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GOD'S GIFTS ARE FOR SHARINGROMANS 12:1-8INTRODUCTION Where is the power and wisdom of the infinite and eternal Creator of the universe, who exists as a Trinity most clearly revealed? Is his power most clearly seen in the complexity of biological organisms or in the vastness of the universe with its trillions of stars pouring out incomprehensible amounts of energy? While the awesomeness of the creation does point to the awesomeness of the Creator, yet the argument of the Bible is that the #1 visible evidence of the power of the invisible God is the church of Jesus Christ. God’s power and wisdom is most visibly manifest in the existence and life of the Christian church. In Romans 1:16, the apostle Paul says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” The gospel of Jesus Christ contains a power more remarkable than that contained in a super nova. Paul says that this message of God coming to earth to save sinners through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is God’s power at work saving every sinner who believes. The book of Romans is Paul’s description by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, of how it is that God unleashes his saving power through the good news about Jesus. We are diving into Paul’s description of that power in the twelfth chapter. That means we are skipping over 11 chapters of detailed explanation of the gospel. In those first eleven chapters Paul describes with beautiful detail the wonders of God’s salvation of sinners. It is a description of how God has done the most impossible thing in the universe. He has, through Christ, made a way for sinful humans from every possible racial, ethnic, economic and social grouping to dwell in the presence of a holy and just God without being consumed by his wrath and without defaming God as an unjust God for rewarding criminals like us with heaven rather than justly punishing us with hell. The exalted language of praise that ends chapter 11 points towards the awesomeness of what God has done in Christ. The gospel of Christ, more than anything else demonstrates that all things come from God and all things exist by the work of God and all things exist for the glory of God. The “therefore” that begins 12:1 connects this amazing gospel with the visible existence and life of the church. Whereas the first 11 chapters were a description of what God has done to save us, chapters 12-15 are a description of the visible effects this gospel has in our lives. In our text this morning, Paul is beginning to describe the subjective experience of all those whom God has objectively saved through Christ. MAIN POINT The power of God’s love in Christ is made visible by people who… I. Act differently because they think differently (vv. 1-2) There are two commands in vv. 1 & 2. In verse one Paul tells us he wants us to “offer our bodies a sacrifice” and in v. 2 we are to “not be conformed to this age but be transformed”. Each command is also connected to a means by which the command is to be obeyed. We are to offer our bodies “by means of the mercies of God” and we are to be transformed “by the renewing of our minds”. The basic logic of these two verses is that we are to be radically transformed people in our outward behaviors because we are radically transformed in our motives, our thinking, our interior life. In v. 1 Paul is using the language of the OT sacrificial system. It was the job of the priests to take the animals that the people brought to them and to kill them and place them on the altar as a sacrifice to God. Paul says, every Christian is both the priest who offers the sacrifice to God and he or she is the sacrifice. What we offer is our physical bodies. At the end of v. 1 he says that this offering of our bodies to God is our worship. What does this mean? The offering of the sacrifices by the Jewish people is what they did to worship God. It was the physical evidence that could be seen in the world that they were God’s people. It wasn’t only the sacrifices that showed they belonged to God. The temple, circumcision of baby boys at 8 days old, the food laws, the Sabbath laws, indeed every act of obedience to the whole law--all these physical acts were the evidence that they belonged to God. In the first eleven chapters Paul showed that Jesus has accomplished for us everything that those laws and sacrifices and priests and temple were meant to do for the Jewish nation. As he says in Romans 10:4, “Christ is the end of the law.” The people of God are not now known by their offering of animal sacrifices because Jesus is our sacrifice. We are not known by our priests, for Jesus is our priest. We are not known as the people of God by our being circumcised because the Holy Spirit has circumcised our hearts. We have no physical temple because we are the temple of God. So what is there that distinguishes the people of God from all other people in this physical world that we live in? It is how we use our physical bodies. It is through our physical bodies that we carry out our intentions and purposes. What we do with these bodies shows what we love, desire, fear, hate, admire, hope for, trust in, etc. Paul tells us that the power of the gospel is shown in us by our giving ourselves, mind and body to God. This also shows that the reality of our profession of Christ is seen not simply in what we do in our “religious” moments, like coming to church, but in how we use our bodies all the time. We live in our bodies every moment and so we show the effects of grace in our lives all the time, in everything that we do. This is another way of saying what Paul says in 1 Cor. 10:30, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.” The command to offer our bodies as a sacrifice to God is followed by four descriptions of what kind of a sacrifice we are to be. A living sacrifice means that we offer ourselves as long as we live in this body. It points to the daily, continual offering of our bodies to God. A holy sacrifice means that our bodies are owned by God and are to be used for his purposes. An acceptable sacrifice means that the use of our bodies conforms to God’s written standards. We use our bodies for the things God tells us to use them for, not simply for the things we find acceptable. Finally, Paul concludes by saying that this offering of our bodies to God is the logical and necessary response to the gospel. Everyone who says, “I am a Christian”, but who does not offer his or her body to God, is lying. If you say you are a Christian you must also act like a Christian. About this time every year a number of our young people begin the process of applying for college. Each one usually has in mind the one school by which she hopes to be accepted. How will our hopeful applicant respond if she is accepted by her preferred school? She will be totally excited and tell all who will listen about her good fortune. She will spend the next months planning and preparing for her enrollment next fall. What would we say if a year from now she was still living at home, here in Janesville and yet still talking like she was enrolled in this college? When a young person is accepted at a university he or she must give their bodies, their time, their mind to that university. She cannot say she is a student of that university while living at home and working at some retail store here in Janesville during the school year. Just because she was accepted by the school and signed the papers and is excited about the school does not make her a student. It is necessary that our prospective student put her body in the car and drive to the school and set up her dorm room. She must become physically involved in living the life of a student if she is to be one. Saying she is a student is not enough. She must act like a student. This is what Paul says in v. 1. Every person upon whom God showers his saving mercies offers their body to God, a sacrifice, living, holy, acceptable to God, this is the logical and necessary act of worship that we perform that proves we are the people of God. Whereas v. 1 describes what I do with my body in relation to God, v. 2 describes what I do with my body in relation to this age in which I live. The word that is translated “world” in v. 2 is literally “age.” It is the same word that ends chapter 11, which literally reads, “…to him be the glory into the ages.” In other words the age I am to not be conformed to is this temporary, sinful age which is ruled over by Satan and thinks and acts contrary to God. The same word is used by Paul in Galatians 1:2 where he says that Christ has delivered us from “this present evil age.” The point isn’t that we are to deny ourselves all the legitimate pleasures that God has placed in this world; rather we are to not use our bodies in such a way that shows that our entire life is limited by this age and its pleasures. We are not to live as if life is found here and now but rather as if our life is still to come. We are foreigners in this age and we are citizens of the next age and so we don’t live here as if this is all there is. How you use your body ought to reveal that heaven is your home, not this earth. The connection between vv. 1 & 2 is very important. As I said, how we use our bodies reveals what we love, hate, trust, admire. The second half of v. 2 shows us that the non-conforming use of our bodies is due to the transformation of our minds . In other words, we use our bodies differently than the surrounding culture because we think differently than the culture we live in. We have different motives and desires than the world we live in. We view reality differently than this age of men and so we use our bodies differently. We think differently and so we live differently. We are changed from the inside out, not like the religious systems of men, which establish external standards to which people must conform. Notice that a renewed mind leads to a life of testing and approving of God’s will. Every Christian is in the process of having their mind changed about what they must have to be happy. We are growing in our imitation of Jesus who said, “my food is to do the will of him who sent me.” We increasingly find our satisfaction in doing God’s will, not doing our will. We increasingly reject the viewpoint of this age that believes that happiness is to be found in this world and we increasingly look for our happiness in conformity to the will of God as made known to us through Christ in his word. The word of God does not appear to us as an external book of laws that it is our duty to obey. The will of God is not a burden to us, but increasingly it is a delight. Please note the progressive nature of this transformation. Paul does not envision perfect people, but progressing people. The effect of the gospel on our lives is that we grow in our delight in God’s will. Also note that we are “being” transformed. In other words we don’t transform ourselves but rather we are transformed by God. It begins at conversion and continues through your entire life. When I look back at my life prior to becoming a Christian and compare it to my life following my conversion it is as plain as day what it means to be transformed. Prior to my conversion I loved getting drunk and carousing. I loved getting the best grades and getting academic awards. I loved pursuing women. I had no desire to think about God, go to church to worship God, pray or read the Bible. Above all, I had no interest in doing good for others if I received nothing back in return. After my conversion I hated getting drunk. I had no desire to party anymore. I loved going to church and reading the Scriptures and praying. I enjoyed spending my time with other Christians worshipping Christ. I enjoyed sharing the gospel with others and leading Bible studies. I wanted to do good for others regardless of the cost to myself. My mind, what I thought and what I loved, was transformed. That process that began at conversion continues to this day. As my mind is transformed, I learn to enjoy and approve of God’s will in greater and greater ways, which leads to my using my body in different ways. The power of God’s love in Christ is made visible by people who…
II. Though made different by God are yet one body (vv. 3-6a) 12:3-15:14 are now Paul's giving specific direction as to what uses we are to put our bodies. He is seeking to give some of the details of what a "living sacrifice" looks like; what a life that is not conformed to this age but transformed looks like. The first thing he talks about is our relation to one another in the church. As Jesus said, the primary evidence that we belong to God is to be found in how we treat one another. Our salvation is not merely individual but rather we are now part of a community; the people of God. It is this corporate life that Paul seeks to describe for us and help us to understand in vv. 3-8. The central point of vv. 3-6a is that while God has made us one body, yet he, by his own sovereign grace has given to each of us different gifts that we are to exercise by faith. Paul begins this part of his exhortation to us by describing how we are to relate to each other in view of the fact that God has given each of us a “measure of faith.” Before we consider what Paul tells us not to do and then to do in v. 3 I need to define what he means by this phrase, “the measure of faith God has given you.” In order to understand what this means we have to look at the context of this section. Notice that v. 3 and v. 6a mention grace. In v. 3 Paul says that the reason he is saying what he is saying is because of the grace he was given. If you were here last week you should recognize that Paul is not talking here about the grace that moved God to forgive Paul’s sins and promise him heaven in spite of the fact that he was a sinner. Rather this is the grace of God that moved God to make Paul an apostle to the Gentiles and to give him the resources he needed to be an apostle. In other words, God, contrary to what Paul deserved gave Paul an assignment in the body of Christ and then the resources to fulfill that assignment. Then in v. 6a we are told that what God did for Paul he has done for every individual Christian. He has, contrary to what each of us deserve and as an expression of his free and sovereign power given to every Christian a job to do in the body of Christ and the resources necessary to fulfill that assignment. That is the force of the metaphor in vv. 4-5. Just as each of us have a body which is made up of many different members, none of which serve the same function so all who are in Christ have been made into one unified body that is made up of different members who do not all have the same capabilities or serve the same functions. The end of v. 5 is so crucial. The point is that we cannot survive apart from one another. Your physical body cannot survive without a liver or a heart. Your physical body will not perform as it ought to perform if you are missing a leg. All of us belong to one another in perfect mutual dependence. Therefore, “the measure of faith” that God gives to each person is not stating that God gives some people more faith than he gives to other people. This phrase is not talking about the faith we place in Christ to save us but rather the faith we exercise in Christ as we live our lives as members of Christ’s body. God gives to each person a different gift, a different set of motivations and abilities to serve the rest of the body of Christ and each of us must exercise these ‘gifts’ by faith. Bottom line, the way I express my trust in Christ is different from how you express your trust in Christ. The way I am motivated to show that Jesus is my treasure is different from the way you are motivated to show the worth of Christ to you. This is by God’s design. The two commands that Paul gives in v. 3 are given because God has given to each of us a different measure of faith. The danger that faces the body of Christ, which is made up of people who want to express their trust in Christ in different ways, is that some of us will think too highly of ourselves and others will not think highly enough. We are in danger of either overestimating our importance to the people of God or of underestimating our importance to the church. This is the point of Paul’s command to not think of yourself too highly but rather to think of yourself soberly, in light of the gifts God has given you to exercise by faith for the good of his church. The way to know you are thinking too highly of yourself in relation to your importance to the body of Christ is to examine how you respond when you are not appreciated for what you do or when someone challenges or criticizes you. If you get mad or sad or jealous or withdraw from your service, it is likely that you think too highly of yourself. We are to exercise our faith in Christ by serving others for their benefit, not for ours. We are not thinking too highly of ourselves but soberly when our joy is found in doing good to other Christians whether we are noticed or not. However, it has been my experience in the churches I have been a part of that the biggest problem isn’t that people think too highly of themselves but that they don’t think about themselves soberly, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given them. In other words, most of us don’t really believe that what I have to offer to this group really matters. We don’t really believe that our participation matters. Ultimately, we are indifferent to the church and we don’t care about what happens to it or to the other members of it and we show it by our unwillingness to get involved in each other's lives. A number of years ago I was involved in a church in some kind of leadership position. I went to the meetings I was supposed to go to. I showed up but I didn’t really care. I could see ways in which we could function better as a church and I could see ways in which I could help but I didn’t really want to get more involved. I rarely spoke at meetings and just did the bare minimum of what was required for my assigned task. I was distant and aloof to the rest of the church. I was busy with my own life and family and didn’t really think that what I had to offer would really be appreciated, so I just kept showing up but not really caring. I remember quite clearly a special meeting that the elders asked all the leaders in the church to come to. At the meeting we were asked to make a list of all the other leaders present and then to draw a body part next to each name that we felt expressed the primary way we could see that person contributing to the health and growth of our church. We then took turns sharing what we had put down. Most of the people had drawn a mouth next to my name. I will always remember what one individual whom I respected said. He simply made the observation that I was most helpful to others when I was talking about the Bible and how it applied to our church and our lives. What struck me was that I had a responsibility to speak and to lead. My not speaking and remaining aloof was wrong and harmful to the body of which I was a part. I realized that God wanted me to speak and that I was sinning against God and man by not speaking. I sensed that the real reason I was not speaking was pride and selfishness. I was unwilling to take any risks at being rejected when I spoke. I didn't want to give up my time to be involved. I started talking both in a teaching capacity and in the context of meetings about the church and as a result, my concern for the church and the members of it increased. I didn’t wait to be respected but simply did what it was clear to me that God wanted me to do. I began to think soberly; in accordance with the measure of faith God had given me. The result was that I became part of the community. The power of God’s love in Christ is made visible by people who…
III. Depend upon each other’s differences (vv. 6-8) In vv. 6-8 Paul lists seven gifts and gives direction on how they are to be used in the body. I don’t have the time to think through each of these gifts but I want to make several observations about gifts in general and then leave you with a challenge. First, Paul is talking to a local church. Every local church is the body of Christ. We are not part of the body of Christ. We and every other church that is in Christ is the body of Christ and each member of each local church is a necessary organ in that specific body. Second, each member fulfills a different and necessary function in that body. When members of local churches refuse to fulfill their function in the body, the body is disabled. Every single Christian that considers River Hills their church has a function here. Every single Christian must be connected to Christ’s church and be fulfilling that function that has been assigned to him or her. Third, the function, the gift you are to exercise in this church has been given to you by God, freely, not due to who or what you are or have done. Fourth, Paul does not view these gifts as some latent ability that you have that you can use when the time comes. Rather, the gift is the work. That's the point of the repetition. "If a man's gift is teaching, let him teach, if serving, let him serve, etc." The unmerited favor of God is expressed by us when we are functioning or working. When we are performing our function is what the gift is, not the latent ability. A heart is not serving the body unless it is pumping blood. It does not serve the body by saying "I'm a heart" but by acting like a heart. We don’t sit around and wonder what our gift is or take some test to identify what “ability” God has given us. Rather we act to meet needs, to show forth the mercy of God towards others. We don’t say, "that’s not my gift." We see need and we act to meet the need. We seek to serve others in the ways we are motivated and able to do it. We serve by faith, trusting Christ to increase others joy in God through what we do. Fifth, our functioning as God wants, gives God’s grace to others. What we are doing, as we serve one another by our gifts is help one another know the love of God better. We are helping one another to be taken up with Christ more. We are aiming at increasing one another’s joy in God. Our goal is not merely meeting physical, emotional or psychological need. Rather we are aiming at building the faith of others. Enabling others to rely upon God more and so offer their bodies to him in greater ways. Our goal is not to make people feel better about themselves but to feel better about God and his grace towards them. Finally, let me point out that the gifts, the functions Paul lists in vv. 6-8 fall into the general categories of words and works, speech and action. Prophecy, teaching and encouraging are all verbal functions. There are many of us whom God has called to use our mouths to give his grace to others. Then there are others of us whom God has called to give his grace through our loving action. Serving, contributing to the needs of others, leading and showing mercy are all actions. Both words and actions are necessary. Every church is full of people whom God has gifted to help others by speaking and by acting. Are you fulfilling the function that God has called you to fulfill in this church? Are you, as a result of having a renewed mind, offering your body to God by exercising the gifts God gave you in order to give God’s grace to others? Paul views this as the normal and natural effect of the gospel in our lives. This is the physical evidence of the spiritual change that God has worked in the lives of all his people. I don’t believe that the only way that you can exercise your faith by the use of your gift is through an “official” or “formal” job in the church. I think that most of what we do is in the context of relationships we form in the church. We are more of an organism than we are an organization. However, there are formal jobs in the church in which all of us need to exercise our gifts in serving this body. Out in the foyer we have placed a series of posters that seeks to describe the formal structure or organization of our church and the various jobs that need to be done in order for us to fulfill the dreams and goals we have to be the body of Christ at this time and in this place. Every person who is thirteen and up and who considers River Hills Community Church their church home needs to have their name on at least one of those posters. All of us need to be helping carry out the functions and work necessary for us to be a visible local church. We have to take care of our building. We need to set up tables for our potlucks. We need to organize people to work in the nursery. We need to plan budgets and manage money and pay bills and organize church wide service projects and lead worship and host small groups and lead small groups. Every person who considers River Hills their church home should be involved in some of these "official" tasks. No body of Christ is going to be healthy unless every member of it is functioning in the ways that God has ordained. I would encourage you to take the initiative to find out what each of the ministry teams are doing and then find a place where you can serve this body. Don’t wait for someone to talk with you. Go and get involved and find out the ways in which God wants to use you to build this church. The power of God’s love in Christ is made visible by people who…
© Copyright 2006 John Swanson.
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