Romans chapter 12, I'll begin reading in verse 3. As Paul has already called the saints to think about living as sacrifices whose lives have been given to them by God, not needing to be put to death, but through Christ redeemed, how we serve the Lord with our gifts. Romans chapter 12, beginning in verse 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 each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them. If prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith. Or ministry, let us use it in our ministering. He who teaches in teaching, he who exhorts in exhortation, he who gives with liberality, he who leads with diligence, he who shows mercy with cheerfulness. Thus far, the reading of God's holy word, you may be seated. Let me pray now for the blessing of the preaching of it. Lord, we ask that you would through the preaching of your word deliver our hearts more ready to serve, more ready to think of ourselves in light of your word, in light of our relationship with you and others. that you would even this morning through the word preached, grant to us understanding and transformed wills, that our hearts would be moved, that our consciences would be changed, and that we would become more and more like even your son, who in all humility embraced the mission that was set before him, who endured the cross, who laughed even in the face of danger, who with joy went to the cross, knowing that in his suffering, in his death, and in his resurrection, he would redeem a beloved bride for himself. And so we who are your servants this morning ask that you would speak, for we are listening. And we ask then all these things in the name of Christ, our Redeemer. Amen. Paul turns. very practical. In Romans chapter 12, and this is not to say that theology is not practical, for the indicatives always inform the imperatives. Those things that are precepts and truths always come before and inform how it is that we ought to live. And thus far, Paul has, for 11 chapters established what is not just the heart of the gospel, but how a Christian is to think of the entire narrative and framework of the salvation that God has worked among men. God is in charge of it all. We are not. We respond even as God works in us. And even as God has brought us into the fellowship of the Godhead, and we are one family together, He then calls us to live not as those conformed to the world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds. This is what I read and preached on last week. To not be conformed, but to be transformed and in the renewing of our minds, prove, show, live out that which is good and pleasing to God. What do we know what that is? How do we know? How do we know how to live and by what standard? Well, it is the standard of God's word and specifically what Paul has already written. We are to live as those who have received grace as a free gift, not of ourselves, so that no man may boast, knowing that even the gift of grace is not according to our schemes and designs, but God's. And so knowing that God has worked all of this, and we have been brought into the fellowship of the Godhead, we ought to labor as those who have been given this precious gift that we did not deserve. And that acknowledgement carries us through the whole of our lives, that we are saved by grace through faith. How then, as a people, brought together from a variety of backgrounds, having in our individual selves great diversity, accomplishing this work of unity of the building up of the body and the building of the kingdom of Christ. Two things. First, think soberly. We see that in verses three through five. And act faithfully. verses six, seven, and eight. And those will be my headings this morning. The first, think soberly, verses three through five, and act faithfully. Simple enough. Let's look at the first point. Think soberly. Verse three, follow along with me. 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. Now, sobriety is a topic that we find throughout the scriptures, and it is always in contrast to a life that is out of control or influenced and informed by those things that would inhibit sobriety. Sobriety can be, as it relates to alcohol, being one who over consumes this liquid that affects our brains in such a way that we do the things we didn't want to do if we were sober. The Bible refers to this as being a drunkard. We have seen much of that, not only in our own day, but in the history of mankind. It didn't take too long for men to figure out that if you leave grains out for a long time and you malt them, and then you begin to ferment them, then you drink the liquid, you can feel pretty good. It's a great way to end a hard day of work. One may be enough, 15 is too many. Of course, 15 is too many. The problem is, when we speak of it being too many, is we understand that it impairs judgment. Whether we're driving a vehicle or engaging with our neighbors, it tends to lead to bad consequences. But being a drunkard is not the only violation of the principle of sobriety. In fact, the scripture says, do not be filled with wine, but be filled by the Holy Spirit. One is a direct prohibition, the other is a general exhortation, be filled by the Holy Spirit. What does the Holy Spirit fill us with? Specifically, the counsel of God, the word of God, the revelation of God. It's not just some sort of feeling of affection and warmth, for in some ways that's more akin to being drunk, but rather the standard the matchless, the perfect and peerless Word of God. Here Paul says, don't get high or drunk on one's own self. Don't think too highly of yourself. Now this exhortation is to everyone because the great inclination of all of our hearts as individuals is to think far too highly of ourselves than we ought. Right? Now, the inverse of this is to think too low of ourselves in a self-deprecating way, which is just kind of the other side of the coin of pride. It's pity. My dad and I used to joke about being the wisest man in my own eyes, the fastest, the strongest, never the tallest. It's hard to get away from. but thinking too highly of oneself. We call this pride. We call it narcissism. We know those people, but therein lies the problem. You are that person. And the fact that you can list a number of people in your life and say, well, they sure are guilty of that is evidence of perhaps the own corruption that is seeped into your own heart. Now, what levels the playing field then? Well, we have heard it said that the ground at the foot of the cross is level, which means that all of us, when we come to Christ and we seek salvation from the gift of his death, all come in the same position as humble beggars, unworthy of the very gift that he deigns give us as an extraordinary act of his grace. Not a single one of us deserve it. And so there is no line where people have the fast pass based upon some qualification because they're just better. No, the ground is level at the foot of the cross. And so as Paul says, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, that by this grace, do not think more highly of yourself than you ought, but to think soberly, to think rightly, to think in accordance with the spirit and with scripture as a measure of faith. This is something that we apprehend by faith when we open the scriptures and we say, maybe I am not God's gift to mankind. Maybe I'm not all that in a bag of chips. Now there may be people in your life that would say that. that may pay you compliments, and even then we need to be careful how we compliment, how we heap praise, how we receive it and acknowledge it. There's nothing wrong with thanksgiving, acknowledging the gifts and talents that God has given to men, acknowledging the hard work of individuals, but oftentimes that stuff can go to your head, especially when your life is one that is often lived in public. Your pastor from time to time needs encouragement. Your pastor also needs from time to time to be taken down a couple notches. There is something about a public life that can lead to an overemphasis of desiring feedback, not for the sake of being refined or sanctified, but complimented. In fact, oftentimes, this is the great danger of all public living, public ministry, even Paul himself, I would imagine at times, wrestled with this. I'm losing energy and desire. I don't see the point. Because what you're going off of is not the satisfaction of obedience and faithfulness to God, but what do people think of me? It's a dangerous thing indeed. This is not thinking soberly. In fact, even within the covenant of marriage, there are times of dramatic loneliness where you are laboring in such a way, not merely for the well done of your spouse, because oftentimes the things that we do, even in our marital relationships, especially when we have very active homes and there are things that are happening and there's a lot of chores to accomplish and we have done our duty and we're sort of like, Hey, see, I did this. And they just walk by. Who are you doing it for? Now, what I would say to the one who does not acknowledge is, acknowledge it. But simply because you are not acknowledged does not mean that you should simply quit or to let resentment creep into your heart. Even in our duties, in light of God's call to be faithful servants, he says, do not do it expecting thanks for you have only done the work of a servant. because oftentimes we do it not for the sake that it is good and good for the body, but this, or this. No, I don't really want it. No, okay, maybe I do. We do it for the adulation of men. We do it to be noticed. We do it for the trophy. We do it not soberly. as recipients of grace, as those who understand that we were once slave to sins, but now we have been set free. But as those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, and now, verse four, call to this body where we have obligations given to us by God. Consider then service, part of the privilege and blessing of our redemption. Because it is when God not only redeems us from the pit, but then brings us into this fellowship of believers, this communion of the redeemed, that we actually find our true purpose in communion with one another and in service of one another. Here is the challenge. If there is anything that we learn when we are brought together into one body, is that our opinions, our wisdom, our gifts, our talents, are not the only thing. We are not in charge. And this being brought together in a body is not for the purpose of then padding and spoiling your pride, rather, to get lost, as it were, in the work that we do together. And so we are to consider, to consider, verse four, as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we being many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. Now, here is where the scripture may appear to some sort of liberal Christians as expressing a collectivist kind of society, a sort of redeemed socialism. We are individually members of one body. And so our membership in the body, though essential, is members as individuals given grace by God to perform a function that is unique. And so Paul, here and elsewhere, talks about the gifts and callings that God gives. But those gifts and callings, though unique and are meant for our own satisfaction when they are done in faithfulness to God, are most wisely, are most beautifully engaged in when they are used for the sake of our neighbor, not just ourselves. In fact, the gifts that Paul mentions are all gifts that have an arrow pointing, as it were, from us to the body. We are laboring to serve. We are laboring for the good of the kingdom, and we are to do so with this mindset. Philippians chapter 2, where Paul writes in verse 5, let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus. who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of man. Paul wants this mind to be in us, that was in Christ, that we make ourselves of no reputation, that of all the men that have ever lived, Christ deserved not sacrifice of himself, but the honor of being the King of heaven and earth. And yet he became a servant. Now in becoming a servant, Christ did not give up the title as it were, or the authority or the power, but he expressed that power and wisdom and righteousness in his death and resurrection. And so if you think for a moment that in service or in the usefulness of your gifts, in pouring those out to the body that you lose something, you're thinking about it incorrectly. Because what can you give to others or to God that God will not reward sevenfold? But it causes or it demands in us what kind of heart? Well, the same as Christ. Jesus, well Christ, He didn't become Jesus until He became a human, the Son of God who dwelt eternally as God in the fellowship of the three persons of the Godhead, came from heaven and He took upon Himself flesh and blood, and in His humiliation under the law and suffering the penalty of our sins, saw what was coming and with joy went to the cross because he knew that upon the occasion of his sacrifice and obedience to the father and his resurrection and ascension, he would then be granted the honor of his sacrifice. There are great titles coming. There is great reward coming, but it comes to those who think like Christ. Christ before the cross, not after the cross. You see, this was the great lie of Satan in the wilderness when he tempted Jesus. It was the same lie that he told to Adam and to his wife. It was, I can deliver to you without obedience to God and the suffering and patience that entails it, all of the gifts that God has promised. I can give it to you right now. And boy, do we fall for that, don't we? The problem is this, Satan can give you things. And we have actually seen Satan do that in the history of the world. Satan can provide you with all manner of great blessings, or you can, if you choose to bypass the path of righteousness, engage in worldly riches and the satisfaction of your pleasures. The problem with it is what? When you die, the game is over. and you still have an eternity in store. Will we live in light of eternity? That is what it means to think soberly. Will we live in light of God's grace and the rewards that come in faithfulness to Him? That is how we are to think. To think soberly about what? How we are to act faithfully. Let's look at verse six. Here, Paul talks about the gifts themselves. Apparently, I'm losing my voice. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let's use them. So we know from this first sentence, or verse six, that there are gifts that differ in the church. We do not all have the same gifts. We don't all have the same callings. And this is good. It's good because it's God's design. And it is God's design, and it is good, not only because it's His design, but because it results in good things. Now, we are finite. But in our finitude, with the gift and time that we possess, God has given to us the ability to play integral roles in the building of His kingdom. Some of us are more finite than others as it relates to the impact of the gifts that we have or the amount of those gifts. But God nonetheless takes all of our efforts done in faithfulness to him with sober thinking and humble thinking. And what we are doing as a people together is we are laying stone by stone the cathedral of Christ's kingdom together. And some people in their lives lay a couple of stones to the glory and honor of God. Some lay many, many stones depending upon the gifts and graces that God gives. And what Paul is saying is that we need to be careful that in this building of the cathedral of Christendom, that we don't step back and say, his pile's bigger than my pile. I'm not gonna work until I have the same number of stones as he has. Remember the parable of the unfaithful steward? Five, two, and one. And the one who had five doubled it and presented it to God. The one who had two did the same. But the one who had one buried it in the ground because he was mad at the master for only being given one. He held on to it. Use whatever gifts God has given you in service of building the kingdom. And know this, the person that you're sitting next to in church most likely does not have the same gifts and callings. And you will never work if you are too busy looking at the person next to you saying, I wish I had that gift. Or I don't like that he got that gift and I didn't get that gift. Or my gifts are better than his gifts. Of what use are you? We ought to think about the gifts and the giving of those gifts properly. First, by admitting God is the one who distributes the gifts. And when we do not give thanks for the gifts that God has given, we blaspheme against God. because we blaspheme against his wisdom. And we say, God, I know better. If you had just made me something else, it's your fault. And either we are prone to inaction or dishonorable action. We are not the same. And we are also not alone. And so we must learn to work together. what ways? Well, by the things that he mentions here. Now here, Paul mentions seven distinct gifts. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul mentions nine. Also in 1 Corinthians 12, he lists them in order, as it were, of sort of respect or hierarchy. In Ephesians 4, There are four or five gifts mentioned, depending on how you number them, whether pastor and teacher are the same. Some of the gifts mentioned in this list are not mentioned, or in those lists, are not mentioned here in Romans chapter 12. Prophecy is mentioned here first, because in 1 Corinthians 12, when you see a list of gifts, apostleship is the first. Because there were no apostles in Rome, it was not necessary that Paul give them instructions about how apostles ought to labor. Paul is writing to the Roman church, and he is writing to those who are there in relationship to the gifts and callings that God has given. And so the first one that he mentions is prophecy. And so about halfway through verse six, we read this. First, let's use them. What is a gift for? It's meant to be used. It's meant to be used. It's not a trophy. It's not meant to be put on glass on the mantle. It is meant to be used. If prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith. Now, what was prophecy? Prophecy was, or a prophet was, an organ of divine revelation, or instrument of divine revelation. They were called by God and given to the church to proclaim or communicate the truth that comes from the Lord. In the New Testament, the prophets, I'm sorry, the apostles, in the Old Testament, the prophets. Not all prophecy required the telling of the future. We see this a lot, but it was not a necessary part or component of prophetic speech. By in proportion to our faith, Paul is referring to the regulative principle. The faith is the Word of God that has been handed down. And so when someone was prophesying, it was, did you promise to tell the whole truth, nothing but the truth? You do not go beyond the Word of God, and you do not say anything less than what God has given. It was always in accordance with Scripture. In this way, Did it or was it analogous with the things that God has already revealed? And so prophecy was never, the Lord is telling me right now, we're gonna take up another offering, a second offering this morning, and this offering is going to go to my mortgage. The Lord told me to tell you this. And there are people in the church who are duped by those kinds of things. That is unfaithful prophecy. It is putting oneself between the clear teaching of God's Word and what God wants men to do, by adding to the revelation of God's Word. But what is a prophet to do? To build up the body by proclaiming God's truth. Beneath that, or after that, is ministry. Verse seven, or ministry, let us use it in our ministering. Ministry here most likely refers to the work of the deacons in the church. It is a reference not only to the work of the deacons, but the office of the deacons. It is a work that is done guided and guarded by the word. Since it is for the sake of physical and material benefits, then it cannot be neglected. because God has made us both body and soul. And so what we are seeing as we look at these gifts is that these gifts are to be used righteously for the sake of the body. For those who are laboring diaconally, it is for the diaconal needs of the church. Here's the third one. He who teaches in teaching. He who teaches, teach. Now, what is teaching? Teaching is a speaking to the mind. It is an imparting of a right understanding of God's Word. It is the communication of the truth of God's Word so that the one who is doing the teaching is giving the saints, or whomever he is speaking to, a right understanding of the Word of God. This is what the Bible says. Historically, we refer to this as light. This is the light component of the proclamation of God's Word. But Paul continues to talk about exhortation. In Hebrews 10, the writer, beginning in verse 24, says, And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as you see the day approaching." What is exhorting? If teaching is, this is how you make lemonade, Exhortation is, this is how you stir the lemonade. These are the parts of Christian life. Exhortation is the proclamation to the heart of the man, to his or her will, to his or her conscience in saying, this is how God, in light of all of his tender mercies, is stirring you up to serve him with all that is in you. And so if teaching is light, exhortation is heat. The Puritans called it logic on fire. Preaching, therefore, or the ministry of the word of God among the saints must do two things. It must tell them where to go, and then it must drive them to that goal. Sometimes it's the stick, parents, and sometimes it's the carrot. Sometimes you can push, but oftentimes you are pulling, pulling, pulling. And the one who does that pulling through the clear preaching of the Word of God is the Spirit. But He uses means. And the means that He uses is the Word of God directed in such a way that you are told, in light of this truth, this is how you should feel about it. And so you would not expect a minister when he stands up and he is preaching about the dangers of eternal damnation to say, well, I'm here to tell you about hell. Hell's bad. All right, let's pray, amen. He's like, that's a good sermon. 10 seconds and we're out. Now he is called to not neglect that part of man that is given to him rightly by God, that is his affections. What stirs you, for instance, in love of your spouse? You've heard it said, sweetheart, I told you I loved you on the day of our wedding, and if anything ever changes, I'll let you know. She's like, oh, sweetheart, I love it when you speak poetry to me. So Snow, you buy her gifts, you shower her with compliments, rightly, truthful compliments, spoken. You give, acknowledgement of the hard work that she does. There are acts of physical touch. All of these things are pouring into the body motivation. It's the elasticity. It's the thing that fuels the pump, as it were, of Christian discipleship. There must be exhortation. It's the part that gets pastors sweating, if I could put it that way. And then there's giving. What does he say? He who gives with liberality. Now he's not talking about here the work of the diaconate. He's already done that, and it is to be done faithfully. This is about blessing each other with simple generosity, person to person. Hospitality might fit under this. and it's simple. Liberality can also be translated simple. It doesn't expect anything in return. It's just the giving of the gifts that God has given you. In Luke chapter 14, the Lord is speaking, he says, to him that bade him, when thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen nor thy rich neighbors, lest they also bid thee come again and a recompense or return be made. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and thou shalt be blessed, for they cannot recompense thee, for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. What is Jesus saying? Don't do hospitality for the reason of getting back the things you give. Do hospitality, give generously to those who cannot give you anything in return. But guess what? You will get something in return. You will get it on the day of resurrection, on the day of Christ's return. Give liberally. Do you know what that actually does to your heart? It is exhausting, but it is exhilarating. Rule. There are those who are also called to exercise oversight in the church. These are the elders, the shepherds. This call, he says here, he who leads or rules is a more appropriate translation, do it with diligence. Why diligence? Let's say you've decided to get some chickens or some goats or some livestock, sheep, and you just leave them out there with nothing to tend to them. What do you do? Well, you either put up a kind of fence that will keep animals out, but even those fail at times. No, you get an animal that's badder than the animals outside the fence, and you put it in the fence, and that animal keeps those animals either at bay or will kill the animals that come in. Such are the shepherds. The shepherds are watching over the flock for two reasons, to take care of the sheep and the kinds of things that sheep tend to get into, and to take care of the wolves. And this requires diligence, not only a careful watch over the flock, but also of those who might come in and steal away the sheep. To be an overseer, a bishop, as that word is translated, an elder, requires diligence. For the blessing of the body, the church needs those who will watch over the souls of the flock. And then mercy. Mercy goes beyond giving resources. Maybe it's the giving of yourself. More than the giving of one's capital, it is the giving even of your time and attention. It is the giving of yourself emotionally for the building up in the service of your neighbors. And so what does he say? With cheerfulness, not out of compulsion, not out of obligation, not grudgingly, but with compassion and sympathy. The perfect picture of this is the nursing mother, the parent who goes into their child's room at night Because for the third time that week, you have to change the sheets because they thrown up all over the place. What are you doing? How dare you ruin? I mean, what kind of heart would that be? What kind of instructions are you giving to a child when you make it seem as though their weakness is an imposition? And so what does Paul say? Be happy about it. Be happy about it. See, all of these exhortations that are connected to gifts all deal with inherent problems in the exercise of those gifts or not exercising of those gifts. There are intended dangers with the gifts that God has given. And so in closing, we need to recognize from whom our gifts come from And we need to know where our gifts are leading us. Our gifts come from God and our gifts are for God and for the body. And that one day we will all go to heaven and we will be there before the throne and God will say, what have you done with the gifts that I have given you? My prayer is that for you, there will be many who are able to speak up and say, this, they did this for me. And what that mutual testimony of ecclesiastical affection will look like is that we will all go there and we all see each other and we'll say, we didn't do it alone, we did it together. This is what we are to do with the gospel that God has given us.