service. Is there such a thing
as part-time Christian service? Absolutely not. When someone
speaks of being in full-time Christian service, what they
mean is they're paid religious. That's how they make their living,
being religious, and they get paid for it in whatever form. My dear friends, there is no
clergy and there is no laity. Well, all of God's people are
God's clergy. Now, the body has many members,
Many functions, but it's still one body. And one member of the
body is not less a member than the other member of a body. I don't have part-time fingers
or part-time toes. The whole body is the body of
Christ. Now, he said, he put me in the
ministry, and he said, in another place, the ministry's a work.
Paul spoke of the work of the ministry, and it's a work every
believer is to give themselves wholeheartedly to, in whatever
place he has placed you in the body of Christ. Every believer
is to give themselves wholeheartedly to the ministry. Now, what is
the ministry? Peter, when he was going to replace
Judas in Acts chapter one, he made this statement. He said,
he was numbered, speaking of Judas, he was numbered with us
and had obtained a part of this ministry. And what was this ministry
is described as being a witness with us of His resurrection. What is the ministry? It has
something to do with being a witness of His resurrection. Now somebody
says, how can I be a witness of his resurrection if I've never
seen him physically? Well, if you're a believer, you
know the living Christ. You are a witness of His resurrection
because you know Him who lives. You know why He lives. Because
of who He is. Because of what He accomplished
on Calvary's tree. Because of the satisfaction He
made before God and God raised Him from the dead. You know why
He lives. And you look to His life only
as everything in your salvation. Now, I love what Peter said,
whom having not seen, you love. You love this one who lives that
you've never seen, in whom now you see him not yet believing,
you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Here's your ministry, he lives. I serve a risen Savior. I know He lives. This is not
second-hand information. I know the living Christ. We are witnesses of his resurrection. He said, I'm he that liveth and
was dead and behold, I'm alive evermore. Amen. And have the
keys of hell and death. He lives. Now, Peter said also
in Acts chapter six, verse four, he spoke of the ministry of the
word. We've seen ministers of his resurrection,
witnesses of his resurrection, were ministers of the word. Now understand this, this is
so important. The Bible is the word of God. It is the inspired, infallible
word of God. All scripture is given by inspiration
of God. God. And if we don't have that,
all we have is my opinion and all we have is your opinion. And put those things together
and they are worthless. We must have an authoritative
word from God. And we have that in the Bible.
Now, if God is able to create the universe, God is able to
inspire a book and keep it from error, where he reveals to us
who he is and how he saves sinners by his gospel. We are ministers
of the word. Paul said to Timothy, preach
the word. Whatever the word declares, preach
it. We are ministers of the word
of God. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing
by the word of God. Now this, the gospel is a religion
of the book called the Bible. And we don't go to the Bible
to prove what we believe. We go to the Bible to find out
what to believe. Now, when speaking of the word
of God, ministers of the word, We preach the Word from the written
Word that reveals the living Word. Those three things cannot
be separated. The Word, the message, Paul called
it the Word of the Cross, the message from the written Word. Gospel preaching is a message
from God, from His written Word. I would never say, well, God
told me this. No, God said everything He's got to say in His Word.
And when a preacher comes with some kind of, God gave me some
kind of special revelation, some kind of special communication,
he's a liar and a servant of the devil. God never sent him.
All God has to say is from this book, and it reveals the Living
Word. In the beginning was the Word,
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Christ is the Word
of God. What's in my mind? What's in
my thoughts? The only way it can be known
is by the words I communicate. Christ is the communication of
God. We are ministers of the Word. Which leads us to 2 Corinthians
3, verse 8. What is the ministry? Well, it's
being a witness of His resurrection. It's a minister of the Word.
And then we read of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. in 2 Corinthians
3, verse 8. God is one God in three persons. God the Father, God the Son,
God the Holy Spirit. Somebody says, how can that be?
I don't know, but it is. This is who God is. He's revealed himself in the
word, and this is a ministry that is empowered by the Holy
Spirit of God. It's a supernatural ministry.
You know, if you're born again, It's because the Spirit of God
birthed you, gave you life. You didn't have it before and
he birthed you. The reason you believe is because
of the power of the Spirit of God. The reason you love Christ
is because the power of the Spirit of God. If I dig a ditch for
the glory of God, It's empowered by the Spirit of God. If I preach
the gospel, it's empowered by the Spirit of God. If I'm content
with my place in Christ, it's empowered by the Spirit of God.
This is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He takes the things of
Christ and brings them to us. He's the Spirit of truth. He's
the Spirit of life. This ministry is nothing without
God, the Holy Spirit, the author of spiritual life. Now, Paul
said in Acts 20, verse 24, with regard to this ministry of being
witnesses of His resurrection and ministers of the Word, and
the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Paul said in Acts 20, verse 24,
none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear
to myself so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry
which I have received to testify the gospel of the grace of God. Now the ministry has something
to do with testifying to the gospel of the grace of God. That is the ministry. Now salvation
is by grace, is the message of the true ministry. Now I dare
say that if you came up to anybody that professes to be a Christian
in Fayette County, Kentucky, Central Kentucky, and anywhere
else as far as that goes, and said, do you believe that salvation
is all of grace? They would all reply, I believe
without exception, yes. I believe salvation is by grace.
By grace he is saved. Scripture says that. Well, let
me ask another question. Do you believe that by His grace,
God elected a people before time began, called in Romans 11, five,
the election of grace, and that Jesus Christ came to represent
the elect and actually accomplish their salvation? He said, I pray
for them. I pray not for the world, but for them which you've
given me. Now this distinction is important because Jesus Christ,
if He came to save everybody, He's a failure, because not everybody's
saved. He came to save the elect, and He saved them. He put away their sin. When He said, it is finished,
all of God's elect were saved. And God the Holy Spirit comes
and gives them life. They don't decide to be born
again. They're birthed by a sovereign
act of God into the kingdom of heaven. And then, perhaps, Romans
9, verse 11, for the children being not yet born, speaking
of Jacob and Esau, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but
of him that calleth. It was said unto her, The elder
shall serve the younger, as it's written, Jacob have I loved,
and Esau have I hated." What shall we say? Is there unrighteousness
with God? Is God unfair? God forbid. For he saith unto Moses, I'll
have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I'll have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then it's not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Now, do you believe that? No,
I don't believe that. Then you don't believe grace.
You see, you can say a cat is a dog, but it's still a cat. And you can call works grace,
but it still works. If I don't believe that salvation
is utterly of the Lord and that he did it all, I do not believe
grace, period. Now, the ministry. has something
to do with bearing solemn witness with regard to this thing of
salvation being by grace. 2 Timothy 1.9, He saved us. He called us with a holy calling,
not according to our works. but according to his own purpose
and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began. Now, the ministry is also what
Paul called in 2 Corinthians 3.9, the ministration or the
ministry of righteousness. It's the ministry of the saving
grace of God, and it is the ministry of righteousness. Now, this thing
of righteousness, it's so ingrained in every aspect of the gospel,
in the Beatitudes. which describe to us what a believer
is. Blessed are the poor in spirit.
Blessed are they that mourn. Blessed are the meek. Blessed
are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness. That's who a believer is. Blessed
are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake. Now, the
righteousness is the righteousness of God. The only righteousness
there is, listen to this real carefully, the only righteousness
there is, is the righteousness of God. That's why David said
in Psalm 71, 16, I may mention of thy righteousness, even thine
only. Now somebody says, how can you
say that the only righteousness is, is the actual righteousness
of God? Because it's so. You know what
the scripture says with regard to human righteousness? Isaiah
said in Isaiah 64, 6, our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. David said in Psalm 14 and 53,
and Paul quoted it in Romans chapter 4, or Romans chapter
3, there is none righteous, no, not one. Now, the only righteousness
there is, is the righteousness of God, the righteousness that
Jesus Christ worked out. Now let me quote a passage of
scripture from Romans chapter one. Paul said in Romans 1 16,
I'm not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God and
the salvation to everyone that believeth to the Jew first and
also to the Greek For therein, in the gospel, is
the righteousness of God revealed. Now, this is so important. Paul
could have said the love of God is revealed in the gospel. He
would have been telling the truth. He could have said the grace
of God is revealed in the gospel. That would have been true as
well. But he, inspired by the Spirit of God, says the righteousness
of God is revealed. God's righteous character He
hates sin. He's utterly just. His righteous
law, the only way I demonstrate an understanding of the righteousness
of the law is if I realize that I've broken every commandment
and haven't kept one commandment one time. You take the 10 commandments,
if you can look at any of them and say, well, I've kept that
commandment, you have no understanding of the law of God. God's righteousness
is seen, His righteousness in my condemnation. If He sent me
to hell, just and holy is His name. He is righteous, and His
righteousness in my salvation. You see, if I'm saved, the righteousness
of God demands my salvation because I have the righteousness of God. The only righteousness there
is. And that's my personal righteousness. Now somebody says, how can you
say something like that? Well, listen to this scripture. For
he hath made him to be sin for us. Who knew no sin? that we
might be made the righteousness of God in Him. The ministry is how that a righteous
God makes a sinner saved by his own righteousness, where God's
righteousness is my personal righteousness because of Christ's
work in my behalf. It's called the ministry of righteousness. And then in 2 Corinthians 5,
18, we read of the ministry of reconciliation. Oh, this is so
beautiful. The ministry of reconciliation. Now, even in life, Isn't it a
beautiful thing when two people who are at odds with one another
become reconciled? Always a beautiful thing. But
in every one of these instances of men becoming at odds, Both
parties had some part in them being at odds. One person said
every slice of bologna has two sides, and that is so true. Wherever there's conflict, there
is fault on both sides. But how beautiful when they reconcile,
they put aside their differences, they forgive, and they reconcile. But in God's reconciliation,
it's not two-sided. He didn't do anything to offend
us. We're the ones who offended Him. We did all the sinning,
and He did all the reconciling. If when we were enemies, we were
reconciled to God by the death of his son. He did everything
in this reconciliation. It wasn't a cooperative agreement,
us working through the issues. He did it all. And in this reconciliation, you
can read about this in Colossians chapter one, having made peace
through the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things
to himself. and you that were sometimes enemies
and alienated in your minds by wicked works, yet now hath he
reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to present
you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight." Now,
that's reconciled. God sees everybody that he has
reconciled as holy, unblameable, and unreprovable. And Paul says
in 2 Corinthians 5, he's given to us this ministry of reconciliation
to wit that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed
to us this word of reconciliation. Now then, we as ambassadors of
Christ beseech you as though God did beseech you by us. We
pray you be reconciled to God. Now, the only time you're going
to be reconciled to God is when you see that He's completely
reconciled to you. And if you see He's completely
reconciled to you, He has nothing to be mad at. you will be reconciled
to God. You'll not be angry with him,
you'll bow the knee and say, to God be the glory, great things
he hath done. It's the ministry of reconciliation.
And then finally, Paul spoke in 1 Corinthians 16, 15 of those
who had addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints. Now, when you're addicted to
something, it controls you. It controls your thoughts. Every
decision you make is based upon that addiction you're wanting
to feed. I realize that some people have
more problems with addictions than others, and I'm totally
sympathetic. I'm not saying this harshly or
judgmentally. This is a thing of addiction.
People are controlled by their addictions. Here's a good addiction.
the addiction to the ministry of the saints, being a servant
to the saints. This is included in all of the
ministry of being a witness of resurrection, a ministry of the
word, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the ministry of grace,
the ministry of righteousness, The ministry of reconciliation
is all realized when someone is involved in this thing of
the ministry of the saints, being a servant to the people of God. That is what results in those
other ministries. And Paul said, I thank Christ
Jesus our Lord who hath enabled me. He counted me faithful, putting
me into the ministry. Now, we have this message on
CD, DVD. If you call the church, write,
we'll send you a copy. This is Todd Nyberg praying God
will be pleased to make Himself known to you. Amen. To receive
a copy of the sermon you have just heard, send a request to
todd.nyberg at gmail.com. Or you may write or call the
church at the information provided on the screen. Hmm.