Text- Romans 12:3-8
Title- The Antidote
Romans 12:3-8 3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. 4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
I. Think Humbly- 3
II. Seek Unity- 4-5
III. Serve Faithfully- 6-8
I want to thank Henry for covering for me last week. Camille and I snuck away for a few days to celebrate our anniversary and we had a great time. But I am glad to be back. Please turn in your Bible to Romans chapter 12…
Chapter 8 of C.S. Lewis’ book Mere Christianity is titled “The Great Sin”. This has always been my favorite chapter of that book. According to C.S. Lewis the great sin is the sin of pride. Let me read what he has to say…
“According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is pride. Unchastely, anger, greed, drunkenness and all that are merely fleabites in comparison: it was through pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.”
Pride is the great sin. Every other sin you can think of is rooted in the sin of pride. Every rebellious act, every selfish thought, every lie, every angry word, every sinful action has its beginning with pride. It is all about wanting to place ourselves above anyone or anything else. It comes from a desire to have what we want at the expense of our relationships with others or with God.
I would even go so far as to say that all the other sins that we each wrestle with from day to day are merely symptoms of a much more lethal disease. All too often we spend all our time treating those pesky symptoms, but the root disease goes unchecked.
A few months ago Alan told me about an encounter he had out at his place in Yolo with a rattlesnake. I guess he was walking around the side of his barn and saw the thing coiled up near the path. So he did what anyone would do, he grabbed a shovel and killed it good.
We all know that rattlesnakes are poisonous and even potentially deadly. A rattlesnake bite will cause redness, swelling, and a lot of pain. When bitten by a rattlesnake it isn’t enough to simply treat these symptoms. A band-aid, an ice-pack, and some aspirin might treat some of those symptoms of a snake bite, but the poison still remains. You need to get to a hospital as fast as you can and get the anti-venom. Only the right antidote will keep you from losing a limb or death.
Every single one of us has been bitten by the same snake and the venom of pride is working its way through. It is the cancer that will eventually rot out our soul and leave us spiritually dead. Pride blinds people to their need for God. Pride destroys our ability to kneel before God. As we’ve seen throughout Romans, sinful pride leaves us separated from God and destined for an eternity of punishment.
Fortunately God’s has graciously provided a way for us to be freed from that fate. Through faith in the work of Jesus Christ we can have new life and hope and security with God. But even for those of us who are believers, the negative effects of our pride still flair up. We are not immune to bouts of selfishness and outbreaks of conceit. We all struggle with different varieties of sin; and usually those things can and should be treated through accountability and prayer and changes in our lifestyle.
But God wants more than to merely deal with sinful symptoms; He wants to help us attack the root problem. In the passage we are looking at today we see a three phase antidote to our pride problem. God has provided Jesus Christ as the ultimate cure to our sin problem, but these three things are designed to help us shed our stubborn pride and begin to live in a Christ-like way.
Follow along as I read 12:3-8…
The first antidote to our sin problem is to think humbly. It starts with a healthy dose of reality. When you think about yourself, don’t get hung up on unrealistic images or over inflated opinions. Realize that you might not be as important as you think you are.
Paul says, “I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment,”
Pride has a way of affecting our thinking. We don’t see things the way they really are. (Bodybuilding picture) Things get blown way out of proportion in our minds. I love the fact that Paul offers such a simple starting place for us. It all begins with our thinking. If we are unable to see ourselves in a realistic way than we will never be able to see others in the way we need to.
Paul says, I want to say to every single one of you, don’t think of yourself as more important than you really are. He says; think in such a way as to have sound judgment. The term “sound judgment” here also means soberly. Don’t view yourself through the beer-goggles of pride, but have a sober look at yourself.
Keep yourself in perspective. It isn’t about being full of self-hatred or false humility. Really the goal is simply to have a perspective of life that accounts for the other 6 billion people on the planet and keeps in mind the creator of it all.
Pride is essentially a limited view of what’s going on around you. It is the desire to have what you want and get your way at all costs. Pride also comes in more subtle forms. It can take the shape of discontentment, anger; even insecurity and low self-esteem are grounded in an unhealthy view of yourself.
If you are going to succeed in overcoming the old nature and putting on the new nature it begins with the right view of yourself. How do we do this? How do we go about regaining and keeping proper perspective on life? How do we change our thinking so that we aren’t fooling ourselves?
Let me offer a couple of practical suggestions-
1. Stop and think. So often we go for months, even years in the wrong direction simply because we are too lazy or too scared to stop and reevaluate. Paul uses the word “Think” three times in this one verse. There is a need on our part to honestly and intentionally evaluate where we are and where we need to be.
2. Square it up. Are there areas of your life that you know are out of sync with God’s desire? Are there things that you know are sinful that you need to change? Do your actions and words and thoughts square up with what you read in the Bible?
3. Ask for help. One of the best ways to get knocked down off your high horse is to ask other people for their opinion. Think of it this way- isn’t it a lot easier to see the problems in other people than it is to see your own problems? Ask someone who is close to you and who you trust to give you some constructive criticism.
4. Pray about it. In the Book of James it says that if any of you lacks wisdom let him ask God. Spend some time asking God to reveal things to you. Ask Him to help keep you humble. God will answer that prayer, but simply by going to Him in prayer we are refocusing our attention away from ourselves and trying to line our lives up with His will.
Stop thinking about yourselves in an unrealistic and selfish way. Be grateful for who God made you and grateful for what you have. Life isn’t always going to conform to your preferences and desires.
That brings us to the next shot of anti-venom. It has to do with seeking unity. Look at verses 4-5 with me again…
The next way in which we can dismantle that core of pride in our lives is by striving to build unity. Unity is a common theme all throughout the Bible. Redemption is all about restoring unity between us and God. Paul talks about unity between husbands and wives, he talks about unity among other people, and he devotes a lot of attention to the need for unity within the body of Christ.
Unity is such a great antidote to pride because when we are striving for unity we are setting aside our own agenda, we are willingly allowing others to have their way, and we are lovingly giving something up in order to maintain peace and integrity.
I believe that the reason Paul spends so much time talking about the importance of unity because he recognizes how difficult it really is to maintain. In Ephesians Paul says, “2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
Disunity and dissention are always ugly. That’s true in family units, in the work place, and even more so in the church. We are a group of people who should be able to model peace and love and forgiveness and grace to the rest of the outside world. But all too often we are models of selfishness and anger and pride and discontentment.
I can guarantee that any time you get more than two people together in the same room you are going to have more than two opinions. We are all different. We have different tastes in music, different ways of relating to people, different needs, and different ideas, different smells. In the church we even have different races and different social classes. We are a very diverse gathering of people.
As a diverse group we have to work hard at maintaining unity. It doesn’t necessarily come naturally, especially to a room full of prideful people. It has to be something that we do on purpose. It has to be something that we do even though we sometimes don’t feel like it. It has to be something we work at even when it means setting aside our own personal preferences.
When a church fails in this task there can be significant damage done to the cause of Christ.
I think the need for unity in the church today is more important than ever. We live in a society that is increasingly consumer-oriented. There are even whole philosophies of ministry that are centered on this consumer-driven mentality. Divisions in the church have occurred for thousands of years, but more and more often those divisions are not over issues of heresy or theology, but over the color of the carpet or the style of music. Our list of reasons for leaving a church is getting longer and longer.
Now I understand that there are some good reasons for leaving a church. For example-
- If your pastor preaches a radical form of black liberation theology it might be time to find another church.
- If you move to another town, it’s OK to find another church.
- If the pastor stops using the Bible and starts preaching messages about being a better you; it’s OK to split.
On the flip side, there are a lot of wrong reasons for leaving a church. Let me suggest just a few.
- I don’t think it is right to leave a church simply because you don’t like the aesthetic changes that are being made. I know I joke about churches being divided over the color of the carpet, but this actually happens. Often it isn’t just one thing, but a lot of little things that for some reason rubs people the wrong way because they don’t get their way.
- I know this might seem like crazy talk, but I don’t think that leaving a church because you don’t like the music is a very good reason. This is the single biggest cause of conflict in most churches. I know that musical preference is a deeply personal and emotional thing with people. But there has to come a time when we lay aside our personal preferences for the sake of unity and peace.
My personal preference in listening to music is rock and roll. My personal preference for music in church is to sing hymns. I enjoy the newer choruses, but I grew up in a church that sang a lot of hymns and I just like them. But I understand that there are some who don’t have the same nostalgic connection to hymns and simply prefer to sing songs with a more contemporary sound. Each week I am able to lay aside my own personal preferences in the area of music for the sake of the unity of the body.
When you come into church your focus needs to be to worship God. That has to be your primary goal for being here. It’s not to be entertained, it’s not to see a show, it’s to worship God. And if that is your reason for coming each and every week than we could have a monkey with an accordion leading music and it wouldn’t matter- (no offense Steve)
Seeking out unity means being humble enough to set aside your personal preferences, even with something as intensely personal as music.
- Finally, I don’t think it is acceptable to leave a church unless you can say with all honesty that you have made very effort to keep the unity of the Spirit. In this day and age, in a town like Woodland, it is easy to simply move on down the road. There is no shortage of good, solid, Bible believing churches in this town. And I understand that people will move around. I simply want to make sure that all of us are striving to maintain unity as much as we can.
That means that when you have a problem, come and talk to me about it. When I have a problem I promise I’ll come and talk to you about it. When you have a concern, don’t be afraid to come and voice it.
The reason that unity is so important to Paul is because he understands that we are all dependant on each other. We, as a church family, are dependant on each other. We who are many are in reality one body. We are individual members of each other. We are to work together in such a way as to result in a living, breathing, functioning body. We are to do the work that Christ has called us to do. We can’t do that if we are each focused on ourselves, but only when we are focused on our role in the bigger picture.
Finally, the last antidote to that selfish pride that we will talk about today is the importance of serving faithfully. Look at 6-8…
In this passage Paul offers this seven-fold list of essential ministries. God has equipped each and every believer with a particular gift. The primary purpose of these spiritual gifts, is to glorify God and edify the church. But a great secondary effect of spiritual gifts is that it squashes that prideful nature.
Service isn’t something that a selfish, arrogant person will be interested in. For the selfish person the only reason they would ever serve would be to get something out of it. Either they are looking for recognition or praise or some other reward. But when we employ our spiritual gifts in service to God it has to be done with humility and love.
Honestly the best payoff from serving others is the reward that comes from knowing that you are being used by God. There is great satisfaction in helping others, in banding together to solve a common problem, and in seeing the kingdom of God advanced. It’s not like using your spiritual gift is torturous or something, it is a great joy.
But I know so many Christians don’t know what their gift is, or they don’t know how God wants them to use it. This passage gives a short list of gifts and a few suggestions about how they should be used.
If you gift is prophecy then use it in proportion to your faith. Now this kind of prophecy isn’t about fortune telling or something. It is really more about boldly proclaiming the message of God. It can involve preaching, evangelism, or exhortation. Have you ever noticed that some people just seem to have a special ability to use the scripture in a way that is uplifting and motivating?
If your gift is service, than serve. Again, this is the word “deaconos”. There are many different ways to serve in the church. We have committees, ministries, and lots of odd jobs. Some people have a special ability to prepare and serve food. Others have a knack for fixing stuff. If you know that you have the ability and the calling to serve others, than do it.
If your gift is teaching, than teach. The church will always need faithful men and women who can teach SS classes, teach Bible studies, and be effective at helping others to understand the truths of the Bible.
If your gift is exhortation, than you should be faithful to exhort. This is a very special gift and I am so grateful for those in the church who have this gift and use it faithfully. Exhortation could be defined as encouragement on steroids. The Greek word paints a picture of calling someone to your side.
In a couple of weeks Lilly is scheduled to take some swimming lessons. Up to this point she has been a little afraid of the water. I plan on going to the lessons with her and keeping her right by my side. I’m looking forward to showing her how to kick and how to hold her breath and how to move her arms. I don’t expect it to be an easy task, there will probably be a lot of kicking and screaming, but hopefully with me right there by her side she will have the confidence and the security to learn how to swim on her own.
Exhortation is just like that. Coming alongside someone and giving them extra attention and instruction and guidance so that they will have the confidence and the security to do it on their own.
Next, if your gift is giving than give liberally. All of us have a responsibility to give a portion of what we have as an act of worship to God. You give to this church so that we can support the pastors and carry out different ministry functions. All of us give, but some apparently have a special ability and calling to give.
This doesn’t just have to mean money, although that is the primary understanding. It can refer to someone who is willing to give their time and their abilities and themselves. It is someone who is marked by generosity and charity.
It says that those who give should give with liberality. A better interpretation might be that they give with simplicity or sincerity. It means that they give with an open heart because they want to, not begrudgingly. They give generously because they can. I realize that maybe not everyone has this gift. It takes a special person to be able to give above and beyond the norm with joy. And maybe you’re thinking that you don’t have that gift. But how will you ever know unless you give it a try for a few months.
Next it says that he who leads should do it with diligence. If you have been placed in a position of leadership within the church; whether that’s a committee chair, a board member, a pastor, a ministry leader; you have a responsibility to lead with diligence. That means that we are not allowed to “wing it” or do things in a haphazard way.
A great example of someone who leads with diligence is our current board chairman, Kris Nordstrom. He has taken his role very seriously and works hard to make sure that it is done right. He takes the time and puts in the energy to make sure that things are running well. He leads with diligence.
Lastly, those who have the gift of mercy are to exorcise it with cheerfulness. The gift of mercy enables a person to be extra sensitive to the needs of others. A person with this gift notices suffering and pain and need and has a heart to help alleviate the problem. They are able to sympathize with others and then do something about it.
Those with this gift often serve in homeless shelters, prison ministries, and with the sick and shut-in. They do it with cheerfulness and joy. They are able to come alongside those who are hurting and provide a great deal of encouragement and comfort and peace.
This isn’t necessarily an exhaustive list of gifts, it isn’t meant to be. There are longer lists of spiritual gifts in other places, but this list is a good representative sampling. The point is that each of us has been given some kind of spiritual gift. We each have a supernatural ability that enables us to fill a particular need within the body of Christ.
We need each other. The church won’t function right if we aren’t all stepping up to do our part. By employing your spiritual gift within the church you are giving something of yourself to God and others. You are learning to be more selfless and less selfish. One of the best antidotes to the disease of pride is serving others. I really believe that’s why God gives us spiritual gifts and calls us to serve. He knows that it not only honors Christ and builds up the body, but it helps to combat our selfishness.
Pride is a horrible disease that every one of us has been afflicted with. We all have to work hard to think rightly about ourselves and our place in this word. We have to strive for unity and peace with others around us. And we have to serve faithfully using the gifts that God has blessed us with.
As you focus your attention more and more on these three things you are sure to see that old selfish nature replaced with a heart of love and respect and compassion.
