A
Message by Pastor Michael Palmer
Given
to
October 4, 2009
OKAY GOD – NOW WE’RE READY –
USE US FOR YOUR GLORY
Romans 12:3-8
Now that Paul has
explained the doctrine of righteousness through faith (Romans 1-11); and now
that he has laid down the only reasonable response to God’s grace (Romans
12:1,2); he assumes his readers are now ready to be empowered by God for
supernatural service for the gospel and the glory of God. There are three natural divisions or “points”
in this section of Scripture:
I.
REMEMBER YOU HAVE RECEIVED GOD’S GRACE – WATCH YOUR
ATTITUDE: STAY HUMBLE AND BROKEN BEFORE
GOD AND OTHERS (VERSE 3).
What
we have in Christ is all a gift of His grace to us. Our particular place of service in God’s
Kingdom is simply an act of His grace and not our doing!
“No matter how well grounded we may
be in God’s Word, how theologically sound we may be, or how vigorously we may
seek to serve Him, our gifts will not operate so that our lives can be
spiritually productive until self is set aside. From self-denial in the spiritual worship of
God flows self-surrender to the will of God, and from self-surrender flows
selfless service in the work of God.”
(MacArthur’s
Commentary on Romans 9-16, page 157).
Thinking
soberly is to have a sound mind. Having
sound mind is to focus on scriptural truth (we are all receivers of God’s
grace) and we all have a calling (a purpose) from God that we need to focus
on. Those that are unbalanced focus on
themselves, their “position”, their lives, etc.
William Kilpatrick writes: “… the distinctive quality, the thing that
sets paranoid people apart is hyper-self-consciousness. And the thing they prize most about
themselves is their autonomy. Their
constant fear is that someone else is interfering with their will or trying to
direct their lives.” (In
Psychological Seduction, The Failure of Modern Psychology, page 67)
Right
thinking is humbly realizing that we are saved by grace, we know and worship God
by grace, and we serve by grace. We have nothing to do but lay ourselves down
before the Master and say “here I am, use me, do with me as You
will!” It is NOT about us, it is about
the gospel of Jesus Christ.
II.
GOD HAS PLACED YOU IN HIS BODY BECAUSE THE LIFE HE
GIVES PRODUCES A SUPERNATURAL CONNECTIVITY AND A COMMON PURPOSE.(VSS 4-5)
The
purpose of Christ’s body (the church) is accomplished by each member’s unique
service or function.
·
Everyone can’t
be the quarterback
·
It takes a
team working together
·
All functions
(or “positions”) must function well
·
There is unity
in diversity
·
There is unity
of doctrine
·
There is unity
of calling
·
There is unity
of purpose
·
We are
members of one another – we do share the life of God together.
The
end result of this supernaturally shared life should be a shared service for
the glory of God. There is tremendous
power when the whole body works together under the direction of the Holy Spirit
and the Word.
III.
EACH MEMBER OF CHRIST’S BODY HAS A GRACE GIFT THAT
HE/SHE IS EXPECTED TO EMPLOY (USE) (1 PETER 4:10).
There
are five different lists of spiritual gifts in the New Testament (Romans
12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:8-10 and 28-30; Eph. 4:11; 1 Peter 4:11). We are not going to
cover all of these today, nor are we going to cover all of the “sign gifts” and
the particular issues surrounding these.
But I do think it is instructive for us today to realize that
Paul did not include these sign gifts in what is a later writing of his
epistles. It seems to be thought that if
those gifts were foundational to the expression of supernatural body life, He
would have included them here to this important and influential church at
PROPHECY: One who
stands in front of another to speak for him.
“The gift of prophecy is the gift
of being God’s public spokesman, primarily to God’s own people – to instruct,
to admonish, warn, rebuke, correct, challenge, comfort, and encourage. God also uses His prophets to reach
unbelievers (see 1 Cor. 14:24-25).”
(MacArthur Commentary, page 170)
SERVICE: Every sort
of practical help that Christians can give one another in Jesus’ name.
TEACHING: The ability
to give systematic and regular instruction in God’s Word, precept upon
precept. This is required of the
pastor-teacher. As an elder, he is
required “to teach” (1Timothy 3:2).
EXHORTATION: Calling someone
to one’s side, to call out to.
“The gift of exhortation compasses
the ideas of advising, pleading, encouraging, warning, strengthening, and
comforting. At one time, the gift may be
used to persuade a believer to turn from a sin or bad habit and at a later time
to encourage that same person to maintain his corrected behavior. The gift may be used to admonish the church
as a whole to obedience to the Word.
Like the gift of showing mercy, exhortation may be exercised in
comforting a brother or sister in the Lord who is facing trouble or is
suffering physically or emotionally. One
who exhorts may also be used of God to encourage and undergird a weak believer
who is facing a difficult trial or persistent temptation. Sometimes he may use his gift simply to walk
beside a friend who is grieving, discouraged, frustrated, or depressed, to give
help in whatever way is needed. This
gift may be exercised in helping someone carry a burden that is too heavy to
bear alone.”
“In summary, it might be said that,
just as prophecy proclaims the truth and teaching systematizes and explains the
truth, exhortation calls believers to obey and follow the truth, to live as
Christians are supposed to live – consistent with God’s revealed will. In many servants of Christ, all of these
abilities are uniquely and beautifully blended.” (MacArthur
Commentary, page 174)
GIVING: Sharing or
imparting one’s own to another – the idea of giving sacrificially of oneself that
manifests itself in monetary and other practical gifts to meet needs and
further the gospel.
GIVE WITH LIBERALITY: Simplicity, single-mindedness,
open-heartedness, and generosity.
This
is heartfelt giving that is untainted by ulterior motives. The Christian who gives with liberality gives
of himself not for himself. He
does not give for thanks or recognition, but for the sake of the one who
receives his help and for the glory of the Lord.
LEADERSHIP: Standing
before others, guiding, administering.
Can be applied to pastors or elders, deacons, deacon’s wives, or other
women as they serve in various places in the church. There ought to be a sense of the leadership
of God flowing through the God called leader beginning with the pastors and
elders.
LEADERSHIP SHOULD BE DONE WITH DILIGENCE: Even
in church life, some people are tempted to enjoy the office rather than use it
as an avenue for service. The word means
to make haste, being eager, do one’s best, take care, desire, etc. It speaks of intense effort and determination.
Whoever
has a place of leadership whether great or small, must take his/her service
seriously. Proper leadership, therefore,
precludes procrastination and idleness.
SHOWING MERCY: Actively
demonstrating sympathy for someone else and having the necessary resources to
successfully comfort and strengthen that person. This person is divinely endowed with special
sensitivity to suffering and sorrow, with the ability to notice misery and
distress that may go unnoticed by others, and with the desire to alleviate such
allocations. This gift is feeling put
into actions of practical help.
WITH CHEERFULNESS: hilarity
WE FIND OUR GIFTS – OUR PLACE OF
SERVICE BY SERVING!
Time
in the Word
Prayer
Accountable
to other believers
Reaching
out to those who need Christ
Worshipping
God
Faithful
attendance
Willing
to do whatever it takes to accomplish the mission
Do you want to get in on
the most exciting thing in all the world?
Then let Jesus forgive you, indwell you, change you, and empower you for
effective service on His team! You must
admit your need for Jesus and turn away from self and sin to Him. He is here with us today – won’t you receive
Him as your Lord and Savior? The Pastors
are here to help you understand how to do this through prayer. As the invitational hymn is played you can
step out and express to one of the pastors your desire and they can go to the
prayer room with you or simply sit on the front pew and lead you in
prayer.
If you already know Jesus Christ personally and would like to
become a member of