The Moral Vision of the New Testament: Humility + Unity

Romans 12:1-8 The Moral Vision of the NT (Humility and Unity) Introduction: If it is your first time joining us - Welcome! We have dedicated this year to Biblical Literacy; meaning we as a church are reading the Bible for ourselves to know first hand what it teaches and in order to be shaped by the story of God. And along with that we are teaching through the Bible on Sunday mornings - the main themes, message and characters. This morning we are in part 3 of our last series of the year - The Moral Vision of the New Testament. What do we mean by The Moral Vision of the NT? - As we’ve said - We believe that the Bible is THE ONE AND ONLY TRUE STORY FROM GOD containing laws, commands, statutes, principles, and wisdom, etc - that show us how life works best - It teaches us God’s way, the way of his kingdom. The bible tells us the story of the world from God’s point of view - what went wrong with it and how it will finally be put right through God’s anointed king and rescuer - Jesus Christ. So the Moral Vision of the NT is about how we now live in light of that story, how we live in a way that is consistent with this story - or more specifically how our lives continue to tell the story of God. We saw last week how Romans 12:1-2 Is all about calibrating your life according to the Gospel - the mercy of God - rather than the perspectives, goals, drive and motivations of this culture or cultural moment. Now Paul appeals to these Roman Christians, and to us - to present our bodies (that is the everyday, in and out aspects of human life, life at it’s best, life at it’s hardest - it’s the whole of you - your identity, your sexuality, your relationships, your career, your present, your past, your future) Present yourself, as you are, in your everyday living to God — as an instrument or tool of right living….to do what its right! We considered the two ways that Paul calls us to offer our bodies to God do not be conformed, be transformed.. I mentioned this last week but Paul doesn’t just leave us to figure this out. He maps out for us how to do this. It’s interesting because Paul is calling each of us as individuals to engage in this work of offering our bodies to God and this transformation process, but the process cannot be done in isolation…it must be done in the community of God’s people. 1. Renewal Through Communal Dynamics 1. “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.” 1. Last week we talked quite a bit about transformation from the image of this world or culture to the image of God, to be a colaborer with God in his kingdom work. 2. Though we all have an individual responsibility to not be conformed, and to be transformed - to present ourselves to God to do righteousness; in verse 3 Paul makes it clear that transformation comes through community dynamics. This probably doesn’t sound attractive to us BUT difference when approached through the lens of the Gospel, forces all of us out of ourselves (Me, mine, my likes, preference), and into this image of Jesus (Jesus was always others, at your service, oriented) 2. HOW? 1. Paul goes directly for the ego - Again calling us to change our thinking by first changing the way we think about ourselves 1. All human ego suffers - some of us from an over inflated ego others of us from a deflated ego. We all have a wrong views about ourselves, and so we compare ourselves to one another, judge how good we are or how well were doing based on these comparisons, and vie for importance, honor and power based on those differences.. (in fact this was so prevalent in Greco-Roman society, class, ethnicity, background; Which is why Paul is constantly talking about being one new humanity in Messiah) 2. Paul is not down on the self - He doesn’t have a “woe is me; I’m trash” mentality - or like Brennan Manning says his inner voice says - “I’m a sewer, I’m a dirty rotten sewer.” Paul is asking for a realistic and accurate view of self - don’t think of your self more highly than you ought, but think with sober judgment...have an accurate, in touch with reality, view of yourself (The voice, American Idol try outs) Don’t be those people.. 3. Paul says to think of yourself correctly - Neither too high a view nor too low 3. How does one do this accurately? 1. Paul says to think, “each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” Most people have thought that “measure of faith” means the amount of faith - so Paul is saying that our opinion of ourselves depends on the amount of faith we have, God having given more to others… But the word measure means more like a standard of measurement - Paul is speaking of the Rule of Faith - the Gospel 2. Paul is saying : all of you have been given salvation - and it is by this measure that we are to measure ourselves… The gospel gives us the right self assessment - we can not think too highly of ourselves - What do we have that we didn’t receive? There are no self made people - created by God, redeemed by God - this is a total act of God’s grace - not earned or deserved.. Simultaneously though, don’t think so low of yourself - You are dearly loved by God - he gave his only son; Jesus gave himself for us… - We are supremely loved and valued by God. Measure yourself and others by this rule.. 3. That is how we are to assess one another and ourselves, by the measure of God’s saving faithfulness - each one of us are recipients of the grace of God. Remember I said a few weeks ago - Christianity was the great equalizer. When Paul appeals to Christians who are not considering the sensitive conscience of other believers - He says, you are forgetting that this is your brother or sister for whom Messiah died (Romans 14:15; 1 Corinthians 8:11). When Peter talks to husbands about loving their wives and dwelling with them with the determination to understand them - he appeals to the fact that wives are heirs of the gracious gift of life..ie salvation - We are to measure our and one another’s importance/value based not on status, class, gender or any other factor - but solely by the Cross of Jesus We are the family for whom Jesus died. 2. Needy and Needed 1. When we have a proper view of ourselves, through this lens of the Gospel, we can accept what we are not and what we cannot do (In a way that does not crush us), in order to properly assess and open up to our need for one another.. We are all both Needy and Needed 2. No one is sufficient in themselves, and God has done this on purpose - He has scattered the gifts of the Spirit within the Church so that we are forced to be unified - unfortunately many of us ask the wrong question about the Spirit and Spiritual gifting - we ask what is my gift (which is valid) but first we should be asking - Why gifts? Why the Spirit - the answer - Unity. 1. God gives different gifts to individuals to create a culture of interdependence and appreciation of difference which drives us to unify. Just like the body - It’s absurd to think of our ears turning to our eyes and looking down on them for not being ears, or feet not being hands..etc. The community of God is a body, made up of many different members.. and each of us are to operate in our role and function for mutual benefit and thriving. 3. In God’s economy - it is never about the individual it is always about the other - God is both a communal and covenantal God - Therefore we need one another to accomplish the goal of Christlikeness John Stott, in his book, The Living Church - speaks continuously of the Church as an “Every Member Ministry.” I love that vision - One person cannot do everything, or even a small group of people - God has called each of us as individuals to bring our unique gift, calling, personality, and perspective together, strengths and weakness, sufficiency and insufficiencies, submitting to one another, working together that we might help one another grow in our identity in Christ, in human wholeness, our knowledge of God’s love for us and experience his great plan to use the Church to bring people into his kingdom. It takes the whole church. 4. Listen to Paul’s similar words to the Church in Ephesus, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, ‘When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.’ …he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Ephesians 4:1-16 1. Transformation is a community event - you cannot be a whole mature Christian; I cannot grow, you cannot grow, we cannot grow up properly without being an integral, functioning member of an interdependent church community. God has designed it this way. 5. This kind of thinking is so hard for us to get and to apply as Americans because we live in a culture in which the interests and desires of the individual take precedence over those of the family, group, or community. 1. “A high percentage of people want to achieve spiritual growth without losing their independence to a church or to any organized institution…. There is no way you will be able to grow spiritually apart from deep involvement in a community of other believers.” Tim Keller, The Prodigal God 2. But You can’t live the Christian life without a band of Christian friends, without a family of believers in which you find your place.. A community of interdependence. 3. I think about my life before I had a family of my own - because of our individualistic societal mindset -it was relatively care free, I only had to think of me. But getting married and having kids this community of people - forced me out of myself, to see my insufficiencies, and weaknesses, it forced me to lean on others for strength and wisdom.. the body of Christ works in this same way 4. Paul says, we are One body with many members or parts - each part has a distinct unique function - and without all the parts you do not have a whole body but a mutilated, or handicapped body… 5. So what is Paul’s calling us to do? 3. Just do it. 1. However God has gifted you - use it! Paul does not give an exhaustive list of spiritual gifts here - but I think that it goes without saying that he would tell you to use your gift to serve others, even if it didn’t make Paul’s short list… 1. Prophecy? use it in accordance with THE FAITH - sound doctrine 2. Service? - then serve! 3. Teachers? Teach! 4. Exhorters? Exhort! 5. Contributors? oh be generous! 6. Leaders? With Zeal or passion - go for it! 7. Acts of Mercy - serving the poor, the fatherless, the widow, the foreigner? Do it it with cheerfulness! 2. The idea behind this is that every member of the Church is absolutely essential, (just like each body part is essential and plays a part in a fully functioning body). No matter how small or large a congregation, no matter how smart, talented or resourced the individuals, “spiritual” or “unspiritual” - Everyone has a gift from the Holy Spirit, a ministry, and a part to play. It’s not an accident that you are in this church community, it is not an accident that we have certain people here and don’t have certain people here. I think God would say to us - something along the lines of - “if you can’t be with the one you want - love the one you’re with.” God has purposefully scattered the gifting, making us insufficient in ourselves, to cause us to be unified - we cannot be the body of Christ, as an individual or even a small closed group (Church of Prophets) God has dispersed the various gifts throughout the body on purpose so that we have to learn unity in order to become what God has called us to be. 3. How do I discover the Spirits gifting, ministry and manifestations 1. Ask yourself “What am I good at?” “What am I inclined toward; What am I passionate about?” “What do others confirm in me?” 2. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you, and or pray for a specific gifting 3. Ask, and observe “What are the needs of our church community? 1. “In too many of our congregations, spiritual gifts are seen through a hyper-individualist grid. We tell our people how to “unwrap” their gifts, to take a personality profile to find out what their gift is. We say, “Every member is a minister,” but what we mean is, “Every member should serve on a committee.” The gifts of the New Testament, though function as part of a home economy as the household is built up through the various parts thereof. In the New Testament we don’t find our gift through self examination and introspection and then find ways to express it. Instead we love one another, serve one another, help one another, and in so doing we see how God has equipped us to do so. This is why Paul always speaks of the spiritual gifts in terms of the whole body, of order, and of the primacy of love.” - Russell Moore, Adopted for Life 2. If we have some inclination, or feel a “leading” then we seek to discover through trial and error. Step out and do what you believe God is calling you to do, and see what fruit comes from it. 3. Gifts are discovered in service to God and others. It is in humble service that we discover the gifts that we have and the greater gifts that we may need. 4. Also, it’s important to beware the danger of becoming consumed with the means or manifestation of spiritual gifts (what spiritual gift?) if we do that we will lose sight of the end goal (serving one another, glorifying God). Seek the end, seek to glorify God, seek to serve the needs of others, and I believe, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, you will find your spiritual gifts and our church community will grow, and mature and blossom into greater usefulness for God’s kingdom and God’s glory. Conclusion: “Our weakness—or neediness—is a valuable asset in God’s community. Anything that reminds us that we are dependent on God and other people is a good thing. Otherwise, we trick ourselves into thinking we are self-sufficient, and arrogance is sure to follow. We need help, and God has given us his Spirit and each other to provide it.” - Ed Welch, Side By Side 1. What other community on earth thinks this way - neediness, and insufficiency is valued? 5. We need one another, it is only through community dynamics that we can attain the fulness of the stature of Christ.. so what I was talking about last week - about discovering the good, acceptable and perfect will of God - Is both an individual and communal effort that Paul is calling us to seek out. 6. This transformation process of renewal through community is not easy or comfortable for us as humans - as I said last week - we always want processes and procedures to run smoothly and quickly - we want to get it over with - We think of the pack or the group as holding us back - But God says it is only through learning unity through community that we will reach the goal of Christlikeness. God is calling this church as a communal whole to actively participate in our collective sanctification - How? by seeking our gifting and using it to serve one another. He has given his Spirit, and his word, he has walked this path before us as a model and guide through Jesus’ life. He wants us now to figure it out…. it’s messy, community is messy, life is messy. 1. Sanctification/Counter Formation is the hardest thing a human being will ever set out to do and that's why it takes New Birth by the Spirit of the living God working inside and out, giving us a new heart and new desires. That’s why it takes a community of Spirit filled people supporting us through it. It's a lifetime project.. I believe this is what Paul is talking about in Philippians we he tells them - “Work out your own salvation, with fear and trembling.. for it is God that works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” - Philippians 2:12-13 7. Paul is calling us to engage in the transformation process become an active agent by taking salvation and running with it. He is calling us to engage in learning new habits and new rhythms, a new pattern of what it means to be human. 1. It’s about learning together to discern what God is doing in our midst, what he is doing in our community, through the different gifts he has put in the body and then doing it! 2. When we do this WE take the story of God forward in our own time and our generation.. we write, with God, as it were, the next chapters in the story of God and the world..