Sermon Tone Analysis

Sermon Series: Romans

Sermon Title: The Christian’s relationship to himself, others, and his gifts

Main Passage: Romans 12:3-8

INTRO:

Illus.

- Tre being drafted?

OKC Thunder Team Handbook???

God has chosen us!

We are now part of the family!

And this next section of Romans (chapter 12-15) is the handbook… what does it look like to live as part of the family of God?

In fact, one commentator titles this section of Romans:

God’s Righteousness in Everyday Life (Rom.

12:1–15:13)

So if you want to know what it looks like to live as a Christian, Romans 12-15 is a great place to camp out in your Bible.

As we enter this part need to be reminded of 8:6-8

self-assessment -

If we are not growing in righteousness, if we are different people than we were before we started claiming to know Christ, if we are struggling with all the things we’re going to study from this point forward, it is very possible that we are one of the ones that think we are saved but are not.

because those people who have not moved from living in the flesh to living in the spirit CANNOT please God.

The flesh is against God.

this isn’t to say that it’s based on our effort… but when you KNOW God… when His Spirit comes to dwell in your heart… He goes to work on your heart… helping you to look more and more like the image of God’s own son, Jesus Christ.

That’s what we’re looking for!

READ THE PASSAGE:

PRAY:

BODY:

first thing I want you to see here… is the first word… “FOR” … our passage today follows verses 1 and 2 which we studied last week

In those verses Paul urged the Romans to:

present their bodies (entire selves) to God as a living sacrifice

not be conformed to the world

be transformed by the renewing of their minds

and then he starts verse 3 with the word “FOR”… so our passage today is written to Christians… Christians who are working toward NOT conforming to the world… Christians who are working on being transformed by the renewing of their minds.

Look at your bibles there in verse 3… who is Paul speaking to?

“I say to everyone among you....”

Paul is speaking to the whole church

this entire passage is not just for the leaders… not just for the extra-spiritual people… it’s for EVERYONE!

Main Idea: As part of our transformation into the family of God, Paul now teaches us how to think about ourselves, others, and our gifts.

1.

How to think about ourself (vs.

3):

I think the word for us here is humility....

True Humility Is Not Thinking Less of Yourself, It's Thinking of Yourself Less.

-C.S. Lewis

Paul has a pretty good understanding of what this looks like.

Look at vs. 3 again.... Paul says, “For by the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you....”

Paul knows that his Apostolic authority and his gifts are grace given to him by God.

He did not deserve them.

He did not earn them.

And Paul, the guy who wrote most of the New Testament, he also knows that he is doing nothing good for the Kingdom without God’s help.

Paul recognizes his dependence on the Lord.

If there was ever a Christian who could boast, it was Paul.

But in humility, he knew he was in constant need of the Lord’s help.

This humility thing is a huge theme for the Apostle Paul.

In fact, he urges the Christians in Colossae to be humble....

Colossians 3:12–13 (ESV)

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

He also urges the Christians in Ephesus to be humble

Ephesians 4:1–2 (ESV)

1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

He includes it to his friends at the church in Philippi and even adds to it that, ultimately, Jesus, (not even Paul) is our best example in humility...

Philippians 2:3–7 (ESV)

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Now, in case everyone here is nodding a little too easily to all of this, let me step on a few toes this Father’s Day so you know I’m doing a good job preaching

For some of us Christians in the room, being humble is something we choose when it’s convenient.

when dealing with a friend or family member

or when getting in an argument just isn’t worth it…

but what about being humble even when someone opposes you… like on facebook

let me give you three reasons to be humble even in those situations:

Because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5)

Because.... unless you have forgotten..... you are a sinner also.

We all deserve judgment and condemnation… but thank God, we have been saved by grace.

Our opponents aren’t really that different from us.

Are you really incapable of the sins they commit?

(1 Cor.

4:7) “Who sees anything different in you?

What do you have that you did not receive?

If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?”

3.

Because you aren’t the issue; God’s glory is.

When we pridefully rise up to defend our honor, we act as though that’s more important than the glory of God.

If your opponent is a Christian, the unity of the church for whom Christ shed his blood is the issue.... not your opinion, your comfort, not your track record of always being right.

and if you’re opponent is not a Christian, God’s desire for ALL to be saved is the issue....

So be humble… even to those who are against you.

Because your relationship to that person, and your chance to tell them and show them about the love of Jesus, is more important than you being right or getting your way.

or as the great theologian Hux would say…

“Being Jesus is more important than being right.”

Teenagers, write that down!

So… when thinking about ourselves, Paul tells us to be humble

Next Paul tells us...

2. How to think about others (vs.

4-5):

Paul loves this analogy of the human body being compared with the church.

And like any good teacher, once you’ve got a good illustration, you stick with it!

Paul expands on this analogy in 1 Corinthians chapter 12:

Paul is telling us, that in the church, we are to be so unified, that it feels like we are one body.

Jesus knew this was going to be hard.

Jesus knew how important it would be for his bride, the church, to be unified.

In fact, Jesus prayed for the unity of the church in his famous priestly prayer in John 17 .....

John 17:11 (ESV)

11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you.

Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be ONE, even as we are one.

Jesus wants the church to be one the way the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one!

Wow! Now that’s unity!

look again at how Paul says this in verse 5:

“members one of another” = we belong to each other!