The Correct Response to Grace

Romans 12:1-8

Chapters 12 through 16 really become the application chapters. Paul has given the church doctrine, now it’s time to put the tires on the Christian life and apply it. It’s where the rubber hits the road. In chapter 12 Paul begins by sharing what our response to chapter 11 concerning grace should look like. This could easily be titled “Our Response to the Resurrection.”

Worship Christ with Everything (Romans 12:1) Verse 1, the word therefore refers back to chapters 1-11 in reference to God’s mercies, in which Paul is charging the church to reflect back to God’s mercies with extreme gratitude and with everything “body” meaning everything, to sacrifice everything to the worship and work of Jesus Christ! It’s one thing to die for Jesus, but yet another harder deal to live for Christ! If we really believe God is God and grace is grace, then we’ll take greater risk for His glory to go further. We become so comfortable in our idles that we have even created a version of Jesus that requires nothing outside of our comfort zone, no radical risk, no repentance of sin, no witnessing or missions, just good ole American Jesus pushing the American dream! That’s not biblical! We know this because of His Word. Jesus replies to this false teaching by what is recorded in Luke 9:57-62 “As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus[a] said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Worship Christ with Everything, take great risk for His glory and the Kingdom!

Work to be Equipped for Christ (Romans 12:2) Isn’t this important? If is Romans 8:29 says that our goal must be to conform to the image of Christ, than we must know and train to be like Christ. The Bride of Christ is vital in doing this transformational work. That is why the local church is so necessary to our spiritual growth and development. Both Corinthian books that Paul wrote magnify this fact. “Well pastor, I’ve studied the bible and I don’t see the church as important to my growth.” My response would be you’ve skipped several books of the bible when you studied God’s Word and you are not yet mature in Christ. A mature Christian loves the church! A strong marriage loves and is dependent upon both the bride and the groom! You can’t love Jesus without loving His bride! Paul gives us a few passages that reinforce the training and equipping of every believer. If you are not a believer, you will care nothing about growth, training or equipping for the purpose of glorifying Jesus Christ! That’s why when people give excuses as to why they’re not plugged into and serving in a local church it’s natural to wonder if they’re really saved, or maybe they’re new to Christ or have been hurt by the church. Ephesians 4:12-13 “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,”

1 Timothy 4:6-8 “If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” The Shane Moore translation: spend time in the weight room, yet spend more time in God’s weight room, the Word of God and the Church. Take advantage of our Equip Gathering on Sunday nights, Kids and youth, take advantage of ministry on Wednesday nights. Adults, take advantage of Wednesday nights. Take advantage of Sunday School. Train, Equip, be transformed. What we put in grows, what we starve dies. Be killing sin and growing for Christ!

Wrestle Every Stronghold that’s Keeping Christ From Being Enough (Romans 12:3) Wrestle those thoughts of pride that say I don’t need Christ and remember His grace, His mercy, that fact that none of us deserves Christ! We desperately need Christ. If we breathe it’s because He’s ordained it so at this very moment. This is good for pastors! My greatest position is not as a pastor, my greatest position is as a Child of God through Jesus Christ! The main person who sabotages Shane Moore’s growth in Christ is Shane Moore! We give a lot of credit to Satan, sure he’s real and at work, but the real corporate is ourselves! Don’t think that you are above growth, don’t think that you are above accountability, don’t think that you are above the correction of the church, don’t think that you are above the nourishment of the Word and the need of the other gifts that the Saints bring to the table! Wrestle against everything that says Christ is not enough! He alone is! You and I desperately need Him!  

Welcome Everyone’s Gifts to Exalt Christ (Romans 12:4-8) This is the beauty of the church isn’t it! One church, but many gifts, many parts, yet all important. Paul refers to this in 1 Cor. 12 and parallels it to the working body in how each body part works in concert with the other to fulfill the purpose of the body. Our purpose is to bring glory to Christ!

Will you respond this way to grace? Will you respond this way to the Christ of the resurrection, the Christ who overcame death for your sake? How you respond says a lot about your gratitude towards God’s grace!