So congregation, this morning let's open our Bible and again turn to 1 Peter chapter 4. 1 Peter chapter 4. We'll read verses 7 through 10 and come this morning to verse 10. Noticing something of, again, the reality of living in these end times as a church desiring to be plantable and used of God and for his glory, we'll consider these things in God's word. So 1 Peter chapter four, and our reading again begins at verse seven. The end of all things is near. Therefore, be clear-minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. So thus far, dear congregation, his perfect and holy word. We'll submit ourselves to his word preached in a moment, but before then, let's come and seek that help which we need and he has promised. Let's come before him in prayer, shall we? Father, you are so kind to give us in your word so many rich truths. We need each one, you know that. You have provided much help for your church, sufficient help, enough help. And Lord, we pray that you would make us open to this help, that you would help us to be helped by your word. Father, we know that you love us. You sent your son for us, and you promised along with him to graciously give us all things that we need. And so this morning, we pray again for the Spirit's work. that He, the Holy Spirit, the Teacher of the Church, would apply the merits and mercies of Jesus Christ as we listen and respond. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen. Well, dear congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ, we come this morning then to the last sermon in this short series, considering how to properly define a church plant, or as we've been saying it, to correctly understand what is a plantable soil congregation. We've said that as a congregation determined to be worshiping God, we will add new members through preaching. We have said that we are convinced that since we live in the last days, we need to be sober-minded and serious. We have said that we are committed to love each other by providing forgiveness, and as we considered it last week, by offering hospitality. In these things, God's word is very clear. And in these things, God in his word is drawing us closer together to be useful to him. As a field, as soil used to be planted in new shoots. So we conclude, noting that each of us will be used. Notice that again. We conclude this, noting that we will each be used. There are no sideline observers in the true church. Beloved, we will see the need to use our gift. We should each use our God-given gifts to benefit all of us. This is verse 10. We should each use our God-given gifts to benefit all of us. Well then, first of all, notice it again. Verse 10. Each one should use whatever gift he has received. Each of us has received a gift from God. Now, I'm going to begin this morning with a strong complaint. It is not a complaint toward us as individuals. It is not a complaint with us as congregation, but it is a complaint with the NIV. Now, I don't always say harsh things about the NIV. Sometimes it's appropriate to do so. And this is one of those places. Why am I saying that? Because the way the NIV translates the Greek in the beginning of verse 10 is very problematic. Each one should use whatever gift. It's a very poor translation because it can be, I'm not saying it must be, but the way the NIV translates it into the English makes it possible to consider this as an option. Each one should. Should is not a strong enough word. I like that most of the other major English versions all agree, and almost all of them have exactly this wording of the original Greek. As each one has received a gift, use it. As each one has received a gift, use it. And that means, beloved, each and every one of us, you have received a gift. You are being called to use it. This gift is from God without exception. It comes from Him. You have received a gift to be used for the benefit of all. God has given each one of us a particular gift. And here we begin scratching our heads and we ask ourselves and we ask the Word What gift has God given to me to use in His church? And we can begin to think rather widely and a little bit broadly here about that question. We have musicians who use their gift in the church, even in corporate worship and in other ways. We have organizers and planners. We have really gifted encouragers. We have some who are gifted with skilled trades, who are also computer wizards. Some can cook and bake. What is your gift? How do you see yourself suited for usefulness in this particular congregation? As we're considering the question, what does plantable soil look like in terms of our congregational life? And that, I might go back to, is what we have consistently asked now in every one of these sermons in this six-sermon series. What does a plantable soil congregation look like? How do we act? And by what enabling strength do we act like that? Well, look at it here. Such a place where God is going to bring people to grow spiritually is a place where He has blessed with all the needed gifts. Now just settle on that for a moment. No matter how large, no matter how small in God's providence a particular congregation is, He has given to that congregation and the individuals of that congregation all of the gifts necessary for the life of that congregation. Through you and me. So he has given to you something that the rest of us need. And we, acting corporately then, are the representatives of a healthy congregation, a growing spiritual congregation. You do have, if you're a true Christian, a particular gift given to you by God. Without you using your gift, we are not complete. If we were to tally up the number of the members of the congregation, and then to consider that number, whatever the tally would show it to be, as a body, and the individual members that constitute that complete number as the parts of the body, You get, of course, where we're going, don't you? Or we think of it like a machine. The total number of the members of the congregation is like a machine. And each particular individual member of the congregation is a necessary part of that machine. The machine is running until you take one part out, and then it stops working. That's the reality that Peter is getting at here. Since, this is the better way to start it from the Greek, since we have received a gift from God, as each one of you has received a gift from God, use it. Oh beloved, what is the context of this calling of verse 10? The context of this calling of verse 10 goes back to verse seven. Time is short. We need to accept inspiration logic now and do what it is God's Word here is calling us to do. Why? Because the time is short. Well, then secondly, let's press it a little bit further. God designs that we each use our gift. Verse 10, as each one has received a gift, Minister it to one another is how the new King James puts it. Did you hear that? As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another. Minister to one another. The Greek word here, our NIV gets exactly right. The NIV here says, use these gifts that you have received to serve Others. Literally putting it, wait on someone at table. Be a waiter. Be a server. I want you just to think about that for the briefest of moment. You go into a busy, fancy restaurant. Your turn is up. You're being taken by somebody to your table and you sit there and you wait. The person who sat you down at your table said, well, so-and-so is going to be your waiter. And he's right over there. And you see your waiter. And he's sitting on a chair leaning against the wall. And you're sitting there wondering if he's going to come and take your drinks order. And he sits there in the chair leaning against the wall. And he sits there. And he sits there. How long would he sit there before you would say, now wait a minute, what's going on here? You see the analogy. You see the illustration, right? He cannot be called a waiter if he's sitting in a chair leaning against the wall when you're at your table waiting to be served. Well, beloved, you know that's the reality of the church, don't you? That we cannot sit on the chair leaning against the wall when we've been called to exercise the gift that God has provided to us in waiting on others, serving them, Our calling then is to be busy. This text is not complicated, is it? The struggle with this text is our willingness to accept what God says here and to do what God says here. Now I want you to hold on less. We think we're beating one another up with this text because we're going to come in the 4th point to see the great energy behind it, but we need to follow the text according to the text. Use your gift. to minister to each other, to serve. Just like we noticed last Sunday, the call to offer hospitality, and I hope we've been considering that with a few weeks left to pick a name, to offer hospitality, verse 9, without grumbling. So verse 10, like verse 9, is an example of and an outworking of love one another. God has given you and you and you and me a gift to use. Minister it. Serve it. Get up. Get busy. What does plantable soil act like? Busy, putting to use what God has given. That's what it acts like according to this text. Now let me mention here three realities about using your God-given gift that I hope will help us to focus and narrow our attention a little bit. Three realities about using our God-given gifts. Three things we might be pondering right now. First, some might be thinking that they have not received a gift by which to help this congregation. If that's the case, and I'm just kind of speaking tongue-in-cheek here, if it's the case that you haven't received a gift to help this congregation with, then the only thing that can be true about you is that you're not a Christian. Now that may sound stern, that may sound firm, but I want to say that so that we understand into which hole we are being pressed here by the text. Every Christian has received a gift to be used in this congregation, and that includes you. Do not say, well, I haven't received any particular ability or skill or talent or interest that can be used to the benefit of the congregation. Yes, you have. Maybe you haven't found it yet. Or maybe when you saw it, you said, well, it can't be that. Yes, you have everyone. Every true Christian has been given kingdom gold. To be spent on others. 2nd Some might be thinking they have put in their years of service already. They're tired. Remember what we said two sermons ago, and you're saying, well, two sermons ago, how can I remember that? That's a lead up that pastors, preachers use so that they can then say it, right? Remember two sermons ago about us accepting our current congregational situation. We are not some other congregation, we are this congregation. We need to understand that we need to be accepting of that our current congregational situation, which means that we can't sit down and say that we no longer serve, because if we do so, then needs will go unfulfilled. But love, let me say that again, we cannot say I've put in my time, because if we do that, then needs are going to go unfulfilled. Each is needed. Third. Some might be saying, and I find this one very interesting, some might be saying or thinking, I'm using my gift, but I can't see the results. I don't know what good it's doing. Beloved, leave the results to God. Trust that he is using you. Trust that as a believer planted in this congregation, he has a role for you to fill, a place for you to function, a service for you to be engaged in, and leave the results to him. And so again, beloved, let's get busy. Because thirdly, we use our gift for the benefit of all. For the benefit of all. Serve others. Serve Others. Minister your gift to one another. We need this morning to do something else as we consider this text. Especially in now these end times, because what do the end times looked like? These are the days when people will be lovers of self and the list goes on lovers of money. And the list goes on lovers of evil. So that when we consider rightly the full implication of a text like this, we need to say that this is exceedingly countercultural. This is to look very different. We serving one another in the midst of a culture where the motto of the world is, do whatever best serves you yourself. That's the world we're living in. So that when people come in and they see a plantable cell congregation, they will note it in people serving others, one another. And they will say, I want to be there. I need to be a part of this group. Because they're realizing the reality of their gifts given from God to be used one for the other. God is the source, you see. We're going to get to that more explicitly in the fourth point. God is the source of these gifts. But the focus of our abilities is others, not self. That's the Christian gospel, you see. that was perfectly typified by the Lord Jesus Christ, who came with all grace and truth and did all things unto the service of others for us. So even to think about that more carefully and perfectly, we could realize as we strive to serve each other and put to use the gifts that God has given to each one of us for the other, we will be living out Philippians 2 5. That our attitude will be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who now to summarize what Paul says there, who served by giving his life. Consider today. Consider today. how you can serve here, the others of this congregation. Do you realize that some members of our congregation need encouragement? I just wanna lay that out there before us. Do you realize? that some members of our congregation need encouragement, and then there are others in the congregation who have received from God the gift of being an encourager. Go encourage them. Some members of our congregation need to have order and structure put into their lives, because though they love the Lord, they're not very good at order and structure, and they're all over the place doing all kinds of things. And yet there are others in the congregation whom God has given the ability and the gift to structure things and to organize things. Go meet each other and say, I need your help, and you're very capable of helping me in getting some order and structure in my life. Find one another. We need to realize, beloved, that health and strength does not depend on just one person, but depends on all the members of the congregation. God has put us here. He has planted us here to become healthy soil by working together. Can we find hope? Is there forward-looking? Absolutely yes. Absolutely yes. Because God has planted us here. But we can't be merely hearers of these things. I'm not trying to be hard. I'm not trying to be critical. But do you remember we said a couple of weeks ago that we need to be those who institute inspiration logic? That's just a fancy way of saying we need to be not only hearers of the word, but doers. Is that you? Will you begin? If you aren't already, will you begin using that skill and that talent and that ability and that strength and that that passion that God has given to you for a particular activity or hobby or interest that will benefit the rest of us? Will you use it? Here. Because fourthly, in so doing. We are exercising stewardship. of God's grace. Now let me say this. This text, verse 10, is a text heavily loaded in God-wardness. It is heavily loaded in God-wardness. The most significant things said here are the things which God has done. It's how we began, verse 10. As each one has received a gift, use it. And it is how verse 10 ends. Faithfully administering what? God's grace in its various forms. In a plantable soil congregation, the members are guided and they are empowered by what God has done. We begin to see, yes, I am able because I have received. Yes, I can use this because it has been given to me from God. I don't need to sit on the sidelines. It's not helpful for me to do that. I need to be one faithfully administering what? God's grace as good stewards. As good stewards. This is Joseph in Pharaoh's household. Joseph didn't have by his own right all of that authority and privilege and wealth. It belonged to another. But he was the administrator. He was the one who stewarded what he had received. This is the city of God, beloved. And he has given us storehouses and storehouses and storehouses of spiritual gold. He has poured out upon us great and varied grace so that life might flow well in righteousness and harmony and unity and peace. Each of us is commanded to go on in a perpetual spending spree. Now, when's the last time you heard? That good stewardship is spending. Rather than saving. This is what it is to be in the church that is a plantable soil in these end times. To be spending and spending and spending. Now, why is that? It is because God's grace never runs out, you see. The grace that God has given to us is not something that we can use up. Oh, I've expended all of Your grace, God. I've used those gifts, and there's no more. No, rather, it's just the opposite. The more we use in seeking out to help one another, the more He gives to us to be used. He renews and refills and resupplies us with grace to care for one another. At ministry, v. 10, God's grace in its various forms. Why would Peter say that? Because he wants to know that the church never runs out. God's grace will supply you So by grace, send a card of encouragement to another member. God's grace will supply you to do it again. By grace, missions committee, continue giving us good direction and helping us to plan new outreach events. God's grace will supply you to do it. By grace, Sunday school teachers, work for the spiritual growth of our children. God's grace will supply you to do it. By God's grace, volunteer for something to do in this church. God's grace will supply you to do it. By grace, walk up to someone and ask them if they need your help in doing something in their home, or in their job, or in their situation, God's grace will enable you to do it. By grace, go up and tell somebody that you're praying for them. God's grace will supply you to do it. And we could go on and on and on. Why? Because the author of all of this that is at work in our life as congregation is God. And he loves us. And he is good to us. And he supplies us exceedingly, abundantly, beyond anything we could ask or imagine. And so, beloved, Let's go. Amen. Our Father in heaven, we praise you so much for the wonder of your word, for the richness of your grace to us in Jesus Christ, that we have all that we need and more. Oh, Father, help us, your people, to look around and ask, where might I be used here? Oh Lord, give us to be. Delighting. To be in your service, we pray in Jesus name. Amen. Congregation, let's sing by way of response this morning 306. So praise ye the Lord and then after our benediction. Our doxology will be 490, so we'll stand to sing 306.