Our sermon this morning comes from Romans, Chapter 12. Will you please turn with me there? We're continuing with the one-another series, as the scriptures point out how we are to treat one another and how we are to relate to one another. There'll be special emphasis on verse five, but we're going to go ahead and read the chapter. Romans, Chapter 12. Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world. but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. For through the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you, not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have members in one body, and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly, if prophecy, according to the portion of his faith, if service, in his serving, or he who teaches in his teaching, or he who exhorts in his exhortation, he who gives with liberality, he who leads with diligence, he who shows mercy with cheerfulness. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Give preference to one another in honor. not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not be haughty in mind. but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him. And if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in doing so, you will keep burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Pray with me. Our God, we thank you for your word, and we thank you for your truth. God, reveal to us how you would have us live in light of these passages. God, show us our sin, for we do not conform to Your Word. God, we plead with You to convict us of our sin, to shine the light of Your Word into our hearts, and give us hearts to repent, to turn from our sin, God, and to embrace You, and to embrace one another, as You have called us, one body in Your Son, Jesus Christ. It is in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. I have had many, many car problems, as I assume you have. And I have not been very good with maintaining vehicles, and I have not been very good at knowing what's wrong with my cars. In fact, my usual answer when someone asks, what is wrong with your car? I simply say, it doesn't move anymore. As we look at ourselves and as we look at the church, someone might ask us, well, what's wrong with the church? Without a careful analysis, we might simply say, well, it doesn't move anymore. The church is supposed to be a body that's driving with a direction, a direction towards Christ and a direction glorifying to Christ. all the while pointing to him. And as we look in these passages, we see that each individual has a purpose in the church. Each one of you has been equipped with gifts to serve the church and to make it move forward. One of the car problems that I had was a bad vacuum hose. My car simply stopped and it wouldn't go anymore. And someone showed me that this little hose, being off of whatever it connects to, makes your car stop. He showed me it just needs plugged into this place, and then my car would move again. You see, each of us have a job that we are to fulfill, and we simply might not be plugged in. A vacuum hose is a good thing and an important thing and you are all good and important for the body of Christ. But if you are simply hanging on the rear view mirror, a vacuum hose hanging on the rear view mirror is no good whatsoever. We are to come together, we are to work together, we are to labor together. and fulfill this job, fulfill this work, the work of the church, pointing to Christ, moving the entire assembly to Christ, pointing to Him, seeing souls saved and rejoicing together. We have had a string of car trouble recently from a battery that kept going dead. a bad tire with a bulge in it, and several other things. And I'll tell you, it was pretty miserable, not knowing if your car was going to start, not knowing if your tire was going to blow out, or the other tire that kept losing air, if it was going to hold it long enough. Well, we just went through this great spurt of dishing out money for our car to get it fixed. And yesterday, we went out to our car, and we started it, and it sounded right. I put it in gear after I had put transmission fluid in it and it shifted nicely. And we drove down the road and it didn't wobble from the bump in the tire that we had. And we sat there with such joy and amazement of something actually doing what it is supposed to do. This is what our church should be like. Our church should be this solid thing, this solid body that we can count on, that we rely on, and that we are together traveling somewhere with confidence more and more towards the Lord Jesus Christ. But this can't happen when we are wrapped up in our own individuality. When we're wrapped up, oh, this is me and this is my thing. There's supposed to be this family love and this family working together to accomplish our goals. I said a cry this morning, Church, Church, Assembly of Christ, live as one. Embracing one another, embracing one another's pains, weeping when one another weeps, rejoicing when one another rejoices. and move together towards the Lord Jesus Christ, for the good of the body, for the good of the bride of Christ, and to see others saved. One of the first steps in doing this, let's look at verse 1 of Romans chapter 12. I urge you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. You see what holds back our churches? It's our own sin. The scripture in another place talks about the sin that so easily entangles the things that hold us back and keep us from being who we are to be and getting to where we're supposed to go. As I was thinking about being entangled, one of the worst experiences, well, I've had several bad experiences being entangled, but when we used to travel and we'd go on vacation, it was me and my brother and my sister in the back of a car with blankets and with pillows and with everything that we were going to need for Myrtle Beach. And we would try to sleep sometimes and one time, one particular time, the blankets all ended up on the floor and I had my shoes on and the blankets got wrapped around my legs and around my feet and I remember trying to move and having this terrible claustrophobic sensation because I couldn't even feel the blankets. I just knew that I was restrained. You see, whether you know it or not, your sins restrain you. And as you become more and more aware of it, you should hate it more and more, and desire more and more to throw it off, to throw off every sin that so easily entangles. You see, if you've become comfortable with your sin, whatever it is, You need to fear for your soul. You need to fear for your soul. Sin is meant to be thrown off and meant to be destroyed. We're to live more and more for Christ. In the C.S. Lewis book, The Great Divorce, there's this imagery of a man who has a little red lizard on his shoulder. And this lizard's always whispering nasty things into his ear and keeping him from doing things and keeping him from going towards God and moving closer and closer to God. And then there's this moment of deliverance where this lizard that's later defined as one of his sins that he's keeping and holding on to is taken off and ripped off of him and thrown down. This lizard begins this metamorphosis and it changes and it grows and it turns into this great horse. When I'm reading it, I'm thinking, what in the world is even going on here? Then the man goes and he's unified with this horse and he jumps onto it and it charges and drives him towards Christ. And they go together to the Lord Jesus Christ. And the point was that all of these sins that we have are perversions of something good. Something good that is supposed to take you to Christ. Your desires. Your passions, your idols that you run to, are meant to be thrown down. And your passions and your desires, your strength that you give to your sin, is meant to be given to Christ and given to the church. Your affections that are wasted, wasted in unprofitable areas, are meant to be given to Christ and given to the church. Consider your sins. Consider the things that you need to throw off and think of how those passions and those energies and those desires would be used in a pure way. Because every passion and desire is made for Christ, made for Him and made for the church. Throw off your sin. and focus and channel those efforts, those passions and those desires for the good of the church and for the good of Christ. Now look with me at verse 16 of Romans chapter 12. Be of the same mind towards one another. Do not be haughty in mind. but associate with the lowly, and do not be wise in your own estimation. Romans 15 verse 7 says, Wherefore, except one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. There is no place, no place for us to look down on one another. It's been brought to my attention that we have cliques within our congregation. I don't think anyone does it on purpose, but it does happen. And there's these close-knit groups that are considered and considered above others, considered before others. Now it simply happens because you've been together for a long time, you have similar interests, but it's going to take real effort to undo that. It's going to take real effort not to do that. Not to have those clicks, not to have these closely knit groups that keep others on the outside. You see, we need to pursue one another and pursue those that are on the outside. Carefully taking interest when someone is not present. Carefully taking interest and planning events as to include as many as possible. Think of how Christ has condescended to us. Think of how he has put forth every effort to bring us into his assembly, to make us a part of the family. And we need to do the same for one another. Embracing one another, being humble towards one another, and not a faint humility, not something that's fake. That's maybe one of the worst forms of pride, when we simply act like we're humble. and defer to one another as we puff our chest out. But really seeing where we stand before God and knowing that we were bad enough that Jesus Christ had to lay his life down to save us, and know that in that sense we are in the exact same camp as every other sinner. So rotten and sinful that Jesus had to die save you. And with that humble thought, approach one another with humility. Everyone. The passage talks about the lowly. The lowly, yes, but everyone else as well. Know who God is and know who you are. And know that we are brothers and sisters. And we are called to be humble towards one another. Next, look with me at verses five and six. So we, who are many, are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. And since we have gifts that differ according to grace given to us, Let each exercise them accordingly, a prophecy according to the proportion of his faith. You see, for many of you, it'll be a matter of finding your place in the assembly, finding your place in the church, to know what you are supposed to do. When I was a child, I tried to assemble models, and I must have jumped way ahead to some pretty fancy models, because there were all of these pieces. And I had no idea what I was doing other than gluing my fingers together. But the church, the church in order to work, you see that there are many gifts and there are many talents. And each of you has a place and a purpose within this assembly. This assembly is supposed to be something intimate. This assembly is supposed to be a family? We're actually called upon to confess our sins to one another? I'll just ask you right now, how often has that been the reality in your life? Actually confessing your sins to one another. Asking for prayer for specific sins. So with that picture of how intimate we're supposed to be, think of how intimate your involvement would need to be with this congregation, within this church family. So first, the challenge may be finding your place. Finding what you are supposed to do, what you are gifted to do. And if you can't do that, come to the leadership of the church and say, help me find my place. And we will do that. See, we have to figure out what all the parts are for. And sadly, we're like a model that's been put together, then we have these pieces left over. And other people are really tired. People that are in the model, that are in this car, a lot of them are really tired. And if you're feeling like a piece left over, it's time to come and it's time to help. Your church needs you. Your church needs you desperately. So find your place and let's work together and live as one. One of the things that we have to do in light of this is to strive for unity. Look with me at verse 10 and then verse 18 of Romans 12. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Give preference to one another in honor. In verse 12, if possible, so far As it depends on you, be at peace with all men. And for this unity to take place, we're going to have to pursue one another. The people who have been on the fringes, we have to go after them. We have to seek their minds. We have to seek their hearts. And in many circumstances, we will have to seek forgiveness. But it needs done. It needs done to fulfill this commandment of Christ. It needs done for this vehicle to go forwards towards Christ. My brother, when he lived in Colorado and was planning to move to Hawaii, they had to get their dishwasher repaired and the plumber came in and he pulled the dishwasher out and he worked on it and then he left and before long they discovered that their cat was missing. And it was only an indoor cat. And they thought that the plumber had left the door open, and the cat had gotten outside. My brother, they went outside, and he found cat tracks in the snow. And he hunted, and he hunted, and he hunted. And he followed these cat tracks out in the woods and didn't find his cat. So they made posters, and they hung posters all over the place. Have you seen our cat? Putting up numbers. And the cat was gone for weeks. And then one day, my brother heard a meow. And he listened, and he heard it again. And he called his friend in, and she listened. And they heard it, and they ran to another room. And they listened, and they heard it, and they couldn't find it. And it sounded like it was in the neighbor's apartment. And it turned out it wasn't. The cat was in the wall. The cat had been in the walls for weeks. They suspect traveling to other apartments and licking condensation off of pipes to survive. And they realized when they had the dishwasher out, It must have happened then. And they pulled the dishwasher out, and there's this little hole in the wall just big enough for a cat to force himself through. So my brother's friend laid on her belly, put her mouth through the hole, and laid there for hours, calling the cat for hours until this skinny little cat finally emerged. That much effort for a cat. How much more so should we put forth effort for one another? To draw one another back into the assembly. To draw one another into this family, even if they are present from time to time or consistently on a Sunday morning. But to embrace them in our fellowship. To hold them close. Be intimate members of one another's lives. You see, we have to be committed and we have to strive for this unity. For a church to be a true church, to be a true assembly. Christ calls us to be one body. Members of one another. Part of the way that we're going to need to do this Well, look at me. Look with me at verses 10 and 13. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Give preference to one another in honor, not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints and practicing hospitality. We need to be hospitable to one another. This word literally translated is stranger loving. That is, those that you don't know, loving them, drawing them close, bringing them to your home, ministering to them there. doing what it takes to do that. When our family first started coming to Eastvale, we were invited to dinner at someone's house. And they said, right out, they threw it out in the open on the first phone call, I might as well tell you now, I am not the best housekeeper. And I thought, oh, OK. And you know what? That was OK. Your house doesn't have to be beautiful. Your house doesn't have to be immaculate. You don't have to kill yourself to have someone into your home. Just go ahead and say it. And I will tell you, I'm not the best housekeeper, but I wanted to have you in my home anyway. You can do it. It means so much. So much to people to be brought in, to be cared for, and to be loved. Do this and practice this hospitality. Open your home. Be a part of one another's lives. Care for one another. Be one as Christ has called us to. Now, verse 2 of Romans chapter 12. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 15.5 says, Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus. I'm calling on you to seek Christ's face together. To seek Him. To know Him. But do it as a family. 5 verse 4 says, Seek the Lord in his strength. Seek his face continually. That word there for seek, it's an imperative and it's a plural saying to you, you as a unit, seek God's face together. Make this your thing. When I was in Boy Scouts, I worked down at the waterfront. And every now and then, somebody would leave their little ID tag on the board, which meant they were lost in the swimming area. And never was anyone actually lost in the swimming area. People just forgot to take their tags off, and they were in their tent somewhere. But the siren would blow on top of the hill. And everyone who was a qualified swimmer would have to come down in the swimming area, and we would line up together, and somebody would say, dive. And you would dive down to the bottom, and you'd skim along the bottom of the lake, and then everyone would come up, and you'd get your breath. And they would say, dive. And you would dive down to the bottom, and skim along the bottom, and come up and get your breath. And you'd line up, and you would look at each other and see if anyone has found this lost swimmer. And there was this anticipation of hope and terror at the same time. hoping that they would be terrified that you were going to be the one that laid hold of that person down there. And we would work together and we would look at each other and we would see what we found. You see, we need to seek Christ with that kind of diligence. Because we would work and we would work and we would work until the person was found or until we were on the edge of death. Because we thought somebody might be down there. Christ has said, seek Me. Seek Me. Seek My face. So church, line up. Line up and dive into God's Word. Do it together. And come up. Share with one another what you have found and how you have found Christ and how you have seen His face and His word. And with this, you encourage one another. You strengthen one another. I'm back again in verses 10 through 13. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love, giving preference to one another in honor, not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted in prayer, and contributing to the needs of all the saints. There's so much to do, and you're to do it together. You see, for us to be members of one body, that means as your arm, your actual arm, belongs to you, I belong to you. I am yours. That's what it means to be a member of one another. As my leg belongs to me, you belong to me. We have to be that committed. As you would care for a wound on yourself, care for one another. As you care for yourself, care for one another. We have to throw out this individualism that says, I'm an island. We're not an island. There's no concept like that in the Christian life and in the scriptures. We have to be a closely knit family. loving one another, caring for one another, pointing one another to Christ. And then, and only then, will the vehicle go forward as it's supposed to. Will we travel together, pushing forward to Christ, helping one another as we limp along. And that's what our walk will be. It will be a limp. But you're not alone as you live. Embrace one another. Live as one. And drive forward to Christ. Pray with me. God, we thank You for Your Word and Your truth, and we thank You for the lives that You have called us to. God, show us our sin and grant us repentance. Drive us to You together. Let us labor together like a well-oiled machine. And may you be glorified as Yisrael, who formed Presbyterian Church, loves one another and loves you as more and more are gathered into your midst. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.