SERMON BRIEF
Date Written: October 1, 2012
Date Preached: September 30, 2012
Church: Oak Park BC (AM)
FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS
Series: A Series In Romans
Title: Many Parts – One Body
Text: Romans 12:3-8
ETS: Paul knew unity was crucial and all believers have a part to play.
ESS: Unity is crucial for the church and all of our members have a part to play.
3For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. 4Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, 5in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. 6According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the standard of one’s faith; 7if service, in service; if teaching, in teaching; 8if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.
Introduction:
This chapter begins the transition within this letter and v.1 of this chapter is THE actual point of transition from the doctrines of grace and faith being explained to the practical teaching of how those things are to be lived out…
Last week we saw how Paul had called believers to living a TRANSFORMED life, and we discovered what that TRANSFORMED life should look like…
To be transformed by Christ we must:
Not allow the world to influence or shape us…
Allow God to transform us:
In our physical being
In our emotional station
In our spiritual condition
Shunning the world and allowing God’s transformation leads to the 3rd item and that is ‘peace with God’ in knowing His will
This week we move forward in Paul’s teaching and Paul begins to flesh out the transformation he calls for in v2…
However, before moving into full blown training here Paul wants to make sure these believers understand who they are in Christ Jesus…
Paul has already spoken to them about their position in Christ…and although they were justified before God and had a place in heaven, Paul did not want any of these believers to think too much of themselves. Instead Paul challenges them to focus on and use the gift God had given them… for God’s glory!
By the GRACE of God…v3, 6
3For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one... 6According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts…
In these 2 verses we find Paul strongly emphasizing the Grace of God…why do you think he is doing this?
The short answer is that it is only by God’s grace that we be saved and because of that NONE of us really has any room to brag, boast or claim ourselves better than ANYONE else…
You know in the founding years of our nation was how are nation was formed… Do you realize who came to this land?
It was those who society had rejected in Europe… It was those who were deemed as undesirable! But it was NOT because these people were not valuable!
Quickly those who came here learned that with these people much was possible because they were willing to work hard and do what was needed to succeed!
It was not long before our nation was born and we began to grow based on that very principle! It is actually engraved on the monument that so many immigrants passed through on their way into this country… The Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island…
The Statue of Liberty has this saying engraved on it… Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…
In other words, America was built and became the great nation it is now on the backs of those the ‘civilized’ world deemed useless and outcast… Our shores took them in and they submitted to the culture here and a great nation was born!
What these people did NOT have in Europe, they rec’d here… FREEDOM to pursue their happiness and dreams… freedom from oppressive tyranny and because of them this country blossomed into a great nation!
Now here in these verses Paul is pointing this out… BUT from a spiritual perspective! Paul is telling those within the church in Rome that God’s grace is something offered from the One who HAS everything to those who HAVE NOTHING!
God offers eternal security and we are ETERNALLY lost on our own! So when Paul writes about the grace of God he is pointing out that it is GOD who has bestowed His love and grace on us and that without God we would be NOTHING.
Paul does not want the believers in Rome to think that they are better off b/c of themselves…BUT that it is ONLY by God’s grace that they have what they have! God has opened His kingdom to…the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to be free…
God has called those that society has deemed unworthy or unloved! God takes the weak of this world to reveal His might and power! And here Paul does NOT want the believers in Rome to become too enamored with themselves!
Now when we study the context of Paul’s words we can reasonably presume that Paul was speaking about a possible inner squabble within the church… in other words, some believers thinking that they are better than other believers…
They thought because of what they were doing in the kingdom it must be more important to God’s kingdom than what others may be doing within the Kingdom and they looked down on others in Christ.
Paul wanted them to understand that this was NOT acceptable Christian behavior! Paul stressed that we are ALL in this because of the magnificent grace of a loving God and NOT because of who we are or what we have done!
Christ calls us… we submit to Him and HE uses us in the body according to His plan and NOT according to our desire or our will…
But there is yet another application in Paul’s words… How often do we as believers look down on the world and those lost in sin… Instead of loving them with the love of Christ we find ourselves condemning and judging them!
How many of you would or HAVE truly ‘welcomed’ a KNOWN sinner into our church? How many of you have OR would invite a drunk, drug addict, adulterer, wife beater, or homosexual to our fellowship?
Or are you uncomfortable around such people? I will have to admit it can be uncomfortable around such people, but God did not SAVE us for our comfort… He saved us to serve Him… to share Him with those who do NOT know Him… to those who REJECT Him…
Paul stressed here that it was God’s grace that has brought you here… & its God’s grace that saved your soul… so in reality God’s grace is the only thing that really matters here!
So Paul is telling these believers to get over themselves & get along, & do what God had called them to do… To Serve Him and make disciples!
Paul’s tone here seems a bit harsh, but it was for a purpose! But after the ‘shock’ of Paul telling them to ‘get over themselves’ Paul say 4 them 2 ‘think sensibly’ or basically they should some spiritual common sense.
This spiritual common sense is driven by the Spirit in our lives… or as Paul says "by the measure of faith we have" Does the faith in your heart match the words of your mouth?
Can you imagine how this hit these believers? It was a shock… but this was only the 1st part of what Paul wanted to say. This was a wake up call for what he was about to teach them…
Let’s look at v4-5 for the point Paul was ultimately getting at, and it was that…
The WHOLE is greater than the parts…v4-5
4Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, 5in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.
Have you ever looked at the money you spend? [Take out a dollar bill] On ALL of the money printed in the United States there is this Latin phrase that is printed… it is “E Pluribus Unum”
It means "out of many, one." Sometimes it is loosely translated as one out of many. It was used by our Founding Fathers to refer to the fact that our nation was formed into a single nation as the result of the thirteen smaller colonies joining together, thus ‘out of many [the 13] ONE [the nation]’ this is why our Founding Fathers adopted it as our National Motto…
They understood how this Latin phrase captured the fundamental nature of what they envisioned America was to become… & we DID become ONE nation out of many individuals from ALL over the world…
Peoples from all over the world, from many differing cultures came to these shores for the same purposes: 1) to make a better life for themselves;
2) to live a life free of tyranny and;
3) to live their lives free to worship as they felt led..
These people came to here with different backgrounds, family stories, and ways of worship. They had different languages and different cultures as well as different ethnic heritages…
BUT they all came to these shores and were willing to be melded together to form ONE nation! Thus the phrase “Out of the many… ONE! OR E Pluribus Unum”
These people recognized the opportunity here in this land, but they also realized that the opportunity is only good if you take advantage of it… you MUST apply yourself to seize that opportunity!
So preacher that is nice, but I came for a sermon and NOT a history lesson… why do you bring that up?
Well, it seems to me that the founding of our nation is a lot like the body of Christ…
The body of Christ draws into itself people from every walk of life, from every social status, from every ethnic group, from every culture… all into the Body!
Believers come to Christ with different talents and gifts and thru the power of the Holy Spirit they are used by God to enlarge His kingdom...to bring glory and honor to God!
Here in v4-5 Paul is stressing UNITY within the body. He is confirming that as believers we are all different, but he is also stressing that we are a part of a larger whole… The Body of Christ!
His picture drawn in v4-5 tells us that there are many of us and we ALL have different talents and gifts, but we are to work together for the glory of God. We are all part of the body!
Paul was seeking unity within the church… Paul was implying here that there was great opportunity in Christ and BECAUSE of Christ, but that opportunity would be wasted if they kept bickering about who was better… stop focusing on these things and focus on what God has done and what He wants YOU to do…
So we see that Paul has told us so far that…
You have been granted the grace of God so don’t brag on yourself… and then
You have been brought by God into a large whole and you must unify not seperate the body…
However, his 3rd point this morning is that when God gifts us with talents and gifts, He expects us to use them for His glory...
Use what God has granted you…v6-8
6According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the standard of one’s faith; 7if service, in service; if teaching, in teaching; 8if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.
When the people stepped off the boat here on the shores of our nation, they stepped off into a country FILLED with opportunity, but NOTHING was guaranteed!
People when we are saved by the Grace of God we entered into a spiritual realm where there is UNENDING opportunity to flourish in God’s kingdom… but NOTHING is guaranteed!
Here Paul was basically telling the people of the church in Rome to USE what God had gifted them with… In other words, Paul was saying stop wasting God’s resources… Stop wasting God’s gifts… Stop wasting God’s time!
If you have a gift or talent… use it for GOD! Then Paul gives us some examples of what he meant. This list is NOT all the gifts or talents God grants to his children, but just a short list…
Prophecy… if you have the gift of prophecy it does not mean that you have to wear camel skin and eat wild honey and locusts… you don’t have to run off to the mission field in Africa, but prophecy is nothing more than speaking God’s word!
This does not have to be in a formalized setting, but it can be done in friendships, small groups, or even just within the household… Speaking God’s word is relating what God’s word has to say… and ensuring God’s message is spoken!
Paul says to do this according to the standard of one’s faith, in other words, you will only be able to prophesy as much as you believe God will lead you… the more you surrender to God’s calling, the more you are going to prophesy!
Service is the next gift Paul speaks about… serving others is not only about going on mission trips or meeting the needs of those less fortunate…
Serving is doing what God lays before you, regardless of who it benefits! If God has called you to serve… you are to serve, in spite of who it is or what you are to do!
Teaching is next and Paul stresses that if this is your area… then TEACH! Again this is NOT just the formal classroom, but it spans outward into life in general. God has placed within you a gift to teach others how to live for Him more effectively and draw closer to Him…
Exhorting… lifting up those who are down, encouraging those around you even when YOU are down! Exhorting for the good of the kingdom! This sometimes may put you at odds with others, but if you are called to exhort your brother or sister, you must step up to the plate!
Giving, leading, diligence, mercy and cheerfulness close out the list Paul uses here… basically Paul is saying to these believers, if you have a gift from God you are called to USE it… and use it for HIS glory!
When immigrants came to this land, and they stepped up to the opportunities presented to them… some were able to make it in one area where others excelled in other areas, but it drew different people groups together into a strong and vibrant nation!
Today, God is calling us to become a strong and vibrant body of believers and His calling is for US here at Oak Park! We must stop striving to be or seem better than each other… we must stop believing that we are better than those without Christ, and we must realize 2 things!
1st it is ONLY by the Grace of God that we have Christ in our lives and we should NEVER forget that!
2nd we must know that opportunity is before us and we are called to step up to that opportunity by using the resources with which God has gifted each one of us…
Have we become a condescending congregation? I bet no one here would think that! After all, preacher, we love on ALL who come thru that door… we don’t turn anyone away… it doesn’t matter who they are…
But if you think that is where our responsibility stops you are sadly mistaken! Sure we love on those who come thru our door… that’s EASY! But what about those in our community that have NOT come thru our door? Have you tried to reach them?
What we have to get past in our fellowship is that it is NOT enough to love on those who come in our door… we are called to go out and get those who are not coming!
We are called to love those who are OUTSIDE of the body of Christ…those who society has deemed unworthy or outcast… so where are you today? Are you willing to 1st realize the grace of God in your life and stop elevating yourself!
2nd understand that there are others outside of Christ who need Him and 3rd begin to use the gifts God has given you to reach out to those who do NOT know Jesus…
As Ken comes this morning to lead us… I call on all Oak Park members and believers to surrender to God’s grace in your lives and for you to step out and surrender your WHOLE heart to Christ!
Give evangelistic invitation here…
