Roman’s 12:3-8

Coram Deo Reformed Baptist Church iconCoram Deo Reformed Baptist Church

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So as it is we are in Romans 12 we did chapter verse 3 last week
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We're gonna cover verse 3 a little bit this week, but of course
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I did a full sermon on it last week So we're not gonna go that heavy As we normally do
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Let's start in verse 1 in Romans 12 He says I I appeal to you therefore brothers by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice
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Holy and acceptable to God Which is your spiritual worship?
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Do not be conformed to this world But be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing you may discern
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What is the will of God what is good and acceptable and perfect for by the grace given to me?
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I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think
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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
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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 the one who does acts of mercy with cheerfulness we spoke last week about What Paul is talking here in verse 3 first of how he?
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humble both humbles himself himself and asserts his apostolic authority at the beginning of verse 3 and then how he goes in to Telling them that no one should be in any way conceded over that over another in the church
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And here in verses 4 through 8. He gives us a list of gifts is this list is not
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Exhaustive it is not all the gifts that are given But what he's not talking about his apostolic gifts either
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Want to point that out before we get started. These are spiritual gifts that are given Some are given
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Some are given multiple gifts some are given one gift
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But certainly none possess all of the gifts the spiritual gifts that are given
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Another thing I want to point out is that all of them as we discussed last week are
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Significant there is not one single gift that is given by the
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Spirit To a person in the body That is better than another and this is one of the things that Paul is talking about.
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They are all equally important So let's get it back to verse 3 for just a moment
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He says 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
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But to think with sober judgment each according to the measure of the faith that God has assigned
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I Want to briefly cover verse 3 again so that we can keep in the same mindset that we were in last week
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That we should not come to the work of the church with any sort of conceit or to any work we do in our daily lives with any sort of conceitedness
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That we are to operate as living sacrifices As Paul says in the earlier verses
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With no amount of selfishness or pride, but rather to glorify God in everything that we do
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This is the chief end of man after all The other thing is to understand that every gift every talent if you will
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Given to the body to the members of the body of Christ is like I said last week
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Given you cannot boast in a gift on this verse on this section 12 3 through 8
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I have a quote from Matthew Henry that I'm going to read to you He says pride is a sin in us by nature
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We need to be cautioned and armed against it all the
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Saints make up one body in Christ who is the head of the body and The common center of their unity
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In the spiritual body some are fitted for and called to one sort of work others for another sort of work
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We are to do all the good we can one to another for the common benefit
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If we duly thought about the powers we have
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The gifts that we have and how far we fail properly to improve them
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It would humble us But as we must not be proud of our talents so we must take heed lest under a pretense of humility and self -denial
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We are slothful in laying out ourselves for the good of others
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We must not say I am nothing therefore, I will sit still and do nothing but I am nothing in myself and Therefore I will lay out myself to the utmost in the strength of the grace of Christ Whatever our gifts or situations may be
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Let us try to employ ourselves humbly diligently cheerfully and Simplicity Not seeking our own credit or profit but the good of many for this world and that which is to come there is in fact no greater example of Giving self -service than that of Christ our
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Lord himself giving himself in full obedience both actively and passively to the fullness of The will of the
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Father Giving himself for us that we may live We should endeavor to give ourselves in the same way as his bride to him all of the talents that he has given us to serve with There is a reason that we are as the church called the bride of Christ There's a reason why that analogy is given we belong to him
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He has given himself for us and Therefore we give ourselves for him
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Paul continues in verse 4. He says for as in one body we have many members and the members
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Not all have do not all have the same function. So though many are
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One body in Christ and individually members of another Paul here is using this analogy and he uses it in many of his epistles
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To emphasize the church and its relationship with Christ as the head
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Just as there are separate parts of the body that have individual functions so to the separate members of The spiritual body of the church have different functions
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Not one that is more important than the other
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But that they all serve separate functions for the same end goal for the service of the body and of the head
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Many of these functions different differ from one another some overlap Some are given multiple functions
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But just as the hand is meant to be a hand and an eye meant to be an eye
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So too are we given these roles We given these talents that they will be used
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We should not be become frustrated or angry Being given a role in the church being given a talent for a specific thing
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This isn't to say that that role will not change in the future Also, oftentimes as we grow in spirit it does
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We take on different roles such as deacons deacons become elders and the elders
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You know step down from eldership and and so on and so forth. We grow in our and those positions change those roles change
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But there is one thing that is certainly sure we tell these gifts by the fruit that we bear
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There is a very specific reason why the church is structured the way it is In Scripture when it comes to the discerning of spiritual gifts, it is up to the church to discern them not you
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There's a reason for that because we very oftentimes lie to ourselves our
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Desires come into play this we may be gifted in an area We may we may be rather.
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Let me step back. We may have a fondness for an area of work But aren't necessarily gifted in that area as One may love doctrine
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But have a gift for service We're not all called to the same thing and certainly if we were the church would not function
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Paul says this about gifts in spiritual gifts in 1st Corinthians the
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Corinthians have a very serious problem With gifts so he goes on quite a bit about it, but I'm just gonna read from verse 14 here to verse 19 he says for the body does not consist of one member but of Many if the foot should say because I am
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NOT a hand I do not belong to the body that would not make it any less part of the body and If the ear should say because I am
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NOT an eye I do not belong to the body that would make it that would not make it any less part of the body
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If the whole body were an eye where were the sense of hearing Where would be the sense of hearing if the whole body were an ear where would be the sense of smell?
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but if it but as it is God arranged the members in the body each one of them as he chose
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If all were a single member Where would the body be as it is there are many parts yet?
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one body one of the largest problems that we deal with today in the modern church and Certainly they dealt with it in the
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Corinthian church So the church of this age rather one of the number one issues that the church has is their view of the pastorate
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Now many reformed churches have changed this and and in our camp it is it has changed and is beginning to change even more where we have a plurality of elders rather than just one guy
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But the view persists especially in the Baptist Church that the pastorate is the only significant role to play in the church
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It is the only honorable role is the only true way to truly glorify
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God in the church and number two
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Even though it makes no sense in light of the first is that The pastor is supposed to fulfill
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Many if not all of the other positions in the church Now in a church that is small that is
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Consist of very few people. This is Not it not uncommon and it's acceptable because you don't have that many people
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Well, we have very very large churches Where the pastor is the only one that does anything the only one that does the preaching the only one that does the teaching the administration
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The evangelism He is expected not only to feed the sheep as he is the primary role of a preacher
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But to be a full to do that full -time but also to be a full -time counselor and A full -time teacher and teaching and preaching are different things to be full -time to be a full -time administrator to be a full -time theologian and in many of these churches
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All the while the congregation is content to show up on the Lord's Day. Take the meal of the sermon
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Contribute nothing and leave this leaves that man to founder to become overwhelmed burnout and in many cases
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Give up this unfortunately is the operation of many many churches the other thing that I want to point out here before we move on to the gifts is as We go through this analogy of the separate parts of the body
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Being equated to the members of the church and the function that they fulfill What is the use of a limb that is not attached?
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How many in the reformed camp in the church camp do we have that are not attached to the body?
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That go at their own way If you're walking down the road and you see a person a person is a full
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Person even with missing limbs is certainly useful But coming across the hand or a foot
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That's not a body that's a hand that is no longer useful.
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I Was going to insert the the parable of the talents here. That's next week, but just think about them
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How many people we know and how many people are? Loud especially in the social media realm that are not attached to the body
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What function do they serve as a detached limb?
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None they speak to serve their own purpose Verse 6 he says having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us
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Let us use them God has not given gifts So that we can use them for our selves he has not given gifts so that they can be hidden and put in our pocket or put on a shelf and and Kept away from everyone.
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He's given them so that they will be used if you're given a talent for something and you keep it to yourself or You glorify yourself in that That is exactly what you're doing you are taking the glory that God Deserves in giving you that talent and Profiting yourself from it as I said before as we move into this list of gifts
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This is not an exhaustive list list. Certainly there are many many more But as he says before these gifts if given along with the other ones not listed
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If you are not using them For the service and glorification of the body and to the
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Lord You're a thief He continues.
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He says if prophecy in proportion to our Faith now, this is very can very very confusing for some people
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The gift of prophecy little p Lowercase p is one that is confusing for quite a few people the charismatic movement would have us believe that it is the supernatural gift of foretelling the future or That it is in fact a
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Position in the church that continues to this day It is not it is not either of those things the
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Old Testament prophets Capital P Didn't foretell the future
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I'll explain that statement What they actually did was expound the
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Word of God given to them They in no way shape or form of themselves
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Proclaimed what was to come? God said this and Said what he was going to do and then said go tell my people and that's what they did
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They had no power in and of themselves to know what was coming He simply told them and then they repeated it to the people
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They were in fact prosecutors many many times
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But in the same in the same vein prophecy lowercase p
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This is not a position Rather it is a spiritual gift the gift of prophecy is the exposition of the
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Word of God to his people this is the primary role of The one who preaches the pastor if someone has a gift for preaching
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It tears at them When they don't It is also something that is
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Very very lightly or I'm sorry very very lightly thought of As far as practice we don't give enough
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Credence to the men who do it and we give it to pretty much anybody
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If they meet the first qualification of an elder boom if they're willing to do it have at it
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Churches very often don't consider the gravity of that. This is the man who
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Prepares the meal for the congregation each Lord's Day That they may be fed by the
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Word of God in the same turn
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The one who comes who is gifted in this and comes to it must not come to it lightly
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Unfortunately many in our day and many in the past have resorted to entertainment
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Or to outlandish mockeries of the Holy Spirit to keep people in their seats but most certainly as Everyone else will be they will be judged for their mishandling of the word another thing
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I would like to point out as an expositor as someone who is In the role of pastor.
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I don't have neither. Does anyone else in this position or with this gift? Have permission to insert culture or popular opinion
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They do not have permission to skip over or avoid the truth of the word when it is convenient or when it is offensive.
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I Would actually say the more offensive the scripture is the more they need to hear it
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If you are writing a sermon and you think mmm, this is this is this is really gonna strike hard on some people
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Write it Not for the sake of offending them but because you know them and You know that the word is going to strike a blow against their flesh
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That is what they need Is what we all need We are to go through the word passage by passage word for word
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Telling them how they should walk and where they should go Says in seven he says if service and our serving service would cover many many ministries the ones who are serving those who are affected by hurricane
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Helene Who are continue in their service and care for those? affected by it
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This would also cover that ministry of deacons as given in Scripture Those who are given a gift for aiding others
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Scripture the widows and the orphans those who cannot care for themselves Those who the church cares for The institution of this particular office in service is given in Acts 6
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Verses 1 through 6 is this now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number a complaint by the
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Hellenists Greeks arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution and the twelve
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Summoned the full number of the disciples and said it is not right that we should give up Preaching the
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Word of God to serve tables Therefore brothers pick out from among you seven
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Men of good repute full of the Spirit and of wisdom Whom we will appoint to this duty but we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the
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Word and what they said pleased the whole gathering and they chose
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Stephen man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit and Philip and Procourse Sorry for about my pronunciation there and Nicanor and Timon and Parmenas and Nicolaus a
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Proselyte of Antioch these they sit before the Apostles and they prayed and laid their hands on them
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So the situation that they were dealing with is that the Apostles in Jerusalem were Doing the administrative and care work of the church in Jerusalem and it got to a point to where they could either do that or They could continue in the ministry of the
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Word evangelizing and preaching and so on and so forth and They said okay, which is more important for us as the elders as Apostles to do
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The preaching of the word the feeding of the sheep the establishment of the church. So they appointed seven qualified men
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To do the work of service in the church This is incredibly important.
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That is why we are given qualifications for this position Just underneath the ones for elder
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One thing that we definitely deal with today in this role of service, especially of deacons to the church
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Is that it gets very it's very very muddied with the role of elder in part this is because of the days of itinerant preachers traveling a circuit that they would install men to care for the daily goings -on of the church and The decision -making and so on and so forth
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Because they would only be at that particular church One or two days a month
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They didn't have men at the time necessarily that they could appoint as elders in the church
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But they were qualified enough to be deacons. Well what that translated to is deacon boards and when itinerant pastoring went out of fashion
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They started hiring men and what that became is your normal everyday
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SBC Church Where men who are unqualified?
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Many a time not always but many times unqualified to be elders Telling the one person who may be qualified to be an elder what he cannot and can't what he can and cannot do
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He can and cannot make decisions or for that matter they hire someone that pleases their ears
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They get rid of the one who preaches the truth of the word But that's not the only issue.
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It's led to there are many issues that that that this kind of thinking has led to The role of service often in many modern churches as in churches in those days
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I'm sure falls to the role of women How shameful that there are so many men in churches that will not step up to serve?
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Now there are many people who would probably argue with me on this statement What is the first qualification of a deacon?
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Husband of one wife it is a man's job in the church to serve the people of that church and how useless you you must be
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To rather have your wife do your work. I'm not gonna say anything bad about the women because they actually stood step forward
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But in the same vein Many of times in Scripture God uses women because there isn't a man to step up and do the work
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Here's where it becomes a problem Because you can make an argument for deaconesses
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There are many that do in the curse given to Eve She is cursed with a thirst
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For the authority of her husband So many many times when women take on these roles of service these positions of authority in the churches
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They don't want to give them up Whether it is out of pride or whether it is out of untrust for the men doing it
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They don't want to give them up So when someone comes into the church trying to reform the church and bring the church around to where it's supposed to be according to the word
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They have Instead of a couple of battles they have hundreds
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Because now not only do I have to bring you around to a right doctrine But they have to be brought around also to a right structure of the church
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It says to the one who teaches in his teaching those who are gifted in teaching according to and from the
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Word of God this includes those who in fact teach in Ministry have have teaching ministries like such as answers in Genesis or the
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Institute for creation research theologians Those men who may very well be elders in churches
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But are the thinkers of the church the the teachers of the church those who teach doctrine
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Many of times that this is a gift that is certainly given to elders the ability to teach most assuredly
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It is one that also overlaps with that of preaching to be able to further
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Educate your people beyond just that of the pulpit that of the meal of the Lord's Day But it also includes those who are able to practically and pointedly
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Help us to understand how the things of God work in daily life and Not just applicable in our daily lives, but how everything works the one who exhorts
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This is one of those ones that gets Laid on pastors, even if they don't have an affinity for it
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Those who are gifted and encouraging and comforting the flock
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Counselors that can both encourage and warn
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This is a problem for many people many many many people are not gifted Counselors they aren't gifted in encouraging
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They're not gifted at warning people when they're being disobedient to the word. They'd rather just not cause conflict they'd rather not saying or when a person is in the congregation is going through a very
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Traumatic thing or a huge problem. They'd rather I don't know what to say
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Now many of us deal with that Do you meet a person that you haven't met in a while you ask them how they're doing and Rather than the normal polite southern thing to do which is say
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I'm all good. Thanks for asking they say Well, my grandparents are both that they both passed away this year
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I crashed my car I had to get Spinal surgery they just lay everything on top of you and you're standing there being as polite as you possibly can going
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I have no idea what to say this person I've no idea how to encourage them. I know how to tell them what the
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Bible says About these situations I remember Romans 8, but how do
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I comfort this person that is Exhortation that is a gift. It's a very special gift that is given the members of the body and It is needed now more than ever the one who contributes in Generosity those who have this gift don't just give as Other give as others give we're all told to give cheerfully and joyfully
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But rather they have a need and urge to give everything that they have lavishly to Everyone in need
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They consider it a great and wonderful joy
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Sharing what God has given to them, you know
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We've all probably passed that person on the street or that that person in the church and said hey, you know
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They probably need help. Here's a 10 or 20 or 50 if you're feeling really generous These are those people who consistently do that over and over and over and over again
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Because they have been given much They give much to everyone else
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There's a very rare thing in the church the very rare thing in culture
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Most of us say well, I don't have much So I can't give a whole lot
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Or I'm not giving any and I'm not talking about giving in the offering plate or box
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I'm talking about being generous With other members of the body and with even those who are not
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The one who leads with zeal we talked about zeal before We talked about misplaced zeal
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This is include such as elders in local churches This is
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I put an emphasis on local churches The guy that you listen to on the radio may be an elder, but he is not yours
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He is not the one going to stand between you and the wolf But those elders in local churches who will stand forward and guard the flock against those who would lead them astray or pray upon them and Not only the wolves but the words of them those who put a hard wall between the truth of God's Word The opinion of culture and false teaching those who are not only confident in their knowledge of the word
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But have studied it and know the way that they should lead the flock and are uncompromising in that way
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It doesn't help to have a leader in the church. He goes That's a little rocky.
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Maybe we'll go around No, you want someone those people with this gift the gift of leadership are those who are
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Uncompromisingly protective RC in his commentary on this very particular section told told a story of Him being in Germany and going to the place with a bus tour to where the died of worms met and I'm sure
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I'm leaving out quite a bit from his story, but in the middle of the day when they broke for lunch, they were supposed to go to lunch and then call meet back at the bus and This group went this way and this group went that way
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And they went and they ate lunch and then none of them remembered how to get back to the bus and There was one young lady who stood up and said
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I remember how to get back to the bus So they all filed in behind her and very soon it became quite apparent that she had no idea where she was going
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She had all the confidence in the world to lead but had never looked at the map
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Those gifted in leadership those with an affinity for it Know the map
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They know the way in which the flock should go and they are not afraid to tell
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Those outside of the church and those within the church No This is the way we are going and We are not going to turn off to the right or to the left the one who does acts of mercy with cheerfulness
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Those who are gifted with love and with a mercy This is a gift that most that must
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Indeed be shared to the absolute utmost We exist as the body because of the mercy of God and we should always
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Endeavor each and every one of us to be as merciful as we possibly can with others oftentimes in the church and without In our squabbles over very small
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Things we often lose sight of how we should treat one another praise
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God that he has given us those with an Affinity a gift for mercy that he can remind us
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They can remind us of the mercy shown to us and that we should show it to others especially to each other
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Again, I'll point out reform social media place quite lacking in any sense of mercy
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Now these gifts all the gifts that we that Paul is covered here are not necessarily
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Exclusive and as I said, this is not an exhaustive list they certainly overlap with one another as I said a good preacher must be able to exposit the word and also teach for an evangelist
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It which is a separate gift must also certainly be able to preach
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Certainly some are given for talents and others too but just because you're given for doesn't mean you're going to glorify
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God or be better at the at any of it than the person with It also doesn't mean that we must at all times all have all these gifts
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There are many People many pastors in the church today who will outright say openly that if you as a pastor are not evangelizing going out and Proclaiming the gospel to people who are outside of the church
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Then you are not fulfilling the role that you have inside the church. I would like to point out evangelism is a separate gift from teaching and preaching and And while it is a good idea to have a good handle on it each and every one of us
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We don't all get that gift and it should not be downplayed on others that they don't have it
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That infuriates me to no end to call a man who gives his life to the body of Christ to feed to teach to Exposit the word to feed the sheep to counsel them
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Especially the one who doesn't get paid Who isn't supported by his congregation? I'm not saying
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Necessarily that it should be structured that way. I'm just saying the one who gives freely
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For someone to say that he is not doing the role given to him by God because he isn't doing another role is
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Hateful and Certainly unmerciful as Paul said earlier.
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We are all giving gifts We are all to serve the separate functions The hand is not a foot.
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The foot is not an eye we should come to these roles and these gifts to glorify
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God not ourselves and We should use these gifts both in the church and outside of it
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Our charity and mercifulness our love our ability to lead to preach the word
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Should not They are given to us to benefit each other in the body but as the church
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Together we should share these gifts with the world as Paul says at the beginning
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Be as living sacrifices Sacrifices holy and acceptable to God which is our spiritual worship.