Your Call to Commit to Christ-Exalting Community

Introduction

As we begin, I want to ask you this morning: Do you realise the significance and importance of this community around you today?

Do you have some sense of an understanding of the greatness of the calling to which you have been called - to be a disicple of Jesus, but not only to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, but to be a disciple in community?

The culture of our day has become increasingly individualistic and self-centered. Sadly, much of this individualism and self-centredness has infiltrated and pervaded the church.

Church has become just a place to gather on Sunday, so that I can get some inspiration for the week ahead. Or perhaps, so that I can at least put my mind at ease that at the very least I have attended a church service, my duty is done.

This mindset cannot be further from the truth. And this morning, I hope to challenge you towards a radically different mindset towards this community of saints.

I’ve titled my sermon this morning: “Your Call to Commit to Christ-Exalting Community.” This call this morning goes to each and every one of us here today who would call themselves a Christ-follower.

And indeed, this is the call to each and every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, if you have truly been called as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

This is not something that I am calling you to today. This is what God has called you to. This is what Christ has called you to.

As we begin to look at this subject, I would like to begin by looking briefly at .

Before we get to the actual verse, let me just say that the context of what Paul says in .

In , Paul has been speaking about the glorious unity that is to be found in the church. The dividing wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile has been broken down. And Paul has been called to make known the Gospel to the Gentiles. He speaks in of the grace given to him to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.

It is this preaching of the Gospel that brings both Jew and Gentile into a mysterious, supernatural community of saints among those who have little to nothing in common.

Listen to these words of Paul to the Ephesian believers:

Ephesians 3:10 NIV84

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,

The church is to be a demonstration of the manifold wisdom of God, to even the heavenly realms.

Now we need to understand here that what Paul is speaking about is not limited to the “Universal Church”. Meaning that Paul is not speaking merely about or to all the saints who have obtained salvation in Christ - past, present and future - and they form this picture for all to see.

Why is that? For at least 2 reason. The community that is built by God through the Gospel is one that is united across comprehensible boundaries!

No!! I would suggest that primarily he is talking about a local church - in this case, the church in Ephesus!! It is local churches that express and put on display the manifold wisdom of God.

And they do this as they demonstrate supernatural bonds between believers that are inexplicable to those outside the church. They do this through demonstrating closely-knit, deeply loving relationships between people who otherwise have little to nothing in common!!

Some questions to ask ourselves this morning as we begin:

As you think about church - this community at Malelane Baptist Church - How do you define “success” for the network of relationships in your church that we call community? How close is your definition to Ephesians 3:10?

Are your goals and targets for nurturing community in the local church consistent with something that only God can create? Or do they push you to gospel-plus community that people can manufacture on their own?

What do you talk about with other church members outside of church? To what extent do casual conversations differ from what you’d expect to hear in a local bar/neighbourhood picnic/ etc.

We need to recognise that what we have as a community gathering together should not be merely another social club where we gather because it feels good.

Authentic, gospel—revealing community with supernatural depth and breadth is a natural outgrowth of belief in God’s Word.

This is not something that we come to because by coming here, we get some sense of satisfaction, or we feel like this is going to bring benefit to us (although there will inevitably be a benefit to us).

We are gathered as the church, the community, in order to bring glory to Jesus Christ because of the amazing power of the Gospel work within our hearts.

With these questions in our minds, let us turn to God’s word, and particularly to , in order to get a glimpse of just some of the things that God’s word says ought to mark our relationships as a community together.

In other words, how can we as a church best put on display this manifold wisdom of God, so that the surrounding world looks at us in astoundment because they cannot grasp why we can have such close bonds, and demonstrate such brotherly kindness.

Scripture Reading

Romans 12 NIV84

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. 9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

1. The Motivation for A Commitment to Christ-Exalting Community (v.1)

Look with me at ...

Romans 12:1 NIV84

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

From the outset, we must recognise that the motivation for our commitment to a Christ-exalting community is that it is an act of worship!

As Paul urges these believers in Rome to act in ways that are utterly counter-intuitive, counter-cultural, he does so by appealing to the mercies of God.

“In View of God’s Mercy...”

Now it is essential that we understand these words, and what follows, in light of the larger letter to the Romans.

In Romans 1-11, Paul has been outlining the amazing mercies of God, and telling these Roman believers about the profoundness of this grace that has been given in Jesus Christ. He’s essentially been outlining the power of the Gospel - how people were called out of darkness and death into the kingdom of the living God.

He’s spoken about how the glorious Gospel saves us from our bodies of death, that still struggle against the effects and consequences of the fall in our lives. And YET, says Paul...

Romans 8:1–2 NIV84

1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

The whole book of Romans up to this point was a wonderful outline of the profound workings of God in bringing salvation to all people, both Jew and Gentile.

In , Paul ends that section with the most heart-moving doxology - a song of praise to God:

Romans 11:33–36 NIV84

33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Romns 11:33-36

And then, says Paul, that in the light of this mind-blowing mercy of God, that these believers should offer their bodies as living sacrifices.

And it is in light of the mercies of God, that Paul calls these believers to offer their bodies as living sacrifices

And he says then that “This is your spiritual act of worship!”

In other words, it is through offering your body as a living sacrifice, that you worship God in response to what He has done for you.

Pause - let this sink in...

Now I want to ask you this morning: Can anyone who claims to be in Christ be exempt from this injunction / instruction by Paul?

Or let me ask it like this: for a person who has truly come to experience this grace of Jesus Christ, would their heart not be driven out of gratitude to respond with a life of sacrifice?

But we need to ask the question at this stage: What exactly is this offering our bodies as living sacrifices? What does it look like?

I think for many of us, we think of it as living a life of worship to God. In other words, we follow the instruction of Paul to the Corinthians...

1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV84

31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

And so we develop this mindset that we are to carry on with our business as usual, but put a Christianese ring to it. Well I do this for the glory of Christ.

But that’s not what Paul is saying here. This verse - - merely introduces the rest of the letter that Paul is writing, and moves the letter from a point of reflecting on theological truths and realities, and the wisdom of God in His redemptive purposes for all people - to a point of now of speaking about the practical implications of a new life in Christ, and how that looks.

What is essential for us to note, is that His exhortation in terms of what this looks like is nearly entirely bound up in the community called the church. The LOCAL church.

There are some sections which deal with your attitude and response to those in authority - governing authorities.

But really, what he speaks about here is what your new life in Christ will lead you to be and do and commit to within a local body called the church.

Now don’t miss the importance and significance of this!!

Your Spiritual Act of Worship..........

Your Offering Your bodies as living sacrifices to God........

These are expressed primarily through your commitment to the church!! Your commitment to the people of the local church.

And that has significant ramifications for a society, and a church, that has become individualistic. Because as I understand what Paul is saying here, you are failing to worship Christ, you are failing to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, insofar as you fail to live in this way (that Paul will outline) in the local church.

2. Two Marks of a Commitment to Christ-Exalting Community

A basic sense of community is in reality pretty easy to establish. Consider the following scenarios:

We need to now consider how this Christ-Exalting Community looks.

Recently a cycling WhatsApp group I’m on spoke about becoming more formal, and establishing a formal cycling club. A braai was planned - seems like a great sense of community.

What characterises this church?

There are many things we could say in this regard. And even in our evaluation this morning, we are only going to skim the surface of certain aspects from - but my goal here is to challenge us to respond accordingly to the grace of God!

2.1. Grace-Empowered, Humble Service of One Another (v.3-8)

The first aspect that Paul addresses in terms of the practical outworking of our response to God’s grace is that we use the grace received to serve others.

Paul begins in verse 3 by saying “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you:...”

In other words Paul immediately speaks about the grace of God that was given to him in order to exhort them in the fashion that he was. He was called by Christ to go and preach the good news of the Gospel, and to teach church leaders. And so he says that his very exhortation to them was one done by the grace given to him.

God has given me this grace to do this - now therefore I am doing it. I am using what God has entrusted into my care to serve you brothers and sisters in the faith.

With these words, he in fact sets an example for what he will now call the church to do.

Now his charge to them is this.

Firstly: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment...”

We must pause there for a moment. The reality with people is that by nature, every one of us thinks of ourselves as the most important person in our universe. Now we might not say that with our mouths, but by nature, we act as if we are. For the most part, we think of ourselves, and what we want. What would be best for me under these circumstances.

But that is not how we are to act, now that we have been bought by Christ. We are to be marked by humility. And we are to be marked by outward focus.

Philippians 2:4 NIV84

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

But we also need to be careful at this point. This is not a call to descend into a state of false-humility where we think that we’re just worthless and everyone is just so much better than us. That kind of attitude is seldom a true expression of our thoughts. Most often, if we say something like that, we are playing to the audience, or perhaps even drive people to take pity on us. That’s not what is being called for here!

What we are to do, instead, is to think of ourselves with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given us.

Each and every believer in Jesus Christ has not only been miraculously brought to life out of spiritual death and darkness, but they have been equipped by the Spirit for work and service in the body.

Paul writes in verses 4-6...

Romans 12:4–6 NIV84

4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.

Romans 12:6 NIV84

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.

What we are to do is recognise that God has equipped us - each and every one of us. And God has given us a measure of His grace for the purpose of humbly serving the body of Christ.

This, dear friends, is the first Mark of a commitment to Christ-exalting community. If I could ask you the question this morning: “How are you using the Grace that God has given you to serve this local body?”

In other words, are you worshipping God through serving others in the body by the grace given to you?

We need to understand that this is not some competition, or a place where we start getting jealous over each others roles in the church - each person has been gifted differently, with different abilities and different kinds of gifts - but we are all gifted. And thus the exhortaion from Paul in verses 6-8...

Romans 12:6–8 NIV84

6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Dear brother and sister: Are you putting into practice the grace that God has given you?

Please don’t see this as a

That leads us to our second Mark that is to be found....

2.2. Deep, Affectionate, Self-Sacrificing Love for One Another (v.9-21)

As Paul goes on in verse 9, he speaks about the love that must be shared bewteen one another. Read verses 9 and 10 with me...

Romans 12:9–10 NIV84

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Paul begins in verse 9 with the words: “Love must be sincere.”

Well, the “honour one another above yourselves” ties in well with what we’ve just look at in terms of serving one another humbly. We cannot serve one another humbly if our aim is simply to do that which is comfortable or easy for me.

But I was struck by the phrase: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.”

Our act of worship to God because of what He has done for us must be expressed in our devotion to one another in brotherly love.

Or to put it differently: The extent to which we demonstrate devotion to one another in brotherly love, is the extent to which we offer worship to God for what He has done for us.

And most certainly, if we have experienced God’s love for us, will that not lead to us loving others?

1 John 4:19 NIV84

We love because he first loved us.

But notice particularly verse 10, where Paul speaks of the kind of love that is to be found amongst us as believers. There are two words used there for the love that we are to have between us.

The second one is φιλαδελφία (philadelphia) - this is brotherly love. It is the kind of love that is to be found in a close-knit family. It is the kind of love that you have with your brothers and sisters (when you have a good relationship).

The point is, that within this family of Christ, our bonds are to be family bonds. We are family. Our love for one another is to be a family love.

To emphasize this, Paul uses another word at the beginning of the sentence: φιλόστοργοι (philostorgoi). The root meaning is...

love tenderly

love affectionately

be warmly devoted to one another.

The word used here by Paul is given as an imperative - you must do this.

Paul is saying here that part of our spiritual act of worship is to love our brothers and sisters in the faith with deep affection and care.

Here is a test of your worship of God: Do you love - with deep affection - every one of those seated around you in Christ?

1 John 4:20 NIV84

If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

Now, we need to recognise immediately that this is not a call to say that we love, but not show and demonstrate that love. The Christian life is about doing that which we claim to believe.

Turn your attention back again to our passage, and let us consider some of those practical expressions of love that should mark our lives (and I’m only highlighting a few here):

Romans 12:12 NIV84

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Verse 12… “Be joyful in hope.”

Do you share with your fellow-believers as you await the glorious return of our Saviour?

Verse 12… “…patient in affliction...”

Is your life marked by patience with your fellow brothers and sisters, even in times of great affliction?

Verse 12… “…faithful in prayer...”

Are you a person who has committed to praying for your brothers and sisters - in a structured / systematic way? Are you being faithful in your prayer for one another? Rather than merely faithful in prayer for yourself and your own needs?

Verse 13… “Share with God’s people who are in need.”

Is it a joy for you to share with your brothers and sisters sitting here today, when they are in need? When you share with those in need, is it done with a deep concern for them, and out of an overflow of love, and not begrudgingly?

Again in verse 13… “Practice hospitality.”

One of the most simple (and yet most powerful) ways that we can demonstrate love is through practicing hospitality - opening up our homes to one another, and to others, perhaps that we do not even know, for both meals or accommodation - as the need arises - as an act of love towards our fellow believers - our family in Christ.

We may find it strange to do this - open our homes to strangers. But what I refer to here is the opening of our homes to those we know are believers, and will be in the area and in need of accommodation. In Paul’s day, when he would travel around to various places spreading the Gospel, he would have been dependent on people doing that - opening their home for him to come and stay. When the disciples were sent out two-by-two by Christ, they were told to go and stay with a person in their home - people in the various cities were to welcome them in.

And so it should be in our day. Over this past week, I was in JHB at a conference, and I stayed in the home of a couple in the church that was hosting the conference - a couple that I’ve never met before. And what a blessing it was!!

1 Peter 4:9 NIV84

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

So we don’t offer hospitality with the thought that “I’m doing my duty but I don’t really want to do this.” We offer hospitality to God’s people because it should be a joy to us to serve the body of Christ in this way as an act of worhsip to Him.

On a more practical level, for us as a church community - how well are you doing in offering hospitality by way of inviting people for meals in your home?

Paul goes on in this letter to the Romans to outline a profoundly counter-intuitive set of principles for dealing with one another in these relationships...

Verse 14… “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”

What is your natural response to those who cause you harm? And then let me ask, how are you doing at cultivating a God-glorifying response? Blessing those who curse you!

What is your natural response to those who cause you harm/

Verse 15… “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”

The point is that as a body - a unified body that is deeply, affectionately caring for one another - we ought to be affected by those who are either negatively or positively impacted in life.

No person in his right mind who has a sore arm simply lops of his arm because it’s a pain to him. No, he nurses the arm, bandages it up and restores it to health. And so it should be in the body. We cannot simply detach ourselves from a particular person (ignore the person) because they’re going through a rough time, and we don’t have the patience or desire to serve them in love. We’ve got too much to do in life your know - so I’m going to get on with my life and not worry about this person. They’re just a nuisance to me..

Friends, we are called to love one another and care for one another with deep affection.

Verse 16… “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.”

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Christians have experienced a supernatural act of forgiveness against chosen sin against a holy God.

Romans 5:21 NIV84

so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV84

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

1.2. Supernatural Love

Romans 12:16–21 NIV84

16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

“We love God to the extent that we understand his forgiveness.”

He who has been forgiven much, loves much.

We must ask ourselves, is this the kind of life that we are devoted to amongst ourselves?

What does the extent of your love for other people demonstrate about your own understanding of the extent of the forgiveness extended towards you?

Application

As we begin to close, I would like to both encourage and challenge us as a body, and also encourage and challenge each of us as individuals that make up this body, and then draw some very specific applications for us.

“…One sign that many in your congregation are not regenerate is how hard you have to work to motivate them.” [The Compelling Community, p.46, Kindle Edition]

Firstly, If you are not in Christ - in other words you have not repented of sin, and committed yourself to Jesus Christ as your Lord - the ruler of your life - then I want to call you today to turn to Christ, and commit your life to Him. His grace is profound. You can know peace in your heart, you can know joy and great hope because of what has been done for you in Christ. This is not an option - this is a call from God upon our lives.

A.1. To Men

Then I want to call every single person here who is in Christ to recognise that what sets us as the church apart from any other social gathering or community is the fact that all of that which I’ve spoken about should take place across any common social unifying elements. In other words, the relationships that i've spoken of are not merely for those within our midst that have similar insterests to us. They go beyond that. If you are only devoted to those with whom you share common interests, status, social standing etc. then you are no better off than any other secular community. You are not at all demonstrating supernatural community that is brought about by Christ.

Take your responsibility to lead seriously.

Move beyond your normal circles of engagement...

Older men and women, go and talk to younger men and women.

Those who are wealthy, go and communicate with those who are needy

The Gospel of Christ breaks down all dividing walls, and we dishonour Christ if we keep putting up this walls that divide, simply because to talk to someone different to us is difficult for us or uncomfortable for us.

I ask you this morning, dear brothers and sisters: Are you daily offering your life to God as a spiritual act of worship?

In every sphere of life, God, in His great design of humanity, calls men to be leaders.

As I ask this, I am asking you if you have devoted yourself to this local community of saints primarily, and are serving them in love according to the measure of the grace that God has given you. Are you treating these around you with affection love.

This will take effort, but the rewards will be profound.

Are you daily serving your brothers and sisters in Christ - meaning those committed together in this local congregation - demonstrating a deep and affectionate love for one another?

Men - you need to be leaders in your homes, taking seriously the call of God on your lives to lead your families.

I urge you to strive for that!

I am deeply concerned with a lack of commitment by men in society to the work of the Lord. In many places, women fill the pews of the churches. Women pray, and men are silent. Woman do things and plan things, and the men fade into the background.

I want to call on every man here this morning to take seriously the call of God on your life to be the spiritual leader of your family. Lead them in devotions. Lead them in prayer. Lead them to the Cross in every aspect of your life.

As we close, some practical thoughts on how you could implement this...

A.2. To Women

Fill in your details in the list at the back.

Commit yourself to pray through the church attendance / adherents list once a month - a few names each day (a family a day).

On the day you are praying for a family / person, consider to send them a text message, letting them know that you are praying for them.

Tell the person how they are an encouragement or blessing to the body.

A.3. To Young People

Ask them if there are any specific things in their life that they need prayer for

Remind others in the community that you are devoted to them, and that you commit yourself to loving them.

Be hospitable. Commit yourself to invite a family or person from this community to share a meal with you - at least once a month have fellowship with a different person...

It may feel uncomfortable, but let me encourage you - anything new or out of the ordinary will be uncomfortable. But do you realise what a blessing it will be for the person receiving those words of encouragement?

A.4. To Us All as a Church

My payer is that as we become intentional about building and fostering these loving relationships within this body, Christ would be magnified through our lives together.

Phil 2:19-

I close with a practical example of this from Scripture:

Philippians 2:19–21 NIV84

19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20 I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

Friends, may it never be said of us that we looked out only for our own interests, and not those of Jesus Christ.