We're going to finish up what we started last week, Romans 12, verses 3-8. For by the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function. So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them, if prophecy in proportion to our faith, if service in our serving, the one who teaches in his teaching, the one who exhorts in his exhortation, the one who contributes in generosity, the one who leads with zeal, and the one who does acts of mercy with cheerfulness.

Let's pray. Gracious and loving Father, we want to thank you. We thank you for the brothers and sisters that you've placed around us to love, to serve, to give, to run this race together. Open our eyes to see your grace and your gift, not only of salvation, but the various gifts that you've given throughout the church, Lord God, that we may use it to worship you, to honor you, to glorify and build up the church together.

We pray for wisdom. We pray for open ears, softened hearts, that your word would have its effect on us. We thank you in Jesus' name we pray, amen. Alright, so last week we were going over the three essential qualities of what brings the church together. We call it the BALT, and the first part of it is our unity in Christ is first and foremost based upon our belief that Christ is the head of the church.

And so our unity is not uniformity where we just kind of look like each other, we sound like each other, and we do certain things similar. And so we're not bound together superficially, but what ultimately binds us together is our commitment to Christ. And again, the beauty of the church is we have people from all walks of life, different backgrounds, different ages, that we share the common faith in Christ, which binds us.

That's the B part of it, the belief. And as a result of that, it's given that we understand that if we are the body of Christ and God created us to be interconnected, that there would be practice of love. That Jesus said that the greatest quality of his disciples ought to be the love that he practiced on us, so therefore we practice that on each other.

So the greatest pursuit of any Christian is to be more loving, in particular to the brothers and sisters within the church, it's priority. And then the third part, we talk about task, the actual application of what it means to be a body of Christ, why he places us in the body of Christ.

If you read the scriptures, you'll find various different metaphors that describe the church, how we are the sheep, or we are the bride of Christ, or the temple, and all of these different things are accentuating certain qualities of the church. But when the scripture calls us the body of Christ, it is a given understanding that Christ as the head, we as the body, is the physical manifestation of what God desires to do through the church.

And that's why he calls us the body. He's the head who instructs us, teaches us, motivates us, and empowers us, and for his body, whether we are the hand or the feet or the eyes or the tongue, whatever it may be, that we would actually go and do what God calls us to do.

He uses us for his purpose. And again, these passages are not new to us, but in 1 Timothy 3.15, he says, "The church is the pillar and foundation of the truth." So the primary avenue in which he desires to disseminate the truth of God, the gospel message, is through the church.

It wasn't simply through individuals, it wasn't through a mission organization, it was primarily through the church. Ephesians 3.10-11, "So that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known manifest to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord." So his primary purpose of bringing salvation to the world and the avenue in which he chooses to do that through is through his church.

In particular, the local church, the local gathering of believers. So in his wisdom, he has called us together to function together as we are using our gifts to build up the body of Christ, and as the body of Christ is being built, God uses that to, again, to disseminate his truth in the gospel to the world.

The church functions as his physical presence on earth. The church functions for that purpose. And again, that's what it means when he is the body of Christ. But we need to be very careful that we don't allow the principles that you and I grow up in in the secular world and to bring that into the church.

We have to be careful that the way that we build the church, not just the goal, but the means in which we build the church is also kingdom-minded. Again, so this morning, what I want to focus on is what Paul is saying here, verses 3-8, and again, what he really has been saying is what is the nature of the church?

He said in verse 1, to considering the mercy of God, to present our body as a living sacrifice, and again, this is your logical, reasonable act of worship. And then in chapter, in verse 2, he goes into the application of that, not to be conformed to this world, but be transformed in our thinking, in our mind, that we may be able to participate and understand His will.

And then the application of what he says in verse 1 and 2, specifically, he says to use the gifts that we have to build up the body of Christ. So the first application of our act of worship is to use the gift that God has given us to build up the church.

Not like the world, not to be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed. So the way that we build the church must also be Christ-centered, must also be biblical. So this morning, what I want to look at is the three principles that I believe that he teaches that ought to look very different than the world that you and I live in.

Why this kingdom that he is trying to build, his physical manifestation of his kingdom, must look different than the kingdom that you and I kind of live in, right? Number one, God distributed the gifts so that we would not boast. God distributed the gifts so that we would not boast.

In verse 3, Paul says, "I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think." In other words, don't be puffed up. But to think with sober judgment. We talked about that last week, that not being puffed up with sober judgment doesn't mean to say, "Oh, woe is me.

I'm nothing. I'm worthless." Instead, to see through God's perspective what he is doing. So the very first thing that he says that we need to understand that each has been given according to the measure that God has given to him. So the first thing that he tells us is that in the way that we practice our gifts, that we are not to be puffed up, but recognize that whatever it is that you have, God has given it to you as a gift in his grace.

That in and of itself, right off the bat, flies against everything that we are taught. Ever since we are young, we're little, we're taught self-preservation. Why do we need to study? To get better grades. Why do you need to get better grades? So you can go to a better school.

Why do you need to get a better school? So you can get a better job. Why do you need to get a better job? So you can have a better life. And so everything that we're doing, everything that we have been taught, everything that if we're not careful that we teach our children, falls right in line with the principles that we are taught in this world.

And if you want to get a good job, if you've ever sat through coaching of how to have a good interview, one of the key things that they'll tell you is you have to learn how to sell yourself. So they'll tell you, why should we hire you? You never go in there and say, I'm no good, I'm not gifted in anything, I don't work well with people, you know what I mean?

When it's complicated, I don't understand. It's like, oh, this is the guy we're looking for, right? You don't do that. You go in there, you have to sell yourself. I have this degree, I was a valedictorian, and I have this background, and these are my results, and here's my resume, and then you get references, and the references also hype you up and say, this is good, you've got to hire this guy, your company's going to ruin if you don't hire him.

So everything that we do, we have to sell ourselves for self-preservation, to tell people that we're worthwhile and we're useful, and if you use me, and if you pick me, that it's going to benefit your company. So everything that we are taught and that we pursue in this world is ultimately self-preservation and self-glory.

But the very essence of the gospel, the very beginning of our salvation is when we are confronted by the holiness of God. It humbles us, and it causes us to realize that I'm a sinner, worthy of destruction and judgment. And so, until we humble ourselves and we repent of all of our thinking and all of our actions, we are not saved.

But the problem that, if we're not careful, that we run into is we are saved when we, we are justified when we humble ourselves, but for whatever the reason, we put on the same type of thinking in the world when it comes to sanctification. That if we try hard and if we achieve, and if you read your scripture, and if you do this, and if you make so many disciples and plant the church and you grow a certain amount, and we have this same type of mentality that we are taught in the world, and we bring it into the church, and if you look at the church history, church has been corrupted throughout church.

It's a record of corruption of people who are very smart and gifted, who are very talented and articulate, who knew the scriptures and utilize it for their own glory, and they ruined the church. It is not just justification where he calls us to humble ourselves and empty ourselves. It is also our sanctification.

So the very first step of actually serving God, he says, "The gift that you have received, you have been given to you." It has been given to you. In fact, the Greek word for the word "gift" is "charismata," and the word for "grace" is "charis." So the root word for "gift" and "grace" is the same word.

So by very nature, to say that you've been gifted is to recognize that it was given to you. It's a gift. It's a gift. It's a gift. So whenever we talk about spiritual gifts, we automatically think of the supernatural gifts, the sign gifts, whether it's prophecy or healing, whatever it is.

But the word "gift" is a very broad term, not specifying any particular gift. But sometimes we may think, "Well, I'm not gifted," or it almost seems arrogant to say, "I am gifted." It sounds arrogant to say, "Oh, I'm gifted." I'm gifted. You are gifted. You should be in the character of saying that because the very essence of the biblical understanding of giftedness is that God gave grace to you.

He gave it to you. Now, some of you, or a lot of us, have certain personality traits, and you think, "Oh, that's not a gift from God." No, that itself is a gift from God. Our very life was given to us as a gift. So the fact that you woke up this morning is a gift.

Whatever it is that God has made you, however He made you, ultimately was not a mistake. God made you as a female, that was a gift to you. God made you as a male, that was a gift to you. And so the very first thing that He tells us is, "This was given to you as a gift." So that we would not become proud, Ephesians 4:7, it says, "But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift." Again, 1 Corinthians 4:7, "For who sees anything different in you?

What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?" He's talking to, again, a church that's divided because they were saying, "You know what? I think this guy's smarter. I think this guy's a better speaker.

I think this guy..." And then they were just kind of starting to get divided, and He said, "This division is coming because you don't recognize that whatever it is that you have, it was given to you as a gift." So to become proud of whatever gift that we have, whatever that we may be good at, is no different than somebody going around and, you know, you give $100 and somebody won $80 and somebody won $20, and the guy who got $100 and say, "Ooh, I got $100.

What's wrong with you? How come you only have $80? How come you only have $20?" It's just as ridiculous if we recognize whatever it is that you have was a gift that was given to you. The very first thing that He makes sure is that we do not boast, that we do not think of ourselves higher than what God has done.

And there's a reason why He says in Ephesians 2.8.9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not your doing. You didn't do this. It was a gift given to you. It was charismata that was given to you, not as a result of work, so that..." For what purpose?

"So that no one may boast." It's almost as if, if you read the Scriptures, that God is specifically concerned about pride. Now, there's a lot of things that He's concerned about, but if you read the Scriptures carefully, that one particular thing about pride, He seems to hone in on on target and He pounds it every time He gets an opportunity that you do not become proud.

Salvation was given to you by grace, not by works, so that you do not boast. Romans 3.27, "If salvation is by faith alone, what becomes of boasting?" Paul says, "It is excluded." There is no boasting in our salvation. There's nothing to boast of. Romans 4.2, "For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God." There is no boasting.

Paul repeats over and over again that in our salvation, there is no boasting. There is no boasting. There is no boasting. And then he says in 1 Corinthians 1.26-31, he's talking to a church who's divided, and he reminds them, "For consider your calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards.

Not many were powerful. Not many were noble birth, but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise." His whole method of salvation downfounds the principles of the world. That's why even the Pharisees could not understand, "Why would you choose a tax collector? Why would you choose fishermen who know nothing of the Torah?

Why would you choose these men, these zealots?" If you look at the character of these 12 men, it flies against every principle in the world. And he says he deliberately did that. It was not by accident. It wasn't because he couldn't find good men among the Pharisees. He deliberately chose what they considered to be weak because that's exactly what he was challenging, the worldly system of self-preservation and self-glorification that brought destruction and judgment upon mankind.

He was challenging that system. In everything that he did was to reverse that. He deliberately chose what was weak. He deliberately chose what was foolish to dumbfound the wise. God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing that things that are, things that are honored, things that we covet, things that we pursue, so that he can physically demonstrate all of that is rubbish in the presence of God.

So that no human being might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made. He is our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." He made it so that in our salvation, that if there's any boasting, the only boasting that we can have is Christ crucified.

We can't point to our church. We can't point to certain leadership. We can't point to certain systems, certain organization, certain Bible study method or discipleship method, none of that, so that we would not boast and just simply point to the cross. And I believe that the reason why he chose fishermen is because people would be amazed.

Like, how do these fishermen have such authority, would speak with such clarity? Clearly they're not educated. Clearly they're not talented. Clearly they don't have honor. They don't walk into a city to preach the gospel and they're like, "God chose these people? These are the people that God chose?" And he said he did it deliberately.

He did it deliberately because the people who are low would have an easier time pointing to Christ. Because people who were of substance may come and say, "Maybe some of it was me. Good thing that God chose me." The reason why this is the case is 1 John 2, 16, it says, "For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride in possession is not from the Father, but from the world." At the core of what he says in 1 John 2, 16 is that this desire, ultimately it resides in our own pride.

And he said pride is not from the Father. And the reason why he says that, if you look at Genesis chapter 3, 6, the very essence of why Adam and Eve fell, it mimics what John says in 1 John. He says, "For when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of it its fruit and ate." She wanted to become wise.

She wanted to become somebody. She wanted to glorify herself. And as a result of that, sin came in. And it destroyed mankind. It is not just in justification where he humbles us. It is in the beginning of sanctification he also humbles us. In the way that we serve, he says, "It was given to you as a gift, so that no one may boast." So not only do we begin in humility, we continue in humility.

Because it is our desire to make something of ourselves, to be recognized, to become somebody of substance, whether it is outside the church, inside the church, that is ruining us. Every part of what Jesus did in his ministry, even if he came as Caesar, it would be humbling for him.

Because he made Caesar. In a snap of a finger, he could destroy Rome. And he could have demonstrated his power. He could have demonstrated his authority. He is an omnipotent, omnipresent, immutable God. Even if he came as Caesar, it would have been humbling. But why did he come? To a poor young couple, a carpenter, born in a manger.

In fact, when people would come because they recognized that maybe he is the Messiah, they would come, "Hey, can we follow you?" Remember what Jesus said? "Foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." In other words, if you come follow me, you are looking for glory.

I am homeless. If you want to come, follow me. When people wanted to come and they were asking, "When the kingdom comes, if you are the Messiah and you are the king, let me sit on the left or to the right," because they were thinking of glory. They were applying the worldly principle in the kingdom of God and Jesus corrects them.

It is not for me to give that to you. If you want to come follow me, deny yourself and pick up your cross and follow me. There is a reason why he went to the cross. There is a reason why we celebrate the incarnation because it is not simply the cross itself, but everything that led to the cross teaches us that the principle of this world of trying to elevate themselves is at the root of the sin of mankind.

So if we apply that principle in building the church, it will ruin us. So the first thing that he tells us is that, "Do you not know that God has apportioned the gifts according to the measure of faith?" He did it in his wisdom. That's why he says in Philippians 2, 1-5, a church that has been divided because of these two prominent ladies.

He says, "If there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind. Having the same love, being in full accord in one mind, do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." He's saying if you want to build a church, if any of you have been affected by the cross, the application of that ought to be that we would have the same mind of Christ who deliberately humbled himself, became nothing.

And he considered others better than themselves. Isn't the root of contention between husband and wives, between family members, between church, between friends, coworkers, isn't the root of it in many times because we suddenly think we're better. I know better than you. I can do this better than you. I know better than you.

I've learned more than you. I have more experience than you. And he says, "Have the mind of Christ." If Christ's humility has affected you, you should apply that in your life by considering others better. Lower yourself. You're working to higher yourself, you work to lower yourself. See, at the root of salvation is humiliation.

At the root of building the church is also humiliation. And that's why the very first thing is that do you not know that he deliberately made you low for that purpose. It is a gift. Whatever it is that you're gifted in, whatever it is that you can contribute, it was given to you as a gift.

In fact, you know, let's go to the number two because it'll fall on the second one. God humbles us. Secondly, the way he builds the church, God assigned the gift as he saw fit that we would not covet what others have. God assigned the gifts as he saw fit that we would not covet what other people have.

These are obviously interrelated. If you're proud, if you don't recognize that, obviously the next thing would be related if God humbles you that we would not covet what other people have because you recognize that God's the one who gave it to you. He didn't just spread out the gifts and then you went out and took it.

He said no. In his wisdom, in his omniscient, he apportioned to each person according to how he saw fit. In 1 Corinthians 12, 11, all these are empowered by one in the same spirit who apportioned to each one individually as he wills. When we look at our spiritual gifts and then we begin to covet what other people have, say, "You know what?

I don't like the way God made me. I want to be made that way." At the root of that, at the root of that is a rebellion against God. It may seem like humility, but it is not because at the root of it, you're questioning God's sovereignty in your life.

I don't want what God gave me. I want what they have. Any kind of coveting is a rejection of his lordship over our lives. I didn't recognize that when I was a younger Christian when I first came into ministry. I don't want to go into the details, but that's one of the first lessons that I learned coming into ministry because I would automatically think if you gave your life to full-time ministry that you automatically assume, "Well, you've sacrificed everything and now you're ready.

You're emptied." But I realized as I searched my heart, that wasn't the case. I had a very specific design of how I was going to serve God. I remember one of the very first guys that I shared the gospel and became a Christian. His father was furious because obviously he had great plans and then his dad was not a believer.

When he realized that he became a Christian, he was upset. Then later on, he decided to go into seminary. We were having Bible study, he came back with all kinds of scars. Basically he got physically, his dad got really angry and he lost control. He came and he was in tears and he was sharing with me what happened.

I remember him telling me, he said, "All his life he was a goofball. He would ditch school. He was doing drugs. Finally, I commit my life to Christ and I want to serve him and my dad's angry with me." He ended up living with me for a while. Then after a while, his dad realized that he was serious and his dad wanted to have lunch with us.

He took our roommates out. I remember the specific thing that he said to us. He said, "Well, my son becoming a pastor was not my plan, was not my desire. Obviously, that's not what I wanted. But if you're going to be a pastor, be Billy Graham." That's what he said.

If you're going to be a pastor, rule the church basically. Because as a non-Christian, that was his thought. That's not what I really want from you, but if you're going to be, be the best that you can be. Whether you're a Buddhist monk or a priest, whatever you're going to be, be on top.

Obviously, we were all kind of like, "Okay. Thank you for the advice." But how much of that suddenly creeps into the church and in our hearts that even in the context of serving God, there's a part of us that, "I want to glorify God, but I want to glorify God.

It has to be me. I have to do it a certain way." Every part of Jesus's ministry is the warning, the natural nature that you and I have. Because we've been taught this since the day we were born, to make something of yourself. Our parents pushed that on us because that's the world that they grew up in.

And then we tried and certain things we succeeded, and then certain things we failed. And then when we have children, we place it on them. We want them to be successful and we do that to them. Because Jesus recognizes our innate nature is not to submit. Our innate nature is self-preservation, is self-glory.

There's a reason why over and over and over and over, he said, there is no boasting in our salvation. And there is no boasting in our sanctification. There's a reason why the very last image he left with his disciples was him on his knees washing their feet. That was the last image.

It wasn't him at the mountain preaching and teaching. It wasn't him healing and raising Lazarus from the dead. That was not the last picture that he left with his disciples. The last image, deliberate image, lesson that he was trying to teach them, was on his knees. He was on his knees washing their feet and on his knees praying before his father.

That was the last image that he gave to his disciples. Every part of our salvation screams to humble ourselves. First Corinthians 12, 15 to 18, it says, "If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body.

And if the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the same sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?

But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose." And that's the key verse. As he chose. You know, the interesting thing here is in that he says he apportioned it according to faith. Now, there's a debate as to is he talking about the objective faith of the gospel or is he talking about subjective application?

And I don't think it has to be one or the other. Both. He's talking about according to faith, meaning according to the principle of the gospel that we've heard to humble ourselves, but also according to the subjective application of that gospel. Now, let me explain what I mean by that.

When I get challenged, and Esther and I, you know, God created us very differently with different gifts, when I get challenged and say, "Hey, live your life to honor and glorify God. Let's really serve God and be obedient." My natural reaction is to grab my Bible and run to the campus and preach the gospel.

Like that's my natural inclination. So if Esther and I were both convicted by the message and we didn't have a conversation about how we were going to apply this, and we just say, "Yeah, let's go," Esther will immediately grab her apron and run to the kitchen. I'll grab my Bible and run to the campus.

And then we say, "Hey, I thought we were going to serve God." And then she'll look at me and say, "Yeah, where are you going?" Because God created us differently. So when we say like, "How do you apply the love of God?" Oftentimes it's going to look very different.

So I can look at that and say, "What are you doing in the kitchen? We need to go out." And then the people in the kitchen will look at me like, "How come you never serve? You only want the glory." So when he says, "According to what God has given you," not to say, "I need to learn.

I need to learn how to serve. I need to be in the background and do these things. And there are people in the church who need to learn how to be on campus and share the gospel that we support and help each other." But God has uniquely gifted us in our personalities.

And even when we talk about serving, our application is going to be very different. And if we're humble and we recognize that, we can value the gifts, the different gifts that we have instead of pointing and say, "How come they're not coming out on the street? And how come they're not doing this?

And how come they're not doing that?" Recognizing that the application is going to look different in different people. According to what he has given. And as a result of that, God's kingdom is glorified. If there's any gift that he tells us to covet, he commands us to covet, he says in 1 Corinthians 12, 31, "But earnestly desire the higher gifts." And what are the higher gifts?

Teaching? Leading? No. What does he say the higher gift is? In 1 Corinthians 13, 13, "So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three. But the greatest of these is," what? "Love." If you're going to covet anything in the church, covet people who are good at loving. If you're going to envy anybody at church and desire, "I want to be more like that person," see who really is good at loving.

Who's giving, sacrificing, encouraging. Who is good at applying love? And he said, "If you're going to covet anything, covet that." See, even the application, even the way he gave us the gift to serve, it humbles us. It prevents us from coveting when we recognize that God in his wisdom gave me what he gave me.

In fact, you know, it doesn't take much for us to become proud. You know, and I've shared this in the previous sermon before, that those of you who are taller than others, you have greater work because you enter a room, everybody's smaller, shorter than you. I know what's going on in your head.

Your grades are better, you know, you got an A plus. Your neighbor got an A. You know, I know what's going on in your head. You know, you got a better job. You make a little bit more money. Maybe you're better looking, or at least you think so. Maybe you got better hair, or maybe you got a better deal.

Use your points better than the other people. It doesn't take much. It really does not take much. You know, you sing better, whatever it is. You know, if you look at the way that God created the kingdom, if the primary thing that causes us, that prevents us from getting to God is our own pride, is whatever causes you to have pride, is your primary hindrance.

That's exactly what James says in the book of James, that those who don't have money should glory in their high position. And those who have money say, "You don't know, but you have a strike against you because you have to work harder to rely on God. You have to work harder to be humble.

Whatever it is that you are good at, you don't recognize that that's the source of pride that's causing you, or preventing you, or make it harder for you to worship God purely, to serve God purely." And that's exactly what he said he did. He took the principles of the world and he flipped it upside down in the church.

And there's a reason why he took tax collectors and made them the leaders. Because they would never be leaders in the Jewish kingdom. They would never be leaders. A prostitute coming into the church and becoming prominent? Are you kidding me? Somebody who was a slave is one of the first preachers of the gospel?

A murderer? He did that deliberately because he was trying to challenge a fallen world where the whole system is based upon succeeding and becoming somebody. And you come into the presence of God and He says, "If you seek your life, you'll lose it." And he loses his life for my sake.

He will find it. It is not just in justification. It's the very core of sanctification. He keeps us humble. It humbles us. It prevents us from coveting. And third and finally, the very gifts, the way he gave it to us, he deliberately used it as an avenue to worship God and serve others.

The two greatest commands is to love God and to love one another. And he said, "The very essence of your gift is not to glorify yourself. It's not to display. Look what I'm doing. Look what I'm doing." It's to humble ourselves and serve. So if we're not humble and we're coveting, the application of that is you're not going to serve either.

But if God humbles you and recognizes that God gave you the gift, the natural application of that is whatever it is that God gives me, I use that to serve other people. First Corinthians 12, 7, "To each given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." Whatever it is that God has given to you as a gift, it was for other people's benefit, not simply yours.

First Peter 4, 10 through 11, "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's very grace. Whoever speaks as one who speaks oracles of God, whoever serves as one who serves by the strength that God supplies in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ." He gives us a list of these gifts, where it's a prophesying, serving, teaching, exhorting, contributing, all of these things.

Two things. One, it's not comprehensive. There's many, many other gifts that are mentioned in the New Testament or not mentioned that the church has. So the point of this is not to give a comprehensive list and say, "Well, which one am I?" Nor is it exclusive, meaning that these are the only gifts and maybe some of you are gifted in many of these things.

So it's not comprehensive. It is not exclusive. The point of it is, whatever it is that God has given you, to use it to honor and glorify God and to serve one another. So let me just quickly go over. It says prophesy in proportion to our faith, in application.

So prophesying, we typically think prophesying means foretelling. Something is coming and so you tell ahead of time. That is a specific application of that, but the broader application of the term prophesying basically means to proclaim God's Word. So if God has gifted you in prophesying, He says to do it.

In serving, in our serving. If God has gifted you, you know, and I know like sometimes we joke, "Hey, your gift is serving so go serve." Everybody is gifted in serving in different capacities, but He's talking about people who are particularly gifted in serving. There are some people who are gifted in serving.

Whenever they serve, we're encouraged. And it's not just because they serve, it's just they serve in a way that God is worshipped. And I'm always encouraged, whether I'm in McDonald's or a restaurant and you can see a waitress who is doing her job and she's just bitter and angry that she has to serve these ungrateful people.

And you could just tell, even when the food comes, like you don't want to like it. And then everyone's like, you know, every Saturday morning we have leaders meetings. Every 6, 6, 15 to 630, most of the days I go to the, I go to McDonald's and I grab a cup of coffee.

And for whatever the reason, the most cheerful people are there in the morning, for whatever the reason. And every time I grab that cup of coffee, it brightens my day. These are hardworking people. They don't get paid much, but they're working so hard, you know. And they're, they're, they're cheerful in what they're doing.

So he said, there's some people in the room where your really gift isn't serving. Like you get energized and you energize other people every time you serve. You inspire people to serve. He said, if your gift isn't serving, serve. And the church is being built up because of you.

The one who teaches in his teaching, this is the one who exhorts in his exhortation. Some of you guys are really good at encouraging. I don't think that's my gift. Even when I encourage, people are discouraged. And I don't understand. It's like, that's not what I meant. And they read in between the line, it's like, oh, I know what you really meant.

You know, but some of you guys are really good at encouraging. If that's you, you know, you like to like write little notes and any little positive things that you see, you're, you're, you're eager to tell them, to exhort them, encourage them. You have no idea how much that builds the church.

You have no idea. I've encouraged somebody who just had a lousy week, something horrible happened in their week, and, and you didn't even know, but you're, you're exercising of your gift. Encouragement, exhortation, to do that well and thrive in God is worship and church is built in something that you may think is trivial, but how the church is built as a result of that.

He said, in your contribution, in generosity. You know, one thing I noticed is that people who are the most generous are not the, are not the, you know, people who are always generous in small things. I mean, people use money differently, you know. Like some people are really good with money.

They save it and then they don't use it and they don't travel and when they go out to eat, they always, you know, think about the cost. But when it, when it's time to give for something meaningful, they write a fat check because that's what they were planning and they raised money for that and they kept it in the bank and when the good cause comes, they write the check.

And I noticed that the people who are the most generous are not the ones who are always out spending money. He says, obviously we are all called to give, you know. And this is something that I've learned and when I first started ministry, I thought I was going to become a businessman and I'm going to use my finances to help people and stuff.

But I realized, like if you're not generous, don't pray for money because money will ruin you. You're asking for something. If you're, if you are not gifted in giving and giving doesn't cause you joy and it's not an avenue for you to worship God, don't ask for money because money will ruin you and God's not going to answer your prayer.

He's not going to answer a prayer that's going to cause you to drift away from God. His primary goal is not for you to live well and comfortable and buy a nice house and that's not his goal for you. I mean, this world is going to be gone one day.

He's not going to answer your prayers so that your hearts would drift away from God. You know, there are some people in the church that you could, you know, you could become a multi-millionaire and it would bless everybody else for you to become a multi-millionaire because when God gives you money, it's not just you.

Everybody is blessed. So again, just as a general principle, if you're not in the habit of being generous, don't ask for money because that money will ruin you because you're asking for something else that you have to fight against to get to God and God's not going to give that to you if that's the reason, right?

So if you're gifted in generosity, in giving, give generously and those who lead do it with zeal. This is one aspect that I was, you know, as I was studying through this and it came to that is like conviction because I am, I look at myself, I am in the habit and there are some weeks where I'm like, just one more, one more thing goes wrong.

One more drama, one more thing, I'm out. I don't think I'll do it, but I'm always threatening everybody. One more thing, one more, I can't take it anymore. And you know, I love God, I love the church, but one more thing, I'm out. And I was studying through this thing, it's like, no, if you're going to lead, lead with zeal, commit.

Don't have one foot in the door and one foot out the door and say, well, if you have these things, I'm going to be in. If you don't have these things, I'm going to be out. He said, no, if you're going to lead, lead with zeal, commit with passion.

Again, I was convicted by that. And the one who acts of mercy with cheerfulness. And I believe the reason why that is is because when you're giving and you're gifted in mercy, this is a pattern that I see a lot of times when you are in mercy ministry, and again, mercy ministry doesn't have to be you're out in the streets.

There's a lot of people who are mercy ministry even in the church. Whenever somebody's in need, you're the first group of people that get there. And it's just giving, giving, giving. You're not discipling, you're not trying to raise something, you're just like, somebody's in need, you're there, and that's your gift.

But the flip side of that is, it's hardest to be patient with people that you've been the most sacrificial for. Because you've given to them so much, you've sacrificed for them so much. That's why it's so hard to be patient with our own children. Because it's a one-sided relationship, right?

And you know, if you're a parent, you know what I'm talking about. Like, you pour out, I mean, they wouldn't live if it wasn't for you. So for them to rebel against you and question you, how dare you? So it's hard for us to be patient, especially if you poured out to that person sacrificially.

And I remember, you know, years ago, when we'd go out on the streets, you know, we would get the donuts and prepare every week. And every single week, we'd go out, and after a while, I started hearing the grumbling and complaining. We ran out of food. So the people who ate were happy, and then there would always be a segment of people that's like, man, these guys didn't bring enough food, or after a while, they got sick of the hot dogs or the sandwiches or the dried donuts, and then I would hear the grumbling.

And then I would take the clothes that we would bring out there, and then they would go and fight for it, and whoever didn't get what they wanted, they was like, ah, you know, what's wrong with you? And after a while, I realized, oh my gosh, people are so ungrateful.

And you want to quit. So I see a lot of people who start mercy ministry with great intention, and after two, three years, like, forget that. And it's not just mercy, but when we practice grace with people and we sacrificially give, there's a tendency for us to become much more impatient.

And that's why he says, if that's you, with cheerfulness, because we're not doing it to get something from you, but it's an act of worship. And as harder it is, the greater God is glorified. That's why the focus ultimately is to glorify God through serving people. You see, in God's wisdom, why he did that?

Why he said, like, the very first thing he says to worship God as a living sacrifice, to not be transformed, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, and then the very first thing he says is, do not think of yourself highly, because he knows that even in our sanctification, we can easily compete.

Who's doing more? Who's not doing what they're supposed to do? Who's in the kitchen? Who's not in the kitchen? Who's serving? Who's not serving? Who's giving? Who's not giving? And then we create the same kind of principles that we applied in the church, and all of a sudden, the same problems outside, we bring it into the church.

But he said that the kingdom of God ought to be different. Let me conclude with a practical application of this, because the application now is, okay, now how do I serve? Now, what if I don't know what my gift is? And so there's two. There's somebody who's so clear about his gift, and they're frustrated that maybe, you know, like, I want to be able to use my gift, or you got the other person, I don't know what my gift is, so I can't serve.

One is, here's my gift, I don't have an opportunity. The other one is, I don't know what my gift is, so I can't serve. The application of our gift, like, you don't know, you won't know what your gift is unless you're, unless it's in the context of the body of Christ.

And let me explain what I mean by that. Are you hospitable? Are you a good singer? Are you generous? Are you patient? If you say yes or no, how did you know that? Somebody told you, right? Somebody probably told you. You say, "Man, you're really patient." Like, how do you know that?

Because they see the way you interact. Or say, "Oh, you're really hospitable. They watch your life and what you do. Oh, you're really generous." Because they're watching your interaction with other people, so you find out your gift in the context of the body of Christ. And there's certain things that you don't, you're not good at.

You also know. So you don't come in there like, "I'm the best singer in the world." Nobody's heard you. You know what I mean? You'll be the judge of that. We'll let you know. If you come in and say, "Well, I'm gifted in this." Well, how do we know that?

So our giftedness is found out in the context of serving the church. Well, what if I don't know what my gift is? Well, it's in the context of serving in the capacity where there's a need, where there is a need. Give me an example of that. When I first entered into ministry, the bulk of my time when we had gatherings was not preaching and teaching because they didn't need that.

We had other leaders, and I was a young guy, so I spent a lot of time leading worship on campus ministry. And after a while, I could tell that I'm not necessarily gifted in this. There are some people really gifted. And I remember very specifically, is Luke here? Luke King?

Okay, Luke is here. So I remember very specifically, when Luke was very young, I forget how old he was. He must have been no more than... I was never your youth pastor, right? Yeah, I was his older sister's youth pastor, but I remember when he was very young, he wanted to learn how to play guitar.

Now, he didn't learn it from me, but I taught him some chords. He may not remember that. You're welcome. But I taught him some chords, right? I've been leading worship for years, you know? So I was a youth pastor, I was leading worship, but doing all this stuff. And I remember he picked up the guitar, and about three months later, I heard somebody playing in the auditorium, and I said, "Wow, that's really good.

Somebody can play." And I walk in, and Luke's playing, and not only did he go beyond the three chords that I taught him, he bypassed me in three months. What I was doing for probably about 10 years, that's when I knew I wasn't gifted in this. That's not my gift.

He picked it up in three months. We don't know what our gift is until we begin to serve where the need is. And as we're serving, there's some things that you may not be good at, and then you kind of get shifted, and then certain things that you're really good at, and then you get more responsibility.

And so the beginning of application is wherever there's a need. And where we also see that being applied is, Apostle Paul was not the greatest preacher, and yet God called him to preach. And you remember when Apostle Paul, in one of his letters, he said, "His letters are strong, but his presence is weak." And I've heard pastors make fun of his appearance.

They think, "Oh, he was short and bald, and maybe not that attractive." I don't think they're talking about his appearance. I personally don't think it's his appearance, because he was writing these letters with such authority. He's an apostle of Jesus Christ, and he's rebuking the church, and they didn't like what he had to say.

And he said, "Wow, when he writes, it comes with this authority, but when he comes to speak, he's weak. He doesn't have that commanding presence, so maybe his stature had something to do with it." But he was not the best preacher. Apollos was. Apollos was known to be the articulate preacher, so that's why everybody was flocking to him.

But yet God called him to be apostle to the Gentiles, in his wisdom. So sometimes God uses us because there's a need. Remember Moses? God calls him to be a spokesperson. He said, "Oh, I stutter. You don't have the right person. You want to call my brother. He's a good preacher." And God didn't say, "You're a humble man." That's what I was looking for.

That's not what happened. Remember what he said? He rebuked him. He rebuked him for being arrogant. What he thought was being humble, he said, "You're arrogant." The reason why he was arrogant is that you think I called you because I need you. I created your mouth. I created your mouth.

I gave you that mouth. So if I called you, I'm going to speak through you. All you have to do is do what I tell you." And so he called him to be faithful. See the using of our gift, what we're good at, what we're not good at, these are things that we find out when we humble ourselves and serve because there's a need.

And so what God calls us to, and again, this is a cliche, but what God calls us to ultimately is not ultimately fruitfulness, but faithfulness. That's why in John 15 it says, "You cannot bear fruit unless you abide in me." So his primary thing that he calls us to do is to be faithful.

Be faithful where God placed you. Be faithful with the needs. Because our natural inclination is, again, even when we look for churches, we want to go somewhere where I'm going to be met, my needs are going to be met, but he flips that around. Where can you be of the most use?

Where can you serve God? Where can you glorify God? Where is the greatest need is what we should be thinking. Because that's what he did in his kingdom. That's what he did in the church. He called us to be faithful, first and foremost. Ephesians 4, 16, "For him, from him, the whole body joined and held together by every supporting ligament grows and builds itself up in love as each part does its work." So isn't that the beauty of Christ?

That's the beauty of the church. We don't have to be significant. We don't have to be intelligent. We don't have to be the most gifted. You don't have to be wealthy. You don't have to be successful in this world. You just need to love Christ with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.

And love your brother as yourself. He flipped the principle, this rat race that you and I have to run because we live in this world, that we do not bring that into the church, that we do not build the church like they build their kingdom, that Christ and Christ alone may be glorified.

So if any fruit comes and they ask you why, that none of us points to me, to the organization, to the structure, that every single one of us will recognize the head of the church, Christ. Again, let's take some time to pray as we ask our worship team to come up.

And again, be very specific about application. You can hear that and say, "Oh, that's great. These are good principles." But in application, how does God call you to apply that according to your faith? What are some specific things in your thinking, in your judgment, in your practice that we need to be sanctified?

So again, let's take some time to come before the Lord in prayer as our worship team leads us. Let's pray. (pterodactyl snorts)