Only Christ

Text:

“(12) I’m so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work. He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry. (13) The only credentials I brought to it were invective and witch hunts and arrogance. But I was treated mercifully because I didn’t know what I was doing—didn’t know Who I was doing it against! (14) Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me. And all because of Jesus.”

I’m so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work. He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry. The only credentials I brought to it were invective and witch hunts and arrogance. But I was treated mercifully because I didn’t know what I was doing—didn’t know Who I was doing it against! Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me. And all because of Jesus.

Peterson, Eugene H. The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2005. Print.

Title: Only Christ

Introduction

There are many things we can thank others for. Thank God for parents, family, church, friends, co-workers. But there are some things that only come from God!

The central idea of the text (CIT):

Paul is reiterating to his son in the ministry about merciful and gracious God is.

The main objective of the sermon (MOS):

We want to leave here to exalting the saviour for His mercy and grace, and leave here evangelizing and telling others about the grace and mercy of God!

I. The Power of God (12)

“ to enable/given me strength v. — to render (more) capable or able for some task.”

made me adequate

to enable v. — to render (more) capable or able for some task.

He trusted me

He went out on a limb in trusting me with this ministry

appointing me -

He took a chance on me

II. The Mercy of God (13)

Even though - the only credentials I brought to the table were...

blasphemy, persecution, and violence

invective, witch hunts, and arrogance

“to be shown mercy (state) v. — to be or become the recipient of leniency and compassion.”

“ to be shown mercy (state) v. — to be or become the recipient of leniency and compassion.”

to be shown mercy (state) v. — to be or become the recipient of leniency and compassion.

I deserved greater, but God lessened

Mercy is God not giving me what I really deserve!

III. The Grace of God (14)

Grace is God giving me what I really don’t deserve!

“grace (outworking) n. — God’s kindness, goodwill, favor.

grace (outworking) n. — the resulting activity that is a necessary consequence of genuine, beneficent goodwill; especially used of the outworking of God’s goodwill.

Grace is a gift!

“...freely you have received, so freely give.”

Conclusion

Paul is focused on God’s purpose for his life — TO PREACH THE GOSPEL.

• PREACH CHRIST AND THE CROSS

• Christ, who enjoyed a place of unparalleled honor in eternity.

• Christ who knew the praise of angels gave it up.

• Christ, who exchanged the adulation of heavenly creatures for the derision of the earth.

• Christ, who traded the praises of angels for the curse of men.

• Christ, who gave up his hometown in glory to become a stranger in the earth and could not equal the residences of foxes and birds; for the record records Jesus as saying, “foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

• Christ, in our interest, left a natural estate of preeminence and came here to this low land of sorrow to be mocked and ridiculed.

• Christ who took on Himself the form of a servant.

• Christ became time trapped, death eligible, & pain capable, just for me & you. (Dr. Garden C. Taylor)

walked the earth as a man

• gave sight to the blind

• turned a picnic into a banquet with two fish and five loaves of bread

• put the funeral homes out of business

• handed out free health care

• lied on, cheated, talked about, and mistreated

• ridiculed, ostracized, criticized, betrayed, and denied

• sinister circumstantial evidence

• executed in public trial

• tried on trumped up charges

• sentenced to death,

• died on a rugged cross

• his body remained in a borrowed grave 3 days

• but He could not stay in the grave

• because the grave couldn’t hold him

• death couldn’t stop him

• the stone in front of the grave couldn’t block him

• shook off a dying shroud

• showed home training and folded up the grave clothes that he did not need

• stood on resurrection ground

• shouted all power is given unto me in heaven and earth

• seated at the right hand of God