Here’s my sermon notes for Romans 12:3-8 “Humility or Absurdity” preached at Cross of Christ Fellowship in Naperville. You can listen to the audio here.
Romans 12:3-8 HUMILITY OR ABSURDITY
INTRO: FOOL MOON RISING. Story of Moon being proud and boasting of its light.
-Moon is a fool because all of his light is a given to him from the sun, not his own. His proud boasting is foolish
-At end of book he beholds sun in all its glory, humbles himself, and rejoices in the light given him as a gift.
-We too as Christians are called to walk in humility. We recognize our sin, and all of God’s grace toward us.
-It is actually incredibly absurd for any Christian to be proud. Recognizing this help us walk in humility.
*Christians are called to be humble and it is absurd for us to do otherwise.
CONTEXT REVIEW: Romans Theme= THE Gospel
-Romans 1-11: Doctrine of the gospel EXPLAINED and CLARIFIED.
-Gospel announced the good news of how we can be right with God through faith in Jesus Christ
-We can be right with God again, and it is by God’s grace through faith in Jesus.
-Romans 12-15: Application of the gospel (the ‘now what?’)
-Last Week: Opening verses give the theme: ‘a Christian Life is a Worshipping life’
-The fitting response to believing the gospel is worshipping God
-This week: Application continues. Here the focus is on humility.
-Christians ought to walk in humility and reject pride and arrogance
*Christians are called to be humble and it is absurd for us to do otherwise.
I. The Call to Embrace Humility (12:3a)
The main idea in this paragraph is found in the instruction “not to think more highly than we ought to think.”
-This is what shapes the paragraph.
-But before we hear this, we are reminded about who the command is coming from.
-Authoritative instruction from Paul the apostle: “by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you”
-It was God’s grace that saved Paul and it is his grace that empowers him to write and instruct us.
-Instruction is for all Christians: “everyone among you.”
-Everyone of us faces the danger of pride and arrogance.
-Instruction Stated: Pursue HUMILITY: “not to think more highly than he ought, but to think with a sober judgment”
-PRIDE= “think more highly than he ought.” To assume oneself or one’s faith or one’s gifts are greater than they are
-HUMILITY= “to think with a sober judgment” Refusal to be intoxicated or drunk with pride, right view of one self.
*POSSIBLE MISCONCEPTION: Humility means embracing a degrading, self-pitying view of self
-TRUE humility is a right view of self, recognizing our sin and God’s grace.
-Humility is beautiful and good! It is how we were meant to live.
*GOSPEL APPLICATION: Pride is truly evil. It cuts us off from God and the Bible says God’s hates it. (Prov 8:38)
-It also is self-destructive. It leads to our ruin in this lifeàGENERAL CUSTER.
-Leads to ETERNAL ruin in life to come: hell.
-God in his mercy sent Jesus to die for our sins and deliver us from pride: Phil 2:6-11.
APP: HEAR AGAIN GOD’S Instruction: “Do not think more highly of yourself than you ought, but think with a sober judgment”
*Christians are called to be humble and it is absurd for us to do otherwise!
II. It is ABSURD for a Christian to be Proud (12:3b-8)
God gives us lots of different kinds of motivations to help us obey him as Christians.
YOUNG: “The gospel is always the remedy for the guilt of sin, but when it comes to overcoming the presence of sin, Jesus has many doses at his disposal.”
–MOTIVATIONS: Gratitude to God, assurance of faith, rewards in heaven, love of God, witness to outside world.
-Here MOTIVATION is this: It is foolish and absurd for Christians to be proud.
-Seeing this helps us fight against pride and walk in humility.
ABSURD Definition: that which is irrational, non-sensical, illogical, silly.
-Mowing the lawn with a spoon; Trying to fill up your gas tank with lemonade; Me thinking I can play for the Cubs
-It is ABSURD for any Christian to not be humble but be proud or arrogant.
-Paul gives us 3 REASONS why it is fitting for a Christian to be humble and absurd to be proud.
1. It is absurd for a Christian to be proud because God is the one who portions out our faith (3b)
each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
-God “assigns” us a “measure of faith”
-We are saved by faith, and this very faith is a gift (Phil 1:29)
-But not all of us are strong in the faith. Some are “weaker” than others (Romans 14:1)
-PILGRIMS’ PROGRESS: “Mr. Fearing” (needlessly making his journey more difficult), “Little Faith”
a. We must not look down on “weak Christians” (Romans 14:1)
b. We have mercy on “those who doubt” (Jude 22)
-SINCE God is the one who portions out our faith, it is absurd for us to look down on others who are less mature or weaker in the faith. *Christians are called to be humble and it is absurd for us to do otherwise!
2. It is absurd for a Christian to be proud because we are like members of a body (READ 4-5)
–Analogy of the body (4):
-One body has many members
-These members have different function
-Analogy connected to the church (5): “so we, though many, are on body in Christ”
-The church is one body in Christ. The people are the members of the body (Christ the head).
-This means: It is absurd to be proud and look down on other Christians.
–1 Cor 12:14-27
-Absurd for a body part to look down on another body part!
-The body parts belong to each other: “individually members one of another”
-The weaker and stronger Christian belong to each other
-Since this analogy is true, it is absurd for any Christian to be proud and look down on other Christians.
*Christians are called to be humble and it is absurd for us to do otherwise!
3. It is absurd for a Christian to be proud because God distributes different spiritual gifts to different people (6-8)
-God gives different “spiritual gifts” to us (note: differ), and not everyone has the same gift:
“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us,”
-Not everyone has the same gifts! And that is by God’s good design.
-ALSO: Our spiritual gifts are GIFTS (“according to grace given to us”)! Not something we earned.
-This helps us see it ABSURD to look down on others with different gifts.
*Christians are called to be humble and it is absurd for us to do otherwise!
-HUMILITY IN PRACTICE: Recognize your spiritual gifts are gifts and use them properly: “let us use them”
-Paul Lists 7 GIFTS and encourages us to use them properly in the local church:
1. if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; (most likely refers to preaching [Calvin])2. if service, in our serving; (special burden/gifting in this area)3. the one who teaches, in his teaching; (teaching Scripture and theology and practice)4. the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; (exhort=calling others to action and belief; discipleship, mentoring)5. the one who contributes, in generosity; (giving)6. the one who leads, with zeal; (Leading; “with zeal” is how we humbly lead with integrity)7. the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (Specializing in case of need; ‘cheerfulness’ is proper way).
QUESTIONS:
Are you using the gifts God has given you to bless the church?
Are you walking in humility as you do this?
CONCLUSION: James 4:6. GOD gives grace to the humble.
Christians are called to walk humbly before God. Having experienced God’s grace in our life through the gospel, it is absurd for us to think more highly than we ought. It is absurd because God has measured out our faith to us. It is absurd because as Christians are members of the body of Christ, and how absurd would it be for a body part to proud over another body part. And it is absurd because our spiritual gifts are GIFTS, which means we rejoice in the gifts we have and the gifts others have.
May God grant us the grace to turn from pride and walk in humility this week.
