Keys To A Wonderful Church Life - Part 2: Service With A Smile! Series

Keys to a Wonderful Church Life - Part 2: Service with a Smile!

The Book of Romans

Romans 12:1-9

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared August 26, 2021)

BACKGROUND:

*Remember that Romans 12 marks a big shift in Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome. In chapters 1-11, Paul spelled out the truth about our terrible sinfulness and our desperate need for God's salvation. Paul made it clear that salvation can only come by God's grace through faith in our crucified and risen Savior Jesus Christ. This is the heart of the good news about Jesus. He died on the cross for all of our sins. But three days later, Jesus rose again from the dead, and now He will give eternal life to everyone who receives Him as their Lord and Savior.

*But how are we supposed to live this new life we have as Christians? That's what Paul began to discuss in the remaining chapters of this letter. Tonight, God's Word gives us more keys to a wonderful church life. Let's get started by reading vs. 1-9.

MESSAGE:

*You know that old cliché, "Service with a smile!" Don't you like service with a smile? -- Well, so does God.

*Psalms 100 says:

1. Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

2. Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.

3. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

5. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

*God wants all of us to serve Him with gladness. He wants us to give Him service with a smile, and tonight's Scripture can help us do it.

1. FIRST: WE NEED THE RIGHT APPRECIATION FOR EVERYONE.

*Christians: We must understand that because of our faith in Jesus, we are all part of the spiritual Body of Christ. Paul stressed this truth in vs. 3-5, so please listen to these verses again from the NIV. There Paul said:

3. By the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

4. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,

5. So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

*Every believer is part of the Body of Christ, and every believer has a purpose in the Body of Christ. When I thought about this truth, my tonsils came to mind.

*When I was a kid, the doctors didn't think tonsils had any useful purpose, so they routinely took them out. Some years later, doctors discovered that our tonsils help protect us from infection, and now they avoid taking them out if they can.

*Christian: Right now, you may think about yourself the same way doctors used to think about tonsils. You may feel like a tonsil in the Body of Christ. You don't know your purpose. You might even feel worthless. But every believer has a purpose in the Body of Christ! And every believer has great value in the Body of Christ!

*If you ever doubt your value, just remember the high price that was paid for you. 1 Peter 1:18-19 tells all Christians, "You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."

*God paid the highest price for every single one of us. And He wants us to appreciate this truth in the life of every believer, including ourselves!

*Ann Weems wrote a story about one of her favorite childhood memories. And she began by saying, "It was a family treasure. That golden vase, the priceless vase that had belonged to my great-grandmother, and my grandmother, and now to my mother. The vase sat on the mantle, out of reach of little fingers. However, I managed to reach it. I climbed to reach it, and I broke it. I broke the family treasure.

*Then I began to cry in loud sobs that brought my mother running. I could hardly get it out. -- 'I broke the vase,' I said. 'I broke the treasure.' A look of relief came over her face, and she said, 'Oh, I thought that YOU had been hurt.' She hugged me and made it very clear that I was her priceless treasure." (1)