Romans 12:3-8
THINKING ABOUT THE BODY
Intro: Paul began his thoughts in chapter 12 by dealing
with the individual. He started off by thinking about
the believer. Paul's emphasis there was to get
believers to understand that they had an obligation to
the Lord to give Him the best of their service and
sacrifice. The rest of this chapter is given over to the
individual believer's duty to and place in the whole body
of Christ. As we consider Paul's words in our text this
evening we find that there are 3 observations that every
believer needs to make concerning where he or she fits
in to God's plan for the body of Christ. Allow me to
share those three observations with you now as we
move from Thinking About The Believer to Thinking
About The Body.
I. V. 3 WATCH YOUR PRIDE IN THE BODY
(Ill. The first word of our text refers us back to the
first two verses of this chapter. There is a real
danger that as we grow in the Lord and become
more separated in our walk that we will develop
some pretty bad habits. One of the greatest
dangers we face as we walk through this world is
the sin of pride. In fact, pride is at the very root of all
sin! How is that possible? Because pride puts "I"
first! Also notice that Paul's remarks are not given
to an isolated few, but to all believers. Pride is a sin
that we all deal with from time to time. Let's notice
the challenge against pride that we are given in
verse 3.)
A. The Danger We Are To Avoid - The danger of
pride is a two-fold danger. This is addressed by
the Apostle.
1. Self-Deception - The first problem that Paul
addresses is that of thinking more of yourself
than you ought to think. Paul has in mind
those people who tend to look down on other
believers. Maybe they think that others aren't
as holy as they themselves are. Maybe they
tend to feel that their gifts are superior to
those of others. Maybe they want to be in
control of the church, believing that God has
vested within them the answers to all
problems large and small. Whatever goes
through a person's mind who thinks he "is
the stuff", he is a person who is walking in
pride!
Sadly, there are many who think they are
"God's gift to the church." Some people
actually believe that if they and their talents
were removed from the life of the local
church, the church would cease to function.
John spoke of a man like this in 3 John 9.
He mentioned a man named Diotrephes, who
"loveth to have the preeminence among
them." Too many, like Diotrephes, have
forgotten that the church existed before they
did and will continue to exist after they are
long gone!
The conclusion of the matter is this: every
believer is important, but none is essential!
That is, there is a place in the work of God for
all the redeemed, but the whole work rests on
the shoulders of none! When any church or
ministry becomes dependent on the gifts and
abilities of just one or two individuals, that
ministry is in danger and needs a spiritual
overhaul! May we learn the truth of Paul's
words in Phil. 2:3-5.)
2. Self-Deprecation - The opposite end of the
spectrum are those folks who display a "false
humility." There are the people who when
asked to do something in the church say
things like, "I can't do it! I don't have any
talents. I don't have any abilities. I can't
do anything." If you are saved, there is
something you can do! When the Lord saved
you, He gifted you in some area, 1 Cor. 12:7.
It is up to you to find out what that gift is and
to get busy using it for the glory of God. To
do less is a slap in the face of the God Who
saved you by His grace! When we adopt this
attitude, we are saying that the Lord messed
up! That He didn't know what He was doing
when He saved and gifted you for service! I
don't think I would want to be guilty of saying
that to the Lord! How about you?
Also in this group are those people who
try to downplay what the Lord has gifted
them to do. That is, the Lord will use them in
a mighty way and when they are
complimented, in a genuine way, they just
shrug it off and act like nothing great was
done. This attitude is a lie and a sham! It is
false humility! If the Lord has used your life
in a great way, don't deny Him the glory He is
due! When someone comes up and brags
on you, just tell them that all the glory
belongs to the Lord Who chooses and uses
vessels according to His will!
B. The Decision We Are To Accept - Between
these two extremes is the balance we are to
strive for. Paul calls on us to "think soberly,
according as God hath dealt to every men the
measure of faith." The word "soberly" means
"sanely, intelligently." This verse is teaching us
that we need to make an honest assessment of
what the Lord has done in our lives. If He has
gifted you in an area, do not become puffed up
in that gift. Instead, submit your life to the Lord
and allow Him to use that gift for His glory! If He
hasn't gifted you in a particular area, then
humbly accept that and use the gifts you do
have. Simply accept the Lord's will for you life
as it is revealed, giving Him the glory and
yielding yourself completely to His will.
The bottom line here is that we need to be
honest about what the Lord has done for us by
His grace. If He has gifted you, just use that gift
and let Him have the glory. Don't think it makes
you better than anyone else. By the same
token, don't assume a position of false humility,
by pretending that God isn't doing anything
through you. Both extremes are wrong!
(Ill. Don't lose sight of Paul's use of the word
"GRACE", vrs. 3, 6. This word reminds of two
important truths.
1.) We are all saved by grace. We got into this
thing the same way and we all came from the
same place! We are washed in the same blood.
We are headed to the same Heaven. We sing
the same song. Regardless of our respective
backgrounds, we are all sinners that God has
saved by His marvelous grace, Eph. 2:8-9. You
or I will never be better than any other believer!
2.) We are all serving by grace. As Paul said in 1
Cor. 15:10, "But by the grace of God I am
what I am." If you and I are living the right kind
of lives for Jesus Christ, then we will never be
any more or any less than He intends us to be.
Whatever gifts, talents and abilities we have are
ours by His grace and are to be used for His
glory. They were not given to us so that we
could exalt ourselves through them, but they
were given so that we might be able to live for
God, honor Jesus and glorify the Father as we
travel through this world.
God's grace, active in the life of the believer, is
that which equalizes us one with the other. God
decides what we do and to what extent we do it.
Therefore, He leaves us no room for the exercise of
foolish pride in the arena of our walk with Him.)
I. Watch Your Pride In The Body
II. V. 4-5 WATCH YOUR PLACE IN THE BODY
(Ill. Paul's next objective to teach the individuals that
they should use their respective gifts for the good of
the whole body of Christ.)
A. V. 4 Understand The Image - Paul draws our
attention to the human body to illustrate what he
is about to teach. Paul reminds us of what a
complex creation the human is. Our bodies are
made up of trillions of cells, over 200, bones,
over 600 muscles and specialized systems that
cause us to be able to live and function. The
body is very diverse, but it is the perfect picture
of unity. No part in the body tries to take the
office that belongs to another. Each part simply
does its intended duty and as a result, the entire
body is able to live, function and enjoy life.
(Ill. FACTS ABOUT THE HUMAN BODY
1. 7.5 trillion cells. More complex than the most
advanced computer.
2. Each cell has 200 trillion tiny groups of atoms
called protein molecules.
3. Largest molecule is called DNA. Carries
hereditary information from the parents to the
offspring. Also carries genetic code. It
determines if you will be a man or a
mammoth.
4. DNA in one cell is 6 feet long. Total DNA in
body would fill a box the size of an ice cube,
but if it were joined together, it would reach to
the sun and back 400 times.
5. All our cells contain the information found in
all the other cells. Each cell in your body
carries all the necessary information for
another you.
6. If the coded DNA information and instructions
of one human were translated into English, it
would fill a 1000 volume encyclopedia.
7. In cell division the cell forms a rotating double
-helix. It rotates at 75 turns per second. This
is equal to straightening out a cathedral full of
tangled microphone wire in under a
split-second. Yet, the cells duplication is so
accurate that it is equivalent to a rate of less
than one letter for an entire set of
Encyclopedia Britannica.)
Paul appeals to the human body as a grand
example of diversity and unity. He wants his
readers to see that the same unity of design and
purpose is to exist within the body of Christ.
That is the idea he turns to in verse 5.
B. V. 5a Understand The Individuality - He begins
be reminding us that we are individuals. We are
saved individually and we are gifted by God
individually, 1 Cor. 12:4-11. We are special to
God as individual persons. Let us never be
ashamed of who we are as an individual in the
Lord Jesus Christ. He loved you! He died for
you! He saved you! He has a special place in
His body just for you!
Therefore, we must never try to force
someone else to conform to our idea of what a
Christian is! God has some strange people in
His family, but each one of them is important to
what the Lord is doing in this age.
C. V. 5b Understand The Integration - While the
body is made up of many components, they all
function together seamlessly! When my eyes
sees something it wants to investigate closer, the
hand responds by reaching out and lifting the
object. When I want to move from one location
to another, my feet and body respond by moving
in the chosen direction. There is a wonderful
integration and cooperation within the human
body. This is the kind of seamless integration
and cooperation that should exist within the body
of Christ. Sadly, many believers have come to
believe that they can get along just as well
without other believers. If someone is just a little
different, we allow them no place in our idea of
what a believer is and we refuse to cooperate
with them. (By the way, I am not referring to
compromising doctrinal standards for the sake of
unity! We are to be a body, but one distinct truth
about the body is that every cell in my body
possesses the same DNA! Just as every true
believer in the body of Christ possesses the DNA
of spiritual life: The Holy Spirit - Rom. 8:9. Since
that us true, every genuine believer will accept
certain fundamentals of the faith and will be
identifiable as a child of God!)
(Ill. Again, we can turn our attention to the
human body to see these ideas pictured for us.
1 Cor. 12:14-26 gives us a humorous illustration
using the human body to speak of the body of
Christ. While our bodies are one whole, they are
made up of individual parts that do specialized
tasks from which the whole body benefits. Our
human bodies are a marvel of individuality and
harmony. Every part has a duty and all parts
come together for the good of the whole. None
are unimportant and none should be left out!
The body of Christ is no different! Every
member has been gifted in some area or
another. We must isolate that gift, use it for the
glory of God and refuse to try and take to
ourselves a gift that we have not been given. Do
what God gifted you to do and leave others to do
what He gifted them to do! Don't be jealous of
what the grace of God has produced in the life of
another believer!)
I.
Watch Your Pride In The Body
II. Watch You Place In The Body
III. V. 6-8 WATCH YOUR PERFORMANCE IN THE
BODY
(Ill. Just as we are to find our niche in the body
of Christ, we are to carry out our duty to Him in
the correct fashion. Paul closes this section by
teaching us how to do just that!)
A. V. 6a Our Call - This verse reminds us of what
we have just been talking about. When we were
saved, we all received The Gift! That's right, at
the moment of conversion you received the Holy
Spirit and with Him, you also received or gifts to
use in the body of Christ. Therefore, there is no
need for you to come to God and pray for the
Holy Spirit, or for any gift from the Spirit. What
you do need to do is to ask the Lord to show you
the gifts He has given you so that He can use
you in that area for which He gifted you. By the
way, if you walk in humble submission to the
Lord, He will reveal His gift to you by giving you
opportunity to exercise that gift for His glory as
you go through this world. Your duty is simply to
be what the Lord saved you to be!
B. V. 6b-8a Our Condition - In these verses Paul
mentions some of the spiritual gifts the Spirit of
God gives to the church. Some of the other lists
of gifts are found in 1 Cor. 12:28-31; Eph. 4:11-12; 1 Pet. 4:10. There are many gifts given to
the church. Here Paul speaks of those that
relate to Expounding The Word Of God, v. 6b-8a; and those that relate to Expanding The
Work Of God, v. 8b. Of course, none of these
lists are exhaustive! (Ill. Maybe some day I will
do a series on the spiritual gifts.) God gifts
people for many different tasks in the body of
Christ.
Paul's idea is that we should seek to
determine that gift that we have been give and
then we should consecrate that gift to the Lord.
We should wait on Him to open the doors. We
should wait on Him to give the opportunities for
service. When and how God uses us is His
business. Being available and willing to be used
of Him is ours!
C. V. 8b Our Caution - The last part of verse 8
deals with our attitude as we use the gifts we
have been given. We must always take cautious
that we do it the Lord's way only. He mentions
three gifts: giving, ruling and showing mercy.
Then, he tells how these gifts are to be
administered. I believe that these three
statements can be applied across the board to
the exercise of all spiritual gifts. Paul says that
the gifts are to be used with simplicity,
diligence and cheerfulness. It might do us
good to investigate these three words before we
stop this evening.
1. Simplicity - This is a word that means, "with
sincerity; free from mental pretense and
hypocrisy." In other words whether it be
giving or any other exercise of the spiritual
gifts, it must be done with a pure heart. Let
us minister for Jesus without thoughts of self.
We should serve Him for His glory not for
personal gain!
2. Diligence - This word means, "With haste
(Ill. Our word "speed" comes from this
word!) and earnestness striving after
something." This refers to seeing the
urgency of the moment and reaching out to
the best of our ability to make a difference in
the lives of others while there is time.
3. Cheerfulness - This word means "with
excited joy and readiness of mind." We
get the English word "hilarious" from this
Greek word. Being allowed to exercise our
gifts in the service of God should fill our
hearts with unbridled joy and excitement.
That is the idea: serving God from an excited
heart. Going to church because you want to!
Witnessing because you want to. Serving
Jesus, in your area of giftedness because
you are excited about being all the Lord
wants you to be!
Conc: s we think about the Body of Christ this evening,
I wonder how well we are filling out the places we have
been called on to fill. As you listened this evening, did
the Spirit of God touch your heart and say, "Right there
is where you need work!"? Maybe it is in the arena of
pride and false humility. Maybe you are haven't been
exercising your spiritual gifts as you should. Maybe you
haven't even discovered you area of giftedness. Maybe
you have been trying to take some else's place in the
body of Christ. Maybe you have been doing your job,
but with a wrong attitude. You know if there is a need,
and if there is, bring it to Jesus right now. Will you do
that?
