SERMON TITLE: Humble Servants
SCRIPTURE: Romans 12:3-8 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 2-9-25
Sermon Discussion Guide
Take notes here
As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.
We’re continuing our series in Romans today. Last weekend we reached the pivotal point in Paul’s letter where — after eleven chapters of rich theological truths — he now gets to the so what? Meaning — how does all of the theology that’s found in the first eleven chapters — play itself out in how we live — or at least — how should it influence how we live? That’s the journey we started last week with Paul’s big “therefore” statement and that we’re to live our lives as sacrificial offerings to God — where our lives are to be acts of worship making our God look glorious to the world.
And — starting today — and for the majority of our remaining time in Romans — we’re going to get very specific with ways our lives can make God look glorious. We’re going to get into the nitty gritty of life and see how — what we believe — really shapes how we live. And how — as Christians — what we believe — is to change how we live compared to how we lived when we didn’t believe in Jesus.
So — if you have your Bible — please turn with me to Romans chapter twelve. We’ll be in Romans chapter twelve today — looking at verses three through eight. There Paul writes…
Romans 12:3–8 ESV
3 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, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 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.
So right away — Paul’s going to show us how what we believe has immediate application to our relationship with the local church. I find this to be quite intriguing — how the first big application to the truths Paul has taught us — whether it be about our sin or God’s sovereignty, what Christ accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection or the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives — Paul’s first answer to our “so what” question is an answer that includes our relationship with each other in a local church. And — what we see — is that one characteristic of our relationship with each other is to be that of humble service. Humble service.
Let’s start with the humble part. We’re back in verse three.
Romans 12:3 ESV
3 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, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
Paul begins by contrasting having sober judgment with having an inflated view of oneself. And the command he gives to his readers — and us — is: Don’t think you’re better than you really are (NLT). That’s what “don’t think more highly of yourself than you ought to think” means. Now the rest of what Paul goes on to say isn’t actually a command — the command is just the statement: don’t think that you’re better than you really are. Everything else is Paul’s way of showing us what a humble view of oneself is to look like in the life of those who believe the theology he spent eleven chapters teaching us.
So having sober judgment — or an honest evaluation of yourself — is an explanation of what being humble looks like. As is all of what he says about the spiritual gifts — we’ll look at the spiritual gifts he mentions in the coming weeks. But — for now — let’s return to this idea of having a humble view of ourselves and what it means for all of us to embrace humility. Or — to say this another way —how can our beliefs about God, ourselves, what God’s doing in our world — including God saving a people for himself — how are we to use these theological truths to crush the sin of pride that we’re all infected with?
Paul tells us: he says we’re to think, think, think. Three times — in verse three — that’s what Paul tells us to do: think, think, think.
In using the word think — Paul’s wanting us to take a moral inventory — to do a moral evaluation of the way we view ourselves compared to others — and do so based on the theology he’s taught us in the first eleven chapters of Romans. So — in taking this moral inventory — use statements like…
Romans 3:23 ESV
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
A verse that obviously means we’ve all sinned and have failed to make God look glorious by perfectly living for him. And — instead of pointing out how big of a failure others are compared to you — at making God look glorious — or instead of trying to make your failure — in making God look glorious — look like less of a failure than others — those who are humble acknowledge, “I have sinned — I have failed to make God look glorious” — the humble know that they’ve failed to accomplish what God created them to do. And this acknowledgment leaves no room for boasting or pride in their heart.
As does the truth which says…
Romans 6:23 ESV
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Because of your sin you deserve eternal death. Don’t be offended — you’re not being singled out — God is being absolutely fair in his assessment of all of us — me included — because of our sin. Only the proud would think they don’t deserve eternal death as the consequence for their sin and rebellion. And pride leads some to think “everyone ends up in heaven” and — for others “ pride leads them to think “there’s nothing after we die.” Two very different views that try to accomplish the same goal: no eternal death for the proud.
But those who are humble see what an undeserved gift salvation is. For this gift of salvation is offered because of what Jesus accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection. Where he modeled for us what it means to be a humble servant of God. For — as Paul beautifully captures in another of his letters…
Philippians 2:1–11 ESV
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Last week this passage was read during communion to remind us of the humility of him who we follow — the humility Jesus exercised that resulted in our salvation. And to the Philippians — Paul uses Christ’s example of humility to compel them to do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility to count others more significant than themselves. For there’s no place for pride in the heart of those who follow a humble Savior. And when pride raises its ugly head — we cut it off with God’s Word — the sword of the Spirit — by turning to passages like this one — or others we’ve looked at — and embrace God’s truth that we are sinners who deserve death, but have been given eternal life because of what Jesus — our humble, suffering Servant and Savior — did on our behalf. A truth that — when embraced and believed — results in our pride being slain — killed — mortified is what Christians of old once called it — where we use God’s Word to put sin to death.
Yet there’s a second group that I need to address. This group I’m calling the “unbiblically humble.” It’s easy to see how pride is a threat to the unity of a local church — but we often fail to see how false humility is equally a threat. If pride is thinking too highly of ourselves — the unbiblically humble individual is someone who undervalues who God says they are because of what Christ has accomplished on their behalf. Let me explain.
If the proud person is someone who sees him or herself as a saint with no sin — the unbiblically humble person sees him or herself as a sinner with no saintliness. And — by saint — I mean a set apart one, someone who’s been set apart by God to be part of his holy people. And some — due to an unbiblical view of themselves — even though they believe in Jesus — instead of resting in the promise that they are loved by God — they view themselves as merely being tolerated by God. As if God was surprised by their faith and said, “Well, I guess I gotta let them in the family too.” As if you’re an exception to the angels of Heaven having rejoiced when you came to faith in Jesus — instead — unbiblically imagining — or at least living — as if the angels all sat with a silent gasp and shocked look on their face and turned to God with a question of “what are you gonna do now” when you believed in Jesus.
Instead — all who’ve put their faith in Jesus — who recognize they have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and deserve eternal death — and yet — and with great confidence and hope — believe that God has made a promise: that those who confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God raised him from the dead will be saved. An undeserved gift of mercy and grace that is theirs because the God they believe in is faithful.
I wonder which of these groups you find yourself in? The proud? The unbiblically humble? Or those who are humble because of their gratefulness to their merciful, loving, and saving God?
And — these humble people — Paul tells us — are united together because of their faith in Jesus. We’re in verse four.
Romans 12:4–5 ESV
4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
The body is a metaphor that Paul loves to use to describe the united-ness of those who believe in Jesus. And just like a human body has many different members — or parts to it — you’ve got hands, feet, eyes, ears, arms, legs, and so on — and all of these body parts have different functions and responsibilities — though we’re individually believers in Jesus — we’re united together into a body and are connected to each other.
Paul expands this metaphor in his first letter to the Christians in Corinth when he writes…
1 Corinthians 12:12–27 ESV
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — Jews or Greeks, slaves or free — and all were made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
To be clear — in verse twenty-seven — the “you” in “now you are the body of Christ” refers to the church in Corinth. So Paul is saying, “You — the local church in Corinth — together — are the body of Christ — and — as individual Christians — you are members of the local church in Corinth.” You see — because of our faith in Jesus — we’re united together and are dependent upon other Christians. God has created us each in a unique way and the Spirit has given each of us gifts to be used for the benefit of each other — more on that in a moment.
But Paul’s point — and my point right now — is that God saved us into a community that now depends on us — and — we depend on it. Because — as individual Christians — we’re one member of the body — but we’re not the entire body on our own — thus we cannot thrive in our faith while being dismembered from the local church. That’s what Paul is saying with the eye needs the rest of the body — just like the hand and the ear and the foot and so on — you might be the equivalent of the eye or the ear or the hand or the pinky toe — regardless — you need the rest of us — and we need you — in order to be a whole and healthy local body of Christ.
Later — to the Christians in Corinth — Paul writes this…
1 Corinthians 10:16–17 ESV
16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.
He’s talking about communion here — the Lord’s Supper. A sacrament of the church that — Paul makes clear in these words — is to be done with other Christians who are a part of your local church body. And — yes — a local church body. Why? Because Paul’s letter is written to a local church — which tells us that’s what he means by “one body” in these verses.
To another local church he writes…
Ephesians 4:11–16 ESV
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 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, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Again — Paul’s writing to a local church and he tells this local body of believers that Jesus has given them leaders in the church who are to equip the saints — the individual Christians in this local church — to do the work of ministry. God’s given the local church leaders who equip the church members to speak the truth in love and who help each other grow up and mature in the faith. And — when the members of a local church do their part — together they will work properly — meaning together they’ll be and do what a local church has been created to be and do — with the result being their spiritual growth and building each other up in love.
I don’t know about you — but I’ll take that. That’s a beautiful picture of what can and will be God’s church — in local contexts — when the individual members rise up to the calling God has for each of them.
Paul writes something similar to the local church in Colossae and adds…
Colossians 3:15 ESV
15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Part of our calling — as a local body of Christ — is to be individual members who let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts so that we’re united together. Our enemy wants us divided — God’s Spirit wants us to live in unity with each other and — the others — are people who are fellow members of our local church.
Finally, another part of our calling — as a local body of Christ — is to be individual members who serve one another. In verse six Paul writes…
Romans 12:6–8 ESV
6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 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.
I find it interesting that Paul — in wrapping up a thought on being a humble people who are united together by a common faith in Christ — quickly highlights the importance of serving one another. It’s like he’s saying that the humble follower of Jesus looks at a local church and asks, “God, how do you want me to serve these people? I mean — Jesus you came to serve and not be served and — in following you — I know this is what you’ve called me to: to be a servant — not viewing myself as one who is to be served.”
Time for the infamous “pastor Josh is now going to make us feel uncomfortable” portion of the sermon. You ready?
Think of how different of a posture this is — I’m coming here to serve, not to be served — this is compared to what’s commonplace in the church today — or at least the church in the U.S.
What type of questions do we Christians ask when looking for a local church — what’s the general focus? And I’ll assume that you’ve checked what the church believes and agree with their doctrinal statement — so — after that — what do we look for in a church? What question do we usually ask?
At the top of the list is something about “what kinds of ministries does this church offer for me and for my family?” Where we determine the value of a local church based on what we think it offers us — based on what we think we’ll get out of it. We even use some pretty awful language to describe this — we call it church shopping. Now — if you’ve ever used this phrase — you may be offended that I’m calling words you use awful. So let me explain why I call it awful.
What does the phrase church shopping imply? That the church — also known as the body of Christ — also known as the bride of Christ — is something we determine the value of. I know that’s not what we intend for the phrase to mean — but that’s what it means. Where we put committing to a local church on the same level as choosing which grocery store we’ll shop at. And this is awful language because God’s church — and I’m not just talking about Gateway here — I’m talking about God’s church wherever she is faithfully found — is precious in God’s sight. So precious that he sent his Son to die for her. So let’s be careful to not undervalue what God has said is worth the cost of the blood of his Son.
And — if you’re still not convinced that church shopping is an awful phrase — then I’d have to assume that you’re fine if churches start practicing member shopping? “Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I see you’re interested in joining our church. Before we go any further, we’ve got some questions we need to ask to determine what benefits you’ll bring to our local church. How much money do you plan on giving? How many times a week do you plan on serving? What about your worship attendance — every week — anything less doesn’t meet what we’re looking for in members.” What would you do if a local church did that to you? You’d think, “What a prideful group of people.” And you’d be right! Which makes me wonder why we don’t see the pride behind our church shopping posture.
Instead — the humble people of God who are united together by a common faith in Jesus — are to ask: God, how do you want me to serve these people — this body — this local church? And not only when we’re making a decision to be part of a local church — but this is to be our ongoing relationship with the local church of which we’re a member of. Where — continually, regularly, and on an ongoing basis — we pray: God, how do you want others to be blessed, encouraged, and built up because I’m a member of their local church?
Will you still care about what ministries are offered? Absolutely! But not just because of what you and your family will get out of the church — but because you see the ministries as an opportunity for you and your family to also serve others in the church.
We’ll look at the spiritual gifts that Paul mentions in the coming weeks — prophecy, serving, teaching, exhorting, giving, leading, acts of mercy and so on — but — for now — the point of Paul’s that I want us to see is that — individually — when we believe in Jesus — God’s Spirit gives us what is called a spiritual gift. A manifestation — or a display — of the Holy Spirit in and through individual Christians for the good of the local church of which we are a member of. Paul says this explicitly to the church in Corinth when he writes…
1 Corinthians 12:4–7 ESV
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
He then goes on to give another list of spiritual gifts — one similar, but not identical to his list in Romans. And God’s Spirit — manifesting himself in and through each of us — as we serve one another — is meant to take us to a new depth of understanding and applying the theological truths Paul began his letter with. For — it’s not just that we’ve been saved for Heaven — but God’s Spirit presently lives in all who believe in Jesus — and empowers each of us with unique gifts that are to be a benefit to the other members of our local church.
So — to enhance our vision of what takes place around here — me preaching isn’t just information transfer. You’ve heard me say this before — what I do isn’t the equivalent of a TedTalk or stand up comedy — Lord knows this ain’t comedy. The Spirit of God — who lives inside of me — has gifted me with the ability to proclaim the Bible — the Word of God — in a way so that you hear from God, are encouraged, convicted, changed, called to new life, and all of the other ways the Spirit uses his Word for your good.
But my preaching isn’t the only manifestation of the Spirit happening around here. As Paul tells us — serving is a manifestation of the Spirit. And when you serve others — God’s Spirit is working in and through you to build them up. And — when you’re served by others — you are being served by the Holy Spirit who is working in and through your fellow church members.
And the generosity among us is the Spirit of God working in and through us — manifesting his power to overcome our heart’s natural love for money — as the Spirit makes us into a generous people who build each other up, meet each other’s needs, and are a blessing to our community and beyond.
I could go on — but know that we won’t reach our full potential in Christ until every member of this local church is doing their part — as Paul says. But know that — in looking out for the interests of others — as a humble people — we can imitate the Christians in Corinth about whom Paul writes…
1 Corinthians 14:12 ESV
12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.
It’s good and godly to have an eagerness for the gifts of the Spirit to be on display among us. Why? Because our desire for the gifts is because we want to see our local church being strengthened, built up, growing up to its full potential in Christ so that — together — as a church — we make Jesus look glorious to the world.
Which leaves us all with a question: How am I building up this local church? Now I realize that some of us may be from out of town and are here visiting family or friends — so you — if you believe in Jesus — can change my question to: How am I building up my local church? But — to be a Christian — is to be a member of a local body — Paul’s made that clear. Otherwise you’re like an eye who says you’re fine on your own. You may be fine as an eye — but eyes not attached to a body — die. As do all parts of our body when they’re dismembered. How might your faith in Jesus take on new life by you attaching yourself to a local body of Christ?
All of this member language in the Bible — is why we have church membership here at Gateway. And a new class is just starting with just under thirty people in the process of becoming formal members of our local church. And — if you’re not in the class — I’m sorry to say it’s too late for you to join. But registration is open for our summer class. So if you’d like to make your relationship with this local church body formal — go to our website — gatewayepc.org/classes — and sign up for our summer membership class.
Now someone may wonder, “Why do I have to go through a membership class? Josh, don't you know that there’s no command to go through a membership class in the Bible?” And — that’s right — no command to go through a membership class. We — and many local churches — ask you to go through membership class so that we don’t force ourselves on those who don’t want to be members of our local church. There needs to be something more than just showing up — and participating in our ministries — in order to make it clear that — one — you’re wanting to be a member of this local church — and two — that we — the local church — are receiving you as a member.
Additionally, a common question is, “Well, I’ve been coming to Gateway for some time, I’m in a Life Group, I serve…what benefit will I get in becoming a member?” A question that I’d suggest is similar to what was said about our church shopping language. We don’t become members of a local church because we’ve first weighed the benefits we’ll receive — we do so because — to be an individual believer in Jesus comes with the call to be a member of a local church.
And I have great confidence that — as we each submit ourselves to the Word of God and allow his Spirit to empower us for service — that as a local church body made up of many individual members we’re on our way — we’re growing in our maturity in Christ — we’re building each other up. I have great confidence that we are — and will continue to be — blessed to experience the Spirit of God working in and through each other as the Word is preached, and as we’re greeted when we enter the building. And we’re blessed to experience the Spirit of God working in and through each other as we’re prayed for and as we check our kids into their classrooms — and when we’re waved at in the parking lot and when our Life Group meets. I have great confidence that — as we continue to submit ourselves to God’s Word and his Spirit — we will not only be blessed as individuals — but will first seek to be a blessing to each other. For that’s the promise God has guaranteed to those who — because of their faith in Jesus — humbly serve those whom they are united to in a local church. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, it’s humbling to think of how much you love us. That even while we were your enemies — you sent Jesus to die in our place — for our sins — so that we might be given new life.
Spirit of God, you living in us is part of the new life that we are given when we believe in Jesus. For you take up residence in the people of God. You dwell in us and empower us with your presence — giving us gifts meant to be used for the benefits of the members of our faith family. Spirit, reveal to us the gifts you’ve given to us. Spark a desire to pursue your gifts and to use them so others grow in their understanding of your love for them.
And Jesus — to you our Savior who humbly served us in your perfect life, holy sacrifice, and death-defeating resurrection — to follow you is to live a humble life. Counting others more important than ourselves. Using the gifts we’ve been entrusted with for the benefit and building up of others. To be united to your body the church — in a local setting — and to be a committed member of your bride because you love your church.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — may we make you look glorious to our community by how we humbly serve one another. May we make you look glorious by our love for one another. And may some make you look glorious today as they believe in Jesus for the very first time — trusting in him alone for their hope and salvation. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
May you allow the Spirit of God to use you to help this faith family grow into our full potential. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
Stories, news, and resources for things happening at Gateway Church.
