Motivate To Serve (Part 1)

Thanks for tuning in to No Compromise Radio with pastor and author, Dr. Mike Avendrop. Today on No Compromise Radio, we'll be hearing Pastor Mike open the Word of God in a recent message he preached at Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston, Massachusetts.

Now let's join Pastor Mike in progress as he preaches through the Scriptures verse-by-verse with No Compromise.

Motivation for Gospel Ministry in Light of the Resurrection

Somebody called you on the phone and said, I'm having a hard time being motivated to serve in gospel ministry, serve one another in the church. Can you help me? What would you say? The person is a Christian.

They call you and they say, I know I should be serving other people, but I'm just struggling with ministry. What would you tell them? Well, you could probably guilt them into serving. What do you mean?

You don't want to serve? You of all people? It might be one approach. I think I've used that approach before. Maybe you could tell them about who Jesus is and what he's done for you and how to gratitude for free and full forgiveness should be your privilege to serve.

That would be a good approach. How about this approach? Do you know I've been right where you've been, struggling to serve. And let me tell you about something that's very motivational to get you to serve properly and correctly.

Let's talk about the resurrection. Let's turn our Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 this morning, and I want to do the same with you. How do you motivate people for gospel ministry? You talk about the resurrection, not just of Jesus's resurrection, but also of your own body being raised from the dead.

There'll be a day of accountability. There'll be a day of reward. And what you do on earth matters for eternity. What you do on earth matters for eternity. And for you, a Christian, of course we get tired.

Of course we're weary in the work. Remember the phrase? I'm weary in the work, but not weary what? With the hearty of it. That's right. Weary in the work, but not weary of it. How? Well, I think about who Jesus is.

I think about my gratitude, my thanksgiving. And Paul here also says, because of the resurrection. See, there's a paradigm that we've learned here in the Bible. Theology, what's true about God, leads to the right methodology, how we live our practical lives, which then leads to what?

Doxology. Some people listen. That's good. Theology leads to methodology, which leads to doxology. And so if your methodology, your service for the Lord and to the Lord as you serve other people, since he's in heaven now, how do I rectify that if I've got a faulty view of ministry?

If I'm tired in ministry, if I'm growing weary in ministry, well, then we go to the right theology. And as Hebrews chapter 12 would talk about, we consider him Christ Jesus and what he has done. And so we're working our way through 1 Corinthians, where at the end of chapter 15, we'll slide into 16 a little bit, and we're getting close.

The plane is starting to land in 1 Corinthians. I'm going to miss my friend over the past three years. My Bible is just pretty much every chapter looks good, except the chapters in 1 Corinthians, they're just worn.

And you know, by the grace of God, we aren't the church of Corinth. By the grace of God, I hope we never become the church of Corinth. So these are good reminders for us. Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, if you were on an ordination exam and someone asked you the question, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, if I drive to your house in the middle of the night and I knock on the door and I don't say trick or treat, I say, 1 Corinthians 15, here's what you should say, resurrection, okay, go back to sleep.

It's all about the resurrection. And it starts in chapter 15 verses 3 and 4 about Jesus' resurrection. He was raised from the dead. It is a possibility in the world to have the dead being raised, and then we will be raised from the dead.

And Paul was answering the question in chapter 15 verse 12, people were saying, well, how can people be raised from the dead? If we go down to chapter 15 verse 50, that's what we looked at last time. Basically, the need for the resurrection body, and then why we should be thankful we get a resurrected body.

So let's pick it up just in a little bit of review, and we'll get to the point of ministry in just a moment. If you don't have a Bible, you're going to need one. I'll never forget the day Steve Nelson told me the story.

He said, when I go to other churches and visit, and I'm out of town, and I'm on a business trip, I drive and I get to the church a little bit early, and I just sit in my car, and if nobody brings Bibles into the church, I don't go to that service.

Pretty wise counsel. Now you have to say iPads, iPods, iTouches, and all that stuff, but to have your Bible, you know what a privilege is to have the Bible in front of you? And so Paul says in chapter 15 verse 50, I tell you this brothers, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

Our bodies aren't ready for heaven right now. We would know that, unbelievers would know that. Nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. In other words, we saw last week, transformation is needed.

The people who have already died, their souls are in heaven with God, their bodies are in the ground, their bodies need a transformation. And now Paul is addressing this fact. The people who are alive when Jesus returns, their bodies, and if it's us, our bodies have to be changed too.

Dead bodies or living bodies have to both be changed to be able to be in God's presence. He says in verse 51, and again we're just going chapter by chapter, verse by verse, behold, I tell you a mystery.

You couldn't figure this out on your own until God disclosed his mind, God revealed himself. We shall not all sleep, just a very tender way to say Christians aren't dead, dead. It's like they're sleeping, only used of Christians, but we shall all be changed.

And by the way, it's going to happen quickly. Verse 52, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, that end times trumpet signifying it's over, Jesus is here, it's a time of festivity and celebration, that trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable, the ones on earth, and we shall be changed.

It's a mandatory necessity, verse 53, for this perishable body must put on the imperishable and this mortal body must put on immortality. And then Paul is super happy that it's all God's work and there's victory over death.

Now we are kids, we like to play with firecrackers, right? Lay on ground. I can see Black Cat, Red Rocket, M80 instructions right now. Lay on ground, light fuse, get away. I think it actually said get away, the imperative, get away, flee.

Remember those Roman candles? You're not supposed to hold Roman candles like this. They had a little piece of wood, you're supposed to put it in the ground, little spike, little tent peg kind of thing, and you put it in the ground, you light it, and sometimes they had three shots, eight shots, ten shots.

You could probably pick those things up too and shoot people who were sleeping through sermons. That would be effective. Well here's a five shot Roman candle from Paul, and you can just kind of feel him just happy.

And if you've been to funerals before, I think you have, you've contemplated your own death, I hope you have, you're going to get the idea that the worst enemy that we have, death, has been conquered.

And with that, Paul is happy. And so let me give you these five Roman candle blasts of praise, or trumpet sounds if you like. We saw four last time, but there's five in the passage, so let's quickly review the first four.

Praise God Because He Keeps His Word and Fulfills Prophecy

Number one, praise God because he keeps his word and fulfills all prophecy, found in verse 54. The outline of the sermon is the outline of the text. That's what expository preaching does, exposes you to what the text means.

Verse 54, when the perishable puts on the imperishable, certainty, and the mortal puts on immortality, it's a certainty. Then shall come to pass the saying that is written right from Isaiah 25, death is swallowed up in victory.

It was prophesied in the Old Testament. God is going to keep his word. This is not new to God, he told of it in the Old Testament. And death doesn't just get a minor wound in the leg from Christ's death, it's a complete victory.

When something's swallowed, when a predator swallows another animal, there's not a trace of it left. Paul just is happy and he's praising God. God keeps his word. For you to go to heaven, your body to go to heaven has to be changed, and God has prophesied that in the Old Testament.

Roman candle blast number two we saw last week, why we should be praising God that we get new resurrected bodies and if you've got a bad back or you've got cancer or you're going through chemo or just getting older and shrinking in size, whatever it might be, these are good words for your soul.

And the theology of death being conquered should lead to a methodological, doxological praise. Praise God, number two, because there's victory over death. See that in verse 53? With taunting language, with two questions asked, you know what the answers are, oh death, where's your victory?

I never really liked her as a singer, but when I say these words, the old timers will know the song, hit me with your best shot, fire away. How could you not listen to that song, it was on the radio all the time.

But she's not on my iPod. Oh death, where's your victory? Oh death, where's your sting? The stinger of death, Jesus absorbed. That's where it is. Death is dead. And here he quotes Hosea chapter 13. Rhetorical questions to taunt, to sneer at, to say death victory.

No wonder it's so much easier, it's still hard, but easier to go to a funeral of a Christian than it is to go to a funeral of an unbeliever. For this very fact. This is why. The word sting is also used in Revelation 9, they have tails and sting like scorpions and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails.

Jesus takes the sting of death. The penalty for our sins, 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 3 and 4, has been placed on Jesus. Jesus the just dies for us, 1 Peter chapter 3, the unjust. We were the sinners and he was the pure holy man and he dies in our place.

And therefore since he absorbs a sin's penalty, then we don't have to absorb sin's penalty. Don't you love these verses from Hebrews chapter 2? Since then the children share in flesh and blood. He himself likewise also partook of the same, talking about Jesus, that through death Jesus might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

Slaves not just to sin, but to Satan and to death. For assuredly Jesus does not give help to angels, but he gives help to the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he, Jesus, had to be made like his brethren in all things, so he could be our substitute, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Which leads Paul to talk about the law and death. Roman candle blast number three, or trumpet blast number three of praise, still in review, praise God that there's victory over sin and law. See it in verse 56.

The sting of death is sin. It's like death is personified and it's wielding the sword of sin, and when the sword is taken away, death has no weapon. It's like fighting somebody without a weapon. And Jesus has taken away the weapon by assuaging God's wrath that was due us, and he absorbed and he drank the cup and said it is finished.

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. Now death is toothless. Sin is pardoned. Where sin is pardoned, death has no sting. When you have redemption from the law, resurrection from the dead, the strength of sin is the law and it's been taken care of.

Number four, and finally in review, Roman candle praise, trumpet praise number four, praise God that it's all his work. Verse 57, if you had to get to heaven by being good, you couldn't. If you had to get to heaven by raising your own self from the dead, you can't.

So somebody else has to do it, and you hear Paul just fires up. It's almost like a double shot here of Roman candle fireworks, but thanks be to God. Not angels, not a priest, not a sacrament, not a baptism, not anything.

You get to heaven by one way and one way alone. How's that? Having water sprinkled on your head? What does it say? But thanks be to God who gives us, and the text is in the original, who keeps on giving us the victory, and then with his full name, as it were, with all his titles, our Lord, sovereign, Jesus, human, Christ, Messiah, through the Lord Jesus Christ.

And he says thanks with using a really neat word that means grace. Grace be to God. Thanks be to God. Resurrection of Jesus means that I'll be raised from the dead as well. What's the response to death's death and assurance?

If I could tell you based on the scripture, and I'm telling you now if you're a Christian, your body's going to be raised from the dead, and you're going to be in heaven for all eternity. The resurrection is true because Jesus paid for your sins and was raised from the dead.

You get to go to heaven. What do you think I could motivate you to do knowing that's the case? Well, we come to the fifth trumpet blast of praise. It's found in verse 58. Let me read you the verse, and then I'll tell you the point.

Steadfast Service That Is Not in Vain

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. You now have a motivation to serve God. Your bodies are going to be raised from the dead.

That's the point. What's your motivation to serve? Resurrection. Of course, it could be duty. Of course, it could be guilt. Of course, it could be Christ's work. And here the motivation is resurrection, the hope of the resurrection, a future reckoning, a future rewarding, a future accounting.

I could put it this way. If you don't serve and you're a Christian, you're in one of those slumps, kind of one of me slumps, you know, it's all about me. I can't minister to other people until I minister to myself.

I heard somebody talking like that the other day. I just thought, I don't know what planet you're on, but it's obviously the me planet. And so I'm feeling that way. Then I want to move your methodology to theology, saying you're going to be raised from the dead.

Resurrection matters. The hope of the resurrection makes certain that all your sacrifice, all your toil, all your sweat, all your ministry is going to be worth it. Yeah, but I serve in the nursery and nobody seems to notice.

God does. I serve in the kitchen ministry and I don't like to clean my own dishes, let alone other people's dishes. God notices. I put up chairs. Nobody seems to notice. Nobody seems to even say thank you.

The Lord's work is worth it knowing I'm going to be raised from the dead. And on that judgment day, not for my sins, but for my work before the Lord, God will reward me. Take a look at this. So then, my dear brothers, he called them dear children in chapter four.

He called them dear friends in chapter 10. Now, pastorally, the arm comes around. The discouraged Christian worker says, you know what? It's all going to be worth it. It's worth it. Now, before he says, I want you to serve and I want you to work, he ties in something first.

See what it says in the text? Be steadfast and immovable. Paul never wants to disassociate the gospel with ministry. Oh, I just have to serve, serve, serve, serve, serve, serve. You can think of Mary and Martha and stuff like that.

But ministry is always hooked with the gospel. So be steadfast in the gospel. Hold to the gospel. Don't forget the gospel. And then, in light of that, you serve. Go back to chapter 15, verse 1. You can see the interlocking bookends of the end of the chapter and the beginning of the chapter.

First Corinthians 15, 1. Now, I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preach to you, which you received in which you stand. And if you're standing, stay steadfast. And by what you're being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preach to you, unless you believed in vain.

You want to serve the Lord, friends. And by the way, we've got some awesome servers here at Bethlehem Bible Church. I'm so thankful. I want to say proud. I guess there's Paul using pride in a good way sometimes for those who are under his ministry.

But for those of you that are struggling, or maybe you're in one of these, these me-planet moments or something. I want to tell you, listen, there's nothing like serving other people. But before I tell you that, I want you to say, listen, this gospel that's been entrusted to you in the church about Christ dying on behalf of sinners being raised from the dead, you can't let go of that.

Can't abandon that. Stand firm in it. Hold on to it. White-knuckle grip it. Get caught up in all kinds of weird other teachings. Because if you lose the gospel, you lose everything. And then what does the Bible say?

Always abounding in the work of the Lord. Hold on to the gospel. Don't move from the gospel. See, when I first got saved, I thought the gospel was to get you into heaven. And then you just went and did your own thing.

Got that over with. Got the gospel over with. Now it's time to big things like ministry, helping other people. Paul would not let that happen. It's not the altar call. I'm glad we got that over with. ABCs of Christianity.

Admit you're a sinner. Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth. ABC, you're in. I am? Yeah. Okay, good. Go serve. No, Paul won't let them lose it. And the Corinthians were losing it because factions, sexual sin.

Your body is going to be raised from the dead because of the gospel. So therefore, in light of that, you serve. Now, what is the work of the Lord? Paul talks about being a fellow worker in chapter three.

He says he works harder than any in chapter 15. Chapter 16, he says, Timothy does work in the gospel. What is working in the gospel? Let me give you my new favorite definition that I found in a commentary.

It's my favorite definition of gospel work. Any activity that one would not naturally engage in were it not for their faith in Christ. Any activity that one would not naturally engage in were it not for their faith in Christ.

Isn't that good? Before you were saved, did you like to preach the gospel? Like to meet people and tell them about forgiveness? Tell them about Jesus? Well, if you did, I don't know what category to put you in.

When you first get saved, everything changes and then you realize this is important. So work of the ministry would certainly include preaching, evangelism, praying for people's souls. You say, well, I would give people meals before I got saved.

How about that one? That doesn't seem to fit your definition. Well, it's not my definition. Oh, sorry. But what's a motive to serve? Well, before it was kind of a common grace motive. I know I'm supposed to help other people and I want to help.

I mean, this week with Kim being sick, we've got so many meals. So many meals. It's just been wonderful. I mean, what treasure is showing up at the door today? It's kind of fun. I hope those who have given food to the Ebendroths say to themselves, and I hope the dads are saying to the mom and the kids, and they're all kind of putting everything together and saying, you know, we want to love other people like the pastor and his wife, but this is for the Lord.

I'm serving the Lord. You might serve people with food when you're unregenerate, but you wouldn't serve them for the glory of Christ Jesus. This is for God. I do this for God. God, this is my offering to you.

And ministry is hard. Remember when Paul said, if we have hope in this life only, we're of all people most to be pitied in chapter 15, verse 19. Why did he say that? Because it's burdensome sometimes in ministry.

It's persecution in ministry. And if ministry is not worth it, then we're to be pitied. But it is worth it. And look at the promise that God gives for all those serving as Christians. Verse 58 goes on to say, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Hard work that Paul does, labor capiao to the point of sweat and strain. If you were helping Dave Jeffries move in yesterday and you were sweating, that's capiao. He says it's going to be worth it. By the way, that's why I like to tell married couples, let alone young married couples, if you love one another and you get married and then you build your marriage on the marriage itself, it's going to crumble.

And this is God's kind way of saying, the train's off the track. Frustration, anxiety, anger. When the train's off the track, it's a good thing. When you take your finger and you touch the hot stove and you go, ow, you don't say, God, I can't believe you gave me nerves.

No, it's God's good way to say, listen, you do that, ouch. And when your marriage goes off the track, you have to realize the marriage built upon its own self is going to crumble because marriages can't be built on themselves.

They have to be built on the service and ministry of Christ Jesus, the Lord. And where a couple wants to minister together and serve the Lord together, then that train is on the track again. So you say, well, we got all kinds of marriage problems.

I think a good way to start is to say, let's start building our life on the ministry of Christ Jesus, the Lord. This is a figure of speech. You've heard of metaphors before, similes before. This is called a litotes, L-I-T-O-T-E-S.

Say, I don't care what a litotes is. Oh, yes, you do. Because if you like the Bible, you like figures of speech. I'm convicted again because I pretty much think poetry is dumb. And then I realize I better repent of that because Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, it's all poetry.

Somebody ever ask you, do you like poetry? You better say, yes, I do. I like poetry and I like figures of speech. A litotes means an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed with negative results.

Like what? To say our labor isn't in vain, a litotes means it's going to be rewarded. Your labor is going to be rewarded. That's the point.

No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life-transforming power of God's Word through verse-by-verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 830 and 11am and Sunday evenings at 6pm. We're right on Route 110 in West Boylston, Massachusetts. You can check us out online at bbcchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.

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