Sound Judgment

Living a Life God Can Bless

We see as we seek to live a life more like Christ, a life of holiness we cannot do this ourselves.

So we look for a picture in scripture of spiritual formation of true discipleship where day by day, minute by minute, moment by moment we are becoming more and more like Christ.

So far the Picture of Romans 12 has shown us that we must lay our lives on the altar giving our selves completely to God as an act of worship in response to everything he has done for us.

We do this because living our lives our way does not work.

When we do this the Spirit of God comes in and begins to transform us. Conforming no longer to world and transforms us by renewing our mind.

By doing this we prove the will of God - which is good, acceptable and perfect.

All of this leads to what we see next in the picture.

Are you ready for the message God has for us?

Cool, let’s begin

Pew Bible Pg. 760

Read Romans 12:1-3

Romans 12:1–3 NASB 2020

1 Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

Think Properly

So as our minds change, we change the way we think about ourselves.

We begin to see who we truly are, as Chip Ingram writes: “You come to grips with the real you.”

In our world and even in the church people spend a great deal of time an effort on creating and wearing a mask.

The Greek word for hypocrisy, it sense is the wearing of a mask that Greek actors wore to show emotions. So it is literally pretending to be something your not!

Just think what we could accomplish if we redirected our time and effort from wearing masks to looking at and allowing people to see who we really are!

So in this verse Paul tells us what to do to think properly “don’t think more highly of yourself than he ought to think.

This is where humility comes in realize that we are shaped by the family, environment, personalities, significant others, and roles models of our childhood.

Even the values and beliefs we are taught all play a crucial role in the formation of who we really are!

For example: I grew up in a typical middle-class Christian home, went to church every Sunday, Wednesday, and special occasions unless I was sick. Going was non-negotiable we went period.

I was left to study the bible by myself, you can imagine how well that went!

Doing my Bible lesson in the car on the way church. We had 45 minutes!

My dad was too busy a lot growing up and my mother covered for him which perpetuated a lack of father son relationship.

I was bullied in school bordering on abuse and so I grew up with unresolved anger issues.

My mother was a stay at home mom most of the time

Now I love my parents, but they were the product of their family backgrounds, they did the best they could to provide for my sister and I

What about you what shaped your life?

What is your family background, think for a moment

All of this has a part in forming who we really are.

reflecting on this you begin to see the real you, who you are under the mask you create about yourself.

Not too High and not to low

Paul next says that in thinking properly we should not think to high of ourselves.

This is happens a lot in our world and sadly in the church as well.

There are Christians who think they have arrived, they have done it

They have archived what it means to be a true Christian

I think we all would agree that no one has arrived, because there is always room for improvement.

Remember that living a life God can bless, what we call holiness is a day by day, minute by minute, moment by moment process.

I think of what Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 11:21-31 Pew Bible pg. 776

2 Corinthians 11:21–31 NASB 2020

21 To my shame I must say that we have been weak by comparison. But in whatever respect anyone else is bold—I am speaking in foolishness—I too am bold. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ?—I am speaking as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent adrift at sea. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers among false brothers; 27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? 30 If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.

I mean look at what Paul says here he has every right to boast about being a Christian and an Apostle.

Yet if he will boast in anything it will be in his weaknesses!

That is what is means to not think to highly of ourselves

There is another side to that statement

Don’t think too low either

There are people that think they are not good enough to be a Christian that God would never forgive them of their sins, because their sins are too many or to great

Consider a statement by Paul 1 Timothy 1:15-16

1 Timothy 1:15–16 NASB 2020

15 It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost. 16 Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost sinner Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

Before he was a Christian Paul killed Christians believing he was following the will of God

He could accept that he had found forgiveness in the grace and mercy of God then so can you!

Don’t think so low of yourself that you miss who you are in Christ!

Use Sound Judgment

Paul tells us then to think with sound judgment

Be reasonable and sensible with how you think about yourself not too high and not too low but to hold a proper view of yourself

I found this in my studies the Greek word meaning is “Not going beyond set boundaries, to turn the energy of the mind to recognize its limits and respect them.”

I thought of the Dirty Harry movie Magnum Force where Harry Callahan says, “A man’s got to know his limitations!”

There are limits, boundaries that God has set so we don’t think to high or too low, but we use sound judgment.

We should never compare one another, this is an individual assessment.

This is Paul’s point as he concludes his thought at verse three, “”God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”

Each of us has a measure of faith that helps with how we think about ourselves.

Paul said it better than me in 2 Corinthians 10:12-13

2 Corinthians 10:12–13 NASB 2020

12 For we do not presume to rank or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they have no understanding. 13 But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the domain which God assigned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you.

We are not ranking or measuring ourselves among ourselves

No as individuals we use sound, reasonable judgment in coming to grips with who we really are.

Let’s be honest here, we are not fooling anyone with the mask we ware.

God sees through it and many people see through it, we are only fooling ourselves.

Abraham Lincoln stated:

“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.” - Abraham Lincoln

So let’s take our mask off we can be authentic with one another and begin making deeper connections and quit trying to do everything by ourselves!

Conclusion :

The altars are now open

Are you ready to let God’s Spirit begin working in you?

Are you ready to be part of an authentic community?

Then lay your life on the the alter, let Christ in, and come to grips with who you really are!

Begin thinking properly with sound judgement not too high not too low, but with the measure of faith that God has assigned to each of us!

Maybe you are one who has a mask you have never taken off.

Maybe you have worn it so long that you have forgotten who you really are. Let God help you come to grips with who you really are!

Maybe you are one who has allowed pride to determine who you are.

our maybe you are one who beats themselves up up all the time. Let God show you who you are in Christ

Come to the altars!

Let’s pray!