Intro: We saw in our study last week that Ch. 12
was the Beginning of a new section of the Book of Romans - Practical Christian
living !
A) Begins w/ making a decision
in light of all that God has given to us that we are going to give ourselves -
whole heartedly to Him
B) That is what is meant by the
phrase - to present bodies - to God as a living sacrifice ! (reasonable Worship )
C) We noted last Sunday that it is that Kind of commitment
which translates itself into living worship / lifestyle of worship
1) It is a mindset that says
God is going to have all of me - All my heart , all my adoration, the very best
that I have to give!
CC) How maintained V.2 Don’t be conformed - Lit. ….. squeeze into
mold
but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind
D) Paul spends the rest of Ch. 12 focusing on our
position, place & function within the body of Christ - ( Focus on Sun.
mornings - )
Paul Begins by
first noting how we should see ourselves as individuals
3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to
everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to
think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
A) Paul begins don’t think more highly of yourself than you
ought to think -
1) Universal tendency of human
race - think too much about ourselves
B) This tendency is mainly seen in 2 forms !
1) on the one hand is the person who is always talking about
himself -
self elevating braggart
C) Always quick to tell you how
smart he is - what he has done or is doing -
how
strong he is or how spiritual .
D) These people never share any
failures / only victories ! They are legends
in their own minds - masters at everything
1) They are on a crash course
to be humbled or may never get used
E) The bible says that God resist the proud yet He gives grace to
the humble
Former Miami Dolphin coach Don Shula, took his wife
on vacation to a small seaside town in Maine.
He figured it was a place they could relax anonymously.
It was
raining when they arrived; they decided to take in a movie. As they entered the small theatre, the show
had not started yet, the lights were still up. And to their surprise the
scattered handful of people applauded their entrance.
After they were seated Don said, "I guess there's nowhere I'm not
known." His wife smiled and said,
"And loved, dear."
A man seated nearby reached over and shook Don's
hand. And Shula said, "I have to admit I'm kind of surprised
that you know me here." The man responded w/ a puzzled look on his
face "Should I know you? We're just happy to see you folks because
the manager had said he wasn't going to start the movie until at least two more
people showed up."
A young seminary graduate came up to the pulpit very self confident and immaculately
dressed. He began to deliver his
first sermon in his first church and the words simply would not come out.
Finally he burst into tears and ended up leaving the platform obviously humbled.
There were 2 older ladies sitting in the front row
& one remarked to the other, "If he'd come in like he went out, he would have gone out like he
came in
F) It is true that the Lord has
a way of humbling those who think more highly of themselves than they ought to ( Shrinking down to size )
1)
But this also means to not over think about oneself
This over
focus on self is seen in the person who goes around always talking about how
their nobodies
A) Talk about how insecure they are - which is really just another form of
pride & Characteristic of being consumed w/ self
B) So Paul says don’t overly
think about yourself - don’t think that you are higher than you really are - or
more important
1) But think soberly - meaning
rightly / when People are drunk - they don’t think rightly
C) They think they can do
things they really can’t - when they sober up they come back down to reality .
1) Paul says to think soberly -
rightly according to the measure of faith that God has given to you.
D) This word measure can also
be translated standard - which I believe makes more sense in this context .
1) The idea is that each
believer has a standard of faith by which he is to measure himself & that
standard is Christ !
E) Paul is not asking the
believer to measure himself according
to his feelings which - go up & down .
1) He is not asking that we
measure ourselves according to our successes - which can be few or many
F) And he is not asking us to
measure ourselves - by comparing
ourselves w/ others - Husband / father / Christian / the standard is Christ .
1)And when
I see myself in light of Him / it is both sobering & humbling
Fall
short / Yet encouraging - God’s goal - making me like His Son!
So A key to
seeing our place & understanding our function w/ in the body is to see
ourselves properly
A) Not in a high minded way - but soberly - rightly as we see ourselves in
light of Jesus - Hero - Friend - our savior & example
Next Paul
moves on to explain how we are to see ourselves, not just in light of Christ, but as part of the body of Christ ! v.4,5
4 For as we have many members in one body, but
all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually
members of one another.
A) In the scriptures the church
is referred to in several different ways - seen as a building - Jesus is the
Architect & also chief corner stone
1) Army - He is the General /
Sheepfold - He is the good shepherd -
Bride -
He is our husband
B) But the most often used
description & probably the clearest is that we are a body - He is the Head
!
C) Now There is nothing in the
world more beautiful, more exquisite, more intricate than the human body.
1) The human body
beautifully balanced and delicately
articulated
instrument the world has ever seen.
D) All the computers in the
world put together cannot do what a single human
body can
do, & does w/ such exquisite grace when it is functioning right.
1) It is so true what the
Psalmist - declared when he said that we are fearfully & wonderfully made !
E) Ken Caminetti can hit a
baseball that is thrown to him at 99 mph - yet he hits it - 520 feet -that
takes incredible timing & hand eye coordination
1) Or when you sit down &
watch a master pianist - work his instrument in such a way - beautiful music -
fingers going up down
F) Those are incredible feats -
that would be impossible to perform if every member of the body wasn’t
functioning properly
Even seemingly
simple task like eating - and drinking - things that we don’t even think about
are a major miracle
A) That - your stomach sends a
signal to your brain - Hey I’m hungry -
lets get some food down here !
B) Brain sends the single down
to the legs & feet - the stomach is
hungry again - legs get you up
& feet get going to fridge.
1) Single comes from the Brain
to the hands lets go for the Pep. Pizza
& the chocolate - Pie - w/ some iced tea to drink
C) Sit down & again a
miracle takes place as the Brain - directs the hands so that - the Pizza &
cake end up in your mouth & not your nose or ear
D) It is truly an amazing
creation when you think about it !
And it is no
accident that the Lord refers to His Church as a body - because it is also a
complex entity comprised of many members who need to function together as one
A) And when the Church is
functioning properly it can do powerful things & it is a beautiful thing to
behold !
B) In looking at the Church as
a body - there are 2 things that Paul mentions here ! Because we are a body
there is a unity v.5
1) But also a diversity v.
4 Both are important to understand
C) First lets look at our unity ! 5 so
we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one
another.
Paul is
sharing here that there is a unity that we experience as Christians
A) That unity is the
connectedness that we enjoy being a part of the body of Christ . Many members yet - one body
B) Love what we read of the early Church in the book
of Acts - first formed - it says Acts 2:42 42 And they continued steadfastly in the
apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many
wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,
C) That last phrase is what I find the most interesting - they had all things in common.
1) Diff. Back grounds - different
- occupations - diff. Regions of the country - traveled to Jerusalem for
Pentecost / saved
D) Yet they all things in
common because of their connectedness to Christ - they had Him in common -
therefore there was a unity !
E) We enjoy that same unity -
today -/ See There is unity when we are
gathered around Christ ! Hearts seeking to touch Christ
1) Be touched by Christ / unity
in seeking to build up each other in our relationship w/ Christ !
Now there is a
movement today in the church Known as the ecumenical movement - ecumenical =
universal - Universal unified church
A) They say the problem w/ the
Church today is that it is not unified - therefore we must - pursue unity at
all cost !
B) meaning - we put aside our doctrine - and we just
love each other & put up w/ our differences
1) So if the Church down the
street wants to have Pastors who are
Homosexual -
so be it - we will be one !
C) Such a cry for unity is
totally unscriptural - the minute any Church - lays
aside
the word of God as its guideline it is
in trouble
1) Always should be able to
point to the word & explain the reason why
we are
doing anything say - This is that which is written here !
But there are
2 other problems w/ this type of mentality /
A) The first is that it
essentially ignores the unity that the bible says we already possess in the
Lord ! Turn to Eph. 4
4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord,
beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with
longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as
you were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one
baptism;
6 one God and Father of all, who is above all,
and through all, and in you all.
B) Paul is describing a unity that we already have - it is a unity
that is in place when we become a part of Christ
1) Paul refers to it as the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace
b) It is a unity
created by the Spirit of Christ dwelling in His people
C) And that unity is only
severed - when we disconnect ourselves from Christ By ignoring His word - doing
our own thing /
1) Chicken w/ head cut off
- motion / no direction
D) But There is a unity that is
already there by virtue of the very existence of a church. There is no need to
create it- it already exist
1) It is a supernatural working
of the H.S. that has brought us together in Christ as one body - having many
members !
2nd
Problem with
the ecumenical movement today is that they are ignoring the unity that the N.T.
says already exist
A) And They are trying to create is a unity of the
flesh, it’s an organizational unity
B) which draws its power from the number of bodies
which can be joined together, apart from conviction and spiritual agreement.
Dr. Bernard
Ramm says,
When the
modern groups deny the supernatural character of Christ the church becomes a
society, a natural, human, non-supernatural, religious community. It is bound
together purely by natural ties, such as a common heritage in the Bible, a
common belief in some sort of uniqueness in Jesus, a common belief in the
historical continuity of Christians, and a common ethic of love.
Now it is true that the church is a society, but that is
secondary First & foremost it is the supernatural body of Christ.
D) This is the difference that needs to be clearly
seen these days.
1) The church is not a
conglomeration of individuals who happen to agree upon certain things.
E) But the Church is a Living organism - a body -
which has been joined together w/ Christ as the head !
1) Church derives its power not
from organization - but from Him
Someone has well described this attempt to unify the
Church in the flesh as
an attempt to put all the corpses into one cemetery,
and thus make for a Resurrection
F) But it cannot work. The church is intended to be
an instrument of life, but putting dead bodies together does not produce life.
So Paul says
there is a unity that we experience in being a part of Christ but notice what
he says here in v. 3 Eph 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
A) Now this is what we need to
understand - we are exhorted to maintain this unity that we already possess in
Christ
B) This phrase is even stronger
in the Greek text it is striving to maintain the unity we possess .
1) And I want us to consider
this in light of our individual Church
C) There are 2 keys to
maintaining this unity ! This is what I
want to focus on w/ the rest of our time
mention in reverse order of importance
!
So First - Realize there is diversity ! Back to Romans v.4 For as we have many members in one body, but
all the members do not have the same function,
A) Weirsbe - Unity without diversity
would produce uniformity,( Everything
the same
) and uniformity tends to
produce death.
Being a part
of a body means there is diversity - We don’t all have the same function or
calling !
A) Remember when Peter was
taught this lesson - there in Jn 21 after the Resurrection. Jesus meets His
disciples on the beach after unsuccessful night of fishing
B) Put your net on the other
side ! - Great hall / Peter its the
Lord
C) Peter love me more than
these - Feed my sheep - tend my lambs ! Peter feed & take care of my people
!
D) Great calling - but some
reason - Peter looks at John & says
what about Him ! What about John what want Him to do !
1) Jesus looks at Peter &
says What is that to thee - in other
words - it is none of your business you just do what I am telling you to do
E) It is sad today that there
can be a great deal of competition w/ in the Church today . A great deal of
Jealousy
1) By People who are
unsatisfied w/ the gifts & calling that the Lord has given to others
F) Instead of being excited
that the Lord has given all of us the opportunity to be used by Him ! All have gifts all have a place
1) We need to be satisfied - w/
where the Lord has us / and how He has gifted us - and thankful that He seeks
to use us at all
G) Paul talks about this unity
in greater detail in 1 Cor. 12 turn there v.14
Now there are
2 problems that can arise from the Diversity in being a part of the body - Paul
addresses them here !
A) The first is feeling like we
are insignificant - I don’t have a place
& I don’t fit in God can’t use me / no abilities
B) - notice what Paul says in light of that
attitude
14 For in fact the body is not one member but
many.
15 If the foot should say, "Because I am
not a hand, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear should say,
"Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body," is it therefore not
of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would
be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? 18 But now God has set the members, each one of
them, in the body just as He pleased.
19 And if they were all one member, where would
the body be?
A) Paul says that if your foot
should say, "Well I can't do all the
things a hand does. It's so flexible. It is hooked onto that long arm,
& it is used all the time.
B) I can't wiggle my toes like the hand can wiggle the fingers; I just
can't do what the hand can do, therefore I really don't belong in this
body,"
1) That would be ridiculous!
C) Paul says Just because the
foot can’t do what the hand does doesn’t make it any less part of the body !
D) Or If the ear says, "Because I can't see like an eye, I am
not part of the body," the ear is deceiving itself. It is part of the
body.
1) Now as humorous as this is -
this type of thinking does go on in the Church !
E) So & so is so gifted -
or so & so is always up front - I wish I could do that - but the question
is where has God placed you / how
gifted you .
1) Listen John Randall sing - I
wish I could sing like that - Plus he plays
he can
preach & he surfs - why he get all gifts
F) Fantasy - Rock star - God
knew I couldn’t handle it ! - So gave me zero musically abilities
Point is God
has gifted each one of us & desires us to use those gifts & develop our
gifts / realizing we are all different ! we seek to
A) The Apostle is saying that
if you think of yourself as a member of the church, the Body of Christ, and you
say to yourself,
B) "Well, because I can't
stand up and sing or preach or teach or lead a meeting, there is really nothing
I can do in the Body of Christ,"
1) you are deceiving yourself!
And You have not changed reality
any.
You are
still a part of the body. You have a
part to play
b) And if you are not using your gift or not really
being a part of the body / just showing up - listen & go - you are robbing
the body - thumb
C) Part of the reason why we
struggle w/ things like this is because we have forgotten what the purpose of
the Church is !
1) We have the tendency to
think the main work of the Church is to have a great meeting on Sunday mornings
D) When in reality the soul
purpose of meetings like this is to build up equip & strengthen the Church
to go out & affects its world
1) And to equip the body to
minister to each other & build one another up to stir up love & good
works
E) If the only ministry that
ever take place through the Body of CC Vista is what goes on in this building -
we are falling way short of our purpose & calling!
F) what we do here is merely
part of the training program. We do not come to church to fulfill the work of
the church.
1) We come here to get ready to
be used out there in the world
G) We are the body of Christ & He is seeking to
live His life through us today as the members of His body - to reach this world
! (
Incarnation lives on)
Quote Stedman
: We have been so brainwashed with the conventional
idea of the church that we need to be
dynamited out of that concept, to capture again the glorious excitement
of Jesus Christ walking through the hurt of this world and touching with a
healing hand, by the instruments of his people, the blind eyes, the lame legs,
the hurting & destroyed lives all
around.
That is what the work of the church is: Christ in us
at work in the world.
Now if you
have that kind of mindset you realize that - every part of the body is
important & vital ! And Diversity
is Necessary & Important
A) Paul says "If the whole body were an eye, where
would be the hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense
of smell?"
A) Youth Pastor Football - eye ball - like my baby - date - w/ the eye !
B) What a ridiculous body it would be if we all did
the same thing & the work of the Church only consisted of what takes place
on Sunday mornings
C) So I hope that is clear,
& forever settles the question of feeling insignificant as part of the
body. You cannot say to yourself,
1) "There is no place for me," for
there definitely is.
Now let us
take the next problem that surfaces in a church, an independent spirit:
20 But now indeed there are many members, yet
one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I
have no need of you"; nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need
of you."
22 No, much rather, those members of the body
which seem to be weaker are necessary.
23 And those members of the body which we think
to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable
parts have greater modesty,
24 but our presentable parts have no need. But
God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,
25 that there should be no schism in the body,
but that the members should have the same care for one another.
26 And if one member suffers, all the members
suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members
individually.
A) It is amazing that in many congregations people get the idea that they
do not need the rest of the body; they can function on their own;
1) they have their own
abilities, their own ministry, and they can do things quite apart from others.
B) This always creates a sense
of competitiveness, of rivalry.
C) I have played on some
Basketball teams that were this way - whoever got the rebound would dribble the
length of the court & shoot .
1) Wouldn’t pass if life
depended on it !
D) Great rebounding teams
-fighting w/ your own players for rebounds - only way you would have a chance
to shoot.
E) Now Paul says that if that type of independent
spirit manifested itself in your physical body it would cause some major
problems
1) What would happen if the eye
said, "I don't need the rest of the
body. I'll just roll around seeing things and let the rest of the body
go."
F) That eyeball would instantly
go blind & the body would go around bumping into everything !
1) That type of independent
spirit is equally as damaging in the body of Christ !
G)
The instant any part of the body says to any other part, “I don’t need you!” it begins to weaken & die & creates
problems for the body as a whole
But Diversity in the body is
an evidence of the wisdom of God.
A) All these different
members doing their part to fulfill the function of the body as a whole !
C) Now When Paul speaks of the
weaker parts of the body - he isn’t talking about strength - or significance -
but of Visibility
1) There are the parts of our
body - that are visible - hands feet
D) But there are the parts
which are unseen - but are not less - in fact those unseen parts are vital -
Heart & Brain ! Blood etc.
E) So too there are those in
the body of Christ who may not ever be seen yet they are the Life & the
blood of the Church
1) Example those who pray !
So
one thing that is vitally important to maintaining our unity is realizing our
diversity - Many members diff. Functions And
No one is insignificant
But the most important thing
in maintaining our unity is to keep our
eyes on the Head ! Close w/ this little
story
Brother Hammer was appointed to preside over the
Master Tool Convention. Brother Screwdriver objected, saying “Brother Hammer, you’re too noisy to preside
over this meeting. You’re always driving home your point, always nailing
people. I call for your resignation immediately.
Brother Hammer responded “Well, what about you, Brother Screwdriver? All you ever do is spin
around in circles.” “That may be true, said Brother
Screwdriver, but al least I’m not like Brother Plane. His work is so surface,
so shallow. What right does he have to even be here?”
“If you’re
going to kick me out, protested Brother Plane, what about Brother Ruler? He
thinks he’s always right, measuring everyone else by his standards”
“Well, if you’re going to come down on me, argued
Brother Ruler, what about Brother Pliers? He needs to get a grip!”
“At least I
don’t rub people the wrong way, said Brother Pliers, who was staring at Brother Sandpaper.
Just then the Master Craftsman walked in. And, as He
used each tool at the perfect time, He created an object of great beauty.
Many parts - all have our place in the masters work
shop - need to let Him use us as He wants to !