Gifts Of Grace

Gifts Of Grace Romans 12:3-8 You know what’s hard about life? Pride. Everybody wants to feel proud. We want to succeed in life, in careers, in goals we’ve set. We strive to live a stable life. The hard work we put into reaching stability causes a certain amount of pride. Likewise, when or if the day ever comes that one can say, “I’ve made it,” there’s a certain amount of pride there too. We all want that satisfaction that we’re doing a good job, and there’s nothing wrong with that. There are plenty of things in life we can be proud of. Being proud is not sinful; it’s when your pride gets in the way of your judgment, then it becomes dangerous. But oh how quickly satisfaction can turn into pride because we don’t use “sober judgment.” It reminds me of a man who had a high opinion of himself and stepped on a coin-operated scale that dispensed a card, giving his weight and comments about his personality. After reading the card, he handed it to his wife and said, “Here, check it out!” She grabbed it and read aloud, “You’re dynamic, a born leader, handsome, and admired by women for your personality.” Giving it a second look, she added, “Hmmm, I see it’s got your weight wrong too!” The husband thought pretty highly of himself. When it comes to the church, we are the bride of Christ. Revelation 19 talks about the “marriage of the Lamb” where we, as Christ’s bride, attend the “marriage supper of the Lamb.” But for some Christians, instead of anticipating the wedding reception, they’re already bragging about their gifts. They take their gifts and flaunt them, proclaiming to be using them for God’s glory but attempt to direct all the attention back upon themselves. That’s why pride is dangerous, and the remedy is to “not think of yourself more highly than you ought.” Because while Revelation 19 does talk about the beauty of God’s bride, people miss the first part of Revelation 19:7 which says, “Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory.” It’s God’s glory, not ours. And while we can have a sense of pride in our relationship with Christ, we must use “sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” Remember last week we learned how to have a transformed mind? Well, here, Paul explains that to have the ability to see ourselves accurately, we must renew our minds. We need to develop a “sober judgment” so we can be honest about ourselves. But “sober judgment” must be accompanied by faith. The second half of Romans 12:3 says, “in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” Now to see yourself soberly, you must look through the eyes of faith. Faith is always of first importance because it is by faith that you are saved. Faith is confidence in God. Faith is trusting God. So if you have faith in God, then you must transform your mind and begin to see yourself as God sees you! We are the bride of Christ, but remember that Christians are also the “body of Christ.” Verse 4 and 5 says, “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.” The church is the body of Christ. The word used for church is ekklesia meaning “called out ones.” The church, then, is not a building, but the people who place faith in Christ. The body of Christ has many members, with varying gifts, all contributing to the health and wellness of the body, which is the church. It’s just like how your body is comprised of many parts which work in unison for the health and proper function of your body. When one of those parts has trouble, it affects the rest of the body. This is one thing I think people tend to overlook, and that’s the importance of valuing all who comprise the body of Christ. I mean, when something negative affects your body, you go to great lengths to heal it. The same should be with our brothers and sisters in Christ, because as verse 5 says, “we form one body, but we belong to all the others.” Likewise, can you think of someone who has separated themselves from the church? I’ve heard people say so many times that you can be a Christian and not go to church. No, you can’t because if you’re a Christian, you’re part of the church, the body of Christ, but if you’re not connected to the body, you’re not helping the body. If you chop off a finger or a toe, you’ll greatly desire to have it back. And if you can’t get it back, you’ll forever know it’s missing. People’s need for the church has not changed. Christ is the head of the church, the body. And just as the head controls the body, Christ controls His church, but if someone is not a part of the church, whose their head? Today’s Scripture says we form one body and belong to all the others. We are individuals, but one in Christ. We are unique, but united. Just as each part of the body has different functions, God gives you and me different gifts for service. Now don’t confuse gifts with talents. The Bible is not talking about talents here. Talents and gifts are different. Talents are present before you become a Christian; gifts are given once you become a Christian. Gifts are meant to serve the body of Christ, and when a person becomes a Christian, they bring their talents with them which can be used along with their gifts. Now we don’t choose our gifts. We are the bride of Christ, but we can’t go to the bridal store and pre-order our gifts. The Greek word for Gifts is a rendering of the word charisma, which at its root means charis, or grace. Therefore a spiritual gift is a Gift of Grace. Now it’s our human nature to want to classify things in order of most important to least important. People tend to put a hierarchy on things, especially things they’re good at. People can easily place more importance in some gifts than others. For example, let's look at the body again. The heart is very important, but so are the valves that make-up your heart. The heart is important, but so is your foot. Remember, we are all one in Christ, and all of us have certain gifts that directly relates to the body as a whole. One gift is no more important than the other. Since God is the One who gives the gifts, He is also the one who gets the glory for their use. Sadly though, some people think they are God’s gift to the church. But renewing your mind results in sober judgment, with the understanding that we cannot do it all. A heart cannot be a foot, and a heart cannot work without the valves. God gives everyone different gifts because while we are one in Christ, we are also individuals. As individuals, God knows what we need. I mean think of Christmas. Now wouldn’t it be weird, but funny, if a dad gave each of his kids a Barbie for a gift, especially if two of his kids were boys and one of them was practically an adult? That’s why the Bible says in verse 6, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.” When the Bible says, “according to the grace given to each of us,” it’s connected to pride. Every Christian is saved by grace. As the apostle Peter says in Acts 10:34, “God shows no favoritism.” So what Paul is trying to teach us is that the use of your gifts is in relation to your pride. When someone humbly uses their grace gifts, the impact of their gifts increases. Remember God gets the glory. So if someone is using their grace gifts and directs all glory to themselves, then what’s the chance of God bestowing more gifts there way? The rest of today’s Scripture reveals 7 gifts. Prophesying is to speak God’s truth. The office of prophet had two functions; fore-telling and forth-telling. Fore-telling is addressing the future. Forth-telling is speaking God’s truth in the present and warning of judgment to come. Today, those with the gift of prophecy don’t fore-tell the future, but forth-tell the present. As you look over the rest of the gifts, ask yourself if you have any of these gifts. You may have only one, or you may have many. Do you serve with grace? Can you diligently teach others the Bible? Are you an agent of encouragement for those who are discouraged, weak, or hurting? Do you sacrificially give joyfully? Can you lead others? Do you show mercy toward the suffering? And don’t think that these gifts are listed in order of importance. For it might seem that the gift of prophet is of higher importance, but remember, you owe your very salvation because Christ showed you mercy! Pray to receive and to use grace gifts. The Bible lists more grace gifts than what we discussed today. So I encourage you to spend some time, open your Bibles, and find out more about what God has to say about gifts. You make up the church, so use your gifts to serve the church, to enhance the body of Christ, and to move the church forward. Last week we learned what the Bible said about “true and proper worship,” and now we can see that worship must lead to service, and service is only possible because of God’s grace gifts. Alter Call – AMEN! Let’s imagine a group of people are assembled in a room because they have decided to start a new church. They are discussing the question, “What is the most important thing to have in the church?” One person says, “I think what we need is in-depth Bible studies.” What gift does that person have? Teaching. Somebody else says, “What we need are generous programs of financial assistance to missionaries and other ministries.” What gift would that be? That person has the gift of giving. Somebody else says, “What we need are well-prepared sermons exposing sin, proclaiming righteousness, and warning of judgment to come.” What gift is that? Prophecy. Somebody else says, “What we need in our church is practical assistance to people in the church and the community who have needs.” That is the gift of serving. Somebody else says, “We need to offer personal counsel and encouragement to members, assisting them in applying Scripture to their daily lives.” What would that gift be? Encouragement. Somebody else says, “What our church really needs is to be a smooth-running organization so that every aspect of the church will be carried out decently and in order.” What gift is that? Leadership. Finally, somebody says, “What we need is special outreach and concern for the feelings of individuals and the readiness to meet their emotional needs.” What gift is that? Mercy. Lord, You are the God of all comfort, the Father of mercies. And when the righteous cry out, we know that You hear our plea. You are a present help because you are always and forever present in us. You strengthen and uphold us with Your righteous right hand and lead us from fear to peace because You are not the author of confusion but of peace. Lord I pray that you comfort us so we can, in turn, comfort those who are going through trials. Let us cast our burden upon You Lord and teach us in the way we should go.