God and the Church
Series: MADE NEW
Speaker: James Barnett
Date: 7th August 2022
Passage: Romans 12:1-8
00:00:00 --> 00:00:06 Good morning, everyone. My name is James. It's nice to be with you this morning. Let me pray for us.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:14 Heavenly Father, I thank you for your word to us. Thank you for that part of Romans 12, which Flora has just read.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:18 Be with us this morning as we look at your word for us today. Amen.
00:00:20 --> 00:00:27 There is a man here whose insecurity causes him to question his place before God.
00:00:27 --> 00:00:31 And so he acts to please people and to please God.
00:00:32 --> 00:00:39 There's a sister here who questions her value and feels the need to talk herself up in front of other people and before God.
00:00:40 --> 00:00:47 There's a mom here who sees her sin and thinks that she is the very worst mom.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 And she's constantly comparing herself to others.
00:00:49 --> 00:00:58 And there's a brother here who feels that God is so awesome and is so good that God is demanding more and more of him.
00:00:59 --> 00:01:04 And he feels like he should be doing more as a Christian, but ends up feeling guilty.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:09 We have a distorted view of God.
00:01:09 --> 00:01:14 And it distorts our view of ourselves and our relationship with other people.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:25 One of my temptations, one of the things that I do personally is that it can lead me to, my view of myself can lead me to question my value.
00:01:25 --> 00:01:28 It can lead me to think, does God really want me?
00:01:29 --> 00:01:30 Do people actually want to hang out with me?
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 Do my friends really want to hang out to me?
00:01:33 --> 00:01:34 Or am I just a burden on them?
00:01:37 --> 00:01:38 We are in the book of Romans.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:43 We're in a series called Made New and we're up to chapter 12.
00:01:43 --> 00:01:48 We've seen over the last number of weeks how good God has been.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:54 That God shows his goodness and his love and mercy to a people who are undeserving.
00:01:55 --> 00:02:02 And now we see at the start of chapter 12, the first word that Flora read for us before was therefore.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:09 Therefore, what is the impact of all that God has done through us in Jesus?
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 How does it change our lives?
00:02:12 --> 00:02:15 Paul is going to start with our relationships with God.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 And then our view of ourselves and then others.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:23 Because we have a distorted view of our God.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:27 And it impacts all of our relationships.
00:02:27 --> 00:02:35 And the challenge will be today to see how when we have a clear view of our relationship with God,
00:02:35 --> 00:02:38 it helps us to see ourselves right.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 And it shapes every relationship we have.
00:02:42 --> 00:02:47 There are three points this morning that you'll be able to find in the St. Paul's app.
00:02:47 --> 00:02:50 And if you don't have that app, you can scan the QR code in front of you.
00:02:51 --> 00:02:56 The three points, new life, a new view of ourselves and new service.
00:02:56 --> 00:03:00 But I'm going to spend the majority of our time together on that first point.
00:03:00 --> 00:03:05 Those first two verses, I was tempted to just preach on just those two verses.
00:03:05 --> 00:03:08 Because I think it has so much there for us.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 I'm going to spend the majority of our time in those first two verses
00:03:10 --> 00:03:14 before I quickly move through the second and third point.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:20 So have Romans 12 open with you this morning on a phone or in your Bible.
00:03:20 --> 00:03:21 Be taking notes.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:22 That is good for us.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:26 This passage starts with that word that I mentioned, therefore.
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 And you always need to question what the therefore is.
00:03:31 --> 00:03:31 Therefore.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:39 Paul has told us about the good news which comes to a people who don't deserve it.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:44 How we can totally trust in God, the one who makes salvation possible.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 And now he says, therefore.
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 Because of God's great love for you, therefore.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 Because of salvation by faith, therefore.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:58 Because of justification by grace alone, therefore.
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 Live differently.
00:04:01 --> 00:04:08 The next two verses, verse 1 and 2, are a summary of the entire Christian life
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 following all that God has done in these last 11 chapters.
00:04:11 --> 00:04:12 So, verse 1.
00:04:15 --> 00:04:21 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy,
00:04:21 --> 00:04:27 to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:31 This is your true and proper worship.
00:04:31 --> 00:04:35 Therefore, because of all that Paul has said about what God has done,
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 live a radical life as a Christian.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 And the motivation is God's mercy.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:49 It's the only sufficient motivation for a life of gratitude.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:55 Back in Romans 8, Paul argued that a Christian cannot lose their salvation.
00:04:55 --> 00:05:02 And so mercy and grace is our only motivation to have a radically different life.
00:05:03 --> 00:05:06 If a Christian could lose their salvation,
00:05:06 --> 00:05:09 then our motivation would be fear or guilt.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:11 I'm not living right.
00:05:12 --> 00:05:13 I'm not living as God wants me to.
00:05:13 --> 00:05:16 I need to work harder so I can make sure I'm saved.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:21 And then, how does that work out in other relationships?
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 I feel guilty before God that I'm not working hard enough.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 And then I see the people around me.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:30 Well, they're still sinning.
00:05:30 --> 00:05:33 You know, I need to tell my kids.
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 I need to tell people around you, you need to be doing better.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:37 You need to be reading your Bible more.
00:05:38 --> 00:05:40 Aren't you worried about this sin that you're still holding on to?
00:05:40 --> 00:05:45 This is where religious guilt comes in.
00:05:46 --> 00:05:49 This inner view that I'm not accepted and loved by God
00:05:49 --> 00:05:52 and I always need to do more and more.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 It leads to anxiety.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:56 It leads to fear.
00:05:57 --> 00:06:00 And the person who relates to God out of fear
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 believes that they will get what they deserve in a season.
00:06:03 --> 00:06:10 Have you ever had that thought, you know, that kind of calmer thought?
00:06:10 --> 00:06:11 Ah, do you know what?
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 I haven't really gone to church recently.
00:06:14 --> 00:06:15 And, you know, I've gotten sick.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:16 I've gotten COVID.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:20 Maybe this is God punishing me because I haven't been obeying Him.
00:06:22 --> 00:06:27 Fear leads us to think that we get what we deserve in a season.
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 It leads to anxiety before God and other people.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:32 But this is not the gospel.
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 God has already given us mercy.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:39 He already chooses to love us.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:45 And so Paul encourages us that we are motivated by mercy,
00:06:45 --> 00:06:48 not by fear, not by guilt, not by needing to do anything.
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 That's been the point of the last 11 chapters.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:52 We're motivated not by that.
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 We're motivated by God's mercy.
00:06:55 --> 00:06:56 Live differently.
00:06:56 --> 00:06:59 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters,
00:07:00 --> 00:07:01 in view of God's mercy,
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 in view of God's wonderful mercy,
00:07:03 --> 00:07:07 offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,
00:07:08 --> 00:07:09 holy and pleasing to God.
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 This is your true and proper worship.
00:07:13 --> 00:07:16 Offer your body as a living sacrifice.
00:07:16 --> 00:07:23 The first call for us in view of God's mercy is to live as a living sacrifice.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:28 Paul is using Old Testament language here of sacrifice.
00:07:28 --> 00:07:32 It's the image of a worshiper coming in and bringing an offering.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 It's not an offering that would deal with sin.
00:07:35 --> 00:07:36 We already have that.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:37 That's Jesus.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 But this offering was a burnt offering.
00:07:41 --> 00:07:44 This was the best a person had.
00:07:44 --> 00:07:47 They would bring their very best animal,
00:07:47 --> 00:07:48 the one without blemish,
00:07:49 --> 00:07:50 the one without defect.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:54 It was the most expensive and best they had.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:55 It was not their leftovers.
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 And this offering was always completely burnt.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:03 And it represented a complete devotion to God.
00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 And so what Paul is saying for our lives is
00:08:06 --> 00:08:09 that we ought to be offering everything.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 We ought to be offering every aspect of our lives.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:14 We ought to be offering everything.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:14 We ought to be offering everything.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 We ought to be offering everything.
00:08:16 --> 00:08:17 We ought to be offering everything.
00:08:17 --> 00:08:18 We ought to be offering everything.
00:08:18 --> 00:08:19 We ought to be offering everything.
00:08:21 --> 00:08:22 And he specifically mentions bodies.
00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 Now for us that might seem fairly normal,
00:08:26 --> 00:08:29 but this is into a Greco-Roman context.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:33 And they believed that what happened in the body
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 did not actually matter.
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 The religious and philosophical Romans and Greeks,
00:08:38 --> 00:08:42 what they pursued was purity of the mind.
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 And so they thought that,
00:08:44 --> 00:08:44 you know what,
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 what happens with the body doesn't matter.
00:08:46 --> 00:08:49 If I choose to pursue anything I like with my body,
00:08:50 --> 00:08:51 sexual depravity,
00:08:51 --> 00:08:54 it doesn't matter as long as I'm pursuing purity of the mind.
00:08:55 --> 00:08:58 But Paul is being inclusive of everything.
00:09:00 --> 00:09:04 We are to offer everything to God as living sacrifices.
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 We don't just divide parts of our lives out.
00:09:08 --> 00:09:11 We're not to think like the ancient Romans and Greeks
00:09:11 --> 00:09:12 and separate what happens.
00:09:13 --> 00:09:15 I'll offer some of my life,
00:09:15 --> 00:09:15 my money,
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 my Sunday mornings to God,
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 but I'm going to pursue the job that I want.
00:09:19 --> 00:09:22 I'm going to pursue the sexual experiences that I want.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:24 I'll parent as I fit.
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 Paul calls us,
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 in view of God's mercies,
00:09:31 --> 00:09:33 to offer our bodies,
00:09:34 --> 00:09:34 our minds,
00:09:35 --> 00:09:36 our thoughts,
00:09:36 --> 00:09:37 our hopes,
00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 and our dreams to God.
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 God wants everything.
00:09:44 --> 00:09:47 Now it sounds a bit greedy for God to want everything.
00:09:48 --> 00:09:55 But when we remember how deep God's mercies are for us,
00:09:57 --> 00:09:58 that his mercy in Jesus,
00:09:59 --> 00:10:02 we only have anything because of God's mercy to us.
00:10:02 --> 00:10:06 And so the most obvious response to God's mercy
00:10:06 --> 00:10:09 is to offer everything as a living sacrifice.
00:10:10 --> 00:10:11 And it's living.
00:10:12 --> 00:10:13 It's not just a once-off,
00:10:13 --> 00:10:14 I have done that.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:15 It is a living thing.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 We continue to offer it.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:18 It's a daily giving.
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 As we continue to read God's word,
00:10:21 --> 00:10:23 we are reminded of his mercy.
00:10:24 --> 00:10:27 And we continue to bring our whole lives before him.
00:10:27 --> 00:10:31 On Wednesday afternoon this week,
00:10:32 --> 00:10:33 of the week just past,
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 I had to take my youngest to soccer.
00:10:37 --> 00:10:38 I know,
00:10:38 --> 00:10:41 and it's this 45-minute thing
00:10:41 --> 00:10:42 that happens on a Wednesday afternoon.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:44 And Wednesdays,
00:10:44 --> 00:10:45 as we all know,
00:10:45 --> 00:10:46 is the worst day of the week.
00:10:46 --> 00:10:47 It's hump day.
00:10:47 --> 00:10:51 And I feel tired by five o'clock on a Wednesday.
00:10:52 --> 00:10:53 And I had to take him.
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 And I have this 45-minute window
00:10:55 --> 00:10:55 where I thought,
00:10:55 --> 00:10:56 do you know what?
00:10:56 --> 00:10:58 Do you know what would be really good to do right now?
00:10:59 --> 00:11:00 It would be really good to just drop Micah
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 and then go and sit in the car and have a nap.
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 That would be so delightful.
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 Or maybe even read a book
00:11:06 --> 00:11:07 or just do anything I like.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:08 That would be really good.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 And do you know what?
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 If I chose to do that,
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 if I needed to rest,
00:11:12 --> 00:11:13 that would be a good thing as well.
00:11:14 --> 00:11:15 Rest is a good thing that God gives us.
00:11:17 --> 00:11:18 But on Wednesday morning,
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 I'd also been reading my Bible
00:11:20 --> 00:11:24 and I'd been praying for a dad from soccer.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:28 I've had a couple of little conversations with him
00:11:28 --> 00:11:28 about religion.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:32 And I'd be praying that I'd have an opportunity
00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 to talk to him on Wednesday afternoon about Jesus.
00:11:35 --> 00:11:38 And there's this really dangerous thing
00:11:38 --> 00:11:39 that happens when you pray.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:41 God answers our prayers.
00:11:43 --> 00:11:44 So sometimes it's just easier.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:45 Maybe I shouldn't pray that
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 because God might actually put that situation before me.
00:11:48 --> 00:11:48 So Wednesday afternoon,
00:11:48 --> 00:11:49 I'm thinking,
00:11:49 --> 00:11:51 it would really be good
00:11:51 --> 00:11:52 to do whatever I like right now,
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 to have that little piece of rest.
00:11:56 --> 00:11:57 But I made the decision,
00:11:58 --> 00:11:58 actually, do you know what?
00:11:58 --> 00:11:59 I should go.
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 I should see if I can stand there
00:12:01 --> 00:12:04 and encourage my son while he plays soccer
00:12:04 --> 00:12:06 and maybe even see if I can have
00:12:06 --> 00:12:08 a little conversation with this other dad.
00:12:09 --> 00:12:12 And I ended up having a 45-minute conversation
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 about life, religion, Jesus,
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 his religion, his background, his thoughts,
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 and we're catching up this Wednesday for lunch.
00:12:20 --> 00:12:23 Now, you might expect me to do that
00:12:23 --> 00:12:24 as the missions pastor.
00:12:25 --> 00:12:28 I really didn't want to do that.
00:12:28 --> 00:12:32 And it was also a very easy and simple thing.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:37 Now, this is just a very small example
00:12:37 --> 00:12:40 of what it means to be a living sacrifice.
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 There is the living sacrifice
00:12:42 --> 00:12:45 of offering our lives
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 and choosing to put our pride
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 and our lust
00:12:48 --> 00:12:50 and our greed away
00:12:50 --> 00:12:53 and offering ourselves to God.
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54 But there is also
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 those small things.
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 Because we can make our lives
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 look pretty Christian,
00:12:59 --> 00:13:02 but also continue to be self-centered.
00:13:04 --> 00:13:06 Will I sacrifice my hopes
00:13:06 --> 00:13:07 and my dreams
00:13:07 --> 00:13:09 and my rest
00:13:09 --> 00:13:12 and that little 45 minutes I had?
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 There is that inner battle.
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 Because rest in that moment
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 would have been good,
00:13:18 --> 00:13:20 but God actually said
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 there is something better here.
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 Here, Paul says,
00:13:26 --> 00:13:28 this living sacrifice,
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 this life that we have,
00:13:30 --> 00:13:30 we can live it
00:13:30 --> 00:13:33 and it's pleasing to God.
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 Pleasing to God.
00:13:35 --> 00:13:36 I think this is amazing.
00:13:37 --> 00:13:39 God is already pleased with us.
00:13:39 --> 00:13:41 He said to Jesus at his baptism,
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 this is my son
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 in whom I am well pleased.
00:13:45 --> 00:13:45 And God
00:13:45 --> 00:13:48 makes us his children
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 and he is pleased with us.
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 It's a delight
00:13:53 --> 00:13:55 to be pleased with my kids
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 and to enjoy them
00:13:56 --> 00:13:56 and see that
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 they are enjoying me
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 being pleased with them.
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 But can you imagine
00:14:00 --> 00:14:00 that we can actually
00:14:00 --> 00:14:01 enjoy this
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 with the God of the universe?
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 The God of the universe
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 is actually already
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08 pleased with us.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 Not because of us,
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 but because of him.
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 Speaking of soccer,
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 as I go to soccer
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 on a Saturday morning,
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 there are some parents
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 who look pleased
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 with their kids.
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 And there are some parents
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 who are only pleased
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 with their kids
00:14:25 --> 00:14:28 when they're scoring goals,
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 when they're, you know,
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 kicking the ball
00:14:30 --> 00:14:30 in the right direction
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 and not going
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 in the wrong direction.
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 You know, this is under sixes,
00:14:34 --> 00:14:36 so any small win is a win.
00:14:36 --> 00:14:38 I work hard
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 to be the parent
00:14:39 --> 00:14:41 shouting encouragement.
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 There are some parents
00:14:43 --> 00:14:45 who are shouting
00:14:45 --> 00:14:47 abusive encouragement
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 on the sidelines.
00:14:48 --> 00:14:50 God is the parent
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 who is pleased
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 with their children
00:14:52 --> 00:14:52 whether they are
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 scoring a goal
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 or whether they are
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 chasing butterflies
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 in the wrong direction.
00:14:56 --> 00:14:59 God is already
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 pleased with us
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 and he invites us
00:15:01 --> 00:15:03 to be in a relationship
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 with him
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 where we continue
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 to follow him,
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 where we offer
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 our entire lives
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 as a living sacrifice
00:15:09 --> 00:15:11 because it is pleasing
00:15:11 --> 00:15:11 to him.
00:15:12 --> 00:15:14 What a wonderful delight
00:15:14 --> 00:15:14 that is.
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 The second aspect
00:15:17 --> 00:15:17 of this radical
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 Christian life
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 is that
00:15:19 --> 00:15:21 as we go through
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 life as a living sacrifice,
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 it is to be transformed
00:15:24 --> 00:15:26 but not conformed.
00:15:26 --> 00:15:26 Verse 2.
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 Do not conform
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 to the pattern
00:15:31 --> 00:15:32 of this world
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 but be transformed
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 by the renewing
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 of your mind.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 Then you will be able
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 to test and approve
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 what God's will is,
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 his good,
00:15:41 --> 00:15:41 pleasing
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 and perfect will.
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 Paul holds up
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 two ways to live,
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 two patterns of life,
00:15:48 --> 00:15:48 the pattern
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 of the world
00:15:49 --> 00:15:51 and the pattern
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 of God's will
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 and they are always
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 set against each other.
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 Living a pleasing,
00:15:59 --> 00:16:00 sacrificial life
00:16:00 --> 00:16:00 to God
00:16:00 --> 00:16:02 means to see
00:16:02 --> 00:16:02 the patterns
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 of thinking
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 of the world
00:16:04 --> 00:16:07 and not conform
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 to them
00:16:08 --> 00:16:08 but to see
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 the patterns
00:16:09 --> 00:16:09 and thinking
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 of God
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 and be transformed
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 to live in that way.
00:16:13 --> 00:16:13 The world
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 says to us,
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 you deserve this,
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 treat yourself.
00:16:19 --> 00:16:19 The world
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 says you are
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 the most important.
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 Everyone else
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 is wrong.
00:16:25 --> 00:16:25 Don't listen
00:16:25 --> 00:16:25 to them.
00:16:26 --> 00:16:26 The world
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 says you can
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 be whatever
00:16:28 --> 00:16:28 you want
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 and you can
00:16:29 --> 00:16:29 do whatever
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 you want.
00:16:31 --> 00:16:31 The world
00:16:31 --> 00:16:33 says that
00:16:33 --> 00:16:33 we should
00:16:33 --> 00:16:35 celebrate this
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 and if you
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 don't,
00:16:37 --> 00:16:37 well we will
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 reject you.
00:16:39 --> 00:16:39 You should
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 chase the dream,
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 put yourself
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 first and be
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 the best version
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 of whoever
00:16:44 --> 00:16:44 you want to be.
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 That is the
00:16:46 --> 00:16:46 pattern of the
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 world that we
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 live in at the
00:16:48 --> 00:16:48 moment.
00:16:49 --> 00:16:49 But the gospel
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 tells us
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 that we
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 don't deserve
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 anything good
00:16:53 --> 00:16:55 but God
00:16:55 --> 00:16:55 gives us
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 mercy and
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 grace.
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 We don't
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 deserve anything
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 good but we
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 are loved
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 and valued.
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 We can do
00:17:07 --> 00:17:07 whatever we
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 want because
00:17:08 --> 00:17:10 we are
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 forgiven
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 but we can
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 choose to
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 love and
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 obey Jesus
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 out of love
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 and thanks to
00:17:17 --> 00:17:17 God in his
00:17:17 --> 00:17:17 mercy.
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 being the
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 best version
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 of me is
00:17:21 --> 00:17:21 not actually
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 whatever is
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 in me,
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 it is Jesus.
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 That is the
00:17:25 --> 00:17:25 best version
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 of me so
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 that is the
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 version I
00:17:28 --> 00:17:28 pursue.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 That is an
00:17:31 --> 00:17:31 identity that
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 will stand the
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 test of time
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 that will not
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 be shaken by
00:17:35 --> 00:17:35 the changing
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 shifting pattern
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 of the world
00:17:37 --> 00:17:37 around me.
00:17:39 --> 00:17:39 When our
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 identity is
00:17:40 --> 00:17:42 first found
00:17:42 --> 00:17:42 and defined
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 by God,
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 it helps us
00:17:45 --> 00:17:45 to see everything
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 else clearly.
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 We can see
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 the patterns
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 of the world
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 and we can
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 test them.
00:17:52 --> 00:17:52 Is it actually
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 going to help
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 me to conform
00:17:54 --> 00:17:54 to this pattern
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 of the world
00:17:55 --> 00:17:57 or am I
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 going to be
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 transformed
00:17:59 --> 00:18:01 to live and
00:18:01 --> 00:18:01 follow God's
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 good and
00:18:02 --> 00:18:02 perfect will?
00:18:04 --> 00:18:04 And so,
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 we see God's
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 mercy to us.
00:18:08 --> 00:18:08 We dwell on
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 God's mercy.
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 It helps us
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 understand how
00:18:11 --> 00:18:13 good he is to
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 us, how he
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 is pleased
00:18:15 --> 00:18:15 with us in
00:18:15 --> 00:18:17 Jesus, how
00:18:17 --> 00:18:17 we choose to
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 live for him.
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 And then it
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 helps us to
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 see ourselves
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 for who we
00:18:23 --> 00:18:23 truly are.
00:18:24 --> 00:18:24 It's our
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 second point
00:18:25 --> 00:18:25 today.
00:18:27 --> 00:18:27 If I can get
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 the buttons
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 to work,
00:18:29 --> 00:18:29 Wendy, I
00:18:29 --> 00:18:29 might get you
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 to push the
00:18:30 --> 00:18:30 button.
00:18:30 --> 00:18:30 Thank you,
00:18:31 --> 00:18:31 sister.
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 Now we can
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 have a new
00:18:34 --> 00:18:34 view of
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 ourself.
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 Our primary
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 relationship is
00:18:38 --> 00:18:38 with God.
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 That is the
00:18:39 --> 00:18:39 most important
00:18:39 --> 00:18:41 one with us.
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 When we have
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 that primary
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 relationship,
00:18:44 --> 00:18:44 we can
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 understand who
00:18:45 --> 00:18:45 we are.
00:18:46 --> 00:18:46 And so,
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 verse 3,
00:18:48 --> 00:18:48 by the grace
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 given me,
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 I say to
00:18:50 --> 00:18:50 every one of
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 you, do not
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 think of
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 yourselves more
00:18:53 --> 00:18:53 highly than
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 you ought,
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 but rather
00:18:55 --> 00:18:55 think of
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 yourself with
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 sober judgment
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 in accordance
00:18:58 --> 00:18:58 with the
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 faith God
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 has distributed
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 to each of
00:19:01 --> 00:19:01 you.
00:19:02 --> 00:19:02 Do not
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 think of
00:19:03 --> 00:19:03 your health
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 more highly
00:19:04 --> 00:19:04 than you
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 ought, but
00:19:05 --> 00:19:05 think of
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 yourself with
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 sober judgment.
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 Paul has
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 shown us
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 that we
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 are to
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 live in
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 light of
00:19:13 --> 00:19:13 God's
00:19:13 --> 00:19:13 mercies.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:15 That's how
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 we live in
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 right relationship
00:19:17 --> 00:19:17 with him.
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 You only need
00:19:18 --> 00:19:18 to be reading
00:19:18 --> 00:19:18 the Old
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 Testament to
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 see how
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 constantly the
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 people would
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 remember,
00:19:23 --> 00:19:23 this is what
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 God has done
00:19:24 --> 00:19:24 for us.
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 This is the
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 God who has
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 saved us from
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 Egypt, living
00:19:28 --> 00:19:28 in light of
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 God's mercies,
00:19:30 --> 00:19:32 living sacrificially,
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 transformed by
00:19:33 --> 00:19:33 his mercy.
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 And now he
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 shows us how
00:19:36 --> 00:19:36 we are to
00:19:36 --> 00:19:36 relate to
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 ourselves.
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 And he
00:19:39 --> 00:19:39 uses the
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 language of
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 sober judgment.
00:19:41 --> 00:19:43 Think of
00:19:43 --> 00:19:43 a person
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 who is
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 not sober,
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 who is
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 under the
00:19:47 --> 00:19:47 influence of
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 alcohol or
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 drugs,
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 someone who
00:19:50 --> 00:19:50 is not
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 thinking
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 clearly.
00:19:53 --> 00:19:53 They will
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 often, in
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 my limited
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 experience,
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 act in one
00:19:57 --> 00:19:57 of two
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 ways.
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 They will
00:20:00 --> 00:20:02 either become
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 very boastful,
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 they will
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 think that they
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 can do
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 anything, I
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 can jump
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 over that
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 wall, I
00:20:08 --> 00:20:08 can fight
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 that crocodile,
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 I can drive
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 a car, I
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 can do
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 anything.
00:20:14 --> 00:20:14 None of
00:20:14 --> 00:20:14 these are
00:20:14 --> 00:20:16 good decisions,
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 but also
00:20:17 --> 00:20:20 impacted by
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 alcohol or
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 drugs, the
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 opposite can
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 happen.
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 Alcohol is a
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 depressant, and
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 so people can be
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 depressed, unwilling
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 to do anything,
00:20:30 --> 00:20:30 or thinking
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 lowly of
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 themselves.
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 And so Paul
00:20:33 --> 00:20:33 is saying,
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 don't react in
00:20:35 --> 00:20:35 either of those
00:20:35 --> 00:20:37 ways, think
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 clearly of
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 yourself.
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 Think of
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 yourself with
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 sober judgment,
00:20:42 --> 00:20:42 in accordance
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 with the
00:20:43 --> 00:20:43 faith given
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 you by
00:20:44 --> 00:20:44 God.
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 We only
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 need to go
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 back to
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 Romans 3,
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 which has a
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 wonderful contrast
00:20:49 --> 00:20:49 that demonstrates
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 this.
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 We have
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 all sinned and
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 fallen short of
00:20:54 --> 00:20:54 God's glory.
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 Think of
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 yourselves as
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 incredibly low.
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 We all
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 deserve his
00:21:00 --> 00:21:00 punishment.
00:21:01 --> 00:21:01 It would be
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 right to think
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 of ourselves as
00:21:03 --> 00:21:03 the lowest of
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 the lows.
00:21:05 --> 00:21:05 And yet the
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 very next
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 verse, we
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 are all
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 justified
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 freely by
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 his grace
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 through the
00:21:11 --> 00:21:11 redemption that
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 came in
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12 Christ Jesus.
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 How can we
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 think lowly of
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 ourselves when
00:21:15 --> 00:21:15 God has said
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 that his son
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 has died for
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 us and that
00:21:18 --> 00:21:18 he values us
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 so highly?
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 It is this
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 wonderful
00:21:22 --> 00:21:24 contradiction of
00:21:24 --> 00:21:24 holding these
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 two together.
00:21:26 --> 00:21:26 We have
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 sinned and
00:21:27 --> 00:21:27 fallen far
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 short of the
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 glory of
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 God, and
00:21:29 --> 00:21:29 yet in
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 Jesus he
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 redeems us
00:21:31 --> 00:21:31 and values
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 us.
00:21:34 --> 00:21:34 And so we
00:21:34 --> 00:21:34 need to hold
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 these two
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 together because
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 Paul has
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 warned us
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 of the
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 danger of
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 conforming
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 ourselves to
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 the pattern
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 of the
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 world.
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 Our culture
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 gives warnings
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 to low
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 self-esteem.
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 But really
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 the biggest
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 issue of
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 the world
00:21:49 --> 00:21:51 is egocentrism
00:21:51 --> 00:21:53 and self-centeredness.
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 Having an
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 inflated ego,
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 thinking too
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 highly of
00:21:58 --> 00:21:58 ourselves.
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 But we are
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 called to have
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 sober judgment,
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 to think
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 clearly about
00:22:04 --> 00:22:04 who we
00:22:04 --> 00:22:06 are, in
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 accordance with
00:22:07 --> 00:22:07 the faith
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 given us.
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 Now, when I
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 first read this,
00:22:11 --> 00:22:11 I thought, in
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 accordance with
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 the faith, it
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 seems like it's
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 about the amount
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 of faith that
00:22:16 --> 00:22:16 God has given
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 to me.
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 And so if God
00:22:18 --> 00:22:18 has given me
00:22:18 --> 00:22:20 much faith, I
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 can think highly
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 of myself.
00:22:22 --> 00:22:22 I'm so
00:22:22 --> 00:22:24 faithful, I'm
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 really great
00:22:25 --> 00:22:25 because of how
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 much faith God
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 has given me.
00:22:28 --> 00:22:28 But if you've
00:22:28 --> 00:22:30 been with us over
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 the last three
00:22:30 --> 00:22:32 weeks, Paul has
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 been talking
00:22:33 --> 00:22:33 about the
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 Christians and
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 the Jews and
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 the Gentiles and
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 how salvation
00:22:37 --> 00:22:39 works for these
00:22:39 --> 00:22:39 groups coming
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 in.
00:22:41 --> 00:22:41 And so it's
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 not about how
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 much faith I
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 have.
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 Paul is calling
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 on the Jews not
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 to think too
00:22:48 --> 00:22:48 highly of
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 themselves.
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 They have come
00:22:50 --> 00:22:50 from a long
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 lineage of people
00:22:51 --> 00:22:53 following God.
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 Don't think that
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 you're better because
00:22:55 --> 00:22:55 you have this.
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 And Gentiles, just
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 because you've been
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 Christian for about
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 half an hour,
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 don't think of
00:23:00 --> 00:23:00 yourselves too
00:23:00 --> 00:23:02 lowly, God
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 has given the
00:23:03 --> 00:23:06 same faith to
00:23:06 --> 00:23:06 each of you.
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 God is the one
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 who gives faith,
00:23:10 --> 00:23:10 regardless of
00:23:10 --> 00:23:12 background, regardless
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 of abilities and
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 giftings.
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 God loves us
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 equally in Jesus.
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 And so the
00:23:18 --> 00:23:20 gospel prevents us
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 from thinking more
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 lowly of ourselves
00:23:22 --> 00:23:24 and more highly
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 of ourselves.
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 It's a call to
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 remember who we
00:23:28 --> 00:23:28 are in the gospel,
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 valued and loved
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 by God.
00:23:32 --> 00:23:34 And so when we
00:23:34 --> 00:23:34 are sitting in
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 God's mercy,
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 understanding of
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 who we are,
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 undeserved and
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 yet valued and
00:23:41 --> 00:23:44 loved, we
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 understand how we
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 relate to other
00:23:46 --> 00:23:46 people.
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 Because we are
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 not saved to be
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 an island.
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 Christians have
00:23:51 --> 00:23:53 an interdependent
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 relationship with
00:23:54 --> 00:23:54 others.
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 We have a new
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 service.
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 Verse 4 and 5.
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 For just as
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 each of us has
00:23:59 --> 00:24:01 one body with
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 many members,
00:24:02 --> 00:24:02 and these
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 members do not
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 all have the
00:24:04 --> 00:24:04 same function,
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 so in Christ
00:24:06 --> 00:24:08 we though many
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 form one body
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 and each member
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 belongs to all
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 the others.
00:24:13 --> 00:24:13 We have
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 different gifts,
00:24:14 --> 00:24:14 different
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 personalities,
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 different histories
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 and abilities
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 that equip us
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 to serve each
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 other differently.
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 God has
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 deliberately
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 created his
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 church to be
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 a beautiful
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 tapestry of
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 uniqueness and
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 difference.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 A place where
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 that difference
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 is needed and
00:24:32 --> 00:24:34 celebrated and
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 not just ironed
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 out so everybody
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 would look like
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 me because that
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 would be a
00:24:39 --> 00:24:39 terrible thing.
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 And then verse
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 6.
00:24:42 --> 00:24:42 We have
00:24:42 --> 00:24:44 different gifts
00:24:44 --> 00:24:46 according to the
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 grace God gives
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 us.
00:24:48 --> 00:24:50 God is the one
00:24:50 --> 00:24:50 who makes us
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 righteous by his
00:24:51 --> 00:24:53 grace and he
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 gives us gifts
00:24:53 --> 00:24:55 by that same
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 grace.
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 But these
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 aren't for our
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 benefit, these
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 are to be given
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 to others.
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 They are for
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 others.
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 We all have a
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 role to play in
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 the church.
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 We need others
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 and others
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 need us.
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 When we see
00:25:12 --> 00:25:12 ourselves with
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 sober judgment,
00:25:14 --> 00:25:14 when we see
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 ourselves rightly,
00:25:16 --> 00:25:18 we see that we
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 are not to be on
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 our own.
00:25:19 --> 00:25:21 We belong to God
00:25:21 --> 00:25:21 as his children,
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 but we also
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 belong to the
00:25:24 --> 00:25:24 church.
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 And Paul goes
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 on to list a
00:25:27 --> 00:25:27 number of gifts.
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 It's similar to
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 the list in 1
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 Corinthians 12 and
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 Ephesians 4.
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 I'm not going to
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 extensively look at
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 this list today,
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 but you can see
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 that as we go
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 through this,
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 these are gifts
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 for others.
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 These are other
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 person-centered.
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 And so if your
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 gift is prophesying,
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 then prophesy in
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 accordance with
00:25:46 --> 00:25:46 your faith.
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 If it's serving,
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 then serve.
00:25:48 --> 00:25:48 If it's teaching,
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 then teach.
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 If it's to
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 encourage,
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 then give
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 encouragement.
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 If it's giving,
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 then give generously.
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 If it's to lead,
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 do it diligently.
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 If it's to show
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 mercy, do it
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 cheerfully.
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 I recently did a
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 gifts assessment.
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 It's one of the
00:26:06 --> 00:26:08 things that we are
00:26:08 --> 00:26:08 working on as a
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 church.
00:26:09 --> 00:26:11 I have done these
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 gifts assessment in
00:26:12 --> 00:26:12 the past.
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 If you don't know
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 of them, what you
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 do is you go
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 through a bunch of
00:26:16 --> 00:26:18 questions just to
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 see and help you
00:26:19 --> 00:26:23 identify how God
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 has gifted you
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 because he has
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 gifted us all very
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 differently.
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 And two of the
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 main gifts that
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 stuck out to me
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 this time as I
00:26:31 --> 00:26:33 did it was hosting
00:26:33 --> 00:26:35 and evangelism.
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 And I think that's,
00:26:37 --> 00:26:37 it was really
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 helpful for me to
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 do that because it's
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 reminded me of one
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 of my great loves,
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 being part of the
00:26:43 --> 00:26:45 church, having people
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 at my house and
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 eating food together.
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 I'm not sure if
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 you've done that
00:26:49 --> 00:26:49 with me.
00:26:50 --> 00:26:50 I'm not going to
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 ask for a show of
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 hands.
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 If you haven't been
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 to my house and
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 eaten food, I'd love
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 you to come to my
00:26:55 --> 00:26:55 house and eat food.
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 Hosting is one of
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 my favorite things.
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 I saw these two
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 gifts, hosting and
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 evangelism, and I
00:27:02 --> 00:27:04 thought, yes, this
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 is something I love
00:27:05 --> 00:27:05 to do.
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 And I saw this as
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 also a wonderful
00:27:09 --> 00:27:11 combination in a way
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 that I haven't really
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 done it, done it in
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 an evangelistic way.
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 And so as I
00:27:15 --> 00:27:15 mentioned, I'm having
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 lunch with this guy
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 on Wednesday, I
00:27:17 --> 00:27:17 really want to have
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 him and his family
00:27:18 --> 00:27:21 over and eat food
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 with them and share
00:27:22 --> 00:27:25 not just bread, but
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 also the good news
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 of Jesus.
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 And so that's one
00:27:29 --> 00:27:29 thing that's
00:27:29 --> 00:27:31 encouraging me, this
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 other person
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 centeredness of these
00:27:33 --> 00:27:33 gifts.
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 Do you know what
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 your gifts are?
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 Do you know how
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 God has uniquely
00:27:40 --> 00:27:42 created you as part
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 of the church to
00:27:43 --> 00:27:45 love and serve other
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 people?
00:27:47 --> 00:27:49 Now, I know
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 because I've done
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 these in the past.
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 I know how God
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 has gifted me and
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 it's led me into
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 pastoral ministry.
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 But I still needed
00:27:58 --> 00:28:00 that reminder to
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 encourage me to lean
00:28:01 --> 00:28:03 into that, to be
00:28:03 --> 00:28:03 doing that more.
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 Come and talk with me
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 after church.
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 I've got a test that
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 I can get you to do
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 if you would like to
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 do that.
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 That would be
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 wonderful and helpful
00:28:14 --> 00:28:14 to be thinking
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 about this.
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 A reordered view
00:28:18 --> 00:28:20 of God, a reordered
00:28:20 --> 00:28:22 view of ourselves,
00:28:22 --> 00:28:24 helps us to have a
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 healthy Christian life
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 to serve others as
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 part of the church.
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 It presents a
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 wonderful picture of
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 the church's family,
00:28:32 --> 00:28:34 where we know our
00:28:34 --> 00:28:36 place, we know our
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 roles, and know the
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 one who is directing
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 things.
00:28:39 --> 00:28:42 And the key to all of
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 it is our relationship
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 with the head, with
00:28:44 --> 00:28:46 God, the one who is
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 directing all things.
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 Because when we don't
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 have that relationship
00:28:51 --> 00:28:53 first, it all falls
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 apart.
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 I did a funeral last
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 week.
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 I haven't done funerals
00:28:57 --> 00:28:59 for a while, but I was
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 involved in a funeral,
00:29:00 --> 00:29:02 and it reminded me of the
00:29:02 --> 00:29:04 impact that happens on a
00:29:04 --> 00:29:06 family when a patriarch or
00:29:06 --> 00:29:08 a matriarch dies.
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 I'm not sure if you've
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 seen this before, but
00:29:10 --> 00:29:12 there's often in families
00:29:12 --> 00:29:14 one key person that's
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 holding things together.
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 You know, you think
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 about Christmas time,
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 all of the different
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 families get together
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 because they have to
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 spend time with that
00:29:21 --> 00:29:23 one key person.
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 It's the grandmother
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 who's making sure that
00:29:25 --> 00:29:27 everybody brings the
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 food and everybody
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 gathers.
00:29:29 --> 00:29:31 But what can happen is
00:29:31 --> 00:29:33 that when that person
00:29:33 --> 00:29:35 passes, there can be
00:29:35 --> 00:29:37 bickering and infighting.
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 People don't know how
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 to relate to each other
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 anymore because there
00:29:40 --> 00:29:42 is that one person
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 holding everything
00:29:43 --> 00:29:43 together.
00:29:45 --> 00:29:47 And slowly the families
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 pull apart.
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 What used to hold them
00:29:50 --> 00:29:53 together now has gone
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 and so they're just
00:29:54 --> 00:29:54 divided.
00:29:55 --> 00:29:57 I wonder if we can view
00:29:57 --> 00:29:59 Christianity as just
00:29:59 --> 00:30:01 people who are similar
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 and so we just spend
00:30:02 --> 00:30:05 time together, but other
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 than a Sunday, you
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 know, we're not really
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 in each other's lives
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 and that's not
00:30:09 --> 00:30:09 important.
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 We can try and hold
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 our Christianity
00:30:12 --> 00:30:16 together without God
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 at the centre.
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 It's going to be useless
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 to try and do that as a
00:30:21 --> 00:30:21 Christian community
00:30:21 --> 00:30:23 without God at the
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 centre.
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 He is the key.
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 He is the one who
00:30:25 --> 00:30:27 defines our relationships.
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 And thankfully, he'll
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 never pass away because
00:30:30 --> 00:30:30 he's eternal.
00:30:30 --> 00:30:33 But he is the one who
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 is over all our
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 relationships.
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 He is the one who
00:30:35 --> 00:30:38 gives shape to who we
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 are and who we are as a
00:30:39 --> 00:30:39 church.
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 Knowing how good he has
00:30:42 --> 00:30:45 been through much sin
00:30:45 --> 00:30:47 and much rebellion
00:30:47 --> 00:30:49 shapes us and calls us
00:30:49 --> 00:30:51 to forgive one another.
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 Knowing his undeserved
00:30:53 --> 00:30:55 loves give shape to our
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 identity.
00:30:56 --> 00:30:56 mercy.
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 And so, brothers and
00:30:59 --> 00:31:01 sisters, tonight,
00:31:02 --> 00:31:04 tomorrow, sometime this
00:31:04 --> 00:31:06 week, let me call you to
00:31:06 --> 00:31:08 do what Paul did in verse
00:31:08 --> 00:31:11 one, to meditate on God's
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 mercies.
00:31:12 --> 00:31:14 When we meditate on God's
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 mercies, it gives shape to
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 our relationship with him.
00:31:16 --> 00:31:18 It gives shape to who we
00:31:18 --> 00:31:20 are as his people and how we
00:31:20 --> 00:31:20 serve everyone else.
00:31:21 --> 00:31:24 And so this week, sit in
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 his mercies.
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 Read a psalm.
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 Go through the last 11
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 chapters of Romans.
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 Just flick through them.
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 Find a heading.
00:31:32 --> 00:31:32 Read a part.
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 And just remind yourself of
00:31:34 --> 00:31:36 how good God has been to
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 you.
00:31:38 --> 00:31:40 Even remember your story.
00:31:41 --> 00:31:43 Sit in your story as a
00:31:43 --> 00:31:45 Christian and meditate on
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 his mercies and love to
00:31:46 --> 00:31:46 you.
00:31:47 --> 00:31:48 Let me pray for us.
00:31:48 --> 00:31:53 Heavenly Father, we thank
00:31:53 --> 00:31:56 you for your love and your
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 mercy in Jesus.
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 That while we were still
00:31:59 --> 00:32:02 far off, you sent Jesus to
00:32:02 --> 00:32:05 die, to come to life, to
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 give us life in you.
00:32:07 --> 00:32:08 Father, help us never be far
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 from you.
00:32:10 --> 00:32:12 Help us to draw close to you
00:32:12 --> 00:32:14 by remembering your mercy so
00:32:14 --> 00:32:16 that it would shape our
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 relationship with you.
00:32:17 --> 00:32:19 Shape who we are as your
00:32:19 --> 00:32:21 people and us as your
00:32:21 --> 00:32:21 church.
00:32:22 --> 00:32:24 We pray this in Jesus' name.
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 Amen.