that I did choose. Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Niver. 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 Timothy chapter 6, beginning
in verse 6, Paul the Apostle gives us these words. But godliness
with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this
world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having
food and raiment, let us be therewith content. But they that will be
rich, that's their desire, that's their agenda. They that will
be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish
and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition
for the love of money is the root of all evil. Money is not the root of all
evil. The love of money is the root of all evil, the love of
what we think that money can get us, which some have coveted
after and they've erred from the faith and pierced themselves
through with many sorrows. But thou O man of God, flee these
things, the love of money, which is the root of all evil, covetousness. Flee these things and follow
after, pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, patience, love, meekness. Thou, O man of God, I've entitled
this message, The Man of God. The man of God is called on to
flee these things. There's certainly nothing for
a true man of God to pursue and to follow after these things. The man of God. We read in the scriptures of
the kingdom of God. We read of the word of God. the grace of God, the power of
God, the gospel of God, the purpose of God, the glory of God, the
will of God, the wrath of God, the love of God, the mercy of
God. The righteousness of God, the
wisdom of God, the throne of God, the presence of God, born
of God and a man of God. Now, what is a man of God? Well, first of all, he's a man.
And he has all the difficulties associated with being a fallen
son of Adam. He's a man. And remember what
the scripture says about man. Man at his best state is altogether
vanity. He's a man, a weak man, a frail
man, a sinful man. He is a man. But the scripture
says he's a man of God. Not simply a man, but a man of
God. Of has to do with origin. Not all men are men of God. The Lord said to the Pharisees,
you are of your father, the devil. and the lusts of your father
you will do. John said of the false prophets,
they are of the world, therefore speak they of the world, and
the world heareth them. We are of God, he that knoweth
God, heareth us, and he that's not of God, heareth not us. The Lord said in John chapter
eight, he that is of God, heareth God's words. You therefore hear
them not because you are not of God. Not everybody is of God. David spoke of men of the world. who have their portion in this
life, and that's all they have. A man of God has his origin as
God himself. Now, I am from Ashland, Kentucky. That's where I'm from. Somebody
says, where are you from? I'm from Ashland, Kentucky. But if
I'm a man of God, I'm from God. That's my origin. I trace my
beginnings. I trace my beginnings back to
God himself. Now listen to this scripture
in John chapter 17. The Lord is praying for his people. He said in John 17 9, I pray
not for the world, but for them which you have given me. He's
praying for his people. He's praying for his elect. This
is truly the Lord's prayer. What men generally call the Lord's
Prayer actually is the disciple's prayer where he taught us to
pray, our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
But this is the Lord's Prayer. This is his prayer to his Father
representing his people. And he says in John chapter 17,
verse 14, I have given them thy word and the world hath hated
them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of
the world. Isn't that mysterious? But that's
true of all of God's elect. Look at verse 16. He says once
again, they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Now, Christ came from heaven. He didn't come from the world.
So do his people. And this has something to do
with the eternal union of Christ's people with himself. If I'm a
man of God, If I'm a woman and I'm a woman of God, if I'm a
believer, I have been eternally united with the Lord Jesus Christ,
so I've always been of Him. Listen to this scripture in John
chapter 17, same chapter. He said in verse 20, neither
pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe
on me through their word, that they all may be one. As thou, Father, art in me, and
I in thee, that they also may be one in us, one with God, one
with Christ, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me,
and the glory which thou gavest me I have given them, that they
may be one even as we are one, I in them, and thou in me, that
they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that
thou has sent me and has loved them as thou has loved me." Now,
did you hear that? This is true of every believer.
Christ says, thou has loved them as thou has loved me. Was there
ever a beginning of the love of the Father to the Son? No,
it's eternal. Has there ever been a time where
the father was separated from the son? No, they're one. And they were separated on the
cross because God forsook him at that time to put away the
sins of his people. But we think of the eternal union
of the father and the son and all of God's people. I don't
understand this, but the Lord said, before I formed thee in
the belly. I knew thee. I had a relationship
with God before time began. God knew me. I had personality
before God. This is talking about the union,
the eternal union of God's people with himself. Do we understand
that? No. Do we believe it? All together. Behold, I've loved you with an
everlasting love. That's what God says to all of
his people. Therefore, with loving kindness have I drawn thee. In 1 Corinthians 1, verse 30,
now remember, what is the man of God? Listen to this scripture.
1 Corinthians 1, verse 30, of him are you in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness, sanctification
and redemption. Now, in Christ is where I want
to be. Of Him are you in Christ Jesus?
When He shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in Him be
found. When God looks at me, all I want
Him to see is the Lord Jesus Christ and me in Him. Well, how do you get in the Lord
Jesus Christ? Well, the scripture says, Of
Him are you in Christ Jesus? The only way I can be in Christ
is if God places me in His Son. Of Him are you in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us. Christ Jesus has made this to
every believer. He's made unto us wisdom. My
personal wisdom that makes me fit for fellowship with God is
nothing less than the wisdom of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is my wisdom before God, and
it makes me fit for fellowship and communion with God. He Himself
is my personal righteousness. He's made unto us righteousness
so that His perfect righteousness is my personal righteousness
before God. Now listen to me. My righteousness,
my personal righteousness is not based upon the righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the righteousness of the
Lord Jesus Christ. He's made unto us sanctification. He's made unto us holiness. He
Himself is my holiness. I can't get any more holy than
I am because my holiness is Him. He's made unto us sanctification
and He's made unto us redemption. complete deliverance. Now, that
us is every one of God's people, every man and woman of God. He's
made unto us redemption, complete deliverance. Now, it's a special
thing to be a man of God, isn't it? Thou, O man of God, Paul
said to Timothy. You know, Moses was called the
man of God, and David was called the man of God, and Samuel was
called the man of God, and both Elijah and Elisha were called
Thou, O man of God, and Timothy is called the man of God. Now,
if you're a man of God, that means you're of God. Not everybody's
of God, but if you're a man of God, you are of God. Now, to
be a man of God, I must be born of God. In John chapter one,
verses 12 and 13, we read, but as many as received him to them,
gave he the power to become the sons of God, even to them, which
believe on his name, which were born. They were birthed, not
a blood. I'm not born again because my
parents are. Not of the will of man. I'm not
born of God because a bunch of men got together and decided
we're going to pray to him, we're going to pray until God saves
him. No, that's not why I'm born of God. I might've had men, I
did have men praying for me, but that's not why I was born
of God. I'm not born of God from the will of the flesh. It's not
because I exercise my will to make myself a child of God. That's
blasphemy. No, the reason I'm born of God,
I was born of God. That which is born of the spirit
is spirit. Being born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth
and abideth forever. Now, if I'm born of God, that
means God birthed me. I've been made a partaker of
the divine nature. God can't birth anything but
that which is like himself. That which comes from God is
of God. Every man of God, every woman
of God has literally been born of God. That's what being born
again is, regenerated, born of God. Now, let me read you four
scriptures in 1 John where John refers to being born of God.
We read in 1 John 2, verse 29, if you know that he is righteous,
You know that everyone that doeth righteousness is born of Him. Now that which is born of God
doeth righteousness. This is the righteous actions
of the new nature. He loves God. He loves God's
people. It's the doing of righteousness. And then we read in 1 John 3
verse 9, Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin. For his seed remaineth in him,
the seed of God, that which is born of God, and he cannot sin. He lacks the ability to sin because
he's born of God. This is talking about the new
nature that every believer has. That which is born of God does
not commit sin. Now, all the old nature does
is sin. And if you have a new nature,
you know that. It takes a new nature to see that. If you can't
see that about yourself, it's because you don't have a new
nature. But if you have a new nature, It does not commit sin,
that which born of God cannot commit sin. And then we read
in 1 John 4, verse 7, Beloved, let us love one another,
for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God, and
knoweth God." Now this love is not talking about the love between
a parent and a child, or between a man and a woman. This is talking
about that love which is the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit
of the Spirit is love, a love to God, a love to His children. A love to men to where you want
them to hear the gospel. He that loveth is born of God. And then we read in 1 John chapter
5 verse 1, whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born
of God. If you believe that Jesus is
God's prophet, the very Word of God, that He's God's priest
who brings you into God's presence and makes you acceptable, and
He's God's King, and you need Him as your King to rule and
reign over you and cause you to do His will. Whosoever believeth
that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. So someone that is a
man of God is someone who's of God and who's born of God. Thirdly,
a man of God is a man that God himself speaks to. The Lord spake
face to face with Moses as a man speaketh with his friend. God
spoke to Samuel, Samuel, Samuel. Speak Lord, thy servant heareth. He said to Elijah, the man of
God, Elijah, what doest thou hear? Now, if God speaks to you,
that means that he is your teacher. In John chapter six, we read,
and they shall all be taught of God. Every man, therefore,
that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh to me." If
God has spoken to you, you will be someone who comes to the Lord
Jesus Christ. You come to Him for everything.
Scripture says, to whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed
indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious. You come to
Him. If God speaks to you, you hear
His word. The Lord said, He that is of
God heareth God's words. That didn't just mean you hear
them audibly. It means you hear them so as that you know that
it's nothing less than God's word. Not man's word, not man's
opinion, but God's word. Now, if God speaks to you, you
hear his words. Now, somebody says, well, I've
never heard God speak to me audibly. Well, I haven't either. I haven't
either. And if someone says, well, God said this to me, or
God said that to me, they're lying. God didn't say a word
to him. They didn't hear him audibly. But here's what it means.
We read in 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 13. And this is what happens
when you hear God's word. For this cause also thank we
God without ceasing, Because when you receive the Word of
God which you heard of us, you received it, not as the Word
of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God. which effectually
worketh also in you that believe." When you hear God speak, you
know it's the very voice of God. It's the truth of God. When you
hear what you hear as God speaking, you know it's God's truth and
you receive it as good news indeed, as gospel indeed. Here's an example. When the Lord said, it is finished,
it was finished. And I hear that and I receive
it as good news. All my salvation is found in
that statement of our Lord. He finished salvation. He did
it all. And that comes as good news to
me. And I know that that is the very truth of God. A man that
is a man of God is a man that God speaks to. And fourthly,
the man of God has the ear of God. God hears what he says. He speaks to God and God hears. I think of Elijah. He's called
a man of God seven times and I love in 1 Kings chapter 17
verse 1 when Elijah arises on the scene You'd never heard of
him before this. And Israel was at its darkest
time under the rule of Ahab and Baal worship was prevailing.
And all of a sudden Elijah comes on the scene and says to Ahab,
it's not going to rain until I say it will rain. And then
he went into hiding for three years and it did not rain. Elijah asked God, don't let it
rain. That seems harsh, doesn't it?
That he would ask God for something like that. But do you know in
Deuteronomy chapter 11, God says, when you follow after all other
gods, I'm not going to let rain fall on the earth. I don't have
any doubt that Elijah read that. And he saw what was going on,
and he asked the Lord, don't let rain fall on the earth. So
he appears to Ahab, and he says, it's not going to rain until
I say it will rain. And Ahab spends three years looking
for him. Now let me read this passage
of scripture from James chapter 5 verses 16 through 18. We read,
Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are. He was a man. And he prayed earnestly that
it might not rain, and it rained not on the earth for the space
of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and heaven
gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. The man of God
has the ear of the omnipotent God. He prays, and God hears,
and God answers. He hears the prayer of every
man or woman of God. And the man of God is someone
who has God for him. That means he's under the special
protection of God Himself. I'd like to read a passage of
Scripture in 2 Kings 6 regarding Elisha, the man of God. There's
a bunch of people that have come to take him by force, a big army. And his servant sees this. We
read beginning in verse 15 of 2 Kings 6. And when the servant
of the man of God was risen early and gone forth, behold, and host
compassed the city, both with horses and chariots. And his
servant said unto him, Alas, my master, how shall we do? And
he answered, Fear not, for they that be with us are more than
they that be against us. And Elisha prayed and said, Lord,
I pray Thee, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened
the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain
was full of horses and chariots of fire around about Elisha. You see, Elisha, the man of God,
had God for him. And if God be for us, who can
be against us? If I'm a man of God, that means
I have the living God for me. And if God is for me, certainly
no one can be against me. What a blessed thought. And the
man of God, A man of God is of God. A man of God is born of
God. A man of God has God for him. A man of God has the ear of God. A man of God is a man that God
speaks to. And a man of God is a knowing
man. And let me read this scripture
to you. 1 John 5, verse 19. And we know, John says, We know that we are of God. What confidence? We know that
we are of God. And the whole world lieth in
wickedness. John says we speak that which
we know. and testify what we've seen. Romans 8.28, Paul said, and we
know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are thee called according to his purpose. We know. Somebody says, well, I don't
know that. Why do? We know. Knowing this first, Peter said,
knowing this first. knowing this first, that no prophecy
of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy
came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake
as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." I know that the Bible
is the inspired, infallible Word of God. Now somebody says, well,
you can't prove that. I feel no need to prove it, but
I know it so. Oh, the man of God is a knowing
man. You know, Paul said, I know that
in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. I know that. And
I know that in me, that is in my flesh, I know there dwells
no good thing, nothing that God could accept. I know that. Paul
said, we know that the law is spiritual. But I am carnal, sold
under sin, enslaved to sin by nature, choice, and practice,
and the law is spiritual." If you know God, you know that.
You know, Paul said, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. You
know it. That though he was rich, yet
for your sakes he became poor, that you, through his poverty,
might be rich. Paul said, I know whom I have
believed. And I'm persuaded that he's able
to keep that which I've committed to him against that day. Peter
said, you know, you were not redeemed with corruptible things
such as silver and gold, but with incorruptible by the precious
blood of Christ. You know that you know that the
only thing that redeemed you is the precious blood of Christ. Paul said, knowing that a man
is not justified by the law. but by the faith of Christ. We
know, we speak what we know. That man who's of God is a knowing
man. Let me show you what the scripture
says about this man of God and the scripture. He says, all scripture
in verse 16 is given by inspiration of God. The Bible claims to be
the word of God. All scripture given by inspiration
of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction and righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect,
throughly furnished unto all good works." Now, the Word of
God is profitable for doctrine. Everything we believe better
be from the Word of God. The Scripture truly is our only
ground of faith and practice. And it's profitable for reproof.
I need reproved. For correction. You know, when
a plane goes from one place to another, there's an arc. And
it's always getting blown off that arc. And it needs to be
corrected to get back on the arc. We always need to be corrected.
It's profitable for instruction in righteousness. It instructs
me that the only righteousness there is is the righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ, that the man of God, whatever believer
is, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished
unto all good works. Oh, thou man of God. If you're a believer, you are
a man of God. Now we have this message on CD
and DVD. If you call the church, write
or email, we'll send you a copy. This is Todd Kniper, praying
God will be pleased with you this afternoon. To request a
copy of the sermon you have just heard, send your request to messages
at ToddsRoadGraceChurch.com. Or you may write or call the
church at the information provided on the screen.