You Are Making A Difference
1/13/08 2 Samuel 23:8-23 Romans 12:1-21
Let me introduce you to Stephen and Joseph. They were twins but very different from each other. Stephen started hanging with the wrong crowd in high school, and got involved with using and selling drugs. He caused his parents undo headache and heartache. By the time he was 22, Steve had 3 kids by 3 different women and spent two years in jail.
Joseph went into sports and was MVP of his high school basketball team. He was an honor student and by age 22 he had graduated with his BA degree and already had landed his first job making $45,000 dollars a year. He will be married this coming June. When it came to their family, which of them really made a difference? They both did.
Everybody is making a difference. The question is not are you making a difference, but rather “what kind of a difference are you making.” If you are a believer, you are called to make a difference for Jesus Christ who is our commanding officer. Before today’s Old Testament reading, most of you had not heard of Josheb-Baashebeth, Eleazar, Shammah, Abishai or Benaiah.
That is because they were not out to make a name for themselves, but to do what was necessary to support the kingdom of King David. They were men who were equipped to do extraordinary tasks, but there goal was to make a difference for the king. They were known as David’s Mighty Men. God has equipped us with different talents and abilities, not for us to shine as stars, but to make a difference for Jesus Christ. We are to be Jesus’ Mighty Men, Mighty Women or Mighty Youth.
We have been studying Spiritual Gifts, for the last 6 weeks in Life-Sharing and Pioneers. This past week we took a test to find out what our sprititual gifts were. Some of you were surprised to discover your gifts, and others of you had confirmed what you already believed were true. The word of God makes it clear, that you were given a spiritual gift by God, to make a difference in the body of Christ. That is why it is ridiculous to try to be a Christian without being a part of a church. You were made to fit in somewhere in order to build the body of Christ.
The use of our spiritual gifts in the way God intended for us to use them, keep us from becoming bored and useless in church. What happens to the football player who learns all the plays, all the defenses, and shows up at the games, and always declines the opportunity to go and play in the game, but finds ample time to criticize those who do play.
After a while they start complaining about the team, the coach, and start thinking if only they were on another team, things would be better. If you do not use the spiritual gift God has given you, for the building of the church, you will get bored and disillusioned with the church. You will be making a difference, but it will not be a positive one for Christ. That is why our New Testament reading command us, whatever our spiritual gift is, use it to the glory of God.
Spiritual gifts are also not a substitute for obedience to Christ. Never be amazed and dazzled by someone’s spiritual gift, whose life is not in accord with the word of God. Jesus warns us that, in the day of judgment, many people will boast of the miracles they did and the demons they cast out in the name of Jesus. But Jesus will say to them, “I never knew you.” Remember, every spiritual gift can be faked by Satan.
Spiritual maturity is not determined by how well we use our gifts. Spiritual maturity is based on how much we allow the word of God to shape our attitudes, our actions, our behaviors, and our willingness to serve in the life of the church. Using our spiritual gifts is evidence that we are willing to make a difference for the cause of Christ. Our spiritual maturity requires that we use our spiritual gifts, otherwise we will become stagnant and turn into complainers. Show me a person who constantly complains in the church, and I will show you someone who is not actively using his or her spiritual gift.
Using your spiritual gift, will help you in your desire to be found pleasing to God as an act of worship. Worship is not simply singing songs and hearing prayers. Presenting our bodies to God as a sacrifice, to be used by God, in the way God wants to use them, is considered our reasonable worship. To worship God is to utilize our spiritual gift.
If you come to church and are not utilizing your spiritual gift, then you came to church but you did not come to worship. Worship involves doing things, to bring glory to God. An usher is offering worship in the way he or she does her job on a particular Sunday. That is why you are to give your best. The goal is to lift up the name of Jesus. You are making a difference.
The great enemy of the body of Christ, is the “me” we bring to church in which we think it’s all about “me” and what I want, and what I like, and what makes me happy, and what makes me feel good. The is no “me” in church, no “me” in the body, and no “me” in Christ. Thinking about “me” always leads to jealousy, hurt feelings and comparisons. Thinking about Christ always lead to wanting to do my part to build the church.
In 1 Corinthians 12:12 verse 12 it says The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. The picture we have as Christians is that each of us is part of something that is much greater than ourselves. It would be a mistake to look at our church and think we have seen the body of Christ and it would be a mistake to look at our church and not think we have seen the body of Christ.
In the same way, I could like at your leg which means I saw you, but on the other hand you could argue I really didn’t see you, because I didn’t see all of you. It’s impossible to see the entire body of Christ because it is larger than any culture, any nation, any organization, and it exists beyond time.
As part of the larger body, we do have a responsibility to other parts of the body of Christ that might be in need. That is why we still give to missions, even if we are in trouble financially. Christmas Eve we gave$639 to small struggling group of believers in India who are a part of this same body.
People may talk about the church being full of hypocrites, but deep down inside we expect people who claim to be a part of the body, to act in some ways like other parts of the body. So even though we may not look the same, we do expect Christ to work within us, to make us act the same. Let’s suppose one night you were driving about one o’clock in the morning and you miss our exit. You get lost at the next exit. Your tire goes flat on a dark street in a racist neighborhood. You’re trying to fix it as fast as you can to get out there because you know a black was beaten up in the area last month.
All of a sudden a door opens and out comes six great big white guys with leather jackets, with silver spikes, talking loudly and coming at you. Would it ease you mind greatly to know they were carrying bibles coming out of a midnight prayer meeting and bible study. Of course it would, because you would then see them as part of the body, rather than as enemies to be feared.
We all expect other members of the body to behave in the appropriate fashion. So we know we are part of something which is far greater than ourselves. We expect other believers to make a difference for Jesus Christ.
Now the unity comes not from us have a great natural love for each other, but rather from being touched by the power of Jesus Christ. Look at the next verse 1 Cor 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
This needs to be paraphrased today to say for we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body whether we can afford designer clothes or not, whether we live in the city or in the suburbs, whether we have many natural talents or not, whether others think we are beautiful or just average, whether we are of this race or another, whether we are old or young, and whether we have a lot or very little--we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
1 Cor 12:14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. There is something about God, that insists on variety and diversity. God didn’t make fish, he made perch, sharks, catfish, tuna, bass and a lot more. He didn’t just make mountains, He made the Rockyies, the Andies, the Appalachians, the Himalayas, the Pyreines and more. He didn’t just make a tree, He had to make an oak, an elm, a pine, a maple and hundreds of others.
God didn’t just make a person. He made white ones, yellow ones, brown ones, black ones, red ones and all kind shades in between. He didn’t just make a church. He made small ones, middle size ones, large ones. Some with gospel music, some classical, some hymns, some choruses, some with orchestras, some with no musical instruments at all. God does what He does with variety.
The only problem with diversity is diversity. It means some of us didn’t get the same thing as others, and that’s not quite fair. Spiritual gifts are part of the diversity. God I don’t want to take care of the elderly in nursing home, I want to preach before thousands. That’s an exaltation of the gift of exhortation over the gift of helps or mercy. We want things to be fair, especially if we feel like we didn’t get what we thought we should have gotten. The goal in the church is to win people for Christ and help them grow. How many of you who are Cav fans would insist that every player on the Cavs got equal time playing, even if it meant LeBron could only play 3 quarters. Players gladly take secondary roles so that the primary goal is to be achieved.
God’s agenda is to make a difference in people’s lives so that they can be saved. We can trust God to put the right players in the right spot. Nobody knows everybody’s circumstances except God. If we cannot view things totally from God’s perspective, how can we know if God is fair or not in the spiritual gift He gives to each of us and the role God wants us to have.
I’m not sure why God made me me, or why God made you you, but I do know God intended for me to be me in the body and God intended for you to be you in the body. I also know that God intended for both of us to make a difference. My choice is to accept it or to get a serious attitude problem. Let’s meet Joe Foot and Bob Hand. At first Joe sort of liked Bob. They both were the only part of the body that had five things sticking out at the end of them, and they both were one color on top, both had a different color underneath, and both hand a twin.
But then Joe just got ticked off. The Body kept building Bob Hand up and Joe just didn’t think that was right. Each time the body got a ring, Bob got to wear it. Each time somebody wanted to give a high five, Bob just had to be on top. Each time something beautiful was displayed, Bob got to touch it and if that wasn’t enough, Bob even got to pick it up.
Joe Foot got so upset, that he decided to declare his independence. He started telling his twin, Sam Foot, "look man, don’t you see all the attention the body gives to the hand brothers. I just can’t stand Bob, the one on the right. I tell you, I’ve come to the conclusion, I’m not a hand, I’m never going to be a hand, therefore I don’t belong to the body anymore."
Sam Foot, says, "man you can’t stop being part of the body, just by saying I don’t belong to the body." Of course you’re not going to be a hand. You’re a foot just like I am. Joe says, "well I don’t want to be a foot anymore. If I can’t be a hand, I’m not going to be anything and I’m not going to do anything."
So Joe Foot shuts down. He refuses to allow any blood or life from the body to enter the foot area. You know what’s going to happen to Joe with no fresh blood and food supply. The disease gangrene is going to set in. Joe is going to be the first part of the body to die. The tragedy is, after a while, the only way the body is going to survive is to have to cut off completely that part of the foot which has been infected. Joe’s problem was envy. He felt that any special opportunities given to others ought to also have been given to him.
But God never intended for a foot to receive the same treatment as a hand. A foot brings special talents and gifts to the body that no other part can take. No part of our bodies can take the daily pounding of the feet. Without the feet, running, jumping, hopping and skipping will not take place. Can we humble ourselves to be thankful for that which God has given us?
The temptation in the body of Christ is to want to increase in the eyes of others. That enemy “me’ sneaking back in. We want others to admire us and to see us. Hey look at me and how spiritual I am. Do we forget the question isn’t "well what do they think of me now?" The question is "did they see Jesus." I am making a difference but what kind of a difference am I making.
Now its possible to be lifted up by God to have a very prominent place in the body and still be jealous. Meet Barbara Ear and Sarah Eye. Both of them are seen as very distinguished members of the body. But Barbara has decided that, even though she’s an ear, she feels led to be an eye. Some how eyes are truly where its at.
It’s very possible that God has called you to serve in a part of the body, but you feel as though that’s beneath you to do such a thing. It’s not enough to be up front, one has to be the center of being up front. The focus is not on what God needs you to do or wants you to do, it centers on what you want to do when you want to do it.
So Barbara Ear is ready to take her gift and go home. She has her rights. She to proudly proclaims, "Because I "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," . What good is an ear that’s not attached to the body. Do you know how much spiritual power is lost from the church’s ministry when its members refuse to act like body parts?
Would it make a difference to you if one kidney stopped working, one eye stopped working or one lung stopped working? After all you know that still had another one. Are you in the body of Christ to present yourself as a servant in it as Christ sees fit. Yet insisting that everyone should be treated the same.
God has no intention of treating us the same in the church. He made us different for a purpose. It says in 1 Cor 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be.1 Cor 12:18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. That means you can’t keep yourself gift to yourself.
If you want additional spiritual gifts, ask God to change you in such a way so that you can receive it. but search your heart and ask, "God do I want this gift because I want others to see me, or because I know others will see more of You and less of me." You have an obligation to God and to the rest of the body to be actively using your gift to make a difference for the cause of Christ. God gave you what you have, because nobody can do your job exactly as He wanted you to do it. Your spiritual gift has qualified you to be a starter on God’s team. Let’s all get out of the pews, get into the game, and win it for the cause of Christ. You are making a difference.
Sermon Outline—Pastor Rick
“You Are Making A Difference”
1/13/08 2 Samuel 23:8-32 Roman 12:1-21
A. Who’ Making A Real Difference
1. Stephen—Going In The Wrong Way
2. Joseph—Making Some Good Choices
3. David’s Mighty Men
4. Equipped To Be Mighty For God.
B. Spiritual Gifts
1. Learning Your Gifts
2. No Lone Rangers
3. Football Players Who Won’t Play
4. Making A Positive Difference
5. Not A Substitute For Obedience
6. Not The Same As Maturity
7. Maturity Changes Lives, Attitudes
8. Gifts Benefit Our Worship
C. Me—The Church’s Great Enemy 1 Corinthians 12:12 (NIV)
12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
1. Each Part Important
2. Body Is Much Larger Than Thought
3. Each Part Obligated To The Other
4. Can We Find Hypocrites In The Church
5. Flat Tire, Lonely Road, Racism
6. Six Guys On The Scene
D. Where Our Unity Comes From
1 Corinthians 12:13 (NIV)
13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
1. Today’s Diversity
1 Corinthians 12:14 (NIV)
14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.
2. God’s Likes Diversity
3. Fish, Mountains, Trees, People
4. Churches, Music, Etc.
E. The Problems Of Diversity
1. We Want It To Be Fair
2. God Makes The Decision
3. We Are Where We Are So….
4. Joe The Foot—Bob The Hand
5. Alike Yet Different
6. Envy And Jealousy
7. Anger, Separation, Death
8. It Wasn’t God’s Plan
9. Did They See Jesus
10. Barbara Ear And Sarah Eye
11. Shout It Be About Me
12. Why I Don’t Belong
13. Forget Being The Same
14. Asking God For More Gifts
15. Remember The Goal
Romans 12:6-8 (NIV) 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (NIV) 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
Ephesians 4:11-12 (NIV) 11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
