How to Determine Your Spiritual Gifts (Ro 12:1-8)

Announcements

At the end of this service, we’ll have a brief special business meeting to vote in two new members. It’ll be such a quick meeting, that though I’ll dismiss us all before the meeting, most of you might not even want to sit back down before the meeting.

Next week, we have a church cookout following the Sunday AM worship service. I believe every food need is handled, with the exception of one desert, please feel free to check the list on your way out to make sure you know what to bring.

When you come next week, please feel free to place your cold food items in the refrigerator and if you bring something that needs to be kept warm, please bring it in a crockpot and plug it in in the Activity Room.

Please don’t forget to bring lawn chairs, camp chairs, or a blanket with you—as our chairs cannot go out into the field.

And please feel free to invite your friends, family, and co-workers, we’d love to have as many people as possible.

On July 3rd after AM Worship, we’ll have a quarterly business meeting. As of right now, there’s nothing that needs voted on during that meeting, it’s really more of an update than anything else. As all our business meetings are open to the public, even if you aren’t a member, please feel free to stick around during that meeting.

Outreach Opportunities

We have several outreach ministry opportunities during the following events:

The Fireman’s Parade in Osceola Mills on July 4th

Family Day in Madera on July 9th

Heritage Days in Philipsburg on July 16th

And Houtzdale Days in Houtzdale on July 23rd

Please note that for the majority of the events, the outreach events are during the parades themselves. The exception to this is Madera’s Family Day. The organizers have asked us to run two carnival-style games for them instead.

For all these outreach events, we do have sign-up sheets available. We’re asking people to sign up so that we know what exactly we’ll be able to do at the events.

The event in Madera, we definitely need help with, we’re going to split it into two shifts that way no one person needs to be there the whole day if they don’t want to be.

Sign ups are at the front of the room, if you need more information, please speak with Natalie about it.

Today is Father’s Day and while our service isn’t set aside to celebrate Father’s Day, we do want to acknowledge Father’s Day as a day to celebrate and encourage biblical manhood and biblical fatherhood.

Being a father is often a thankless role. For most children, they don’t begin to appreciate their fathers until they themselves are parents or they unfortunately lose their fathers.

But being a father is difficult, it consumes time and money and effort—it is hard and it is often taken for granted.

Being a biblical father, much like being a biblical man is even moreso difficult and yet, the Bible teaches us that biblical manhood and biblical fatherhood is necessary.

To those that have served their families and led their families according to Scripture; and to those that are preparing to lead their families and serve their families according to Scripture—know that we, as a church, appreciate you, care for you, and pray for you.

As a token of our appreciation, we have a small gift to give you. It is a small book called The Gospel Primer. It is the same book that we gave the ladies on mother’s day. Please pick up your copy at the end of the service and allow it to be a blessing to you as you reflect on the Gospel and its implications.

Prayer of Repentance and Adoration

Call to Worship (Ps 53)

Our Call to Worship this morning is Psalm 53. This is a psalm of David in which David reflects on the fallen condition of man. He calls the one who rejects God an arrogant fool and he prays for the salvation of Israel. Please stand with me and let’s read Psalm 53 responsively—I’ll read the odd-numbered verses, please join me in reading the even-numbered verses:

Psalm 53 ESV

To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David. 1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good. 2 God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3 They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. 4 Have those who work evil no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God? 5 There they are, in great terror, where there is no terror! For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you; you put them to shame, for God has rejected them. 6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

Congregational Singing

Complete in Thee (112)

How Firm a Foundation (364)

All I Have is Christ (389)

Scripture Reading (Gal 5:16-6:10)

Our Scripture Reading this morning is a little unusual in that it starts in one chapter and ends in another chapter. In Galatians 5 and 6, Paul writes to the churches in Galatia to walk by the Spirit and reject the desires of the flesh. He calls al believers to reject sin and to live by the Spirit. He also calls every believer to restore other believers in a spirit of gentleness if they are caught in sin.

Stacey, can you read Galatians 5:16-6:10 for us?

Galatians 5:16–6:10 ESV

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. 1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load. 6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Sermon (Ro 12:1-8)

Introduction

If you have your Bible, please turn it to Romans 12:1-8.

Over the past month, we’ve been working through a series concerning spiritual gifts within the church and if you’ve been playing close attention, you’ve probably picked up on the fact that most of what we’ve discussed thus far is actually just background information concerning spiritual gifts. We spoke about where these gifts are from, what they’re for, and we’ve spoken about the necessity of these gifts being utilized within the church—they are absolutely necessary, which is why we’re all gifted in different ways intentionally by the Holy Spirit.

What you may have noticed, is that there’s two questions that you may have that I have yet to answer; and that’s what this sermon’s whole purpose is—to answer those two questions. The questions at hand are what are my spiritual gifts and how do I figure out what they are?

And while I can posit guesses as to what your spiritual gifts are, the reality is that there’s only one way to figure out what your spiritual gifts are and I can only offer insight after you’ve already started utilizing your spiritual gifts. Or in other words, I won’t know your spiritual gifts until you start serving and this morning’s message is to help encourage, exhort, and compel you to start serving even while still determining what your gifts are.

Let’s read Romans 12:1-8.

Romans 12:1–8 ESV

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 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.

As we study this passage, we’re going to break it into two parts, (1) with the first part being vv. 1-2, Being a Living Sacrifice and the second part being vv. 3-8, Serving the Church with Spiritual Gifts. Really, both parts sort of work hand-in-hand with the first section being an appeal by Paul for them to be living sacrifices (along with the primary way to be a living sacrifice) and vv. 3-8 explaining one additional way that we are to be a living sacrifice. This morning’s sermon will answer a question that you might have had since the beginning of our series, “How do I figure out what my spiritual gifts are?” I’ll give you an answer to that question and then I’ll encourage you and exhort you to begin serving the local church in any way that you can.

Prayer for Illumination

Being a Living Sacrifice (1-2)

Our text starts this morning with an appeal by Paul, but in order to fully comprehend the appeal, we have to remind ourselves of what led up to this point in the text.

Notice, that as Paul starts his appeal, he throws in the word therefore, which points to everything that was written up to this point in the text as the reasoning for what he’s written in chs. 12 and beyond.

If you were to read the letter to the Romans in one sitting, you’d see that the first eleven chapters of Romans is dedicated to doctrine—to theology. He’s explaining to the Romans what genuine and true Christian believe.

And he’s doing it partly because he didn’t know the Romans personally, but also because he’s trying to lay the foundation for everything that is to come in Romans 12-16.

Which means that for us to gain the reasoning for Romans 12, we have to reflect on the doctrine and theology that led to this point of the text.

Once you get past the first few verses, which is nothing more than just the introductory material that Paul writes in his letters, he starts this letter by pointing out the sinfulness of all mankind. In chapters 1-3, he writes of the condemnation that all people face because all are sinful and fall short of the glory of God.

But in the end of chapter 3 going into chapter 5, he explains that there is a way to obtain righteousness and that way is found through and in Jesus Christ alone.

Because of the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on the cross, there is therefore no condemnation on those who repent from their sins and believe in Jesus—there is salvation in Jesus and in Jesus alone.

It’s this idea that leads up to Romans 12. Because God sent His Son to be a sacrificial atonement for our sins, we should respond in a certain way and that way is found in Romans 12:1, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

Notice that this appeal is predicated on God’s mercy. It is not something that can be done apart from God’s mercy, which means that only believers can offer sacrifices that are holy and acceptable to God. Only genuine believers can offer genuine spiritual worship.

And that worship is expected as a response to Jesus’ salvific work within us while on the cross.

He calls them to “present [their] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.”

Notice also that the imagery given in v. 1 contrasts the use of sacrifices in the Old Testament and that’s intentional. It is meant to evoke the sacrifices utilized in the Old Testament, which for many Jewish people were simply a means to an end.

In fact, according to Malachi, the Jewish people had gotten so lackadaisical and flippant in their worship and their sacrifices that God confronts them for their sin. In Malachi 1:6, God accuses the Israelites of despising Him and when they ask how they’ve despised Him, He responds by pointing out their polluted offerings and their worship has become routine rather than from the heart—they didn’t do the rituals out of love or reverence for God, they did them because they knew that they were supposed to.

Appealing to the Romans to present their bodies as a living sacrifice makes it apparent what genuine worship of God is supposed to be. It’s not about ritual, it’s not about offering animal sacrifices, it’s all about offering yourself as a living sacrifice that’s holy and acceptable to God.

The question is, how do we do this? How do we be that living sacrifice that’s holy and acceptable? He answers this in v. 2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

To live as a living sacrifice that’s holy and acceptable to God, you must “not be conformed to this world” and you must “be transformed by the renewal your mind.”

I know that this verse is familiar to many of you that have heard me preach for a significant amount of time, because I reference this concept of not being conformed by being transformed frequently; and because I reference this concept so frequently, I don’t feel as if I need to go into this idea in a significant amount of depth, however, I do want to give the basic idea.

We know from Scripture, that those who don’t believe think differently than those that do believe. 1 Cor 2:14 “14 But a natural person [an unbelieving person] does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

Unbelievers don’t understand spiritual things because they are spiritually discerned or spiritually dead. Thus, as someone who does believe, the way believers think is to be different.

You can think of this in terms of thinking like an unbeliever being conformed to the world and thinking like a believer as being transformed.

The question is, what is the process for being transformed? Or better yet, how exactly does God transform you?

There are many different ways that this occurs, sometimes, these are referred to as the means of grace—the means through which God edifies and the Holy Spirit sanctifies us—including participating in baptism and the Lord’s Supper (particularly the self-reflection part of the Lord’s Supper), prayer, fellowship with like-minded believers, even serving within the local body.

But the primary means for our transformation is through the Word of God—both through hearing it preached accurately and through reading and studying it ourselves. How do we know? 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “16 All Scripture is [breathed out] by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.”

Paul tells Timothy that it is through the Word of God that God’s people are equipped for every good work and it is through the Word’s teaching, rebuke, correction, and training that a believer becomes fully capable.

This is why James is so insistent on those who hear the Word of God actually doing the Word of God— “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only.” He goes as far to say that those who hear the Word but don’t do it are lying to themselves and that he’s like someone who looks at themselves in a mirror, sees something that needs fixed, and walks away without fixing it.

The process of transformation in the Christian life is inherently connected to believers hearing, reading, and doing the Word of God because it is the Word of God that tells us how God thinks and what God loves.

And one of the main points of Christianity is to reject the things that God hates and love the things that God loves; it’s that process of hearing and reading the Word of God, learning what God loves and hating what God hates, and then living in light of these truths that transforms the believer

The transformation in mind in vv. 1-2 of Romans 12 is very much the idea of becoming more like Jesus Christ in how we think.

This transformative process is the very process that we call sanctification. And Jesus says that this process is done through God’s Word, John 17:17 “17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”

As the transformative process, which we call sanctification works within us, we start being able to do something that v. 2 ends with. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Often, the question of what God’s will is for someone is a priority to the life of a believer.

Often, Christians make it a sort of mystical experience and we treat God almost like a magic eight ball when it comes to making decisions, but the reality, discerning God’s will becomes easier the more that you are transformed by the renewing of your minds.

When you read and re-read Scripture and you’re told of the sins that you need to remove from your life and the fruits of the Spirit that you need to put on, the way that you think about all things adjusts.

And as your mind adjusts and conforms itself to think like Christ, the will of God becomes easier to discern.

Thus, those that try to determine God’s will, but choose to live in unrepentant sin are going to have a difficult time determining what God’s will actually is.

Those that try to discern God’s will, but still think like the world shouldn’t be surprised that they can’t seem to figure out what God’s will is.

Because it’s the transformative process of sanctification that enables the believer to begin thinking like Jesus thinks and start to understand God’s will for their life.

Robert Mounce, “A renewed mind is concerned with those issues of life that are of lasting importance. By nature our thoughts tend to dwell on the [temporal]. But that which passes quickly is normally inconsequential . . . The mind renewed enables us to discern the will of God. Released from the control of the world around us, we can come to know what God has in mind for us.” (Mounce, Robert H. Romans. Vol. 27. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995. 233)

Now, you might be listening to all this and be thinking, what exactly does any of this have to do with spiritual gifts? And Paul answers that subtly—he doesn’t outrightly give us the reasoning for making this statement concerning being transformed and not conformed and then jumping into a brief statement about spiritual gifts. So, let me give you a little historical context that will help drive the next section.

Remember, that Paul had not visited the church in Rome before. It is a church that was planted probably by some of the people who witnessed the preaching of the apostles during the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. So, unlike many of Paul’s other letters, he really didn’t have a personal connection to the people in Rome.

However, much like any urban city in which multiple cultures are represented and many different socio-economic backgrounds are not just possible, but expected; we could assume that some of the common issues in cities applied to Rome as well.

Anytime you have a large number of people living within a relatively small area and you’re dealing with people from different cultural backgrounds and socio-economic backgrounds, you run into interpersonal problems that need solved. And since local churches really ought to represent the communities that they’re based in, we can assume that those socio-economic and cultural differences affected the church in Rome as well.

The reality is that most of these differences stem around pride—pride that one person isn’t as poor as another, pride that one culture is seemingly better than the other, pride that someone has a better job than another. And again, these ideas would affect the local church, but this sort of thinking is antithetical to the Christian life. In fact, because of what Paul teaches in vv. 1-2, that fundamental change of mind should manifest itself in the way believers treat one another, starting with the issue of pride and it deals with how people are to deal with one another within the local body. Re-read with me vv. 3-8:

Serving the Church with Spiritual Gifts (3-8)

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.

Paul starts this section by stating that no one ought to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but they ought to use sober judgment as they think about themselves.

He’s attacking any idea of sinful pride within the body of Christ, but note that he isn’t saying that you should think negatively of yourself.

He’s not saying that you ought to think of yourself as garbage or as worthless, but rather that you can’t go to the opposite extreme of thinking of yourself too highly.

You aren’t to be sinfully prideful in whom you are, you need to think with what he calls “sober judgment.”

The idea being that you need to be honest and authentic with yourself and you need to think of yourself essentially the way that God thinks of you.

In particular, in this context, there’s something specific that Paul says you need to think through, “think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

What exactly does Paul mean when he speaks of this measure of faith that God has assigned? Think back to our first week in our series about spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 “4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

Paul is pointing at the same concept that he explains to the Corinthians in the first letter to the Corinthians. This manifestation of the Spirit or what he calls a measure of faith given by the Spirit and assigned by God—we can tell for sure, because vv. 6-8 speaks of spiritual gifts by name in the context of this measure of faith that’s assigned by God.

Or in other words, Paul is calling the believers in Rome to not boast in their perceived spiritual gifts, but rather, think accurately about themselves and their spiritual gifts.

Now, you might think that this tendency to boast in perceived spiritual gifts isn’t that serious of a problem—maybe it’s something that you never quite noticed, but just think of how many different times to different people Paul has warned against prideful boasting in gifts.

In Romans 12, he tells the Romans to not boast in their own gifts; in 1 Corinthians 12 and he warns the Corinthians not to boast in their gifts.

It’s worth noting that the Bible repeatedly warns Christians not to boast in themselves, even when it comes to their own salvation. Eph 2:8-9 “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

And the Bible warns not to boast about our own ability and wisdom, Jeremiah 9:23-24 “23 This is what the Lord says: “Let no wise man boast of his wisdom, nor let the mighty man boast of his might, nor a rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let the one who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises mercy, justice, and righteousness on the earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.”

He wants them to think soberly about their spiritual gifts and their interactions with other believers and then he reminds them of the great diversity within the local church in vv. 4-5, “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.”

Remember that this is all being within the context of telling the Roman believers to be living sacrifices that can offer proper worship to the Lord.

What he says in vv. 3-8 builds on the idea of being transformed by the renewing of their minds and the rejection of conformity to the world.

Or in other words, what Paul is saying is that one of the primary ways that we are to be conformed into the image of Christ is in how we interact with one another as members of the same body.

Whereas the earthly, humanly—understand—sinful response is to boast in ourselves and be prideful in our abilities, the proper way to think is found in v. 4, “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.”

We can’t boast in ourselves or be prideful in our abilities because we’re all part of the same body of Christ anyways and if any part of the body is missing or not doing what they’re supposed to do, the whole body suffers.

No, instead, we, as a local body of Jesus Christ is one body made of different members with different functions—it would behoove us to remember this truth, especially in light of the fact that this isn’t the only time that Paul feels the need to remind different Christians in different local churches this truth.

The fact that he repeats this idea to multiple churches tells us pride, boasting and pridefully boasting in our own gifts is a serious problem that any and quite possibly every church will struggle with at some point.

But those that are being transformed by the renewing of their minds, who aren’t conformed to the world, aren’t supposed to think like this—they aren’t supposed to be boastful in themselves.

Those who are genuinely transformed ought to think like Jesus Christ does.

And when it comes to the local gathering of believers, the church (according to Jesus) is one body with many members. The church is one body with individuals who all have different functions. And the church is one body with members that are joined to one another.

So, much so, that as he ends this section of the text, Paul gives us seven examples of how the local church of believers functions as a unified body while using their spiritual gifts. Vv. 6-8, “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.”

Notice, that the gifts that Paul chooses to highlight in vv. 6-8 aren’t from one particular group of gifts.

He doesn’t just point out gifts that typically speak of elders—he doesn’t just mention that those that lead should lead zealously, those that teach should teach well, and those that prophesy should prophesy according to our faith.

But he mixes these sorts of gifts with other gifts that people might think of as lesser. Just like the one who should prophesy prophesies in proportion to our faith, just like the one who teaches is to teach well, and just like the one who leads should lead with zeal—the one who serves and the one who exhorts and the one who contributes and the one who does acts of mercy should all utilize their gifts proportionately to the ones who are utilizing gifts that are more apparent.

Mixing them like this, really emphasizes the importance of all the spiritual gifts—they’re all necessary; and mixing them like this, emphasizes that not one of them is of more value than any other gift.

Notice also, that just like the other passages of Scripture concerning spiritual gifts, this isn’t a comprehensive list of gifts. They’re just a handful of examples of the diverse nature of spiritual gifts within the body of Christ. The point isn’t to hyper-fixate on the gifts themselves, but to focus on what Paul is telling them to do, which is first said in v. 6, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.”

To get caught up in the identification of spiritual gifts themselves in vv. 6-8 would be to completely miss the point of the text.

The point is that regardless of your personal spiritual gifts, you are to use them in unity with the local body of Christ—this is part of what it means to be transformed by the renewing of your mind—you’re no longer concerned with just yourself, but you are now concerned with how you can best serve the local body of Jesus Christ.

Every example that he gives after that statement are simply examples of what it means to use your spiritual gifts, which brings us this morning to our application; and I think you’ll hear the application and it’s going to be an application that seems over-simplified, but most applications from Scripture are very simple. To gain our application, I want us to look at the text with the same divide that we used through the sermon, I’ll give you application for the first two verses and then the last six verses after.

Application

Being a Living Sacrifice (1-2)--In the first part of the text, we see Paul introduce us to a concept based off the previous eleven chapters. In light of the theological treatise that he has written in the previous eleven verses, this is what he says the Romans are to do, they are to “present [their] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,” which he calls their spiritual worship. He then ends this section by telling them to not be like the world—don’t think like it, don’t act like it, and don’t live like it, “but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” And through the renewing of your mind, you may discern what God’s will is. Our application for this section lays the foundation for the rest of our application; and our application for this section is found in the first verse:

Paul tells us that the Corinthians (in light of the previous eleven chapters of doctrine and theology are “to present [their] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is [their] spiritual worship.”

The truth is that none of the doctrine; none of the theology in chs. 1-11 has changed whatsoever, thus, it’s logical to argue that David’s application for the Romans remains the same for believers today.

Because the premise of v. 1 is built upon the teachings of chs. 1-11, we can assume that the statement “present your bodies as a living sacrifice” remains for believers today.

And just like the believers in Rome, the method behind presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice is the same—it involves not thinking like, not acting like, and not living like the world. We are to not be conformed to this world, “but be transformed by the renewal of our mind.”

I mentioned through the sermon, that the primary means for our minds to be renewed is the reading of, studying of, and delighting in of Scripture.

It is God’s Word regularly read and God’s Word regularly preached to us faithfully that transforms through the Spirit’s work of sanctification within us.

Which makes application for the first section rather simple.

If we are required to no longer be like the world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds as a part of us presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice; and if the primary means that this is done is through the hearing of the Word of God, the reading of the Word of God, and the study of the Word of God—then it’s quite clear, you need to be soaked in God’s Word.

It cannot be a once-a-week thing for you, you need to be in God’s Word regularly and you need to be reading it, studying it, and hearing it preached accurately.

The Bible can’t be something that remains untouched, unread, and unheard of for you throughout the week. It needs to be something that you genuinely delight in.

If you delight in something, that something is far more than just a once-a-week thing. Delighting in a person involves speaking to them, being with them, and spending time with them. Delighting in a hobby involves investing in it, spending time doing it, and even talking to others about it.

Delighting in God’s Word is similar—it involves spending time reading it and studying it. It includes investing in your knowledge of it and talking to others about it.

It really shouldn’t even be a question as to whether spending one hour a week in it is sufficient—one hour is never going to be enough if you genuinely love it and love the One who wrote it.

You need to be soaked in God’s Word because it is God’s Word and through God’s Word, He sanctifies you. It is through God’s Word that He changes the way that you think, He changes the way that you act, and He changes the way that you live. And as He changes the way you think, act, and live, the second part of our application comes into play.

Serving the Church with Spiritual Gifts (3-8)—In the last part, Paul gives us one example of how the changed thinking, acting, and living manifests itself. Or in other words, because God has been sanctifying you through and in His truth, you now think about others within the body of Christ differently. It’s not about you and it’s not about boasting in your gifts—so don’t think of yourself as God’s special gift to the church. Rather, think of yourself as a member of the local body of Christ that happens to have a different function than most everyone else in the local body. And because you have different gifts and because you’re part of the body, you are to use your gifts—not for yourself, but for everyone else.

But if you’ve been paying attention to this series, you’ve already heard me say this multiple times throughout the series. You should (by now) have a pretty thorough understanding of what spiritual gifts are and why we have them.

They’re gifts given by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of the individual using them for the common good of the local church.

However, if you remember from the beginning of the sermon, there were two questions that I wanted to answer this morning. The whole purpose of this sermons is to answer two questions--The questions at hand are what are my spiritual gifts and how do I figure out what they are?

The first question, I can’t really answer within a sermon beyond simply telling you that there are various gifts given by the Holy Spirit and you can have one or more of those gifts to help in the local church.

In the list found in Romans 12, we see the gift of preaching, serving, teaching, exhortation, generosity, leadership, and mercy.

And as you know from this series, there are other gifts listed in various other places throughout Scripture and you know that the gift lists are not comprehensive, so it wouldn’t be inappropriate to think of other sorts of gifts just as long as they’ve been given by the Spirit for the purpose of building up His church.

However, I can help you start narrowing down what your spiritual gifts might be, but in order to do so, I have to answer the second question first.

The second question, I can answer based off v. 6, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.”

The primary way that anyone discovers what their spiritual gifts are is by serving within the local church, which I know sounds very counter-intuitive.

We assume that we need to determine our gifts prior to serving within the local church, but that’s not how God chose His church to function.

With the exception of offices within the church, there really aren’t any prerequisites to serving in the church (beyond being a believer)—you don’t need a seminary degree, you don’t need ten years of experience, you don’t need certifications. You just need to be willing to be used by God in service to the King.

You must be willing to just jump up and help wherever and whenever you can.

And the most common objection is, “but I don’t know what I’m gifted with!” And you never will if you don’t ever start serving. Consider Luke 16:10 “10 “The one who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much; and the one who is unrighteous in a very little thing is also unrighteous in much.”

Why would God reveal to you your spiritual gifts if you haven’t been faithful with the idea of simply serving Him?

Why would God manifest spiritual gifts within you if you’ve been unwilling to serve in whatever capacity is necessary?

The second most common objection then is, “but I won’t be any good at what I’m doing.” There’s a possibility that you won’t be any good at what you’re doing, but you’re never going to figure out if you’re gifted with it, if you don’t start trying.

Consider the area of preaching. Do you realize that being a pastor is a role or office within the church that is affirmed by local congregations?

Or in other words, those who are biblically qualified for ministry have been examined by a local church and their spiritual gifts have been tested in front of a local church.

Biblically qualified pastors don’t just become pastors by mistake—there is training involved and there is education involved, but the training and education doesn’t really mean anything.

It isn’t until the man stands behind a pulpit and preaches and it isn’t until the candidate serves within the local body that the local body determines if he’s spiritually gifted to pastor a church.

Or in other words, biblically qualified elders do not know that they’re biblically qualified and spiritually gifted for ministry until they first start serving in a local congregation. The local church determines if that person is spiritually gifts or if they ought to pursue a different way to serve the local church.

It’s the same for every spiritual gift within the local church—do you want to know if you’re gifted to serve in children’s ministry? Then start serving in children’s ministry. Do you want to know if you’re gifted with the service gifts, then start serving in those roles in the local church. Are you gifted with acts of mercy? You won’t find out until you go to the food pantry and start serving.

And any good and healthy church (and really any good and healthy pastor) will not be content with just having warm bodies to fill different roles within the church. They will want you to figure out what you’re gifted with and then they’ll want to help you develop those gifts.

But you can’t develop your spiritual gifts until you at least try to serve within the local church.

Do you want to know what your spiritual gifts are? Do you want to figure it out? Then you need to start serving in any capacity within the local church.

Put simply, what Romans 12:1-8 teaches is that (1) you are to present your body as a living sacrifice. You do this by renewing your mind and rejecting the world. This is done within you as a process of sanctification through and in the Word of God. And it teaches us that (2) part of being a living sacrifice is to start using your spiritual gifts for the service of the King and if you don’t know what your gifts are, it teaches us to start serving the local church anyways.

How do you determine what your spiritual gifts are? You stop thinking like the world, start thinking like Jesus, and you start serving in any capacity in the local church—the local church will help you discern your spiritual giftedness.

Pastoral Prayer

Congregational Singing

Be Thou My Vision (176)