Untitled Sermon

ROMANS: THE CROWN OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

A CALL TO HUMILITY

Romans 12:3–8 (ESV)

3 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. 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. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 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.

His instruction is based on what has been said and the Grace that God has given him and the need of the people. This instruction comes in three waves of thinking all relating to the previous.

Because we seek to be living sacrifices, holy acceptable to God and are not conformed to the world but are transformed by the renewing of our minds, don’t get caught up in yourselves. This reality is conveyed in the three waves of thinking that I mentioned and it lays the groundwork for the teaching on Spiritual Gifts which is in our immediate future.

The three waves of instruction preparing us, based on the previous and looking to the rest of the book comes in the following forms:

A Call to Contemplation

A Call of Cooperation

A Call for Contribution

A Call to Contemplation

3 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.

What are we to contemplate:

The Call comes from the gift of grace God has given to Paul

I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think.

ὑπερφρονέω: to have an unwarranted pride in oneself or in one’s accomplishments—‘to be conceited, to be arrogant, to be proud, to think highly of oneself.’ μὴ ὑπερφρονεῖν παρʼ ὃ δεῖ φρονεῖν ‘do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought to think’ or ‘do not have an exaggerated opinion of your importance’ Ro 12:3.[1]

This call is for everyone

This call implies false sense of self-importance

This call implies that they are not being self-disciplined in their thinking

Grace is a gift, it is not earned

Think with sober Judgment

of sound mind, intrans. To be sane, in one’s right mind (Mark 5:15; Luke 8:35; 2 Cor. 5:13). By implication to be sober–minded, to think and act soberly, discreetly, to use sound judgment and moderation, to be self–disciplined (Rom. 12:3[2]

God has assigned these gifts in different measure

A Call to Cooperation

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.

A Call for Contribution

6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 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] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 764. intrans (intransitive) [2] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).