Together in Christ
Series: in Christ
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 6th September 2026
Passage: Romans 12:1-21
00:00:00 --> 00:00:06 Just over a week ago now, I completed my 57th lap of the sun.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:11 ! I was born on the 29th of August 1969.
00:00:11 --> 00:00:22 And in the moment that I was born, I became a son and a brother at exactly the same time.
00:00:22 --> 00:00:28 That is the means becoming one was the exact same means becoming the other.
00:00:28 --> 00:00:35 My parents had another son just under two years before me.
00:00:36 --> 00:00:43 And so when I was born, my parents gained a second son and my older brother gained a brother.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:47 And so those first two years of his life were probably the best he's ever had.
00:00:49 --> 00:00:55 I couldn't have become a son without also becoming a brother.
00:00:55 --> 00:00:57 It was a package deal.
00:00:58 --> 00:01:03 Being born to my parents also meant having their oldest son as my brother.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:05 No ifs, no buts.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:18 And something very similar happens when a person is born again when someone is united to Christ Jesus.
00:01:18 --> 00:01:25 We don't get Christ without getting all those who are united to Christ.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:32 Joining him also means being joined to others who are joined to him.
00:01:33 --> 00:01:34 It's a package deal.
00:01:36 --> 00:01:39 And so that's what we're unpacking today.
00:01:39 --> 00:01:44 If you've got the St. Paul's app in front of you, you'll see I've got three points.
00:01:44 --> 00:01:52 We're turning to Romans 12 and the first thing we notice in Romans 12 is what life in Christ,
00:01:53 --> 00:01:56 what is it that God calls us to as his people?
00:01:57 --> 00:02:04 Romans 1 to 11 is a detailed description of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.
00:02:04 --> 00:02:11 And then Romans 12, which was just read out to us, opens with the word therefore.
00:02:12 --> 00:02:12 Therefore.
00:02:14 --> 00:02:24 In other words, Paul is now moving to unpack the implications of Romans 1 to 11.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:31 And the first two verses are the summary of the whole Christian life.
00:02:31 --> 00:02:34 The first two verses.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:40 This is what it means to be in Christ.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:45 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy,
00:02:45 --> 00:02:49 to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 This is your true and proper worship.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:57 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
00:02:57 --> 00:03:01 There are two central features of living life in Christ.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:08 And the first one is in verse one, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:13 So what Paul does here, this would have been a familiar image for those in the first century.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:15 I mean, this was written.
00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 He's picking up the idea of the Old Testament temple worship,
00:03:19 --> 00:03:23 where you would go and you would offer a whole burnt offering.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 That's the image here.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:31 And the whole burnt offering was an animal without defect.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:37 In other words, it was the best animal, the first animal in your flock.
00:03:38 --> 00:03:44 And so to be a living sacrifice is, to cut it all short, really, in summary,
00:03:44 --> 00:03:48 is to be fully at God's disposal.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:51 And it's a living sacrifice.
00:03:52 --> 00:03:53 Not a dead sacrifice.
00:03:54 --> 00:04:00 Living, which means it's a constantly being at God's disposal fully.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:06 It means to obey God in anything that he calls us to in any area of life
00:04:06 --> 00:04:11 and to thank him for anything that he sends in any area of life.
00:04:12 --> 00:04:13 Constantly, fully at God's disposal.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:17 Jesus says exactly the same thing in Luke chapter 9,
00:04:17 --> 00:04:18 where he says,
00:04:18 --> 00:04:41 A life fully at God's disposal is what verse 1 calls our true and proper worship.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:50 The original language here, the word is logical worship.
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 This is your logical.
00:04:53 --> 00:04:59 A life fully given over, a living sacrifice is your logical worship.
00:04:59 --> 00:05:08 That is, it's a rational, logical response to Romans 1 to 11.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:14 And all that God has done for us in Jesus, his mercy towards us.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:24 And in fact, the word is saying that anything less than total, complete sacrifice of the self to God
00:05:24 --> 00:05:34 is an illogical, an irrational response to what Paul has just written in Romans 1 to 11.
00:05:34 --> 00:05:45 To give ourselves partly, to give ourselves half-heartedly, is not only morally offensive,
00:05:46 --> 00:05:52 but also a failure to not think clearly or to understand God's mercy.
00:05:52 --> 00:06:01 And that's why the second central feature of life in Christ is a call to think clearly.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:03 Verse 2,
00:06:03 --> 00:06:17 Life in Christ means having our minds inflamed with the truth of Christ,
00:06:17 --> 00:06:25 so it fires the imagination, shapes the heart, and controls our living.
00:06:25 --> 00:06:35 And this happens through the spirit of God working through the word of God in such a way
00:06:35 --> 00:06:43 that we see God's mercy to us in Jesus Christ more and more and more and more and more.
00:06:44 --> 00:06:52 And we will see it as we offer ourselves to God more and more and more and more and more.
00:06:55 --> 00:07:03 Knowledge of God's mercy and experience of God's mercy go together.
00:07:05 --> 00:07:14 We don't experience God's sacrifice for us without sacrificing ourselves to him.
00:07:15 --> 00:07:21 When we contemplate God more and more in his word,
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 we start to also get a right view of ourselves.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:28 Verse 3 says we ought not to think too highly of ourselves.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:32 Rather than our self-overinflated view of ourselves,
00:07:33 --> 00:07:38 God's mercy leads to us to think of ourselves with sober judgment,
00:07:39 --> 00:07:43 which the word sober there means to have an accurate view of self.
00:07:43 --> 00:07:50 That is, the person in Christ ought not to have too high of yourself
00:07:50 --> 00:07:55 because the gospel tells us that we are saved by grace and grace alone.
00:07:55 --> 00:07:56 We contribute nothing to it.
00:07:56 --> 00:08:00 That's what we've been unpacking in these last number of weeks,
00:08:00 --> 00:08:01 entirely the work of Christ.
00:08:01 --> 00:08:09 Nor should we have too low of ourselves because Christ was willing to save us
00:08:09 --> 00:08:13 and embrace us and love us and affirm us and approve of us.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:20 And this gospel transformation is essential
00:08:20 --> 00:08:30 because too high a view of self means we don't think we need anyone else serving us.
00:08:30 --> 00:08:34 We don't think we've got gaps.
00:08:37 --> 00:08:44 Too low a view of ourselves means that we don't think we've got anything to offer anyone else.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:47 And so we won't serve others.
00:08:47 --> 00:08:55 And all of this matters because a life lived in Christ and for Christ
00:08:55 --> 00:08:59 is a life lived together in Christ and for Christ.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:07 When God draws people to himself in Christ,
00:09:07 --> 00:09:12 he is drawing his people to each other in Christ.
00:09:13 --> 00:09:17 When he saves, he gathers.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:24 And we cannot come to Christ without coming to his people.
00:09:25 --> 00:09:28 We don't get him without him.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:34 Life in Christ is life together in Christ.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:39 And that's challenging for us.
00:09:41 --> 00:09:44 Particularly for those of us with a Western mindset,
00:09:45 --> 00:09:46 but not just the Western mindset.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:51 You see, one of the main features of Western culture is individualism.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 The modern form of individualism,
00:09:55 --> 00:09:59 it started back in the 17th century
00:09:59 --> 00:10:04 with the French philosopher René Descartes.
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 What he attempted to do was...
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 What he attempted to do was...
00:10:10 --> 00:10:15 He attempted to defend the existence of God.
00:10:16 --> 00:10:21 And he started his defence of the existence of God
00:10:21 --> 00:10:23 with these words in summary form.
00:10:24 --> 00:10:27 I think, therefore I am.
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 That's Descartes.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:31 I think, therefore I am.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:38 And that statement there
00:10:38 --> 00:10:42 kicked off a trend in Western civilisation
00:10:42 --> 00:10:49 that starts all the answers to life's big questions with...
00:10:49 --> 00:10:49 I.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:49 I.
00:10:51 --> 00:10:51 I.
00:10:54 --> 00:10:58 Everything is defined in relation to me.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:04 That makes me the basic unity of...
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 unit of reality.
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 It begins with me.
00:11:09 --> 00:11:11 And we approach Christianity in the same way.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:17 Christianity is so much more
00:11:17 --> 00:11:20 than just a personal relationship with God.
00:11:22 --> 00:11:23 Where he loves you
00:11:23 --> 00:11:25 and he has a wonderful plan for your life.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:31 Christianity is so much more than that.
00:11:31 --> 00:11:37 And if it was just simply...
00:11:38 --> 00:11:39 God loves you
00:11:39 --> 00:11:42 and has a wonderful plan for your life...
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 It would just be okay...
00:11:45 --> 00:11:48 Just to open your laptop...
00:11:49 --> 00:11:51 Sit in bed on a Sunday morning
00:11:51 --> 00:11:52 and watch a live stream.
00:11:54 --> 00:11:56 It'd be okay just to do that.
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 If that's all it was.
00:12:01 --> 00:12:05 This is a major problem for us, this concept.
00:12:06 --> 00:12:08 Because in the 2021 census...
00:12:09 --> 00:12:14 43.9% of Australians identified themselves as Christian.
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 43.9%.
00:12:17 --> 00:12:24 And yet, only 4.5% of those identified as Christian...
00:12:24 --> 00:12:26 also identified that they went to church.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:34 There's a major, major problem with those statistics.
00:12:35 --> 00:12:38 Because you cannot be Christian and not have his church.
00:12:40 --> 00:12:44 Being in Christ means we come to know God as our Father.
00:12:45 --> 00:12:48 Which also means coming to know his people as our brothers and sisters.
00:12:48 --> 00:12:50 And so the very first implication...
00:12:52 --> 00:12:55 that Paul lays out here in living life...
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 in Christ...
00:12:58 --> 00:12:58 is...
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 he says...
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 brothers and sisters.
00:13:02 --> 00:13:04 Brothers and sisters.
00:13:05 --> 00:13:06 Being in Christ means...
00:13:07 --> 00:13:10 being part of others who are also in him.
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 Notice how strong the language of our togetherness is.
00:13:12 --> 00:13:12 Verses 4 and 5.
00:13:12 --> 00:13:17 For just as each of us has one body with many members...
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19 and these members do not have all the same function...
00:13:19 --> 00:13:22 so in Christ we, though many, form one body...
00:13:22 --> 00:13:25 and each member belongs to all the others.
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 Christ...
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 God has ordered the church...
00:13:28 --> 00:13:31 in the same way that he's ordered the human body.
00:13:32 --> 00:13:33 To be interdependent...
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 and so that we belong to each other...
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 and we need each other.
00:13:38 --> 00:13:43 Church is not a group...
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 of people that we attend...
00:13:44 --> 00:13:46 but a body that we belong to.
00:13:47 --> 00:13:49 It's impossible...
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 to be in Christ...
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 and not belong...
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 to his people.
00:13:55 --> 00:13:57 A Christian has a connection with...
00:13:57 --> 00:13:59 and a responsibility to...
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 other Christians.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 You cannot claim...
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 Christ...
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 and avoid his people.
00:14:06 --> 00:14:11 And this was the insight...
00:14:11 --> 00:14:12 that was burned...
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 into the heart of the Apostle Paul...
00:14:16 --> 00:14:19 at his very first encounter with Jesus.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:26 When Jesus appeared to Paul...
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 on the Damascus Road in Acts 9...
00:14:29 --> 00:14:29 Paul...
00:14:30 --> 00:14:32 was on his way...
00:14:32 --> 00:14:33 a deeply religious man...
00:14:33 --> 00:14:35 was on his way to systematically...
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 destroy the church...
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 and to stamp out Christianity.
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 And Jesus...
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 confronts him...
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 and his words to Paul...
00:14:46 --> 00:14:46 were stunning...
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 and life-changing.
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 He says to Paul...
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 why do you persecute me?
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 I am Jesus...
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 whom you are persecuting.
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 See the connection?
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 See the connection?
00:15:04 --> 00:15:07 in persecuting the church...
00:15:08 --> 00:15:10 Paul is persecuting Jesus.
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 That's how tight...
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 his relationship is...
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 with his people.
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 What you do to Jesus...
00:15:19 --> 00:15:19 sorry...
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 what you do to the church...
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 you do to Jesus.
00:15:22 --> 00:15:25 And the implication is huge...
00:15:25 --> 00:15:27 when you think about the church.
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 If we fail to serve...
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 the body of Christ...
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 we fail to serve Christ.
00:15:31 --> 00:15:34 if we treat them...
00:15:34 --> 00:15:34 how we treat them...
00:15:34 --> 00:15:34
00:15:34 --> 00:15:36 how we treat them...
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 neglecting the church...
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 is neglecting Jesus.
00:15:40 --> 00:15:40 Hardening our heart...
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 to Christ's people...
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 is hardening our hearts...
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 to Christ.
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 God has designed...
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 his saved people...
00:15:53 --> 00:15:54 to function...
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 and grow together...
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 in Christ.
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 When God saves a person...
00:15:58 --> 00:16:00 he also gifts them...
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 with abilities...
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 to serve Christ...
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 in his church...
00:16:04 --> 00:16:06 for our transformation.
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 Everything that God...
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 desires of us...
00:16:08 --> 00:16:11 gets done together.
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 Verses 6 to 8...
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 if your gift is prophesying...
00:16:16 --> 00:16:16 then prophesy...
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 in accordance with your faith.
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 If it is serving...
00:16:19 --> 00:16:19 then serve.
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 If it is teaching...
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 then teach.
00:16:21 --> 00:16:21 If it is encourage...
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 then give encouragement.
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 If it is giving...
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 then give generously.
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 If it is to lead...
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 do it diligently.
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29 if it is to show mercy...
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 do it cheerfully.
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 Now...
00:16:32 --> 00:16:34 notice something...
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 really significant here.
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 The list here...
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 and there is a...
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 there's several lists...
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 in the New Testament.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 The list here...
00:16:43 --> 00:16:45 alternates between...
00:16:45 --> 00:16:45 two categories...
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 of gifts.
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 Items 1, 3 and 4...
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 are prophesied...
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 teaching and exhorting...
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 are gifts of speech.
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 Items 2, 5 and 6...
00:16:56 --> 00:16:58 serving, giving, leading...
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 and showing mercy...
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 are gifts of...
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 leading people...
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 of meeting needs.
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 And it alternates...
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 between those two gifts...
00:17:09 --> 00:17:09 two categories...
00:17:11 --> 00:17:13 and it is therefore...
00:17:13 --> 00:17:13 implying...
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 that there's no thought...
00:17:15 --> 00:17:15 of superiority...
00:17:15 --> 00:17:17 over others.
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 They're all needed...
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 together.
00:17:22 --> 00:17:22 together.
00:17:25 --> 00:17:27 However much...
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 these gifts might...
00:17:28 --> 00:17:30 differ in terms of activity...
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 or profile...
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 within the church...
00:17:33 --> 00:17:35 all the gifts...
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 are of equal...
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 dignity...
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 and of importance.
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 And the...
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 really the only question...
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 is whether we...
00:17:47 --> 00:17:49 properly use the gift...
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 that we've received.
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 You see...
00:17:53 --> 00:17:53 notice that Paul...
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 doesn't just...
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 make a list of...
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 gifts.
00:17:56 --> 00:17:58 He goes all Nike on us.
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 Just do it.
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 You see it again there?
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 Again...
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 just do it.
00:18:03 --> 00:18:03 If it's...
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 you've got the gift of leading...
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 lead!
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 Do it!
00:18:07 --> 00:18:07 Do it!
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 Do it!
00:18:08 --> 00:18:08 Do it!
00:18:08 --> 00:18:08
00:18:11 --> 00:18:13 Every single Christian...
00:18:13 --> 00:18:15 by virtue of coming...
00:18:15 --> 00:18:15 to Christ...
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 has been gifted...
00:18:16 --> 00:18:18 to serve God's people...
00:18:18 --> 00:18:20 from the moment...
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 that you are in Christ.
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 And so...
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 all of us need to be considering...
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 how we serve.
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 And the attitude here...
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 is an attitude...
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 to gather to serve...
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36 not to be served...
00:18:37 --> 00:18:39 just as Jesus himself...
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 united himself to us...
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 to serve...
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 and not to be served.
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 Mark 10.45.
00:18:45 --> 00:18:47 Now...
00:18:48 --> 00:18:48 suppose...
00:18:48 --> 00:18:50 this is a church...
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 where...
00:18:51 --> 00:18:51
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 you can be...
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 confident...
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 of receiving...
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 gospel ministry...
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 um...
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 but our desire...
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 as a church...
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 is also to be a church...
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 where every...
00:19:04 --> 00:19:06 every Christian learns...
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 how to...
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 ministry...
00:19:11 --> 00:19:14 to work together...
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 to be a church...
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 to build each other up...
00:19:17 --> 00:19:19 for the glory of God...
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 and for the good of our neighbourhood.
00:19:21 --> 00:19:23 And the rest of this chapter...
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 tells us...
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 that the gifts of Christ...
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 must...
00:19:29 --> 00:19:29
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 also be accompanied...
00:19:30 --> 00:19:32 with the character of Christ.
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34 In the other two places...
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 in the New Testament...
00:19:35 --> 00:19:35 Ephesians 4...
00:19:35 --> 00:19:37 and 1 Corinthians 12...
00:19:37 --> 00:19:40 Paul says...
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 exactly the same thing...
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 as he does here...
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 in Ephesians 4...
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 list of gifts...
00:19:45 --> 00:19:47 God gives the church...
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 Paul starts...
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 the chapter...
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 Ephesians 4...
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 with urging them...
00:19:51 --> 00:19:53 to do as he does here...
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 at the beginning of Romans 12...
00:19:54 --> 00:19:56 and to live lives...
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 because of what...
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 they've received in Jesus.
00:20:00 --> 00:20:02 He mentions...
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 lives of humility...
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 and gentleness...
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 and patience...
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 and bearing one another...
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 and he ends...
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 the section of gifts...
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 by saying...
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 speaking the truth...
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 in love...
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 we will grow...
00:20:11 --> 00:20:11 to become...
00:20:11 --> 00:20:13 in every respect...
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 the mature body of him...
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 who is the head...
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 that is Christ...
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 from him...
00:20:17 --> 00:20:19 the whole body...
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 joined...
00:20:20 --> 00:20:22 and held together...
00:20:22 --> 00:20:24 by every supporting ligament...
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 grows...
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 and builds itself up...
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 in love...
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 as each part...
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 does its work.
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 1 Corinthians 12...
00:20:30 --> 00:20:32 it's a whole chapter...
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 on the diversity...
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 and the unity...
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 of the church...
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 and the spiritual gifts...
00:20:36 --> 00:20:38 that God has given...
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 the church...
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 in order to build...
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 that unity...
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 in love...
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 and...
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 1 Corinthians 12...
00:20:45 --> 00:20:47 which is an extensive chapter...
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 with all the details...
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 about the giftedness...
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 and the unity...
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 of the church...
00:20:51 --> 00:20:53 is followed...
00:20:53 --> 00:20:53 immediately...
00:20:53 --> 00:20:55 with the most...
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 famous passage...
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 in the Bible...
00:20:57 --> 00:20:57 on...
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 love...
00:20:59 --> 00:21:01 and he says...
00:21:01 --> 00:21:03 let me show you...
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 the most excellent way...
00:21:04 --> 00:21:07 and it makes the point...
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 that gifting...
00:21:11 --> 00:21:11 without love...
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 does damage...
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 it doesn't build up...
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 it destroys...
00:21:17 --> 00:21:19 and so the same thing...
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 is happening here...
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 in verses 9 to 21...
00:21:21 --> 00:21:23 I'm not going to unpack it all...
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 what we have here...
00:21:24 --> 00:21:26 is a brief catalogue...
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 of...
00:21:27 --> 00:21:29 20 instructions...
00:21:31 --> 00:21:33 regarding the way...
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 God's people...
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 should relate...
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 to one another...
00:21:36 --> 00:21:38 and the summary of it all...
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 is love...
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 your love...
00:21:43 --> 00:21:43 must be...
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 sincere...
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 that's how it starts...
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 and this is what...
00:21:49 --> 00:21:51 sincere love looks like...
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 verse 10...
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 to be devoted...
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 to one another...
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 in brotherly love...
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 love...
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 the second half...
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 of that verse...
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 love puts others first...
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 and we are to honour...
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 one another...
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 above ourselves...
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 to honour someone...
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 is to treat them...
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 as valuable...
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06 they are...
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 they are value...
00:22:07 --> 00:22:07 because they're made...
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 in the image of God...
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 because they have the spirit...
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 of God dwelling in them...
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 and each person...
00:22:11 --> 00:22:13 is precious as important...
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 in the body...
00:22:17 --> 00:22:19 the essence of love...
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 is not to concentrate...
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 on your own image...
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 your own position...
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 your own needs...
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 your own gifts...
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 your own rights...
00:22:24 --> 00:22:26 love is doing...
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 whatever it takes...
00:22:27 --> 00:22:29 to give people...
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 whatever they need...
00:22:29 --> 00:22:32 it is a living sacrifice...
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 of emotion...
00:22:34 --> 00:22:34 of action...
00:22:35 --> 00:22:35 and of rights...
00:22:37 --> 00:22:40 and crucially...
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 in John 13...
00:22:43 --> 00:22:43 35...
00:22:45 --> 00:22:45 Jesus says...
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 that love for one another...
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 is the defining mark...
00:22:48 --> 00:22:50 of being his disciple...
00:22:50 --> 00:22:55 another reason...
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 another reason...
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 why...
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 you can't have...
00:22:58 --> 00:22:58 Christ...
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 without his people...
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 don't...
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 tell me...
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 you love Christ...
00:23:05 --> 00:23:07 if you do not love...
00:23:07 --> 00:23:07 his people...
00:23:08 --> 00:23:11 you don't have Christ...
00:23:11 --> 00:23:13 and you need to know...
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 the love of Christ...
00:23:14 --> 00:23:19 a very significant part...
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 of the church's impact...
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 on the world...
00:23:21 --> 00:23:23 will be the quality...
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 of the relationship...
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 between its members...
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 a quality of relationship...
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 is found nowhere else...
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 in the world...
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 a church loving each other...
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 that displays...
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 the beauty of Jesus...
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 see the church...
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 functioning like this...
00:23:38 --> 00:23:38 together...
00:23:38 --> 00:23:40 with all its diversity...
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 but building each other...
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 up in love...
00:23:42 --> 00:23:45 makes the gospel visible...
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 to our world...
00:23:49 --> 00:23:53 so how do we...
00:23:53 --> 00:23:55 how do we do that...
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 where do we get the power...
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 in order...
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 that we might...
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 live this life...
00:24:03 --> 00:24:05 because it's massive...
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 what's being said here...
00:24:07 --> 00:24:09 what's saying here is...
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 that...
00:24:10 --> 00:24:10
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 according...
00:24:11 --> 00:24:13 according to Romans 12...
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 based on what...
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 he has just outlined...
00:24:18 --> 00:24:20 in Romans 1 to 11...
00:24:21 --> 00:24:23 being part of the church...
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 is more important...
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 than anything else...
00:24:29 --> 00:24:34 let me just let that...
00:24:34 --> 00:24:34
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 for a little bit...
00:24:35 --> 00:24:42 there might be reasons...
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 why you're not here...
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 on a Sunday...
00:24:45 --> 00:24:47 such as you're giving birth...
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 or...
00:24:50 --> 00:24:52 your spouse is giving birth...
00:24:53 --> 00:24:55 or...
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 the atheist Richard Dawkins...
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 has just called you...
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 and said...
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 I need you to come...
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 and pray with me...
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 and my plane leaves...
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 in 20 minutes...
00:25:03 --> 00:25:05 maybe that might be...
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 a reason why...
00:25:07 --> 00:25:11 but there are...
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 very few things...
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 that ought to ever...
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 get in the way of it...
00:25:15 --> 00:25:19 where do we get the power...
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 to have our...
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 minds renewed...
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 so that we see...
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 the church...
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 as Christ sees the church...
00:25:28 --> 00:25:33 we've already seen it...
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 it's right there...
00:25:35 --> 00:25:37 in view of God's mercy...
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 you see...
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 God's mercy to us...
00:25:42 --> 00:25:44 is that in Jesus Christ...
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 a Christian is fully accepted...
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 and loved as dearly...
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 as he loves us...
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 sorry...
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 he loves Jesus...
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 God's mercy to us...
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 is more than just...
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 our sins...
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 it's actually been brought...
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 into the dynamic...
00:26:02 --> 00:26:02
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 of God...
00:26:05 --> 00:26:05
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 and Holy Spirit...
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 his mercy...
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 is to bring us...
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 back to him...
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 and so now...
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 in Jesus...
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 everything that belongs...
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 to Jesus...
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 belongs...
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 to the Christian...
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 and to the degree...
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 that we look to...
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 and embrace...
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 God's mercy to us...
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 in the gospel...
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 of Jesus Christ...
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 is to the degree...
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 that we will offer...
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 ourselves...
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 up to God...
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 and to each other...
00:26:33 --> 00:26:38 we need to look...
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 to the one...
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 who...
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 who surrendered...
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 himself...
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 utterly...
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 for us...
00:26:46 --> 00:26:49 we need to see...
00:26:49 --> 00:26:53 we need to see...
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 Jesus Christ...
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 as Philippians 2...
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 tells us...
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 in very nature...
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 God...
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 but did not use it...
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 for his own advantage...
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 for all of eternity...
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 he existed in perfect...
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 joy...
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 and service...
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 and love...
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 with the...
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 with the Father...
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 and the Spirit...
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 a dynamic...
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 constantly...
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 pouring each other...
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 into the life...
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 constantly...
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 for all of eternity...
00:27:16 --> 00:27:18 and then...
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 he left it...
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 he left it...
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 and entered...
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 his creation...
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 as a man...
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27
00:27:27 --> 00:27:29 its limitations...
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 he went from...
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 perfect relationship...
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 to being despised...
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 and he put himself...
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 in that moment...
00:27:36 --> 00:27:38 at the Father's disposal...
00:27:38 --> 00:27:40 he obediently...
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 and willingly...
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 made himself...
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 nothing...
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 he became...
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 a servant...
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 he gave himself...
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 wholly to us...
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 and for us...
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 he died...
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 as a sacrifice...
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 for sin...
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 once...
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 and for all...
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 so that we...
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 might become...
00:27:56 --> 00:27:58 living sacrifices...
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 his body...
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 was destroyed...
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 on the cross...
00:28:04 --> 00:28:06 under the horror...
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 of God's anger...
00:28:07 --> 00:28:09 so that we...
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 could offer...
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 our bodies...
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 to bring pleasure...
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 to God...
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 he was rejected...
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 as his Father...
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 turned away...
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 from him...
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 on the cross...
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 so that we...
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 could come to God...
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 and be embraced...
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 welcomed...
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 into the dynamic...
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 relationship...
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 of love...
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 and joy...
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 that he'd always known...
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 with the Father...
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 and the Spirit...
00:28:33 --> 00:28:35 the only way...
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 to sustain...
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 a life of service...
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 of God...
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 and others...
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 is to consistently...
00:28:41 --> 00:28:41
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 our heart...
00:28:43 --> 00:28:45 kindle...
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 our heart...
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 with God's mercy...
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 to consistently...
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 be gazing...
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 at God's mercy...
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 to us...
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 in Jesus...
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 and to know...
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 that in Jesus...
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 God...
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 is pleased...
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 with me...
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 kindle...
00:29:00 --> 00:29:04 your heart...
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 with...
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 the knowledge...
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 that he loves you...
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 that he approves...
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 of you...
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 and when we...
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 kindle that heart...
00:29:14 --> 00:29:14
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 start to see...
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 that that's something...
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 that's not happening...
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 by myself...
00:29:20 --> 00:29:22 that my church...
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 is vital for me...
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 to have my heart...
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 kindled in that way...
00:29:26 --> 00:29:28 I cannot have my heart...
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 kindled with...
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 for Christ...
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 without Christ's people...
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 your church...
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 needs you...
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 to kindle...
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 their hearts...
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 as well...
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 you can't have Christ...
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 without his church...
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 you cannot serve Christ...
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 without serving his church...
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 you cannot love Christ...
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 without loving his people...
00:29:53 --> 00:29:55 many years ago...
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 in ministry...
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 I've been in ministry...
00:29:59 --> 00:30:01 for over three decades...
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 and a consistent thing...
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 that I used to hear...
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 amongst pastors...
00:30:04 --> 00:30:06 and something that I used to say...
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 on a regular basis...
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 myself...
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 unfortunately...
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 was...
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 church would be great...
00:30:11 --> 00:30:13 if it wasn't for the people...
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 you know...
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 ministry would be fantastic...
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 if it wasn't for the people...
00:30:17 --> 00:30:19 I've...
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 I've actually...
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 shifted my thinking...
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 over the last...
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 three to four years...
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 or so...
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 and...
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 I got to say it...
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 in front of a bunch of ministers...
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 the other day...
00:30:31 --> 00:30:31
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 they asked me...
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 how church is...
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 and I said...
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 church would be great...
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 if it wasn't for me...
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 great if it wasn't for me...
00:30:43 --> 00:30:45 that what I find is...
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 my struggle...
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 with church...
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 is my heart...
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 that wants independence...
00:30:50 --> 00:30:52 it's my heart...
00:30:52 --> 00:30:54 that wants to be served...
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 and so...
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 in closing...
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 I just want to say...
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 in leading this church...
00:31:02 --> 00:31:04 for 17 years now...
00:31:05 --> 00:31:08 if I was to leave right now...
00:31:11 --> 00:31:13 my overwhelming sense...
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 would be...
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 I'm not by the way...
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 my overwhelming sense...
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 would be...
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 thank you...
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 thank you...
00:31:22 --> 00:31:22
00:31:23 --> 00:31:23
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 because...
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 I would not be...
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 who I am in Christ...
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 without you...
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 I need you...
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 as much as you need me...
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 thank you...