Coming to Grips with the Real You | Romans 12:3-8
This message was preached at Sherwood Community Friends Church on Sunday, May 30, 2021. You can watch the video in full by clicking below.
Over the last two weeks, we have looked closely at Romans 12:1-2. Through our time together, we have received from God His Word, His Mercy, His Direction, and His Presence, and we are learning to practice God’s Rest, God’s Word, and God’s Will.
Today, we move into a passage which will hopefully challenge us to take action out of the overflow of all that God has given to us. But we can only move forward in the ways God has gifted us if we own the reality of where we are today. We can’t hold on to “the good old days”… the “what ifs”, “should haves”, or “why nots”.
As Andy Bernard said in the finale of The Office “I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you actually left them.” We have to accept where we are today, own it honestly, and then allow God to use us to move his kingdom forward.
First, we must
Own our identity as God’s children
In Verse 3, Paul says “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”
Paul pushes back on the Church of Rome, and us in turn, to remember we are equipped only by the grace of God. Not one of us is higher than the other. We should consider ourselves with “sober judgment.”
The Message puts it this way: “It’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God…The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.”
There is a delicate balance within this verse. We are to walk the delicate line to both not think highly of ourselves and yet also operate in confidence with how God has gifted us.
Last week, we spent our time discussing what it means to “go against the message of the world.” There is no message the world communicates to us louder than we are right according to our own ideas or subjective truth. Everyone has their own version of truth.
This isn’t what God’s word teaches us, rather He is the standard in how we are to live - in love, grace, mercy and truth. It’s not about our way. It’s about His way.
Jerry Bridges reminds us that “We should hold our convictions in humility, realizing that many godly and theologically capable people hold other convictions.” What an appropriate message for the divided Church of Rome and for the church today.
On the other hand, we are also called to walk in the confidence of how God has specifically equipped us and to do so boldly, in alignment with the trust in God we each have. Self-deprecation, low self-esteem, or shying away from boldly going where God is asking you to go can be just as damaging as arrogant pride.
You likely find yourself on one side of this conundrum. Do you find you struggle with pride? I challenge you today to examine your own heart, asking God to reveal any area you are holding onto pride. If you struggle with walking in the confidence given to you by God, reach out to a pastor, elder, or leader here at Sherwood Friends. Likely, most of us feel the push and pull between both sides.
Our second application today is that we are to
Own the way God has gifted us.
We are going to take a jump down to verses 6-8 “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”
Here we find a listing of spiritual gifts. Now, there are three main places in the New Testament Scripture we see spiritual gifts talked about. One is right here, in Romans 12:6-8. The other two are 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 and Ephesians 4:11-12. I challenge you to read through each of these scriptures this week. They are included in your bulletin.
Personally, I have found an affinity for personality profile systems. Through using these tools, I have learned what I am good at and what I am not good at, the natural inclinations of what God has born inside of me. Recognizing that God’s character is equally revealed in each personality type and that I am created in His image, I can have full confidence in how He has equipped me! Each one of us reflects God in some way.
By recognizing the strengths God gave to me, it releases me to let go of the areas I am not strong in and trust those that God has brought into my life to walk in obedience to their their gifting.
This doesn’t mean I have an excuse to abandon those areas of weakness. It does mean I know my areas of weakness and can pursue spiritual transformation authentically and honestly.
I have also found that by understanding how God made me, it empowers me. I get to work after the ways God has uniquely designed me to pursue him more honestly, staying in my scope of gifting more authentically, and be who he’s shaped me to be. I can articulate my strengths and understand how best to pursue them.
This week, Bob and I are grieving the loss of a dear friend and spiritual mentor. I had the honor of working for him briefly before moving here and in the interview process he explained this idea so clearly it has stuck with me. He talked about how God wired him - with a heart for international missions and strategic thinking - and how God provided him with the job he was privileged enough to work in - as the International missions director. He talked about it being an almost perfect match. He was operating in the right sweet spot, so much so that God took him home while he was on the mission field this week.
What do you love to do? What brings you joy? What are you good at? And are you living that?
Have you wondered about your own gifting and how God wired you? Aside from personality tests available, we have provided you with a Spiritual Gifts assessment. We have a simple one printed for you in the lobby or you can take the S.H.A.P.E. test online. This is provided by Saddleback Church and, aside from your gifts, takes into account your heart, abilities, personality, and experiences.
After we have reconciled our identity as God’s child and identified the gifts he’s given us, we must stop to ask the questions… Now what?
Now, we
Own our role in God’s church.
Jumping back to verses 4 & 5, Paul gives us this reminder. “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
I think it is not a coincidence that Paul references this point right after verse 3, reminding us to consider ourselves with sober judgment. There are times when serving is more public, like greeting people when they come in or being a part of the worship team on a Sunday morning.
But many other times it’s much more behind the scenes, like teaching the next generation about Jesus in Sunday school or youth group, or running slides to assist with leading worship each Sunday, or mowing the lawn and clearing the parking lot for Sunday services.
The point is not only about what we do to serve, but that we are obedient to the call placed on each of our lives - to make disciples and use our gifts for His body and glory.
We don’t serve for our glory, we serve for the glory of God.
How can you get involved here at Sherwood Friends?
We have created a site with the areas we have for you to jump in and serve. At sherwoodfriends.church/serve, which I have a screenshot up on the slide, you will see a simple form to put in your contact information and check off the areas you are interested in serving in. You can also feel free to email Rich, Bob, Rob or Priscilla if you are interested to serve, but just not sure where to start. If you think you aren’t equipped to fill a role you believe God is leading you to… step up anyway. It’s amazing how God shows up!
I’d like to close with this last thought before Rich comes up. Serving as a part of a church can be very fulfilling and stretch us in ways we can’t imagine, BUT I cannot reiterate enough the importance of serving from a place of fullness from God’s presence, mercy, grace and love which overflows from your heart into the role that He is calling you into. Don’t make serving a checkbox, but do step out to love people by co-laboring with his people and for his kingdom.
