Equipped to Serve

How do I know I am able to serve?!

1. Paul writes to the saints in Ephesis

what is a saint - Saint=Holy what is Holy?! Holy is not a power, Holy is a designation.

to be Holy is to be set apart - not common. Set apart for a special use.

1 Chronicles 13:7-13 “So they carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. Then David and all Israel played music before God with all their might, with singing, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on cymbals, and with trumpets. And when they came to Chidon’s threshing floor, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled. Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzza, and He struck him because he put his hand to the ark; and he died there before God. And David became angry because of the Lord’s outbreak against Uzza; therefore that place is called Perez Uzza to this day. David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I bring the ark of God to me?” So David would not move the ark with him into the City of David, but took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.”

As amazing as it sounds it was not “in touching the ark” that Uzza was killed.

Not like “Raiders of the Lost Ark” where the item has power.

2. Grace to you and Peace.

Grace to get what we do not deserve and Peace because we are at enmity with God (natural born enemies)

Rom 8:7 “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.”

From God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

He will explain our Father/child relationship in vs 4/5

3. Blessed be the God and Father of (US? - NO!) our Lord, Jesus Christ

Who has blessed us … in Christ.

4. Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world...

How can we be confident of our blessings??? Just as He chose us before the foundations of the world (before we failed or succeeded) He blessed us. (us=in Him.)

If you can get past Gen 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

and if you can reconcile yourself to your own salvation… You can believe these statements and follow God’s call for your life.