64) You Are One Body
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Pastoral Reminder: Head Heart Hands, Equipping the Saints for the Work of the Ministry
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Turn your bibles to Chapter 12 of the book of Romans. We will be starting in verse 3 today.
Paul showed us the great truth of God’s plan of salvation in the first 11 chapters. After they had correct understanding he called them to have the right response to the mercies that God has given them. To be a living sacrifice to God and not to be conformed to the world but transformed by the renewing of the mind. Now he turns to teach on the correct attitude and behavior that flows out from our lives when we live this way.
Paul immediately turns to speak on the corporate and community nature of the church.
3 For 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. 4 Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, 5 in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. 6 According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith; 7 if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; 8 if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.
The will of God is filled with commands to interact with one another.
Husband and wife. Parent Child. Brother sister. Fellow saint. the poor the rich, the authorities, the wicked, the righteous, and the list goes on and on. A life lived as a living sacrifice is a life to be used in the life of others. And specifically the church and then the church reaches out to the lost world around them.
He answers the question of what does a living sacrifice look like.
Be Humble
Be Humble
3 For 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.
Paul exhorts all believers to be people of humility. When we think of the most important aspects of our Christian life and the Christian community, we may not always put humility very high on the list. But that is what Paul does here. Living out the will of God from the transforming of the mind will take humility.
I have learned in my own life, that I don’t have to work very hard to be filled will pride. Like a boat that has a hole in it, my heart naturally fills with pride. Any time I am not carful and attentive to what is going on inside. I will find pride has made a home in here. I have learned that I must get to work and bail out the pride that is filling me up.
God speaks much about pride and humility and the language that is used should cause us to pause and look at the implications of our pride.
The world feeds this pride in oneself and the person filled with pride will be more and more conformed to the world.
16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world.
Pride is part of the our fallen character if it is left unchecked. But one of the hardest aspects of pride is that it is hard to see it in ourselves. It is easy to see the splinter in other peoples eyes but that enormous plank we are seemingly blind to. Until one day we get to experience the consequences of the sin of pride.
18 Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.
In James, we are told that God treats the proud and the humble differently.
6 But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says: God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
I don’t know about you but the last person that I want resisting me in life is God. I would much rather be receiving grace from him. In the Psalms, he hears and leads the humble.
17 Lord, you have heard the desire of the humble; you will strengthen their hearts. You will listen carefully, 18 doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed so that mere humans from the earth may terrify them no more.
9 He leads the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
So what is pride and humility. In Paul’s words, a person is not to think more highly than he should think. Pride is to look at our own life and to exaggerate the truth of who we really are and our position in life.
Instead, think sensibly. To have a sound mind and a clear mind on the subject. Other translations will say to have sober judgement. When you look at yourself you see clearly and discern wisely. In humility we do not claim to be more than we are, or to have more that we have, or to be higher in authority than we are. But to know where God has put us and to know have far we have come.
Humility is part of our offering to God. The Israelite’s were rebuked many times for performing sacrifices that were not pleasing to God. David writes the the reason was that their hearts were wrong.
17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God.
To come before the Lord in the right way requires a heart of humility.
2 My hand made all these things, and so they all came into being. This is the Lord’s declaration. I will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and trembles at my word.
Why is humility important? It is the same heart of our Lord.
1 If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others. 5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. 7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose. 14 Do everything without grumbling and arguing, 15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, 16 by holding firm to the word of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing.
Paul told the church in Philippi, do nothing out of selfish ambition but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests but the interests of others. How? By adopting the same attitude of Christ. Who emptied himself, took on the likeness of humanity and humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death on a cross.
Humility is necessary for fellowship and unity. Pride and selfishness go hand in hand as killers of community and unity. Humility and selflessness are the builders of community and unity.
16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
Why are we to be humble? The reason is that God has distributed or assigned a measure of faith to each one. This is an exhortation to everyone to be humble with each other since God does not give his gifts, talents, or graces and blessing, to everyone in the same measure.
Each believer has been specifically given gifts and talents that are meant to be used to the glory of God. So don’t be filled with pride in your position because they may have a different position as assigned by God. Each person uniquely gifted to support his ministry through his church.
You are One
You are One
4 Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, 5 in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.
Paul is telling them to look out and refrain from the age old comparison game. Instead of focusing on promoting ourselves and our own agendas, we are to see that all believers have been brought together to be part of one another. To be one body in Christ. He is uses this familiar image of a physical body to help them understand how each person is dependent on the others and the others are dependent on them.
Each part is to present themselves as a living sacrifice being renewed by the transforming of the mind. This new life is to be lived out together, with the recognition that by God’s will he has made us each into different parts of the body of Christ.
Who here has every owned a boat? What is the most important part of a boat? Is it the hull or the body of the boat? We would be very leery of a boat that had a large hole in it.
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The hull will not likely do its part with a hole in it correct. Maybe you think the most important part is the motor. More power. It must get up on plane and go. I have fish to catch, skiers to pull or places to see. This thing should move.
I think many people would have these as the most important parts of the boat. But what about the trailer? dragging a boat to the river is ill advised.
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How about a steering wheel? What about the 2 dollar drain plug? A half a million dollar yacht is sunk because this part is missing.
I learned the hard way the lug nuts on the trailer are important. Turn a corner onto 32nd and there goes my trailer tire. Or how about the pin in the receiver. You can get most of the way there but it is a scary sight when you look in your rearview mirror and you can see your boat doing wheelies behind you making sure your safety chains are strong. By the way if that ever happens to you. the handle of a pair of pliers and some duct tape will get you to the river and back.
There are visible and prominent members of the body but there are also hidden and quite ones. Each one is blessed to be given their own gift to be used for the community of God people.
12 For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink. 14 Indeed, the body is not one part but many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted. 19 And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that are weaker are indispensable. 23 And those parts of the body that we consider less honorable, we clothe these with greater honor, and our unrespectable parts are treated with greater respect, 24 which our respectable parts do not need.
Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, 25 so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. 26 So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
God has arranged each one of the parts in the body as he wanted. Think of this image of God creating his people and giving the gifts to people as he wanted too. As he assigned and directed.
Uniquely Gifted
Uniquely Gifted
4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Each part is to perform their own specific function. That means that those that are children of God have work to do. Each and every person who claims Jesus Christ as Lord and savior has been given gifts and a role to play in the body of believers.
For what purpose?
15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. 16 From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.
The body of Christ, the church, is to be growing. I think we all get that the church should be growing but usually the first thing that comes to mind when questions about church growth come up is how many people or there. What is your attendance? How big is your budget? How many services do you have?
None of these are bad in themselves and can be what God does with a church but this can also all be created artificially. There are ways to fill the church seats and do lots of things but this should be secondary to what is supposed to be happening.
Speaking to one another the truth, growing into the head that is Jesus. For when all of the parts of the body are working together it promotes the growth of the body for building up each unique part to do what God has assigned them.
We have all heard it said at some point in our lives that 20% of people do 80% of the work or at least variants of this. But is not what God has appointed for his church.
Everyone must not think more highly of themselves but should seek to know what God has appointed you to do and then do it as well as you can for the glory of God. I am not talking about jobs in the church on Sunday morning but gifts that are used to build the church and advance the kingdom.
One of the questions that comes up when we talk about gifts is how do I know my gifts. Where can I go to find this information? There are assessments and surveys. There are books. Pastors can give assignments but still many in churches today, struggle to know what they have been given. It can be hard to see it in ourselves. So what do we do.
First we stay in the scriptures to continue to have our minds changed and our understanding grow.
Second we give our life to be living sacrifices to put our plans under God’s plans.
Third we have to step onto the field.
As a soccer coach I always have new players on my sons teams. The first question I always ask is what position do you like to play. Very rarely does does a boy say he wants to be defense. They always want to be the one who scores, the one who gets the glory.
I have found that just because they think they know where they want to play. It isn’t always best for them or the team. How do I help them find their place in the team? I let them play. I watch and it will be clear that some know the game some don’t, some are fast and some are not, some are defensive minded some are scoring minded. Many times I have to move a player to a position that they don’t want because it isn’t glorious. But eventually they realize that they do great things for the function of them team when they just use what they have well.
Just like these kids, we usually find out what our gifts are when we step onto the field and start to play. We may be timid at first but we will find where we can help and work for the good of the body. Then we start to see how God has gifted us and how we can be most helpful to the growth of the church.
Too many Christians walk up to the field and stand and watch. They pull up a chair and they go home. Or they have great opinions on how things should be going but do not want to step onto the field to help the team achieve the mission of the church.
It takes great humility to walking into a church and a group of people and say God has brought me here, I know he wants to use me, what part can I play to help our body grow.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Next week Paul will start to explain some of the gifts that God has given his children but these gifts will not be used correctly if we are filled with pride. We must examine our hearts and ask “Do I think myself to highly?” “Am I being selfish and prideful?” “Am I neglecting to do my part for the body?”
This week I ask that you spend some time thinking about how God can use you to help others grow into the likeness of Christ. Think about how important even the lugnut is of great importance to the mission of the church. How can you server the people of this body in ways the will benifit them.
Who’s interests am I looking into?
How am I treating others as more important as myself?
How can I be a blessing to others?
How can I help those that are around me?
What function has God assigned me?
Let us pray.
Let us pray.
Prayer
Blessing/Benediction
24 Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.
