8/11/24 “It’s Your Serve”
“It’s Your Serve”
Romans 12:3-8
As many of you know, the 2024 Olympics in Paris are just wrapping up this weekend.
The global Television audience for the Olympics since the turn of the century has held steady at around 3 billion viewers worldwide…
3 billion…To give that number some context, the next time you walk into Kwik Trip look straight ahead and you will see a table with stacked glazers on it – that’s about 3 billion….it’s a huge number.
Well, because I’m sort of a tennis fan, there was one story from these Olympics that I was somewhat interested in – and that was regarding tennis player Novak Djokovic.
Many people in the tennis world will tell you that Novak Djokovic is the greatest tennis player of all time.
The Serbian-born athlete has been ranked #1 in the world for a record 428 weeks over a 13 year span….
…and – despite his “advanced age” of 37, he is currently ranked as the #2 player in the world.
He has won a record 99 singles titles, including a record 24 Grand Slam titles…BUT he had never won an Olympic Gold Medal – until last Sunday when he defeated Spain’s Carlos Alcarez in straight sets
…After all those years, Djokovic could finally add ‘Olympic Champion’ to his incredible list of achievements.
One thing I’ve always appreciated about the game of tennis has to do with the scoring system…
Both players start at zero points – and in the game of tennis – zero is referred to as ‘Love’
So, the beginning of each game (within a set) starts at “Love-Love” (zero-zero)
…and after it is announced that you have “love” to start the game – you ‘serve’ the ball to your opponent.
What a nice illustration of the Christian life.
We must begin with love in our hearts (For God) before we are truly able to serve our fellow man…something that I am always reminded of when I play a game of tennis.
In today’s passage, Paul turns to the topic of serving one other…
Specifically – serving one another in the church (In the body) with the gifts that Holy Spirit been given us.
Now…before we can effectively serve the body with our gifts, we must first have the proper foundational attitude in place…
…And that is the attitude of humility.
If you were to ask me: “What is the most essential characteristic of being a follower of Jesus Christ – I would say…humility.”
Paul says in verse 3 (Romans 12:3) of our passage for today: “…Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”
Paul says we are to think of ourselves with ‘Sober Judgment’
To be sober means to understand things as they truly are - without our thoughts being influenced by external factors
…To be sober is to have the ability to see the reality of a situation.
Scripture says we are to see ourselves from a biblical perspective – a perspective that reminds us that we are sinners saved by grace…
For the believer – then - arrogance and pride can have no place in our lives.
Paul says in Galatians 6:3 “If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”
And Peter describes how God views humility and pride in 1 Peter 5:5 “…All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Last Thursday when the Olympic athletes for the men’s 200m final were being introduced, sprinter Noah Lyles of the USA flamboyantly ran out of the hallway jumping and gyrating…. wanting to draw as much attention to himself as possible.
…this after much trash-talking before the race about how he was going to completely destroy his competition.
Meanwhile, the runner from Botswana calmly walks out of the tunnel when he is introduced– takes his place in the blocks – and exactly 19.4 seconds after the gun goes off is crowned Olympic champion of the men’s 200m.
…No fanfare. No trash talking. No grandstanding….
It was a gold-medal performance characterized by humility and grace.
The sober reality of the situation is that if you harbor a spirit of selfish pride, God cannot use you…
But if you humbly submit to following Jesus with your entire self….then he can - and will - use you in a mighty way!
In our sinful, fleshly humanness, nothing eternal can be produced – but by the power of the Spirit manifested in a humble heart, God can use us to help expand his kingdom.
To put it another way, humility is the proper understanding of our lowly position before a holy God.
In the remainder of this morning’s passage, Paul now turns his attention to the subject of spiritual gifts –
…And how every single believer is bestowed with a measure of spiritual giftedness..
…these gifts from the Holy Spirit are to be used within the local church to maintain a healthy and effective impact for Jesus.
When discussing spiritual gifts, Paul likens the situation to our human bodies which are made up of separate parts and organs
…But which all work together with the unified goal of maintaining health and well-being.
Look with me at verse 4&5 (Romans 12:4-5) “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 who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
I love how Paul uses the human body to illustrate the interdependence of believers within the local church.
The human body is absolutely amazing, isn’t it? – it is God’s crowning achievement of creation – at least here on this earth.
Here’s just a few facts about the human body:
The nose can detect over 10,000 aromas….
The average tongue has over 8,000 different taste buds on that little piece of muscle…
The liver filters enough blood in one year to fill 23 milk trucks…
The brain has over 10 billion nerve cells…again, that’s more than a stack of Kwik Trip glazers!
There are 60 trillion cells in the entire body – with each one of them containing a customized DNA blueprint of everything that makes you – you.
And all of these cells in the body are carefully & administratively organized to perform specific functions.
(Now…I find this next human body fact to be completely out of this world) The combined blood vessels in our bodies – if you pulled out every blood vessel in your body and laid them end to end – they would circle the globe 2.5 times!!!
The human body is amazing…and just as amazing is how God designed the church to work by providing individuals with supernatural gifts meant to be used for the overall mission of the gospel.
Just as the body is made up of individual parts, the church is made up of individuals with various combinations of gifts – all designed to be interdependent with one another.
Sounds like an athletic team, doesn’t it?
When I was writing this sermon on Thursday, the USA basketball team was on tv playing against the Serbian national team.
When team USA began practicing against various opponents a few weeks ago, they struggled against teams that were clearly inferior on a talent basis –
…they struggled because the all-star players were unfamiliar with each other, they hadn’t yet found their specific role on the team.
..They were all extremely gifted, but they hadn’t yet figured out how to utilize their specific gifts in a way that would make the team as effective & efficient as possible.
Once they settled into their individual roles with each player knowing how best to use their particular gifts - they began to have much more success.
This is an example of diversity working in unity.
Paul states in verse 6 (Romans 12:6) that “We have different gifts according to the grace given us….”
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have been supernaturally empowered with at least one spiritual gift to use specifically for the health and well-being of the church body to which you belong.
In other words, when you gave your life to Jesus, the Holy Spirit gave you a unique combination of gifts to glorify God and to serve the church body…
This is why it is vitally important for all of us to spend quality time with each other…this is why its important for you to be here this morning.
When believers get together, there is a supernatural dynamic of service involved that does not happen outside of the church…
When we all utilize our gifts as God intends us to use them, The Holy Spirit administers them in such a way as to ensure a healthy, effective body of believers.
With many of us experiencing one specific gift being noticeably more apparent than the others.
Has anyone seen the movie “The Boys in the Boat”?
It’s a true story about the USA rowing team that competed in the 1936 Olympics.
One of the central themes of the movie is how each rower needed to position themselves in a seat on the boat that would match up with their specific abilities.
...if a rower was not sitting in the exact seat that best complimented his natural talent – the entire team suffered for it.
Likewise, this is exactly what we see regarding the exercising of spiritual gifts within the church.
When we are all sitting in the correct seat of service within the church, the entire body becomes an efficient and effective organism of evangelism to the lost, of edification to each other, and of glorification unto our heavenly Father.
…but its all dependent upon each of us understanding what seat best fits our gifts – or to use yet another Olympics analogy – we each need to swim in our own lane.
In the final 3 verses of our passage for today, Paul goes through a list of specific gifts that the Holy Spirit bestows upon believers.
Now…It’s important to know that this list is not exhaustive…
There are other gifts not included in these 3 verses that Paul mentions elsewhere in scripture.
The books of 1 Corinthians and Ephesians list other spiritual gifts that we need to be aware of – but for our remaining time today – We’ll just be looking at the gifts specifically mentioned here in Romans 12.
The first gift Paul mentions in verse 6 (Romans 12:6) is the gift of prophecy.
First of all, It’s important to understand that this gift does not describe the office of prophet that we see in the Olt Testament with people like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.
These men were entrusted with a unique task of conveying information from God to the Israelites having to do with the foretelling of future events.
We think of Isaiah’s foretelling of the suffering of Jesus in Isaiah chapter 53, or Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy in chapter 9 of his book.
The prophecy of which Paul speaks of here in our passage for today does not involve the component of disclosing futuristic events.
The Greek word for prophecy (propheteia) has the literal meaning of ‘speaking forth’, with no connection to prediction or any kind of supernatural mysticism.
The gift of prophecy – then – is simply the gift of preaching.
It’s the gift of bringing forth God’s written Word in a clear and understandable way so as to build up the body of believers in faith and deed.
In 1 Corinthians 14:3 Paul says, “But everyone who prophecies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement, and comfort,”
In the words of John MacArthur, “The gift of prophecy is the gift of being God’s public spokesman, primarily to God’s own people – to instruct, admonish, warn, rebuke, correct, challenge, comfort, and encourage.
The second gift mentioned by Paul here in verse 7 (Romans 12:7) is the gift of serving.
The Greek word for service is ‘diakonia’ – from which we get our word ‘deacon’ or ‘deaconess’….defined as ‘those who serve.’
The deacons and deaconesses here at LaValle Advent Christian Church have been voted into those offices by the membership because they have exemplified the spiritual gift of service.
The office of deacon – or deaconess – carries with it the idea of caring for the physical needs of those within the congregation, as opposed to the spiritual needs of the body, which is more in line with the biblical office of elder, shepherd, or pastor.
When it comes to exercising the gift of service, you don’t have to hold an official office in the church…
In fact, some of the most effective ‘servers’ in the church never held an official title.
The third spiritual gift mentioned in verse 7 (Romans 12:7) is that of teaching.
This one is pretty straightforward.
God has gifted certain individuals with the ability to clearly present God’s Word to others in an academic setting…all the way from Seminary to Sunday School.
You don’t have to have a title or degree after your name to be an effective teacher of God’s truth…
The best Snday School teacher I ever had was a woman named Donna Dickie.
Donna was a farmer’s wife who never went to bible college, but she had the gift of teaching and explaining God’s Word – and she used that gift for many decades in the service of her savior.
I know that some of you here this morning also have that same gift of teaching and one of my goals for the future is to find ways in which you can use that gift to a greater degree here at our church.
The fourth spiritual gift mentioned in verse 8 (Romans 12:8) is that of encouraging.
Some of your bible translations may refer to this gift as exhortation.
Encouraging (Or exhorting) has the general meaning of advising, pleading, encouraging, warning, strengthening, and comforting.
I marvel at the way some of you have the ability to come alongside of someone who is hurting and you just naturally know what to say – and how to say it – in order to convey God’s peace and comfort to that individual.
I do not naturally have this gift – exhortation is something that I have to ask God to help me with on a daily basis…especially serving in a ministerial capacity!
Even though we are all called to encourage each other…. some of you naturally have the spiritual ability to put others at ease…and that is such a beautiful thing!!
The writer of Hebrews tells us all to “…Encourage one another – and all the more as you see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25)
My mom comes to mind as someone who God has gifted with the ability to comfort others. She intuitively understands how others are feeling – and has the God-given ability to bring hope in times of sorrow.
…and many of you here this morning have also been given this gift of the Holy Spirit – if so…Use It!...It is needed in the church now more than ever!
The fifth spiritual gift that Paul mentions in verse 8 (Romans 12:8) is that of contributing to the needs of others.
The Greek word for giftedness (Metadidomi) that Paul uses here carries with it the idea of sharing and imparting that which is one’s own….it is giving sacrificially of oneself.
The Christian who gives wholeheartedly gives of himself – not for himself.
He or she does not give for thanks or recognition – but only for the sake of the one who receives their help…and for the glory of the Lord.
As with many spiritual gifts, we are all called to be sacrificially benevolent in our lives – but some people have been specially gifted with the ability to give of their time, money, and resources for the benefit of others.
Our church is blessed to have an abundance of people with this gift of giving.
As you know, I hardly ever mention the need for financial resources for the church or for specific individuals within the church – and yet so many of you continue to give in abundance…and not just financially, but in many other ways as well.
If this is you – keep it up! Keep giving, because as you know, the more you give to others…the more God gives back to you!
The sixth spiritual gift mentioned in verse 8 (Romans 12:8) is leadership.
The root word that Paul uses for leadership carries with it the idea of leadership in the family and church, as opposed to civic, public, or governmental leadership.
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul refers to this same gift with the term ‘Administrations.’
In the book of Acts it is used to refer to someone who pilots – or steers – a ship.
It is the point person, the individual in charge…
To infer the famous quote by Harry Truman…it is with whom the buck stops.
Some of you are naturally gifted at administrative leadership.
Some of us are not naturally gifted in this area – and we need to seek God’s strength to be effective in leadership on a daily basis.
Paul also tells leaders to govern diligently.
This means those who have been gifted in this area need to lead with earnestness, zeal, and haste…procrastination is NOT found in a good leader.
The seventh – and final – spiritual gift mentioned in this particular list, is that of showing mercy.
(Eleeo) The Greek word for ‘showing mercy’ carries with it two ideas.
The first is that of demonstrating sympathy for someone else..
The second idea is that of having the necessary resources to successfully comfort and strengthen that person.
The Christian who has been specially gifted to show mercy has the innate ability to sense suffering & sorrow in other people…to recognize misery & distress in their fellow man.
Many believers – including my wife and others of you here this morning – who work in the healthcare industry…
…They do so because their occupation lines up with a major component of their spiritual giftedness.
I often tell people that it takes a special person to work in healthcare – and for the believer – that special attribute is part of their God-given giftedness.
So, in conclusion, all of us have been gifted with a unique and perfect composition of gifts in order to humbly carry out our part within the body to ensure the health and effectiveness of the Church.
If you are a hand – fulfill your role to the best of your abilities.
If you are an ear – fulfill your role to the best of your abilities.
If you are a lung - fulfill your role to the best of your abilities.
When we all work together as God providentially designed us to – we will have the privilege of seeing the almighty God of the universe work through our efforts…and THAT…is something we should all desire to see!
Let’s Pray.