Your spiritual gift is not for you

1 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

3 For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. 4 For as we have many parts in one body, but all the parts do not have the same function, 5 in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. 6 According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith; 7 if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; 8 or exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.

Romans 12:1-8

Your spiritual gift is not for you. The world would have you add your gifts to your resume. For your reputation. Or have you use them for your personal fulfilment. But, God’s Word says otherwise.

God gives gifts so we can serve others.

This morning, the Apostle Paul shows us the way. Let the cross humble you and the resurrection empower you to serve Christ’s body. We will see this in three parts. A humble mind. A united body. Helping hands.

Where does this life of service begin? Not with busy hands. But with a humble mind.

Humble mind

Don’t think too much of yourself. Instead, be honest about who you really are, empowered by the faith God has given you.

3 For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.

Don’t think too much of yourself. This is the first fruit of Romans 12:1-2’s renewed mind. But how is this possible? For sinners like us? We fall so naturally into the trap of pride. This seems impossible for us. This is impossible. In your own strength.

But in steps God’s grace. He provides what we need to live by what He commands. He supplies according to His demands. Our text says, God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. This is your hope. God gives you the faith necessary as a gift. Faith becomes your divine lens. Faith serves as your supernatural ability to see reality as God sees reality. Faith is the gift that makes His commands possible.

Now you can be honest about who you really are. Now you can think sensibly. Soberly. Here is the antidote to your pride. Not self-hatred. Not self-exaltation. Sober judgment. Sober judgment that can answer eternal questions. Who are you before God? You are the creature. He is the Creator. Who are you before God’s holiness? You are the sinner. He is the Saviour. The key to crushing your pride lies in being honest about who you really are.

Pride must be rejected. This is no small thing. This was Satan’s original sin. I will make myself like the Most High (Isaiah 14:12-15). This was Adam’s original sin. You will be like God (Genesis 3:5). This is our common sin. Every argument you must win. All the credit you must claim. The self you must promote. This is what alienates you from God. Isolates you from others. Makes true community impossible.

So use the gift. Point your measure of faith at the cross of Christ. The cross reveals your true state. You are far more sinful and flawed than you ever dared believe. A rebel in need of a rescuer. The cross reveals your true worth. But you are also far more loved and valued than you ever dared hope. God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). A humble mind holds onto these two truths. I am deeply broken. And I am profoundly loved.

So, don’t think too much of yourself. Instead, be honest about who you really are, empowered by the faith God has given you. This is the cross humbling you. Crushing your pride. Freeing you from yourself.

And a man freed from himself is a man freed for others. A humbled heart is not an isolated heart. It is a prepared heart. Where does a man, humbled by the cross, belong? He belongs in a body. He needs a body. Just as a body has many different parts working together, so we are one body, and need each other.

United body

Just as a body has many different parts working together, so we are one body, and need each other.

4 For as we have many parts in one body, but all the parts do not have the same function, 5 in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.

About six months ago, I broke a bone in my foot. Even after an operation, my big toe wouldn’t move. My body was affected. A few months ago, I lost my balance and fell, twisting my ankle. I needed physio. To help my big toe heal. The body is a single unit. We need every part. The ear for hearing. The eye for sight. The thumb for grip. Diversity is God’s design for function.

Now hear God’s Word. In the same way, we who are many are one body in Christ. You are part of this body at Benoni Baptist Church. You were grafted in when you became a member. We are individually members of one another. Your life is now tethered to every other life in this room. The body is God’s master metaphor for His church. One body. Many parts. Diverse in function. United in essence.

Pride is like cancer to the body metaphor. The first church in Rome was divided by race. Jew and Gentile. Different cultures. Different traditions. And they pridefully looked down on each other. They argued. Their pride was killing the body. Paul’s words here are emergency surgery. Don’t think too much of yourself. We are one body, and we need each other.

Has anything changed in 2,000 years? Pride still divides. Pride still makes us think we are too important to serve. Or that the role we’ve been asked to serve in is too small. Pride still makes us critical of other parts. Pride is still the great destroyer of local church unity. Pride must be rejected.

Listen to what happens when a body works together. Right here. We have over 125 people serving. Each month at our Sunday morning service at Benoni Baptist Church. And we need more. More voices for the choir. More hands for the tech desk. More mature saints to teach Sunday school. More strong saints to set up chairs. We need the visible parts. Like preachers. And elders. We need the unseen parts. Like counters. And prayer warriors. This is a portrait of a living body. A healthy body. Every role matters. From serving tea to preaching the Word. Every function is necessary for the whole body to thrive.

So, just as a body has many different parts working together, so we are one body, and need each other. Reject your pride. It has no place here. You are not an independent agent. You are a member of Christ’s body.

A body is for action. So what does a humble body do? A united body serves. So, because of the grace God has given you, serve one another using your spiritual gift for the common good.

Helping hands

So, because of the grace God has given you, serve one another using your spiritual gift for the common good.

6 According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith; 7 if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; 8 or exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.

A mind humbled by the cross. A body united in Christ. What remains? Our church served according to grace. Paul brings his argument to its practical conclusion. According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts. So, because of the grace God has given you, serve one another using your spiritual gift for the common good.

What empowers this service? Grace. The text is clear. According to the grace given to us. This is an invitation to use the power God supplies. This grace brings spiritual gifts. Spirit-empowered abilities. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. No one is left giftless. Everyone gets something.

These gifts are diverse. Gifts are listed in Romans 12. In 1 Corinthians 12. In Ephesians 4. In 1 Peter 4. Each list is different. The lists are not exhaustive. They are illustrative. The Spirit’s gifts are as unique as the people He creates.

Consider the gifts Paul names here. Some gifts speak to the body. Prophecy, teaching, and exhortation. Some gifts support the body. Service, giving, and mercy. And some gifts steer the body. Leadership. Each one a necessary function. Each one is a tangible act of service.

How then do you find your gift? By using it. Start serving. The needs of Benoni Baptist Church are a call from God. Try different things. Your gift often appears where your passion meets your effectiveness. Pray for insight. Ask God to show you how He made you. Ask for open doors. Look for fruit. Look for confirmation. Where does your service build others up? What do mature saints see in you? The body’s affirmation is a crucial sign.

This act of service is the final rejection of pride. Pride demands a platform. Grace takes up a towel. Pride seeks a title. Grace finds a need. Pride withholds its gift. The body weakens. Grace employs its gift. The body thrives.

Your spiritual gift is not for you. The humble mind knows this. The united body needs this. Now your hands must do this. This is the resurrection power of Christ. It flows through a humble mind. It flows through a united body. It flows through helping hands.

And this vibrant picture of service, a humble mind, a united body, active hands, is the gospel of Jesus Christ on display.

Connect to the gospel

Romans 12:3-8 is the practical outworking of the gospel. It is the necessary result of Romans 1-11. The death and resurrection of Christ are not mere facts to be acknowledged. They are a message that is to be obeyed.

The cross humbles you. The cross kills your pride. The cross leaves no ground for boasting. You are more broken than you knew. More loved than you dreamed. Then the cross unites you. Your identity is now bound to Christ. And to every other believer in Christ. You are members of one another. The empty tomb empowers you. It fuels your service. To refuse to serve is to reject the resurrection’s power.

The cross forges a humble mind. The cross creates a united body. The resurrection empowers helping hands. So, let the cross humble you and the resurrection empower you to serve Christ’s body.

Application for believers

I want you to feel the cost of your reluctance. That service you avoid. That gift you withhold. That need you ignore. See it for what it is. It is preferring your own comfort to the Spirit’s prodding. It is a return to pride.

So, act. Identify a practical way you will serve in this local body. A role. A task. A need. A practical way to use, or discover, the spiritual gift God has given you. Speak. Support. Steer. Start. You’ve been humbled by the cross. And empowered by the resurrection. Now, join in and help, for your own enjoyment and God’s glory.

Application for unbelievers

I want you to feel the conviction of your pride. Pride is not a personality trait. It is a rebellion. It has alienated you from God. It has isolated you from the spiritual body He created. You have become a disconnected part. A toe severed from the body. A finger lying on the ground. You are dying. You know it.

Your pride condemns you. But Christ’s cross offers you forgiveness for that very pride. He was condemned in your place. The verdict you deserve fell on Him. Your isolation kills you. But Christ’s resurrection offers you new life as part of His body. He rose to graft rebels into a family. To make strangers members of one another.

This is your moment. Right now. The Spirit of God is pressing this truth upon you. Will you continue in your pride? It leads only to death. Eternal death. Or will you come to Christ? Look to Him. See your Saviour on that cross. See your King out of that tomb.

Come to Jesus. Repent of your pride. Trust in His finished work. Be forgiven. Be made new. By His resurrection, be grafted into His body. Today. Do not delay. Come to Jesus.

Conclusion

We return now to where we began. Your spiritual gift is not for you. Not for your resume. Not for your reputation. Not for your personal fulfilment.

God gives gifts so we can serve others.

My argument to you this morning has been this. Let the cross humble you and the resurrection empower you to serve Christ’s body.

The cross forges the humble mind. It executes your pride. It reveals your true state. Deeply broken. Profoundly loved. The cross creates the united body. It binds you to Christ. And to one another. The resurrection empowers the helping hands. It fuels your service. It distributes the gifts. It is the power that brings Benoni Baptist Church to life.

So, let the cross do its work in you. Let the resurrection do its work through you. Do not think too much of yourself. You belong to a body. So serve one another. This is the gospel life. This is our calling.

Amen.