Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

We are into our second week into the book of Romans.

I’m excited to walk through this book with you these next few weeks as we discover Paul’s words to the believers in Rome.

I enjoy the fact that many of you are engaging in this text as I had several people talk with me this week as they wrestled with the text from last Sunday.

If you missed it, may I encourage you to go to the website and take a listen as it sets the tone for the entire book.

But last week I left you on a bit of a cliff hanger.

Paul was speaking to the believers, those who have accepted the faith of the Gospel, and he desired to come to them to impart spiritual gifts.

He also wanted to preach the Gospel to them as well, because today’s verses describe what the Gospel is

One person wrote,

“gospel of Christ” (Romans 1:16).

The first term speaks of the source of the Gospel; the second term speaks of the Savior in the Gospel.

God planned the Gospel.

It is not man’s plan.

John G. Butler

We come to faith by believing in the Gospel, or Good news of Jesus Christ.

Paul ends this section with the words, the righteous shall live by faith.

So today, I want to spend a few minutes describing an aspect of how we can live out of our faith.

I am going to spend the next few minutes with you talking about

S.H.A.P.E.

You see the Gospel is lived through us as disciples of Christ when we use the shape God has given us.

The idea of shape is not my own thoughts, in fact if you want to do more reading on this topic, you can borrow a book I have in my office,

But for this morning we are going to walk through these five different aspects of living out our faith.

I talked last week about each one of us have been called, we talked about Paul’s calling and that he challenged us to be called as well.

SHAPE helps us identify the calling on our lives.

Maybe you are sitting here this morning and you struggle with what is your calling.

I often have people in my office or over coffee share with me, this very struggle and I walk them through what I am about to share with you.

Here at this church we have a process that I walk people through as we learn to be disciples of Christ.

The extended definition is a disciple is one who is

seeking to know God, while being transformed into the image of Christ, empowered by the Spirit, in the context of community.

We have simplified it as Knowing, Growing, Giving.

SHAPE is a part of the Giving.

It’s the living out of the Gospel in our lives.

It’s the giving of us for the Kingdom of God.

I am often marvelled the fact that God uses anyone of us to further His kingdom, but he does.

And the most amazing part of this is that each one of you does it in your own way, the way God has SHAPED you.

We are not all the same, remember this verse?

So what is Shape

Let’s begin with the S

Spiritual Gifts

Paul told the believers that his desire is that each believer receive their gift.

Folks often when I talk to believers about spiritual gifts there are many questions and in some cases confusion.

Some have made it out to be more complicated than it needs to be.

Some have seen this as a mystery, complex and somewhat hard to understand.

Folks if you are in this camp, you are not alone.

Paul encountered this as well,

Folks this understanding of spiritual gifts should be clear for every believer.

As I am speaking right now, you even may have a few questions, but hold onto those questions, write them down, and if they are not answered in the next few minutes, talk with me over coffee time or later this week and I will be happy to walk you through your questions.

When we begin to look at spiritual gifts there is one burning question I want to answer.

This is why we begin with S

As a disciple of Christ, in your serving and living out your faith in community, it is for the building up of the body of Christ.

It’s purpose is for growth of the body.

Quite simple, it’s not about you.

It’s about what YOU do for the Body, but for God

Some times we take the spiritual Gift theme and distort in in one of two ways.

The first is.....

I have this gift, look at me..... or I wish I had that Gift, if I did look at what I could do.....

I guess those who think this way look at the word gift and treat it the same way of a gift we give each other.

It’s for me.

The second distortion on the theme of spiritual gift is this, a cope out or excuse.

“I can’t possibly help in that way as I don’t have that gift”

as you will find out in the other letters, your gifting from God comes not only in the spiritual gifts, but other things as well.

So why are we given spiritual gifts?

Why does Christ through the spirit give gifts?

The spirit, in working through you, is God’s spirit giving you something to be used to building up the body.

So we know that the gifts are given, Why they are given,

we must ask ourselves who they are given to and how?

I often speak with believers and they say to me, I don’t know my spiritual gift?

Am I suppose to have one, did I miss a meeting when they were handed out.

Am I behind everyone else because I don’t know my gift.

Well, if you feel this today, let me reassure you that finding out your spiritual gift is not the goal or ultimate goal, using them is the key, the focus.

Secondly, does everyone get one, yes

You see when you receive Christ to be your saviour and he comes to dwell in you, the very fact that you have the Spirit dwelling in you, the manifestation of the Spirit is the marker of the gift.

It’s not a question of what Gift do I have, although I believe over time, you begin to see His Spirit working through you time and time again.

And in those times, you can say with certainty, that God has given you a gift and it is.......

What you should be asking yourself, am I stewarding the gift or gifts he has given me.

I talked with someone this week, and the person said, “I’m amazed of what comes out of my mouth as I speak to people”

They went on to describe how their words were of encouragement or discernment for the person they were speaking to.

I smiled, That person was exercising the gift of encouragement and exhortation.

It wasn’t a boastful or proud statement but a statement,

and then said, “That’s not me, it must be the Spirit talking.”

Here are some of the questions I am always asked.

Do I get a gift for life or do they come and go?

I always answer yes

Have I seen God working in my life the same way over and over, yes,

Has God given me something for a moment when He needed me, yes, has it happened again, no.

Folks it’s not about the specific nameable gift, it’s not about you, but what the gift is for.

To build up the kingdom of God.

It needs to be used.. if given it needs to be stewarded.

I am reminded of the old wood cutter who worked for years cutting down trees with his faithful axe.

He began to notice that the new young guys were cutting down more trees that he ever had and he began to watch them.

They had a different looking type of axe.

He went to the local store and later walked out with a chainsaw.

Later that day, he returned to the store and wanted his money back claiming that the saw was not working and he could cut more trees with his faithful axe.

The store owner, wanted to please the customer, and upon hearing that the machine wasn’t working, took the machine, pulled the starter cord, started the machine to see what was the problem.

The old woodcutter, turned around in amazement at the loud noise and exclaimed, What is the noise.....?

Having a spiritual gift and NOT using it is having a chain saw and not pulling the starter.

Pointless.

So where do we begin?

SHAPE

Defining what your shape is starts with Spiritual Gift.