Are You All In?
Notes
Transcript
Living the Christians Life
Introduction
Introduction
Hold up Money and ask who wants this: 50 or greater for effect
What if I where to crumble it up? How about now? What if I were to stomp on it? or Throw it? Why would you still want the money? Because it has not lost it’s value. It is still worth something. As I begin tonight I want all of us to understand that God doesn’t make junk. Many Christians (myself included) think that God cannot use them because of mistakes or lack of talents or abilities. I want us to understand as we begin this thought of living the Christian life and service that if you say God cannot or won’t use me. You are limiting God’s power and control in your life.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
If you have lived very long at all you understand that live throws you round, stomps on you and can become batter and beaten. But you never lost your value. There are things in our lives that come at us that are beyond our control. Things like: the car breaking down, my kids are sick, my boss is a jerk, my wife get cancer, my husband get hurt at work. Life just happens to us sometime.
Then there are things that happen in our lives that we cause to ourselves. I like to call these natural consequences. I stayed up late watching TV or playing video games so I over slept. I am lazy at work so I loss my job, I didn’t change the oil or take care of my car so it doesn’t last long. But no matter what comes our way in life weather cause by us or by something outside of us. God’s value on you, and your usefulness to Him has not changed.
Newton's Third Law: Action & Reaction
“His third law states that for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction.”
The same is on us. When we sin or chose an action there is a fall out from those choices.
But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out.
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Now, I am going to walk quickly through four principles for Christian living found in Romans 12. For time I won’t look at every detail of this chapter. But I hope to help us understand that because of God’s mercies we can live a the Christian life and service the Him in a way He wants us to. As we look at this chapter we will see that if we place Him as the Lord of our lives, makes us a member of a body of Christ, then gives gifts to steward faithfully, and fellowship with other.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Lordship
Lordship
In all of his letters, Paul concluded with practical duties that were based on the doctrines he had discussed in the letter. In the Christian life, doctrine and duty always goes together. What we believe helps us determine how we behave. It’s not enough for us to understand the truths of the Word of God. we must translate our learning into living and show by our daily lives that we trust God’s Word.
Many Christians can trust God with their eternal souls but they can’t trust Him enough to serve Him in the here and now. We want God to save us from an eternity in hell but yet we won’t service in His house or talk to the lost family member about His love.
Paul begins here by saying “I beseech you therefore, brethren...” I beg of you Christians. I’m asking you brothers and sisters in Christ. Therefore, Of course, when we see this word therefore, it is pointing us back to what was before. Paul is pointing us back to all that he has said up to this point. He says “I beseech you therefore, brethren...” What does he beseech us by? The mercies of God. If we were to go back through all 11 chapters of Romans we would see one overwhelming thought. Mercies! That word sums up all that is contained in those chapters, just mercies upon the sinner who did no deserve any mercies. He doesn’t talk about what we did. He talks about all that God did for us.
All that you and I are today is because of God’s mercies on us. We can be used of Him and even when those trials of life come we get through them because of God’s mercies.
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Because of God’s mercies on us we are to let Him have Lordship in our lives. By presenting our bodies a living sacrifice. We must yield our bodies to Christ that He might continue God’s work through us. We must yield the members of the body as instruments of righteousness.
Romans 6:13 (KJV 1900)
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
The Old Testament sacrifices were dead sacrifices, they weren’t getting up off the altar. But we are to be living sacrifices. There are two good examples of a living sacrifice in the Bible. Isaac in Genesis 22 ; Isaac willingly put himself on the altar and would have died in obedience to God’s will, but the Lord sent a ram to take his place. Isaac “died” the moment he yielded himself to the will of God and got on the altar.
Of course, Christ is the perfect illustration of a living sacrifice, because He actually died as a sacrifice, in obedience His father’s will. But He arose!
Philippians 2:6–8 (KJV 1900)
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
The word present in this verse means “to present once for all.” It is a definite commitment of the body to the Lord, just as a bride and groom in their wedding service commit themselves to each other. It is this once-for-all commitment. Paul says that this is our reasonable service. This means that every day is an act of service or worship to Him as you yield your body to the Lord.
But the thought of yielding our bodies goes beyond just our actions. It speaks of our minds and wills. This word “transform is the word where we get our English word “metamorphosis.” It describes a change from within. The world wants to change your mind, so ti exerts pressure from without. But the Hold Spirit changes our mind from within. If the world controls your thinking you are conformed. But if God controls your thinking you are transformed.
God transforms our minds by His Word. As you spend time meditating on God’s Word, memorizing it, and making it a part of your inner being, God will gradually make your mind more spiritual.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (KJV 1900)
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Our wills are yielded to Him as we pray and seek God’s will for our lives. We give up our own will in place of His will. Many people think that they can control their will by willpower, but usually they fail. It only comes when we yield our will to God that His power can take over and give us the will we need to have a victorious Christian life. As we surrender our wills to God through prayer, we should pray as Jesus taught “not my will but thy will be done.”We must pray about everything and let God have His way in everything.
Is He Lord of your life?
Membership
Membership
Verses 3-5
Remember Paul was writing to Christians who were members of local churches in Rome. He described their relationship to each other in the terms of the members of a body. The basic idea is that each believer is a living part of Christ’s body, and each one has a spiritual function to perform. Each believer has gifts to be used for the building up of the body and the perfecting of the other member of the Body. In short, we need each other. To come to church and just come in late, sit in the back, then slip out before the end of the service is say that the body doesn’t need its toes, or organs.
Paul speaks in verse 3 a danger to the body as well. When a member is full of pride. There is much more damage in a local church than a believer who overrates himself. All of us are guilty of pride at some level because all sins come back to the over-all thought of pride. But when there is a member who is not humble it is noticeable and causes problems. It would be like us trying to walk around on our hands. We may be able to get a few steps but we cannot go on forever like that.
Now, there is nothing wrong with a Christians recognizing the gifts God has given you and using them for Him, but when we poof ourselves up it becomes a problem. The gifts and abilities we have are because of the grace of God. We must accept and exercise them by faith. We were saved by grace through faith
Ephesians 2:8–9 (KJV 1900)
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
and we must live and serve God by grace through faith. Since our gifts are from God, we cannot take credit for them. All we can do is accept them and use them to honor God’s name.
1 Corinthians 15:10 (KJV 1900)
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Stewardship
Stewardship
This taught leads to the stewardship of the gifts God has given us. Each believer of this body has different gifts and God has given us these so the local body can grow in a balanced way. But each Christian must exercise these gifts by faith.
You were given a giftedness to serve God in a unique way. God’s plan for your life is that you would meet a specific need in the church family, and He has gifted you in a special way to meet that need.
God’s Word teaches that as a member of this church family (this body), you are important to His work in this place. He has appointed you a gift and a purpose for being here…and you will greatly enjoy discovering and using that gift for His purposes!
What are the Spiritual Gifts?
The gifts are carefully explained in this text before us. The spiritual gifts may be summarized in this way…
Prophecy—more than just a gift; a call from and equipping by God to preach His Word.
Ministry (Helps)—a desire to serve and help God’s people.
Teaching—the ability to teach God’s truth; helping people understand how His Word
applies to them.
Exhortation (Encouragement)—the ability and desire to encourage others in the
Christian life.
Giving—the ability and desire to give to God’s work and God’s people.
Ruling (Administration)—the ability to lead and administrate part of God’s work.
Mercy—the ability to feel the pain of others and help them during trials.
These gift are to be used for God’s glory and in services for Him is the local church. They are not weapons for us to fight or taunt before others with. The Church in Corinth used their gifts to tear each other down. we are to be stewards of all of the theses God has given us including the gifts and abilities are well.
Fellowship
Fellowship
Verses 9-16
Here the emphasis is on the attitude of those who exercise the spiritual gifts. It is possible to use a spiritual gift in an unspiritual way. Paul makes this point in 1 Corinthians 13 when he talks about our love. There is a sweetness in true Christians fellowship. Through the Love of Christ it can be a true joy to fellowship with other believers. But this love must be an honest love, not hyopcritical love.
Romans 12:9 (KJV 1900)
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
and it must be humble, not proud.
Romans 12:10 (KJV 1900)
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
Christians Fellowship is much more than a pat on the back and a handshake. It means sharing the burdens and blessings of others so that we all grow together and glorify the Lord. If Christians cannot get along with one another, how can they ever face their enemies? A humble attitude and a willingness to share are the marks of a Christian who truly ministers to the body.
Our Lord ministered to the common people, and they heard Him gladly.
Mark 12:37 (KJV 1900)
David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.
When a local church decides it want only a certain “high class” of people, it departs from the Christian ideal for ministry.
Conclusion
Conclusion
So church let’s come together for the cause of Christ. Maybe tonight you have set back in your seats for so long thinking that God can’t use you. I hope tonight that you can see that God can use a willing vessel. That’s all He asks for. Living the Christian life may seem hard. But it is simply yielding our self to Him and serving each other together.
Maybe you hold back because you are unsure of the gifts God has given you. Come down tonight and ask God to show you and He will.
Maybe the only thing that holds you back from being all in this Christian life is commitment. I beseech you, don’t hold back. Come to this altar and lay whatever may be stopping you from being all in to God and let Him have control.