Gifts for the Greater Good Romans 11:33-12:8

Grace, mercy, and peace …

I hope everyone is recovered after a big and enjoyable weekend last week.

Last Sunday we talked about the magnitude of God’s mercy. Today we’re going to talk about His mercy in giving gifts to His people to be used for the greater good.

A gift that’s given but isn’t used is only so meaningful. A gift that used merely for yourself is also limited in its impact and purpose. But a gift that’s used for the good others, as well as your own good, has much more meaning to you and value to others.

This is how it is with the gifts God gives us; not only are they a blessing to us individually, they’re also a blessing and a joy to others when we share them and use them for the common good.

When we use the gifts we have to glorify ourselves, then they actually work against what’s good for us, and good for others. When we use them to glorify God, then they’re being used for the good of all.

In our Old Testament today, God reminds his people of where they came from and how he has blessed them.

“Look to the rock from which you were hewn. Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you; for He was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him.”

And here we are today, the spiritual descendants of Abraham, who believe as he believed, and there are millions upon millions of us all around the globe; as verse 5 says, “My salvation has gone out; the islands hope for me.” The gospel is hope for people throughout the world.

So here we are, the God’s people on earth, all of us justified by faith as Abraham was; all of us sharing the joy of the gospel, as in verse 3, “Joy and gladness will be found in her.”, that is, the Church.

And here we are, all rejoicing in and sharing the gifts of God, as mentioned in our Epistle.

Before we get to our Epistle, our Gospel today is the great confession of faith, made by Peter, but empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus was traveling with his disciples through the region of Caesarea Philippi, which was in northern Galilee.

The time had come for Jesus to talk more about who he really was. Referring to himself as the Son of Man, he asked, “Who do people say I am?" - the Son of Man is?

So they told him what they had heard people saying about him, mostly that he was one of the prophets of old who had come back to God’s people.

But then Jesus got to what he was really after, “Who do you say I am?”

Peter, the bold one, the outspoken one, cried out: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” You’re the one we’ve been waiting for, the Messiah, our Savior.

Considering all the times that Jesus had to chide Peter for the foolish things he said, how wonderful it must have sounded to Peter when Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah (which was his legal name; bar means son).  Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father who is in heaven.”

The faith that Peter was expressing when he called Jesus the Christ or Messiah, came from God; it was his gift. By God’s power Peter was able to make that great and timeless confession of faith.

So it’s only by the power of the Holy Spirit, which lives in us by faith, and comes to us through God’s Word and Sacraments, that we can believe and confess that Jesus is Christ to us, our Savior from sin and death.

Peter’s confession was not just good for him, but also for the disciples who heard it, and for all of us, who have heard it in Scripture for centuries and millennia ever since. It’s been an inspiration to every generation of the Church.

So the gift given to Peter to confess the faith is a blessing to us, too. That’s how God’s gifts work; they’re meant for the good of all.

Continuing with our Gospel, Jesus promised, “Whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” That’s the great gift of the forgiveness of our sins.

In our Epistle, Paul begins by marveling at the wisdom and sovereignty of God; He owes nothing to anyone, but gives gifts entirely by grace. “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.”

All good gifts come from God. And so Paul says, “To Him be the glory forever! Amen.”

There’s something so freeing in saying that, and believing it: To God be the glory! When God is glorified, it honors Him, and it’s good for us.

In light of this, Paul says, “Present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

We no longer make the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament, but now, we give ourselves, our lives, our deeds, our thoughts, our praise, and our words, as gifts to serve and honor God.

Paul says, “Do not be conformed to this world,” to worldliness, which dishonors God, and isn’t good for us or for anyone, “but be transformed through the renewing of your mind.”, by the Holy Spirit living in you.

This means having a humble spirit, as Jesus has. “For by the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to. But with sober judgment.”

Be honest about your sins and short-comings, as well as about your qualities and good deeds. Live by grace, not by works.  

Any good we do that’s worth doing, ultimately comes from God. And so as Paul says, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”.

And let us rejoice in the gifts he’s given to us all; because they’re meant for the good of all, to serve all. They’re NOT meant to glorify ourselves, or to boast about, or to be selfish with.

Paul says, “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 of one another.”

The human body has arms and legs and heart and lungs, and many others parts, and they all work together so our body can function as God designed it to. If the arms try to be the lungs, we’re not going to breathe well, not at all.

The same way with the body of Christ, the Church. God has given us all various gifts that are needed for the common good, the ministry of the gospel.

Paul says, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given us, let us use them.”

Our spiritual gifts are all by His grace, from the Holy Spirit, so they are precious and not to be neglected or abused. We need use them in the right way, and we need them ALL in order to function and do the work of the Lord.

Last Sunday, once again, God blessed our Annual Pork Chop Dinner, as we reached out to our community and beyond, serving over 800 people.

One of the comments I sometimes hear from others is how amazing it is that a small church carry out such a large event, and do it so well.

Now we can strut our feathers and say it’s because we’re incredible people, or we can follow the words of our Epistle, and not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to, but give glory to where glory is due, God; recognize that it’s His gifts that are the key to the success of this event, and all that we do in His Kingdom.       

Last weekend, I saw people with different gifts and abilities and talents and personalities, using them all for the common goal of serving the community with love. Surely we had our differences and points of disagreement, but the unity we have in Christ always helps us through them all.  

The motivation and power to do this every year is the grace of God in Christ that we live by every day.

It’s a joyful fellowship for so many people, every year, and a small way for us to be a blessing to our community; more importantly, to bear witness to the gospel and share the love of Christ.

The fellowship and kindness, the fun and friendship that people experienced, is an invitation for them to be and stay connected with God’s Church, whether here or elsewhere.

This is just one example of God giving us the gifts we need to make a difference in our community for the sake of the gospel.

There are many others ways we serve God every day, but we always do so with the gifts He gives. And so we say, Thanks be to God!

As you faithfully and joyfully serve the Lord with the gifts He’s given you, and as you use them for the common good, may the peace of God, which passes understanding, guard your heart and mind, in Christ Jesus our Lord. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.