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Romans 12:3-5
We begin a new series today, but the focus is a continuation of what we have been focusing on all year.
We started the year focusing on the a new Purpose Statement that I would like our church to adopt.
That is, we ought to purpose to be:
Fully Devoted to Christ
Biblically Growing in Christ
Loving Others through Christ
We began the year with a series on Loving God.
We then moved to a series on the church.
And now we have just finished the series Connected: Working together to Grow.
Now as we start this new series entitled “One Another” we are going to work on specific areas where we can minister to one another, as prescribed by God’s Word.
This will encompass both Biblically Growing in Christ and Loving Others through Christ.
As Christians, we are connected.
Our passage this morning told us we are members one of another.
As such we have specific responsibilities and opportunities to exhort, and encourage one another.
Just as in many of the homes in America that are broken and divided, we see many churches following the same pattern.
It has been said many times, “As goes the family so goes the church, as goes the church so goes the Nation.”
We need to learn from God’s Word how to bring honor and glory to Christ in our relationships here in this church and in our homes.
A couple was out shopping when the wife realized that her husband was missing.
She called him on her mobile phone and said, “Where are you?
You know we have lots to do.”
Her husband replied, “Sweetheart, do you remember the jewelers we went into about ten years ago, and you fell in love with that diamond necklace?
I could not afford it at the time, and I said that one day I would get it for you?”
Little tears started to flow down her cheeks and she got all choked up.
“Yes, I do remember that shop,” she said.
“Well, I am in the gun shop next door to that.”
We can probably do a better job of bringing honor and glory to Christ than he did to his wife.
Remember, Church is not just a country club, it’s very purpose is to reach the lost and bring them in to a functional, and dependent relationship with Christ and His church.
If there ever was an organization that should show how to function well and work as a team, it ought to be the local New Testament Church!
God’s plan for us as believers is unity in message and commitment but diversity in service.
Romans 12 tells us how this is possible.
I.
The Warning to Believers
Paul begins his instruction by saying, “For I say, through the grace given unto me...”
He is emphasizing that what he is about to say is not from him.
It is from God.
The Bible is God's Holy Word, given to us by holy men of God.
When we read the Bible we are reading the very Word of God!
The Holy Spirit is giving us a warning through Paul about our relationships.
The warning is two fold: Beware of
A. Faulty Thinking
the first warning Is given against prideful thinking.
Don't think himself more highly than he ought to think
Pride is the base of all sin, and it is a sin of the mind.
It is at the base of every failed relationship, whether in the home or the church.
When we have an elevated view of ourselves we begin down the path to destruction.
This spirit is something all of us are capable of having.
Galatians 6:3 warns us about this:
One psychologist wrote some insightful remarks on what happens to our minds when we deceive ourselves about our own importance:
“Extreme forms of mental illness are often extreme cases of self-absorption….The distinctive quality, the thing that literally sets paranoid people apart is hyper-self-consciousness.
And the thing they prize most about themselves is autonomy.
Their constant fear is that someone else is interfering with their will or trying to direct their lives.”
God's warning against pride, and thinking highly of ourselves, is not a ploy to protect himself, it's about protecting us.
He knows the damage that can be done by pride, as even some of this world's doctors are beginning to understand.
Ego and pride have no place in church.
Even in the world people are disgusted by the prideful
Possibly the most famous sports parent is LaVar Ball, father of Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball, who is mostly known for his outlandish quotes.
In March 2017, LaVar Ball went on record saying, “Back in my heyday, I would kill Michael Jordan one-on-one.”
In reality, LaVar Ball had only played college basketball for one year, averaging two points and two rebounds a game.
It is so important that we humble ourselves so that we need not be humbled,
remain teachable.
I can learn something from every man, therefore every man is my teacher.
He warned against Faulty Thinking
The second warning in this passage is:
B. Forgetful Thinking
When we become prideful we become forgetful....we forget that it is God's grace that has made us up what we are.
Paul continues… “…but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”
God has dealt gifts and abilities to us.
The word dealt means “to distribute, bestow, or impart.”
Any pride we have about the church is stealing glory from God who deserves it all, as the one who has enabled us in the first place.
God is the only source of goodness in our lives.
If we ever find ourselves being filled with ourselves, we will soon see that the relationships, the “one another” part of our lives will begin to become strained.
I.
The warning to Believers
Secondly notice with me...
II.
The Wonder of Believers
God’s plan truly is wonderful, so much better than we can imagine.
His plan is the “body of Christ” The local church.
It is designed to function in a particular way.
verses 4-5 show us the unity of this body.
We have talked about this throughout our studies this year.
But, just as our physical bodies are uniquely and wonderfully made, God has a plan for the local church body.
here in this verse we see...
A. The Uniqueness of Each Member
vs 4 - many members in one body
The local church has many parts
Some people think that their role in the church is less others.
Some feel limited because of something in their past, or because they have a less prominent role of service,
Nothing could be farther from the truth!
The Bible tells us that it is the Lord who adds to the church, and we can be sure that he is not adding unimportant parts to the body!
Every part of our body was designed by God for function and purpose.
Even the pinky toe helps us to maintain balance.
Without it our ability to walk, run and skip is greatly affected.
Can we live without it?
yes, but we are effected by it, things don’t function the way they were designed.
Not every member of our church has the same function, but every member—if they are doing their job—is vital for the body to function like it should.
Jesus is the head of the body…we cannot live without the head.
As the head, he is to be preeminent in all things in the body.
So for the body to function, every member must be in communication and cooperation with Christ.
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